Method for managing a connection in a distributed wireless network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11246071-B2
Application number	US-201916973562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2019
Priority date	Jun 28, 2018
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A method, for a distributed wireless communication network, for managing the connection of a client node to a first gathering node is provided. A quality indicator presenting a quality of the connection is determined. If the quality indicator indicates a poor quality, then: to each gathering node of the network, a command to collect quality data is sent, messages comprising the quality data are received, for each gathering node, a quality indicator is determined, and a second gathering node according to the quality indicators determined is selected. If the second gathering node is different from the first gathering node, then to each gathering node, except for the second gathering node, a command to refuse association with the client node is sent.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, for a distributed wireless communication network comprising a plurality of gathering nodes and at least one client node connected to a first gathering node, for managing the connection of this client node, said method causing a so-called management node to perform:
determining a connection quality indicator associated with the client node, the connection quality indicator representing a quality of the connection between the first gathering node and the client node,
if the connection quality indicator is above a predetermined threshold, this exceeded threshold representing a poor quality of the connection, then:
sending, to each gathering node, except for the first gathering node, a command to activate the determination of a quality data item associated with the client node and with said gathering node, the command comprising an identifier of the client node,
receiving, coming from each gathering node, a message comprising the quality data associated with the client node and with said gathering node,
determining, for each gathering node, a quality indicator associated with the client node according to the quality data received,
selecting a second gathering node according to the quality indicators determined, and
wherein, when determined that the second gathering node is different from the first gathering node, then:
sending, to each gathering node of the distributed communication network, apart from the second gathering node, a command refusing association with the client node.

2. The method according to claim 1 , for which, if the second gathering node is different from the first gathering node, then the method said method causing the so-called management node to perform:
sending, to the client node, a command to connect to the second gathering node, the command comprising an identifier of the second gathering node,
the step of sending, to each gathering node of the distributed communication network, apart from the second gathering node, a command refusing association with the client node being performed only in the absence of acceptance by the client node of the previous command for connection to the second gathering node.

3. The method according to claim 1 , for which, if the connection quality indicator is above a predetermined threshold, this exceeded threshold representing a poor quality of the connection, then the method causing the so-called management node to perform:
sending, to the client node, a command for determining quality data associated with each gathering node,
the steps of sending, to each gathering node, apart from the first gathering node, an activation command for determining quality data associated with the client node and with said gathering node and for receiving, coming from each gathering node, a message comprising the quality data associated with the client node and with said gathering node, being performed only in the absence of acceptance by the client node of the previous command for determining the quality data associated with each gathering node.

4. The method according to claim 1 , each gathering node being connected to the same communication bus, each gathering node collecting, for each client node connected to said gathering node, quality data.

5. The method according to claim 1 , the so-called management node being one of the gathering nodes.

6. The method according to claim 1 , the distributed wireless communication network being compliant with an IEEE 802.11 standard.

7. A management node of a distributed wireless communication network, the communication network comprising a plurality of gathering nodes, wherein the management node is adapted for executing the steps of the method according to claim 1 .

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further causing a gathering node to perform:
receiving, coming from a so-called management node, a command for activating the determination of quality data associated with the client node, the command comprising an identifier of the client node,
determining the quality data associated with the client node,
sending, to the management node, a message comprising the quality data associated with the client node and with the gathering node.

9. The method according to claim 8 , the gathering node comprising at least one radio module compliant with an IEEE 802.11 standard, the determining the quality data associated with the client node comprising:
changing the radio module to a so-called monitoring mode in order to capture frames comprising the identifier of the client node, and/or
filtering frames received according to the identifier of the client node,
the quality data corresponds to a received power of a radio signal corresponding to the frames captured or received.

10. A system, for a distributed wireless communication network comprising a plurality of gathering nodes and at least one client node connected to a first gathering node, for managing the connection of this client node, a so-called management node, the system comprising circuitry causing the system to perform:
determining a connection quality indicator associated with the client node, the connection quality indicator representing a quality of the connection between the first gathering node and the client node,
if the connection quality indicator is above a predetermined threshold, this exceeded threshold representing a poor quality of the connection, then the client node activates circuitry causing the client node to perform:
sending, to each gathering node, except for the first gathering node, a command to activate the determination of a quality data item associated with the client node and with said gathering node, the command comprising an identifier of the client node,
receiving, coming from each gathering node, a message comprising the quality data associated with the client node and with said gathering node,
determining, for each gathering node, a quality indicator associated with the client node according to the quality data received, and
selecting a second gathering node according to the quality indicators determined, and
wherein, when determined that the second gathering node is different from the first gathering node:
sending, to each gathering node of the distributed communication network, apart from the second gathering node, a command refusing association with the client node,
and each gathering node comprises circuitry causing the gathering node to perform:
receiving, coming from a so-called management node, a command for activating the determination of quality data associated with the client node, the command comprising an identifier of the client node,
determining the quality data associated with the client node, and
sending, to the management node, a message comprising the quality data associated with the client node and with the gathering node.

11. A nontransitory recording medium embodying a computer program that it that comprises instructions for implementing, by a processor of a management node of a distributed wireless communication network comprising a plurality of gathering nodes, the method according to claim 1 , when the computer program is executed by the processor.

Assignees

• Sagemcom Broadband Sas

Inventors

• Faye Stanislas
• Zaouia Farid

Classifications

• H04W36/302

  due to low signal strength · CPC title

• H04W36/00837

  Determination of triggering parameters for hand-off · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W36/0085 Primary

  Hand-off measurements · CPC title

• H04W36/30

  by measured or perceived connection quality data · CPC title