Systems and methods for requesting duty cycle based channel access priorities

• US 9,775,097 B1
• Filed: 09/01/2016
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Liu, Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Christensen, Scott B
• Application Number:
  US15/254,219
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0058 Allocation criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0076 Allocation utility-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific 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 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A client station includes a physical layer device to receive, from an access point, a requirement for assignment to a first power category among a plurality of power categories defined by the access point. Each of the plurality of power categories has a respective access priority associated with access to a communication channel. A request module is to determine whether an operating characteristic of the client station meets the requirement for assignment to the first power category and generate, in response to a determination that the operating characteristic meets the requirement, a request to be assigned to the first power category by the access point. The physical layer device is further to transmit the request to the access point and, based on whether the access point accepts or rejects the request, selectively access the communication channel according to a first access priority associated with the first power category.

Claims

1. A client station, comprising:

a physical layer device to receive, from an access point, a requirement for assignment to a first power category among a plurality of power categories defined by the access point, each of the plurality of power categories having a respective access priority associated with access to a communication channel of a wireless network;

a request module to (i) determine whether an operating characteristic of the client station meets the requirement for assignment to the first power category as defined by the access point and (ii) generate, in response to a determination that the operating characteristic meets the requirement defined by the access point, a request to be assigned to the first power category by the access point,

wherein the physical layer device is further to (i) transmit the request to the access point to cause the access point to either accept or reject the request based on whether the operating characteristic meets the requirement defined by the access point, and (ii) based on whether the access point accepts or rejects the request, selectively access the communication channel according to a first access priority associated with the first power category.

2. The client station of claim 1, wherein the requirement for assignment includes a predetermined threshold for the operating characteristic of the client station.

3. The client station of claim 1, wherein the operating characteristic includes at least one of a duty cycle of the client station, a sleep interval of the client station, and a communication channel access frequency of the client station.

4. The client station of claim 1, wherein the first power category is a lower power category than others of the plurality of power categories.

5. The client station of claim 1, wherein the respective access priorities include the first access priority associated with the first power category and a second access priority associated with another of the plurality of power categories, and wherein the first access priority is higher than the second access priority.

6. The client station of claim 1, wherein the respective access priorities correspond to respective backoff times.

7. The client station of claim 1, wherein the request includes an indication of the operating characteristic of the client station.

8. A method for operating a client station, the method comprising:

receiving, from an access point, a requirement for assignment to a first power category among a plurality of power categories defined by the access point, each of the plurality of power categories having a respective access priority associated with access to a communication channel of a wireless network;

determining whether an operating characteristic of the client station meets the requirement for assignment to the first power category as defined by the access point;

generating, in response to a determination that the operating characteristic meets the requirement defined by the access point, a request to be assigned to the first power category by the access point;

transmitting the request to the access point to cause the access point to either accept or reject the request based on whether the operating characteristic meets the requirement defined by the access point; and

based on whether the access point accepts or rejects the request, selectively accessing the communication channel according to a first access priority associated with the first power category.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the requirement for assignment includes a predetermined threshold for the operating characteristic of the client station.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the operating characteristic includes at least one of a duty cycle of the client station, a sleep interval of the client station, and a communication channel access frequency of the client station.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first power category is a lower power category than others of the plurality of power categories.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the respective access priorities include the first access priority associated with the first power category and a second access priority associated with another of the plurality of power categories, and wherein the first access priority is higher than the second access priority.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the respective access priorities correspond to respective backoff times.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the request includes an indication of the operating characteristic of the client station.

15. An access point, comprising:

a categorization module to define a first power category and at least one second power category, each of the first power category and the at least one second power category having a respective access priority associated with access to a communication channel of a wireless network; and

a physical layer device to (i) communicate, to a client station, a requirement for assignment to the first power category as defined by the access point, and (ii) receive a request from the client station that is generated based on a determination that an operating characteristic of the client station meets the requirement for assignment to the first category,

wherein the categorization module is further to, in response to the request received from the client station and based on whether the operating characteristic meets the requirement for assignment to the first power category, accept or reject the request received from the client station.

16. The access point of claim 15, wherein the requirement for assignment includes a predetermined threshold for the operating characteristic of the client station.

17. The access point of claim 15, wherein the operating characteristic includes at least one of a duty cycle of the client station, a sleep interval of the client station, and a communication channel access frequency of the client station.

18. The access point of claim 15, wherein the first power category is a lower power category than the at least one second power category.

19. The access point of claim 15, wherein the respective access priorities include a first access priority associated with the first power category and a second access priority associated with the at least one second power category, and wherein the first access priority is higher than the second access priority.

20. The access point of claim 15, wherein the categorization module is further to i) monitor the operating characteristic of the client station, ii) determine whether the operating characteristic of the client station meets the requirement for assignment to the first power category, and iii) assign the client station to one of the first power category and the at least one second power category based on the determination of whether the operating characteristic of the client station meets the requirement for assignment to the first power category.