Method for polling in a medium access control protocol

• US 7,548,552 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: North Star Innovations Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Sharma, Sanjeev K., Shvodian, William M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mattis, Jason E
• Application Number:
  US11/036,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20060159118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 370/449, 370/450, 370/462
• US Class Current: 370/449
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling

Abstract

A method is provided for a master device (601) to allocate channel time. The master device sends a polling frame (240) to a current destination slave device (602) and a current polled slave device (603). The polling frame includes a current destination slave device address (350), a current polled slave device address (360), and a current payload (330). The master device receives a poll acknowledgement frame (280) if the current polled slave device does not wish to transmit data. However, if no poll acknowledgement frame is received, the master device waits for a set duration then sets the current destination device address to be equal to a new destination device address, sets the current polled device address to be equal to a new polled slave device address, and sets a current payload to be equal to a new payload. This can be repeated until a channel time allocation ends.

Claims

1. A method of a master device allocating a channel time in a transmission channel, comprising:

sending a polling frame over the transmission channel from the master device to a current destination slave device and a current polled slave device, the polling frame including a current destination slave device address of the destination slave device, a current polled slave device address of the polled slave device, and a current payload for the current destination slave device;

receiving a poll acknowledgement frame over the transmission channel if the current polled slave device does not wish to transmit data;

waiting for a set duration if no poll acknowledgement frame is received, the set duration being at least as long as a data frame duration;

setting the current destination device address to be equal to a new destination device address identifying a new destination device;

setting the current polled device address to be equal to a new polled slave device address identifying a new polled device; and

setting the current payload to be equal to a new payload;

repeating sending a polling frame, receiving a poll acknowledgement frame, waiting for a set duration, setting the current destination device address, and setting the current polled slave device address.

2. A method of a master device allocating a channel time, as recited in claim 1, wherein the master device continues to repeat sending a polling frame, receiving a poll acknowledgement frame, waiting for a set duration, setting the current destination device address, setting the current polled slave device address, and setting the current payload until a current channel time allocation ends.

3. A method of a master device allocating a channel time, as recited in claim 1, wherein the new destination device address is the same as the current destination device address.

4. A method of a master device allocating a channel time, as recited in claim 1, wherein the new polled device address is the same as the current polled device address.

5. A method of a master device allocating a channel time, as recited in claim 1, wherein the set duration is a duration of one or more data frames.

6. A method of a master device allocating a channel time, as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a polling frame acknowledgement frame from the destination device after sending the polling frame.

7. A method of a master device allocating a channel time, as recited in claim 6, wherein the polling frame acknowledgement frame is not addressed to the master device.

8. A method of a master device allocating a channel time, as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in an integrated circuit.

9. A method of a master device allocating a channel time, as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in an ultra wideband device.

10. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, comprising:

receiving a polling frame over a transmission channel from a master device identifying a first device address as a destination address, identifying a second device address as a polled address, and containing a payload;

processing the payload if the first device address corresponds to a slave address of the slave device;

determining whether the slave device has data to send if the second device address corresponds to the slave address;

sending a poll acknowledgement frame over the transmission channel to the master device indicating there is no data to transmit if the slave device is determined to have no data to transmit; and

sending a polled device frame over the transmission channel to a remote device different from the master device, without sending an acknowledgement frame over the transmission channel to the master device, if the slave device is determined to have data to transmit.

11. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, as recited in claim 10, further comprising sending a polling frame acknowledgement frame to the master device after processing the payload, if the first device address corresponds to a slave address of the slave device.

12. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, as recited in claim 10, further comprising receiving a polled device frame acknowledgment frame from the remote device after sending the polled device frame to the remote device.

13. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, as recited in claim 10, wherein the method is implemented in an integrated circuit.

14. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, as recited in claim 10, wherein the method is implemented in an ultra wideband device.

15. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, comprising:

receiving a polling frame over a transmission channel from a master device identifying a slave device address as a destination address, and containing a payload;

processing the payload;

determining whether the slave device has data;

sending a poll acknowledgement frame over the transmission channel to the master device indicating there is no data to transmit if the slave device is determined to have no data to transmit; and

sending a polled device frame over the transmission channel to a remote device different from the master device, without sending an acknowledgement frame over the transmission channel to the master device, if the slave device is determined to have data to transmit,

wherein the polled device frame includes information indicating whether the payload was properly received.

16. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, as recited in claim 15, wherein the remote device is a remote slave device.

17. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, as recited in claim 15, further comprising sending a polling frame acknowledgement frame to the master device after processing the payload.

18. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, as recited in claim 15, wherein the payload is a null payload.

19. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, as recited in claim 15, further comprising receiving a polled device frame acknowledgment frame from the remote device after sending the polled device frame to the remote device.

20. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, as recited in claim 15, wherein the method is implemented in an integrated circuit.

21. A method of a operating a slave device in a polling scheme, as recited in claim 15, wherein the method is implemented in an ultra wideband device.