Node grouping method, node, and access point

• US 9,622,157 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2014
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Lina, Wu, Tianyu, Chen, Chen, Li, Changle
• Primary Examiner(s): Masur, Paul H
• Application Number:
  US14/335,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20140348087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/121 for groups of terminals or users

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a node grouping method, a node, and an access point (AP). The method comprises: receiving a grouping request sent by an AP; according to the grouping request, obtaining a received signal strength indicator (RSSI); obtaining a group Identity (ID) of a group determined according to the RSSI. In the embodiment of the present invention, nodes are grouped according to the RSSI, so as to solve the problems of contention collision and low network performance in a large-scale network, avoid the problem of unfair throughput incurred by the near-far effect, and reduce the phenomena of hidden terminals.

Claims

1. A method for grouping a node, comprising:

receiving a group joining request sent from a first node;

sending a first grouping poll to each node in a first set of nodes based on the group joining request, wherein the first set of nodes is composed of a grouped node in nodes served by an Access point (AP);

receiving a first grouping acknowledgement sent from each node in a second set of nodes, wherein the second set of nodes is composed of a node that monitors the group joining request in the first set of nodes;

receiving a two-way neighbor node list sent from the first node, wherein the two-way neighbor node list comprises a third set of nodes, and the third set of nodes is composed of a node corresponding to the first grouping acknowledgement monitored by the first node; and

grouping the first node based on the two-way neighbor node list.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the receiving the group joining request sent from the first node, the method further comprises:

sending a second grouping poll to each node in the first set of nodes, to enable a second node, which is any node in the first set of nodes, to send a second grouping acknowledgement to the AP, and to enable a node that monitors the second grouping poll and the second grouping acknowledgement in the first set of nodes to record the second node into its one-way neighbor node list of the node;

receiving a one-way neighbor node list sent from each node in the first set of nodes; and

grouping the first set of nodes based on the one-way neighbor node list sent from each node, wherein nodes in each group are neighbor nodes with each other.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the receiving the one-way neighbor node list sent from each node in the first set of nodes comprises:

receiving the one-way neighbor node list which is sent from each node in the first set of nodes in an order that the second grouping poll is received.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein

the sending the first grouping poll to each node in the first set of nodes comprises:

sending to each node in the first set of nodes, the first grouping poll indicated by a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Frag field comprised in a control frame, and

the receiving the first grouping acknowledgement sent from each node in the second set of nodes to the AP comprises;

receiving the first grouping acknowledgement sent from each node in the second set of nodes to the AP and indicated by the Type field, the Subtype field and the More Frag field comprised in the control frame, and

the receiving a two-way neighbor node list sent from the first node comprises;

receiving the two-way neighbor node list carried in a data frame and sent from the first node, wherein a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Data field in the data frame indicate that the data frame carries the two-way neighbor node list.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the sending the second grouping poll to each node in the first set of nodes comprises:

sending, to each node in the first set of nodes, the second grouping poll indicated by a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Frag field comprised in a control frame,

wherein the second grouping acknowledgement is indicated by the Type field, the Subtype field and the More Frag field comprised in the control frame, and

the receiving the one-way neighbor node list sent from each node in the first set of nodes comprises;

receiving the one-way neighbor node list carried in a data frame and sent from each node in the first set of nodes, wherein a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Data field in the data frame indicate that the data frame carries the one-way neighbor node list.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending to the node an access time period which only comprises a Contention Period (CP), wherein the CP comprises an access time divided for each group, to enable the node to transmit data with the AP within an access time of the group that the node belongs to.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the CP further comprises an access time which is not divided for any group, to enable the node to transmit the data with the AP within the access time which is not divided for any group in a first access time period, when the data is delay-sensitive service and transmission of the data is not completed within the access time of the group that the node belongs to in the first access time period.

8. A method for grouping a node, comprising:

sending to an Access point (AP) a group joining request, to enable the AP to send a first grouping poll to each node in a first set of nodes based on the group joining request and receives a first grouping acknowledgement sent from each node in a second set of nodes, wherein the first set of nodes is composed of a grouped node in nodes served by the AP, and the second set of nodes is composed of a node that monitors the group joining request in the first set of nodes;

monitoring the first grouping acknowledgement sent from each node in the second set of nodes to the AP; and

sending a two-way neighbor node list to the AP, wherein the two-way neighbor node list comprises a third set of nodes, and the third set of nodes is composed of a node corresponding to the first grouping acknowledgement that is monitored.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first grouping poll and the first grouping acknowledgement are indicated by a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Data field comprised in a control frame,

the sending the two-way neighbor node list to the AP comprises:

sending to the AP the two-way neighbor node list carried in a data frame, wherein a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Data field in the data frame indicate that the data frame carries the two-way neighbor node list.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a message comprising an access time period sent from the AP, wherein the access time period only comprises a Contention Period (CP), and the CP comprises an access time divided for each group;

determining the access time of the group that the node belongs to based on the access time period; and

transmitting data with the AP within the access time of the group that the node belongs to.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining that the data is delay-sensitive service and transmission of the data is not completed within the access time of the group that the node belongs to in a first access time period; and

transmitting the data with the AP within an access time which is not divided for any group in the first access time period.

