Prioritizing sensor data and cellular offload data in a wireless network

• US 10,536,899 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2016
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Liu, Yong, Banerjea, Raja
• Primary Examiner(s): Acolatse, Kodzovi
• Application Number:
  US15/242,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20160360483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

First data units associated with one or more power-constrained sensor devices are transmitted in a wireless network, and second data units associated with offload of cellular telephone data are transmitted in the wireless network. Priority is given to transmission of the first data units over transmission of the second data units with regard to access to a wireless medium. Transmissions in the wireless network are permitted at a plurality of different channel bandwidths including a minimum channel bandwidth, and transmissions in the wireless network corresponding to offload of cellular telephone data are permitted only using a channel bandwidth, among the plurality of different channel bandwidths, that is greater than the minimum channel bandwidth.

Claims

1. A method in which, in response to network interfaces of stations attempting to access to a wireless medium of the wireless local area network and determine that the wireless medium is busy, the network interfaces (i) determine a backoff period and (ii) wait the backoff period before attempting again to access the wireless medium, the method comprising:

transmitting, in the wireless local area network, first data units corresponding to one or more power-constrained battery-powered sensor devices in the wireless local area network, including determining first backoff periods associated with transmission of the first data units corresponding to the one or more battery-powered sensor devices; and

transmitting, in the wireless local area network, second data units that include offloaded cellular telephone data, including determining second backoff periods associated with transmission of the second data units that include the offloaded cellular telephone data, wherein the offloaded cellular telephone data is data corresponding to a cellular telephone network, different from the wireless local area network, that has been offloaded from the cellular telephone network, and wherein the one or more power-constrained battery-powered sensor devices are not part of the cellular telephone network;

wherein;

priority, with regard to access to the wireless medium corresponding to the wireless local area network, is given to transmission of the first data units corresponding to the one or more battery-powered sensor devices over transmission of the second data units that include the offloaded cellular telephone data, including determining the second backoff periods such that an average length of the first backoff periods is shorter than an average length of the second backoff periods,

transmissions in the wireless local area network corresponding to the-one or more battery-powered sensor devices are permitted at a plurality of different channel frequency bandwidths including a minimum channel frequency bandwidth that is a narrowest frequency bandwidth among the plurality of different channel frequency bandwidths, and

transmissions in the wireless local area network comprising the offloaded cellular telephone data are permitted only using one or more channel frequency bandwidths, among the plurality of different channel frequency bandwidths, that are wider than the minimum channel frequency bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

when wireless network interfaces of stations in the wireless local area network attempt access to the wireless medium, the network interfaces are configured to first monitor the wireless medium for at least a channel scanning delay period to determine whether the wireless medium is busy; and

a first channel scanning delay period associated with transmission of the first data units corresponding to the one or more battery-powered sensor devices is shorter than a second channel scanning delay period associated with transmission of the second data units that include the offloaded cellular telephone data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each transmission in the wireless network corresponding to the offloaded cellular telephone data is limited to a first maximum duration that is less than a second maximum duration corresponding to other types of transmissions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an extension of a transmit opportunity (TXOP) corresponding to transmissions of the offloaded cellular telephone data is not permitted, and extensions of TXOPs corresponding to other types of transmissions is permitted.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein when a duration of a transmit opportunity (TXOP) in the wireless network is truncated, transmissions of the offloaded cellular telephone data wait at least until an original duration of the TXOP prior to truncation expires.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a wireless network interface having one or more integrated circuits configured to;

when the wireless network interface attempts access to a wireless medium and determines that the wireless medium is busy, (i) determine a backoff period and (ii) wait the backoff period before attempting again to access the wireless medium,

transmit, in a wireless local area network, first data units that include offloaded cellular telephone data, wherein the offloaded cellular telephone data is data corresponding to a cellular telephone network, different from the wireless local area network, that has been offloaded from the cellular telephone network,

determine first backoff periods associated with transmission of the first data units corresponding to the one or more battery-powered sensor devices,

determine second backoff periods associated with transmission of second data units that include the offloaded cellular telephone data, and

give priority, with regard to access to the wireless medium corresponding to the wireless local area network, to transmission of the second data units corresponding to one or more power-constrained battery powered sensor devices in the wireless network over transmission of the first data units that include the offloaded cellular telephone data, including determining the second backoff periods such that an average of the first backoff periods is shorter than an average of the second backoff periods, wherein the one or more power-constrained battery-powered sensor devices are not part of the cellular telephone network, and wherein

