Program for adjusting channel interference between access points in a wireless network

• US 8,725,132 B1
• Filed: 01/05/2010
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Piccata Fund Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Backes, Floyd, Vacon, Gary, Callahan, Paul, Hawe, William, Durand, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer, Temica M
• Application Number:
  US12/652,146
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/434, 455/226.1
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/04 Traffic adaptive resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/06 Hybrid resource partitioning, e.g. channel borrowing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/08 Load balancing or load distribution transferring a connection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0862 of same hierarchy level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0983 for optimizing bandwidth or throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 : for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/20 : for optimising the interference level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/08 : based on transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/18 : based on predicted events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/36 : due to handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 : based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/17 : Selecting a data network PoA [Point of Attachment]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 : Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 : using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/10 : Open loop power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/18 : TPC being performed according to specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/225 : Calculation of statistics, e.g. average, variance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/226 : using past references to control power, e.g. look-up-table
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/228 : using past power values or information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/24 : using SIR [Signal to Interference Ratio] or other wireless path parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 : taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/246 : where the output power of a terminal is based on a path parameter calculated in said terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/247 : where the output power of a terminal is based on a path parameter sent by another terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 : Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/285 : taking into account the mobility of the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/286 : during data packet transmission, e.g. high speed packet access [HSPA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/287 : when the channel is in stand-by
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/288 : taking into account the usage mode, e.g. hands-free, data transmission, telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/34 : TPC management, i.e. sharing limited amount of power among users or channels or data types, e.g. cell loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/343 : taking into account loading or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 : Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 : at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 : Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 : Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 : based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 : based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 : Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 : Transmission of channel access control information
• 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 80/00 : Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• 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 84/22 : with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 : between terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 : between access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The performance and ease of management of wireless communications environments is improved by a mechanism that enables access points (APs) to perform automatic channel selection. A wireless network can therefore include multiple APs, each of which will automatically choose a channel such that channel usage is optimized. Furthermore, APs can perform automatic power adjustment so that multiple APs can operate on the same channel while minimizing interference with each other. Wireless stations are load balanced across APs so that user bandwidth is optimized. A movement detection scheme provides seamless roaming of stations between APs.

Claims

1. Apparatus, comprising:

control circuitry; and

a variable power transmitter operable in response to the control circuitry to transmit wireless communication signals at a selected power level up to a maximum power level,

wherein the selected power level is repeatedly adjusted in order to reduce interference, and to transmit a signal with information indicative of a power level at which a variable power transmitter of an associated device should be set in order to reduce interference.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is operable to transmit at the maximum power level, regardless of the selected power level, the signal with information indicative of a power level.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the selected power level is lower than the maximum power level.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is operable to set the selected power level to a value below a nearest associated device on a same channel to thereby avoid interference with the nearest associated device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the selected power level is reached by initially setting the selected power level to the maximum power level, and then reducing the transmit power of the variable power transmitter to a level below the nearest associated device on a same channel.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a library of (1) the associated devices and (2) for each associated device a corresponding value representing a transmission power of the corresponding associated device; and

wherein the selected power level is set to a power level of one of the associated devices with the lowest transmission power.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a library of (1) the associated devices and (2) for each associated device a corresponding value representing a deviation from a maximum power of the transmission power of the corresponding associated device; and

wherein the selected power level is set to a power level of one of the associated devices with the highest deviation.

2. A method, comprising:

selecting a power level at which a first device is to transmit wireless signals, wherein the selected power level is repeatedly adjusted in order to reduce interference;

causing the first device to transmit communication signals at the selected power level; and

causing the first device to transmit a signal to a second device with information indicative of the selected power level such that the second device adopts the selected power level.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising causing the first device to transmit at the maximum power level, regardless of the selected power level, the signal with information indicative of a power level.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the selected power level is lower than the maximum power level.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising setting the selected power level to a value below the nearest associated device on a same channel.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the setting the selected power level comprises:

initially setting the selected power level to the maximum power level, and

subsequently reducing the transmit power of the variable power transmitter to a level below the nearest associated device on a same channel.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

maintaining a library of (1) the associated devices and (2) for each associated device a corresponding value representing a transmission power of the corresponding associated device; and

wherein the selecting a power level comprises selecting the power level of one of the associated devices with the lowest transmission power.

14. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

maintaining a library of (1) the associated devices and (2) for each associated device a corresponding value representing a deviation from a maximum power of the transmission power of the corresponding associated device; and

wherein the selecting a power level comprises selecting the power level of one of the associated devices with the highest deviation.

15. A computer product including code stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the code comprising:

code for selecting a power level at which a first device is to transmit wireless signals, wherein the selected power level is repeatedly adjusted in order to reduce interference;

code for causing the first device to transmit communication signals at the selected power level; and

code for causing the first device to transmit a signal to a second device with information indicative of the selected power level such that the second device adopts the selected power level.

16. The computer product of claim 15, further comprising code for causing the first device to transmit at the maximum power level, regardless of the selected power level, the signal with information indicative of a power level.

17. The computer product of claim 16, wherein the selected power level is lower than the maximum power level.

18. The computer product of claim 15, further comprising code for setting the selected power level to a value below the nearest associated device on a same channel.

19. The computer product of claim 18, wherein the code for setting the selected power level comprises:

code for initially setting the selected power level to the maximum power level, and

code for subsequently reducing the transmit power of the variable power transmitter to a level below the nearest associated device on a same channel.

20. The computer product of claim 15, further comprising:

code for maintaining a library of (1) the associated devices and (2) for each associated device a corresponding value representing a transmission power of the corresponding associated device; and

wherein the code for selecting a power level comprises code for selecting the power level of one of the associated devices with the lowest transmission power.

21. The computer product of claim 15, further comprising:

code for maintaining a library of (1) the associated devices and (2) for each associated device a corresponding value representing a deviation from a maximum power of the transmission power of the corresponding associated device; and

wherein the code for selecting a power level comprises code for selecting a power level to a power level of one of the associated devices with the highest deviation.