Admission control for QoS-driven wireless LANs

• US 7,450,504 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ho, Jin-Meng, Lin, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Qureshi, Afsar M.
• Application Number:
  US11/073,788
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 370230-233, 370/229, 370/328, 370/329, 370335-338, 370/401, 370/397, 370/465
• US Class Current: 370/230.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/215 using token-bucket
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/788 Autonomous allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• 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 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method and a system for a quality of service (QoS) point coordinator (PC) for a basic service set (BSS) in a wireless local area network (WLAN) is disclosed. The PC includes a QoS management entity (QME) and an admission control entity (ACE). The QME receives at least one reservation request message that characterizes one of a QoS session and a QoS application (session/application) that can be of a continuous/periodic flow type that is time sensitive, or can be of a discontinuous/bursty flow type that is time tolerant. The reservation request message contains at least one QoS parameter set and requests a resource of a communication channel in the BSS for the QoS session/application. The communication channel is organized into superframes, such that each superframe includes a contention-free period (CFP) and a contention-period (CP). The reservation request message requests a predetermined bandwidth of each CFP of the communication channel in the BSS. The ACE performs macro bandwidth management for QoS traffic transport of the session/application over a medium access control (MAC) sublayer for the communication channel by determining whether to grant the reservation request based on at least one QoS parameter set associated with the session/application.

Claims

1. A quality of service (QoS) point coordinator (PC) for a basic service set (BSS) in a wireless network, the PC comprising:

a) a QoS management entity (QME) receiving at least one reservation request message characterizing one of a QoS session and a QoS application (session/application), the reservation request message containing at least one QoS parameter set and requesting a resource of a communication channel in the BSS for the QoS session/application; and

b) an admission control entity (ACE) performing macro bandwidth management for QoS traffic transport of the session/application over a medium access control (MAC) sublayer for the communication channel, the (ACE) determining whether to grant the reservation request based on;

b1) at least one QoS parameter set associated with the session/application; and

b2) a prior determination as to whether a traffic flow type is (i) a continuous/periodic flow type that is time sensitive or (ii) a discontinuous/bursty flow type that is time tolerant.

2. The QoS PC according to claim 1, wherein the QoS session/application is of a continuous/periodic flow type and is time sensitive.

3. The QoS PC according to claim 1, wherein the QoS session/application is of a discontinuous/bursty flow-type and is time tolerant.

5. The QoS PC according to claim 1, further comprising a frame schedule entity (FSE) that provides the QME with a channel status information on a superframe basis, the channel status information being related to a CFP and at least one of the useable total channel bandwidth, channel bandwidth used for the continuous/periodic flow type, and the channel bandwidth used for the discontinuous/bursty flow type.

6. The QoS PC according to claim 5, wherein the ACE admits a session/application of continuous/periodic flow type to the communication channel of the BSS when the bandwidth requested for the session/application does not exceed the bandwidth useable minus the bandwidth used for the continuous/periodic flow type.

7. The QoS PC according to claim 5, wherein the at least one QoS parameter set characterizing a QoS session/application contains a priority level;

and

wherein the ACE admits a session/application of discontinuous/bursty flow type to the communication channel of the BSS when the bandwidth requested for the session/application does not exceed the bandwidth useable minus the bandwidth used for the continuous/periodic flow type, and minus the bandwidth used for the discontinuous/bursty type relating to a priority level that is higher than the priority level of the session/application requesting the bandwidth reservation.

8. The QoS PC according to claim 1, wherein the at least one QoS parameter set characterizing a QoS session/application contains at least a mean data rate and a maximum data burst, the mean data rate being related to a token rate of a token bucket and the maximum data burst being related to a bucket size of the token bucket;

and

wherein admission control is based on a bursty behavior of the token bucket.

9. The QoS PC according to claim 1, wherein the at least one QoS parameter set characterizing a QoS session/application contains at least a mean data rate;

and

wherein admission control is based on the mean data rate.

