Measurement based mechanism to enable two wireless devices to directly communicate with each other to support traffic prioritization

• US 7,385,960 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bansal, Deepak, Abhishek, Abhishek, Duong, Francis, Zuberi, Khawar M., Elabbady, Tarek Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perez; Julio R
• Application Number:
  US11/070,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20060193292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 370/332, 370/338, 370/331, 370/241, 455/41.2, 455/452.1
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• 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 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0284 detecting congestion or overload during communication monitoring arrangements H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless device communications mode selector dynamically establishes an optimal communication mode between wireless devices and/or access point, such that stations communicate directly with each other or indirectly through an existing AP depending upon which mode would yield higher throughput under present network conditions and configuration. In an embodiment of the invention, a measurement based mechanism is used to decide which communication mode is more efficient. If it is decided that direct communication is optimal, the two stations can either form an adhoc network or an STA can be dynamically configured to become a wireless repeater access point (soft AP).

Claims

1. A method of selecting a communication mode for a first wireless device, the first wireless device being in wireless communication range of a wireless access point using a channel and a second wireless device the method comprising:

receiving a trigger indicating a start up of a multimedia application on the first wireless device;

measuring the data throughput between the first wireless device and the second wireless device in indirect mode wherein communications between the first wireless device and the second wireless device are executed via the wireless access point;

measuring the data throughput between the first wireless device and the second wireless device in direct mode wherein communications between the first wireless device and the second wireless device are executed directly, omitting the wireless access point;

determining whether the measured throughput is greater in the indirect mode or the direct mode; and

selecting, in response to the trigger, the communications mode having the higher measured throughput for communications between the first and second devices, wherein the direct mode comprises the first wireless device reconfigured as a wireless repeater access point using the channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless devices are currently in a direct communications mode, and wherein selecting the communications mode having the higher measured throughput for communications between the first and second devices comprises remaining in the direct communications mode.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless devices are currently in an indirect communications mode, and wherein selecting the communications mode having the higher measured throughput for communications between the first and second devices comprises remaining in the indirect communications mode.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless devices are currently in a mode selected from the group consisting of an indirect communications mode and a direct communications mode, and wherein selecting the communications mode having the higher measured throughput for communications between the first and second devices comprises switching the communications mode from one member of the group to the other.

5. A computer-readable medium encoded with instruction capable of being executed by a computer for selecting a communication mode for a first wireless device, the first wireless device being in wireless communication range of a wireless access point using a channel and a second wireless device the computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving a trigger indicating a start up of a multimedia application on the first wireless device;

measuring the data throughput between the first wireless device and the second wireless device in indirect mode wherein communications between the first x4ireless device and the second wireless device are executed via the wireless access point;

measuring the data throughput between the first wireless device and the second wireless device in direct mode wherein communications between the first wireless device and the second wireless device are executed directly, omitting the wireless access point;

determining whether the measured throughput is greater in the indirect mode or the direct mode; and

selecting, in response to the trigger, the communications mode having the higher measured throughput for communications between the first and second devices, wherein the direct mode comprises the first wireless device reconfigured as a wireless repeater access point using the channel.

6. The computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the first and second wireless devices are currently in a direct communications mode, and wherein the instructions for selecting the communications mode having the higher measured throughput for communications between the first and second devices further comprise instructions for remaining in the direct communications mode.

7. The computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the first and second wireless devices are currently in an indirect communications mode, and wherein the instructions for selecting the communications mode having the higher measured throughput for communications between the first and second devices further comprise instructions for remaining in the indirect communications mode.

8. The computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the first and second wireless devices are currently in a mode selected from the group consisting of an indirect communications mode and a direct communications mode, and wherein the instructions for selecting the communications mode having the higher measured throughput for communications between the first and second devices further comprise instructions for switching the communications mode from one member of the group to the other.

9. A method of load balancing in a wireless network comprising a first wireless station, a second wireless station, and a wireless access point using a channel, the method comprising:

receiving a trigger indicating a start up of a multimedia application on the first wireless station;

measuring a first data throughput between the first wireless station and the second wireless station via the wireless access point;

measuring a second data throughput between the first wireless station and the second wireless station via a path without the first wireless access point;

determining that the second data throughput is greater than the first data throughput; and

in response to the determining, establishing communications between the first wireless station and the second wireless station, wherein the second wireless station is reconfigured as a wireless repeater access point using the channel with respect to the first wireless station and maintained as a wireless station with respect to the wireless access point.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein measuring the throughput in the direct mode and indirect mode comprises sending packet pair probes between the first wireless station and the second wireless station and inferring throughput from delay induced between packets.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first wireless station is not in direct mode or indirect mode, and wherein establishing communications between the first wireless station and the second wireless station comprises causing the first wireless station to become attached to the second wireless station.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein a respective signal strength is associated with communication between the first wireless station and the second wireless station in direct mode and in indirect mode, and wherein the signal strength associated with communication between the first wireless station and the second wireless station in indirect mode is less than the signal strength associated with communication between the first wireless station and the second wireless station in direct mode.