US 8,150,955 B2Granted

Wireless LAN with channel swapping between DFS access points

AssigneeAgere Systems Inc.

InventorsPatrick Busch, Richa Malhotra

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Abstract

The present invention enhances the dynamic frequency selection 9DFS) algorithms used in Wireless LANs by adding a channel swapping mechanism. The aim of the traditional DFS algorithm is to dynamically select channels in a wireless LAN in such a way that the best performance is achieved. However, not always the optimal channel selection is achieved. This invention describes an addition to the DFS algorithm in such a way that two APs can decide to swap channels instead of one AP switching to another channel. To avoid the problem of sub-optimal channel selection, a requesting AP sends Swap Requests to other APs in order to sense the willingness of other APs to swap channels with the requesting AP.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A first access point for a wireless LAN communication network, wherein the first access point is adapted to:

(a) send probe requests and probe responses to other access points,
(b) receive probe requests and probe responses from other access points,
(c) calculate an interference parameter for each of a plurality of its possible channels,
(d) calculate a channel sharing parameter for each of the plurality of channels,
(e) calculate a regular channel quality parameter (regCSIQ) for each of the plurality of channels, indicative of the amount of interference and channel sharing on each of the plurality of channels, using the interference and channel sharing parameters, and
(f) dynamically select a new channel from the plurality of possible channels using the regular channel quality parameters (regCSIQ), wherein:
the first access point is arranged to select the new channel by mutually swapping channels with a second access point using a swapping mechanism in which:
the new channel for the first access point is the previous channel for the second access point;
and
the new channel for the second access point is the previous channel for the first access point;
and
the first access point is further adapted to monitor traffic load, wherein the probe responses include traffic load information (i) carried in the probe responses and (ii) corresponding to the traffic load at the access points that send the probe responses.

9 more elements

Method of selecting a new channel by a first access point in a wireless LAN communication network, comprising the steps of:

(a) sending probe requests and probe responses to other access points;
(b) receiving probe requests and probe responses from other access points;
(c) calculating an interference parameter for each of a plurality of its possible channels;
(d) calculating a channel sharing parameter for each of the plurality of channels;
(e) calculating a regular channel quality parameter (regCSIQ) for each of the plurality of channels, indicative of the amount of interference and channel sharing on each of the plurality of channels, using the interference and channel sharing parameters;
and
(f) dynamically selecting the new channel from the plurality of possible channels using the regular channel quality parameters (regCSIQ), wherein:
the first access point is arranged to select the new channel by mutually swapping channels with a second access point using a swapping mechanism in which:
the new channel for the first access point is the previous channel for the second access point;
and
the new channel for the second access point is the previous channel for the first access point;
and
the first access point monitors traffic load, wherein the probe responses include traffic load information (i) carried in the probe responses and (ii) corresponding to the traffic load at the access points that send the probe responses.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/274,458Filed 20 Nov 2008 · continuation
Priority: EP 013041468 May 2001
Published: US 2009/0092101 A19 Apr 2009
Granted: 3 Apr 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

H04W 16/10
Resource partitioning among network components, e.g. reuse partitioning: dynamic resource partitioning
H04W
Wireless communication networks

Family

Application10/141,189Parent of this continuation · filed 8 May 2002
US 2009/0092101 A1Pre-grant publication · published 9 Apr 2009
US 7,499,964 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2002/0176437 A1Published application
US 8,150,955 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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