METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR COORDINATING WIRELESS COMMUNICATION OF DIFFERENT WAVEFORMS IN THE SAME FREQUENCY BAND

• US 20090168713A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shao, Huai-Rong, Ngo, Chiu
• Granted Patent: US 8,532,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies

Abstract

A method and system for coordinating wireless communication of different waveforms in the same frequency band, is provided, the network including multiple wireless stations of different types operating at the same wireless frequency band but at different waveform formats. Channel bandwidth is allocated by scanning all available channels in the frequency band to detect available channels. When the number of detected available channels is not less than the number of wireless station types, then scheduling and transmitting beacon periods for the different types of wireless stations to different available channels, wherein each type of wireless station may have a dedicated available channel period for wireless communication in parallel with other types of wireless stations.

Claims

1. A method of providing coordination for managing communication of information over one or more wireless channels in a network including multiple wireless stations of different types operating at the same wireless frequency band but at different waveform formats, the method comprising:

allocating channel bandwidth by dividing channel time into one or more superframes, each superframe initiated by a beacon providing schedules for communication of packets of information over one or more channels, said allocating channel bandwidth further including;

scanning all available channels in the frequency band to detect available channels, wherein when the number of detected available channels is same or greater than the number of wireless station types, then scheduling and transmitting beacon periods for the different types of wireless stations to different available channels, wherein each type of wireless station may have a dedicated available channel period for wireless communication in parallel with other types of wireless stations.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

when the number of detected available channels is smaller than the station types, then for a detected channel, scheduling and transmitting beacon periods for different types of wireless stations for the detected channel, wherein multiple different beacon types may be scheduled anywhere in each superframe such that one or more reserved channel time blocks and/or contention access periods for each station type may be scheduled in each superframe for serial wireless communication on the detected channel by different station types.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein for serial communication, scheduling beacon periods for different types of wireless stations in the same channel further includes scheduling one or more unreserved channel time blocks or contention access periods in each superframe.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein superframes bounded by beacons can be of different lengths for different station types.

5. The method of claim 2 further including:

a wireless station of one of said types scanning all channels to detect the beacons for that wireless station type; and

upon detecting a beacon of the type for that wireless station on a channel, the wireless station conducting an association process on that channel based on the detected beacon information.

6. A method of providing coordination for managing communication of information over one or more wireless channels in a network including multiple wireless stations of different types operating at the same wireless frequency band but at different waveform formats, the method comprising:

allocating channel bandwidth by dividing channel time into one or more superframes, each superframe initiated by a beacon providing schedules for communication of packets of information over one or more channels, said allocating channel bandwidth further including;

scanning all available channels in the frequency band to detect available channels, selecting a channel among the detected channels, when there is sufficient channel time in the selected channel for all the different station types, then scheduling and transmitting beacon periods for different types of wireless stations for the selected channel, wherein multiple different beacon types may be scheduled anywhere in each superframe such that one or more reserved channel time blocks for each station type may be scheduled in each superframe for serial wireless communication on the selected channel by different station types.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

when there is insufficient channel time in the selected channel for all the different station types, then allocating channel bandwidth further includes scheduling and transmitting one or more types of beacons to other channels such that different types of stations may operate on different channels based on time division scheduling.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein for serial communication, scheduling beacon periods for different types of wireless stations in the same channel further includes scheduling one or more unreserved channel time blocks or contention access periods in each superframe.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein superframes bounded by beacons may be of different lengths for different station types.

10. The method of claim 7 further including:

a wireless station of one of said types scanning all channels to detect the beacons for that wireless station type; and

upon detecting a beacon of the type for that wireless station on a channel, the wireless station conducting an association process on that channel based on the detected beacon information.

11. A wireless communication system for managing communication of information in a network including multiple wireless stations of different types operating at the same wireless frequency band but at different waveform formats, the system comprising:

a coordinator configured for managing communication of information by said wireless stations over one or more wireless channels in the network, including allocating channel bandwidth by dividing channel time into one or more superframes, each superframe initiated by a beacon providing schedules for communication of packets of information over one or more channels, the controller including a scheduler configured for scanning all available channels in the frequency band to detected available channels, wherein when the number of detected available channels is same or greater than the number of wireless station types, then the scheduler scheduling and transmitting beacon periods for the different types of wireless stations to different available channels, wherein each type of wireless station may have a dedicated available channel period for wireless communication in parallel with other types of wireless stations.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the scheduler is further configured such that when the number of detected available channels is smaller than the station types, then for a detected channel the scheduler scheduling and transmitting beacon periods for different types of wireless stations for the detected channel, wherein multiple different beacon types may be scheduled anywhere in each superframe such that one or more reserved channel time blocks for each station type may be scheduled in each superframe for serial wireless communication on the detected channel by different station types.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the scheduler is further configured such that for serial communication, the scheduler schedules beacon periods for different types of wireless stations in the same channel further includes scheduling one or more unreserved channel time blocks or contention access periods in each superframe.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein superframes bounded by beacons may be of different lengths for different station types.

15. The system of claim 12 further including:

a wireless station of one of said types, configured for scanning all channels to detect the beacons for that wireless station type, and upon detecting a beacon of the type for that wireless station on a channel, the wireless station conducting an association process on that channel based on the detected beacon information.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the coordinator includes a Media Access Control (MAC) layer and a physical (PHY), the MAC layer implementing the scheduler for communication via the PHY layer.

17. A wireless communication system for managing communication of information in a network including multiple wireless stations of different types operating at the same wireless frequency band but at different waveform formats, the system comprising:

a coordinator configured for managing communication of information by said wireless stations over one or more wireless channels in the network, including allocating channel bandwidth by dividing channel time into one or more superframes, each superframe initiated by a beacon providing schedules for communication of packets of information over one or more channels, the controller including a scheduler configured for scanning all available channels in a the frequency band to detect available channels, when there is sufficient channel time in the selected channel for all the different station types, select a channel among the detected channels, then schedule and transmitting beacon periods for different types of wireless stations for the selected channel, wherein multiple different beacon types may be scheduled anywhere in each superframe such that one or more reserved channel time blocks for each station type may be scheduled in each superframe for serial wireless communication on the selected channel by different station types.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the scheduler is further configured such that when there is insufficient channel time in the selected channel for all the different station types, the scheduler schedules and transmits one or more types of beacons to other channels such that different types of stations may operate on different channels based on time division scheduling.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the scheduler is further configured such that for serial communication, the scheduler schedules and transmits beacon periods for different types of wireless stations in the same channel further including one or more unreserved channel time blocks or contention access periods in each superframe.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein superframes bounded by beacons may be of different lengths for different station types.

21. The system of claim 18 further including:

a wireless station of one of said types configured for scanning all channels to detect the beacons for that wireless station type, and upon detecting a beacon of the type for that wireless station on a channel, the wireless station conducting an association process on that channel based on the detected beacon information.