System and method for priority driven contention scheme for supporting enhanced QoS in a wireless communication network

• US 8,670,395 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2009
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Singh, Harkirat, Ngo, Chiu
• Primary Examiner(s): Gidado, Rasheed
• Application Number:
  US12/455,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20090323611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,744 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/341, 370/348, 370/442, 370/235, 370/412
• US Class Current: 370/329
• 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 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0875 with assigned priorities based access

Abstract

A system and method for priority driven contention in a wireless communication network is disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the system comprises an access point configured to transmit a beacon indicative of available channel resources and a partitioning of a contention period into a plurality of superslots, each superslot associated with a priority, and a station configured to contend for the channel by transmitting, during a superslot associated with the identified priority or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of available channel resources.

Claims

1. A system for allocating channel resources in a wireless data communication network, the system comprising:

an access point transmits a beacon indicative of available channel resources and a partitioning of a single contention period into a plurality of superslots, each superslot associated with a different priority selected from a plurality of priorities, wherein each superslot of the plurality of superslots is chronologically arranged in the single contention period; and

a station identifies priority of a data flow and contends for the channel by transmitting, during a superslot associated with the identified priority or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of available channel resources indicating a number of superframes for which specific resources are allocated.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a superslot associated with a higher priority occurs in time prior than a superslot associated with a lower priority.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each superslot of the plurality of superslots is associated with a single priority.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each superslot is partitioned into a plurality of mini-contention periods.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of mini-contention periods is partitioned into a plurality of slots.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the beacon comprises a multi-dimensional resource map including a first dimension comprising channel time, and a second dimension comprising frequency or subcarrier type.

7. A method of allocating channel resources in a wireless data communication network, the method comprising:

receiving data indicative of available channel resources;

receiving data indicative of a partitioning of a single contention period into a plurality of superslots, each superslot associated with a different priority selected from a plurality of priorities, wherein each superslot of the plurality of superslots is chronologically arranged in the single contention period;

identifying a priority of a data flow; and

transmitting, during a superslot associated with a priority that is the identified priority or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of the available channel resources indicating a number of superframes for which specific resources are allocated.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting a data packet via the allocated channel resources.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the information indicative of available channel resources comprises information indicative of available area in a time-slot/sub-carrier space.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting comprising transmitting during a superslot associated with the identified priority.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting a mini-contention period associated with the superslot;

selecting a slot associated with the selected mini-contention period; and

determining, for each slot associated with the selected mini-contention period prior to the selected slot, that the channel is not busy.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting a first mini-contention period associated with the superslot;

selecting a backoff number associated with the first mini-contention period;

determining, for a number of slots associated with the first mini-contention period prior to the selected slot, that the channel is not busy;

reducing the backoff by the number;

determining, for a particular slot associated with the first mini-contention period prior to the selected slot, that the channel is busy; and

selecting a second mini-contention period associated with the superslot.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting data indicative of an allocation of the available channel resources is performed without selection of a mini-slot.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting comprising transmitting during a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, prior to transmitting, sensing that the channel is busy during a superslot associated with the identified priority.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting a mini-contention period associated with the superslot;

selecting a slot associated with the selected mini-contention period;

determining, for each slot associated with the selected mini-contention period prior to the selected slot, that the channel is not busy;

selecting a mini-slot associated with the selected slot; and

determining, for each mini-slot associated with the selected slot prior to the selected mini-slot, that the channel is not busy.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the selection of a mini-slot is based on the identified priority of the data flow and the priority associated with the superslot.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the selected mini-slot number linearly increases with a decrease in the identified priority of the data flow.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitted data indicative of an allocation of the available channel resources is based on the indentified priority of the data flow.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the indicated number of superframes is linearly proportional to the data flow priority.

21. A system for allocating channel resources in a wireless data communication network, the system comprising:

a receiver receives information indicative of available channel resources and receives information indicative of a partitioning of a single contention period into a plurality of superslots, each superslot associated with a different priority selected from a plurality of priorities, wherein each superslot of the plurality of superslots is chronologically arranged in the single contention period; and

a transmitter that transmits, during a superslot associated with an identified priority of a data flow or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of available channel resources indicating a number of superframes for which specific resources are allocated.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the system is a consumer electronics (CE) component.

23. A method of allocating channel resources in a wireless data communication network, the method comprising:

transmitting information indicative of available channel resources;

transmitting information indicative of a partitioning of a single contention period into a plurality of superslots, each superslot associated with a different priority selected from a plurality of priorities, wherein each superslot of the plurality of superslots is chronologically arranged in the single contention period; and

receiving, during a superslot associated with the identified priority or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of available channel resources indicating a number of superframes for which specific resources are allocated.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the information indicative of a partitioning further includes information indicative of one or more contention allowances, each contention allowance defining a set of priorities allowed to contend in a particular superslot.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the contention allowances allow, in a superslot with a particular priority, contention for data flows having the particular priority and contention for data flows having a higher priority.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the contention allowances allow, in a superslot with a particular priority, contention for data flows having the particular priority and contention for a subset of data flows having a higher priority.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the information indicative of available channel resources and the information indicative of a partitioning are transmitted via a beacon.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the beacon further comprises information indicative of one or more mini-contentions for each superslot.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the beacon further comprises information indicative of one or more slots for each mini-contention.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the beacon further comprises information indicative of one or more contention allowances.

31. A transmitter for allocating channel resources in a wireless data communication network, the system comprising:

a transmitter device including a packet classifier that identifies a priority of a data flow;

wherein the transmitter transmits, during a superslot associated with the identified priority or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of available channel resources indicating a number of superframes for which specific resources are allocated, wherein each superframe includes a single contention period comprising a plurality of superslots each associated with a different priority, wherein each superslot of the plurality of superslots is chronologically arranged in the single contention period.

32. The transmitter of claim 31, wherein the indicated number of superframes is linearly proportional to the data flow priority.

33. A system for allocating channel resources in a wireless data communication network, the system comprising:

a receiver receives information indicative of available channel resources and receives information indicative of a partitioning of a single contention period into a plurality of superslots, each superslot associated with a different priority selected from a plurality of priorities, wherein each superslot of the plurality of superslots is chronologically arranged in the single contention period;

wherein the receiver receives, during a superslot associated with an identified priority of a data flow or a superslot associated with a priority lower than the identified priority, data indicative of an allocation of available channel resources indicating a number of superframes for which specific resources are allocated.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the indicated number of superframes is linearly proportional to the data flow priority.