Method for multi-channel resource reservation in a wireless mesh network

Abstract

In a mesh network a multiband OFDM Alliance (MBOA) system provides higher channel access efficiency through a Distributed Reservation Protocol (DRP). A MBOA Physical layer (PHY) and a MBOA Medium Access Control (MAC) are used to increase the efficiency of the mesh network.

1 . A method of resource reservation in a wireless mesh network said method comprising: providing a wireless mesh network, said mesh network using a Multiband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Alliance (MBOA) physical layer (PHY), said mesh network further using a MBOA medium access control layer (MAC) wherein the resource reservation is multichannel and said MBOA MAC is using a multi-channel distributed reservation protocol (DRP). 
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said MBOA PHY operates on an UWB frequency band. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said MBOA PHY provides from seven to about 30 physical channels. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said MBOA MAC uses a contention-free channel access method. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said contention-free channel access method is DRP. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further including at least one station establishing a DRP reservation either explicitly by using DRP command frames or implicitly by including the intended DRP reservation information in a beacon. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using a common signaling channel for beaconing and DRP negotiation. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising carrying, in a beacon, information about the channel in which upcoming reservations between stations are scheduled. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising beaconing, wherein beacons indicate the presence or absence of a station communicating on a particular channel. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising including a channel ID field in a DRP information element (IE) of the MBOA MAC. 
     
     
         12  The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: setting one channel of a plurality of channels in said mesh network as a main channel (MCH); and transmitting, by each of said plurality of stations, a beacon during a beacon period. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising: DRP reservation negotiating only occurs in said MCH; and DRP announcing only occurs in said MCH. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising processing said DRP according to a MBOA MAC specification, said MBOA MAC specification including an information element (IE) that is a channel identification (CHID) of a channel where an intended reservation is made. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said channel where said intended reservation is made is not said MCH. 
     
     
         16 . A wireless mesh radio station for a wireless mesh network of a plurality of stations, said radio station comprising:
 multichannel resource reservation means for reserving resources in a multichannel environment, and   communication means arranged for communicating using a Multiband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Alliance (MBOA) physical layer (PHY), and a MBOA medium access control layer (MAC), and arranged for using a contention-free multi-channel access method with said MBOA MAC, and wherein the contention-free multi-channel access method is distributed reservation protocol (DRP).   
     
     
         17 . The wireless mesh radio station of  claim 16 , wherein said MBOA PHY operates on an ultra-wide band (UWB) frequency band. 
     
     
         18 . The wireless mesh radio station of  claim 17 , wherein said MBOA PHY provides from seven to about 30 physical channels. 
     
     
         19 . The wireless mesh radio station of  claim 16 , wherein the reservation means establishes a DRP reservation either explicitly by using DRP command frames or implicitly by including the intended DRP reservation information in a beacon. 
     
     
         20 . The wireless mesh radio station of  claim 16 , wherein the reservation means uses a common signaling channel for both beaconing and DRP negotiation. 
     
     
         21 . The wireless mesh radio station of  claim 20 , wherein the reservation means carries, in a beacon, information about the channel in which upcoming reservations between stations are scheduled. 
     
     
         22 . The wireless mesh radio station of  claim 20 , wherein the reservation means uses beaconing, wherein beacons indicate the presence or absence of a station communicating on a particular channel. 
     
     
         23 . The wireless mesh radio station of  claim 20 , wherein the reservation means uses a channel ID field in a DRP information element (IE) of the MBOA MAC, the channel ID field identifying a channel where an intended reservation is made. 
     
     
         24 . The wireless mesh radio station of claim.  16 , wherein the reservation means: sets one channel of a plurality of channels in said mesh network as a main channel (MCH); and controls transmitting, by each of said plurality of stations, a beacon during a beacon period. 
     
     
         25 . The wireless mesh radio station of  claim 24 , wherein the reservation means: controles DRP reservation negotiating to only occur in said MCH; and controls DRP announcing to only occur in said MCH. 
     
     
         26 . The wireless mesh radio station of  claim 24 , wherein the reservation means processes said DRP according to a MBOA MAC specification, said MBOA MAC specification including an information element (IE) that is a channel identification (CHID) of a channel where an intended reservation is made. 
     
     
         27 . The wireless mesh radio station of  claim 26 , wherein said intended reservation is made on a further channel being different from said MCH.