Access point, wireless device and methods for obtaining information about transmission patterns of interfering radio systems

• US 10,299,282 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2015
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Del Carpio Vega, Luis Felipe, Badihi, Behnam, Sundman, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Bednash, Joseph A
• Application Number:
  US15/580,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20180167949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

An AP, a wireless device as well as a method performed by the AP and a method performed by the wireless device for communication between the AP and the wireless device are provided. The AP and wireless device are operable in a WLAN employing contention based access for radio resources. The method performed by the AP comprises obtaining (110) information about transmission pattern(s) of interfering radio system(s), and determining (130) a deviation of packet length for transmission(s) of the interfering radio systems(s). The method further comprises indicating (140), to the wireless device the deviation of packet length and the information about transmission pattern(s) of interfering radio system(s) when the deviation is less than a deviation threshold.

Claims

1. A method performed by an Access Point (AP) operable in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) for communicating with a wireless device, the WLAN employing contention based access for radio resources, the method comprising:

obtaining information about a transmission pattern of an interfering radio system;

determining a deviation of packet length for transmissions of the interfering radio system; and

,

in response to determining that the deviation is less than a deviation threshold, indicating, to the wireless device, the deviation of packet length and the information about the transmission pattern of the interfering radio system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining information about time duration of transmissions of the interfering radio system, and indicating the time duration of transmissions of the interfering radio system when indicating, to the wireless device, the deviation of packet length and the information about the transmission pattern of the interfering radio system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the obtaining the information about time duration of transmissions comprises (i) estimating the time duration based on the transmission pattern of the interfering radio system, and/or (ii) receiving information about the time duration from the interfering radio system using inter-system communication.

4. A method performed by a wireless device in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) for communicating with an Access Point (AP), the WLAN employing contention-based access for radio resources, the method comprising:

receiving, from the AP, information indicating a deviation of packet length and information about a transmission pattern of an interfering radio system; and

using the received information for communication with the AP.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving information indicating an estimated time duration of transmissions of the interfering radio system, wherein the using of the received information also comprises using the received information about the estimated time duration of transmissions of the interfering radio system for communication with the AP.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the using of the received information comprises, when packet detection fails:

setting a virtual carrier sensing timer having a duration which is based on the received information, and

starting a virtual carrier sensing occasion counter.

7. An Access Point (AP) operable in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) for communicating with a wireless device, the WLAN employing contention-based access for radio resources, the AP comprising:

a processing circuit; and

a memory operatively coupled to the processing circuit and storing program instructions for execution by the processing circuit, whereby the AP is configured to;

obtain information about a transmission pattern of an interfering radio system;

determine a deviation of packet length for transmission of the interfering radio system; and

in response to determining that the deviation is less than a deviation threshold, indicating, to the wireless device, the deviation of packet length and the information about the transmission pattern of the interfering radio system.

8. The AP of claim 7, further being configured to obtain information about time duration of transmissions of the interfering radio systems, and to indicate, to the wireless device, the time duration of transmissions of the interfering radio system.

9. The AP of claim 8, wherein the AP is configured to obtain the information about time duration of transmissions by (i) estimating the time duration based on the transmission pattern of the interfering radio system, and/or (ii) receiving information about the time duration from the interfering radio system using inter-system communication.

10. The AP of claim 7, wherein the AP is configured to obtain the information about the transmission pattern by receiving the information from the interfering radio system.

11. The AP of claim 7, wherein the AP is configured to obtain the information about the transmission pattern by performing measurements of interfering transmissions from the interfering radio system.

12. The AP of claim 7, wherein the information signaled to the wireless device comprises information indicating whether the wireless device may use the information for choosing length of virtual carrier-sensing time and/or choosing length of a sleep mode period.

13. A wireless device operable in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) for communicating with an Access Point (AP) the WLAN employing contention based access for radio resources, the wireless device comprising:

a processing circuit; and

a memory operatively coupled to the processing circuit and storing program instructions for execution by the processing circuit, whereby the wireless device is configured to;

receive, from the AP, information indicating a deviation of packet length and information about a transmission pattern of an interfering radio system, and

use the received information for communication with the AP.

14. The wireless device of claim 13, further being configured for receiving information indicating an estimated time duration of transmission(s) of interfering radio systems(s), wherein the using of the received information also comprises using the received information about the estimated time duration of transmission(s) of interfering radio systems(s) for communication with the AP.

15. The wireless device of claim 13, further being configured to use the received information by, when packet detection fails:

setting a virtual carrier sensing timer having a duration which is based on the received information, and

starting a virtual carrier sensing occasion counter.

16. The wireless device of claim 15, further being configured to switch to sleep mode after the virtual carrier sensing timer is set.

17. The wireless device of claim 15, further being configured to use the received information further by, when the virtual carrier sensing timer expires:

switching to active mode if being in sleep mode,

determining whether the radio resources are free or busy,

when the radio resources are busy and when decoding of detected traffic fails;

determining if the maximum number of trials to access the radio resources has been reached based on the virtual carrier sensing occasion counter, and

when the maximum number of trials to access the radio resources has been reached, refraining from setting the virtual carrier sensing timer.

18. The wireless device of claim 17, further being configured to, when the maximum number of trials to access the radio resources has not been reached:

start the virtual carrier sensing timer, and

increment a virtual carrier sensing occasion counter.

19. The wireless device of claim 17, further being configured to, when the maximum number of trials to access the radio resources has been reached, attempt to access the radio resources again by determining whether the radio resources are free or busy.

20. The wireless device of claim 19, further being configured to, after a transmission of data to the AP has been performed and failed, increment a transmission counter, determine whether the maximum number of trials to transmit the data has been reached, and, when so:

refrain from setting the virtual carrier sensing timer.