Access to a communications channel in a wireless communications network

US10342041B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Publ) · SE

Inventors

• Leif Wilhelmsson · Lund, SE
• Guido Roland Hiertz · Aachen, DE
• Dzevdan Kapetanovic · Lund, SE
• Christofer Lindheimer · Linköping, SE
• Filip Mestanov · Sollentuna, SE
• Thomas Nilsson · Malmö, SE
• Eric Nordström · Stockholm, SE
• Håkan Persson · Solna, SE
• Johan Söder · Stockholm, SE
• Meng Wang · Guildford, GB

Key dates

• Filing date: May 12, 2014
• Grant date: Jul 2, 2019
• Expiry date: Nov 16, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04W84/12
• WIPO field: Digital communication
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

There is provided access to a communications channel in a wireless communications network. Stations (STAs) associated with an access point (AP) are grouped in at least two groups of STAs, each group being associated with a minimum transmission power level needed by the AP to communicate with the STAs in that group. A first time interval is allocated for a first group of STAs associated with highest minimum transmission power to access the communications channel concurrently with a third time interval being allocated by another AP for a third group of STAs associated with lowest minimum transmission power level needed by said another AP to communicate with the third group of STAs to access the communications channel. A second time interval, non-overlapping with the first time interval, is allocated for a second group of STAs associated with lowest minimum transmission power to access the communications channel concurrently with a fourth time interval being allocated by said another AP for a fourth group of STAs associated with highest minimum transmission power level needed by said another AP to communicate with the fourth group of STAs to access the communications channel.