Apparatus and Method for Improving WLAN Spectrum Efficiency and Reducing Interference by Flow Control

• US 20100265861A1
• Filed: 08/04/2009
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Igartua, Fernando, He, Jianqiang, Kumar, Gaurav
• Granted Patent: US 8,547,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0284 detecting congestion or overload during communication monitoring arrangements H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/385 of the core network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method for improving WLAN spectrum efficiency and reducing interference by flow control comprising determining if at least one data packet is entering a receive buffer; determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an overflow threshold; determining if a wireless device is in power save mode, wherein the wireless device comprises the receive buffer, a WLAN transceiver and a send buffer for storing packets from an interface module to the WLAN transceiver; determining if the send buffer is empty; setting a power management bit to “1” in either a top-most packet in the send buffer or a NULL packet; and using the WLAN transceiver for transmitting either the top-most packet or the NULL packet to an access point.

Claims

1. A method for improving WLAN spectrum efficiency and reducing interference by flow control comprising:

determining if at least one data packet is entering a receive buffer;

determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an overflow threshold;

determining if a wireless device is in power save mode, wherein the wireless device comprises the receive buffer, a WLAN transceiver and a send buffer for storing packets from an interface module to the WLAN transceiver;

determining if the send buffer is empty;

setting a power management bit to “

1”

in either a top-most packet in the send buffer or a NULL packet; and

using the WLAN transceiver for transmitting either the top-most packet or the NULL packet to an access point.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an underflow threshold.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising setting the power management bit to “

1”

in the top-most packet and using the WLAN transceiver for transmitting the top-most packet to the access point for a second time.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein if the utilization of the receive buffer is not greater than the underflow threshold, then further comprising:

determining if the send buffer is still empty;

setting the power management bit to 0 in either the top-most packet in the send buffer or the NULL packet; and

transmitting the top-most packet or the NULL packet to the access point with the power management bit set to 0.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising placing the wireless device in an initial state.

6. A method for improving WLAN spectrum efficiency and reducing interference by flow control comprising:

using a processor in a wireless device for determining if at least one data packet is entering a receive buffer;

determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an overflow threshold and determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an underflow threshold;

determining that the wireless device is in power save mode, wherein the wireless device comprises the receive buffer, a WLAN transceiver and a send buffer for storing packets from an interface module to the WLAN transceiver;

determining if the send buffer is empty; and

determining if a top-most packet in the send buffer is a PS_POLL packet or a trigger packet.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising setting the power management bit to “

1”

in the top-most packet in the send buffer and transmitting the top-most packet to an access point.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising removing the top-most packet from the send buffer if the top-most packet is the PS_POLL packet or a trigger packet.

9. A method for improving WLAN spectrum efficiency and reducing interference by flow control comprising:

using a processor in a wireless device for determining if at least one data packet is entering a receive buffer;

determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an overflow threshold and determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an underflow threshold;

determining that the wireless device is in power save mode, wherein the wireless device comprises the receive buffer, a WLAN transceiver and a send buffer for storing packets from an interface module to the WLAN transceiver;

pushing a PS_POLL packet or a trigger packet with power management bit set to “

1”

into the send buffer; and

setting the power management bit to “

1”

in a top-most packet in the send buffer and using the WLAN transceiver to transmit the top-most packet to an access point.

10. A wireless device for improving WLAN spectrum efficiency and reducing interference by flow control comprising:

a WLAN transceiver for receiving at least one data packet;

a receive buffer for storing the at least one data packet;

a host system with an interface module coupled to the receive buffer wherein the host system processes the at least one data packet;

a send buffer coupled to the interface module for storing packets from the host system to the WLAN transceiver; and

a processor configured to perform the following steps;

a) determine if the at least one data packet is entering the receive buffer;

b) determine if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an overflow threshold;

c) determine if the wireless device is in power save mode;

d) determine if the send buffer is empty;

e) set a power management bit to “

1”

in either a top-most packet in the send buffer or a NULL packet; and

f) command the WLAN transceiver to transmit either the top-most packet or the NULL packet to an access point.

11. The wireless device of claim 10 wherein the processor is further configured to determine if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an underflow threshold.

12. The wireless device of claim 11 wherein the processor is further configured to set the power management bit to “

1”

in the top-most packet; and

wherein the WLAN transceiver transmits the top-most packet to the access point for a second time.

13. The wireless device of claim 11 wherein if the utilization of the receive buffer is not greater than the underflow threshold, then

the processor is further configured to determine if the send buffer is still empty;

and set the power management bit to 0 in either the top-most packet in the send buffer or the NULL packet; and

the WLAN transmitter transmits to the access point either a) the top-most packet with the power management bit set to 0, or b) the NULL packet with the power management bit set to 0.

14. The wireless device of claim 13 wherein the processor is further configured to place the wireless device in an initial state.

15. A wireless device for improving WLAN spectrum efficiency and reducing interference by flow control comprising:

a WLAN transceiver for receiving at least one data packet;

a receive buffer for storing the at least one data packet;

a host system with an interface module coupled to the receive buffer wherein the host system processes the at least one data packet;

a send buffer coupled to the interface module for storing packets from the host system to the WLAN transceiver; and

a processor configured to perform the following steps;

a) determine if the at least one data packet is entering the receive buffer;

b) determine if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an overflow threshold and determine if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an underflow threshold;

c) determine that the wireless device is in power save mode;

d) determine if the send buffer is empty; and

e) determine if a top-most packet in the send buffer is a PS_POLL packet or a trigger packet.

16. The wireless device of claim 15 wherein

the processor is further configured to set the power management bit to “

1”

in the top-most packet in the send buffer; and

the WLAN transceiver transmits the top-most packet to an access point.

17. The wireless device of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to remove the top-most packet from the send buffer if the top-most packet is the PS_POLL packet or a trigger packet.

18. A wireless device for improving WLAN spectrum efficiency and reducing interference by flow control comprising:

a WLAN transceiver for receiving at least one data packet;

a receive buffer for storing the at least one data packet;

a host system with an interface module coupled to the receive buffer wherein the host system processes the at least one data packet;

a send buffer coupled to the interface module for storing packets from the host system to the WLAN transceiver; and

a processor configured to perform the following steps;

a) determine if the at least one data packet is entering the receive buffer;

b) determine if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an overflow threshold and determine if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an underflow threshold;

c) determine that the wireless device is in power save mode;

d) push a PS_POLL packet or a trigger packet with power management bit set to “

1”

into the send buffer; and

e) set the power management bit to “

1”

in a top-most packet in the send buffer; and

wherein the WLAN transceiver transmits the top-most packet to an access point.

19. A computer-readable medium having a computer program comprising instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, operates to improve WLAN spectrum efficiency and reduce interference by flow control, the computer program comprising:

instructions for determining if at least one data packet is entering a receive buffer;

instructions for determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an overflow threshold;

instructions for determining if a wireless device is in power save mode, wherein the wireless device comprises the receive buffer, a WLAN transceiver and a send buffer for storing packets from an interface module to the WLAN transceiver;

instructions for determining if the send buffer is empty;

instructions for setting a power management bit to “

1”

in either a top-most packet in the send buffer or a NULL packet; and

instructions for using the WLAN transceiver for transmitting either the top-most packet or the NULL packet to an access point.

20. A computer-readable medium having a computer program comprising instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, operates to improve WLAN spectrum efficiency and reduce interference by flow control, the computer program comprising:

instructions for determining if at least one data packet is entering a receive buffer;

instructions for determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an overflow threshold and determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an underflow threshold;

instructions for determining that a wireless device is in power save mode, wherein the wireless device comprises the receive buffer, a WLAN transceiver and a send buffer for storing packets from an interface module to the WLAN transceiver;

instructions for determining if the send buffer is empty; and

instructions for determining if a top-most packet in the send buffer is a PS_POLL packet or a trigger packet.

21. A computer-readable medium having a computer program recorded thereon which when executed by at least one processor, operates to improve WLAN spectrum efficiency and reduce interference by flow control, the computer program comprising the steps of:

determining if at least one data packet is entering a receive buffer;

determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an overflow threshold and determining if the utilization of the receive buffer is greater than an underflow threshold;

determining that a wireless device is in power save mode, wherein the wireless device comprises the receive buffer, a WLAN transceiver and a send buffer for storing packets from an interface module to the WLAN transceiver;

pushing a PS_POLL packet or a trigger packet with power management bit set to “

1”

into the send buffer;

setting the power management bit to “

1”

in a top-most packet in the send buffer; and

using the WLAN transceiver to transmit the top-most packet to an access point.