Unified Network Architecture Based on Medium Access Control Abstraction Sub-layer

• US 20120324081A1
• Filed: 06/14/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ralink Technology Corporation (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ralink Technology Corporation (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yen, Chia-Wei, MAO, JIAN-LI
• Granted Patent: US 9,185,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A unified network architecture based on a medium access control (MAC) abstraction sub-layer for converging a plurality of communication standards is disclosed. The unified network architecture in a control plane comprises a first unified terminal device comprising a unified management entity in the MAC abstraction sub-layer, for mapping a unified parameter from an upper layer to a first MAC type parameter for a configuration of a first MAC type of a MAC layer complied with a first communication standard of the plurality of communication standards, and a service management entity service access point, hereafter called SME SAP, arranged between the MAC abstraction sub-layer and a service management entity (SME) of the MAC layer, wherein the unified management entity communicates with the SME via the SME SAP for setting the first MAC type parameter into the first MAC type of the MAC layer.

Claims

1. A unified network architecture based on a medium access control (MAC) abstraction sub-layer for converging a plurality of communication standards, the unified network architecture in a control plane comprising:

a first unified terminal device (UTD) comprising;

a unified management entity (UME) in the MAC abstraction sub-layer, for mapping a unified parameter from an upper layer to a first MAC type parameter for a configuration of a first MAC type of a MAC layer complied with a first communication standard of the plurality of communication standards; and

a service management entity service access point, hereafter called SME SAP, arranged between the MAC abstraction sub-layer and a service management entity (SME) of the MAC layer, wherein the unified management entity communicates with the SME via the SME SAP for setting the first MAC type parameter into the first MAC type of the MAC layer.

2. The unified network architecture of claim 1, wherein the unified management entity further used for detecting the first MAC type of the MAC layer via the SME SAP.

3. The unified network architecture of claim 2, wherein the unified management entity sends a MAC type check request through the SME SAP to the SME, and receives the MAC type check response including MAC type information associated to the first MAC type through the SME SAP from the SME.

4. The unified network architecture of claim 3, wherein the unified management entity further records the MAC type information to a MAC type table stored in the first unified terminal device.

5. The unified network architecture of claim 3, wherein the unified management entity maps the unified parameters from the upper layer to the first MAC type parameters according to the MAC type information.

6. The unified network architecture of claim 1, wherein the SME communicates with the first MAC type of the MAC layer via a MAC layer management entity (MLME) to set the first MAC type parameter into the first MAC type of the MAC layer.

7. The unified network architecture of claim 1, wherein the first communication standard includes IEEE 802.3 communication standard, IEEE 802.11 communication standard, IEEE 1901 communication standard or Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) communication standard.

8. The unified network architecture of claim 7, wherein the first MAC type includes 802.3 MAC, 802.11 MAC, 1901 MAC, or MoCA MAC.

9. The unified network architecture of claim 1, wherein the unified management entity further used for performing management function between the first unified terminal device and a second unified terminal device.

10. The unified network architecture of claim 9, wherein the unified network architecture further comprises a bridge between the first unified terminal device and the second unified terminal device, and the unified management entity generates a management packet for the second unified terminal device, and then transmits the management packet to the bridge through a first data path, and thereby the bridge transmits the received management packet to the second unified terminal device through a second data path.

11. The unified network architecture of claim 10, wherein the first data path is from a first type MAC SAP, a first type MAC/PHY layer of the first unified terminal device, first type PHY/MAC layer of the bridge, a first type MAC SAP of the bridge, to the upper layer of the bridge, and the second data path is from the upper layer of the bridge, a second type MAC SAP of the bridge, a second type MAC/PHY layer of the bridge, to second type PHY/MAC layer of second unified terminal device.