Device coexistence within single user, multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications

• US 20120269069A1
• Filed: 04/23/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Porat, Ron, Fischer, Matthew James, Jindal, Nihar
• Granted Patent: US 8,774,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2603 Signal structure ensuring backward compatibility with legacy system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/26035 Maintenance of orthogonality, e.g. for signals exchanged between cells or users, or by using covering codes or sequences using different training sequence per antenna H04B7/0684; code allocation H04J13/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2613 Structure of the reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2618 Reduction thereof using auxiliary subcarriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2666 Acquisition of further OFDM parameters, e.g. bandwidth, subcarrier spacing, or guard interval length
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/18 TPC being performed according to specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Device coexistence within single user, multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications. Different respective communication devices operating using different respective communication channels having different respective channel bandwidths may be implemented within a given communication system. For example, different respective communication devices may belong to different basic services sets (BSSs) (e.g., a 1 MHz BSS operating using channel bandwidths of 1 MHz, and a 2 MHz BSS operating using channel bandwidths of 2 MHz). To effectuate coexistence among different respective devices operating using different respective channel bandwidths, devices but longing to the 1 MHz BSS monitor for and listen for 2 MHz wide communication activity, and those 1 MHz BSS communication devices defer to any detected communication activity on any portion of the 2 MHz channel.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one antenna to transmit at least one first signal or to receive at least one second signal from at least one additional apparatus;

a physical layer (PHY) to;

support communications with the at least one additional apparatus in accordance with a plurality of channel bandwidths, such that a first of the plurality of channel bandwidths is a sub-channel of a second of the plurality of channel bandwidths;

continuously to monitor a largest of the plurality of channel bandwidths for communication activity thereon; and

a baseband processing module to;

analyze the at least one second signal, or at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal, to identify any communication activity on any one of the plurality of channel bandwidths; and

selectively direct the apparatus not to transmit any signal for a period of time when communication activity identified on any one of the plurality of channel bandwidths or allow the apparatus not effectuate the communications with the at least one additional apparatus when no communication activity identified on any one of the plurality of channel bandwidths; and

wherein;

the PHY to support transmission communications only via channel bandwidths of a common size as the first of the plurality of channel bandwidths that is the sub-channel of the second of the plurality of channel bandwidths.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the largest of the plurality of channel bandwidths is 2 MHz;

the second of the plurality of channel bandwidths is a 2 MHz bandwidth channel; and

the first of the plurality of channel bandwidths is a 1 MHz sub-channel of the 2 MHz bandwidth channel.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the baseband processing module to:

extract signal field (SIG) length information from the at least one second signal or the at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal; and

selectively direct the apparatus not to transmit any signal for a counted down period of time based on the SIG length information.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the baseband processing module to:

decode the at least one second signal, or the at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal, to extract at least one of preamble and signal field (SIG) information therein; and

based on the at least one of preamble and SIG information, selectively decode or not decode a remainder of the at least one second signal, or the at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal, following the at least one of preamble and SIG information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the apparatus is a wireless station (STA); and

the at least one additional apparatus is an access point (AP).

6. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one antenna to transmit at least one first signal or to receive at least one second signal from at least one additional apparatus;

a physical layer (PHY) to support communications with the at least one additional apparatus in accordance with a plurality of channel bandwidths, such that a first of the plurality of channel bandwidths is a sub-channel of a second of the plurality of channel bandwidths; and

a baseband processing module to;

analyze the at least one second signal, or at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal, to identify any communication activity on any one of the plurality of channel bandwidths; and

selectively direct the apparatus not to transmit any signal for a period of time when communication activity identified on any one of the plurality of channel bandwidths or allow the apparatus not effectuate the communications with the at least one additional apparatus when no communication activity identified on any one of the plurality of channel bandwidths.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

a largest channel bandwidth of any of the plurality of channel bandwidths is 2 MHz;

the second of the plurality of channel bandwidths is a 2 MHz bandwidth channel; and

the first of the plurality of channel bandwidths is a 1 MHz sub-channel of the 2 MHz bandwidth channel.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the PHY continuously to monitor a largest of the plurality of channel bandwidths for communication activity thereon.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the baseband processing module to:

extract signal field (SIG) length information from the at least one second signal or the at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal; and

selectively direct the apparatus not to transmit any signal for a counted down period of time based on the SIG length information.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the baseband processing module to:

decode the at least one second signal, or the at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal, to extract at least one of preamble and signal field (SIG) information therein; and

based on the at least one of preamble and SIG information, selectively decode or not decode a remainder of the at least one second signal, or the at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal, following the at least one of preamble and SIG information.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the PHY to support transmission communications only via channel bandwidths of a common size as the first of the plurality of channel bandwidths that is the sub-channel of the second of the plurality of channel bandwidths.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the apparatus being a communication device within a 2 MHz basic services set (BSS) self-imposing 1 MHz communications on at least one of a first 1 MHz bandwidth channel and a 2 MHz bandwidth channel adjacent thereto within a 2 MHz channel bandwidth.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the apparatus is a wireless station (STA); and

the at least one additional apparatus is an access point (AP).

14. A method for operating a communication device, the method comprising:

via at least one antenna of the communication device, transmitting at least one first signal or receiving at least one second signal from at least one additional communication device;

operating a physical layer (PHY) of the communication device to support communications with the at least one additional communication device in accordance with a plurality of channel bandwidths, such that a first of the plurality of channel bandwidths is a sub-channel of a second of the plurality of channel bandwidths;

analyzing the at least one second signal, or at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal, to identify any communication activity on any one of the plurality of channel bandwidths; and

selectively not transmitting any signal for a period of time when communication activity identified on any one of the plurality of channel bandwidths or allowing communications with the at least one additional communication device when no communication activity identified on any one of the plurality of channel bandwidths.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

a largest channel bandwidth of any of the plurality of channel bandwidths is 2 MHz;

the second of the plurality of channel bandwidths is a 2 MHz bandwidth channel; and

the first of the plurality of channel bandwidths is a 1 MHz sub-channel of the 2 MHz bandwidth channel.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

operating the PHY to monitor continuously a largest of the plurality of channel bandwidths for communication activity thereon.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

extracting signal field (SIG) length information from the at least one second signal or the at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal; and

selectively not transmitting any signal for a counted down period of time based on the SIG length information.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

decoding the at least one second signal, or the at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal, to extract at least one of preamble and signal field (SIG) information therein; and

based on the at least one of preamble and SIG information, selectively decoding or not decoding a remainder of the at least one second signal, or the at least one additional signal corresponding to the at least one second signal, following the at least one of preamble and SIG information.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

operating the PHY to support transmission communications only via channel bandwidths of a common size as the first of the plurality of channel bandwidths that is the sub-channel of the second of the plurality of channel bandwidths.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the communication device is an access point (AP); and

the at least one additional communication device is a wireless station (STA).