Method and a device for regulating transmissions in a telecommunications network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9706441-B2
Application number	US-201113883557-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2011
Priority date	Nov 4, 2010
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A transmission regulation method which may be performed by a station having at least one data frame for transmitting over a telecommunications network is disclosed. In one aspect, the method comprises, during at least one selection round from a set of selection rounds, obtaining a value representative either of an authorization to transmit or a prohibition to transmit the frame. Furthermore, when the value is representative of an authorization to transmit, transmitting an information signal over a first communications channel of the network, to inform the other stations that the station has obtained a value representative of an authorization to transmit; or when the value is representative of a prohibition to transmit, listening for an information signal, if any, transmitted over the first communications channel of the network. The method listens to or transmits over a second communications channel of the network that is different from the first communications channel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transmission regulation method suitable for being performed by a station having at least one data frame for transmitting over a telecommunications network, the method being performed by at least one station participating in a tournament and comprising, during at least one selection round from a set of selection rounds in said tournament:
obtaining a value representative either of an authorization to transmit or else of a prohibition to transmit the frame;
when the value is representative of an authorization to transmit, transmitting an information signal over a first communications channel of the network, said network comprising stations participating in said tournament and stations which are not participating in said tournament and said first communications channel being utilized by stations participating in said tournament, wherein said information signal informs other stations participating in said tournament that the station has obtained a value representative of an authorization to transmit;
when the value is representative of a prohibition to transmit, listening for an information signal, if any, transmitted over the first communications channel of the network; and
simultaneously with said transmitting over said first communications channel of the network or listening to said first communications channel of the network:
listening to a second communications channel of the network utilized by stations which are not participating in said tournament, and if a signal transmitted by another station which is not participating in said tournament is detected on the second communications channel, determining that the station participating in said tournament is not authorized to transmit a data frame; or
transmitting a busy signal over the second communications channel of the network to avoid the transmission of a data frame over the telecommunications network by another station that is not participating in the tournament,
wherein said second communications channel is different from the first communications channel.

2. A transmission regulation method according to claim 1 , wherein the first communications channel and the second communications channel correspond to two different sets each of at least one frequency.

3. A transmission regulation method according to claim 2 , wherein the listening to or transmitting over the second communications channel comprises, simultaneously with transmitting or listening for the information signal in the first communications channel, transmitting a busy signal in the second channel.

4. A transmission regulation method according to claim 3 , wherein the transmission of the busy signal in the second channel is preceded by a test seeking to determine whether the station belongs to a subset of stations that are to transmit the busy signal.

5. A transmission regulation method according to claim 2 , wherein the listening to or transmitting over the second communications channel, comprises, simultaneously with transmitting or listening for the information signal in the first communications channel, listening to the second channel for any data frame transmitted by a station that is not participating in the tournament, and when a frame is detected in the second channel, determining that the station that is participating in the tournament is not authorized to transmit a data frame.

6. A transmission regulation method according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of values are representative of an authorization to transmit,
the first communications channel is selected from a set of communications channels as a function of the value that has been obtained that is representative of an authorization to transmit,
the second communications channel is made up of at least one frequency that does not form part of the selected channel; and
the listening to or transmitting over the second communications channel comprises, simultaneously with the transmission of the information signal over the first communications channel, listening for an information signal in the second communications channel.

7. A transmission regulation method according to claim 6 , wherein a priority level is allocated to each of the channels of the set of channels and each of the values representative of an authorization to transmit is representative of the priority level,
the first communications channel is the channel having allocated thereto the priority level represented by the value that has been obtained, and
the second communications channel is made up of at least one frequency forming part of a channel of the set having allocated thereto a priority level that is higher than the priority level represented by the value that has been obtained, but that does not form part of a channel of the set having allocated thereto a priority level that is less than or equal to the priority level represented by the value that has been obtained.

8. A transmission regulation device for a station participating in a tournament, said station having at least one data frame to be transmitted over a telecommunications network, the device comprising:
a hardware processor which acts during at least one selection round of a set of selection rounds, to obtain a value that is representative either of an authorization to transmit or else of a prohibition to transmit the frame;
a transmitter which transmits an information signal in a first communications channel of the network, said network comprising stations participating in said tournament and stations which are not participating in said tournament and said first communications channel being utilized by stations participating in said tournament, wherein said information signal informs other stations participating in said tournament that the station has obtained a value representative of an authorization to transmit, wherein said transmitter is activated when the value is representative of an authorization to transmit;
a listener which listens for any information signal transmitted over the first communications channel of the network, wherein said listener which listens for any information signal transmitted over the first communications channel is activated when the value is representative of a prohibition to transmit; and
a listener or transmitter which listens to or transmits over a second communications channel of the network that is different from the first communications channel and that is utilized by stations which are not participating in said tournament, wherein said listener or transmitter which listens to or transmits over the second communications channel determines that the station participating in the tournament is not authorized to transmit a data frame if a signal transmitted by another station which is not participating in said tournament is detected when listening to the second communications channel, or transmits a busy signal over the second communications channel of the network to avoid the transmission of a data frame over the telecommunications network by another station that is not participating in the tournament, and wherein said listener or transmitter which listens to or transmits over the second communications channel listens to or transmits over said second communications channel simultaneously with transmission over said first communications channel of the network or with listening to said first communications channel of the network by said listener or transmitter which listens to or transmits over said first communication channel.

9. A transmission regulation device according to claim 8 , wherein when the listener or transmitter which listens to or transmits over the second communications channel transmits a busy signal over the second channel, said device simultan

Assignees

• Brown Patrick
• Galtier Jérôme
• Orange

Inventors

• Brown Patrick
• Galtier Jérôme

Classifications

• H04W74/0833

  Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access · CPC title

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W74/008

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W28/12 Primary

  using signalling between network elements · CPC title