METHODS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO COORDINATE COMMUNICATIONS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEVICES ON A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20140105186A1
• Filed: 12/29/2012
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adrian P. Stephens, Emily H. Qi, Minyoung Park, Thomas A. Tetzlaff
• Original Assignee: Adrian P. Stephens, Emily H. Qi, Minyoung Park, Thomas A. Tetzlaff
• Inventors: Park, Minyoung, Stephens, Adrian P., Qi, Emily H., Tetzlaff, Thomas A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,344,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/244 Interferences in heterogeneous networks, e.g. among macro and femto or pico cells or other sector / system interference [OSI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames

Abstract

Logic may coordinate communications of different types of wireless communications devices such as high power and low power wireless communications devices. Logic may coordinate communications by assigning time slots to a low power station (LP-STA) in a management frame such as a beacon transmitted by an access point (AP) associated with the LP-STA. Logic of the high power stations (HP-STAs) may receive the beacon and shepard logic of the HP-STA may defer transmissions by the HP-STA throughout the duration(s) indicated in the beacon from the AP. Logic of the LP-STA may comprise carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance logic to determine when to transmit a communication. Shepard logic of an HP-STA may detect the communication from the LP-STA and defer transmission of communication during a time duration for the communication by the LP-STA.

Claims

1. A method to coordinate transmissions of different types of devices on a wireless network, the method comprising:

generating, by a first communications device, a frame indicating a time duration associated with low transmit power communication to instruct high-power communication devices to defer high transmit power transmissions for the time duration; and

transmitting, by the first communications device, the frame.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting, by shepard logic of a high-power communications device, the low power communication and, in response, deferring high transmit power transmissions during the time duration, wherein the first communication device comprises a high-power communications device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the high-power communications device, the time duration in a time information element of a management frame with a device type field value indicating that the time duration comprises a time slot allocated to low transmit power transmissions.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting, by the high-power communications device, a periodicity value in the time information element to associate the time duration with the periodicity to establish a periodic time slot allocated to low transmit power transmissions.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving an indication that a low-power communications device adopts the time information and deferring high transmit power transmissions until the expiration of the time duration.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving an indication that a low-power communications device does not adopt the time duration and, in response, reducing deference of the high-power transmissions to less than the time duration.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the high-power communications device, low transmit power transmissions during the time duration.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting, by the first communications device, comprises transmitting by an access point with a high transmit power, wherein the frame comprises a management frame with a time information element, the time information element comprising a device type field comprising an indication of a low-power device and a time duration field comprising the time duration.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting, by the access point, a periodicity associated with the time duration in the frame.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting, by shepard logic of a high-power communications device, the low power communication and, in response, deferring high transmit power transmissions during the time duration, wherein the first communication device comprises a high-power communications device.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the high-power communications device, the time duration in a time information element of a management frame with a device type field value indicating that the time duration comprises a time slot allocated to low transmit power transmissions.

10. An apparatus to coordinate transmissions of different types of devices on a wireless network, the apparatus comprising:

a medium access control logic to generate a frame indicating a time duration associated with low transmit power communication to instruct high-power communication devices to defer high transmit power transmissions for the time duration; and

a physical layer logic to encapsulate the frame.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising an antenna to transmit the frame encapsulated by the preamble.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the medium access control logic comprises shepard logic to detect the low power communication and, in response, defer high transmit power transmissions during the time duration, wherein the first communication device comprises a high-power communications device.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the medium access control logic comprises shepard logic to transmit the time duration in a time information element of a management frame with a device type field value indicating that the time duration comprises a time slot allocated to low transmit power transmissions.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the medium access control logic comprises logic to transmit a periodicity value in the time information element to associate the time duration with the periodicity to establish a periodic time slot allocated to low transmit power transmissions.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the medium access control logic comprises shepard logic to receive an indication that a low-power communications device adopts the time information and defer high transmit power transmissions until the expiration of the time duration.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the medium access control logic comprises shepard logic to receive an indication that a low-power communications device does not adopt the time information and to reduce deference of the high transmit power transmissions to less than the time duration in response.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the medium access control logic comprises logic to transmit, by an access point, the frame with a high transmit power, wherein the frame comprises a management frame with a time information element, the time information element comprising a device type field comprising an indication of a low-power device and a time duration field comprising the time duration.

18. A method to coordinate transmissions of different types of devices on a wireless network, the method comprising:

generating, by a first communications device, a frame indicating a time duration associated with low transmit power communication to instruct high-power communication devices to defer high transmit power transmissions for the time duration; and

transmitting, by the first communications device, the frame.

21. A program product to coordinate transmissions of different types of devices on a wireless network, the program product comprising:

a storage medium comprising instructions to be executed by a processor-based device, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor-based device, perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving, by a medium access control logic of a communications device, a frame comprising a time information element, the time information element comprising a time duration, the time duration indicating a time slot allocated for low transmit power transmissions during which high transmit power transmissions are to be deferred; and

communicating, by the communications device, during the time duration.

22. The program product of claim 21, wherein receiving the frame comprising the time information element comprises receiving the time information element comprising a device type associated with the time duration, the device type indicating that the time slot is allocated for low-power communications devices.

23. The program product of claim 21, wherein receiving the frame comprising the time information element comprises receiving the time information element comprising a periodicity associated with the time duration, the periodicity indicating a periodicity of the time slot allocated for low transmit power transmissions during which high transmit power transmissions are to be deferred.

24. The program product of claim 21, wherein communicating, by the communications device, during the time duration comprises storing an indication of the time duration and the periodicity in memory and communicating during more than one of the time slots.

25. An apparatus to coordinate transmissions of different types of devices on a wireless network, the apparatus comprising:

a medium access control logic to receive a frame comprising a time information element, the time information element comprising a time duration, the time duration indicating a time slot allocated for low transmit power transmissions during which high transmit power transmissions are to be deferred; and

a physical layer logic to communicate during the time slot.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising an antenna coupled with the physical layer logic to transmit a communication during the time slot.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising memory coupled with the medium access control logic, the medium access control sublayer logic to store an indication of the time slot in the memory.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the medium access control logic comprises logic to receive the time information element comprising a periodicity associated with the time duration, the periodicity indicating a periodicity of the time slot allocated for low-power communications and during which high-power communications are to be deferred.

29. A program product to coordinate transmissions of different types of devices on a wireless network, the program product comprising:

a storage medium comprising instructions to be executed by a processor-based device, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor-based device, perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving, by a medium access control sublayer logic of a communications device, a frame comprising a time information element, the time information element comprising a time duration, the time duration indicating a time slot allocated for low transmit power transmissions during which high transmit power transmissions are to be deferred; and

communicating, by the communications device, during the time duration.

30. The program product of claim 29, wherein receiving the frame comprising the time information element comprises receiving the time information element comprising a device type associated with the time duration, the device type indicating that the time slot is allocated for low-power communications devices.