Channel allocation for access point in mesh network

• US 7,738,374 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2005
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Yoichi, Takeda, Shinji, Fujiwara, Atsushi, Omae, Koji, Yagyu, Kengo, Aoki, Hidenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, DUNG LE
• Application Number:
  US11/175,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20060019673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/338, 370/254, 370/400, 370237-238, 370/252, 370/239, 370/232, 370/395.1, 370/395.42, 370/395.21, 455/453, 455/450, 455/452.2, 455/454
• US Class Current: 370/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/46 Cluster building
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/27 between access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A channel allocation method for dynamically allocating channels of a plurality of radio interfaces at each access point included in a mesh network is provided. The method includes the steps of (a) acquiring, at each access point, in-node information about the access point itself, and (b) grouping high-traffic access points in a cluster using a same channel set based on the acquired information.

Claims

1. A channel allocation method for dynamically allocating channels of a plurality of radio interfaces at a plurality of access points included in a mesh network, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring at each of the access points information about the access point itself including high-traffic information;

grouping high-traffic access points among the access points in a cluster based on the acquired information; and

allocating a new channel set including a plurality of channels to the cluster available for the grouped high-traffic access points by exchanging a channel change message to confirm intent to cluster according to a condition of each of the access points, based on the acquired information and a time rate of channel occupation, the time rate of channel occupation being estimated from a modulation scheme and calculated based on a number of packets transmitted and received and a packet size; and

weighing the high-traffic information according to a QoS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point information includes all or a part of:

channel information representing usage and a quality of each channel;

session information representing a session between the access points;

traffic information representing a transmission amount or channel congestion between the access points in mutual communication; and

information about existence or a level of interference from another system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

measuring an amount of packets received from said other system or a channel usage time by said other system during monitoring of the traffic information; and

determining interference from said other system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

exchanging statistical information among the access points in the mesh network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the statistical information is shared among all of the access points in the mesh network.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the statistical information is shared between nearby access points.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the statistical information includes:

channel information representing occupancy and a quality of each channel;

session information representing a session between the access points; and

traffic information representing a traffic amount or degree of congestion between the access points being in mutual communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cluster has at least one common channel in the channel set throughout the mesh network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cluster has a common channel shared with another cluster, without having a common channel shared throughout the mesh network.