System and method for priority driven contention scheme for supporting enhanced QoS in a wireless communication network

• US 20090323611A1
• Filed: 06/01/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Singh, Harkirat, Ngo, Chiu
• Granted Patent: US 8,670,395 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0875 with assigned priorities based access

Abstract

A system and method for priority driven contention in a wireless communication network is disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the system comprises an access point configured to transmit a beacon indicative of available channel resources and a partitioning of a contention period into a plurality of superslots, each superslot associated with a priority, and a station configured to contend for the channel by transmitting, during a superslot associated with the identified priority or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of available channel resources.

Claims

1. A system for allocating channel resources in a wireless data communication network, the system comprising:

an access point configured to transmit a beacon indicative of available channel resources and a partitioning of a contention period into a plurality of superslots, each superslot associated with a priority selected from a plurality of priorities; and

a station configured to identify the priority of a data flow and to contend for the channel by transmitting, during a superslot associated with the identified priority or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of available channel resources.

2. A method of allocating channel resources in a wireless data communication network, the method comprising:

receiving data indicative of available channel resources;

receiving data indicative of a partitioning of a contention period into a plurality of superslots, each superslot associated with a priority selected from a plurality of priorities;

identifying a priority of a data flow; and

transmitting, during a superslot associated with a priority that is the identified priority or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of the available channel resources.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting a data packet via the allocated channel resources.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the information indicative of available channel resources comprises information indicative of available area in a time-slot/sub-carrier space.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting comprising transmitting during a superslot associated with the identified priority.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

selecting a mini-contention period associated with the superslot;

selecting a slot associated with the selected mini-contention period; and

determining, for each slot associated with the selected mini-contention period prior to the selected slot, that the channel is not busy.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

selecting a first mini-contention period associated with the superslot;

selecting a backoff number associated with the first mini-contention period;

determining, for a number of slots associated with the first mini-contention period prior to the selected slot, that the channel is not busy;

reducing the backoff by the number;

determining, for a particular slot associated with the first mini-contention period prior to the selected slot, that the channel is busy; and

selecting a second mini-contention period associated with the superslot.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting data indicative of an allocation of the available channel resources is performed without selection of a mini-slot.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting comprising transmitting during a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, prior to transmitting, sensing that the channel is busy during a superslot associated with the identified priority.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

selecting a mini-contention period associated with the superslot;

selecting a slot associated with the selected mini-contention period;

determining, for each slot associated with the selected mini-contention period prior to the selected slot, that the channel is not busy;

selecting a mini-slot associated with the selected slot; and

determining, for each mini-slot associated with the selected slot prior to the selected mini-slot, that the channel is not busy.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the selection of a mini-slot is based on the identified priority of the data flow and the priority associated with the superslot.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the selected mini-slot number linearly increases with a decrease in the identified priority of the data flow.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitted data indicative of an allocation of the available channel resources is based on the indentified priority of the data flow.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the transmitted data indicative of an allocation of the available channel resources indicates a number of superframes for which specific resources are allocated, and wherein the indicated number of superframes is linearly proportional to the data flow priority.

16. A system for allocating channel resources in a wireless data communication network, the system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive information indicative of available channel resources and to receive information indicative of a partitioning of a contention period into a plurality of superslots, each superslot associated with a priority selected from a plurality of priorities;

a packet classifier configured to identify a priority of a data flow; and

a transmitter configured to transmit, during a superslot associated with the identified priority or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of available channel resources.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the system is a consumer electronics (CE) component.

18. A method of allocating channel resources in a wireless data communication network, the method comprising:

transmitting information indicative of available channel resources;

transmitting information indicative of a partitioning of a contention period into a plurality of superslots, each superslot associated with a priority selected from a plurality of priorities; and

receiving, during a superslot associated with the identified priority or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of available channel resources.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the information indicative of a partitioning further includes information indicative of one or more contention allowances, each contention allowance defining a set of priorities allowed to content in a particular superslot.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the contention allowances allow, in a superslot with a particular priority, contention for data flows having the particular priority and contention for data flows having a higher priority.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the contention allowances allow, in a superslot with a particular priority, contention for data flows having the particular priority and contention for a subset of data flows having a higher priority.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the information indicative of available channel resources and the information indicative of a partitioning are transmitted via a beacon.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the beacon further comprises information indicative of one or more mini-contentions for each superslot.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the beacon further comprises information indicative of one or more slots for each mini-contention.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the beacon further comprises information indicative of one or more contention allowances.