Adaptive communication management to accommodate hidden terminal conditions

• US 7,830,845 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2006
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chughtai; Sarwat
• Application Number:
  US11/490,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20070223434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/390, 370/328, 370/445, 370/447, 370/310.2, 370/229, 370/235, 370/395.53, 370/315, 370/225
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/265 taking into account the quality of service QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/282 taking into account the speed of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/287 when the channel is in stand-by
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless access point and multiple wireless terminals exchange utilization, status, mobility and reception characteristics. Each wireless terminal generates reception characteristics based on transmissions received from the wireless access point and from other devices in the network. In one operating mode, the characteristics gathered by the wireless devices are forwarded to the wireless access point, and, based on all received characteristics, the wireless access point selects its own transmission power for different types of the transmission. In another mode, all characteristics are exchanged between every wireless terminal and the access point so that each can independently or cooperatively make transmission power control decisions. In a further mode, the wireless access point adjusts protocol parameters based on an assessment of the characteristics received from the client devices, to detect an event such as a hidden terminal condition.

Claims

1. A wireless network in a communication infrastructure having a packet switched backbone network, the wireless network comprising:

an access point, communicatively coupled to the packet switched backbone network, having access point processing circuitry and access point wireless transceiver circuitry;

a first client device having first client processing circuitry and first client wireless transceiver circuitry;

a second client device having second client processing circuitry and second client wireless transceiver circuitry;

the access point processing circuitry, using the access point wireless transceiver circuitry and an associated set of communication parameters, manages communication both between the first client wireless transceiver circuitry and the packet switched backbone network, and between the second client wireless transceiver circuitry and the packet switched backbone network;

the first client processing circuitry attempts to detect transmissions from the second client wireless transceiver circuitry via the first client wireless transceiver circuitry;

the access point processing circuitry, based on at least the attempt to detect transmissions from the second client wireless transceiver circuitry by the first client processing circuitry, identifies a hidden terminal condition; and

the access point processing circuitry attempts to address the hidden terminal condition by altering at least one parameter of the associated set of communication parameters.

2. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the access point processing circuitry communicates the at least one parameter to the second client device.

3. The wireless network of claim 2, wherein the associated set of communication parameters defines a first protocol, and the altering of the at least one parameter of the associated set of communication parameters defines a second protocol.

4. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the attempt to address the hidden terminal condition comprising an attempt to eliminate the hidden terminal condition.

5. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein attempt to address the hidden terminal condition comprising an attempt to accommodate the hidden terminal condition.

6. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the access point processing circuitry also considers mobility information associated with the second client device to identify the hidden terminal condition.

7. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the hidden terminal condition comprising an existing hidden terminal condition.

8. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the hidden terminal condition comprising a potential hidden terminal condition.

9. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the transmissions from the second wireless transceiver circuitry that the first client processing circuitry attempts to detect comprise at least a portion of an ongoing data exchange.

10. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the transmissions from the second wireless transceiver circuitry that the first client processing circuitry attempts to detect comprise a test signal.

11. A communication network comprising:

a first device having a first wireless transceiver;

a second device having a second wireless transceiver;

a third device having a third wireless transceiver;

the second device generates a first reception characteristic based on at least one transmission from the third wireless transceiver, and the second device transmits the first reception characteristic to the first wireless transceiver of the first device;

the third device generates a second reception characteristic based on at least one transmission from the second wireless transceiver, and the third device transmits the second reception characteristic to the first wireless transceiver of the first device; and

the first device, based on the first reception characteristic and the second reception characteristic identifies a hidden terminal condition and, when the hidden terminal condition id detected, selects a first protocol parameter for transmissions by the first transceiver circuitry to the third transceiver circuitry and a second protocol parameter for transmissions by the first transceiver circuitry to the second transceiver circuitry, and the first protocol parameter differs from the second protocol parameter.

12. The communication network of claim 11, wherein the first device is further operable to select a third protocol parameter for transmissions by the second device to the first wireless transceiver and send the third protocol parameter to the second device.

13. The communication network of claim 11, wherein the first device is further operable to select a fourth protocol parameter for transmissions by the third device to the first wireless transceiver and send the fourth protocol parameter to the third device, and the third protocol parameter differs from the fourth protocol parameter.

14. The communication network of claim 11, wherein the at least one transmission from the third wireless transceiver comprises at least a portion of an ongoing data exchange.

15. The communication network of claim 11, wherein the at least one transmission from the third wireless transceiver comprises at least one test signal exchange.