System and method for coordinating bandwidth usage of a communication channel by wireless network nodes

摘要

A system and method is provided for coordinating wireless bandwidth usage of a common frequency band by wireless nodes in two disjoint networks, such as an infrastructure (“IS”) network and an ad hoc (“AH”) network. When AH nodes move into the transmission range of an access point of the IS network, they register with the access point and listen to the access point to tell them when they are allowed to transmit data over a given transmission channel. The access point coordinates the bandwidth usage by broadcasting ad hoc mode poll signals to indicate that the ad hoc nodes may transmit over the channel, and sending infrastructure mode poll signals to indicate that a wireless node in the IS network can transmit over the given channel. The access point makes a fraction of the bandwidth available for communications by the wireless AH nodes in its transmission range, while guaranteeing the rest of the bandwidth for wireless nodes in the IS network.