Virtual streams for QOS-driven wireless LANS

• US 7,899,012 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2009
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ho, Jin-Meng, Lin, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; CongVan
• Application Number:
  US12/647,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20100103915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 429 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/328, 370/449, 370/395.21, 455/403, 455/453
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/215 using token-bucket
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/245 using preemption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A virtual stream (VS) in a basic service set (BSS) in a wireless local area network (WLAN) that exists solely within the medium access control (MAC) sublayer of the WLAN. The VS includes a unidirectional path in the wireless network between a station sourcing a quality of service (QoS) session and at least one station receiving the QoS session in the same BSS. The VS is defined by a VS identifier (VSID) that is unique within and local to the BSS, an address of the sourcing station, and an address of the at least one receiving station. The VS can be a virtual down-stream (VDS), a virtual up-stream (VUS) or a virtual side-stream (VSS). The VS can be a unitcast or a multicast VS.

Claims

1. A virtual stream in a basic service set in a wireless local area network, the virtual stream comprising:

a path in the wireless local area network between a station sourcing a session and a station receiving the session in the same basic service set;

wherein the virtual stream is set up by a quality of service management entity within a point coordinator station of the basic service set to transport, under a predetermined quality of service constraint, a traffic of the session from a local logical link control entity to a peer logical link control entity in the same basic service set; and

wherein the point coordinator station announces multiple transmission opportunities in a single frame.

2. The virtual stream of claim 1, wherein the wireless local area network includes a distributed contention scheme under control of a distributed coordination function contained in both the station sourcing the session and the station receiving the session, and wherein the point coordinator station controls a centralized contention scheme that functions in addition to the distributed contention scheme.

3. The virtual stream of claim 1, wherein the quality of service management entity of the point coordinator station reserves an associated resource of the basic service set for the virtual stream set up for the session.

4. The virtual stream of claim 3, wherein the reserved resource is a predetermined bandwidth of a communication link of the basic service set.

5. The virtual stream of claim 1, wherein the path is defined by a virtual stream identifier, an address of the station sourcing the session, and an address of the station receiving the session.

6. The virtual stream of claim 5, wherein the virtual stream identifier is unique within, and local to, the basic service set.

7. The virtual stream of claim 1, wherein the virtual stream exists solely within a medium access control sub layer of the wireless network.

8. The virtual stream of claim 1, wherein the quality of service management entity of the point coordinator station releases an associated resource of the basic service set reserved for the virtual stream, when the virtual stream is torn down at a termination of the session.

9. The virtual stream of claim 1, wherein the virtual stream is a virtual down-stream, wherein the station sourcing the session is a the point coordinator station of the basic service set, and wherein the station receiving the session is a non-point coordinator station of the basic service set.

10. The virtual stream of claim 1, wherein the virtual stream is a virtual up-stream, wherein the station sourcing the session is a non-point coordinator station of the basic service set, and wherein the station receiving the session is the point coordinator station of the basic service set.

11. The virtual stream of claim 1, wherein the virtual stream is a virtual side-stream, wherein the station sourcing the session is a non-point coordinator station of the basic service set, and wherein the station receiving the session is a non-point coordinator station of the basic service set.

12. The virtual stream of claim 1, wherein the virtual stream is a unicast virtual stream, wherein the station sourcing the session is the point coordinator station of the basic service set, and wherein the station receiving the session is a non-point coordinator station of the basic service set.

13. The virtual stream of claim 1, wherein the virtual stream is a multicast virtual stream, wherein the station sourcing the session is the point coordinator station of the basic service set, and wherein a plurality of stations of the same basic service set receive the session.

14. A virtual stream in a basic service set in a wireless local area network, the virtual stream comprising:

a path in the wireless local area network between a station sourcing a session and a station receiving the session in the same basic service set;

wherein the virtual stream is set up by a quality of service management entity within a point coordinator station of the basic service set to transport, under a predetermined quality of service constraint, a traffic of the session from a local logical link control entity to a peer logical link control entity in the same basic service set;

wherein the wireless local area network includes a distributed contention scheme under control of a distributed coordination function contained in both the station sourcing the session and the station receiving the session, and the point coordinator station controls a centralized contention scheme that functions in addition to the distributed contention scheme; and

wherein the virtual stream comprises a unicast virtual stream.

15. The virtual stream of claim 14, wherein the virtual stream is a virtual down-stream, wherein the station sourcing the session is the point coordinator station of the basic service set, and wherein the station receiving the session is a non-point coordinator station of the basic service set.

16. The virtual stream of claim 14, wherein the virtual stream is a virtual up-stream, wherein the station sourcing the session is a non-point coordinator station of the basic service set, and wherein the station receiving the session is the point coordinator station of the basic service set.

17. The virtual stream of claim 14, wherein the virtual stream is a virtual side-stream, wherein the station sourcing the session is a non-point coordinator station of the basic service set, and wherein the station receiving the session is a non-point coordinator station of the basic service set.

18. A virtual stream in a basic service set in a wireless local area network, the virtual stream comprising;

a path in the wireless local area network between a station sourcing a session and a station receiving the session in the same basic service set;

wherein the virtual stream is set up by a quality of service management entity within a point coordinator station of the basic service set to transport, under a predetermined quality of service constraint, a traffic of the session from a local logical link control entity to a peer logical link control entity in the same basic service set;

wherein the wireless local area network includes a distributed contention scheme under control of a distributed coordination function contained in both the station sourcing the session and the station receiving the session, and the point coordinator station controls a centralized contention scheme that functions in addition to the distributed contention scheme; and

wherein the virtual stream comprises a multicast virtual stream.

19. The virtual stream of claim 18, wherein the virtual stream is a virtual down-stream, wherein the station sourcing the session is the point coordinator station of the basic service set;

and wherein the station receiving the session is a non-point coordinator station of the basic service set.

20. The virtual stream of claim 18, wherein the virtual stream is a virtual up-stream, wherein the station sourcing the session is a non-point coordinator station of the basic service set, and wherein the station receiving the session is the point coordinator station of the basic service set.