Method for achieving backward compatibility in large bandwidth wireless network, and access point

• US 20130242957A1
• Filed: 08/15/2011
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Lv, Kaiying, Sun, Bo, Li, Nan
• Granted Patent: US 9,094,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0005 Time-frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0092 Indication of how the channel is divided
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/02 Resource partitioning among network components, e.g. reuse partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method for achieving backward compatibility in a large bandwidth wireless network and an Access Point (AP) for solving the technical problem of compatibility between a more effective channelization solution and a plurality of existing channelization solutions. The technical solution of the disclosure is implemented on the basis of time division multiplexing and frequency division multiplexing, and under the time division multiplexing mode, the AP sends/receives wireless frames on channels belonging to a first and a second channelization set respectively and alternately in terms of time according to a communication protocol; and under the frequency division multiplexing mode, the AP independently configures time window parameters and the corresponding main and/or secondary channel parameters on the channels which belong to the first and second channelization sets and are non-overlapped in the frequency domain, and sends/receives the wireless frames. By way of the above solution of the disclosure, the wireless station can establish a large bandwidth wireless network supporting backward compatibility.

Claims

1. A method for achieving backward compatibility in a large bandwidth wireless network, comprising:

sending/receiving, by an Access Point (AP), wireless frames on channels belonging to a first channelization set and a second channelization set respectively and alternately in terms of time according to a communication protocol, the wireless frames comprising at least one of the followings;

wireless control frames, wireless management frames and data wireless frames.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending/receiving, by a Non-AP Station (STA) associated with the AP which only supports the first channelization set or the second channelization set, wireless frames on a channel in the first channelization set or on a channel in the second channelization set according to a communication protocol;

sending/receiving, by a Non-AP STA associated with the AP which supports the first channelization set and the second channelization set, wireless frames on a channel in the first channelization set or on a channel in the second channelization set according to a communication protocol.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the AP, control and management information and system configuration information or system configuration information belonging to each channelization solution on a primary channel belonging to the first channelization set and a primary channel belonging to the second channelization set respectively and alternately in terms of time.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the AP sends the system configuration information, or the system configuration information and the control and management information through broadcast or unicast and notifies a Non-AP STA associated with the AP that a Basic Service Set (BSS) to which the Non-AP STA associated with the AP belongs performs switching of working channels between the first channelization set and the second channelization set;

the system configuration information at least comprises one of the following parameters;

primary channel configuration parameters and time window parameters of the BSS working on a corresponding channelization set;

the control and management information is configured to, in an explicit manner, notify the BSS to perform the switching of the working channels between the first channelization set and the second channelization set.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein

the time window parameters are configured to indicate a contention interval and a contention free interval on a current working channel;

the contention free interval comprises a contention free working time on a working channel in a current channelization set and a working time on a working channel in the other channelization set in terms of time.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

the AP adjusts time window parameters corresponding to channels in the first channelization set and the second channelization set according to an upper-layer command or a local automatic configuration script.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein after the AP sends the control and management information through broadcast or unicast and notifies the Non-AP STA associated with the AP that the BSS performs the switching of working channels, the AP sends a channel reservation message on a current working channel, and then switches to work on a working channel of the other channelization set;

or the AP switches to work on a working channel of the other channelization set after a specified time.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

finishing, by a Non-AP STA which only supports the first channelization set or the second channelization set, a network access process together with the AP on a channel in the first channelization set or on a channel in the second channelization set according to a communication protocol;

finishing, by a Non-AP STA which supports the first channelization set and the second channelization set, a network access process together with the AP on a channel in the first channelization set or on a channel in the second channelization set according to a communication protocol.

18. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

the AP adjusts time window parameters corresponding to channels in the first channelization set and the second channelization set according to an upper-layer command or a local automatic configuration script.

