Media access controller for use in a multi-sector access point array

• US 8,831,659 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2006
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cambium Networks Limited (Cambium Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Xirrus Incorporated
• Inventors: De La Garrigue, Michael, Clem, Shaun, Conley, Michael R., Rosen, David B., Bertagna, Drew
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US11/816,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20080268778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,106 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/422.1, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/434, 455/446, 455/454, 455/515, 455/67.11, 455/458, 370/310, 370/327, 370/328, 370/338, 370/401, 370/411, 370/465, 370/466
• US Class Current: 455/515
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/007 specially adapted for indoor communication
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/106 using two or more intersecting plane surfaces, e.g. corner reflector antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/205 providing an omnidirectional coverage turnstile aerials H01Q21/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/285 Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A wireless access point with a centralized media access controller MAC (402) that enables multiple radios (404, 412, 408) to share MAC resources and implement load balancing and frequency control.

Claims

1. A wireless access point, comprising:

a plurality of transceivers configured to communicate over wireless medium with at least one mobile station using a first protocol, where each transceiver is associated with a channel;

a connection to a data network using a second protocol; and

a centralized media access controller configured to manage communications between the plurality of transceivers and the data network by connecting communications between the at least one mobile station and the plurality of transceivers using the first protocol with the connection to the data network using the second protocol,

where the centralized media access controller monitors at least one characteristic associated with each of the plurality of transceivers simultaneously, and one of the transceivers is selected from the plurality of transceivers for transmission of data based upon the at least one characteristic associated with reception on a first transceiver and neighboring transceivers of the plurality of transceivers.

2. The wireless access point of claim 1, where the centralized media access controller includes a translator that translates data contained in the first protocol to data contained in the second protocol.

3. The wireless access point of claim 1, where the first protocol is 802.11.

4. The wireless access point of claim 1, where the second protocol is Ethernet.

5. The wireless access point of claim 1, where the at least one characteristic is a received signal strength indication.

6. The wireless access point of claim 1 where the centralized media access controller further comprises an algorithm for managing the plurality of transceivers that results in a reduction in co-channel interference between the channels.

7. The wireless access point of claim 1 where the centralized media access controller further comprise an algorithm for synchronization of transmissions from the plurality of transceivers.

8. The wireless access point of claim 1 where the centralized media access controller further comprise an algorithm that uses at least one transmission frustration threshold that results in a delay of transmissions on one of the transceivers in the plurality of transceivers.

9. The wireless access point of claim 1, where the centralized media access controller further comprise an algorithm that uses at least one receive frustration threshold that results in a delay of transmissions on one of the transceivers in the plurality of transceivers.

10. The wireless access point of claim 9, where the at least one receive frustration threshold is a neighbor to the one of the transceivers in the plurality of transceivers.

11. The wireless access point of claim 1, where the centralized media access controller further comprise an algorithm that uses at least one receive frustration threshold and at least one transmission threshold that results in a delay of transmission on one of the transceivers in the plurality of transceivers.

12. The wireless access point of claim 1, where the plurality of transceivers are contained in a common housing.

13. The wireless access point of claim 1, further including:

a centralized queuing system; and

a centralized frame translation engine where the centralized media access controller accesses the centralized queuing system and the centralized frame translation engine to translate frames from the first protocol to the second protocol.

14. A method for communication with a wireless access point, comprising:

communicating between a plurality of transceivers in the wireless access point and at least one mobile station with a first protocol, where each transceiver is associated with a channel;

communicating with an interface in the wireless access point to a data network using a second protocol;

managing the plurality of transceivers at a centralized media access controller configured to manage communications between the plurality of transceivers and the data network by connecting communications between the plurality of transceivers and the at least one mobile station and the data network by communicating over the interface to the data network using the second protocol; and

executing an algorithm for managing the plurality of transceivers in the centralized media access controller that results in a reduction in co-channel interference between the channels.

15. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 14, further including translating data contained in the first protocol to data contained in the second protocol in the centralized media access controller.

16. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 14, where the first protocol is 802.11.

17. The method for communication with a wireless access point wireless access point of claim 14, where the second protocol is Ethernet.

18. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 14, further including simultaneously monitoring with the centralized media access controller at least one characteristic associated with each of the plurality of transceivers.

19. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 18, further including selecting one of the transceiver from the plurality of transceiver for transmission of data based upon the at least one characteristic of reception at a first transceiver and neighboring transceivers in the plurality of transceivers.

20. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 18, where the at least one characteristic is a received signal strength indication.

21. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 14, further includes executing an algorithm for synchronization of transmissions from the plurality of transceivers in the centralized media access controller.

22. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 14, further including executing an algorithm in the centralized media access controller that uses at least one transmission frustration threshold that results in a delay of transmissions on one of the transceivers in the plurality of transceivers.

23. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 14, further includes an algorithm that uses at least one receive frustration threshold that results in a delay of transmissions on one of the transceivers in the plurality of transceivers in the centralized media access controller.

24. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 23, where the at least one receive frustration threshold is a neighboring transceiver to the one of the transceivers in the plurality of transceivers.

25. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 14, further including executing an algorithm that uses at least one receive frustration threshold and at least one transmission threshold that results in a delay of transmission on one of the transceivers in the plurality of transceivers in the centralized media access controller.

26. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 14, where the plurality of transceivers are contained in a common housing.

27. The method for communication with a wireless access point of claim 14, further including translating from the first protocol to the second protocol in a centralized frame translation engine contained in the centralized media access controller, where the media access controller accesses a centralized queuing system to facilitate the translation in the centralized frame translation engine.