Fine-grained channel access in wireless networks
First Claim
1. A wireless access point comprising:
- at least one processing unit; and
at least one computer storage media storing computer readable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the at least one processing unit to;
detect a plurality of requests from a plurality of wireless nodes in a wireless local-area network to communicate over requested subchannels of a wireless channel having multiple subchannels, wherein the requests are detected by;
comparing energy in subcarriers of the multiple subchannels to a threshold,identifying individual subcarriers for which the energy exceeds the threshold, anddesignating individual subchannels having the individual subcarriers for which the energy exceeds the threshold as the requested subchannels;
assign different requested subchannels to different wireless nodes; and
broadcast individual subchannel assignments to the different wireless nodes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A fine-grained channel access system and method to facilitate fine-grained channel access in a high-data rate wide-band wireless local-area network (WLAN). Embodiments of the system and method divide an entire wireless channel into proper size subchannels commensurate with the physical layer data rate and typical frame size. Once the subchannels are defined, each node on the WLAN contends independently for each of the fine-grained subchannels. A first orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) technique is used to signal an access point on the WLAN that the node desires one or more of the subchannels. A second OFDM technique (which is different from the first OFDM technique) is used for data transmission. Sometimes there is contention between nodes that want the same subchannel. The access point resolves any contention between the nodes using a frequency domain contention technique that includes a frequency domain backoff technique.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A wireless access point comprising:
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at least one processing unit; and at least one computer storage media storing computer readable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the at least one processing unit to; detect a plurality of requests from a plurality of wireless nodes in a wireless local-area network to communicate over requested subchannels of a wireless channel having multiple subchannels, wherein the requests are detected by; comparing energy in subcarriers of the multiple subchannels to a threshold, identifying individual subcarriers for which the energy exceeds the threshold, and designating individual subchannels having the individual subcarriers for which the energy exceeds the threshold as the requested subchannels; assign different requested subchannels to different wireless nodes; and broadcast individual subchannel assignments to the different wireless nodes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A wireless communication device comprising:
at least one processing unit; and at least one computer storage media storing computer readable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the at least one processing unit to; detect a first request from a first contending wireless node to communicate over a wireless subchannel in a wireless local area network, the first request comprising a first amplitude-modulated signal on a first subcarrier of the wireless subchannel; detect a second request from a second contending wireless node to communicate over the wireless subchannel in the wireless local area network, the second request comprising a second amplitude-modulated signal on a second subcarrier of the wireless subchannel; and resolve contention between the first contending wireless node and the second contending wireless node by; designating the first contending wireless node as a winning node and designating the second contending wireless node as a losing node; and broadcasting a subchannel assignment granting the wireless subchannel to the first contending wireless node. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method comprising:
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performing frequency-domain detection of a plurality of tones indicating requests by a plurality of wireless nodes to communicate using a plurality of requested subchannels of a wireless channel, the requests being detected by identifying the tones in corresponding subcarriers of the requested subchannels; assigning different requested subchannels to different wireless nodes of the plurality of wireless nodes, the different requested subchannels including a first requested subchannel assigned to a first wireless node for communicating in a wireless local area network and a second requested subchannel assigned to a second wireless node for communicating in the wireless local area network; and receiving first data from the first wireless node over the first requested subchannel and second data from the second wireless node over the second requested subchannel. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification