Abstract:
Systems and techniques are disclosed relating to wireless communications. The systems and techniques involve wireless communications wherein a module or communications device is configured to listen for a period of time for an incoming pilot signal from a remote terminal that exceeds a threshold power level for the purpose of acquiring such incoming pilot signal and operating under control of the remote terminal, and operating independently of the remote terminal if such pilot signal is not detected within the period of time, such independent operation including transmitting a pilot signal.

Description:
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/699,007, filed Oct. 30, 2003 and titled NETWORK TOPOLOGY FORMATION, and this application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically, to various systems and techniques relating to the formation of ad-hoc networks. 
     In conventional wireless communications, an access network is generally employed to support communications for any number of mobile devices. These access networks are typically implemented with multiple fixed site base stations dispersed throughout a geographic region. The geographic region is generally subdivided into smaller regions known as cells. Each base station may be configured to serve all mobile devices in its respective cell. As a result, the access network may not be easily reconfigured to account for varying traffic demands across different cellular regions. 
     In contrast to the conventional access network, ad-hoc networks are dynamic. An ad-hoc network may be formed when a number of wireless communication devices, often referred to as terminals, decide to join together to form a network. Since terminals in ad-hoc networks operate as both hosts and routers, the network may be easily reconfigured to meet existing traffic demands in a more efficient fashion. Moreover, ad-hoc networks do not require the infrastructure required by conventional access networks, making ad-hoc networks an attractive choice for the future. 
     Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology is an example of a communications methodology that may be implemented with ad-hoc networks. UWB technology provides high speed communications over an extremely wide bandwidth. At the same time, UWB signals are transmitted in very short pulses that consume very little power. The output power of the UWB signal is so low that it looks like noise to other RF technologies, making it less interfering. 
     The topology of the ad-hoc network may have a direct impact on performance. An ad-hoc network topology consisting solely of uncoordinated communications between multiple terminals may be very inefficient and result in high packet forwarding and routing overhead. Accordingly, a robust methodology for forming and maintaining a network topology that is both efficient and low on overhead is desirable. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect of the present invention, a module includes a receiver configured to listen for a period of time for an incoming pilot signal from a remote terminal that exceeds a threshold power level, and a processor configured to operate under control of the remote terminal if the receiver detects such incoming pilot signal within the time period, and operate independently of the remote terminal if such incoming pilot signal is not detected by the receiver within the time period, such independent operation including enabling a pilot signal transmission. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a method of communications includes listening for a period of time for an incoming pilot signal from a remote terminal that exceeds a threshold power level for the purpose of acquiring such incoming pilot signal and operating under control of the remote terminal, determining that such incoming pilot signal has not been acquired within the time period, and operating independently of the remote terminal, such independent operation including transmitting a pilot signal. 
     In yet another aspect of the present invention, a module includes means for listening for a period of time for an incoming pilot signal from a remote terminal that exceeds a threshold power level, means for operating under control of the remote terminal if such incoming pilot signal is detected within the time period, and means for operating independently of the remote terminal if such incoming pilot signal is not detected within the time period, such independent operation including enabling a pilot signal transmission. 
     In a further aspect of the present invention, computer readable media embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer program may be used to perform a method of communications, the method including listening for a period of time for an incoming pilot signal from a remote terminal that exceeds a threshold power level for the purpose of acquiring such incoming pilot and operating under control of the remote terminal, determining that such incoming pilot signal has not been acquired within the time period, and operating independently of the remote terminal, such independent operation including transmitting a pilot signal. 
     It is understood that other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various embodiments of the invention are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Aspects of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a piconet; 
         FIG. 2  is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a piconet having a peer-to-peer connection with an isolated terminal; 
         FIG. 3  is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of two neighboring piconets; and 
         FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a terminal capable of operating within a piconet. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. Each embodiment described in this disclosure is provided merely as an example or illustration of the present invention, and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the present invention. Acronyms and other descriptive terminology may be used merely for convenience and clarity and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
     In the following detailed description, various aspects of the present invention may be described in the context of a UWB wireless communications system. While these inventive aspects may be well suited for use with this application, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that these inventive aspects are likewise applicable for use in various other communication environments. Accordingly, any reference to a UWB communications system is intended only to illustrate the inventive aspects, with the understanding that such inventive aspects have a wide range of applications. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an example of a network topology for a piconet in a wireless communications system. A “piconet” is a collection of communication devices or terminals connected using wireless technology in an ad-hoc fashion. In at least one embodiment, each piconet has one master terminal and any number of member terminals slaved to the master terminal. In  FIG. 1 , a piconet  102  is shown with a master terminal  104  supporting communications between several member terminals  106 . The master terminal  104  may be able to communicate with each of the member terminals  106  in the piconet. The member terminals  106  may also be able to directly communicate with one another under control of the master terminal  104 . As to be explained in greater detail below, each member terminal  106  in the piconet  102  may also be able to directly communicate with terminals outside the piconet. 
     The master terminal  104  may communicate with the member terminals  106  using any multiple access scheme, such as time-division multiple access (TDMA), frequency-division multiple access (FDMA), code-division multiple access (CDMA), or any other multiple access scheme. To illustrate the various aspects of the present invention, the wireless communications system shown in  FIG. 1  will be described in the context of a hybrid multiple access scheme employing both TDMA and CDMA technologies. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the present invention is in no way limited to such multiple access schemes. 
     In TDMA communications, the master terminal  104  may use a periodic frame structure to communicate with the member terminals  106 . This frame is often referred to in the art as a medium access control (MAC) frame because it is used to provide access to the communications medium for various channels. The frame may be any duration depending on the particular application and overall design constraints. The frame may be further divided into any number of time slots to support TDMA communications. For simplicity of discussion, a pilot signal broadcast by the master terminal  104  may be positioned in the first time slot of each frame. The exact location of the pilot signal in the frame will vary from system to system depending on the preferences of the skilled artisan. 
     The pilot signal may be an unmodulated spread spectrum signal, or any other reference signal that is commonly used in traditional wireless communication systems. In spread spectrum communications, a psuedo-random noise (PN) code unique to the master terminal  104  may be used to spread the pilot signal. Using a correlation process, the member terminal  106  may search through all possible PN codes to acquire the strongest pilot signal, such as the pilot signal broadcast by the master terminal  104  in  FIG. 1 . The pilot signal may be used by the member terminal  106  to synchronize to the master terminal  104 . The pilot signal may also be used by the member terminal  106  as a phase reference in order to coherently demodulate communications from the master terminal  104 . The acquisition of a spread spectrum pilot signal is well known in the art. 
     Once the member terminal  106  acquires the pilot signal, it may communicate with the master terminal  104  through various control and traffic channels. One or more control channels may be time-division multiplexed into any number of time slots in the frame. Since the time slot assignments for the control channels are known by the member terminals  106 , a priori, the control channels may be accessed once the member terminal  106  is synchronized to the pilot signal. The control channels may be used by the master terminal  104  to schedule intra-piconet communications. The term “intra-piconet communications” refers to communications between terminals residing in the same piconet. The master terminal  104  may assign one or more time slots in the frame to support intra-piconet communications. By way of example, a particular transmitting terminal and a particular receiving member terminal may be scheduled to communicate during the n th  time slot in the frame. The transmitting terminal may use a portion of the n th  time slot in the frame to transmit a pilot signal, which may be used by the receiving terminal to coherently demodulate the communications. The master terminal  104  may also grant transmit opportunities in a slot to any number of terminals  106  in its piconet using a CDMA scheme. 
     The master terminal  104  may also be used to manage high data rate communications. This may be achieved by allowing only those terminals that can support a minimum or threshold data rate with the master terminal  104  to join the piconet  102 . In UWB communication systems, for example, a data rate of 1.2288 Mbps may be supported at a distance of 30-100 meters depending on the propagation conditions. In these systems, the master terminal  104  may be configured to organize the piconet  102  with member terminals  106  that can support a data rate of at least 1.2288 Mbps. If higher data rates are desired, the range may be further restricted. By way of example, data rates of 100 Mbps may be achieved in UWB systems at a range of 10 meters. 
     The member terminal  106  may be configured to determine whether it can satisfy the minimum data rate requirements of the piconet by measuring the link quality using the pilot signal broadcast from the master terminal  104 . As discussed in greater detail above, a terminal may identify the strongest pilot signal through a correlation process. The link quality may then be measured by computing the carrier-to-interference (C/I) ratio from the strongest pilot signal by means well known in the art. Based on the C/I ratio computation, the member terminal  106  may then determine whether the minimum or threshold data rate may be supported by means also well known in the art. If the member terminal  106  determines that the minimum or threshold data rate may be supported, it may attempt to join the piconet  102  by registering with the master terminal  104  over the appropriate control channel. 
     A member terminal  106 , due to the availability of line power or other power source, or larger stored power (battery), or due to administrative status may be a preferred master terminal based on these enhanced capabilities. After a member terminal  106  with enhanced capabilities registers with the piconet master  104 , it may attempt to gain control of the piconet through an exchange of signaling messages. If the piconet master  104  is not itself a preferred piconet master, it may surrender control to the member terminal  106 . In the process of surrendering control, the piconet master  104  may transfer its current state (e.g. on-going reservations, bridge terminals, etc) to the member terminal  106 . After the state transfer is complete, the piconet master may stop transmitting its pilot signal, and the member terminal  106  may become the new piconet master by transmitting its pilot signal. Terminals registered with the former piconet master  104  may re-acquire and re-register with the new piconet master  106 . In at least one embodiment, communications from the other member terminals  106  may be redirected to the new piconet master  106  before it gains control of the piconet. 
     In some instances, a terminal may be unable to find a pilot signal of sufficient signal strength to support the minimum or threshold data rate after a predetermined amount of time. This may result from any number of reasons. By way of example, the terminal may be too far from the master terminal. Alternatively, the propagation environment may be insufficient to support the requisite data rate. In either case, the terminal may be unable to join an existing piconet.  FIG. 2  illustrates an example of a network topology with a wireless terminal  202  unable to join the piconet  102  of  FIG. 1 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , if the terminal  202  is far away from the master terminal  104 , the terminal  202  may determine from the C/I ratio computed from the pilot signal broadcasted by the master terminal  104  that the minimum or threshold data rate cannot be sustained, or the terminal  202  may be unable to decode the pilot signal from master terminal  104 . As a result, the terminal  202  may begin operating as an isolated terminal independent of the piconet  102  by transmitting its own pilot signal. In a manner to be described in greater detail shortly, the isolated terminal  202  may engage in peer-to-peer communications with any member terminal  106  in the piconet  102  through a bridge terminal. “Peer-to-peer communications” refers to those communications between terminals that are not controlled by a master terminal. As discussed below, the master terminal may in fact set aside time in the piconet schedule to accommodate peer-to-peer transmissions from the bridge terminal. 
     The master terminal  104  may designate any number of member terminals  106  as piconet edge terminals, such as member terminal  106   a . The designation of piconet edge terminals may be based on feedback from the various member terminals  106 . By way of example, the computed C/I ratio from each member terminal  106  may provide a rough indication of those member terminals located at the edge of the piconet  102 . The piconet edge terminal  106   a  may be assigned the task of listening for pilot signals from isolated terminals. When a piconet edge terminal  106   a  detects a pilot signal from an isolated terminal, such as the isolated terminal  202  shown in  FIG. 2 , then the piconet edge terminal  106   a  may establish a peer-to-peer connection with the isolated terminal  202 . Although peer-to-peer communications in their purest sense are random, the master terminal  104  may exercise some control over these communications by scheduling the transmission and receiving times of the piconet edge terminal  106   a . To reduce interference, the master terminal  104  may schedule intra-piconet communications and peer-to-peer communications by the piconet edge terminals at different times. Communications between the isolated terminal  202  and any member terminal  106  in the piconet  102  may be supported through the bridge terminal  106   a.    
     The isolated terminal  202  may become the master terminal for a new piconet. On power up, terminals that are able to receive the pilot signal broadcast from the isolated terminal  202  with sufficient strength may attempt to acquire that pilot signal and join the piconet of this isolated terminal.  FIG. 3  illustrates an example of a network topology of this kind. The first piconet  102  is the same piconet described in connection with  FIG. 1  with its master terminal  104  supporting several member terminals  106 . The isolated terminal  202  described in connection with  FIG. 2  has become the master terminal for a second piconet  302 . The master terminal  202  in the second piconet  302  may be used to support multiple member terminals  306 . 
     Using feedback from the various member terminals  306 , the master terminal  202  in the second piconet  302  may designate one or more member terminals  306  as piconet edge terminals, such as member terminal  306   a . As described in greater detail above, the master terminal  104  in the first piconet  102  may also designate one or more member terminals  106  as piconet edge terminals, such as member terminal  106   a . In addition to listening for pilot signals broadcast from isolated terminals, each piconet edge terminal may also listen for pilot signals broadcast from other neighboring piconet master terminals. By way of example, when the piconet edge terminal  106   a  from the first piconet  102  detects the pilot signal broadcast from the master terminal  202  in the second piconet  302 , it may establish a connection with that master terminal  202 . The master terminal  202  may maintain that connection, or alternatively, assign a piconet edge terminal  306   a  to maintain the connection, in the second piconet  302 . The piconet edge terminals  106   a  and  306   a  may be referred to as bridge terminals. Communications between a terminal in the first piconet  102  and a terminal in the second piconet  302  may be supported through the bridge terminals  106   a  and  306   a.    
