IEEE 802.11e MAC signaling to support schedule QoS

• US 8,553,703 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2003
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Del Prado Pavon, Javier, Nandagopalan, Sai Shankar
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US10/534,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20060014492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,634 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/328, 370/338, 370/395.4, 370/468, 370/469, 370/448, 370/449, 455/41.2, 455450-4522, 455/426.1
• US Class Current: 370/395.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/02 Hybrid access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

The Station Management Entity (SME) 202 and/or Media Access Control (MAC) SubLayer Management Entity (MLME) 201 within a Hybrid Controller (HC) or wireless station (WSTA) 106, 109 for an IEEE 802.11 wireless data communications system 100 employ primitives in connection with a Schedule Quality of Service (QoS) Action frame. The primitives include: a request primitive formulated by the HC'"'"'s SME 202 using the WSTA 106, 109 address and the Schedule Element from the Schedule QoS Action frame for transmission to the HC'"'"'s MLME 201; a confirm primitive formulated by the HC'"'"'s MLME 201 using a result code for transmission to the HC'"'"'s SME 202; and an indication primitive formulated by the WSTA'"'"'s MLME 201 using the Schedule Element for transmission to the WSTA'"'"'s SME 202.

Claims

1. A Hybrid Controller (HC) for an IEEE 802.11 wireless data communications system supporting quality of service (QoS) enhancements, comprising:

a Station Management Entity (SME) within the HC; and

a Media Access Control (MAC) SubLayer Management Entity (MLME) within the HC and communicably coupled both to the SME and to MLMEs for wireless stations (WSTAs) participating in the IEEE 802.11 wireless data communications system,

wherein responsive to a schedule change for one of the participating WSTAs, the SME within the HC generates a request primitive for transmission to the MLME within the HC, and wherein the request primitive includes an address for the one of the participating WSTAs and a Schedule Element that specifies the schedule for the one of the participating WSTAs, and

wherein, responsive to a request primitive relating to a schedule change for one of the participating WSTAs, the MLME within the HC determines a result for the request primitive and generates a confirm primitive for transmission to the SME within the HC.

2. The HC according to claim 1, wherein the SME transmits the request primitive to the MLME within the HC.

3. The HC according to claim 2, wherein, responsive to receiving the request primitive from the SME, the MLME formulates a Schedule QoS Action frame including the Schedule Element and transmits the formulated Schedule QoS Action frame.

4. A wireless data communications system including the HC according to claim 1, the wireless data communications system further comprising:

a MLME within the one of the participating WSTAs,

wherein the MLME within the one of the participating WSTAs, responsive to receipt of the Schedule QoS Action frame by the one of the participating WSTAs, generates an indication primitive for transmission to an SME within the one of the participating WSTAs.

5. The wireless data communications system according to claim 4, wherein the indication primitive includes the Schedule Element.

6. The HC according to claim 1, wherein the confirm primitive includes a result code corresponding to the result for the request primitive.

7. The HC according to claim 6, wherein the MLME within the HC transmits the confirm primitive to the SME within the HC.

8. The system according to claim 4 wherein the indication primitive includes a Schedule Element from the Schedule QoS Action frame.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the MLME within the WSTA transmits the indication primitive to the SME within the WSTA.

10. A method of supporting quality of service (QoS) enhancements within a Hybrid Controller (HC) for an IEEE 802.11 wireless data communications system, comprising:

operating a Station Management Entity (SME) within the HC;

operating a Media Access Control (MAC) SubLayer Management Entity (MLME) within the HC and communicably coupled both to the SME and to MLMEs for wireless stations (WSTAs) participating in the IEEE 802.11 wireless data communications system;

responsive to a schedule change for one of the participating WSTAs, generating a request primitive for transmission from the SME within the HC to the MLME within the HC, wherein the request primitive includes an address for the one of the participating WSTAs and a Schedule Element that specifies the schedule for the one of the participating WSTAs; and

responsive to a request primitive relating to a schedule change for one of the participating WSTAs, determining a result for the request primitive and generating a confirm primitive for transmission from the MLME within the HC to the SME within the HC.

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

transmitting the request primitive from the SME to the MLME within the HC.

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

responsive to receiving the request primitive from the SME, formulating a Schedule QoS Action frame including the Schedule Element; and

transmitting the formulated Schedule QoS Action frame.

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

responsive to receipt of the Schedule QoS Action frame by the one of the participating WSTAs, generating an indication primitive for transmission to an SME within the one of the participating WSTAs.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the indication primitive includes the Schedule Element.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the confirm primitive includes a result code corresponding to the result for the request primitive.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting the confirm primitive from the MLME within the HC to the SME within the HC.