Medium access control for simultaneous channel communications

• US 7,382,758 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2004
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: LoGalbo, Robert D., Ekl, Randy L., Rotstein, Ron, Silverman, Shmuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong; Frank
• Application Number:
  US10/999,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20060114941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02

Abstract

A method and system for wireless data transmission between at least three stations use multiple frequency bands for simultaneous channel communications. The method includes transmitting a Request To Send (RTS) packet from a first station to an intermediate second station over a first frequency band. Two Clear To Send (CTS) packets, which CTS packets include transmission timing information, are then transmitted from the second station simultaneously both to the first station and to a third station. The CTS packet sent to the first station is transmitted over the first frequency band and the CTS packet sent to the third station is transmitted over a second frequency band. A data packet from the first station is then transmitted to the second station. The third station suspends, based on the transmission timing information included in the CTS packets, any unicast transmission to the second station during the transmission of the data packet from the first station to the second station.

Claims

1. A method for wireless data transmission between at least three stations, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a Request To Send (RTS) packet from a first station to an intermediate second station over a first frequency band;

transmitting two Clear To Send (CTS) packets, which CTS packets include transmission timing information, from the second station simultaneously both to the first station and to a third station, wherein the CTS packet sent to the first station is transmitted over the first frequency band and the CTS packet sent to the third station is transmitted over a second frequency band; and

transmitting a data packet from the first station to the second station, wherein the third station suspends, based on the transmission timing information included in the CTS packets, any unicast transmission to the second station during the transmission of the data packet from the first station to the second station.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a multicast data packet is transmitted from the third station to the second station at the same time as the data packet is transmitted from the first station to the second station.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission timing information included in the CTS packets indicates to the third station to suspend unicast transmission to the second station for an extended time period, during which time period the data packet is received at the second station and also transmitted to the third station.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting two RTS packets, which RTS packets include transmission timing information, from the second station simultaneously both to the first station and to the third station, wherein the RTS packet sent to the first station is transmitted over the first frequency band and the RTS packet sent to the third station is transmitted over the second frequency band;

transmitting a data packet from the second station to the third station, wherein the first station suspends, based on the transmission timing information included in the RTS packet received from the second station, any unicast transmission to the second station during the transmission of the data packet from the second station to the third station.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second frequency bands fit inside an Intermediate Frequency BandWidth (IFBW) and do not overlap.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein each station is a member of the group consisting of:

mobile Access Points (APs), infrastructure Access Points (APs), Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs), and meshed network stations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the three stations comprise part of a Wireless Vehicle Area Network (WVAN).

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data packets comprise voice data.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the stations is a legacy infrastructure access point.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the stations includes a Transmit Power Control feature.

11. A system for wireless data transmission, comprising:

a first wireless station;

an intermediate second wireless station; and

a third wireless station;

wherein a Request To Send (RTS) packet is transmitted from the first station to the intermediate second station over a first frequency band;

wherein two Clear To Send (CTS) packets, which CTS packets include transmission timing information, are transmitted from the second station simultaneously both to the first station and to the third station, wherein the CTS packet sent to the first station is transmitted over the first frequency band and the CTS packet sent to the third station is transmitted over a second frequency band; and

wherein a data packet is transmitted from the first station to the second station, the third station suspending, based on the transmission timing information included in the CTS packets, any unicast transmission to the second station during the transmission of the data packet from the first station to the second station.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein a multicast data packet is transmitted from the third station to the second station at the same time as the data packet is transmitted from the first station to the second station.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the transmission timing information included in the CTS packets indicates to the third station to suspend unicast transmission to the second station for an extended time period, during which time period the data packet is received at the second station and also transmitted to the third station.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein two RTS packets, which RTS packets include transmission timing information, are transmitted from the second station simultaneously both to the first station and to the third station, the RTS packet sent to the first station is transmitted over the first frequency band and the RTS packet sent to the third station is transmitted over the second frequency band;

and wherein a data packet is transmitted from the second station to the third station, the first station suspending, based on the transmission timing information included in the RTS packet received from the second station, any unicast transmission to the second station during the transmission of the data packet from the second station to the third station.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the first and second frequency bands fit inside an Intermediate Frequency BandWidth (IFBW) and do not overlap.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein each station is a member of the group consisting of:

mobile Access Points (APs), infrastructure Access Points (APs), Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs), and meshed network stations.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein the three stations comprise part of a Wireless Vehicle Area Network (WVAN).

18. The system according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the stations includes a Transmit Power Control feature.

19. The system according to claim 11, wherein one of the stations is a legacy infrastructure access point.

20. A system for wireless data transmission, comprising:

means for transmitting a Request To Send (RTS) packet from a first station to an intermediate second station over a first frequency band;

means for transmitting two Clear To Send (CTS) packets, which CTS packets include transmission timing information, from the second station simultaneously to both the first station and to a third station, wherein the CTS packet sent to the first station is transmitted over the first frequency band and the CTS packet sent to the third station is transmitted over a second frequency band; and

means for transmitting a data packet from the first station to the second station, wherein the third station suspends, based on the transmission timing information included in the CTS packets, any unicast transmission to the second station during the transmission of the data packet from the first station to the second station.

21. A method for wireless data transmission between at least three stations, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a Request To Send (RTS) packet from a first station to an intermediate second station over a first frequency band;

transmitting two Clear To Send (CTS) packets, which CTS packets include transmission timing information, from the second station simultaneously both to the first station and to a third station, wherein the CTS packet sent to the first station is transmitted over the first frequency band and the CTS packet sent to the third station is transmitted over a second frequency band;

transmitting a data packet from the first station to the second station, wherein the third station suspends, based on the transmission timing information included in the CTS packets, any unicast transmission to the second station during the transmission of the data packet from the first station to the second station; and

transmitting a multicast data packet from the third station to the second station at the same time as the data packet is transmitted from the first station to the second station.

22. A system for wireless data transmission, comprising:

a first wireless station;

an intermediate second wireless station; and

a third wireless station;

wherein a Request To Send (RTS) packet is transmitted from the first station to the intermediate second station over a first frequency band;

wherein two Clear To Send (CTS) packets, which CTS packets include transmission timing information, are transmitted from the second station simultaneously both to the first station and to the third station, wherein the CTS packet sent to the first station is transmitted over the first frequency band and the CTS packet sent to the third station is transmitted over a second frequency band;

wherein a data packet is transmitted from the first station to the second station, the third station suspending, based on the transmission timing information included in the CTS packets, any unicast transmission to the second station during the transmission of the data packet from the first station to the second station; and

wherein a multicast data packet is transmitted from the third station to the second station at the same time as the data packet is transmitted from the first station to the second station.