Method and system for accessing a channel in a wireless communications network using multi-polling

• US 20060193279A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Fang, Yue, Zhang, Jinyun, Gu, Daqing
• Application Number:
  US11/067,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20060193279A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling

Abstract

A method and system accesses a wireless channel in a communications network including multiple stations and an access point connected by the wireless channel. The access point periodically broadcasts polling information indicating when a station can transmit. A next station is polled in an acknowledgement message broadcast by the access point in response to receiving data transmitted by a previously polled station.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a wireless channel in a communications network including a plurality of stations and an access point connected by the wireless channel, comprising:

broadcasting, from an access point, polling information indicating when a plurality of stations can transmit; and

polling a next station in an acknowledgement message broadcast by the access point in response to receiving data transmitted by a previously polled station.

2. The method of claim 1, in which a time to transmit is partitioned into alternating contention free periods and contention periods, and further comprising:

broadcasting the polling information only at a beginning of the contention free period.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the polling information is broadcast in a resource allocation frame including a multi-polling field for each of the plurality of stations, each multi-polling field including an identification of the station, an identification of a traffic flow from the station, and a transmit opportunity time.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the resource allocation frame includes a length field indicating a number of the stations to be polled.

5. The method of claim 4, in which each station transmits data to the access point during the associated transmit opportunity time for the station.

6. The method of claim 3, in which an acknowledgement message includes a frame control type field, a subtype field, the identification of the next station, and the identification of the traffic flow.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acknowledging implicitly the received data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

polling explicitly the next station using an address in a resource allocation frame including the polling information.

9. A wireless communications network, comprising:

an access point configured to broadcast polling information on a channel of a wireless communications network;

a plurality of stations configured to receive the polling information;

and indicating when a plurality of stations can transmit; and

means for polling a next station of the plurality of stations in an acknowledgement message broadcast by the access point in response to receiving data transmitted by a previously polled station.