Time division multiple access/time division duplex (TDMA/TDD) transmission media access control (MAC) air frame

• US 7,359,972 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Van Drebbel Mariner LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jorgensen, Jacob W.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, PHILIP B
• Application Number:
  US11/502,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/223, 709/230, 709/238, 370/338, 370/328
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/168 specially adapted for link layer protocols, e.g. asynchronous transfer mode [ATM], synchronous optical network [SONET] or point-to-point protocol [PPP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/169 Special adaptations of TCP, UDP or IP for interworking of IP based networks with other networks protocols for interworking, protocol conversion H04L69/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0414 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13096 Digital apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, digital line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 : Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13216 : Code signals, frame structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13292 : Time division multiplexing, TDM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13296 : Packet switching, X.25, frame relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13348 : Channel/line reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 : of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• 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 28/20 : Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 : Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 : Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 : using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 : Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 : Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 : Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 : Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 : Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A time domain multiple access/time division duplex (TDMA/TDD) media access control (MAC) transmission frame includes: one or more dynamically allocatable control packets for providing control information over a wireless medium between a wireless base station and one or more subscriber customer premises equipment (CPE) stations; and one or more dynamically allocatable data packets for providing data information over a wireless medium between a wireless base station and one or more subscriber customer premises equipment (CPE) stations. The control packets can include at least one of: a downstream acknowledgment slot; a reservation request slot; an operations data slot; an upstream acknowledgment slot; an acknowledgment request slot; a frame descriptor slot; a command and control slot.

Claims

1. A method of communicating control information and data information in a transmission frame comprising:

dividing a transmission frame into a plurality of slots;

designating at least one of said plurality of slots as at least one dynamically allocatable control slot; and

designating at least one of said plurality of slots as at least one dynamically allocatable data slot for communicating an IP flow comprising one or more packets over a shared wireless communication medium;

wherein said at least one dynamically allocatable control slot includes information about a number of one or more packets in a second IP flow and at least one end user quality of service (QoS) requirement of said second IP flow;

wherein said at least one dynamically allocatable control slot comprises a dynamically allocatable number of reservation request contention slots for receiving reservation requests for available dynamically allocatable data slots of said shared wireless communication medium; and

wherein said dynamically allocatable number of reservation request contention slots is increased or decreased dynamically according to a frequency of detected collisions between said reservation requests.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one dynamically allocatable control slot comprises at least one of:

a downstream acknowledgment slot;

a reservation request slot;

an operations data slot;

an upstream acknowledgment slot;

an acknowledgment request slot;

a frame descriptor slot; and

a command and control slot.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one dynamically allocatable control slot comprises a reservation request slot including information about data payload contents.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmission frame comprises:

at least one downlink subframe for communication from a wireless base station to at least one subscriber customer premises equipment (CPE) station over said shared wireless communication medium; and

an uplink subframe for communication from said at least one subscriber CPE station to said wireless base station over said shared wireless communication medium.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmission frame comprises:

at least one downlink subframe for communication from a wireless access point to at least one station over said shared wireless communication medium; and

at least one uplink subframe for communication from said station to said wireless access point over said shared wireless communication medium.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said information about said at least one end user quality of service (QoS) requirement of said second IP flow comprises a class of said second IP flow.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising a step of classifying said IP flow into one of a plurality of classes according to said class of said second IP flow.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said dynamically allocatable number of reservation request contention slots is increased in response to an increase in said detected collisions, and is decreased in response to an decrease in said detected collisions.

9. A method of transmitting in a transmission frame information about an IP flow, comprising:

communicating over a shared wireless communication medium in at least one control slot of a first transmission frame a number of packets in an IP flow to be communicated in at least one data slot of a later transmission frame;

communicating in said at least one control slot of said first transmission frame at least one quality of service (QoS) requirement of said IP flow;

wherein said transmission frame comprises a dynamically allocatable number of reservation request contention slots for communicating reservation requests for available slots of said at least one data slot of said later transmission frame; and

wherein said dynamically allocatable number of reservation request contention slots is dynamically allocated according to a frequency of detected collisions between said reservation requests.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising communicating data from another IP flow in at least one data slot of said first transmission frame.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said at least one control slot comprises a reservation request slot including information about data payload contents.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said first transmission frame comprises:

at least one downlink subframe for communication from a wireless base station to at least one subscriber customer premises equipment (CPE) station over said shared wireless communication medium; and

at least one uplink subframe for communication from said at least one subscriber CPE station to said wireless base station over said shared wireless communication medium.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said first transmission frame comprises:

at least one downlink subframe for communication from a wireless access point to at least one station over said shared wireless communication medium; and

at least one uplink subframe for communication from said station to said wireless access point over said shared wireless communication medium.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said at least one quality of service (QoS) requirement of said IP flow corresponds to a class of said IP flow.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of classifying said IP flow into one of a plurality of classes according to said class of said IP flow.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein said communicating step includes at least one of:

communicating over a radio frequency local area network;

communicating over a radio frequency wide area network;

communicating over a line-of-sight wireless communications network;

communicating over an infrared wireless communications network;

communicating over a communications network including a laser; and

communicating over a point-to-point wireless communications network.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein said communicating comprises communicating over a coaxial cable wireless communication medium.