Enhanced channel access mechanisms for an HPNA network
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
InventorsWei Lin, Matthew J. Sherman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and a system is disclosed for providing access to a communications medium that is suitable for allowing use of a plurality of Home Phoneline Network Association (HPNA) v2 frames. A sequence of blocking frames is transmitted on the communications medium, such that each blocking frame has timing to allow an Inter-Frame Gap (IFG) having a duration that is not recognized by an HPNA v2 station (STA) as a duration defined by an HPNA v2 specification for an HPNA IFG. A message is transmitted from a Media Control Station (MC STA) to at least one selected non-Media Control Station when the blocking frames are transmitted. A reply message to the transmitted message is received at the MC STA from a selected non-MC STA when the blocking frames are transmitted.
Claims39
A method for providing access to a telephone-wire-based communications medium, the communications medium being suitable for allowing use of a plurality of Home Phoneline Network (HPN) frames, the method comprising the steps of:
- transmitting the plurality of HPN frames on the communications medium, each pair of HPN frames having timing to allow an Inter-Frame Gap (IFG) having a duration greater than zero microseconds, the IFG comprising a blocking signal adapted to prevent a Home Phoneline Network Association (HPNA) v2 station (v2 STA) device from recognizing the IFG;
- wherein each blocking frame comprised by the plurality of HPN frames is assigned a highest HPNA priority that is available in an HPNA v2 frame, each of a Media Control Station (MC STA) device and a non-Media Control Station (non-MC STA) device having different pre-assigned Contention Resolution Protocol slots that have access priority over the v2 STA;
- at least one of the MC STA and the non-MC STA is adapted to always choose a Backoff Signal Slot 0 of an HPNA v2 frame during contention resolution with the v2 STA, the Backoff Signal Slot 0 is one of only three Backoff Signal Slots specified under HPNA v2 for use in contention resolution after a collision;
- transmitting a message from a MC STA to at least one selected non-MC STA when the HPN frames are transmitted;
- and
- receiving a reply message to the transmitted message at the MC STA from a selected non-MC STA when the HPN frames are transmitted.
A method for providing access to a telephone-wire-based communications medium, the communications medium being suitable for allowing use of a plurality of Home Phoneline Network (HPN) frames, each HPN frame being timed to allow a plurality of physical layer priority level slots, the method comprising the steps of:
- transmitting the plurality of HPN frames on the communications medium, each pair of HPN frames having timing to allow an Inter-Frame Gap (IFG) having a duration greater than zero microseconds, the IFG comprising a blocking signal, the blocking signal adapted to prevent a Home Phoneline Network Association (HPNA) v2 station (v2 STA) device from recognizing the IFG;
- wherein each blocking frame comprised by the plurality of HPN frames is assigned a highest HPNA priority that is available in an HPNA v2 frame, each of a Media Control Station (MC STA) device and a non-Media Control Station (non-MC STA) device having different pre-assigned Contention Resolution Protocol slots that have access priority over the v2 STA;
- at least one of the MC STA and the non-MC STA is adapted to always choose a Backoff Signal Slot 0 of an HPNA v2 frame during contention resolution with the v2 STA, the Backoff Signal Slot 0 is one of only three Backoff Signal Slots specified under HPNA v2 for use in contention resolution after a collision;
- transmitting a message from a MC STA to at least one selected non-MC STA when the HPN frames are transmitted, the transmitted message being transmitted with a highest physical layer priority level available in an HPNA v2 frame;
- and
- receiving a reply message to the transmitted message at the MC STA from the selected non-MC STA when the HPN frames are transmitted.
A communications network, comprising:
- a telephone-wire-based communications medium that is suitable for allowing use of a plurality of Home Phoneline Network (HPN) frames;
- transmitting the plurality of HPN frames on the communications medium, each pair of HPN frames having timing to allow an Inter-Frame Gap (IFG) having a duration greater than zero microseconds, the IFG comprising a blocking signal adapted to prevent a Home Phoneline Network Association (HPNA) v2 station (v2 STA) device from recognizing an existence of the IFG;
- wherein each blocking frame comprised by the plurality of HPN frames is assigned a highest HPNA priority that is available in an HPNA v2 frame, each of a Media Control Station (MC STA) device and a non-Media Control Station (non-MC STA) device having different pre-assigned Contention Resolution Protocol slots that have access priority over the v2 STA;
- at least one of the MC STA and the non-MC STA is adapted to always choose a Backoff Signal Slot 0 of an HPNA v2 frame during contention resolution with the v2 STA, the Backoff Signal Slot 0 is one of only three Backoff Signal Slots specified under HPNA v2 for use in contention resolution after a collision;
- and
- a MC STA transmitting a message to at least one selected non-MC STA during the HPN frames, and receiving a reply message in response to the transmitted message from the non-MC STA during the HPN frames.
A communications network, comprising:
- a telephone-wire-based communications medium that is suitable for allowing use of a plurality of Home Phoneline Network (HPN) frames, each HPN frame being timed to allow a plurality of physical layer priority level slots, and
- transmitting the plurality of HPN frames on the communications medium, each pair of HPN frames having timing to allow an Inter-Frame Gap (IFG) having a duration greater than zero microseconds, the IFG comprising a blocking signal adapted to prevent a Home Phoneline Network Association (HPNA) v2 station (v2 STA) device from recognizing the IFG, the blocking signal derived from a frame transmitted immediately prior to the IFG;
- wherein each blocking frame comprised by the plurality of HPN frames is assigned a highest HPNA priority that is available in an HPNA v2 frame, each of a Media Control Station (MC STA) device and a non-Media Control Station (non-MC STA) device having different pre-assigned Contention Resolution Protocol slots that have access priority over the v2 STA, and
- at least one of the MC STA and the non-MC STA is adapted to always choose a Backoff Signal Slot 0 of an HPNA v2 frame during contention resolution with the v2 STA, the Backoff Signal Slot 0 is one of only three Backoff Signal Slots specified under HPNA v2 for use in contention resolution after a collision;
- and
- a MC STA that is suitable for transmitting a message to at least one selected non-MC STA, the transmitted message being transmitted with a highest physical layer priority level available in each HPNA v2 frame and during the HPN frames, the MC STA receiving a reply message in response to the transmitted message from the at least one selected non-MC STA during the HPN frames.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.