Latency-aware service opportunity window-based (LASO) scheduling

1. In a wireless network having a number of stations sharing access to a wireless transmission medium, a computer-implemented method of scheduling access of traffic flows of data packets from respective packet queues for the traffic flows in the wireless stations to the wireless transmission medium, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) for each of the traffic flows, obtaining a desired minimum age of an oldest data packet in the respective packet queue, obtaining a desired maximum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue, and obtaining or estimating a time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue, and

(b) eliminating from consideration for immediate access to the wireless transmission medium traffic flows for which the sum of the desired minimum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue is greater than the present time, and for traffic flows that are not eliminated from consideration for immediate access to the wireless transmission medium, granting access to the wireless transmission medium to the traffic flow having a smallest sum of the desired maximum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the access to the wireless transmission medium that is granted, to the traffic flow having a smallest sum of the desired maximum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue, is granted for a limited duration of time, the limited duration of time being limited to a duration of time for transmitting over the wireless transmission medium a predetermined maximum number of data packets included in a transmission block.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the access to the wireless transmission medium that is granted, to the traffic flow having a smallest sum of the desired maximum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective data packet queue, is granted for a limited duration of time, the limited duration of time being limited until a time at which access to the wireless transmission medium should be granted to another traffic flow to prevent said another traffic flow or any other traffic flow from missing a transmission deadline.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , which includes increasing the desired minimum age of an oldest data packet in the respective packet queue of at least one of the traffic flows in order to increase a likelihood of aggregation of data packets of said at least one of the traffic flows for transmission together over the wireless transmission medium.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , which includes decreasing the desired maximum age of an oldest data packet in the respective packet queue of at least one of the traffic flows in order to decrease the likelihood that said at least one of the traffic flows will miss a transmission deadline.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wireless network includes a number of user stations and an access point station for linking the wireless network to a wireline network, and wherein the method includes the access point station determining or estimating the time of creation of an oldest data packet in a packet queue of a user station by receiving from the user station a packet count and computing the time of creation of an oldest data packet in the packet queue of the user station from the packet count and a rate at which data packets are received in the packet queue of the user station.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wireless network includes a number of user stations and an access point station for linking the wireless network to a wireline network, and wherein the method includes the access point station obtaining the desired minimum age of an oldest data packet in the respective packet queue of at least one traffic flow by estimating a number of packets that will arrive in the respective packet queue of said at least one traffic flow during a delay period of the traffic flow, and computing the time required to transmit over the wireless transmission medium the estimated number of packets that will arrive in the respective packet queue of said at least one traffic flow during the delay period of said at least one traffic flow.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , which further includes the access point station limiting the estimated number of packets that will arrive in the respective packet queue of said at least one traffic flow during a delay period of said at least one traffic flow to no more than a predetermined maximum number of data packets included in a transmission block.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wireless network includes a number of user stations and an access point station for linking the wireless network to a wireline network, and wherein the method includes the access point station obtaining the desired maximum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue of at least one traffic flow by estimating a number of packets that will arrive in the respective packet queue of said at least one traffic flow during a delay period of the traffic flow, and computing a difference between a delay threshold for said at least one traffic flow and the time required to transmit over the wireless transmission medium the estimated number of packets that will arrive in the respective packet queue of said at least one traffic flow during the delay period of the traffic flow.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , which further includes the access point station limiting the estimated number of packets that will arrive in the respective packet queue of said at least one traffic flow during a delay period of said at least one traffic flow to no more than a predetermined maximum number of data packets included in a transmission block.

11. In a wireless network having a number of stations sharing access to a wireless transmission medium, a computer-implemented method of scheduling access of traffic flows of data packets from respective packet queues for the traffic flows in the wireless stations to the wireless transmission medium in accordance with Hybrid Controlled Channel Access (HCCA) and Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA), the method comprising the steps of:

(a) applying HCCA by eliminating from consideration for HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium traffic flows for which the sum of a desired minimum age of an oldest data packet in the respective packet data queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue is greater than the present time, and for traffic flows that are not eliminated from consideration for HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium, granting HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium to the traffic flow having a smallest sum of the desired maximum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue, and

(b) when all traffic flows are eliminated from consideration for HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium, applying EDCA so that traffic flows compete for access to the wireless transmission medium.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , in which control of access to the wireless transmission medium is returned from EDCA to HCCA when a new traffic flow enters station in the wireless network.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 , in which control of access to the wireless transmission medium is returned from EDCA to HCCA when for at least one of the traffic flows, the sum of a desired minimum age of an oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue is no longer greater than the present time.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium that is granted, to the traffic flow having a smallest sum of the desired maximum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue, is granted for a limited duration of time, the limited duration of time being limited to a duration of time for transmitting over the wireless transmission medium a predetermined maximum number of data packets included in a transmission block.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium that is granted, to the traffic flow having a smallest sum of the desired maximum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue, is granted for a limited duration of time, the limited duration of time being limited until a time at which access to the wireless transmission medium should be granted to another traffic flow to prevent said another traffic flow from missing a transmission deadline.

16. An access point station for a wireless network having a number of user stations sharing access to a wireless transmission medium, the access point station comprising:

a network interface for linking the access point station to a wireline network;

a wireless transceiver for wireless communication with the user stations; and

at least one processor programmed for scheduling access of traffic flows of data packets from respective packet queues for the traffic flows in the wireless stations to the wireless transmission medium in accordance with Hybrid Controlled Channel Access (HCCA) and Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA);

wherein said at least one processor is programmed for:

(a) applying HCCA by eliminating from consideration for HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium traffic flows for which the sum of a desired minimum age of an oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue is greater than the present time, and for traffic flows that are not eliminated from consideration for HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium, granting HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium to the traffic flow having a smallest sum of the desired maximum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue, and

(b) when all traffic flows are eliminated from consideration for HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium, applying EDCA so that traffic flows compete for access to the wireless transmission medium.

17. The access point station as claimed in claim 16 , in which said at least one processor is programmed to return control of access to the wireless transmission medium from EDCA to HCCA when a new traffic flow enters a station in the wireless network.

18. The access point station as claimed in claim 16 , in which said at least one processor is programmed to return control of access to the wireless transmission medium from EDCA to HCCA when for at least one of the traffic flows, the sum of a desired minimum age of an oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue is no longer greater than the present time.

19. The access point station as claimed in claim 16 , wherein said at least one processor is programmed so that the HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium that is granted, to the traffic flow having a smallest sum of the desired maximum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue, is granted for a limited duration of time, the limited duration of time being limited to a duration of time for transmitting over the wireless transmission medium a predetermined maximum number of data packets included in a transmission block.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein said at least one processor is programmed so that the HCCA access to the wireless transmission medium that is granted, to the traffic flow having a smallest sum of the desired maximum age of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue and the time of creation of the oldest data packet in the respective packet queue, is granted for a limited duration of time, the limited duration of time being limited until a time at which access to the wireless transmission medium should be granted to another traffic flow to prevent said another traffic flow from missing a transmission deadline.