Methods and apparatus for selecting communication channels based on channel load information

• US 7,676,231 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2005
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Hsin-Yuo (York), Hazra, Mousumi, Demirhan, Mustafa, Kushalnagar, Nandakishore
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cho; Un C
• Application Number:
  US11/106,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20060234719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,791 Days
• Field of Search: 455/437, 455/453, 455/426.1, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/454, 455/434, 455/455, 455/450, 455/463, 455/464, 455/509, 455/515, 370/329, 370/330, 370/332, 370/338, 370/341, 370/431, 370/437
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and apparatus for selecting communication channels based on channel load information are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a communication node, load conditions of a plurality of communication channels associated with a wireless communication network of the communication node and a neighboring communication network of the communication node, wherein the load conditions are identified based on channel load information; and

selecting, by the communication node, a first communication channel of the plurality of communication channels for communication of the wireless communication network based on the load conditions, said selecting including;

determining whether the neighboring communication network using a current communication channel has at least one vacant communication channel available, wherein the current communication channel is different than the vacant communication channel and the determination is made in response to a determination that no vacant communication channel is available within the wireless communication network; and

selecting, by the communication node, the current communication channel being used by the neighboring communication network as the first communication channel based at least in part on the determination that the neighboring communication network has at least one vacant communication channel.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying load conditions associated with the plurality of communication channels at the communication node comprises identifying load conditions of the plurality of communication channels at one of an access point of a basic service set network or a mesh point of a wireless mesh network.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein selecting one of the plurality of communication channels for communication of the wireless communication network based on the load conditions comprises selecting a communication channel associated with the least number of communication nodes among the plurality of communication channels.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein selecting one of the plurality of communication channels for communication for the wireless communication network based on the load conditions comprises selecting a communication channel associated with one of the greatest amount of vacant bandwidth or the greatest level of potential throughput among the plurality of communication channels.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein selecting one of the plurality of communication channels for communication for the one of the plurality of wireless communication networks based on the load conditions comprises switching from a first communication channel to a second communication channel based on the load conditions.

6. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising transmitting selected channel information indicative of the one of the plurality of communication channels from a first communication node to a second communication node.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying load conditions of the plurality of communication channels at the communication node comprises receiving the channel load information associated with the plurality of communication channels at the communication node from another communication node.

8. A computer-readable storage medium including computer readable instructions that, if executed by a computer system, causes the system to:

identify load conditions of a plurality of communication channels associated with a wireless communication network and a neighboring communication network based on channel load information; and

select a first communication channel of the plurality of communication channels for communication of the wireless communication network based on the load conditions, said select including;

determining whether the neighboring communication network using a current communication channel has at least one vacant communication channel available, wherein the current communication channel is different than the vacant communication channel and the determination is made in response to a determination that no vacant communication channel is available within the wireless communication network; and

selecting the current communication channel being used by the neighboring communication network as the first communication channel based at least in part on the determination that the neighboring communication network has at least one vacant communication channel.

9. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the system to identify load conditions of the plurality of communication channels at the communication node by identifying load conditions of the plurality of communication channels at one of an access point of a basic service set network or a mesh point of a wireless mesh network.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the system to select one of the plurality of communication channels for communication of the wireless communication network based on the load conditions by selecting a communication channel associated with the least number of communication nodes among the plurality of communication channels.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the system to select one of the plurality of communication channels for communication of the wireless communication networks based on the load conditions by selecting a communication channel associated with one of the greatest amount of vacant bandwidth or the greatest level of potential throughput among the plurality of communication channels.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the system to transmit selected channel information indicative of the one of the plurality of communication channels from a first communication node to a second communication node.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the system to identify load conditions of the plurality of communication channels at the communication node by receiving the channel load information associated with the plurality of communication channels at the communication node from another communication node.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a communication interface to receive channel load information;

an identifier coupled to the communication interface to identify load conditions of a plurality of communication channels associated with a wireless communication network of the apparatus and neighboring communication network of the apparatus, wherein the load conditions are identified based on the channel load information; and

a selector coupled to the identifier to select a first channel of the plurality of communication channels for communication of the wireless communication network based on the load conditions, said selector comprising a processor configured to select by determining whether the neighboring communication network using current communication channel has at least one vacant communication channel available, wherein the current communication channel is different than the vacant communication channel and the determination is made in response to a determination that no vacant channel is available within the wireless communication network, and selecting the current communication channel being used by the neighboring communication network as the first communication channel based at least in part on the determination that the neighboring communication network has at least one vacant communication channel.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the selector is configured to select a vacant channel.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the selector is configured to select a communication channel associated with the least number of communication nodes among the plurality of communication channels.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the selector is configured to select a communication channel associated with one of the greatest amount of vacant bandwidth or the greatest level of potential throughput among the plurality of communication channels.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the communication interface is configured to transmit selected channel information indicative of the one of the plurality of communication channels from a first communication node to a second communication node.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the communication node is one of an access point of a basic service set network or a mesh point of a wireless mesh network.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein said identifier to identify the load conditions of the plurality of communication channels at the communication node by receiving the channel load information associated with the plurality of communication channels at the communication node from another communication node.

21. A system comprising:

a flash memory; and

a processor coupled to the flash memory to identify load conditions of a plurality of communication channels associated with a wireless communication network and a neighboring communication network, wherein said processor is configured to identify the load conditions based on channel load information, and to select a first channel of the plurality of communication channels for communication of the wireless communication network based on the load conditions, said select including determining whether the neighboring communication network using a current communication channel has at least one vacant communication channel available, wherein the current communication channel is different than the vacant communication channel and the determination is made in response to a determination that no vacant channel is available within the wireless communication network, and selecting the current communication channel being used by the neighboring wireless communication network as the first communication channel based at least in part on the determination that the neighboring communication network has at least one vacant communication channel.

22. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to select a communication channel used by the least number of communication nodes among the plurality of communication channels.

23. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to select a communication channel associated with one of the greatest amount of vacant bandwidth or the greatest level of potential throughput among the plurality of communication channels.

24. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to transmit selected channel information indicative of the one of the plurality of communication channels from a first communication node to a second communication node.

25. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein said identifying the load conditions of the plurality of communication channels at the communication node comprises receiving the channel load information associated with the plurality of communication channels at the communication node from another communication node.