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US 7,461,164 B2Granted
Medium access control with software -and hardware- based components in a wireless network
AssigneeDSP Group Ltd.
InventorsPaul C Edwards, Heng-Mun Lam
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeDSP Group Ltd.
InventorsPaul C Edwards, Heng-Mun Lam
Estimating the term…
A MAC architecture for WLAN stations partitions functionality between a software-based MAC component and a hardware-based MAC component that work together to balance function and performance. In general, the fulcrum for this balance centers on timing requirements. Accordingly, the hardware-based MAC component is designed to handle many of the functions that are processor-intensive and/or must be performed under strict timing constraints. The software-based MAC component is designed to handle many of the functions that are memory-intensive, but present more lenient timing requirements. The software-based MAC component may be configured to provide an efficient and robust interface to the hardware-based MAC component. In particular, the software-based MAC component may format and prioritize packets to be sent over the air interface, and generate a command structure that provides instructions for the hardware-based MAC component to process the packet.
A method comprising:
A device comprising:
A tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.