Data transceiving apparatus and method in centralized MAC-based wireless communication system

• US 8,670,440 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2009
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Woo Yong, Kwon, Hyoung Jin, Kim, Jin Kyeong, Kim, Yong Sun, Hong, Seung Eun, Kim, Kyeongpyo
• Primary Examiner(s): RIYAMI, ABDULLAH A
• Application Number:
  US12/464,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20090285149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/216, 370/386, 370/325, 370/338, 370/349, 370/389, 370/443, 370/406, 370/410, 370/252, 370/254, 370/248, 370/249, 370/260, 370/261, 370/262, 370/263, 370/328, 370/330, 370/332, 370/333, 370/340, 370/341, 370/347, 370/442, 370/337, 370/351, 455/452.2, 455/67.11, 455/69, 455/507, 455/508
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/14 based on stability

Abstract

A data transceiving apparatus and method in a centralized MAC-based wireless communication system are provided. The data transceiving method of a centralized MAC-based device may include: setting a direct path to a device and a relay path to a piconet coordinator (PNC); selecting any one of the direct path and the relay path; and transceiving data via the selected path.

Claims

1. A centralized Media Access Control (MAC)-based device, comprising:

a path setting unit of a source device to set a communication path and form a beam to each of a corresponding device and a piconet coordinator (PNC);

a path determination unit of the source device to determine, without using information received directly from the PNC, whether the communication paths are available;

a path selection unit of the source device to select any one of the communication paths based on a result of the determination; and

a data transceiving unit of the source device to transceive data via the selected communication path.

2. The centralized MAC-based device of claim 1, wherein the path selection unit first selects the communication path to the device, and when the selected communication path is blocked or channel state information is lower than a predetermine threshold value, selects the communication path to the PNC.

3. The centralized MAC-based device of claim 1, wherein the path selection unit alternatingly selects the communication path to the device and the communication path to the PNC.

4. The centralized MAC-based device of claim 1, further comprising:

an available path storage unit to store an available communication path from among the communication paths.

15. The centralized MAC-based device of claim 1, wherein the path determination unit detects whether the communication paths are blocked.

5. A data transceiving method of a centralized MAC-based source device, comprising:

setting a direct path and forming a beam from the MAC-based device to a receiving device;

setting a relay path and forming a beam from the MAC-based device to a PNC;

using time sharing as one of the ways for selecting any one of the direct path and the relay path responsive to the MAC-based device by determining, without using information received directly from the PNC, whether the communication paths are available responsive to channel blockage and channel state information; and

transceiving data via the selected path.

6. The data transceiving method of claim 5, wherein the setting of the relay path comprises:

receiving MAC data where a relay capability field is set as one, from the PNC; and

transmitting MAC data where a relay support capability field is set as one to the PNC, and setting the relay path.

7. The data transceiving method of claim 5, wherein the selecting comprises:

periodically confirming whether the direct path and the relay path are available; and

selecting any one of the direct path and the relay path based on a result of the confirming to use the selected path until the selected path is blocked.

8. The data transceiving method of claim 5, wherein the selecting comprises:

periodically confirming whether the direct path and the relay path are available; and

determining an order of the direct path and the relay path based on a result of the confirming, and alternatingly selecting the direct path and the relay path based on the determined order.

9. The data transceiving method of claim 5, wherein, when any one of the direct path and the relay path is blocked or channel state information is less than a predetermined threshold value, the data is transceived via another unblocked path.

10. The data transceiving method of claim 5, wherein, when an acknowledgement (ACK) is not received from the device or the PNC for a predetermined time, the transceiving comprises:

switching to another path different from the selected path; and

transceiving the data via the other path.

11. The data transceiving method of claim 10, wherein the transceiving further comprises:

transmitting, to the device, a relay switch request message for switching to the other path different from the selected path; and

receiving a response message to the relay switch request message.

12. A data transceiving method of a centralized MAC-based PNC, comprising:

setting a communication path and forming a beam to each of a first device and a second device, the second device communicating with the first device responsive to a source device, which will determine, without using information received directly from the PNC, whether the communication paths are available responsive to channel blockage and channel state information; and

receiving data from the first device, and transmitting the received data to the second device.

13. The data transceiving method of claim 12, wherein the data is transmitted in an amplify-and-forward method, a packet header of the data is decoded, any one radio frequency (RF) chain of two RF chains is set as a receiving mode, and another RF chain of the two RF chains is set as a transmission mode based on the decoded packet header.

14. The data transceiving method of claim 13, wherein the amplify-and-forward method transmits the data, received through an antenna corresponding to the RF chain of the receiving mode, to an antenna corresponding to the RF chain of the transmission mode, using at least one method of amplifying and forwarding the data, a method of performing signal-processing and forwarding the data to reduce a noise or interference, and a method of partially decoding and performing signal-processing with respect to the data, re-encoding the decoded data, and forwarding the re-encoded data.