Channel reservation in flexible wireless networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9814069-B2
Application number	US-200913141524-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2009
Priority date	Dec 23, 2008
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

Channel access time slots are reserved in a wireless network employing a flexible medium access control (MAC) protocol. At least a type and a mode of the channel reservation are determined (S 310 ). A reservation request frame is generated (S 320 ) based on the determined type and mode of the channel reservation. The reservation request frame is sent to a reservation proxy device (S 330 ). In response to the reservation request frame, a reservation response frame is received from the reservation proxy device ( 220 -RP). Usage of an allocated time slot is announced if a channel reservation request is confirmed in the reservation response frame (S 382 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for reserving channel access time slots in a wireless network, comprising:
employing a flexible medium access control (Flex-MAC) protocol;
determining at least a type and a mode of the channel reservation based on whether the wireless network is operating under a centralized mode of resource allocation or a distributed mode of resource allocation, both the centralized and distributed modes of resource allocation being supported by the Flex-MAC protocol, which enables a transition between the centralized mode and the distributed mode while maintaining ongoing connections;
generating a reservation request frame based on the determined type and mode of the channel reservation;
sending the reservation request frame to a reservation proxy device;
in response to the reservation request frame, receiving a reservation response frame from the reservation proxy device; and
announcing usage of an allocated time slot if a channel reservation request is confirmed in the reservation response frame,
wherein the mode of the channel reservation is either implicit reservation or explicit reservation;
wherein when the mode of the channel reservation is implicit reservation, the reservation request frame is sent during a beacon period; and
wherein when the mode of the channel reservation is explicit reservation, the reservation request frame is sent during a signaling window.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the type of the reservation is one selected from a peer-to-peer negotiation, a slave-initiated negotiation, and a master-initiated negotiation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reservation response frame is transmitted in a beacon period subsequent to the sending of the reservation request frame.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the reservation request frame is re-sent a predetermined number of times if the reservation response frame is not received during the subsequent beacon period.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reservation request frame is withdrawn if the reservation response frame is not confirmed and a predetermined time interval is elapsed.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reservation response frame is confirmed by at least one of the reservation proxy device, a reservation target device, and a master device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein reservation conflicts are resolved by an owner device when the type of the reservation is peer-to-peer negotiation.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein reservation conflicts are resolved by the reservation proxy device when the type of the reservation is either master-initiated negotiation or slave-initiated negotiation.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reservation request frame is constructed as a channel reservation protocol (CRP) information element, wherein a CRP information element includes at least the following fields: a CRP control; an owner device address (DevAddr); a reservation proxy (RP) device address (DevAddr); a target device address (DevAddr); and a plurality of allocation fields.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the CRP control field includes the following sub-fields: a reservation type, a stream index, a reason code, a request, a Tie-Break number, and an unsafe bit.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein a request subfield indicates that the CRP information element is a reservation response frame.

12. A network device configured to reserve channel access time slots in a wireless network, comprising:
a processor configured to:
operate under a flexible medium access control (Flex-MAC) protocol;
determine at least a type and a mode of the channel reservation based on whether the wireless network is operating under a centralized mode of resource allocation or a distributed mode of resource allocation, both the centralized and distributed modes of resource allocation being supported by the Flex-MAC protocol, which enables a retransition between the centralized mode and the distributed mode while maintaining ongoing connections;
generate a reservation request frame based on the determined type and mode of the channel reservation;
a transmitter configured to transmit the reservation request frame, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit a message for announcing usage of an allocated time slot if a channel reservation request is confirmed in a received reservation response frame; and
a receiver configured to receive a reservation response frame from a reservation proxy device in response to the reservation request frame,
wherein the mode of the channel reservation is either implicit reservation or explicit reservation;
wherein when the mode of the channel reservation is implicit reservation, the reservation request frame is sent during a beacon period; and
wherein when the mode of the channel reservation is explicit reservation, the reservation request frame is sent during a signaling window.

Assignees

• Cavalcanti Dave Alberto Tavares
• Wang Jianfeng
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Cavalcanti Dave Alberto Tavares
• Wang Jianfeng

Classifications

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• H04W74/02

  Hybrid access · CPC title

• H04W74/04 Primary

  Scheduled access (hybrid access H04W74/02) · CPC title

• H04W72/04

  Wireless resource allocation · CPC title

• H04W88/182

  Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy · CPC title