Communications protocol for wireless lan harmonizing the ieee 802.11a and etsi hiperla/2 standards

• US 20040141522A1
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Envara Ltd. (Intel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Envara Ltd. (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Texerman, Yossi, Davidi, Oren
• Application Number:
  US10/344,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20040141522A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks

Abstract

A unified communications protocol for wireless local area networks (WLANs) (400) which provides for the fair co-existence of the IEEE 802.11a (“11a”) and HiPerLAN/2 (“HL2”), broadband communications standards. Wireless network devices (MT'"'"'s) operating in accordance with 11a and HL2 may co-exist without interference by partitioning a 2 ms periodic lime domain, based on the HL2 standard, into a first slice for use by 11a MT'"'"'s and a slice for use by HL2 devices. An Arbitrator entity (ARB) broadcasts the time slices periodically at an interval which is greater than or equal to the periodic time domain. A first access Point (E-AP) handles communication with the E-MT'"'"'s, and a second Access Point (M-AP) handles communications with the e-MTSs and the M-MT'"'"'s. In this manner, convergence is provided between 11a and HL2, providing users with the best or both worlds, e.g., full interoperability, QoS and co-existence.

Claims

1. A method of enabling wireless network devices (MTs), operating in accordance with two incompatible communications standards, to co-exist without interference comprising:

partitioning a periodic time domain into a first slice for use by devices (E-MTs) operating in accordance with a first communications standard, and a second slice for use by devices (M-MTs) operating in accordance with a second communications standard; and

broadcasting the time slices to the MTs;

wherein;

the first communications standard consists essentially of the IEEE 802.11 a standard; and

the second communications standard consists essentially of the HiPerLAN/2 standard.

2. Method, according to claim 1, wherein:

the periodic time domain has a duration of 2 ms.

3. Method, according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a first Access Point (E-AP) for handling communications with the E-MTs in a first environment; and

providing a second Access Point (M-AP) for handling communications with the M-MTs in a second environment.

4. Method, according to claim 3, wherein:

the first environment is an Ethernet environment; and

the second environment is a multimedia environment.

5. Method, according to claim 3 further comprising:

providing a communications link between the between the F-AP and the M-AP.

6. Method, according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a unified Access Point (U-AP) for communicating with the E-MTs and the M-MTs in a multiple environment.

7. Method according to claim 1 further comprising:

introducing guard periods between the two slices to prevent overlapped operation of E-MTs and M-MTs.

8. Method, according to claim 1, wherein:

the first and second time slices are substantially equally partitioned.

9. Method according to claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting the time slices to the MTs once every periodic time domain.

10. Method, according to claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting the time slices to the MTs periodically at an interval which is greater than the period of the periodic time domain.

11. Method, according to claim 1, further comprising:

unequally allocating the time slices, preferentially, based on activity of the wireless network devices (MTs).

12. Method, according to claim 1, further comprising:

fragmenting data frames being sent by an E-MT which are larger than the first slice.

13. Method, according to claim 1, further comprising:

forcing a small fragment size on data frames of the E-MTs; and

providing a guard time (contention-free period) before the second time slice;

wherein;

the guard time is sufficient for the E-MT to send one fragment

14. Method, according to claim 1, further comprising:

preventing an E-MT from transmitting outside of the first slice.

15. Method, according to claim 14, wherein:

the E-MT is prevented from transmitting outside of the first slice by setting all other time slices in the time domain as busy in a network allocation vector (NAV) of the first communications standard.

16. Method, according to claim 15, further comprising:

before transmitting a frame, the E-MT checks that the frame size fits inside an allowed slot in the first slice and will not collide with a look-ahead NAV; and

if the frame size does not fit into the first slice, the E-MT suspends the transmission of the frame until the next available slot.

17. A method of enabling wireless network devices (MTs), operating in accordance with two incompatible communications standards, to co-exist without interference, comprising:

partitioning a periodic time domain into a first slice for use by devices (E-MTs) operating in accordance with a first communications standard, and a second slice for use by devices (M-MTs) operating in accordance with a second communications standard;

broadcasting the time slices to the MTs;

providing a first Access Point (E-AP) for handling communications with the E-MTs in an Ethernet environment; and

providing a second Access Point (M-AP) for handling communications with the M-MTs in a multimedia environment.

18. A method of enabling wireless network devices (MTs), operating in accordance with two incompatible communications standards, to co-exist without interference, comprising:

partitioning a periodic time domain into a first slice for use by devices (E-MTs) operating in accordance with a first communications standard, and a second slice for use by devices (M-MTs) operating in accordance with a second communications standard; and

broadcasting the time slices to the MTs;

forcing a small fragment size on data frames of the E-MTs; and

providing a guard time (contention-free period) before the second time slice;

wherein;

the guard time is sufficient for the E-MT to send one fragment

19. A method of enabling wireless network devices (MTs), operating in accordance with two incompatible communications standards, to co-exist without interference, comprising:

partitioning a periodic time domain into a first slice for use by devices (E-MTs) operating in accordance with a first communications standard and a second slice for use by devices (M-MTs) operating in accordance with a second communications standard; and

broadcasting the time slices to the MTs; and

preventing an E-MT from transmitting outside of the first slice;

wherein;

the E-MT is prevented from transmitting outside of the first slice by setting all other time slices in the time domain as busy in a network allocation vector (NAV) of the first communications standard;

before transmitting a frame, the E-MT checks that the frame size fits inside an allowed slot in the first slice and will not collide with a look-ahead NAV; and

if the frame size does not fit into the first slice, the E-MT suspends the transmission of the frame until the next available slot.