Assignment and use of wireless LAN channels in high station density environments
AssigneeRedpine Signals, Inc.
InventorSriram Mudulodu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An access point operates in a frequency spectrum which is divided into master channels, each master channel further having a plurality of sub-channels, each sub-channel capable of supporting a wireless LAN session independently of any other said sub-channel. The access point assigns one of the sub-channels within the master channel to a requesting station according to a maximum number of user assigned to the particular sub-channel, or alternatively, the access point makes the assignment of a particular sub-channel to a particular station according the bandwidth requirement bandwidth requirement.
Claims16
An access point (AP) for a wireless local area network, the AP assigned to operate on a master channel formed from a plurality of sub-channels, each sub-channel formed from a subset of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) subcarriers within a frequency range, each said OFDM subcarrier occupying a particular single frequency, subcarriers of each said sub-channel having a frequency range which is distinct from any other sub-channel frequency range, each said sub-channel using a unique set of said OFDM subcarriers which are distinct from other sub-channels, each said sub-channel thereby formed from a unique set of said OFDM subcarriers;
- said access point assigning one of said sub-channels to a requesting station during an association event when at least one of:
- a number of other stations assigned to said particular sub-channel is below a limit threshold, or
- a bandwidth utilization of other stations assigned to said sub-channel is below a limit threshold;
- said access point operative for simultaneous OFDM communications with stations associated with a particular one of said sub-channels, each said sub-channel transmitting or receiving at intervals which are independent of a transmission or reception intervals of said other sub-channels.
An access point (AP) for a wireless local area network, said AP operative on a master channel formed from a plurality of sub-channels, said plurality of sub-channels formed as a subset of possible sub-channels;
- each said possible sub-channel operative within a frequency band unique from other said possible sub-channels;
- each said sub-channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) formed from subcarriers within said sub-channel;
- said sub-channels determined by said access point to be either available or unavailable;
- said access point advertising a wireless Service Set IDentifier (SSID) for a particular available sub-channel and accepting association requests in response to said advertised SSID until a threshold is reached;
- said threshold based on either a threshold number of station connections or a threshold bandwidth utilization of stations currently associated with said access point;
- said access point thereafter indicating said particular sub-channel is unavailable and thereafter advertising the SSID of a different available sub-channel.
An access point having adjacencies with other access points, the access point operative in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communications system using a plurality of possible sub-channels formed from available sub-channels formed from available subcarriers which can be used by said access point, each said available subcarrier operative on a unique frequency, the access point having:
- a master channel formed by a subset of said possible sub-channels, said master channel using a unique set of said sub-channels which are distinct from sub-channels of a master channel in use by an adjacent access point;
- said sub-carriers of said master channel being within a unique frequency range from the sub-carriers of other sub-channels of said master channel;
- each sub-channel indicated by said access point as available or unavailable;
- said access point advertising a particular said available sub-channel for connection requests based on a threshold until a number of connection is reached for that particular sub-channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.