SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THROUGHPUT OF ACCESS CLASSES IN A WLAN

• US 20080240049A1
• Filed: 03/27/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Gaur, Sudhanshu
• Granted Patent: US 7,978,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria

Abstract

A system comprises a monitoring module operative to monitor traffic on a wireless medium, the traffic belonging to one or more of two different access classes (ACs), one access class (AC) being a higher-priority AC and the other being a lower-priority AC; a throughput adaptation module communicatively coupled to the monitoring module and operative to dynamically generate data corresponding to one or more AC-sensitive parameters based on the monitored traffic and on a desired throughput ratio between the two different ACs; and a wireless communication module communicatively coupled to the throughput adaptation module and operative to communicate the data to one or more wireless stations on the wireless medium.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a monitoring module operative to monitor traffic on a wireless medium, the traffic belonging to one or more of two different access classes (ACs), one access class (AC) being a higher-priority AC and the other being a lower-priority AC;

a throughput adaptation module communicatively coupled to the monitoring module and operative to dynamically generate data corresponding to one or more AC-sensitive parameters based on the monitored traffic and on a desired throughput ratio between the two different ACs; and

a wireless communication module communicatively coupled to the throughput adaptation module and operative to communicate the data to one or more wireless stations on the wireless medium.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring module determines dynamically the throughput requirements of the higher-priority traffic on the wireless medium.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the monitoring module determines dynamically the desired throughput ratio between the higher priority AC and the lower-priority AC.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the two different traffic classes include one for voice or video, and one for best effort or background.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is operative on the access point.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more AC-sensitive parameters include si least one of AIFSN, TXOP and CWmin for at least one AC.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more AC-sensitive parameters includes AIFSN, which is computed based on the following equations:

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more AC-sensitive parameters includes TXOP, which is computed based on the equation TXOP[LP]=TXOP[HP]×

k, where 1;

k refers to the desired throughput ratio between the higher-priority AC and the lower-priority AC.

9. The systems of claim 1, wherein the one or more AC-sensitive parameters includes CWmin, which is computed based on the equation CWmin[LP]=CWmin[HP]/k, where 1:

k refers to the desired throughput ratio between higher-priority AC and the lower-priority AC.

10. A method comprising:

monitoring traffic on a wireless medium, the traffic belonging to one or more of two different access classes (ACs), one access class (AC) being a higher-priority AC and the other being a lower-priority AC;

dynamically generating data corresponding to one or more AC-sensitive parameters based on the monitored traffic and on a desired throughput ratio between the two different ACs; and

communicating the data to one or more wireless stations on the wireless medium.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining dynamically the throughput requirements of the higher-priority traffic on the wireless medium.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining dynamically the desired throughput ratio between the higher priority AC and the lower-priority AC.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the two different traffic classes include one for voice or video, and one for best effort or background.

14. The method of claim 10, operative on the access point.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more AC-sensitive parameters include at least one of AIFSN, TXOP and CWmin for at least one AC.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more AC-sensitive parameters includes AIFSN, and further comprising computing the following equations:

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more AC-sensitive parameters includes TXOP, and further comprising computing TXOP[LP]=TXOP[HP]×

k, where 1;

k refers to the desired throughput ratio between the higher-priority AC and the lower-priority AC.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more AC-sensitive parameters includes CWmin, and further comprising computing CWmin[LP]=CWmin[HP]/k, where 1:

k refers to the desired throughput ratio between higher-priority AC and the lower-priority AC.

19. A system comprising:

means for monitoring traffic on a wireless medium, the traffic belonging to one or more of two different access classes (ACs), one access class (AC) being a higher-priority AC and the other being a lower-priority AC;

means for dynamically generating data corresponding to one or more AC-sensitive parameters based on the monitored traffic and on a desired throughput ratio between the two different ACs; and

means for communicating the data to one or more wireless stations on the wireless medium.