Access control and protocol for packet switched wireless communications networks

• US 7,388,833 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Yuan, Yuan, Zhang, Jinyun, Gu, Daqing
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TU X
• Application Number:
  US10/861,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20050271019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230.1, 370/349, 370/471, 370/313, 370/332, 370231-235, 370252-253
• US Class Current: 370/230.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance

Abstract

A method transmits packets over a single channel in a wireless communication network that includes multiple nodes. Access to the channel is gained in a transmitting node. Then, a block of packets is transmitted to a receiving node via the channel. The transmitting node receives only a single acknowledgement packet from the receiving node in response to transmitting the block of packets.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting packets over a channel in a wireless communication network including a plurality of nodes, comprising:

gaining access, in a transmitting node, to the channel;

transmitting a block of packets to a receiving node via the channel; and

receiving, in the transmitting node, a single acknowledgement packet from the receiving node in response to transmitting the block of packets;

transmitting periodically a beacon flame, the beacon flame including a plurality of access category fields, and each access category field further including an access category parameter set and a reference parameter set.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the access is gained according to conditions of the channel.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the conditions include a signal to noise ratio.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the acknowledgement packet indicates incorrect packets received by the receiving node, and further comprising:

retransmitting the incorrect packets.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the reference parameter set includes a packet size field, a transmission rate field, a block size field, and an acknowlegement field.

6. The method of claim 5, in which the reference parameter set includes a credit counter set, the credit counter set including a credit_h field and a credit_l field.

7. The method of claim 1, in which the packets in the block are separated by a short inter-frame space.

8. The method of claim 1, in which a number of packets in the block depends on conditions of the channel.

9. The method of claim 1, in which a number of packets in the block depends on a current transmission rate of the transmitting node.

10. The method of claim 1, in which an amount of access time to the channel by the transmitting node is substantially proportional to a current transmission rate of the transmitting node.

11. The method of claim 1, in which the access is gained according to a priority of data in the packets.

12. The method of claim 1, in which a rate of transmitting the block of packets depends on conditions of the channel.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating conditions of the channel with a request-to-send/clear-to-send exchange RTS-CTS exchange.

14. A wireless communication network including a plurality of nodes, comprising:

a transmitting node configured to gain access to the channel and to transmit a block of packets via the channel after gaining access; and

a receiving node configured to receive the block of packets and to transmit a single acknowledgement packet to the transmitting node in response to receiving the block of packets.