Method and apparatus for wireless communication in high-frequency band

• US 20080013519A1
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwon, Chang-yeul, Kim, Seong-soo, Kim, Ki-bo, Oh, Ji-sung
• Granted Patent: US 8,149,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1682 Allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users, e.g. concentrated multiplexers, statistical multiplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/02 Hybrid access

Abstract

A beacon packet is provided. The packet includes a first information field that includes channel-time-allocation information in a wireless network; and information about whether there is residual channel time that can be allocated to a device that belongs to the wireless network.

Claims

1. A beacon packet comprising:

a first information field comprising channel-time-allocation information in a wireless network; and

a free channel time field comprising information about whether there is a residual channel time that can be allocated to a device that belongs to the wireless network.

2. The packet of claim 1, further comprising:

a beacon-period field that indicates a transmission interval of the beacon packet.

3. The packet of claim 1, further comprising:

a contention-based control period (CBCP) field comprising information on a CBCP, wherein the device that belongs to the wireless network can occupy a medium through contention in the CBCP, and the CBCP has a fixed temporal position.

4. The packet of claim 3, wherein the CBCP field further comprises information on a termination time-point of the CBCP.

5. The packet of claim 3, wherein the CBCP field further comprises information on a start time-point of the CBCP.

6. The packet of claim 3, wherein the CBCP immediately follows a beacon period when the beacon packet is transmitted.

7. The packet of claim 1, further comprising:

a reserved field for a setting of additional information on the beacon packet.

8. The packet of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one second information field in which management information of the wireless network where the beacon packet is broadcast, is set.

9. The packet of claim 1, wherein the beacon packet is generated by a coordinator that manages the wireless network.

10. A beacon packet comprising:

an information field comprising channel-time-allocation information in a wireless network; and

a contention-based control period (CBCP) field comprising information about a CBCP having a fixed temporal position, wherein a device that belongs to the wireless network can occupy a medium through contention in the CBCP.

11. The packet of claim 10, wherein the CBCP field further comprises information on a termination time-point of the CBCP.

12. The packet of claim 10, wherein the CBCP field further comprises information on a start time-point of the CBCP.

13. The packet of claim 10, wherein the CBCP immediately follows a beacon period in which the beacon packet is transmitted.

14. A wireless communication method comprising:

generating a management packet that includes information about whether there is a residual channel time that can be allocated to a device that belongs to a wireless network; and

transmitting the generated management packet to a wireless medium.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating comprises:

allocating channel times to at least one device that belongs to the wireless network;

determining whether there is the residual channel time as a result of the allocation of the channel times, in a determination; and

generating the management packet further comprising information corresponding to a result of the determination.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the management packet includes channel-time-allocation information in the wireless network.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

information on (CBCP), wherein a device that belongs to the wireless network can occupy a medium through contention in the CBCP, and the CBCP has a fixed temporal position.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the information on the CBCP includes information on a termination time-point of the CBCP.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the information on the CBCP includes information on a start time-point of the CBCP.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the CBCP immediately follows a beacon period when a beacon packet is transmitted.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a request of channel-time-allocation information in the wireless network from the device in the CBCP; and

transmitting the requested channel-time-allocation information to the device.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless network uses two communication channels whose supportable transmission rates are different in time division.

23. The method of claim 22, the management packet is transmitted via the communication channel whose supportable transmission rate is low among the two communication channels.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless network supports at least one transmission of uncompressed video data, uncompressed audio data, and uncompressed data that includes video information and audio information.

57. A recording medium that records a computer-readable program that executes the method of claim 14.

25. A wireless communication method performed by a wireless communication apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a management packet that includes information about whether there is a residual channel time that can be allocated to a device that belongs to a wireless network; and

determining whether the wireless communication apparatus requests a channel-time allocation from a coordinator that manages the wireless network according to the information about whether there is the residual channel time included in the received management packet.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the determining comprises:

stopping the wireless communication apparatus from requesting the channel-time-allocation for a predetermined time interval if the received management packet includes the information indicating that there is no residual channel time.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the predetermined time interval is from a point of time when the management packet is received to a point of time when a new beacon packet is received.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the management packet includes channel-time-allocation information in the wireless network.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

information on a contention-based control period (CBCP), wherein a device that belongs to the wireless network can occupy a medium through contention in the CBCP, and the CBCP has a fixed temporal position.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the information on the CBCP includes information on a termination time-point of the CBCP.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the information on the CBCP includes information on a start time-point of the CBCP.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the CBCP exists right after a beacon period when a beacon packet is transmitted.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

requesting channel-time-allocation information from the coordinator in the CBCP; and

receiving the channel-time-allocation information from the coordinator.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

communicating according to the received channel-time-allocation information.

58. A recording medium that records a computer-readable program that executes the method of claim 25.

35. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a media access control (MAC)-processing unit that generates a management packet comprising information about whether there is a residual channel time that can be allocated to a device that belongs to a wireless network; and

a transceiver that transmits the generated management packet to a wireless medium.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the MAC-processing unit generates the management packet that includes the information about whether there is the residual channel time, according to a result of allocating the channel time to at least one of devices that belong to the wireless network.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the management packet includes channel-time-allocation information in the wireless network.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein a beacon packet comprises information on a contention-based control period (CBCP), wherein a device that belongs to the wireless network can occupy a medium through contention in the CBCP, and the CBCP has a fixed temporal position.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the information on the CBCP includes information on a termination time-point of the CBCP.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the information on the CBCP includes information on a start time-point of the CBCP.

41. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the CBCP exists right after a beacon period when the beacon packet is transmitted.

42. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the transceiver receives a packet that requests the channel-time-allocation information in the wireless network from the device in the CBCP, and transmits the requested channel-time-allocation information to the device;

and wherein the MAC-processing unit provides the channel-time-allocation information.

43. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the wireless network is a network that uses two communication channels whose supportable transmission rates are different in time division;

and wherein the transceiver comprises a first physical-processing unit that uses a first communication channel that supports a lower transmission rate among two communication channels.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the first physical-processing unit transmits the management packet.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the transceiver further comprises a second physical-processing unit that uses a second communication channel that supports a higher transmission rate among the two communication channels.

46. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the wireless network supports at least one transmission of uncompressed video data, uncompressed audio data, and uncompressed data that includes video information and audio information.

47. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a transceiver that receives a management packet comprising information about whether there is a residual channel time that can be allocated to a device that belongs to a wireless network; and

a media access control (MAC)-processing unit that controls whether the wireless communication apparatus requests a channel-time allocation from a coordinator that manages the wireless network according to the information about whether there is the residual channel time is included in the received management packet.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the MAC-processing unit stops a transmission of the channel-time-allocation request for a predetermined time interval if the management packet includes the information that there is no residual channel time.

49. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the time interval is from a point of time when the management packet is received to a point of time when a new beacon packet is received.

50. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the management packet includes channel-time-allocation information in the wireless network.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein a beacon packet comprises information on a contention-based control period (CBCP), wherein a device that belongs to the wireless network can occupy a medium through contention in the CBCP, and the CBCP has a fixed temporal position.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the information on the CBCP includes information on a termination time-point of the CBCP.

53. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the information on the CBCP includes information on a start time-point of the CBCP.

54. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the CBCP immediately follows the beacon period when the beacon packet is transmitted.

55. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the transceiver transmits a packet requesting channel-time-allocation information in the CBCP from the coordinator, and receives the channel-time-allocation information from the coordinator.

56. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the MAC-processing unit controls data transmission and reception of the transmitting and receiving unit according to the received channel-time-allocation information.