Signal communication coordination

• US 8,289,939 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2003
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XR Communications, LLC
• Original Assignee: XR Communications, LLC
• Inventors: Jose, Bobby, Casas, Eduardo, Brennan, James, Mehrotra, Praveen
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Chuong T
• Application Number:
  US10/700,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20040223476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,270 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/349, 370/395.5, 370/332, 370/345, 455/522, 455/69, 455/127.1
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/535 based on resource usage policies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

An exemplary access station for wireless communications includes: a wireless input/output unit that is configured to establish multiple access points; and signal transmission/reception coordination logic that is capable of ascertaining that an access point of the multiple access points is receiving a signal and that is adapted to restrain at least one other access point of the multiple access points from transmitting another signal responsive to the ascertaining that the access point is receiving the signal. An exemplary method includes: monitoring multiple respective indicators acquired from multiple respective baseband units; detecting whether at least one respective indicator of the multiple respective indicators is affirmatively indicating that a signal is being received; and if so, providing at least one instruction to at least two medium access controllers of multiple respective medium access controllers, the at least one instruction restraining the at least two medium access controllers from causing a transmission.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless input/output (I/O) unit that is configured to establish a plurality of access points; and

signal transmission/reception coordination logic that is capable of ascertaining, by monitoring the plurality of access points for received signals, that a first access point of the plurality of access points is receiving a first signal and that is adapted to restrain at least two other access points of the plurality of access points from transmitting signal responsive to the ascertaining that the first access point is receiving the first signal;

wherein the signal transmission/reception coordination logic restrains at least one other access point of the plurality of access points from transmitting the other signal on a first channel responsive to the ascertaining that the access point of the plurality of access points is receiving the signal on a second different channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of access points established by the wireless I/O unit are co-located.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless I/O unit operates in accordance with at least one IEEE 802.11 standard.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal received by the access point comprises at least one uplinked packet.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal received by the access point comprises at least a portion of an uplinked packet.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least a portion of the uplinked packet comprises at least part of a preamble of the uplinked packet.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal transmission/reception coordination logic restrains at least one other access point of the plurality of access points from transmitting a downlink signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal transmission/reception coordination logic restrains at least one other access point of the plurality of access points while the first access point is receiving the first signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each access point of the plurality of access points corresponds to a communication beam of a plurality of communication beams that emanate from the access station.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each access point of the plurality of access points is associated with a medium access controller/baseband unit pair.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal transmission/reception coordination logic comprises medium access controller coordination logic.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the medium access controller coordination logic links two or more access stations.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal transmission/reception coordination logic affects a baseband unit.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal transmission/reception coordination logic affects a radio frequency (RF) part.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless input/output (I/O) unit that is configured to establish a plurality of access points; and

signal transmission/reception coordination logic that is capable of ascertaining, by monitoring the plurality of access points for received signals, that;

a first access point of the plurality of access points is receiving a first signal on a first channel,

a second access point of the plurality of access points is receiving a second signal that is ongoing on a second channel, the signal transmission/reception coordination logic adapted to restrain at least a third access point of the plurality of access points from transmitting a third signal on a third channel responsive to the ascertaining that the first access point is receiving the first signal and that the second access point is receiving the second signal that is ongoing-on the second channel,

wherein the restraining at least the third access point prevents degradation to the first and second signals.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the prevented degradation to the first and second signals comprises inter-modulation distortion.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the prevented degradation to the first and second signals comprises interference.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plurality of access points established by the wireless I/O unit are co-located.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the wireless I/O unit operates in accordance with at least one IEEE 802.11 standard.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the signal received by the access point comprises at least one uplinked packet.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the signal received by the access point comprises at least a portion of an uplinked packet.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least a portion of the uplinked packet comprises at least part of a preamble of the uplinked packet.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless input/output (I/O) unit that is configured to establish a plurality of access points; and

signal transmission/reception coordination logic that restrains transmission from at least two access points when another access point is expecting a short-term response to a frame that was transmitted by said other access point;

wherein the signal transmission/reception coordination logic restrains at least one other access point of the plurality of access points from transmitting the other signal on a first channel responsive to the ascertaining that the access point of the plurality of access points is receiving the signal on a second different channel.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the short-term response to the frame comprises an immediate response to the frame.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the other access point is also established by the wireless I/O unit of the access station.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the other access point is established by a different access station.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein one or more of the at least two access points and the other access point are operating on a same channel.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein one or more of the at least two access points and the other access point are operating on different channels.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the different channels are adjacent.

30. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless input/output (I/O) unit that is configured to establish a plurality of access points; and

signal transmission/reception coordination logic that is capable of ascertaining, by monitoring the plurality of access points for received signals, that a first access point of the plurality of access points is receiving a first signal on a first channel and that is adapted to restrain at least a second access point of the plurality of access points from transmitting a second signal on a second channel different from the first channel responsive to the ascertaining that the first access point is receiving the first signal.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the plurality of access points established by the wireless I/O unit are co-located.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the wireless I/O unit operates in accordance with at least one IEEE 802.11 standard.

33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the signal received by the access point comprises at least one uplinked packet.

34. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the signal received by the access point comprises at least a portion of an uplinked packet.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the at least a portion of the uplinked packet comprises at least part of a preamble of the uplinked packet.