METHOD FOR CHANNEL SWITCHING IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR

• US 20140148100A1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Suhwook, Kim, Bonghoe, Lim, Jaewon
• Granted Patent: US 9,655,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for switching an operating channel of a device in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system, and an apparatus therefor. Specifically, the method includes the steps of: setting an association with a first frequency band coordinator; receiving channel switching information from the first frequency band coordinator; channel switching to a second frequency-band channel using the received channel switching information; and setting an association with a second frequency band coordinator, wherein the channel switching information includes a residual time with a time limit which channel switches from a first frequency band to a second frequency band, an operating channel in the second frequency band, and a prearranged transmission time of a beacon frame in the operating channel in the second frequency band.

Claims

1. In a method for switching an operating channel of a device in a WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network) system, a channel switching method comprises:

setting up an association with a coordinator of a first frequency band;

receiving channel switching information from the coordinator of the first frequency band;

channel switching to a channel of a second frequency band by using the received channel switching information; and

setting up an association with a coordinator of a second frequency band, wherein the channel switching information includes a remaining time until a time point, at which channel switching is performed from the first frequency band to the second frequency band, an operating channel in the second frequency band, and a prearranged transmission time point of a beacon frame in the operating channel in the second frequency band.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting the coordinator of the first frequency band for the channel switching information,

wherein the channel switching information is transmitted through a Channel switching parameter response frame as a response to the request for the channel switching information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel switching information is transmitted through a beacon frame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel switching information is transmitted through a Channel switch notification command.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel switching information further includes address information of the coordinator of the second frequency band or a PAN (Personal Area Network) identifier of the coordinator of the second frequency band.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first frequency band corresponds to a frequency band ranging from 2390 MHz to 2400 MHz, and wherein the second frequency band corresponds to a frequency band ranging from 2360 MHz to 2390 MHz.

7. In a device switching an operating channel of a device in a WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network) system, the device comprises:

an RF (Radio Frequency) unit configured to transmit and receive radio signals; and

a processor configured to set up an association with a coordinator of a first frequency band, to receive channel switching information from the coordinator of the first frequency band, to channel switch to a channel of a second frequency band by using the received channel switching information, and to set up an association with a coordinator of a second frequency band, and

wherein the channel switching information includes a remaining time until a time point, at which channel switching is performed from the first frequency band to the second frequency band, an operating channel in the second frequency band, and a prearranged transmission time point of a beacon frame in the operating channel in the second frequency band.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor requests the coordinator of the first frequency band for the channel switching information, and wherein the channel switching information is transmitted through a Channel switching parameter response frame as a response to the request for the channel switching information.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the channel switching information is transmitted through a beacon frame.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the channel switching information is transmitted through a Channel switch notification command.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the channel switching information further includes address information of the coordinator of the second frequency band or a PAN (Personal Area Network) identifier of the coordinator of the second frequency band.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the first frequency band corresponds to a frequency band ranging from 2390 MHz to 2400 MHz, and wherein the second frequency band corresponds to a frequency band ranging from 2360 MHz to 2390 MHz.