METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING BEACON INFORMATION

• US 20070167140A1
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chandra, Arty, Zeira, Eldad M., Levy, Joseph S., Grandhi, Sudheer A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,780,871 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/88
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel

Abstract

A method and apparatus for distributing beacon information includes a first WTRU modifying a physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) header in a physical protocol data unit (PHY PDU) frame to include beacon information. The first WTRU transmits the modified PLCP header to a second WTRU. The second WTRU receives the modified PLCP header and extracts beacon information from the modified PLCP header. The second WTRU associates with the first WTRU.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication system comprising a plurality of wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs), a method for distributing beacon information, the method comprising:

a first WTRU modifying a physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) header in a physical protocol data unit (PHY PDU) frame to include beacon information;

the first WTRU transmitting the modified PLCP header to a second WTRU;

the second WTRU receiving the modified PLCP header and extracting beacon information from the modified PLCP header; and

the second WTRU associating with the first WTRU.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the beacon information includes beacon information elements relating to any one of the following:

time stamp, beacon interval, service set identifier (SSID) capability, supported data rate, FH parameter, CF parameter, and DS parameter.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a PLCP frame includes a PLCP preamble field, a signal field, and a data field.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the signal field further comprises a rate field, a reserved field, a length field, a parity field, and a tail field.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the data field further comprises a service field, a PSDU field, a tail field, and a pad bits field.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the beacon information includes fixed beacon information elements and variable beacon information elements.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein a variable beacon information element is included in a variable information frame.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the variable information frame includes an element ID field, a length field, and an SSID field.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein a variable beacon information element includes SSID and supported rate.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein a fixed beacon information element is included in a fixed information frame.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the fixed information frame includes an element field and a time stamp field.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein the first WTRU adds the beacon information elements in a physical layer header.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising expanding the signal field to include the beacon information elements.

17. The method of claim 8 wherein the first WTRU includes the beacon information elements in a medium access control (MAC) header.

18. The method of claim 8 wherein the first WTRU includes the beacon information elements in the MAC payload.

19. The method of claim 8 wherein the first WTRU includes the beacon information elements after the PLCP preamble.

20. The method of claim 8 wherein the signal field and the service field comprise the PLCP header.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the first WTRU includes the beacon information elements before the PLCP header.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the first WTRU includes the beacon information elements after the PLCP header.

23. The method of claim 8 wherein each beacon information element is transmitted with its own cyclic redundancy check (CRC).

24. The method of claim 8 wherein a last beacon information element includes a CRC for all information elements.

25. The method of claim 8 wherein the beacon information elements are segregated and transmitted in different management, control, and data packets.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein a part of an individual beacon information element is transmitted in a single packet.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein an entire beacon information element is transmitted in a single packet.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein a plurality of beacon information elements are transmitted in a single packet.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein the second WTRU extracts a beacon information element from the packet to associate with the first WTRU.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein each packet contains information relating to a source of the packet.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the first WTRU is an access point (AP) and the second WTRU is a station (STA).

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the AP is connected to an external network.

33. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second WTRUs are STAs.

2. The method of claim 2 wherein the beacon information is included in a non-beacon control packet.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the beacon information is included in a data packet.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the beacon information is included in a management packet.

34. An access point (AP) configured to perform a method of distributing beacon information, the AP comprising:

a receiver;

a transmitter; and

a processor in communication with the receiver and the transmitter, wherein the processor is configured to modify a physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) header in a physical protocol data unit (PHY PDU) frame to include beacon information elements, transmit the modified PLCP header to at least one wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), and associate with the WTRU.

35. The AP of claim 34 wherein the processor is further configured to include variable beacon information elements in a variable information frame.

36. The AP of claim 34 wherein the processor is further configured to include fixed beacon information elements in a fixed information frame.

37. The AP of claim 34 wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a plurality of beacon information elements in a single packet.

38. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) configured to perform a method of distributing beacon information, the WTRU comprising:

a receiver;

a transmitter; and

a processor in communication with the receiver and the transmitter, wherein the processor is configured to modify a physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) header in a physical protocol data unit (PHY PDU) frame to include beacon information elements, transmit the modified PLCP header to at least one other WTRU, and associate with the at least one other WTRU.

39. The WTRU of claim 38 wherein the processor is further configured to include variable beacon information elements in a variable information frame.

40. The WTRU of claim 38 wherein the processor is further configured to include fixed beacon information elements in a fixed information frame.

41. The WTRU of claim 38 wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a plurality of beacon information elements in a single packet.

42. The WTRU of claim 38 wherein the processor is further configured to receive a modified PLCP header from at least one other WTRU, extract beacon information from the receive modified PLCP header, and associate with the at least one other WTRU.