Method for sending an acknowledgement to an ingress mesh point in a mesh network and a medium access control frame format

• US 8,699,525 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Livet, Catherine, Lu, Guang, Zuniga, Juan Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Charles C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Javaid, Jamal
• Application Number:
  US11/202,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20060056457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,168 Days
• Field of Search: 370/475, 370/464, 370/338, 370/328, 370/310, 370/400, 370/397, 370/406, 370/473, 370/235, 370/336, 370/329, 370/389, 370/392, 370/401, 379/211.02, 379/88.11, 719/315, 455/403, 455/408, 455/424, 455/560, 455/454
• US Class Current: 370/475
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0092 Error control systems characterised by the topology of the transmission link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/72 Routing based on the source address
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/741 Routing in networks with a plurality of addressing schemes, e.g. with both IPv4 and IPv6
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/021 in wireless networks with changing topologies, e.g. ad-hoc networks self-organizing networks H04W84/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for confirming the delivery of a data packet in a mesh network by sending an acknowledgement (ACK) to an ingress mesh point (IMP). A mesh network comprises a plurality of mesh points that are wirelessly linked together. A data packet sent by a station (STA) is received by an IMP. A MAC frame is generated for transmission of the data packet and the frame is forwarded to an egress mesh point (EMP) in order to provide a service by the mesh network. The MAC frame includes a field comprising an IMP address and an EMP address. When the EMP, (or optionally an intermediate mesh point), receives a data packet successfully, the EMP or the intermediate mesh point sends an ACK to the IMP or preceding mesh point.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a data packet in a mesh network, the method comprising:

receiving, via an intermediate mesh point of the mesh network, a data packet of a data communication through the mesh network including a medium access control (MAC) frame, the MAC frame including a field that includes an address for an ingress mesh point (IMP) through which data packets enter the mesh network and a field that includes an address for an egress mesh point (EMP) through which data packets exit the mesh network; and

transmitting to the IMP, via the intermediate mesh point of the mesh network, an acknowledgement (ACK) indicating successful reception of the received data packet of the data communication by the EMP,

wherein a frame control field of the MAC frame indicates that the MAC frame includes the address for the IMP and the address for the EMP.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the frame control field of the MAC frame indicates an acknowledgement mode to be used for the received data packet.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the ACK is sent in an EMP-to-IMP data acknowledgement mode.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the ACK is sent in a single-hop data acknowledgement mode.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the ACK is sent in a combined EMP-to-IMP and single-hop data acknowledgement mode.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the ACK is transmitted through a path different from a path used for transmission of the received data packet.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the ACK is sent via a different path depending on traffic level.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the reception of the data packet is successful.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the data packet of the data communication includes receiving the data packet of the data communication by the IMP from an external resource, external to the mesh network, such that the IMP is intermediate between the external resource, as a source of the data packet, and the EMP.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the receiving of the data packet of a data communication through the mesh network includes receiving, by the EMP, the data packet after the data packet has traversed from a source node, external to the mesh network, through the mesh network, and

the transmitting to the IMP of the ACK includes transmitting the ACK from the EMP to the IMP.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the receiving of the data packet of a data communication through the mesh network includes receiving, by the EMP via the IMP, the data packet destined to exit the mesh network after the data packet has traversed the mesh network, and

the transmitting to the IMP the ACK includes transmitting the ACK from the EMP to the IMP.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the mesh network is an IEEE 802.11 mesh network.

13. A station (STA), comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, via an intermediate mesh point of a mesh network, a data packet of a data communication through the mesh network including a medium access control (MAC) frame, the MAC frame including a field that includes an address for an ingress mesh point (IMP) through which data packets enter the mesh network and a field that includes an address for an egress mesh point (EMP) through which data packets exit the mesh network; and

a transmitter configured to transmit to the IMP, via the intermediate mesh point of the mesh network, an acknowledgement (ACK) indicating successful reception of the received data packet by the EMP,

wherein a frame control field of the MAC frame indicates that the MAC frame includes the address of the IMP and the address of the EMP.

14. The STA of claim 13 wherein the frames control field of the MAC frame indicates an acknowledgement mode to be used for the received data packet.

15. The STA of claim 13 wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the ACK in an EMP-to-IMP data acknowledgement mode.

16. The STA of claim 13 wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the ACK in a single-hop data acknowledgement mode.

17. The STA of claim 13 wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the ACK in a combined EMP-to-IMP and single-hop data acknowledgement mode.

18. The STA of claim 13 wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the ACK through a path different from a path used for transmission of the received data packet.

19. The STA of claim 18 wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the ACK via a different path depending on traffic level.

20. The STA of claim 18, further comprising:

a processor configured to determine whether the reception of the data packet is successful.