10. The QoS PC according to claim 1, wherein the wireless network is a wireless local area network (WLAN).

4. A quality of service (QoS) point coordinator (PC) for a basic service set (BSS) in a wireless network, the PC comprising:

a QoS management entity (QME) receiving at least one reservation request message characterizing one of a QoS session and a QoS application (session/application), the reservation request message containing at least one QoS parameter set and requesting a resource of a communication channel in the BSS for the QoS session/application;

an admission control entity (ACE) performing macro bandwidth management for QoS traffic transport of the session/application over a medium access control (MAC) sublayer for the communication channel, the (ACE) determining whether to grant the reservation request based on at least one QoS parameter set associated with the session/application;

wherein the communication channel is organized into superframes, each superframe comprising a contention-free period (CFP) and a contention-period (CP); and

wherein the at least one reservation request message requests a predetermined bandwidth of each CFP of the communication channel in the BSS.

11. A method for controlling access to a communication channel in a basic service set (BSS) in a wireless network, the method comprising steps of:

a) receiving at least one reservation request message characterizing one of a Quality of Service (QoS) application and a QoS session (session/application), the reservation request message containing at least one QoS parameter set and requesting a resource of a communication channel in the BSS for the QoS session/application; and

b) performing macro bandwidth management for QoS traffic transport of the session/application over a medium access control (MAC) sublayer for the communication channel by determining whether to grant the reservation request, the determining being based on;

b1) at least one QoS parameter set associated with the session/application; and

b2) a prior determination as to whether a traffic flow type is (i) a continuous/periodic flow type that is time sensitive or (ii) a discontinuous/bursty flow type that is time tolerant.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the QoS session/application is of a continuous/periodic flow type and is time sensitive.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the QoS session/application is of a discontinuous/bursty flow type and is time tolerant.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of generating channel status information on a superframe basis, the channel status information being related to a CFP and at least one of the useable total channel bandwidth, channel bandwidth used for the continuous/periodic flow type, and the channel bandwidth used for the discontinuous/bursty flow type.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising a step of admitting a session/application of continuous/periodic flow type to the communication channel of the BSS when the bandwidth requested for the session/application does not exceed the bandwidth useable minus the bandwidth used for the continuous/periodic flow type.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one QoS parameter set characterizing a QoS session/application contains a priority level,

the method further comprising a step of admitting a session/application of discontinuous/bursty flow type to the communication channel of the BSS when the bandwidth requested for the session/application does not exceed the bandwidth useable minus the bandwidth used for the continuous/periodic flow type, and minus the bandwidth used for the discontinuous/bursty type relating to a priority level that is higher than the priority level of the session/application requesting the bandwidth reservation.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one QoS parameter set characterizing a QoS session/application contains at least a mean data rate and a maximum data burst, the mean data rate being related to a token rate of a token bucket and the maximum data burst being related to a bucket size of the token bucket, and

wherein the step of performing admission control is based on a bursty behavior of the token bucket.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one QoS parameter set characterizing a QoS session/application contains at least a mean data rate, and wherein the step of performing admission control is based on the mean data rate.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein the wireless network is a wireless local area network (WLAN).

14. A method for controlling access to a communication channel in a basic service set (BSS) in a wireless network, the method comprising steps of:

receiving at least one reservation request message characterizing one of a Quality of Service (QoS) application and a QoS session (session/application), the reservation request message containing at least one QoS parameter set and requesting a resource of a communication channel in the BSS for the QoS session/application;

performing macro bandwidth management for QoS traffic transport of the session/application over a medium access control (MAC) sublayer for the communication channel by determining whether to grant the reservation request based on at least one QoS parameter set associated with the session/application;

wherein the communication channel is organized into superframes, each superframe comprising a contention-free period (CFP) and a contention-period (CP), and

wherein the at least one reservation request message requests a predetermined bandwidth of each CFP of the communication channel in the BSS.