Decentralized media access control for ad-hoc mobile wireless network
First Claim
1. A method of operating a decentralized ad-hoc wireless network including wireless stations, each of the wireless stations including a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with each of the other wireless stations over a common wireless channel, comprising:
- establishing, through wireless communication between the wireless stations, a common time reference among the wireless stations, which is used by the wireless stations to share access to the common wireless channel, the common time reference having a periodic superframe structure based on a repeating Scheduled Beacon Transmit Time (SBTT) interval, the SBTT interval includinga Scheduled Beacon Period near a start time of the SBTT interval during which only one of the wireless stations is scheduled to transmit a Scheduled Beacon Message to all of the other wireless stations, the Scheduled Beacon Message including wireless network information used by the wireless stations for managing the wireless stations in the ad-hoc network and controlling access of the wireless stations to the common wireless channel,a Contended Beacon Period, following the Scheduled Beacon Period, during which each of the wireless stations that failed to receive the Scheduled Beacon Message, if any, transmits a respective Contended Beacon Message in contention with any of the other wireless stations that also failed to receive the Scheduled Beacon Message, andfollowing the Contended Beacon Period,Contention Periods (CPs) during each of which the wireless stations may contend with each other for access to the common wireless channel for communication with each other over the common wireless channel, andContention Free Periods (CFPs) during each of which only one of the wireless stations is scheduled for access to the common wireless channel for communication with each other over the common wireless channel;
granting access, using wireless communication between the wireless stations, to the CPs to at least some of the wireless stations requesting the access to the CPs; and
time-scheduling, using wireless communication between the wireless stations, the CFPs to at least some of the wireless stations requesting access to the CFPs.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of operating a decentralized ad-hoc wireless network including wireless stations, comprises establishing a common time reference which is used by the wireless stations to share access to a common wireless channel, the common time reference having a periodic superframe structure including a Scheduled Beacon Period, a Contended Beacon Period, Contention Periods (CPs) and Contention Free Periods (CFPs). The method further comprises time-scheduling, using wireless communication between the wireless stations, the CFPs in the SBTT interval to at least some of the wireless stations requesting access to the CFPs, and granting access to the CPs to at least some of the wireless stations requesting access to the CPs.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of operating a decentralized ad-hoc wireless network including wireless stations, each of the wireless stations including a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with each of the other wireless stations over a common wireless channel, comprising:
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establishing, through wireless communication between the wireless stations, a common time reference among the wireless stations, which is used by the wireless stations to share access to the common wireless channel, the common time reference having a periodic superframe structure based on a repeating Scheduled Beacon Transmit Time (SBTT) interval, the SBTT interval including a Scheduled Beacon Period near a start time of the SBTT interval during which only one of the wireless stations is scheduled to transmit a Scheduled Beacon Message to all of the other wireless stations, the Scheduled Beacon Message including wireless network information used by the wireless stations for managing the wireless stations in the ad-hoc network and controlling access of the wireless stations to the common wireless channel, a Contended Beacon Period, following the Scheduled Beacon Period, during which each of the wireless stations that failed to receive the Scheduled Beacon Message, if any, transmits a respective Contended Beacon Message in contention with any of the other wireless stations that also failed to receive the Scheduled Beacon Message, and following the Contended Beacon Period, Contention Periods (CPs) during each of which the wireless stations may contend with each other for access to the common wireless channel for communication with each other over the common wireless channel, and Contention Free Periods (CFPs) during each of which only one of the wireless stations is scheduled for access to the common wireless channel for communication with each other over the common wireless channel; granting access, using wireless communication between the wireless stations, to the CPs to at least some of the wireless stations requesting the access to the CPs; and time-scheduling, using wireless communication between the wireless stations, the CFPs to at least some of the wireless stations requesting access to the CFPs. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of operating a decentralized ad-hoc wireless network including wireless stations, each of the wireless stations including a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with each of the other wireless stations over a common wireless channel, comprising:
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establishing, by wireless communication between the wireless stations, a common time reference which is used by the wireless stations to share access to the common wireless channel, the common time reference having a periodic superframe structure based on a repeating Scheduled Beacon Transmit Time (SBTT) interval, the SBTT interval including a Scheduled Beacon Period near a start of the SBTT interval during, in any given SBTT interval, only one of the wireless stations is scheduled to transmit a Scheduled Beacon Message to all of the other wireless stations, a Contended Beacon Period, following the Scheduled Beacon Period, during which each of the wireless stations that failed to receive the Scheduled Beacon Message, if any, transmits a respective Contended Beacon Message in contention with any of the other wireless stations that also failed to receive the Scheduled Beacon Message, and following the Contended Beacon Period, Contention Periods (CPs) during each of which the wireless stations may contend with each other for access to the common wireless channel for communication with each other over the common wireless channel, and Contention Free Periods (CFPs) during each of which only one of the wireless stations is scheduled for access to the common wireless channel for communication with each other over the common wireless channel; and transmitting the Scheduled Beacon Message from each of the wireless stations one after the other in a specific order in successive SBTT intervals, the Scheduled Beacon Message including a Beacon Schedule identifying the wireless stations and defining the specific order in which the wireless stations are to transmit the Scheduled Beacon Message in the successive SBTT intervals, and a Contention Free Period Schedule (CFPS) for a current SBTT interval, the CFPS defining a timing of the CFPs for the current SBTT interval and identities of wireless stations allocated thereto for contention free access to the common wireless channel. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A network that uses a common wireless channel, comprising:
- wireless stations each having a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with each of the other wireless stations over the common wireless channel, the wireless stations configured to establish, through wireless communication between themselves,
a common time reference among themselves, which is used by the wireless stations to share access to the common wireless channel, the common time reference having a periodic superframe structure based on a repeating Scheduled Beacon Transmit Time (SBTT) interval, the SBTT interval including a Scheduled Beacon Period near a start time of the SBTT interval during which only one of the wireless stations is scheduled to transmit a Scheduled Beacon Message to all of the other wireless stations, the Scheduled Beacon Message including wireless network information used by the wireless stations for managing the wireless stations in a ad-hoc network and controlling access of the wireless stations to the shared common wireless channel, a Contended Beacon Period, following the Scheduled Beacon Period, during which each of the wireless stations that failed to receive the Scheduled Beacon Message, if any, transmits a respective Contended Beacon Message in contention with any of the other wireless stations that also failed to receive the Scheduled Beacon Message, and following the Contended Beacon Period, Contention Periods (CPs) during each of which the wireless stations may contend with each other for access to the common wireless channel for communication with each other over the common wireless channel, and Contention Free Periods (CFPs) during each of which only one of the wireless stations is scheduled for access to the common wireless channel for communication with each other over the common wireless channel, wherein the wireless stations time-schedule, using wireless communication between the wireless stations, the CFPs in the SBTT interval to at least some of the wireless stations requesting access to the CFPs. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
- wireless stations each having a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with each of the other wireless stations over the common wireless channel, the wireless stations configured to establish, through wireless communication between themselves,
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19. A network that uses a common wireless channel, comprising:
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wireless stations each having a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with each of the other wireless stations over the common wireless channel, the wireless stations configured to establish, through wireless communication between themselves, a common time reference among themselves, which is used by the wireless stations to share access to the common wireless channel, the common time reference having a periodic superframe structure based on a repeating Scheduled Beacon Transmit Time (SBTT) interval, the SBTT interval including a Scheduled Beacon Period near a start of the SBTT interval during, in any given SBTT interval, only one of the wireless stations is scheduled to transmit a Scheduled Beacon Message to all of the other wireless stations, a Contended Beacon Period, following the Scheduled Beacon Period, during which each of the wireless stations that failed to receive the Scheduled Beacon Message, if any, transmits a respective Contended Beacon Message in contention with any of the other wireless stations that also failed to receive the Scheduled Beacon Message, and following the Contended Beacon Period, Contention Periods (CPs) during each of which the wireless stations may contend with each other for access to the common wireless channel for communication with each other over the common wireless channel, and Contention Free Periods (CFPs) during each of which only one of the wireless stations is scheduled for access to the common wireless channel for communication with each other over the common wireless channel, wherein the wireless stations take turns transmitting the Scheduled Beacon Message one after the other in a specific order, the Scheduled Beacon Message including a Beacon Schedule defining the specific order in which the wireless stations are to transmit the Scheduled Beacon Message, and a Contention Free Period Schedule (CFPS) for a current SBTT interval, the CFPS defining a timing of the CFPs for the current SBTT interval and identities of wireless stations allocated thereto for contention free access to the common wireless channel, and wherein the wireless stations schedule the CFP in the SBTT interval to at least some of the wireless stations requesting access to the common wireless channel, and wherein the wireless stations each maintain therein local copies of the Beacon Schedule and CFPS. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A network, comprising:
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at least one Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS), where an IBSS includes member wireless communication stations (WSs) that share access to a common wireless channel, the WSs including one or more Channel Resources Allocation and Management (CRAM) stations that each perform CRAM functions, the CRAM stations including an initiator WS (IWS) that initially formed the IBSS, and non-CRAM stations, if any, that do not perform CRAM functions, wherein the CRAM functions include; establishing, through wireless inter-communication with the other CRAM stations over the common wireless channel, a common time reference for the IBSS including a repeating SBTT interval, the SBTT interval including a period for a Beacon Message during which only one of the wireless stations is scheduled to transmit a Beacon Message, Contention Free Periods (CFPs) during which only one of the wireless stations is scheduled for non-contended access to the common wireless channel, Contention Periods (CPs) during which the wireless stations may contend with each other for access to the common wireless channel; transmitting a Beacon Message including an IBSS Beacon Schedule (IBS) identifying the CRAM stations and an order in which they are to transmit their respective Beacon Messages in successive SBTT intervals, and a Contention Free Period Schedule (CFPS) that defines a timing of the CFPs in the current SBTT interval, and identities of the wireless stations allocated thereto; and scheduling WSs to the CFPs, wherein each CRAM station performs the CRAM functions only when it is no more than a first predetermined number of hops away from the IWS and no more than a second predetermined number of hops away from at least one other of the CRAM stations. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification