SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGEMENT OF WIRELESS CLIENTS

• US 20120195244A1
• Filed: 04/10/2012
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Conexant Systems Incorporated (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wentink, Menzo, Petranovich, James
• Granted Patent: US 9,130,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/06 Hybrid resource partitioning, e.g. channel borrowing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access

Abstract

Systems and methods for band hopping and power conservation in a wireless network are described. At least one embodiment is directed a method of hopping channels by a device within a wireless network. The method comprises hopping from a first channel to a target channel, resetting a virtual carrier sense after hopping to the target channel to enable service on the target channel, waiting for a pre-determined period of time, and setting a virtual carrier sense on the target channel after expiration of the pre-determined period of time and prior to hopping to a next target channel.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method of controlling a device within a wireless network, comprising:

sending a Power Save Multi-Poll (PSMP) frame to enable service on a target channel;

waiting for a pre-determined period of time; and

setting a virtual carrier sense on the target channel after expiration of the pre-determined period of time and prior to hopping to a next target channel.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the PSMP frame is a PSMP-to-self frame.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein setting the virtual carrier sense is achieved by sending one of:

a second PSMP frame;

a Clear to Send (CTS) frame;

or

a hop indication frame.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein sending the PSMP frame comprises sending, a frame with an N-STA field equal to 0 and a PSMP Sequence Duration field which specifies a time period in which the device is not available on the first channel.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein a time period in which the device is not available is coded in a PSMP STA info field with a STA_ID equal to O.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein a time period in which the device is not available is coded in a PSMP STA info field with an STA ID equal to an association identifier (AID), wherein the AID is not associated with any clients associated with the device.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein at least one client remains in sleep mode for a time duration equal to a time duration specified in a frame separate from the PSMP frame.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein the pre-determined period of time associated with the target channel is different from a pre-determined period of time associated with a first channel.

34. The method of claim 25, wherein the pre-determined period of time is determined by setting a pre-determined number of backoff slots.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the number of backoff slots for the target channel is different from the first channel.

36. The method of claim 25, wherein the pre-determined period of time is a period of time during which no transmissions occur on the target channel.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the pre-determined period of time is a Point Coordination Function Interframe Space (PIFS) after occurrence of a Transmit Opportunity (TXOP) on the target channel during the pre-determined period of time.

38. The method of claim 25, wherein the device sends a Broadcast Probe Response (BPR) on the target channel to assist clients scanning for the device to locate the channel in which the device is currently located.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the BPR is transmitted with a time interval between 5 ms and 50 ms.

40. The method of claim 25, further comprising at least one wireless client hopping to the target channel as a result of the device hopping to the target channel, wherein the at least one wireless client is communicatively coupled to the device to form the wireless network.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising the device sending a hop indication on the first channel prior to hopping to the target channel.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising the device sending a duplicate hop indication.

31. The method of claim herein at least one client remains in sleep mode for a time duration equal to a time duration specified in a PSMP Sequence Duration field within the PSMP frame.

43. A method of controlling a device within a wireless network, comprising:

sending a Power Save Multi-Poll (PSMP)-to-self frame to enable service on a target channel;

waiting for a pre-determined period of time; and

setting a virtual carrier sense on the target channel after expiration of the pre-determined period of time and prior to hopping to a next target channel by sending one of;

a second PSMP frame;

a Clear to Send (CTS) frame;

or

a hop indication frame.

44. A method of controlling a device within a wireless network, comprising:

sending a Power Save Multi-Poll (PSMP) frame to enable service on a target channel;

waiting for a pre-determined period of time; and

setting a virtual carrier sense on the target channel after expiration of the pre-determined period of time and prior to hopping to a next target channel, wherein a time period in which the device is not available is coded in a PSMP STA info field with a STA_ID equal to O, and the pre-determined period of time is a Point Coordination Function Interframe Space (PIFS) after occurrence of a Transmit Opportunity (TXOP) on the target channel during the pre-determined period of time.