Adaptive radio resource management for wireless local area networks

Abstract

A method for determining whether a data transmission rate in a wireless communication system is appropriate for current system conditions begins by calculating a frame error rate (FER) for a given period of time and obtaining a current data rate. If the current data rate is greater than a minimum data rate and the FER is a high value, then the system switches to a lower data rate. If the current data rate is greater than a minimum data rate and the FER is less than a high value, then the system maintains the current data rate. If the current data rate is less than a maximum data rate and the FER is a low value, then the system determines whether a higher data rate can be used.

1 . A method for determining whether a data transmission rate in a wireless communication system is appropriate for current wireless communication system conditions, comprising the steps of: 
 calculating a frame error rate (FER) for a given period of time;    obtaining a current data rate;    switching to a lower data rate if the current data rate is greater than a minimum data rate and the FER is a high value;    maintaining the current data rate if the current data rate is greater than a minimum data rate and the FER is less than a high value; and    determining whether a higher data rate can be used if the current data rate is less than a maximum data rate and the FER is a low value.    
   
   
       2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the lower data rate is a data rate one step lower than the current data rate.  
   
   
       3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the determining step includes the steps of: 
 probing the transmission channel at a higher data rate for a predetermined number of frames; and    determining whether all of the frames transmitted at the higher data rate have been acknowledged.    
   
   
       4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the higher data rate is one step higher than the current data rate.  
   
   
       5 . The method according to  claim 3 , further comprising the step of: 
 switching to the higher data rate if all of the frames have been acknowledged.    
   
   
       6 . The method according to  claim 3 , further comprising the step of: 
 maintaining the current data rate if all of the frames have not been acknowledged.