Patent ID: 7180905
Filing Date: 2007-02-20
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for reducing interference between overlapping first and second wireless LAN cells in a medium, each cell including a respective plurality of member stations, comprising: coordinating by a first member station in the first cell a sequence of first periodic contention-free sessions, each said session including multiple bursts with other member stations in the first cell, and retaining control of the medium by said first member station by using interframe spaces sufficiently short between the bursts that the multiple bursts appear to contending stations to be a single instance of activity in the medium during a session until an end of a session; setting a fixed cycle time by the first member station to repeat transmitting said first periodic contention-free sessions, the cycle time being a cycle period (CP), which is the contention-free period (CFP) of a member station times a factor which is a function of the number of overlapping cells; transmitting said first periodic contention-free session by the first member station; coordinating by said second member station in the second cell a sequence of second periodic contention-free sessions, each said second session including multiple bursts with other member stations in the second cell, and retaining control of the medium by said second member station by using interframe spaces sufficiently short between the bursts that the multiple bursts appear to contending stations to be a single instance of activity in the medium during a session until an end of a session; setting said fixed cycle time by the second member station to repeat transmitting said second periodic contention-free sessions following said first periodic contention-free sessions; and transmitting said second periodic contention-free session by the second member station.