8. A method for achieving backward compatibility in a large bandwidth wireless network, comprising:

sending/receiving, by an Access Point (AP), wireless frames on channels which belong to a first channelization set and a second channelization set respectively and are non-overlapped in a frequency domain, the wireless frames comprising at least one of the followings;

wireless control frames, wireless management frames and data wireless frames;

the AP independently configures at least one of the following parameters on channels of the first channelization set and the second channelization set;

time window parameters, and primary channel parameters.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

sending/receiving, by a Non-AP STA associated with the AP which only supports the first channelization set or the second channelization set, wireless frames on a channel in the first channelization set or on a channel in the second channelization set according to a communication protocol;

sending/receiving, by a Non-AP STA associated with the AP which supports the first channelization set and the second channelization set, wireless frames on a channel in the first channelization set or on a channel in the second channelization set according to a communication protocol.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

sending, by the AP, a working channel switching message to notify a Non-AP STA associated with the AP which supports the first channelization set and the second channelization set to switch a working channel;

the working channel switching message at least comprises one of the following information;

switching time indication information, target primary working channel information and channelization set information of a target working channel.

19. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

finishing, by a Non-AP STA which only supports the first channelization set or the second channelization set, a network access process together with the AP on a channel in the first channelization set or on a channel in the second channelization set according to a communication protocol;

finishing, by a Non-AP STA which supports the first channelization set and the second channelization set, a network access process together with the AP on a channel in the first channelization set or on a channel in the second channelization set according to a communication protocol.

12. An Access Point (AP) for achieving backward compatibility in a large bandwidth wireless network, comprising:

a control module, configured to control a transmitting and receiving module to send control and management information and system configuration information or system configuration information belonging to each channelization solution on a primary channel belonging to a first channelization set and a primary channel belonging to a second channelization set respectively and alternately in terms of time;

a transmitting and receiving module configured to, under the control of the control module, send/receive wireless frames on channels belonging to the first and the second channelization set respectively and alternately in terms of time according to a communication protocol;

wherein the wireless frames comprises at least one of the followings;

wireless control frames, wireless management frames and data wireless frames.

13. The AP according to claim 12, wherein

the transmitting and receiving module sends the system configuration information, or the system configuration information and the control and management information through broadcast or unicast and notifies a Non-AP STA associated with the AP that a Basic Service Set (BSS) to which the Non-AP STA associated with the AP belongs performs switching of working channels between the first channelization set and the second channelization set;

the system configuration information at least comprises one of the following parameters;

primary channel configuration parameters and time window parameters of the BSS working on a corresponding channelization set;

the control and management information is configured to, in an explicit manner, notify the BSS to perform the switching of the working channels between the first channelization set and the second channelization set.

14. The AP according to claim 13, wherein

the time window parameters are configured to indicate a contention interval and a contention free interval on a current working channel;

the contention free interval comprises a contention free working time on a working channel in a current channelization set and a working time on a working channel in the other channelization set in terms of time;

the control module is further configured to adjust time window parameters corresponding to channels in the first channelization set and the second channelization set according to an upper-layer command or a local automatic configuration script.

15. The AP according to claim 13, wherein

the control module is further configured to, after the transmitting and receiving module notifies the Non-AP STA associated with the AP that the BSS performs the switching of the working channels, send a channel reservation message on a current working channel, and then control the transmitting and receiving module to switch to work on a working channel in the other channelization set;

or directly control the transmitting and receiving module to switch to work on a working channel of the other channelization set after a specified time.

16. An Access Point (AP) for achieving backward compatibility in a large bandwidth wireless network, comprising:

a first configuration module configured to independently configure at least one of the following parameters on channels which belong to a first channelization set and a second channelization set and are non-overlapped in a frequency domain;

time window parameters, and primary channel parameters;

a first transmitting and receiving module configured to, according to configuration of the first configuration module, independently send/receive wireless frames on a channel belonging to the first channelization set and on a channel belonging to the second channelization set;

wherein the wireless frames include at least one of the followings;

wireless control frames, wireless management frames and data wireless frames.

17. The AP according to claim 16, wherein

the first transmitting and receiving module is further configured to send a working channel switching message to notify a Non-AP STA associated with the AP which supports the first channelization set and the second channelization set to switch a working channel;

wherein the working channel switching message at least comprises one of the following information;

switching time indication information, target primary working channel information and channelization set information of a target working channel.