Coexistence of users with different latency requirements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10470215-B2
Application number	US-201515761807-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2015
Priority date	Sep 23, 2015
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A method of an access point is disclosed. The access point is adapted to communicate (using a frequency bandwidth comprising one or more sub-bands) with wireless communication devices associated with the access point. Each of the wireless communication devices is adapted to operate under at least one of first and second latency requirements, wherein the first latency requirement is lower than the second latency requirement. Each of the wireless communication devices is also adapted to use a listen-before-talk approach (e.g. carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance—CSMA/CA) to access a sub-band for transmission. The method comprises (for each of the sub-bands) allowing at most one wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement to attempt accessing the sub-band and (for each sub-band where a wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement is allowed to attempt accessing the sub-band) allowing also one or more wireless communication device operating under the second latency requirement to attempt accessing the sub-band. The method also comprises enforcing a maximum duration of time for each transmission of a wireless communication device operating under the second latency requirement using a sub-band where a wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement is allowed to attempt accessing the sub-band, wherein the maximum duration of time is based on the first latency requirement. Corresponding method for a wireless communication device, arrangements, access point, wireless communication device and computer program products are also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of an access point adapted to communicate, using a frequency bandwidth comprising one or more sub-bands, with wireless communication devices associated with the access point, wherein each of the wireless communication devices is adapted to operate under at least one of first and second latency requirements, the first latency requirement being lower than the second latency requirement, and wherein each of the wireless communication devices is adapted to use a listen-before-talk approach to access a sub-band for transmission, the method comprising:
for each of the sub-bands, allowing at most one wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement to attempt accessing the sub-band;
for each sub-band where a wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement is allowed to attempt accessing the sub-band, allowing also one or more wireless communication device operating under the second latency requirement to attempt accessing the sub-band; and
enforcing a maximum duration of time for each transmission of a wireless communication device operating under the second latency requirement using a sub-band where a wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement is allowed to attempt accessing the sub-band, wherein the maximum duration of time is based on the first latency requirement.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein using the listen-before-talk approach to access a sub-band for transmission comprises sensing the sub-band during a sensing period, initiating transmission if the sub-band was not used during the sensing period and, if the transmission collides with a transmission of another wireless communication device, waiting during a back-off period before repeating the sensing of the sub-band, and
wherein at least one of the sensing period and the back-off period of a wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement is shorter than a corresponding period of a wireless communication device operating under the second latency requirement.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein enforcing the maximum duration of time comprises instructing the wireless communication device operating under the second latency requirement to:
fragment data to be transmitted into packet parts, wherein each packet part is transmittable during the maximum duration using the sub-band; and
transmit the packet parts with a transmission gap after each of the packet parts, wherein the transmission gap has a duration which is at least as long as the sensing period of a wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the duration of the transmission gap is shorter than the sensing period of a wireless communication device operating under the second latency requirement.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein enforcing the maximum duration of time comprises determining an amount of sub-bands, wherein a packet of data to be transmitted is transmittable during the maximum duration of time using the amount of sub-bands, and instructing the wireless communication device operating under the second latency requirement to:
simultaneously sense multiple sub-bands, wherein the multiple is not less than the amount; and
transmit the packet using the amount of sub-bands and only if at least the amount of sub-bands were not used during the sensing period.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising transmitting an indication of the amount to the wireless communication device operating under the second latency requirement.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising limiting a number of wireless communication devices associated with the access point and operating under the first latency requirement to a value, wherein the value is less than or equal to the one or more sub-bands comprised in the frequency bandwidth.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the value is dependent on the first latency requirements of the wireless communication devices associated with the access point and operating under the first latency requirement.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, for each sub-band where no wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement is allowed to attempt accessing the sub-band, allowing wireless communication devices operating under the second latency requirement to attempt accessing the sub-band.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the access point and the wireless communication devices are compliant with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers—IEEE—standard 802.11.

11. A method of a wireless communication device adapted to operate under a second latency requirement and associated with an access point, wherein the access point is adapted to communicate, using a frequency bandwidth comprising one or more sub-bands, with wireless communication devices associated with the access point, each of the wireless communication devices being adapted to operate under at least one of a first and the second latency requirements, the first latency requirement being lower than the second latency requirement, and wherein each of the wireless communication devices is adapted to use a listen-before-talk approach to access a sub-band for transmission, the method comprising:
employing a maximum duration of time for each transmission using a sub-band where a wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement is allowed to attempt accessing the sub-band, wherein the maximum duration of time is based on the first latency requirement.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein using the listen-before-talk approach to access a sub-band for transmission comprises sensing the sub-band during a sensing period, initiating transmission if the sub-band was not used during the sensing period and, if the transmission collides with a transmission of another wireless communication device, waiting during a back-off period before repeating the sensing of the sub-band, and
wherein at least one of the sensing period and the back-off period of a wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement is shorter than a corresponding period of a wireless communication device operating under the second latency requirement.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein employing the maximum duration of time comprises:
fragmenting data to be transmitted into packet parts, wherein each packet part is transmittable during the maximum duration using the sub-band; and
transmitting the packet parts with a transmission gap after each of the packet parts, wherein the transmission gap has a duration which is at least as long as the sensing period of a wireless communication device operating under the first latency requirement.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the duration of the transmission gap is shorter than the sensing period of a wireless communication device operating under the second latency requirement.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein employing the maximum duration of time comprises:
simultaneously sensing multiple sub-bands, wherein the multiple is not less than an amount, wherein a packet of data to be transmitted is transmittable during the maximum duration of time using the amount of sub-bands; and
transmitting the packet using the amount of sub-bands and only if at least the amount of sub-bands were not used during the sensing period.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising receiving an indication of the amount from the access point.

17. A non-transitory computer readable m

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Butt Naveed
• Di Taranto Rocco
• Kapetanovic Dzevdan
• Nilsson Thomas

Classifications

• H04W72/54

  based on quality criteria · CPC title

• H04W74/0816 Primary

  with collision avoidance · CPC title

• H04W74/0875

  with assigned priorities based access · CPC title

• H04W72/0453

  Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA · CPC title

• H04W72/08

  Electricity · mapped topic