SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CLUSTERING WIRELESS DEVICES IN A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20090129321A1
• Filed: 01/27/2009
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Jain, Amit
• Granted Patent: US 7,961,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

Described are a system and method for clustering wireless devices in a wireless network. The system comprises a wireless access point and a plurality of wireless computing units grouped into a cluster as a function of a predetermined parameter. The cluster includes a cluster head unit and at least one cluster member unit. The at least one cluster member unit utilizes a first power level when wirelessly communicating with the cluster head unit, and the cluster head unit utilizes a second power level when communicating with the AP.

Claims

1. A method of operating wireless computing units in a wireless network system having a wireless access point (AP), the method comprising:

grouping a plurality of wireless computing units into a cluster, wherein one of the plurality of wireless computing units is designated as a cluster head unit, and the remaining ones of the plurality of wireless computing units are designated as cluster member units;

a first designated cluster member unit sending its high priority data directly to the AP;

the first designated cluster member unit sending its low priority data to the cluster head unit; and

the cluster head unit forwarding the low priority data to the AP.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first designated cluster member unit sends its high priority data directly to the AP using a relatively high power level; and

the first designated cluster member unit sends its low priority data to the cluster head unit using a relatively low power level.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the relatively high power level is a maximum transmit power level of the first designated cluster member unit.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a second designated cluster member unit sending its high priority data directly to the AP;

the second designated cluster member unit sending its low priority data to the cluster head unit;

the cluster head unit aggregating the low priority data of the first designated cluster member unit with the low priority data of the second designated cluster member unit, resulting in aggregated data; and

the cluster head unit forwarding the aggregated data to the AP.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the high priority data is sensitive to latency, relative to the low priority data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the high priority data is selected from the group consisting of:

voice data, video data, VoIP data, emergency data, and urgent data.

7. A method of operating wireless computing units in a wireless network system having a wireless access point (AP), the method comprising:

grouping a plurality of wireless computing units into a cluster, the plurality of wireless computing units including a first wireless computing unit having the largest amount of data to transmit relative to the plurality of wireless computing units, and a second wireless computing unit having the second-largest amount of data to transmit relative to the plurality of wireless computing units;

designating the first wireless computing unit as a cluster head unit;

designating the second wireless computing unit and any remaining ones of the plurality of wireless computing units as cluster member units;

transmitting data from the first wireless computing unit to the AP for a first predetermined time proportional to the amount of data to be transmitted by the first wireless computing unit;

thereafter, re-designating the second wireless computing unit as the cluster head unit;

re-designating the first wireless computing unit and any remaining ones of the plurality of wireless computing units as cluster member units; and

transmitting data from the second wireless computing unit to the AP for a second predetermined time proportional to the amount of data to be transmitted by the second wireless computing unit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the plurality of wireless computing units includes a third wireless computing unit having the third-largest amount of data to transmit relative to the plurality of wireless computing units; and

the method further comprises;

after transmitting data from the second wireless computing unit to the AP for the second predetermined time, re-designating the third wireless computing unit as the cluster head unit;

re-designating the second wireless computing unit and any remaining ones of the plurality of wireless computing units as cluster member units; and

transmitting data from the third wireless computing unit to the AP for a third predetermined time proportional to the amount of data to be transmitted by the third wireless computing unit.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein:

cluster member units send high priority data directly to the AP using a first power level; and

cluster member units send low priority data to the cluster head unit using a second power level.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first power level is a maximum transmit power level.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the high priority data is sensitive to latency, relative to the low priority data.

12. A wireless network system comprising:

a wireless access point (“

AP”

); and

a plurality of wireless mobile units (“

MUs”

) grouped into a cluster associated with the AP, the plurality of MUs comprising a cluster head MU and a plurality of cluster member MUs, the cluster member MUs being configured to indirectly communicate with the AP via the cluster head MU using a first operating mode, and to directly communicate with the AP using a second operating mode;

wherein

in the first operating mode the cluster member MUs wirelessly transmit low priority data directly to the cluster head MU using a relatively low transmit power level, and the cluster head MU wirelessly forwards the low priority data directly to the AP; and

in the second operating mode the cluster member MUs wirelessly transmit high priority data directly to the AP using a relatively high transmit power level.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the cluster head MU receives data packets from the cluster member MUs, aggregates data in the received data packets to create aggregated packets, and transmits the aggregated packets directly to the AP.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the cluster head MU has a greatest amount of data to transmit than other MUs in the cluster.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the relatively high transmit power level is a maximum transmit power level.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the high priority data is sensitive to latency, relative to the low priority data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the high priority data is selected from the group consisting of:

voice data, video data, VoIP data, emergency data, and urgent data.