Separation of control and data subbands in unlicensed spectrum

• US 10,129,870 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Junyi, Touboul, Assaf, Wu, Xinzhou, Gubeskys, Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Levitan, Dmitry
• Application Number:
  US14/842,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 370310, 370328, 370329, 370330, 370343, 370431, 370438
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance

Abstract

A wireless device may identify a first subband in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band used to communicate control traffic. The wireless device may identify a second subband in the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band used to communicate data traffic. The first subband and the second subband may be different. The wireless device may reserve the first subband for a first duration of time for a plurality of wireless devices. The reservation may be based at least in part on an enhanced self-clear-to-send (self-CTS) transmitted over the first subband.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

identifying, by a first device, a first subband in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band and a second subband in the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, wherein the first subband and the second subband are different;

reserving, by the first device, the first subband for a first duration of time for communication of control traffic between at least a second device and a third device, wherein the first subband is reserved by a first self-clear-to-send (self-CTS) transmitted over the first subband by the first device; and

refraining from transmitting over the second subband during a second duration of time reserved by a second self-CTS received from the second device or the third device, wherein the second subband is reserved for communication of data traffic between at least the second and third device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data traffic over the second subband during the second duration of time.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, over the first subband during the first duration of time, a subband assignment for the second subband, wherein the second self-CTS is based at least in part on the subband assignment.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting data traffic over the second subband during a third duration of time, wherein the second subband is reserved for the third duration of time by a third self-CTS transmitted over the second subband by the first device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, over the first subband during the first duration of time, a subband assignment for the second subband.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving control traffic over the first subband by at least one of the second device and the third device during the first duration of time.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the control traffic comprises at least one of a traffic request or a channel quality indicator (CQI) report.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting control traffic over the first subband to at least one of the second device and the third device during the first duration of time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein transmitting the control traffic comprises:

transmitting the control traffic according to a random access scheme or a pre-determined round robin time division multiple access (TDMA) scheme.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a wireless device associated with control traffic transmitted over the first subband during the first duration of time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a central coordinator and further comprising:

refraining, by the first device, from using the first subband during the reserved first duration of time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first self-CTS comprises a network identifier (ID) that corresponds to a network with which the second device and the third device belong.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subband is lower in frequency than the second subband and comprises a smaller bandwidth than the second subband.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subband comprises a frequency that is in a sub 1 GHz range and the second subband comprises a frequency that is in a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band, and a bandwidth of the second subband is at least ten times larger than the first subband.

15. A first apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and operable, when executed by the processor, to cause the apparatus to;

identify a first subband in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band and a second subband in the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, wherein the first subband and the second subband are different; and

reserve the first subband for a first duration of time for communication of control traffic between at least a second apparatus and a third apparatus, wherein the first subband is reserved by a first self-clear-to-send (self-CTS) transmitted over the first subband by the first apparatus; and

refrain from transmitting over the second subband during a second duration of time reserved by a second self-CTS received from the second apparatus or the third apparatus, wherein the second subband is reserved for communication of data traffic between at least the second and third apparatus.

16. The first apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the first apparatus to:

receive data traffic over the second subband during the second duration of time.

17. The first apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the first apparatus to:

transmit, over the first subband during the first duration of time, a subband assignment for the second subband, wherein the second self-CTS is based at least in part on the subband assignment.

18. The first apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the first apparatus to:

transmit data traffic over the second subband during a third duration of time, wherein the second subband is reserved for the third duration of time by a third self-CTS transmitted over the second subband by the first apparatus.

19. The first apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the first apparatus to:

receive, over the first subband during the first duration of time, a subband assignment for the second subband.

20. The first apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the first apparatus to:

receive control traffic over the first subband by at least one of the second apparatus and third apparatus during the first duration of time.

21. The first apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the first apparatus to:

transmit control traffic over the first subband to at least one of the second apparatus and third apparatus during the first duration of time.

22. The first apparatus of claim 21, wherein transmitting the control traffic comprises:

transmitting the control traffic according to a random access scheme or a pre-determined round robin time division multiple access (TDMA) scheme.

23. The first apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first apparatus comprises a wireless device associated with control traffic transmitted over the first subband during the first duration of time.

24. A first apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for identifying a first subband in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band and a second subband in the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, wherein the first subband and the second subband are different;

means for reserving the first subband for a first duration of time for communication of control traffic between at least a second apparatus and a third apparatus, wherein the first subband is reserved by a first self-clear-to-send (self-CTS) transmitted over the first subband by the first apparatus; and

refrain from transmitting over the second subband during a second duration of time reserved by a second self-CTS received from the second apparatus or the third apparatus, wherein the second subband is reserved for communication of data traffic between at least the second and third apparatus.

25. The first apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

means for receiving data traffic over the second subband during the second duration of time.

26. The first apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

means for transmitting, over the first subband during the first duration of time, a subband assignment for the second subband, wherein the second self-CTS is based at least in part on the subband assignment.

27. The first apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

means for transmitting data traffic over the second subband during a third duration of time, wherein the second subband is reserved for the third duration of time by a third self-CTS transmitted over the second subband.

28. The first apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

means for receiving, over the first subband during the first duration of time, a subband assignment for the second subband.

29. The first apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

means for receiving control traffic over the first subband by at least one of the second apparatus and third apparatus during the first duration of time.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable to:

identify, by a first device, a first subband in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band and a second subband in the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, wherein the first subband and the second subband are different;

reserve, by the first device, the first subband for a first duration of time for communication of control traffic between at least a second device and a third device, wherein the first subband is reserved by a first self-clear-to-send (self-CTS) transmitted over the first subband by the first device; and

refrain from transmitting over the second subband during a second duration of time reserved by a second self-CTS received from the second device or the third device, wherein the second subband is reserved for communication of data traffic between at least the second and third device.