Systems and methods for high-throughput wideband wireless local area network communications
First Claim
1. A method for wirelessly communicating a packet over a wideband communication channel comprising a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) channels, the method comprising communicating:
- a channelization field on a single OFDM channel identifying which of the OFDM channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet; and
a wideband-header field on each of the identified OFDM channels to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field,wherein the OFDM channels that comprise the wideband channel are separated in frequency from each other.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A frame format provides for wideband wireless local area network communications and informs narrower-band communication units when the channels are occupied by wider-band communication units. In some embodiments, the frame format includes a channelization field identifying channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of a packet, and a wideband-header field communicated on the identified channels. The wideband-header field may identify sub-fields that may be present in the wideband-header field, and may identify the presence of a wideband-data field. A long-compatibility field may be present that provides protection at the MAC level. The long-compatibility field may transport MAC frames that may include medium-reservation information compatible with narrower-band communication units.
72 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for wirelessly communicating a packet over a wideband communication channel comprising a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) channels, the method comprising communicating:
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a channelization field on a single OFDM channel identifying which of the OFDM channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet; and a wideband-header field on each of the identified OFDM channels to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field, wherein the OFDM channels that comprise the wideband channel are separated in frequency from each other. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 16, 17, 18)
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5. A method for communicating a packet comprising communicating:
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a channelization field identifying channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet; and a wideband-header field on the identified channels to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field, wherein the communicating comprises communicating a wideband-training field as part of the packet following the channelization field, the wideband-training field comprising a training sequence on the channels identified by the channelization field, and wherein the method further comprises estimating at least one of a timing offset, fine-frequency offset, and channel response using at least the training sequence for processing subsequent wideband fields of the packet including the wideband-header field and the wideband-data field when included within the packet.
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8. A method for communicating a packet comprising communicating:
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a channelization field identifying channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet; and a wideband-header field on the identified channels to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field, wherein the communicating comprises; communicating the channelization field on a single compatibility channel of an allocated portion of spectrum comprising a plurality of channels; communicating the wideband-header field on the identified channels including the compatibility channel; and communicating a short-compatibility field as part of the packet on the compatibility channel, wherein the short-compatibility field includes length information defining a length of the packet, wherein communications units refrain from transmitting on the identified channels during transmission of the packet.
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9. A method for communicating a packet comprising communicating:
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a channelization field identifying channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet; and
a wideband-header field on the identified channels to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field,wherein the communicating comprises; communicating the channelization field on a single compatibility channel of an allocated portion of spectrum comprising a plurality of channels; communicating the wideband-header field on the identified channels including the compatibility channel; and communicating a long-compatibility field on the compatibility channel, the long-compatibility field comprising a variable number of symbols over a plurality of symbol-modulated subcarriers that comprise at least one of the channels, wherein the long-compatibility field includes information to reserve at least one of the channels for a time period, wherein a narrower-band communication unit refrains from communicating during the time period in response to receipt of the long-compatibility field. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method for communicating a packet comprising communicating:
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a channelization field identifying channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet; and a wideband-header field on the identified channels to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field, wherein the communicating comprises; communicating the channelization field on a single compatibility channel of an allocated portion of spectrum comprising a plurality of channels; and communicating the wideband-header field on the identified channels including the compatibility channel, wherein the compatibility channel is relocatable to any one of a plurality of narrow-band channels within the allocated portion of spectrum, and wherein the method further comprises; scanning channels for the operation of narrower-band communication units, and selecting one of the channels as the compatibility channel based on an overlapping use by at least some of the narrower-band communication units.
