Method of repeating data transmission between network devices

• US 20060195629A1
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: North Star Innovations Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Bansal, Anup, Sharma, Sanjeev K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,444,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/189 Transmission or retransmission of more than one copy of a message

Abstract

A method is provided for transmitting data from a transmitting device (121) to a receiving device (125). The transmitting device transmits a first data frame (200) to a receiving device a first time (310₀). Then it consecutively transmits the first data frame to the receiving device second through N^th times (310₁-310_N), each of second through N^th first data frame transmissions being made a first predetermined time period (350) after a respective previous first data frame transmission. After this, the transmitting device transmits a second data frame (200) to the receiving device a second predetermined time period (360) after the N^th first data frame transmission. In this method, N is an integer greater than 1, and the second predetermined time period is less than the first predetermined time period.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, comprising:

transmitting a first data frame to a receiving device a first time;

consecutively transmitting the first data frame to the receiving device second through N^th times, each of second through N^th first data frame transmissions being made a first predetermined time period after a respective previous first data frame transmission; and

transmitting a second data frame to the receiving device a second predetermined time period after the N^th first data frame transmission,

wherein N is an integer greater than 1, and

wherein the second predetermined time period is less than the first predetermined time period.

2. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 1, wherein (N−

1) is a maximum number of retry attempts allowed for a single data frame.

3. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining whether an acknowledgment frame has been received from the receiver device after each of the first through (N−

1)^th first data frame transmissions.

4. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmitting device is one of:

an IEEE 802.11 compliant device and an IEEE 802.15.3 compliant device.

5. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first predetermined time period is a retry inter-frame space used in an IEEE 802.15.3 system.

6. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 1, wherein the second predetermined time period is a minimum inter-frame space used in an IEEE 802.15.3 system.

7. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first predetermined time period is greater than a waiting period allowed for the transmitting device to wait for an acknowledgement frame, but less than an acknowledgement period allowed for the transmitting device to process an acknowledgement frame.

8. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 1, wherein the second predetermined time is less than a waiting period allowed for the transmitting device to wait for an acknowledgement frame.

9. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first predetermined time period is between 20 and 35 microseconds.

10. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 1, wherein the second predetermined time period is between 1 and 5 microseconds.

11. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first through (N−

1)^th first data frame transmissions are sent using an immediate acknowledgement policy.

12. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 1, wherein the N^th first data frame transmission is sent using a no acknowledgement policy.

13. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, comprising:

consecutively transmitting a first data frame to a receiving device N times using an immediate acknowledgment policy;

transmitting a first data frame to a receiving device using a no acknowledgment policy after consecutively transmitting the first data frame to the receiving device N times using the immediate acknowledgment policy;

transmitting a second data frame to the receiving device using an immediate acknowledgment policy after transmitting the first data frame to the receiving device using the no acknowledgment policy,

wherein N is an integer greater than 0.

14. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 13, wherein N is a maximum number of retry attempts allowed for a single data frame.

15. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 13, further comprising determining whether an acknowledgment frame has been received from the receiver device each time the first data frame is transmitted using an immediate acknowledgement policy.

16. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 13, wherein the transmitting device is one of:

an IEEE 802.11 compliant device and an IEEE 802.15.3 compliant device.

17. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, comprising:

transmitting a first data frame to a receiving device using an immediate acknowledgment policy;

waiting a first predetermined time period after transmitting the first data frame using an immediate acknowledgement policy;

determining whether a maximum retry limit will be reached by another transmission of the first data frame;

repeating transmitting a first data frame to a receiving device using an immediate acknowledgment policy, waiting a first predetermined time period, and determining whether a maximum retry limit will be reached, as long as the maximum retry limit will not be met;

transmitting a first data frame to a receiving device using a no acknowledgment policy, and waiting a second predetermined time period if the maximum retry limit will be reached;

transmitting a second data frame to the receiving device using an immediate acknowledgment policy after transmitting the first data frame to the receiving device using the no acknowledgment policy,

wherein the second predetermined time period is less than the first predetermined time period.

18. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 17, wherein the first predetermined time period is a retry inter-frame space used in an IEEE 802.15.3 system.

19. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 17, wherein the second predetermined time period is a minimum inter-frame space used in an IEEE 802.15.3 system.

20. A method of transmitting data from a transmitting device, as recited in claim 17, wherein the maximum number of retries is between 2 and 20.