MANAGING COMMUNICATIONS OVER A SHARED MEDIUM

• US 20090074007A1
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm Atheros Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intellon Corporation (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Katar, Srinivas, Newman, Richard E., Yonge, Lawrence W. III
• Granted Patent: US 8,503,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/44 Star or tree networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/12 Shortest path evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/121 by minimising delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/787 Bandwidth trade among domains

Abstract

Systems and methods for allocating network bandwidth between a plurality of networks. Requests for bandwidth allocation from other networks can be received. A coexistence frame requesting an allocation of bandwidth for a local network can be generated based upon the bandwidth allocation requests received from other networks. The coexistence frame can be transmitted, and utilization of the requested allocation can be delayed by a reservation period.

Claims

1. A method for allocating bandwidth between a plurality of network, comprising:

receiving requests for bandwidth allocation from each of the plurality of networks with whom a local network is sharing bandwidth;

generating a coexistence frame requesting an allocation of bandwidth for a local network, the allocation being based upon the requests for allocation received from the plurality of networks with whom the local network is sharing bandwidth;

transmitting the coexistence frame to the plurality of networks with whom the local network is sharing the bandwidth, the coexistence frame utilizing a periodically occurring coexistence slot; and

waiting a reservation period comprising a number of periodically occurring coexistence slots before transmitting during the allocation of bandwidth requested by the local network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocation comprises time division multiplexing or frequency division multiplexing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the local network comprises an access network and the plurality of networks comprise one or more in-home networks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of networks are based on multiple technologies.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of networks reserves a periodically occurring coexistence slot other than the periodically occurring coexistence slot used by the local network and periodically occurring slots used by others of the plurality of networks.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the periodicity of the coexistence slot is based on a priority of network traffic associated with a respective network or local network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the periodicity of the coexistence slot reservation decreases for a network with lower priority traffic.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the coexistence slot reservation comprises:

transmitting a slot allocation request from one of the plurality of networks to the others of the plurality of networks and the local network; and

utilizing the requested slot, in response to receiving a slot allocation confirmation from the other networks, wherein the slot allocation confirmations from the other networks are transmitted during other coexistence slots reserved by others of the plurality of networks and the local network.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein reserving a periodically occurring coexistence slot comprises:

claiming a network identifier; and

determining whether another of the plurality of networks and the local network approve of the claimed network identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the coexistence slots are synchronized to an AC line cycle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the period of the coexistence slot is a multiple of one half of an AC line cycle period.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the local network determines a start of the coexistence slot with a fixed offset from an AC line cycle zero cross associated with the network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of networks determine a start of the coexistence slot based on where the coexistence frames are heard relative to a AC line cycle associated with the network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of networks track a coexistence slot based on the reception of a coexistence frame heard from the local network;

wherein the coexistence frame comprises information on the number of hops between the current network and the network tracking the AC line cycle.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the local network is an access network.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the local network is an in-home network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the in-home network transmits a coexistence frame.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the coexistence frame comprises an indication that the coexistence frame was generated by a proxy access network comprising the in-home network.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a slot re-synchronization frame in response to determining that there are non coordinating coexistence slots from the plurality of networks.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein responsive to the slot re-synchronization frame, the plurality of networks re-synchronize with the other coexistence slots.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the reservation of the medium by the network comprises one or more intervals between coexistence slots that are owned by the network.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a duration of the interval reserved by the network is based on a policy.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the policy facilitates equal allocation of the medium between the plurality of networks and the local network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the allocation method negotiates a separate frequency band for the access network and the one or more in-home networks share the remaining frequency band.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the coexistence frame is based on a HomePlug 1.0 delimiter.

26. A method of sharing bandwidth between a plurality of networks, comprising:

transmitting a coexistence frame from a plurality of networks by utilizing a periodically occurring coexistence slot;

wherein the coexistence frame is utilized for negotiating and reserving a medium for transmission by a network.

27. The method of claim 26, where the sharing between the plurality of networks comprises:

time division multiplexing (TDM); and

frequency division multiplexing (FDM).

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the plurality of networks comprise:

an access network; and

and one or more in-home networks.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the plurality of networks are based on different technologies.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the plurality of networks are in-home networks.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein one of the plurality of networks reserves a periodically occurring coexistence slot.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the periodicity of the coexistence slot reservation is based on a priority of network traffic.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the periodicity of the coexistence slot reservation decreases for a network with lower priority traffic.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the coexistence slot reservation comprises:

transmitting a slot allocation request from a network to the other networks; and

utilizing the requested slot, in response to receiving a slot allocation confirmation from the other networks, wherein the slot allocation confirmations from the other networks are transmitted during the other network reserved coexistence slot.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein reserving a periodically occurring coexistence slot comprises:

selecting a network identifier at the network

36. The method of claim 31, wherein reserving a periodically occurring coexistence slot comprises:

providing a network identifier of the network; and

determining whether the other networks approve the network identifier of the network.

37. The method of claim 26, wherein the coexistence slots are synchronized to an AC line cycle.

38. The method of claim 26, wherein the period of the coexistence slot is a multiple of one half of an AC line cycle period.

39. The method of claim 26, wherein one of the plurality of networks determines a start of the coexistence slot with a fixed offset from an AC line cycle zero cross associated with the network.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the remaining plurality of networks determine a start of the coexistence slot based on where the coexistence frames are heard relative to a AC line cycle associated with the network.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the remaining plurality of networks track a coexistence slot based on the reception of a coexistence frame heard from another network;

wherein the coexistence frame comprises information on the number of hops between the current network and the network tracking the AC line cycle.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the network is an access network.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein the network is an in-home network.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein the in-home network transmits a coexistence frame.

45. The method of claim 41, wherein the coexistence frame comprises an indication that the coexistence frame was generated by a proxy access network comprising the in-home network.

46. The method of claim 26, wherein in response to determining that there are non-coordinating coexistence slots from the plurality of networks, the network sends a slot re-synchronization frame.

47. The method of claims 46, wherein in response to hearing the slot synchronization frame, the plurality of networks re-synchronize with other coexistence slots.

48. The method of claim 26, wherein the reservation of the medium by the network comprises one or more intervals between coexistence slots that are owned by the network.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein a duration of the interval reserved by the network is based on a policy.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the policy facilitates the plurality of networks having an equal share of the medium.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the sharing method negotiates a separate frequency band for the access network and the one or more in-home networks share the remaining frequency band.

52. The method of claim 26, wherein the coexistence frame is based on a HomePlug 1.0 delimiter.