Wireless LAN with carrier sense threshold adaption

• US 6,922,405 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2001
• Issued: 07/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agere Systems Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eikelenboom, Albert, Kamerman, Adriaan, Moelard, Hendrik, Monteban, Leo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Blanche
• Application Number:
  US09/817,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20010028639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/401, 370/455, 370/331, 370/332, 455450-452, 455/434, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/67.11, 455/63.1, 455/63.3
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00 Hand-off or reselection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/03 Reselecting a link using a direct mode connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wireless local area network station comprising a signal processing element, a carrier detect sensing element, a defer behavior sensing element, and memory. The network station transmits and receives signals within a communication cell that defines a carrier detect zone and a defer zone around an access point. The network station associates with the access point by transmitting an association request to the access point and by receiving an association response from the access point during entry of the network station into the cell. The network station receives a preferred carrier detect threshold level value and a preferred defer behavior threshold level value from the access point and stores the carrier detect threshold and defer behavior threshold level values in its memory for use during operation while being associated with the access point.

Claims

1. A wireless local area network station comprising signal processing mean, carrier detect sensing means, defer behavior sensing means and memory, the network station comprising:

means including at least the signal processing means for transmitting and receiving signals within a communication cell associated with an access point, the communication cell being associated with a carrier detect zone and a defer zone;

means, including the signal processing means, the carrier detect sensing means, and the defer behavior sensing means, for carrying out an association process between the network station and the access point by transmitting an association request message to the access point and receiving an association response message from the access point during entry of said network station into said communication cell, the network station being coupled to the access point to receive a preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value;

and memory for storing the preferred carrier detect threshold level value and the preferred defer behavior threshold level value for use during transmission and reception of signals while being associated with the access point.

2. The wireless local area network station defined in claim 1, wherein the preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value are received as part of the association response message.

3. The wireless local area network station defined in claim 1, wherein the preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value are received after the association response message.

4. The wireless local area network station defined in claim 3, wherein the network station is arranged to vary said preferred carrier threshold level value and the preferred defer behavior threshold level value after having stored them.

5. The wireless local area network station defined in claim 4, wherein the network station is arranged to disassociate from the access point and associate with another access point.

6. A wireless local area network access point comprising signal processing means and a memory, the access point being adapted to:

transmit and receive signals within a communication cell associated with the access point and with a carrier detect zone and a defer zone to

carry out an association process between the access point and a network station by transmitting an association response message to the network station in reply to receipt of an association request message from the network station during entry of the network station into the communication cell, the access point is coupled to the memory to

read a preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value after having received the association request message, and to transmit to the network station the preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value.

7. An access point of claim 6, further comprising carrier detect sensing means and defer behavior sensing means, where the memory is coupled to store an access point carrier detect threshold level value and access point defer behavior threshold level value for use by the access point during communicating with a network station and that is lower than the preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value.

8. A method of communicating by a wireless local area network station comprising the steps of:

transmitting and receiving signals within a communication cell associated with an access point, the communication cell being associated with a carrier detect zone and a defer zone;

carrying out an association process between the network station and the access point by transmitting an association request message to the access point and receiving an association response message from the access point during entry of the network station into said communication cell;

receiving a preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value from the access point; and

storing the preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value in the memory of the network station for use during transmission and reception of signals while being associated with the access point.

9. A method of operating a wireless local area network station comprising the steps of:

transmitting and receiving signals within a communication cell associated with an access point, the communication cell being associated with a carrier detect zone and a defer zone;

carrying out an association process between the network station and the access point by transmitting an association request message to the access point and receiving an association response message from the access point during entry of the network station into the communication cell;

receiving a preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value from said access point; and

storing said preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value in the memory of the network station for use during transmission and reception of signals while being associated with the access point.

10. A method of communicating by a wireless local access network access point comprising the steps of:

transmitting and receiving signals within a communication cell associated with the access point, the communication cell being associated with a carrier detect zone and a defer zone;

carrying out an association process between the access point and a network station by transmitting an association response message to the network station in reply to receiving an association request message from the network station during entry of said network station into the communication cell;

reading a preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value from the memory after having received the association request message; and

transmitting the preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value to the network station.

11. A method of operating a wireless local access network access point comprising the steps of:

transmitting and receiving signals within a communication cell associated with the access point, the communication cell being associated with a carrier detect zone and a defer zone;

carrying out an association process between the access point and a network station by transmitting an association response message to the network station in reply to receiving an association request message from the network station during entry of said network station into said communication cell;

reading a preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value from the memory after having received the association request message; and

transmitting the preferred carrier detect threshold level value and preferred defer behavior threshold level value to the network station.

12. A wireless local area network station comprising signal processing means, carrier detect sensing means, defer behavior sensing means and a memory for storing a carrier detect threshold level value and a defer behavior threshold level value for use during transmission and reception of signals while being associated with an access point, the network station comprising:

means including at least the signal processing means for transmitting and receiving signals within a communication cell associated with the access point, the communication cell also associated with a carrier detect zone and a defer zone; and

means, including the signal processing means, the carrier detect sensing means, and the defer behavior means for carrying out an association process with the access point by transmitting an association request message to the access point and receiving an association response message from the access point during entry of said network station into said communication cell;

the network station being coupled to the access point to receive at least one of said carrier detect threshold level value and said defer behavior threshold level value during operation.