Method and Control Circuitry for Performing Full-Duplex Wireless Communication

• US 20150195079A1
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gong, Xiaohong
• Granted Patent: US 9,264,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/56 with provision for simultaneous communication in two directions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1415 using control lines

Abstract

A method includes receiving, by control circuitry, a received portion of a first data unit from a remote device and determining, by the control circuitry, a first duration of the first data unit based on the received portion. The method further includes generating, by the control circuitry, a second data unit with data to be transmitted and transmitting, by the control circuitry, the second data unit to the remote device while receiving the unreceived portion of the first data unit. The second data unit has a second duration equal to the remaining duration of an unreceived portion of the first data unit.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by control circuitry, a received portion of a first data unit from a remote device;

determining, by the control circuitry, a first duration of the first data unit based on the received portion;

generating, by the control circuitry, a second data unit with data to be transmitted, the second data unit having a second duration equal to a remaining duration of an unreceived portion of the first data unit; and

transmitting, by the control circuitry, the second data unit to the remote device while receiving the unreceived portion of the first data unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the second data unit is completed at the same time that the remote device completes transmission of the first data unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data unit is a first PHY protocol data unit that includes a first header and a first aggregated medium access control protocol data unit and the second data unit is a second PHY protocol data unit that includes a second header and a second aggregated medium access control protocol data unit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the first duration includes decoding, by the control circuitry, at least a portion of the first header, the first header indicating the first duration.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

decoding, by the control circuitry, a portion of the first aggregated medium access control protocol data unit to determine whether to transmit sequential block acknowledgments;

decoding, by the control circuitry, the rest of the first PHY protocol data unit;

when the first PHY protocol data unit is successfully decoded and the first header instructs the control circuitry to transmit sequential block acknowledgments;

receiving, by the control circuitry, a first block acknowledgment or a block ack request from the remote device; and

transmitting, by the control circuitry, a block acknowledgement to the remote device in response to receiving the first block acknowledgment or the block ack request; and

when the first PHY protocol data unit is successfully decoded and the first header instructs the control circuitry to transmit simultaneous block acknowledgements;

transmitting, by the control circuitry, the second block acknowledgment to the remote device without waiting to receive the first block acknowledgement,

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the second data unit includes:

determining, by the control circuitry, the remaining duration based on the first duration and a received duration indicative of an amount of data received in the received portion; and

determining, by the control circuitry, the second duration based on the remaining duration;

when an amount of the data to be transmitted is insufficient to satisfy the second duration;

generating, by the control circuitry, the second data unit using the data to be transmitted; and

adding, by the control circuitry, a padding to the second data unit, wherein an amount of padding added to the second data unit and the amount of data to be transmitted are collectively sufficient to satisfy the second duration requirement; and

when an amount of the data to be transmitted is sufficient to satisfy the second duration;

generating, by the control circuitry, the second data unit using the data to be transmitted.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the control circuitry, a request to send from the remote device; and

transmitting, by the control circuitry, a clear to send to the remote device in response to the request to send.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting the clear to send establishes a transmit opportunity.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting the clear to send sets respective network availability vectors of other devices in a basic service set of a device of the control circuitry.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is a component of an enrollee station and the remote device is an access point.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a transceiver; and

control circuitry in communication with the transceiver, the control circuitry being configured to;

receive a received portion of a first data unit from a remote device;

determine a first duration of the first data unit based on the received portion;

generate a second data unit with data to be transmitted, the second data unit having a second duration equal to a remaining duration of an unreceived portion of the first data unit; and

transmit the second data unit to the remote device while receiving the unreceived portion of the first data unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first data unit is a first PHY protocol data unit that includes a first header and a first aggregated medium access control protocol data unit and the second data unit is a second PHY protocol data unit that includes a second header and a second aggregated medium access control protocol data unit.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine the first duration by decoding at least a portion of the first header, the first header indicating the first duration.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

decode a portion of the first aggregated medium access control protocol data unit to determine whether to transmit sequential block acknowledgments;

decode the rest of the first PHY protocol data unit;

when the first PHY protocol data unit is successfully decoded and the first header instructs the control circuitry to transmit sequential block acknowledgments;

receive a first block acknowledgment or a block ack request from the remote device; and

transmit a block acknowledgement to the remote device in response to receiving the first block acknowledgment or the block ack request; and

when the first PHY protocol data unit is successfully decoded and the first header instructs the control circuitry to transmit simultaneous block acknowledgements;

transmit the second block acknowledgment to the remote device without waiting to receive the first block acknowledgement.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry generates the second data unit by:

determining the remaining duration based on the first duration and a received duration indicative of an amount of data received in the received portion; and

determining the second duration based on the remaining duration;

when an amount of the data to be transmitted is insufficient to satisfy the second duration;

generating the second data unit using the data to be transmitted; and

adding a padding to the second data unit, wherein an amount of padding added to the second data unit and the amount of data to be transmitted are collectively sufficient to satisfy the second duration requirement; and

when an amount of the data to be transmitted is sufficient to satisfy the second duration;

generating the second data unit using the data to be transmitted.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

receive a request to send from the remote device; and

transmit clear to send to the remote device in response to the request to send.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein transmitting the clear to send establishes a transmit opportunity and the apparatus is the transmit opportunity responder.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein transmitting the clear to send sets respective network availability vectors of other devices in a basic service set of a device of the control circuitry.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the remote device is an access point.

12. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control circuit completes transmitting the second data unit at the same time that the remote device completes transmission of the first data unit.