METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MULTIPLE ACCESS FOR DIRECTIONAL WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20110143665A1
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Cordeiro, Carlos, Trainin, Solomon
• Application Number:
  US12/638,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20110143665A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02

Abstract

A method, system, apparatus and article are described for providing multiple access for directional wireless networks. A method may comprise, for example, establishing a distributed contention-based period (CBP) for a directional wireless network and transmitting information from a first device to a second device based on one or more distributed CBP rules, wherein the transmission comprises a directional transmission. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing a distributed contention-based period (CBP) for a directional wireless network; and

transmitting information from a first device to a second device based on one or more distributed CBP rules, wherein the transmission comprises a directional transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, the distributed CBP rules comprising:

transmitting information using a standard frame format;

transmitting information using a standard interframe spacing; and

acknowledging transmission using a standard acknowledgement procedure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the standard frame format, the standard interframe spacing, and the standard acknowledgment procedure are the same for each of a plurality of access methods available for the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

simultaneously transmitting information from a plurality of devices of the wireless network based on the distributed CBP rules, wherein each transmission comprises a directional transmission.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the directional transmission is established using beamforming.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

establishing a maximum transmission duration for the distributed CBP.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

coordinating transmission for a plurality of devices at different times.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network comprises a Millimeter-Wave (mmWave) directional wireless network.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a wireless device including a transceiver operative to establish a distributed contention-based period (CBP) for a directional wireless network and transmit information to another wireless device based on one or more distributed CBP rules, wherein the transmission comprises a directional transmission.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the distributed CBP rules comprising:

transmitting information using a standard frame format;

transmitting information using a standard interframe spacing; and

acknowledging transmission using a standard acknowledgement procedure.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the standard frame format, the standard interframe spacing, and the standard acknowledgment procedure are the same for each of a plurality of access methods available for the wireless network.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, the wireless network operative to accommodate a plurality of different transmissions from a plurality of devices at the same time based on the distributed CBP rules, wherein each transmission comprises a directional transmission.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the directional transmission is established using beamforming.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, the distributed CBP including a maximum transmission duration.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the wireless device is operative to receive coordination information from a central coordinating device to coordinate transmissions with a plurality of wireless devices at different times.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the wireless device is operative to communicate in a Millimeter-Wave (mmWave) directional wireless network.

17. An article comprising a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed by a processor enable a system to:

establish a distributed contention-based period (CBP) for a directional wireless network; and

transmit information from a first device to a second device based on one or more distributed CBP rules, wherein the transmission comprises a directional transmission.

18. The article of claim 17, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a system to establish distributed CBP rules to:

transmit information using a standard frame format;

transmit information using a standard interframe spacing; and

acknowledge transmission using a standard acknowledgement procedure.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the standard frame format, the standard interframe spacing, and the standard acknowledgment procedure are the same for each of a plurality of access methods available for the wireless network.

20. The article of claim 17, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a system to:

establish a plurality of different wireless connections at the same time based on the distributed CBP rules, wherein each wireless connection comprises a directional transmission.

21. The article of claim 17, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a system to:

establish the directional transmission using beamforming.

22. The article of claim 17, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a system to:

establish a maximum transmission duration for the distributed CBP.

23. The article of claim 17, further comprising instructions that if executed enable a system to:

coordinate transmission for a plurality of devices at different times.

24. The article of claim 17, wherein the wireless network comprises a Millimeter-Wave (mmWave) directional wireless network.

25. A system, comprising:

a wireless device including a digital display and a transceiver operative to establish a distributed contention-based period (CBP) for a directional wireless network and transmit information to another wireless device based on one or more distributed CBP rules, wherein the transmission comprises a directional transmission.

26. The system of claim 25, the distributed CBP rules comprising:

transmitting information using a standard frame format;

transmitting information using a standard interframe spacing; and

acknowledging transmission using a standard acknowledgement procedure.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the standard frame format, the standard interframe spacing, and the standard acknowledgment procedure are the same for each of a plurality of access methods available for the wireless network.

28. The system of claim 25, the wireless network operative to accommodate a plurality of transmissions from a plurality of devices at the same time based on the distributed CBP rules, wherein each transmission comprises a directional transmission.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the directional transmission is established using beamforming.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the wireless network comprises a Millimeter-Wave (mmWave) directional wireless network.