12. An Access point (AP), comprising a processor and a non-transitory processor-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon, the processor-executable instructions including a plurality of modules, the modules including:

a first receiving module, configured to receive a group joining request sent from a first node;

a first sending module, configured to send a first grouping poll to each node in a first set of nodes based on the group joining request received by the first receiving module, wherein the first set of nodes is composed of a grouped node in nodes served by the AP;

a second receiving module, configured to receive a first grouping acknowledgement sent from each node in a second set of nodes, wherein the second set of nodes is composed of a node that monitors the group joining request sent from the first sending module in the first set of nodes;

a third receiving module, configured to receive a two-way neighbor node list sent from the first node, wherein the two-way neighbor node list comprises a third set of nodes, and the third set of node is composed of a node corresponding to the first grouping acknowledgement monitored by the first node; and

a first grouping module, configured to group the first node based on the two-way neighbor node list received by the third receiving module.

13. The AP according to claim 12, further comprising:

a second sending module, configured to send a second grouping poll to each node in the first set of nodes before the group joining request sent from the first node is received by the first receiving module, to enable a second node, which is any node in the first set of nodes, to send a second grouping acknowledgement to the AP, and to enable a node that monitors the second grouping poll and the second grouping acknowledgement in the first set of nodes to record the second node into its one-way neighbor node list;

a fourth receiving module, configured to receive the one-way neighbor node list sent from each node in the first set of nodes; and

a second grouping module, configured to group the first set of nodes based on the one-way neighbor node list received by the fourth receiving module, wherein nodes in each group are neighbor nodes with each other.

14. The AP according to claim 13, wherein the fourth receiving module is configured to:

receive the one-way neighbor node list which is sent from each node in the first set of nodes in an order that the second grouping poll sent from the second sending module is received.

15. The AP according to claim 14, wherein

the first sending module is configured to:

send to each node in the first set of nodes, the first grouping poll indicated by a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Frag field comprised in a control frame, and

the second receiving module is configured to;

receive the first grouping acknowledgement sent from each node in the second set of nodes to the AP and indicated by the Type field, the Subtype field and the More Frag field comprised in the control frame, and

the third receiving module is configured to;

receive the two-way neighbor node list carried in a data frame and sent from the first node, wherein a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Data field in the data frame indicate that the data frame carries the two-way neighbor node list.

16. The AP according to claim 13, wherein

the second sending module is configured to:

send to each node in the first set of nodes, the second grouping poll indicated by a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Frag field comprised in a control frame,

wherein the second grouping acknowledgement is indicated by the Type field, the Subtype field and the More Frag field comprised in the control frame, and

the fourth receiving module is configured to;

receive the one-way neighbor node list carried in a data frame and sent from each node in the first set of nodes, wherein a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Data field in the data frame indicate that the data frame carries the one-way neighbor node list.

17. The AP according to claim 12, further comprising:

a third sending module, configured to send to the node an access time period which only comprises a Contention Period (CP), wherein the CP comprises an access time divided for each group, to enable the node to transmit data with the AP within an access time of the group that the node belongs to.

18. The AP according to claim 17, wherein the CP further comprises an access time which is not divided for any group, to enable the node to transmit the data with the AP within the access time which is not divided for any group in a first access time period, when the data is delay-sensitive service and transmission of the data is not completed within the access time of the group that the node belongs to in the first access time period.

19. A node, comprising a processor and a non-transitory processor-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon, the processor-executable instructions including a plurality of modules, the modules including:

a first sending module, configured to send to an Access point (AP) a group joining request, to enable the AP to send a first grouping poll to each node in a first set of nodes based on the group joining request and receives a first grouping acknowledgement sent from each node in a second set of nodes, wherein the first set of nodes is composed of a grouped node in nodes served by the AP, and the second set of nodes is composed of a node that monitors the group joining request in the first set of nodes;

a first monitoring module, configured to monitor the first grouping acknowledgement sent from each node in the second set of nodes to the AP; and

a second sending module, configured to send a two-way neighbor node list to the AP, wherein the two-way neighbor node list comprises a third set of nodes, and the third set of nodes is composed of a node corresponding to the first grouping acknowledgement monitored by the first monitoring module.

20. The node according to claim 19, wherein the first grouping poll and the first grouping acknowledgement are indicated by a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Data field comprised in a control frame, and

the second sending module is configured to:

send to the AP the two-way neighbor node list carried in a data frame, wherein a Type field, a Subtype field and a More Data field in the data frame indicate that the data frame carries the two-way neighbor node list.

21. The node according to claim 19, further comprising:

a first receiving module, configured to receive a message comprising an access time period sent from the AP, wherein the access time period only comprises a Contention Period (CP), and the CP comprises an access time divided for each group;

a first determining module, configured to determine the access time of the group that the node belongs to based on the access time period; and

a first transmitting module, configured to transmit data with the AP within the access time of the group that the node belongs to determined by the first determining module.

22. The node according to claim 21, further comprising:

a second determining module, configured to determine that the data transmitted by the first transmitting module is delay-sensitive service and transmission of the data is not completed within the access time of the group that the node belongs to in a first access time period; and

a second transmitting module, configured to transmit the data with the AP within an access time which is not divided for any group in the first access time period.