     The time period for which a terminal searches for a pilot signal from an existing piconet master before starting to transmit its own pilot signal may vary depending on the specific communications application and the overall design constraints. In one embodiment, the search time may be a function of the terminal&#39;s enhanced capabilities. Terminals with enhanced capabilities may use a shorter search time before starting to transmit a pilot signal. 
     Returning to  FIG. 1 , the master terminal  104  may be used to manage the number of member terminals  106  that may join the piconet  102 . In this embodiment, the master terminal  104  maintains a table of registered member terminals  106  in memory. The number of registered terminals stored in memory may be compared to a threshold number. The threshold number may be predetermined at the factory, or alternatively dynamically adjusted depending on the communications environment and other related factors. In any event, once the number of registered member terminals  106  reaches the threshold, the master terminal  104  may reduce the power level of the pilot signal. When the power level of the pilot signal is reduced, certain member terminals farthest from the master terminal  104  may no longer be able to receive the pilot signal at a level that is able to sustain the minimum or threshold data rate. These terminals may drop their membership in the piconet  102  and search for an alternative piconet master terminal. If one or more of these terminals is unable to find a suitable piconet master terminal, it may begin operating as an isolated terminal by transmitting its own pilot signal. It may remain an isolated terminal for peer-to-peer communications until such time that one or more wireless devices register with it, thereby forming a new piconet. 
       FIG. 4  is a conceptual block diagram illustrating one possible configuration of a terminal. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the precise configuration of the terminal may vary depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints. For the purposes of clarity and completeness, the various inventive concepts will be described in the context of a UWB terminal with spread-spectrum capability, however, such inventive concepts are likewise suitable for use in various other communication devices. Accordingly any reference to a spread-spectrum UWB terminal is intended only to illustrate the various aspects of the invention, with the understanding that such aspects have a wide range of applications. 
     The terminal may be implemented with a front end transceiver  402  coupled to an antenna  404 . A baseband processor  406  may be used to provide signal processing as well as executive control and overall system management functions. The terminal may also include various user interfaces  408  such as a keypad, display, ringer, vibrator, audio speaker, microphone, and the like. 
     The transceiver  402  may include a receiver  410 . The receiver  410  may be used to convert an analog waveform at RF frequencies received from the antenna  404  to a digital baseband signal. The receiver  410  may also be used to provide various gain and filter functions to improve overall performance. 
     The transceiver  402  may also include a transmitter  412 . The transmitter  412  may be used to convert a digital baseband signal from the baseband processor  406  to an analog waveform at RF frequencies for over the air transmission through the antenna  404 . The transmitter  412  may also be used to shape the waveform and provide gain adjustment to support various power control functions that are well known in the art. 
     The baseband processor  406  may include a modem  413  which provides various signal processing functions such as pilot signal acquisition, time synchronization, frequency tracking, spread-spectrum processing, modulation and demodulation functions, and forward error correction. The signal processing functions performed by the modem  413  may be controlled and coordinated by a controller  414 . 
     When power is initially applied to the terminal, the controller  414  may be used to invoke various signal processing functions including a search by the modem  413  through the digital baseband signal output from the receiver  410  for a spread-spectrum pilot signal broadcast from a master terminal. This may be accomplished through the combined efforts of a searcher  416  and PN code generator  418 . The PN code generator  418  may be used to sequence through all possible PN codes as the searcher attempts to align each code generated by the PN code generator  418  with a spread-spectrum pilot signal in the digital baseband signal. If the searcher  416  is successful and locates a pilot signal within a predetermined time established by the controller  412 , then the baseband processor  406  may be configured to slave its operation to the master terminal. As discussed earlier, the predetermined time may be set as a function of the terminal&#39;s capabilities. If the searcher  416  detects multiple pilot signals, it may select the strongest pilot signal to acquire and slave its operation to. 
     As discussed in detail earlier, the acquisition of the pilot signal may depend on the minimum data rate requirements for the piconet. The searcher  416  may be used to ensure that this condition is met by computing and evaluating a parameter from the pilot signal indicative of link quality. By way of example, the searcher  416  may be configured to compute the C/I ratio from the pilot signal and compare the resultant computation to a threshold. Using this method, the strongest pilot signal that exceeds the threshold may be acquired. 
     Once the pilot signal for a master terminal is acquired, the code generated by the PN code generator  418  and used by the searcher  416  to correlate the pilot signal may be provided to a modulator  420 . This code is a locally generated replica of the unique PN code assigned to the master terminal. The modulator  420  may use the code to spread various communications to the master terminal including registration information generated by the controller  414 , C/I ratio computed by the searcher  416 , and any other signaling information such as might be the case if the terminal is attempting to gain control of the piconet because it is a preferred master terminal. This information may be channelized by using a time-division multiplexing scheme or TDMA scheme using conventional contention and reservation techniques, or alternatively, orthogonal codes, such as Walsh codes. In any event, this spread-spectrum information may be released to the transmitter  412  in the appropriate control channel time slots in the frame. 
     The same code provided to the modulator  420  may also be provided to a demodulator  422  to recover information on one or more control channels. The recovered information may contain various commands and acknowledgements for the controller  414 . By way of example, the recovered information may contain an acknowledgement indicating that the terminal has been successfully registered with the master terminal, or that the master terminal will relinquish control of the piconet to the baseband processor  406 . 
     Another example of information that may be recovered by the demodulator  422  from the control channels is a command instructing the terminal to listen for pilot signals outside the piconet, as the case might be if the terminal is at the edge of the piconet. In response, the controller  414  may enable the searcher  416  to perform this function. The results of the search may be reported back to the master terminal using the modulator  420  to spread the results with the locally generated replica of the PN code for the master terminal. 
     Scheduling information may also be recovered by the demodulator  422  from the control channels and provided to the controller  414 . The scheduling information may include transmission and reception times for the terminal. If the communications are spread-spectrum, the scheduling information may also include PN code assignments for each transmission and reception. The controller  414  may use this scheduling information to manage the baseband processor  406 . 
     Returning for a moment to the pilot signal acquisition process on power-up, the controller  414  may be configured to disable the searcher  416  if a pilot signal of suitable strength cannot be acquired within a predetermined time. Once the searcher  416  is disabled, the controller  414  may configure the baseband processor  404  as an isolated or master terminal. In this configuration, the controller  414  may be used to enable a pilot signal generator  423 . The pilot generator  423  may be used to provide a pilot signal to the modulator  420 . The modulator  420  may spread the pilot signal with a PN code unique to the terminal. The spread-spectrum pilot signal may then be provided to the transmitter  412  for over-the-air broadcast via the antenna  404 . 
     The controller  414  may control the power level of the pilot signal to manage the size of the piconet. This may be achieved in a variety of fashions. By way of example, the controller  414  may be configured to maintain a list of all registered terminals in memory. As the registrations change due to the mobility of the member terminals, the controller  414  may be configured to periodically compare the number of registered terminals to a threshold. The threshold may be set to limit the amount of traffic in the piconet to avoid adverse effects on time sensitive communications. If the number of terminal registrations exceed the threshold, then the controller  414  may reduce the power of the pilot signal at the transmitter  412 . This should cause terminals at the edge of the piconet to drop their membership because they can no longer meet the minimum data rate requirements for the piconet. 
     The controller  414  may also be used to perform various control functions. By way of example, the controller  414  may engage in two-way communications with its member terminals to complete the registration process using one or more control channels. Piconet edge terminal assignments based on the C/I ratio computations of the individual member terminals and scheduling assignments may also be made by the controller. The information on the control channels may be spread with the terminal PN code by the modulator  420  for transmissions, and recovered using the terminal PN code by the demodulator  422  upon receipt. 
     Whether the baseband processor  406  is configured as a master or member terminal of a piconet, the manner in which traffic communications are handled are fundamentally the same. A buffer  424  may be used to store data from one or more of the various user interfaces  408 , such as data from the keypad or voice from the microphone. The controller  414  may be used to release the data from the buffer  424  at the scheduled time. The data may be provided to an encoder  426  for convolutional coding and interleaving. The encoded data may be provided to the modulator  420  for modulation and spreading with the appropriate PN code assigned to that transmission. The resultant data may then be provided to the transmitter  412  for over-the-air transmission via the antenna  404 . 
     The demodulator  422  may use a rake receiver to recover data transmitted by another terminal. Rake receivers are well known in the art. The rake receiver uses independent fading of resolvable multi-paths to achieve diversity gain. Specifically, the rake receiver may be configured to process one or more multipaths from the transmitting terminal. Each multipath may be fed into a separate finger processor to perform PN code dispreading. The searcher  416  may use the pilot embedded in the traffic signal to identify strong multipath arrivals and assign the fingers in the rake receiver. The result from each finger processor may then be combined to recover the data. The recovered data may be demodulated and provided to a decoder  428  for de-interleaving, decoding and frame-check functions. The decoded data may then be provided to one or more of the various user interfaces  420 , such as the display or audio speaker. 
     The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. 
     The methods or algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in the subscriber station, or elsewhere. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in the subscriber station, or elsewhere in an access network. 
     The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.