UPLINK SIGNAL TRANSMISSION METHOD AND STATION DEVICE, AND UPLINK SIGNAL RECEIVING METHOD AND ACCESS POINT DEVICE

• US 20150085836A1
• Filed: 03/25/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kang, Jiwon, Kim, Dongcheol, Park, Kyujin, Jang, Jiwoong, Cho, Hangyu, Park, Sungho, Lim, Dongguk
• Granted Patent: US 9,392,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/002 Mutual synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present invention provides an uplink signal transmission method and apparatus. A method for transmitting an uplink signal to an access point (AP) by means of a station (STA) in a Wireless local area network (WLAN) system comprises: sensing a medium being occupied by another STA; and transmitting the uplink signal to the AP on the medium being occupied by another STA.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting an uplink signal to an access point (AP) by a station (STA) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

sensing a signal transmitted to the AP by another STA on a medium to sense that the medium is being occupied by the another STA;

acquiring at least one of identifier information of the another STA, identifier information of the AP, and time/frequency synchronization information with the another STA, based on the sensed signal; and

transmitting the uplink signal to the AP on the medium currently occupied by the another STA, using the acquired information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the uplink signal is transmitted in synchronization with a frequency and a signal transmission timing of the another STA.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the uplink signal is transmitted on the medium currently occupied by the another STA when frequency synchronization of the STA is identical to frequency synchronization of the another STA.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the uplink signal is transmitted on the medium currently occupied by the another STA when the sensed signal is a request-to-send (RTS) packet of the another STA or is a data segment within a specific order among data segments of the another STA.

5. A station (STA) for transmitting an uplink signal to an access point (AP) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the STA comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) unit; and

a processor configured to control the RF unit,

wherein the processor is configured to sense, using the RF unit, a signal transmitted to the AP by another STA on a medium to sense that the medium is being occupied by the another STA;

the processor is configured to acquire at least one of identifier information of the another STA, identifier information of the AP, and time/frequency synchronization information with the another STA, based on the sensed signal; and

the processor is configured to control the RF unit to transmit the uplink signal to the AP on the medium currently occupied by the another STA, using the acquired information.

6. The STA according to claim 5, wherein the processor controls the RF unit to transmit the uplink signal in synchronization with a frequency and a signal transmission timing of the another STA.

7. The STA according to claim 6, wherein the processor controls the RF unit to transmit the uplink signal on the medium currently occupied by the another STA when frequency synchronization of the STA is identical to frequency synchronization of the another STA.

8. The STA according to claim 5, wherein the processor controls the RF unit to transmit the uplink signal on the medium currently occupied by the another STA when the sensed signal is a request-to-send (RTS) packet of the another STA or is a data segment within a specific order among data segments of the another STA.

9. A method for receiving an uplink signal from a station (STA) by an access point (AP) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

receiving a signal on a medium from another STA; and

receiving the uplink signal from the STA on the medium on which the signal is being received from the another STA,

wherein the uplink signal is received using at least one of identifier information of the another STA, identifier information of the AP, and time/frequency synchronization information with the another STA, obtained based on the signal transmitted by the another STA.

10. An access point (AP) for receiving an uplink signal from a station (STA) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the access point comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) unit; and

a processor configured to control the RF unit,

wherein the processor receives the uplink signal from the STA on a medium on which the RF unit is receiving a signal transmitted by another STA, and

wherein the uplink signal is received using at least one of identifier information of the another STA, identifier information of the AP, and time/frequency synchronization information with the another STA, obtained based on the signal transmitted by the another STA.