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12. A method for communicating a packet comprising communicating:
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a channelization field identifying channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet; and a wideband-header field on the identified channels to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field, wherein the wideband-header field comprises; a field to request bit-loading per subcarrier for subsequent transmission by a transmitting communication unit of a wideband-data field of a packet, the bit-loading per subcarrier indicating a modulation scheme for transmission of the individual symbol-modulated subcarriers of the identified channels; a field to request a coding rate for the subsequent transmission of the wideband-data field; and a field to request a power loading per subcarrier for the subsequent transmission of the wideband-data field. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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19. A wireless communication unit for communicating over a wideband communication channel comprising a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) channels, the wireless communication unit comprising:
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a physical layer to communicate a packet comprising at least a channelization field on a single OFDM channel to identify which of the OFDM channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet, and to communicate a wideband-header field on each of the identified OFDM channels, the wideband-header field to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field; and a medium access control layer to select channels for communication by the physical layer and obtain access to the selected channels, wherein the OFDM channels that comprise the wideband channel are separated in frequency from each other. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A system for wirelessly communicating over a wideband communication channel comprising a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) channels, the system comprising:
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an omnidirectional antenna; a physical layer to communicate a packet with the omnidirectional antenna, the packet comprising at least a channelization field communicated on a single OFDM channel to identify which of the OFDM channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet, and to communicate a wideband-header field on the identified OFDM channels, the wideband-header field to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field; and a medium access control layer to select channels for communication by the physical layer and obtain access to the selected channels, wherein the OFDM channels that comprise the wideband channel are separated in frequency from each other. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. A computer-readable medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors, cause said processors to perform operations for wirelessly communicating a packet over a wideband communication channel comprising a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) channels including communicating a channelization field on a single OFDM channel identifying which of the OFDM channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet, and further comprising a wideband-header field on each of the identified OFDM channels to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field,
wherein the OFDM channels that comprise the wideband channel are separated in frequency from each other.
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30. A wireless communication packet for communication over a wideband communication channel comprising a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) channels, the packet comprising:
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a channelization field communicated on a single OFDM channel identifying which of the OFDM channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet; and a wideband-header field for communication on each the identified OFDM channels to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field, wherein the channels comprise a plurality of substantially orthogonal symbol-modulated subcarriers, wherein the OFDM channels that comprise the wideband channel are separated in frequency from each other. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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33. A communication packet comprising:
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a channelization field identifying channels that are used for communicating subsequent wideband fields of the packet; a wideband-header field for communication on the identified channels to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and the presence of a wideband-data field following the wideband-header field, wherein the channels comprise a plurality of substantially orthogonal symbol-modulated subcarriers; and a long-compatibility field for communication on the compatibility channel, the long-compatibility field comprising a variable number of symbols transmitted over a plurality of symbol-modulated subcarriers that comprise the compatibility channel, wherein the long-compatibility field includes information to reserve at least one of the channels for a time period, wherein a narrower-band communication unit refrains from communicating during the time period in response to receipt of the long-compatibility field.
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34. A method comprising:
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communicating a wideband-training field as part of a packet, the wideband-training field comprising a training sequence modulated on a plurality of symbol-modulated subcarriers on a plurality of channels; communicating a wideband-header field on the channels, the wideband-header field to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and to identify a presence of a wideband-data field; communicating the wideband-data field as part of the packet on the channels when indicated in the wideband-header field; and communicating a short-compatibility field as part of the packet on the plurality of channels, wherein the short-compatibility field includes packet-length information defining a length of the packet, wherein narrower-band communication units refrain from communicating on the plurality of channels during the packet in response to the packet-length information. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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35. A method comprising:
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communicating a wideband-training field as part of a packet, the wideband-training field comprising a training sequence modulated on a plurality of symbol-modulated subcarriers on a plurality of channels; communicating a wideband-header field on the channels, the wideband-header field to identify sub-fields present in the wideband-header field and to identify a presence of a wideband-data field; communicating the wideband-data field as part of the packet on the channels when indicated in the wideband-header field; and estimating at least one of a timing offset, fine-frequency offset, and channel response using at least the training sequence for processing subsequent wideband fields of the packet including the wideband-header field and the wideband-data field when included within the packet.
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Specification