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Tropos Receives Three New Patents Demonstrating Its Ongoing Technology Leadership in Large Scale, High Capacity Mesh Networks
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sunnyvale, CA -- Tropos® Networks, the market leader in wireless IP broadband mesh networks, today announced that the company has been awarded three new patents for technology innovations created to meet the unique challenges of outdoor wireless mesh networks. This brings the total number of patents granted Tropos to 14, with more than 50 still in the pipeline.
Tropos continues to lead the market in delivering products that integrate field-proven, patented technologies enabling customers to build resilient, secure large-scale outdoor wireless mesh networks used by utilities and municipalities for running multiple applications over a single network. Typical applications range from smart metering and smart grid to mobile workers, intelligent transportation systems and public safety.
The three new patents were awarded for software innovations. Two relate to the efficient use of multiple channels to optimize performance of multi-channel multi-radio mesh networks. The third patent provides metrics and measurements to assess the performance of mesh links within a network and generate optimizations to improve the overall network performance. Taken together, these patents enable higher capacity, more efficient use of radio spectrum resources, higher resiliency and scalability, and improved ease of deployment and optimization of mesh networks.
"Granting of these patents demonstrates Tropos’ pioneering technology developments for multi-radio, multi-channel mesh networking and in mesh network analytics," said Narasimha Chari, co-founder and chief technology officer for Tropos. "Since its inception in 2001, Tropos has continued to innovate on technology to build networks that deliver the reliability, resiliency, low latency, security, scalability and management that customers demand."
Multi-Channel Mesh Routing
U.S. Patent Number 7,505,426 provides routing mechanisms that allow multi-radio mesh routers to operate on multiple channels, over multiple frequency bands and take into account the reliability and quality of routing paths to select the best path. Benefits derived from use of this approach include: 1) higher system capacity by being able to efficiently take advantage of available spectrum resources; 2) greater resiliency to interference and other adverse RF conditions; 3) a network that is more reliable and can quickly adapt to changing conditions. The innovations described in this patent benefit networks that have high resiliency and reliability requirements (such as utility applications) as well as networks built to handle demanding high-bandwidth applications such as video surveillance.
Channel Assignments in a Mesh Network
This invention (U.S. Patent Number 7,489,932) covers the use of multiple channels along a routing path within a mesh network such that consecutive links along a path operate on different channels. The benefits derived from applying this technology include higher end-to-end throughput as well as increased overall system capacity through more efficient spectral reuse. The invention also covers the use of partially overlapping channels within a mesh to promote more aggressive spectrum reuse topologies and to provide higher system resiliency. The innovations in this patent will benefit networks with high resiliency requirements as well as those that have high bandwidth needs.
Mesh Link Performance Assessment
An algorithm that identifies and isolates areas of sub-optimal performance within the mesh network (U.S. Patent Number 7,499,409) itself, this unique approach assesses all links within the network and prioritizes them based on link performance as it relates to the overall network. This performance measurement is a key step in deployment and optimization of large-scale mesh networks and is an important part of ongoing post-deployment performance optimization. The patent also covers the automated generation of performance reports by a network management system. The innovations in this patent benefit large-scale networks covering large geographic areas that need to be centrally managed in a scalable fashion.
Tropos’ awarded and pending patents reflect its unique outdoor mesh architecture that was designed from day one to scale to large networks in terms of both coverage area and capacity. The company has developed a steady stream of innovations that span multiple areas from new and innovative hardware and RF designs for outdoor wireless routers, to routing software algorithms for maximizing the performance of wireless in outdoor environments, and reliable network management innovations that scale to large real-world network deployments.
About Tropos Networks, Inc.
Tropos® Networks is the worldwide market leader in wireless IP broadband mesh networks. Its solutions create greener, safer, smarter IP foundations for deployment of high-value applications that increase efficiencies and reduce operational costs. Greener – smart grid, automated meter reading and intelligent transportation systems. Safer – mobile public safety communications and IP video surveillance. Smarter – enabling mobile workers to easily access the same information in the field as from their office. Tropos delivers the highest levels of reliability, scalability, and security in the industry with more than 500 customers in over 30 countries. Founded in 2001, Tropos Networks is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, please visit www.tropos.com, call 408-331-6800 or write to info@tropos.com. Tropos is a registered trademark of Tropos Networks, Inc.
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