Access retry method for shared channel wireless communications links

• US 6,333,937 B1
• Filed: 03/05/1998
• Issued: 12/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Clearwire Ip Holdings LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ryan, David James
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, PRENELL P
• Application Number:
  US09/035,287
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 370/468, 370/445, 370/447, 370/280, 370/432, 370/334, 370/442, 370/480, 455/510, 455/528, 455/450, 455/452, 455/454, 455/525, 455/515-517, 455/574, 455/11.1, 375/356
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access

Abstract

Each remote station in a wireless network cell that uses a collision oriented multiple access scheme, counts the number of retries attempted to gain access to the base station for a particular message. The accumulated value of the number of retries is then inserted in a retry count field of the access request message. After one or more retries, the base station successfully receives the access request message. The base station runs a common access channel allocation manager program that adaptively provides additional channels to the remote station, depending on the number of retries the remote station required to successfully transmit the access request message. In this manner, the base station has accurate information about the reduced performance that the remote stations suffer during an interval of high usage, to enable the base station to adaptively provide additional channels to the remote stations.

Claims

1. In a wireless network with remote stations that use a collision oriented multiple access scheme to access a base station, a method to enable the base station to adaptively provide additional channels to the remote stations during an interval of high usage, comprising:

counting a number of retries attempted by a remote station to access the base station, as a count value;

inserting said count value in a retry count field of an access request message;

transmitting said access request message to the base station; and

adaptively providing with the base station additional channels to the remote station, depending on said number of retries attempted by said remote station to access to said base station.

2. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

maintaining at said base station an allocation table that relates said retry count value and a corresponding channel capacity allocation.

3. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

maintaining at said base station an allocation algorithm that relates said retry count value and a corresponding channel capacity allocation.

4. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

said adaptively providing step being in response to said retry count value exceeding a given threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

detecting at said base station that a collision has occurred on a common access channel used by said remote station and broadcasting a signal in response thereto, enabling said remote station to perform said counting step.

6. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

detecting at said remote station that a collision has occurred on a common access channel used by said remote station, enabling said remote station to perform said counting step.

7. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

said adaptively providing step providing alternate time slots in a time division multiplex access method.

8. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

said adaptively providing step providing alternate frequency carriers in a frequency division multiplex access method.

9. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

said adaptively providing step providing alternate codes in a code division multiplex access method.

10. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

said adaptively providing step providing an alternate set of closely spaced frequency carriers in an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) wireless access method.

11. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

said retry count field is a medium access control (MAC) layer field of an ISO/OSI reference model.

12. In a wireless network with remote stations that use a collision oriented multiple access scheme to access a base station, a system to enable the base station to adaptively provide additional channels to the remote stations during an interval of high usage, comprising:

means for counting a number of retries attempted by a remote station to access the base station, as a count value;

means for inserting said count value in a retry count field of an access request message;

means for transmitting said access request message to the base station; and

means for adaptively providing with the base station additional channels to the remote station, depending on said number of retries attempted by said remote station to access to said base station.

13. The system of claim 12, which further comprises:

means for maintaining at said base station an allocation table that relates said retry count value and a corresponding channel capacity allocation.

14. The system of claim 12, which further comprises:

means for maintaining at said base station an allocation algorithm that relates said retry count value and a corresponding channel capacity allocation.

15. The system of claim 12, which further comprises:

said adaptively providing means operating in response to said retry count value exceeding a given threshold value.

16. The system of claim 12, which further comprises:

means for detecting at said base station that a collision has occurred on a common access channel used by said remote station and broadcasting a signal in response thereto, enabling said remote station to perform said counting.

17. The system of claim 12, which further comprises:

means for detecting at said remote station that a collision has occurred on a common access channel used by said remote station, enabling said remote station to perform said counting.

18. The system of claim 12, which further comprises:

said adaptively providing means providing alternate time slots in a time division multiplex access system.

19. The system of claim 12, which further comprises:

said adaptively providing means providing alternate frequency carriers in a frequency division multiplex access system.

20. The system of claim 12, which further comprises:

said adaptively providing means providing alternate codes in a code division multiplex access system.

21. The system of claim 12, which further comprises:

said adaptively providing means providing an alternate set of closely spaced frequency carriers in an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) wireless access system.

22. The system of claim 12, which further comprises:

said retry count field is a medium access control (MAC) layer field of an ISO/OSI reference model.

23. In a network with client stations that use a collision oriented multiple access scheme to access a server station, a method to enable the server station to adaptively provide additional channels to the client stations during an interval of high usage, comprising:

counting a number of retries attempted by a client station to access the server station, as a count value;

inserting said count value in a retry count field of an access request message;

transmitting said access request message to the server station; and

adaptively providing with the server station additional channels to the client station, depending on said number of retries attempted by said client station to access to said server station.

24. The method of claim 23, which further comprises:

maintaining at said server station an allocation table that relates said retry count value and a corresponding channel capacity allocation.

25. The method of claim 23, which further comprises:

maintaining at said server station an allocation algorithm that relates said retry count value and a corresponding channel capacity allocation.

26. The method of claim 24, which further comprises:

said adaptively providing step being in response to said retry count value exceeding a given threshold value.

27. In a network with client stations that use a collision oriented multiple access scheme to access a server station, a system to enable the server station to adaptively provide additional channels to the client stations during an interval of high usage, comprising:

means for counting a number of retries attempted by a client station to access the server station, as a count value;

means for inserting said count value in a retry count field of an access request message;

means for transmitting said access request message to the server station; and

means for adaptively providing with the server station additional channels to the client station, depending on said number of retries attempted by said client station to access to said server station.

28. The system of claim 27, which further comprises:

means for maintaining at said server station an allocation table that relates said retry count value and a corresponding channel capacity allocation.

29. The system of claim 27, which further comprises:

means for maintaining at said server station an allocation algorithm that relates said retry count value and a corresponding channel capacity allocation.

30. The system of claim 27, which further comprises:

said means for adaptively providing operating in response to said retry count value exceeding a given threshold value.

31. In a wireless network with remote stations that use a collision oriented multiple access scheme to access a base station, a method to adaptively provide additional channels to the remote stations during an interval of high usage, comprising:

counting a number of retries attempted by a remote station to access the base station, as a count value;

inserting said count value in a retry count field of an access request message;

transmitting said access request message to the base station;

receiving an indication from the base station that additional channels are available to the remote station, in response to said count value; and

transmitting messages from said remote station to said base station using said additional channels.

32. The method of claim 31, which further comprises:

detecting at said remote station that a collision has occurred on a common access channel used by said remote station, enabling said remote station to perform said counting step.

33. The method of claim 31, which further comprises:

said additional channels being alternate time slots in a time division multiplex access method.

34. The method of claim 31, which further comprises:

said additional channels being alternate frequency carriers in a frequency division multiplex access method.

35. The method of claim 31, which further comprises:

said additional channels being alternate codes in a code division multiplex access method.

36. The method of claim 31, which further comprises:

said additional channels being alternate set of closely spaced frequency carriers in an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) wireless access method.

37. The method of claim 31, which further comprises:

said retry count field is a medium access control (MAC) layer field of an ISO/OSI reference model.

38. In a wireless network with remote stations that use a collision oriented multiple access scheme to access a base station, a system to adaptively provide additional channels to the remote stations during an interval of high usage, comprising:

means for counting a number of retries attempted by a remote station to access the base station, as a count value;

means for inserting said count value in a retry count field of an access request message;

means for transmitting said access request message to the base station;

means for receiving an indication from the base station that additional channels are available to the remote station, in response to said count value; and

means for transmitting messages from said remote station to said base station using said additional channels.

39. The system of claim 38, which further comprises:

means for detecting at said remote station that a collision has occurred on a common access channel used by said remote station, enabling said remote station to perform said counting step.

40. The system of claim 38, which further comprises:

said additional channels being alternate time slots in a time division multiplex access system.

41. The system of claim 38, which further comprises:

said additional channels being alternate frequency carriers in a frequency division multiplex access system.

42. The system of claim 38, which further comprises:

said additional channels being alternate codes in a code division multiplex access system.

43. The system of claim 38, which further comprises:

said additional channels being alternate set of closely spaced frequency carriers in an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) wireless access system.

44. The system of claim 38, which further comprises:

said retry count field is a medium access control (MAC) layer field of an ISO/OSI reference model.

45. In a network including a plurality of remote stations that use a collision oriented multiple access scheme to gain access to a base station, a method at the base station comprising:

receiving at the base station an access request message from a remote station after at least one retry attempt by the remote station, the message including a retry count field of the number of attempted retries;

stripping off the retry count field from the access request message at the base station;

running a channel allocation program at the base station that adaptively provides additional channels to the remote station, depending on the number of retries the remote station attempted to successfully transmit the access request message;

maintaining an allocation table at the base station that relates the retry count value extracted from the retry field, to a corresponding channel capacity required for a given probability that an access request will be successful on a first try; and

providing additional channels to the remote station by said base station, in response to the retry count value extracted from the retry field exceeding a given threshold;

whereby the base station has accurate information about the reduced performance that the remote stations suffer during an interval of high usage, to enable the base station to adaptively provide additional channels to the remote stations.

46. The method of claim 45, which further comprises:

detecting at said base station that a collision has occurred on a common access channel used by said remote station and broadcasting a signal in response thereto, enabling said remote station to count attempted retries.

47. The method of claim 45, which further comprises:

said providing step providing alternate time slots in a time division multiplex access method.

48. The method of claim 45, which further comprises:

said providing step providing alternate frequency carriers in a frequency division multiplex access method.

49. The method of claim 45, which further comprises:

said providing step providing alternate codes in a code division multiplex access method.

50. The method of claim 45, which further comprises:

said providing step providing an alternate set of closely spaced frequency carriers in an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) wireless access method.

51. In a network including a plurality of stations that use a multiple access scheme to gain access to another station, a method comprising:

receiving at a first station an access request message from a second station after at least one retry attempt by the second station, the message including a retry count value of the number of attempted retries; and

adaptively providing additional channels to the second station, depending on the number of retries the second station attempted to successfully transmit the access request message on response to the retry count value exceeding a given threshold.

52. In a network including a plurality of stations that use a multiple access scheme to gain access to another station, a method comprising:

receiving at a first station an access request message from a second station after at least one retry attempt by the second station, the message including a retry count value of the number of attempted retries;

relating the retry count value to a corresponding channel capacity required for a given probability that an access request will be successful on a first try; and

adaptively providing additional channels to the second station, depending on the number of retries the second station attempted to successfully transmit the access request message, in response to the retry count value exceeding a given threshold.

53. In a network including a plurality of stations that use a multiple access scheme to gain access to another station, a method comprising:

receiving at a first station an access request message from a second station after at least one retry attempt by the second station, the message including a retry count value of the number of attempted retries;

adaptively providing additional channels to the second station, depending on the number of retries the second station attempted to successfully transmit the access request message;

relating the retry count value to a corresponding channel capacity required for a given probability that an access request will be successful on a first try; and

providing additional channels to the second station, in response to the retry count value exceeding a given threshold.

54. In a network including a plurality of stations that use a multiple access scheme to gain access to another station, a method comprising:

receiving at a first station an access request message from a second station after at least one retry attempt by the second station, the message including a retry count value of the number of attempted retries;

running a channel allocation program at the first station that adaptively provides additional channels to the second station, depending on the number of retries the second station attempted to successfully transmit the access request message;

maintaining an allocation table at the first station that relates the retry count value extracted from the retry field, to a corresponding channel capacity required for a given probability that an access request will be successful on a first try; and

providing additional channels to the second station by said first station, in response to the retry count value extracted from the retry field exceeding a given threshold;

whereby the first station has accurate information about the reduced performance that the second station suffers during an interval of high usage, to enable the first station to adaptively provide additional channels to the second station.