Techniques for primary channel selection for an 802.11AC wireless network operating adajacent to an 802.11N wireless network

• US 8,687,572 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Park, Minyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): KRISHNAN, RAJESHWARI
• Application Number:
  US12/875,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20120057534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 370/203, 370/252, 370/338, 370/343, 370/315, 370327-334, 455/63.3, 455/68, 455/41.2, 455500-528, 455/450
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising a transceiver capable of communicating in a first basic service set (BSS) of a wireless network that is operable adjacent to a second basic service set (BSS) of wireless network, wherein when the first BSS and the second BSS operate such that the first BSS and the second BSS contain channels that at least partially overlap, the transceiver selects a primary channel of the first BSS to be next to a primary channel of the second BSS so that the first and the second BSSs avoid collisions with each other due to the at least partial overlapping.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver capable of communicating in a first basic service set (BSS) of a wireless network that is operable adjacent to a second basic service set (BSS) of said wireless network, wherein the transceiver has instructions to perform primary channel selection according to an algorithm wherein;

IF the first BSS and the second BSS contain 40 MHz channels that at least partially overlap, THEN selecting a primary channel of said first BSS to be next to a primary channel of said second BSS so that said first and said second BSSs avoid collisions with each other due to said at least partial overlapping;

wherein said transceiver is operable as an Access Point (AP) of said first BSS and operates conforming to an Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 ac standard and said second BSS operates conforming to an IEEE 802.11n standard;

wherein said AP of said 802.11 ac BSS first scans a 5 GHz band for four contiguous empty channels for 80 MHz PPDU transmissions and if there are four contiguous empty channels available, said AP uses those four contiguous empty channels for said first BSS operation and if there are fewer than four contiguous empty channels, said AP selects four contiguous channels that have least active BSSs;

wherein, if there is a 40 MHz 802.11n BSS operating in said selected four channels, said AP scans for a primary channel of the 40 MHz 802.11n BSS and if possible selects a channel that is next to said primary channel of the 40 MHz 802.11n BSS as the primary channel of the 802.11 ac BSS;

wherein if said 802.11ac AP can select a primary channel that is next to a primary channel of said 802.11n BSS then said AP enables 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across a 40 MHz channel boundary, otherwise said AP disables said 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across said 40 MHz channel boundary.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the primary channel selection algorithm utilizes two adjacent 20 MHz channels to allow 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across the 40 MHz channel boundary in the 5 GHz band.

3. A method comprising:

operating a transceiver capable of communicating in a first basic service set (BSS) of a wireless network that is operable adjacent to a second basic service set (BSS) of said wireless network,

operating the transceiver to perform primary channel selection according to an algorithm wherein;

IF the first BSS and the second BSS contain 40 MHz channels that at least partially overlap, THEN selecting a primary channel of said first BSS to be next to a primary channel of said second BSS so that said first and said second BSSs avoid collisions with each other due to said at least partial overlapping;

operating said transceiver as an Access Point (AP) of said first BSS and conforming to an Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ac standard and said second BSS operates conforming to an IEEE 802.11n standard;

wherein said AP of said 802.11ac BSS first scans a 5 GHz band for four contiguous empty channels for 80 MHz PPDU transmissions and if there are four empty channels available, said AP uses those four contiguous empty channels for said first BSS operation and if there are fewer than four contiguous empty channels, said AP selects four contiguous channels that have least active BSSs;

wherein, if there is a 40 MHz 802.11n BSS operating in said selected four channels, said AP scans for a primary channel of the 40 MHz 802.11 BSS and if possible selects a channel that'"'"'s next to said primary channel of the 40 MHz 802.11n BSS as the primary channel of the 802.11ac BSS;

wherein if said 802.11ac AP can select a primary channel that is next to the primary channel of said 802.11n BSS then said AP enables 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across a 40 MHz channel boundary, otherwise said AP disables said 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across said 40 MHz channel boundary.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the primary channel selection algorithm utilizes two adjacent 20 MHz channels to allow 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across the 40 MHz channel boundary in the 5 GHz band.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

operating a transceiver capable of communicating in a first basic service set (BSS) of a wireless network that is operable adjacent to a second basic service set (BSS) of said wireless network,

operating the transceiver to perform primary channel selection according to an algorithm wherein;

IF the first BSS and the second BSS contain 40 MHz channels that at least partially overlap, THEN selecting a primary channel of said first BSS to be next to a primary channel of said second BSS so that said first and said second BSSs avoid collisions with each other due to said at least partial overlapping;

operating said transceiver as an Access Point (AP) of said first BSS and conforming to an Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ac standard and said second BSS operates conforming to an IEEE 802.11n standard;

wherein said AP of said 802.11ac BSS first scans a 5 GHz band for four contiguous empty channels for 80 MHz PPDU transmissions and if there are four empty channels available, said AP uses those four contiguous empty channels for said first BSS operation and if there are fewer than four contiguous empty channels, said AP selects four contiguous channels that have least active BSSs;

wherein, if there is a 40 MHz 802.11n BSS operating in said selected four channels, said AP scans for a primary channel of the 40 MHz 802.11n BSS and if possible selects a channel that is next to said primary channel of the 40 MHz 802.11n BSS as the primary channel of the 802.11 ac BSS;

wherein if said 802.11ac AP can select a primary channel that is next to the primary channel of said 802.11n BSS then said AP enables 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across a 40 MHz channel boundary, otherwise said AP disables said 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across said 40 MHz channel boundary.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions of claim 5, wherein the primary channel selection algorithm utilizes two adjacent 20 MHz channels to allow 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across the 40 MHz channel boundary in the 5 GHz band.

7. A wireless network access point (AP), comprising:

a transceiver capable of communicating in a first basic service set (BSS) of a wireless network that is operable adjacent to a second basic service set (BSS) of said wireless network, wherein the transceiver performs primary channel selection according to an algorithm wherein;

IF the first BSS and the second BSS contain 40 MHz channels that at least partially overlap, THEN selecting a primary channel of said first BSS to be next to a primary channel of said second BSS so that said first and said second BSSs avoid collisions with each other due to said at least partial overlapping;

wherein said AP of the first BSS operates conforming to an Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ac standard and said second BSS operates conforming to an IEEE 802.11n standard;

wherein said AP of said 802.11 ac BSS first scans a 5 GHz band for four contiguous empty channels for 80 MHz PPDU transmissions and if there are four empty channels available, said AP uses those for said first BSS operation and if there are fewer than four empty channels, said AP selects four channels that have least active BSSs;

wherein, if there is a 40 MHz 802.11n BSS operating in said selected four channels, said AP scans for a primary channel of the 40 MHz 802.11n BSS and if possible selects a channel that is next to said primary channel of the 40 MHz 802.11n BSS as the primary channel of the 802.11ac BSS;

wherein if said 802.11ac AP can select a primary channel that is next to the primary channel of said 802.11n BSS then said AP enables 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across a 40 MHz channel boundary, otherwise said AP disables said 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across said 40 MHz channel boundary.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the primary channel selection algorithm utilizes two adjacent 20 MHz channels to allow 40 MHz PPDU transmissions across the 40 MHz channel boundary in the 5 GHz band.