METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COLLISION DETECTION IN WIDER BANDWIDTH OPERATION

• US 20120082040A1
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gong, Michelle, Stacey, Robert, Stephens, Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 8,913,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0062 Avoidance of ingress interference, e.g. ham radio channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance

Abstract

Embodiments of systems and methods for providing collision detection in a wider bandwidth are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method to communicate using wideband transmissions, comprising:

monitoring for traffic in a plurality of secondary channels using a station (STA) configured for wideband transmission in a primary channel and the plurality of secondary channels;

determining that one or more channels of the plurality of secondary channels is idle;

transmitting a request to send (RTS) frame to a responder, wherein the RTS frame indicates available bandwidth at the STA;

receiving a clear to send (CTS) frame from the responder, wherein the CTS frame indicates available bandwidth at the responder; and

transmitting data by the STA using the available bandwidth indicated by the responder in the CTS frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary channel is 20 megahertz (MHz) in channel bandwidth, a first secondary channel is 20 MHz in channel bandwidth, a second secondary channel is 40 MHz in channel bandwidth, and wherein the primary channel, the first secondary channel, and the second secondary channel form a contiguous frequency band.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a third secondary channel of the plurality of secondary channels is 80 MHz in channel bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the third secondary channel is non-contiguous with the primary channel, the first secondary channel, and the second secondary channel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the STA and the responder are configured for static bandwidth operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the responder senses the primary channel and the plurality of secondary channels a point coordination function (PCF) interframe space (PIFS) prior to receiving the RTS frame.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wherein the STA and the responder are configured for dynamic bandwidth operation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the CTS frame and the RTS frame comprise a bandwidth mode bit.

9. A method for very high throughput (VHT) communications, comprising:

sensing, by a first station (STA) configured for VHT communication, to determine if a primary channel and a plurality of secondary channels are idle;

receiving a request to send (RTS) frame from a second (STA) configured for VHT communication, wherein the RTS frame indicates available bandwidth at the second STA;

transmitting a clear to send (CTS) frame to indicate available bandwidth at the first STA; and

receiving data from the second STA over the primary channel and a number of the secondary channels.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data is received from the second STA over the primary channel and the number of secondary channels based on a widest channel bandwidth indicated by the RTS frame.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second STA is configured for dynamic bandwidth operation.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising dynamically selecting the available bandwidth.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of secondary channels are non-contiguous frequency segments.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the CTS frame and the RTS frame comprise a bandwidth mode bit.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the method is performed in accordance with IEEE 802.11ac™

/D1.0.

16. A very high throughput (VHT) access point (AP) comprising an antenna and a wireless communication unit, wherein the VHT AP is configured to determine if a primary channel and a plurality of secondary channels are idle, to receive a request to send (RTS) frame from a VHT station (STA), wherein the RTS frame includes a field to indicate available bandwidth at the VHT STA, to transmit a clear to send (CTS) frame to indicate available bandwidth at the VHT AP, and to receive data from the VHT STA over the primary channel and a number of the secondary channels.

17. The VHT AP of claim 16, wherein the VHT AP is configured to operate using static bandwidth.

18. The VHT AP of claim 16, wherein the VHT AP is configured to operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11ac™

/D1.0.

19. The VHT AP of claim 16, wherein the CTS frame and the RTS frame comprise a bandwidth mode bit.

20. A wireless communication unit configured for very high throughput (VHT) communication over a primary channel and a plurality of secondary channels, and wherein the wireless communication unit is further configured to determine available bandwidth in the primary channel and the plurality of secondary channels and to determine available bandwidth in the primary channel and the plurality of secondary channels from a clear to send (CTS) frame received from a station.

21. The wireless communication unit of claim 20, wherein the wireless communication device is part of a system comprising a processor, a memory, and an antenna.

22. The wireless communication unit of claim 21, wherein the system is a VHT access point or a VHT station.

23. A very high throughput (VHT) station (STA) comprising an antenna and a wireless communication unit, wherein the VHT STA is configured to determine if a primary channel and a plurality of secondary channels are idle, to receive a request to send (RTS) frame from a second VHT STA, wherein the RTS frame indicates available bandwidth at the second VHT STA, to transmit a clear to send (CTS) frame to indicate available bandwidth at the VHT STA, and to receive data from the second VHT STA over the primary channel and a number of the secondary channels.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the CTS frame and the RTS frame comprise a bandwidth mode bit.

25. The device of claim 23, wherein the second STA is configured for dynamic bandwidth operation.