Wireless communication system and associated wireless communication method and wireless device having efficient polling mechanism in overlapping network environments

• US 10,271,352 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2017
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
• Original Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
• Inventors: Coffey, John Timothy, Liu, Der-Zheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivas, Salvador E
• Application Number:
  US15/452,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20180027586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4035 in which slots of a TDMA packet structure are assigned based on a contention resolution carried out at a master unit TDM/TDMA multiplex systems per se H04J3/1694; hybrid switching systems H04L12/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0294 forcing collision non-scheduled or contention based wireless access channel H04W74/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0072 of resource information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0077 of access information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/02 Hybrid access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/00 Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices

Abstract

A wireless communication system under a contention-based protocol comprises an access point and at least one station, wherein the station is arranged for wirelessly communicating with the access point under the contention-based protocol. In the operations of the wireless communication system, the access point broadcasts a polling usage sequence to assign a time slot for the station, and the station subsequently uses the assigned time slot to transmit a data packet to the access point.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system under a contention-based protocol, comprising:

an access point; and

at least one station, for wirelessly communicating with the access point under the contention-based protocol;

wherein the access point broadcasts a polling usage sequence to assign a time slot for the station, and the station subsequently uses the assigned time slot to transmit a data packet to the access point;

wherein a plurality of stations are wirelessly communicated with the access point under the contention-based protocol, and after the station transmits the data packet to the access point, the station broadcasts a polling sequence to at least one of the other stations to notify that it is allowed to communicate with the access point;

wherein when it is at the assigned time slot and the station is eligible to transmit the data packet, the station broadcasts a reservation packet to reserve a time duration, and the station only uses a portion of the time duration to transmit the data packet to the access point, and a remaining portion of the time duration reserved by the station is for data transmission between the at least one of the other stations and the access point.

2. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the time slot is determined and assigned by the access point, and the station is not involve with the determination of the time slot.

3. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of stations are wirelessly communicated with the access point under the contention-based protocol, and the polling usage sequence broadcasted by the access point comprises a sequence of Media Access Control (MAC) addresses or a sequence of partial MAC addresses of the plurality of stations, and a specified time duration for data transmission of the stations;

and the sequence or MAC addresses or the sequence partial addresses serve as assigned time slots of the stations.

4. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein when it is at the assigned time slot and the station is eligible to transmit the data packet, the station determines whether a wireless medium is busy or not, and the station transmit the data packet to the access point only when the wireless medium is not busy.

5. The wireless communication system of claim 4, wherein when the wireless medium is busy, the station does not transmit the data packet to the access point, and the station is not eligible to transmit the data packet until the access point broadcasts a next polling usage sequence to assign another time slot for the station.

6. The wireless communication system of claim 1, when it is at the assigned time slot and the station is eligible to transmit the data packet, the station broadcasts a clear-to-send (CTS) packet to reserve a time duration, and the station transmits the data packet to the access point after receiving an acknowledgement from the access point.

7. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the access point further broadcasts a protection policy to assign a first mode or a second mode;

and when the protection policy assigns the first mode and it is at the assigned time slot and the station is eligible to transmit the data packet, the station broadcasts a clear-to-send (CTS) packet to reserve a time duration, and the station transmits the data packet to the access point after receiving an acknowledgement from the access point; and

when the protection policy assigns the second mode and it is at the assigned time slot and the station is eligible to transmit the data packet, the station directly transmits the data packet to the access point, without broadcasting the CTS packet.

8. A wireless communication method of a wireless device using a contention-based protocol, comprising:

wirelessly receiving a polling usage sequence that assigns a time slot for the wireless device;

when it is at the assigned time slot and the wireless device is eligible to transmit the data packet;

broadcasting a reservation packet to reserve a time duration;

using the assigned time slot and only using a portion of the time duration to transmit a data packet to an access point; and

after transmitting the data packet to the access point, broadcasting a polling sequence to another wireless device to notify that it is allowed to communicate with the access point, wherein a remaining portion of the time duration reserved by the wireless device is for data transmission between the other wireless devices and the access point.

9. The wireless communication method of claim 8, wherein the time slot is determined and assigned by the access point, and the wireless device is not involve with the determination of the time slot.

10. The wireless communication method of claim 8, wherein the polling usage sequence comprises a sequence of Media Access Control (MAC) addresses or a sequence of partial MAC addresses, and a specified time duration for data transmission;

and a sequence number of a specific MAC addresses or partial MAC addresses, corresponding to the wireless device, serves as the assigned time slot of the wireless device.

11. The wireless communication method of claim 8, wherein when it is at the assigned time slot and the wireless device is eligible to transmit the data packet, the wireless device determines whether a wireless medium is busy or not, and the wireless device transmit the data packet to the access point only when the wireless medium is not busy.

12. The wireless communication method of claim 11, wherein when the wireless medium is busy, the wireless device does not transmit the data packet to the access point, and the wireless device is not eligible to transmit the data packet until receiving a next polling usage sequence that assigns another time slot for the wireless device.

13. The wireless communication method of claim 8, wherein the step of using the assigned time slot to transmit the data packet to an access point comprises:

when it is at the assigned time slot and the wireless device is eligible to transmit the data packet;

broadcasting a clear-to-send (CTS) packet to reserve a time duration; and

transmitting the data packet to the access point after receiving an acknowledgement from the access point.

14. A wireless device using a contention-based protocol, comprising:

a circuitry configured to;

wirelessly receiving a polling usage sequence that assigns a time slot for the wireless device;

when it is at the assigned time slot and the wireless device is eligible to transmit the data packet;

broadcasting a reservation packet to reserve a time duration;

using the assigned time slot and only using a portion of the time duration to transmit a data packet to an access point; and

after transmitting the data packet to the access point, broadcasting a polling sequence to another wireless device to notify that it is allowed to communicate with the access point, wherein a remaining portion of the time duration reserved by the wireless device is for data transmission between the other wireless devices and the access point.

15. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the time slot is determined and assigned by the access point, and the wireless device is not involve with the determination of the time slot.

16. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the polling usage sequence comprises a sequence of Media Access Control (MAC) addresses or a sequence of partial MAC addresses, and a specified time duration for data transmission;

and a sequence number of a specific MAC addresses or partial MAC addresses, corresponding to the wireless device, serves as the assigned time slot of the wireless device.