Direct data communication in infrastructure mode in wireless communication systems

• US 8,588,156 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Xiangyang
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hanh N
• Application Number:
  US12/768,434
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/392, 370/400, 370/401, 370/338, 370/330, 370/329, 370/337, 370/352, 370/356, 370/254, 370/347, 370/321, 370/395.4, 370/395
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

In an infrastructure wireless network, a direct data communication mechanism can be implemented for wireless network devices in a common basic service set (BSS) to directly exchange data frames, without transmitting the data frames via an access point. Each of the wireless network devices in the BSS can receive connection information that indicates whether data frames can be directly transmitted to each of the wireless network devices in the BSS. A source wireless network device can determine whether the data frames can be directly transmitted to a destination wireless network device based on analyzing the connection information. If the data frames can be directly transmitted, the source wireless network device can directly transmit the data frames to the destination WLAN device without having to transmit the data frames to the access point, which may improve transmission efficiency.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, at a first wireless network device of a wireless communication network operating in an infrastructure mode, that a data frame is scheduled to be transmitted from the first wireless network device to a second wireless network device of the wireless communication network;

determining whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on connection information received in a beacon frame from an access point of the wireless communication network, the connection information comprising a device identifier associated with the second wireless network device and an indication of whether data frames can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

in response to determining that the data frame can be directly transmitted from the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device,

directly transmitting the data frame to the second wireless network device,

determining that an acknowledgement frame for the data frame was not received from the second wireless network device, and

updating a direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on said determining that the acknowledgement frame for the data frame was not received from the second wireless network device; and

transmitting the data frame to the access point for transmission to the second wireless network device via the access point, in response to determining that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted from the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the connection information associated with the second wireless network device at the first wireless network device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device comprises:

reading the connection information associated with the second wireless network device, wherein the connection information comprises the direct connect flag;

determining that the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that the direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device has a first predefined value; and

determining that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that the direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device has a second predefined value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device further comprises:

determining the device identifier associated with the second wireless network device; and

identifying the connection information associated with the second wireless network device based on the device identifier associated with the second wireless network device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the data frame should be retransmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on said determining that the acknowledgement frame for the data frame was not received from the second wireless network device;

retransmitting the data frame to the second wireless network device in response to determining that the data frame should be retransmitted to the second wireless network device; and

updating the direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that the data frame should not be retransmitted to the second wireless network device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said determining whether the data frame should be retransmitted to the second wireless network device comprises at least one of determining whether a retransmission time interval has expired and determining whether a maximum number of retransmission attempts has been reached.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

attempting to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device, in response to determining that it is unknown whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

updating the connection information associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that said attempting to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device was successful; and

updating the connection information associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that said attempting to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device was unsuccessful.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving, at the first wireless network device, a second data frame from a third wireless network device;

determining that the first wireless network device and the third wireless network device are part of the wireless communication network operating in the infrastructure mode by determining that the connection information received in the beacon frame from the access point also includes connection information associated with the third wireless network device;

determining, based on content of the second data frame, that the first wireless network device directly received the second data frame from the third wireless network device; and

updating a direct connect flag associated with the third wireless network device to indicate that data frames can be directly transmitted from the first wireless network device to the third wireless network device based, at least in part, on said determining that the first wireless network device directly received the second data frame from the third wireless network device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless network device and the second wireless network device are wireless local area network (WLAN) devices.

10. A wireless network device comprising:

a data communication unit configured to;

receive a beacon frame, from an access point, comprising connection information associated with a plurality of wireless network devices of a wireless communication network operating in an infrastructure mode, the connection information comprising data indicating whether data frames can be directly transmitted to each of the plurality of wireless network devices; and

a network information unit configured to;

determine that a data frame is scheduled to be transmitted to a second wireless network device of the wireless communication network operating in the infrastructure mode; and

determine whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on the connection information received in the beacon frame from the access point;

wherein the data communication unit is further configured to;

in response to the network information unit determining that the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device,

directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device,

determine that an acknowledgement frame for the data frame was not received from the second wireless network device,

update a direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on the data communication unit determining that the acknowledgement frame for the data frame was not received from the second wireless network device,

transmit the data frame to the access point for transmission to the second wireless network device via the access point, in response to the network information unit determining that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device.

11. The wireless network device of claim 10, wherein the network information unit configured to determine whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device comprises the network information unit configured to:

read the connection information associated with the second wireless network device, the connection information comprising the direct connect flag indicating whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

determine that the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to the network information unit determining that the direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device has a first predefined value; and

determine that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to the network information unit determining that the direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device has a second predefined value.

12. The wireless network device of claim 10, further comprising:

the data communication unit configured to;

determine whether the data frame should be retransmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on the data communication unit determining that the acknowledgement frame for the data frame was not received from the second wireless network device;

retransmit the data frame to the second wireless network device in response to the data communication unit determining that the data frame should be retransmitted to the second wireless network device; and

the network information unit configured to update the direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to the data communication unit determining that the data frame should not be retransmitted to the second wireless network device.

13. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media, having instructions stored therein, which when executed by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform operations that comprise:

determining, at a first wireless network device of a wireless communication network operating in an infrastructure mode, that a data frame is scheduled to be transmitted from the first wireless network device to a second wireless network device of the wireless communication network;

determining whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on connection information received in a beacon frame from an access point of the wireless communication network, the connection information comprising at least an indication of whether data frames can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

in response to determining that the data frame can be directly transmitted from the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device,

directly transmitting the data frame to the second wireless network device,

determining that an acknowledgement frame for the data frame was not received from the second wireless network device, and

updating a direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on said operation of determining that the acknowledgement frame for the data frame was not received from the second wireless network device; and

transmitting the data frame to the access point for transmission to the second wireless network device via the access point, in response to determining that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted from the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device.

14. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein said operation of determining whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device comprises:

reading the connection information associated with the second wireless network device, the connection information comprising the direct connect flag indicating whether the data frame can be directly transmitted from the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device;

determining that the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that the direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device has a first predefined value; and

determining that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that the direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device has a second predefined value.

15. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, at the first wireless network device, the connection information in the beacon frame from the access point, the connection information comprising device identifiers of a plurality of wireless network devices of the wireless communication network operating in the infrastructure mode, and an indication of whether data frames can be directly transmitted to each of the plurality of wireless network devices of the wireless communication network, wherein the plurality of wireless network devices include the second wireless network device and one or more additional wireless network devices; and

storing the connection information associated with the plurality of wireless network devices at the first wireless network device.

16. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the data frame should be retransmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on said operation of determining that the acknowledgement frame for the data frame was not received from the second wireless network device;

retransmitting the data frame to the second wireless network device in response to determining that the data frame should be retransmitted to the second wireless network device; and

updating the direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that the data frame should not be retransmitted to the second wireless network device.

17. A wireless communication system comprising:

an access point operable to transmit, in a beacon frame, connection information to a plurality of wireless network devices wirelessly connected to the access point, wherein the connection information comprises at least an indication of whether data frames can be directly transmitted to each of the plurality of wireless network devices; and

a first wireless network device of the plurality of wireless network devices operable to;

determine that a data frame is scheduled to be transmitted to a second wireless network device of the plurality of wireless network devices;

determine whether the data frame can be directly transmitted from the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on the connection information received from the access point;

in response to the first wireless network device determining that the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second of the plurality of wireless network device;

determine that an acknowledgement frame for the data frame was not received from the second wireless network device, and

update a direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on the first wireless network device determining that the acknowledgement frame for the data frame was not received from the second wireless network device; and

transmit the data frame to the access point for transmission to the second wireless network device, via the access point, in response to the first wireless network device determining that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device.

18. The wireless communication system of claim 17, wherein the first wireless network device operable to determine whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device comprises the first wireless network device operable to:

read the connection information associated with the second wireless network device, the connection information comprising the direct connect flag indicating whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

determine that the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to the first wireless network device determining that the direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device has a first predefined value; and

determining that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that the direct connect flag associated with the second wireless network device has a second predefined value.

19. A method comprising:

determining, at a first wireless network device of a wireless communication network operating in an infrastructure mode, that a data frame is scheduled to be transmitted from the first wireless network device to a second wireless network device of the wireless communication network;

determining whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on connection information received in a beacon frame from an access point of the wireless communication network, the connection information comprising a device identifier associated with the second wireless network device and an indication of whether data frames can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

directly transmitting the data frame to the second wireless network device, in response to determining that the data frame can be directly transmitted from the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device;

transmitting the data frame to the access point for transmission to the second wireless network device via the access point, in response to determining that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted from the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device;

attempting to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device, in response to determining that it is unknown whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

updating the connection information associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that said attempting to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device was successful; and

updating the connection information associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that said attempting to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device was unsuccessful.

20. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media, having instructions stored therein, which when executed by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform operations that comprise:

determining, at a first wireless network device of a wireless communication network operating in an infrastructure mode, that a data frame is scheduled to be transmitted from the first wireless network device to a second wireless network device of the wireless communication network;

determining whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on connection information received in a beacon frame from an access point of the wireless communication network, the connection information comprising at least an indication of whether data frames can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

directly transmitting the data frame to the second wireless network device, in response to determining that the data frame can be directly transmitted from the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device;

transmitting the data frame to the access point for transmission to the second wireless network device via the access point, in response to determining that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted from the first wireless network device to the second wireless network device;

attempting to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device, in response to determining that it is unknown whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

updating the connection information associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that said attempting to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device was successful; and

updating the connection information associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that said attempting to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device was unsuccessful.

21. A wireless network device comprising:

a data communication unit configured to;

receive a beacon frame, from an access point, comprising connection information associated with a plurality of wireless network devices of a wireless communication network operating in an infrastructure mode, the connection information comprising data indicating whether data frames can be directly transmitted to each of the plurality of wireless network devices; and

a network information unit configured to;

determine that a data frame is scheduled to be transmitted to a second wireless network device of the wireless communication network operating in the infrastructure mode; and

determine whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device based, at least in part, on the connection information received in the beacon frame from the access point;

wherein the data communication unit is further configured to;

directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device, in response to the network information unit determining that the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

transmit the data frame to the access point for transmission to the second wireless network device via the access point, in response to the network information unit determining that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

attempt to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device, in response to determining that it is unknown whether the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device;

update the connection information associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame can be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that said attempting to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device was successful; and

update the connection information associated with the second wireless network device to indicate that the data frame cannot be directly transmitted to the second wireless network device in response to determining that said attempting to directly transmit the data frame to the second wireless network device was unsuccessful.