Apparatus, and associated method, for sequencing transmission of data

• US 6,914,890 B1
• Filed: 08/05/1999
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Tobita, Hiroshi, Deboille, Mickael, Orava, Pekko
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US09/369,221
• Time in Patent Office: 2,161 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/347, 370/348, 370/337, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/445, 370/465, 370/331, 370/468, 370/322
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for selecting the sequence in which frames of data are communicated in a multi-user, multi-rate, radio communication system. Data that is to be communicated at higher transmission rates to certain users is selected to be sequenced prior to transmission of data to be transmitted at lower transmission rates to other users. Polling is performed to determine at what transmission rates that data is to be communicated with individual ones of the users. And, an ordered sequence is formed. The ordered sequence defines sequencing of the transmission of data.

Claims

1. In a radio communication system having a network infrastructure with which a first mobile station and at least a second mobile station communicates data frames during a non-random access period, data frames to be communicated between the network infrastructure and the first mobile station selected to be communicated at a first data rate and data frames to be communicated between the network infrastructure and the second mobile station selected to be communicated at least at a second data rate, an improvement of a system for controlling a communication sequence of communication of the data with the first mobile station and the at least the second mobile station, respectively, said system comprising:

a selector coupled to receive indications of the first data rate and of the at least the second data rate at which the data is selected to be communicated between the network infrastructure and the first mobile terminal and between the network infrastructure and the at least the second mobile terminal, respectively, said selector for selecting the communication sequence of the communication of the data frames according to a sequencing scheme, the sequencing scheme ordering the sequence of the communication of the data frames into an ordered sequence of dataframe transmissions in which transmission of the data frames are sequenced according to which of the first and at least second data rates, respectively, are higher, such that data frames of the ordered sequence of higher data rates are selected to be transmitted during the non-random access period prior to data frames of lower data rates.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein data frames communicated by the network infrastructure to the first mobile station and data frames communicated by the network infrastructure to the second mobile station is communicated upon a forward link and wherein said selector is coupled to receive indications of the data rates at which the data frames are to be communicated upon the forward link to the first mobile station and to the second mobile station, respectively.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein data frames communicated by the first mobile station to the network infrastructure and data frames communicated by the second mobile station to the network infrastructure is communicated upon a reverse link and wherein said selector is coupled to receive indications of the data rates at which the data frames are to be communicated upon the reverse link to the first mobile station and to the second mobile station, respectively.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the network infrastructure includes an access point and wherein said selector forms a portion of the access point.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the access point further comprises a point coordinator function forming a polling master for polling each of the first mobile station and the at least second mobile station to determine whether data frames are to be communicated therewith and the rates at which the data frames are to be communicated and wherein the indications of the data rates to which said selector is coupled to receive are formed by the polling master.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the radio communication system comprises a WLAN (wireless local area network), wherein the non-random access period forms a form contention free period (CFP) and wherein said selector selects sequencing of data frames during the contention free period.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the radio communication system further utilizes acknowledgment feedback that acknowledges reception of a data frame and wherein the acknowledgment feedback is communicated together with a subsequently-transmitted data frame.

8. In a method for communicating in a radio communication system having network infrastructure with which a first mobile station and at least a second mobile station communicates data frames during a non-random access period, the data frames to be communicated between the network infrastructure and the first mobile station selected to be communicated at a first data rate and the data frames to be communicated between the network infrastructure and the at least the second mobile station selected to be communicated at least at a second data rate, an improvement of a method for controlling a communication sequence of communication of the data with the first mobile station and the at least second mobile station, respectively, said method comprising:

identifying data rates at which data frames are selected to be communicated between the network infrastructure and each of the first and at least second mobile stations, respectively; and

selecting the communication sequence of the communication of the data frames according to a sequencing scheme, the sequencing scheme ordering the sequence of the communication of the data frames into an ordered sequence of data-frame transmissions in which transmission of the data frames are sequenced according to which of the first and at least second data rates, respectively, are higher, such that data frames of the ordered sequence of higher data rates are selected to be transmitted during the non-random access period prior to data frames of lower data rates.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the network infrastructure includes an access point and wherein said operations of identifying and selecting are performed at a selected one of the access point and the first and second mobile stations, respectively.

10. The method of claim 8 comprising the additional operation of polling each of the first mobile station and the at least second mobile station to determine whether data frames are to be communicated therewith and the transmission rates at which the data frames are to be communicated.

11. In an access point of a WLAN (wireless local area network) providing for wireless communication of a first data frame pursuant to a first communication session with a first mobile station and at least a second data frame pursuant to a second communication session with at least a second mobile station, an improvement of apparatus for controlling sequencing of communication at the first data frame and the at least second data frame within a selected non-random access time period, said apparatus comprising:

a selector coupled to receive indications of a first data rate at which the first data frame is to be communicated and of at least a second data rate at which the at least the second data frame is to be communication, said selector for selecting the sequencing of the communication of the first data frame and the at least second data frame according to a sequencing scheme, the sequencing scheme ordering the sequence of the communication of the data frames into an ordered sequence of data-frame transmission sin which transmission of the data frames are sequenced according to which of the first and at least second data rates, respectively, are higher, such that data frames of the ordered sequence of higher data rates are selected to be transmitted during the non-random access period prior to data frames of lower data rates.

12. Apparatus for controlling a communication sequence of communication of data frames during a non-random access time period with a first mobile station and at least a second mobile station operable in a radio communication system having a network infrastructure with which the first mobile station and the at least the second mobile station communicates data frames in which reception of data frames is acknowledged by an acknowledgment feedback indication, the data frames to be communicated between the network infrastructure and the first mobile station selected to be communicated at a first data rate and the data to be communicated between the network infrastructure and the at least second mobile station selected to be communicated at least at a second data rate, said apparatus comprising:

a selector coupled to receive indications of the first data rate and of the at least the second data rate at which the data frames are selected to be communicated between the network infrastructure and the first mobile terminal and between the network infrastructure and the at least the second mobile terminal, respectively, said selector for selecting the communication sequence of the communication of the data frames according to a sequencing scheme, the sequencing scheme ordering the sequence of the communication of the data frames into an ordered sequence of data frame transmissions in which transmission of the data frames are sequenced according to which of the first and at least second data rates, respectively, are higher, such that data frames of the ordered sequence of higher data rates are selected to be transmitted during the non-random access period prior to data frames of lower data rates.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein data frames communicated by the network infrastructure to the first mobile station and data frames communicated by the network infrastructure to the second mobile station are communicated upon a forward link and wherein said selector is coupled to receive indications of the data rates at which the data frames are to be communicated upon the forward link to the first mobile station and to the second mobile station, respectively.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein data frames communicated by the first mobile station to the network infrastructure and data frames communicated by the second mobile station to the network infrastructure are communicated upon a reverse link and wherein said selector is coupled to receive indications of the data rates at which the data frames are to be communicated upon the reverse link to the first mobile station and to the second mobile station, respectively.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the network infrastructure includes an access point and wherein said selector forms a portion of the access point.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the access point further comprises a point coordinator function forming a polling master for polling each of the first mobile station and the at least second mobile station to determine whether data frames are to be communicated therewith and the rates at which the data frames are to be communicated and wherein the indications of the data rates to which said selector is coupled to receive are formed by the polling master.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the radio communication system comprises a WLAN (wireless local area network), wherein the non-random access period forms a contention free period (CPF) and wherein said selector selects sequencing of data frames during the contention free period.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein acknowledgment feedback acknowledges reception of a data frame and wherein the acknowledgment feedback is communicated together with a subsequently-transmitted data frame.