Reconfiguration of a communication system

• US 20090225679A1
• Filed: 02/25/2009
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bims, Harry
• Granted Patent: US 8,064,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system and method are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises a switch receiving information from at least one repeater for each packet received without errors by the at least one repeater, the switch, in response to the information, determining an amount of wireless communication activity each of the at least one repeater is experiencing, the switch determining whether to cause one or more repeaters to change status regarding wireless reception and transmission of packets from other devices in the network based on repeater location and repeater density and the information received from the at least one repeater, and the switch causing a change in the status for at least one of the one or more repeaters by signaling to the at least one of the one or more repeaters.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a wireless communication network of devices, comprising:

(A) determining an amount of wireless communication activity a repeater is experiencing based on data packets received without errors and information associated with the data packets;

(B) determining whether to cause the repeater to change a repeater transmitter power level and a repeater receiver sensitivity based on the amount of wireless communication activity; and

(C) causing the change in the repeater transmitter power level and in the repeater receiver sensitivity by signaling a command to the repeater.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(D) receiving the data packets received without errors and the information associated with the data packets from the repeater.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (A) comprises:

(A)(i) determining the amount of wireless communication activity the repeater is experiencing based on the data packets received without errors and received signal strength information and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) associated with the data packets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (A) comprises:

(A)(i) determining a density of mobile stations on the repeater based on data packets received without errors and information associated with the data packets.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

(D) maintaining a location tracking database to maintain a number of mobile stations for which the repeater is receiving packets.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the repeater is one of a plurality of repeaters and step (B) comprises:

(B)(i) determining whether to cause the repeater to change the repeater transmitter power level and the repeater receiver sensitivity based on a location and a density of the plurality of repeaters.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein step (C) comprises:

(C)(i) causing the change in the repeater transmitter power level and in the repeater receiver sensitivity by signaling the command to the repeater over a wired connection.

8. A method for configuring a wireless communication network of devices, comprising:

(A) determining an amount of wireless communication activity at least one mobile station is experiencing based on data packets received without errors and information associated with the data packets;

(B) determining whether to cause the at least one mobile station to change a mobile station transmitter power level based on the amount of wireless communication activity; and

(C) causing the change in the mobile station transmitter power level by signaling a command to the at least one mobile station.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein step (C) comprises:

(C)(i) determining an amount to change the mobile station transmitter power level; and

(C)(ii) causing the change in the mobile station transmitter power level by signaling the command indicating that the at least one mobile station should adjust the mobile station transmitter power level to the at least one mobile station.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein step (C)(i) comprises:

(C)(i)(a) determining a current transmit power level of the at least one mobile station; and

(C)(i)(b) determining the amount to change the mobile station transmitter power level based upon the information associated with the data packets.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein step (A) comprises:

(A)(i) determining the amount of wireless communication activity the at least one mobile station is experiencing based on the data packets received without errors and received signal strength information and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) associated with the data packets.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein step (A) comprises:

(A)(i) determining a density of mobile stations based on data packets received without errors and information associated with the data packets.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

(D) maintaining a location tracking database to maintain a number of mobile stations for which the repeater is receiving packets.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one mobile station is one of a plurality of mobile stations and step (B) comprises:

(B)(i) determining whether to cause the at least one mobile station to change the mobile station transmitter power level based on the amount of wireless communication activity based on a location and a density of the plurality of mobile stations.

15. A method for configuring a wireless communication network of devices, comprising:

(A) determining an amount of wireless communication activity a repeater from a plurality of repeaters is experiencing based on data packets received without errors and information associated with the data packets;

(B) determining whether to cause the repeater to change from a first state to a second state based on the amount of wireless communication activity, wherein each of the first state and the second state are one of an activated state, a deactivated state, and a hot standby state; and

(C) causing the change from the first state to the second state by signaling a command to the repeater.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

(D) receiving the data packets received without errors and the information associated with the data packets from the repeater.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein step (A) comprises:

(A)(i) determining the amount of wireless communication activity the repeater is experiencing based on the data packets received without errors and received signal strength information and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) associated with the data packets.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein step (A) comprises:

(A)(i) determining a density of mobile stations on the repeater based on data packets received without errors and information associated with the data packets.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

(D) maintaining a location tracking database to maintain a number of mobile stations for which the repeater is receiving packets.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the repeater is one of a plurality of repeaters and step (B) comprises:

(B)(i) determining whether to cause the repeater to change from the first state to the second state based on a location and a density of the plurality of repeaters.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein step (C) comprises:

(C)(i) causing the change from the first state to the second state by signaling the command to the repeater over a wired connection.