Automatic time slicing of beacon intervals in high density wireless LAN
A wireless LAN station having a MAC address and receiving beacon frames indicating a beacon interval selects a sub-interval from the beacon interval for transmission and reception of wireless signals. The beacon sub-interval used by each set of stations for transmission and reception is preferably ½ n of the beacon interval, where n is the number of device-unique assignment bits, such as MAC address. Each station thereby self-assigns itself one of the sub-intervals as a segment for transmission and reception, thereby reducing collisions and re-transmissions in a congested access point.
1. A method for self-allocation of a wireless LAN station to a segment of a beacon interval, the method comprising:
a first step of determining a beacon interval;
a second step of said wireless LAN station self-allocating an interval of said beacon interval for wireless communications, said self-allocating interval being a fraction of said beacon interval and derived from a subset of bits of a unique address identifier of said wireless LAN station;
a third step of sending wireless data only during said self-allocated interval of said beacon interval and receiving wireless data throughout said beacon interval;
wherein said address identifier is also used as a source address in a transmission by said wireless LAN station.
2. The method of claim 1 where said unique identifier is the least significant bits of a wireless station MAC address to determine a particular interval.
3. The method of claim 2 where the number of said least significant bits is 2 and the number of self-allocated intervals within said beacon interval is 4.
4. The method of claim 2 where the number of said least significant bits is 3 and the number of self-allocated intervals within said beacon interval is 8.
5. The method of claim 2 where the number of said least significant bits is 4 and the number of self-allocated intervals within said beacon interval is 16.
6. The method of claim 1 where said beacon interval is determined by an access point transmitting said beacon.
7. The method of claim 1 where n is the number of bits used in a unique identifier to determine the number of said beacon intervals, the number of possible self-allocated segments in said beacon interval is 2 n , each said self-allocated segment is ½ n of said beacon interval, and said station uses said n bits to self-allocate a particular one of said segments.
8. The method of claim 7 where said n bits are the least significant n bits of said MAC address.
9. The method of claim 1 where said station determines said self-allocated interval by random selection.
10. A wireless LAN station receiving beacon frames from a wireless access point, the beacon frames having a beacon interval, and the wireless LAN station having a MAC address;
said wireless access point determining the beacon interval;
said wireless LAN station self-allocating an interval of said beacon interval for transmitting wireless data;
where the wireless LAN station determines said beacon interval from said MAC address.
11. The wireless LAN station of claim 10 where said LAN station transmits during said self-allocated interval of said beacon interval, and receives during said beacon interval.
12. The wireless LAN station of claim 10 where the least significant n bits of said LAN station MAC address is used to determine said self-allocating interval.
13. The wireless LAN station of claim 12 where each said self-allocated interval is ½ n of said beacon interval.
14. A wireless network having:
an access point transmitting beacons with a beacon interval;
a plurality of stations, each having a unique identifier;
at least one plurality of stations having the same unique identifier certain bits, said plurality of stations transmitting only during a particular self-allocated interval of said beacon interval;
said self-allocated interval derived from said unique identifier certain bits.
15. The wireless LAN station of claim 14 where said unique identifier is the least significant n bits of the MAC address of said station.
16. The wireless LAN station of claim 14 where said self-allocated interval is ½ n , where n is the number of bits of the MAC address of said station which are used in determining said self-assignment.
17. The wireless LAN station of claim 14 where said unique identifier is a MAC address.