MAC protocol employing multiple data rates

• US 7,379,494 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2004
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory G., Pollack, Michael A., Jones, Vincent K. IV
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard; Emmanuel
• Application Number:
  US10/956,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20050089009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 375/225, 375/221, 375/257, 375/260, 375/295, 375/263, 375/265
• US Class Current: 375/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 4/00 Combined time-division and frequency-division multiplex systems H04J13/00 takes precedence ; data transmission H04L5/26; telemetry G08C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/788 Autonomous allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access

Abstract

Method and apparatus for combining high data rate traffic and low data rate traffic on a common transmission medium while maximizing efficient use of available spectrum. Since spectrum is an economically valuable resource and transport of data generates revenue, the present invention directly leads to more profitable network operation. The disclosed systems are applicable to both wired and wireless transmission media. In one embodiment, a bandwidth reservation scheme provides that data rate may be varied so that when a particular data communication device is allocated a frame, it is also assigned a data rate for use in that frame. Because bandwidth usage varies with data rate, the division of available spectrum into channels for use by individual data communication devices may also vary among frames.

Claims

1. In a digital communications network comprising a plurality of data communications devices transmitting via a common transmission medium and a hub receiving signals from said data communications devices via said common transmission medium, a method comprising:

receiving access request messages from requesting data communication devices, said access request messages requesting access to said common transmission medium;

allocating access to said common transmission medium in both the frequency and time domain among said requesting data communication devices; and

transmitting from said hub to said requesting access devices, instructions for each requesting access device to transmit at particular times and frequencies, and at particular data rates chosen in accordance with allocations by a bandwidth manager.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said common transmission medium comprises a wireless medium.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said common transmission medium comprises a wired medium.

4. In a data communication network, a method comprising:

transmitting requests at a bandwidth manager for access to a common transmission medium to a hub;

receiving at a link supervisor, medium access instructions from said hub, said medium access instructions specifying data rate, transmission time, and transmission frequency for transmissions to said hub; and

controlling at the link supervisor, transmission of information via said common transmission medium in accordance with said specified data rate, transmission time, and transmission frequency.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said common transmission medium comprises a wired medium.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said common transmission medium comprises a wireless medium.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising communicating at selectable data rates with at least two downstream radios.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein said link supervisor comprises a radio link supervisor.

9. A data communications device for use in a network, said data communications device comprising:

means for transmitting requests at a bandwidth manager for access to a common transmission medium to a hub;

means for receiving at a link supervisor, medium access instructions from said hub, said medium access instructions specifying data rate, transmission time, and transmission frequency for transmissions to said hub; and

means for controlling at the link supervisor, transmission of information via said common transmission medium in accordance with said specified data rate, transmission time, and transmission frequency.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein said common transmission medium comprises a wired medium.

11. The device of claim 9 wherein said common transmission medium comprises a wireless medium.

12. The device of claim 11 further comprising communicating at selectable data rates with at least two downstream radios.

13. The device of claim 9 wherein said link supervisor comprises a radio link supervisor.