transmissions in the wireless local area network corresponding to the-one or more battery-powered sensor devices are permitted at a plurality of different channel frequency bandwidths including a minimum channel frequency bandwidth that is a narrowest frequency bandwidth among the plurality of different channel frequency bandwidths, and

transmissions in the wireless local area network comprising the offloaded cellular telephone data are permitted only using one or more channel frequency bandwidths, among the plurality of different channel frequency bandwidths, that are wider than the minimum channel frequency bandwidth.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

when the wireless network interface attempts access to the wireless medium, the one or more integrated circuits are configured to configured to first monitor the wireless medium for at least a channel scanning delay period to determine whether the wireless medium is busy; and

a first channel scanning delay period associated with transmission of the first data units corresponding to the one or more battery-powered sensor devices is longer than a second channel scanning delay period utilized by stations in the wireless local area network when transmitting the second data units that include the offloaded cellular telephone data.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to limit a transmission in the wireless local area network corresponding to the offloaded cellular telephone data to a first maximum duration that is less than a second maximum duration corresponding to other types of transmissions.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to:

not permit extension of a transmit opportunity (TXOP) corresponding to transmissions of the offloaded cellular telephone data; and

extension of a TXOP corresponding to transmissions of other types of data is permitted in the wireless network.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to, when a duration of a transmit opportunity (TXOP) in the wireless network is truncated, wait at least until an original duration of the TXOP prior to truncation expires before attempting a transmission corresponding to the offloaded cellular telephone data.

11. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to:

transmit the second data units during a transmit opportunity (TXOP) period; and

generate each second data unit to include duration information regarding the TXOP period.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the wireless network interface comprises:

a plurality of transceivers.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a plurality of antennas coupled to the plurality of transceivers.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a wireless network interface for a power-constrained battery-powered sensor device, wherein the wireless network interface is configured to operate in a wireless local area network in which first data units that include offloaded cellular telephone data are transmitted, wherein the offloaded cellular telephone data is data corresponding to a cellular telephone network, different from the wireless local area network, that has been offloaded from the cellular telephone network, and wherein the power-constrained battery-powered sensor device is not part of the cellular telephone network the wireless network interface having one or more integrated circuits configured to;

when the wireless network interface attempts access to the wireless medium and determines that the wireless medium is busy, (i) determine a backoff period and (ii) wait the backoff period before attempting again to access the wireless medium,

transmit, in the wireless local area network, second data units corresponding to the power-constrained battery-powered sensor device using a minimum channel frequency bandwidth at which the first data units cannot be transmitted, the minimum channel frequency bandwidth from among a plurality of different channel frequency bandwidths used in the wireless local area network, wherein the minimum channel frequency bandwidth is a narrowest frequency bandwidth among the plurality of different channel frequency bandwidths;

wherein other devices in the wireless local area network use first backoff periods for transmission of the first data units that include the offloaded cellular telephone data; and

wherein the one or more integrated circuits configured to;

obtain access to a wireless medium corresponding to the wireless local area network using one or more channel access parameters that are designed to give priority, with regard to access to the wireless medium, to transmission of the second data units corresponding to the power-constrained battery-powered sensor device over transmission of the first data units that include the offloaded cellular telephone data, including determining second backoff periods associated with transmission of the second data units such that an average length of the first backoff periods is longer than an average length of the second backoff periods.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

when the wireless network interface attempts access to the wireless medium, the one or more integrated circuits are configured to configured to first monitor the wireless medium for at least a channel scanning delay period to determine whether the wireless medium is busy; and

a first channel scanning delay period associated with transmission of the second data units is shorter than a second channel scanning delay period utilized by stations in the wireless local area network when transmitting the first data units associated with the offloaded cellular telephone data.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to limit a transmission in the wireless local area network to a first maximum duration that is more than a second maximum duration corresponding to transmissions associated with the offloaded cellular telephone data.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to:

permit extension of a transmit opportunity (TXOP) in the wireless network;

wherein extension of a TXOP corresponding to transmissions of the offloaded cellular telephone data is not permitted in the wireless local area network.