METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DIRECTIONAL VIRTUAL SENSING RANDOM ACCESS FOR WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20100014489A1
• Filed: 01/05/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Singh, Harkirat, Shao, Huai-Rong, Ngo, Chiu, Qin, Xiangping
• Granted Patent: US 8,537,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• 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 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access

Abstract

A method and system for wireless communication in a wireless network is provided. One implementation involves a requesting wireless station directionally transmitting a request to a coordinator for access to a communication channel; the request packet includes a field indicating the length of the desired reservation period; and upon successfully receiving the request from the wireless station, the coordinator reserving a channel time period for data transmission by the requesting wireless station, and at least pseudo-omni-directionally broadcasting a packet to all wireless stations in the network indicating the reservation. All other stations refrain from contending the channel during the reserved channel time period.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication in a wireless network, comprising:

a requesting wireless station directionally transmitting a request to a coordinator for random access to a communication channel; and

upon successfully receiving the request from the wireless station, the coordinator reserving a channel time period for data transmission by the requesting wireless station, and at least pseudo-omni-directionally broadcasting a packet to all wireless stations in the network indicating the reservation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said request comprises a request packet of a fixed-size that is transmitted directionally to the coordinator using random access transmission.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said packet comprises a Channel Busy Indication (CBI) packet broadcast by the coordinator to provide virtual sensing to the wireless stations indicating the time duration the channel is reserved for the requesting wireless station.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the request packet includes a field indicating the length of the desired reservation period.

5. The method of claim 4 further including:

upon receiving a CBI packet, stations other than the coordinator and the requesting station refraining from accessing the channel for the duration of a reservation period reserved for the requesting wireless station.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising dividing the channel time into contention time slots, wherein each slot is long enough to transmit a random access packet and a CBI.

7. The method of claim 1 further including the coordinator transmitting null CBI packets if no CBI is transmitted for a time period, allowing a wireless station joining the network to detect the coordinator and synchronize with the network.

8. The method of claim 1 further including:

upon successfully receiving the packet from the coordinator, the wireless station directionally transmitting a Medium Access Control (MAC) packet during the duration of the time period specified by the coordinator.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the length of the reservation period is selected below a threshold to allow fairness in access to the channel by other wireless stations.

10. The method of claim 8 further including:

the coordinator replying to the MAC packet with an acknowledgement (ACK) upon successful reception.

11. A system for wireless communication in a wireless network, comprising:

a wireless coordinator;

a wireless station configured for directionally transmitting a request to the coordinator for random access to a communication channel; and

the coordinator configured such that upon successfully receiving the request from the wireless station, the coordinator reserves a channel time period for data transmission by the requesting wireless station, and at least pseudo-omni-directionally broadcasts a packet to all wireless stations in the network indicating the reservation.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said request comprises a request packet of a fixed-size that is transmitted directionally to the coordinator using random access transmission.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein said packet comprises a Channel Busy Indication (CBI) packet broadcast by the coordinator to provide virtual sensing to the wireless stations indicating the time duration the channel is reserved for the requesting wireless station.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the coordinator is further configured for dividing the channel time into contention time slots, wherein each slot is long enough to transmit a random access packet and a CBI.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the request packet includes a field indicating the length of the desired reservation period.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein upon receiving a CBI packet, stations other than the coordinator and the requesting station refraining from accessing the channel for the duration of a reservation period reserved for the requesting wireless station.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the coordinator is further configured for transmitting null CBI packets if no CBI is transmitted for a time period, allowing a wireless station joining the network to detect the coordinator and synchronize with the network.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the wireless station is further configured such that upon successfully receiving the packet from the coordinator, the wireless station directionally transmits a Medium Access Control (MAC) packet during the duration of the time period specified by the coordinator.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the coordinator is further configured for replying to the MAC packet with an acknowledgement (ACK) upon successful reception.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the length of the reservation period is selected below a threshold to allow fairness in access to the channel by other wireless stations.

21. A wireless coordinator for communication in a wireless network, comprising:

a communication module configured for data communication with one or more wireless stations in the network; and

a reservation module configured such that upon the communication module successfully receiving a channel random access request from a wireless station, the reservation module reserves a channel time period for data transmission by the requesting wireless station, and at least pseudo-omni-directionally broadcasts a packet to all wireless stations in the network indicating the reservation.

22. The coordinator of claim 21 wherein said request comprises a request packet of a fixed-size that is transmitted directionally to the coordinator using random access transmission.

23. The coordinator of claim 21 wherein said packet comprises a Channel Busy Indication (CBI) packet broadcast by the coordinator to provide virtual sensing to the wireless stations indicating the time duration the channel is reserved for the requesting wireless station.

24. The coordinator of claim 21 wherein the reservation module is further configured for dividing the channel time into contention time slots, wherein each slot is long enough to transmit a random access packet and a CBI.

25. The coordinator of claim 24 wherein the reservation module is further configured for transmitting null CBI packets if no CBI is transmitted for a time period, allowing a wireless station joining the network to detect the coordinator and synchronize with the network.

26. The coordinator of claim 21 wherein upon successfully receiving the packet from the coordinator, the wireless station directionally transmits a Medium Access Control (MAC) packet for duration of the time period specified by the coordinator.

27. The coordinator of claim 26 wherein the coordinator is further configured for replying to the MAC packet with an acknowledgement (ACK) upon successful reception.

28. The coordinator of claim 26 wherein the length of the reservation period is selected below a threshold to allow fairness in access to the channel by other wireless stations.

29. The coordinator of claim 21 wherein the request packet includes a field indicating the length of the desired reservation period.

30. The coordinator of claim 29 wherein upon receiving a CBI packet, stations other than the coordinator and the requesting station refraining from accessing the channel for the duration of a reservation period reserved for the requesting wireless station.