Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving a white space map information in a wireless local area network system

• US 8,792,466 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2010
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Eun Sun, Kim, Byoung Hoon, Seok, Yong Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohebbi, Kouroush
• Application Number:
  US12/908,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20110268095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method and an apparatus transmitting and receiving a White Space Map information between two stations in a wireless local area network system are disclosed. For transmitting a white space map information from a first station to a second station in a regulatory domain where a licensed device and an unlicensed device are permitted to operate in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprises: obtaining, at the first station, a list of available channels with a first channel granularity and maximum allowed transmission powers of the available channels from a regulatory database; and transmitting, from the first station, one of a beacon frame, a probe response frame and a white space map announcement frame comprising a white space map (WSM) element to the second station such that the second station operates as the unlicensed device using one or more channels having a second channel granularity and located only within the available channels identified by the WSM element, wherein the WSM element comprises a channel number field and a maximum power level field, wherein the channel number field indicates the list of available channels with the first channel granularity and the maximum power level field indicates maximum allowed transmission powers of the available channels.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a white space map (WSM) from a first station to a second station in a regulatory domain where a licensed device and an unlicensed device are permitted to operate together in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

obtaining, at the first station from a regulatory database system, available frequency information and maximum allowed transmission power information for available frequencies, wherein the available frequency information indicates frequencies permitted to operate together in the WLAN, by the regulatory database system; and

transmitting, from the first station, the WSM to the second station such that the second station operates using one or more channels within the available frequencies identified by the WSM,

wherein the WSM comprises a channel number field and a maximum power level field,

wherein the channel number field indicates the available frequency information and the maximum power level field indicates the maximum allowed transmission power information for the available frequencies,

wherein the WSM further comprises a type field indicating whether the available frequency information is a partial channel list or a full channel list, and a map version field indicating a version of the WSM,

wherein a WSM having the most recent version is used by the second station, and

wherein the second station, receiving multiple WSMs with the same value of the map version fields and the type fields indicating the partial channel list, constructs a whole channel list using the received multiple WSMs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first station is an enabling station generating the WSM using its own geographic location identification and a regulatory database access capability, and the second station lacks regulatory database access capability.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second station is a dependent station receiving the available frequency information from the enabling station or a dependent AP (Access Point) station that enables the operation of the dependent station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second station, receiving the WSM, performs scanning for an existing BSS (Basic Service Set) on the available frequencies identified by the channel number field with a transmission power within the maximum allowed transmission power identified by the maximum power level field.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the WSM comprises a TV band WSM, and

wherein the WSM further comprises a WSM type field indicating whether the WSM is the TV band WSM.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the WSM further comprises a length field indicating a length of the WSM, and

wherein the number of pairs of the channel number field and the maximum power level field is multiple as determined by the length field.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first station updates the WSM when the first station performed a measurement or received a measurement report in which a primary service signal is measured on a channel identified as available by the WSM, and

wherein the map version field has a value circularly incremented by 1 by the first station when the first station updates the WSM.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the type field and the map version field are included in a map ID field in the WSM.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the WSM is included in one of a beacon frame, a probe response frame or a WSM announcement frame.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the available frequency information has a first channel granularity,

the one or more channels on which the second station operates has a second channel granularity,

the first channel granularity is defined as a unit for indicating the available frequencies in a TV white space, and

the second channel granularity is defined as a unit of a channel bandwidth for a WLAN operation in the TV white space.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the unit of the channel bandwidth for the WLAN operation in the TV white space is one of an integer multiple of a basic channel unit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first channel granularity is 6 MHz, and the second channel granularity is one of 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 20 MHz or 40 MHz.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein both of the first station and the second station operate using a channel having the second channel granularity.

14. An apparatus for transmitting a white space map (WSM) to a station in a regulatory domain where a licensed device and an unlicensed device are permitted to operate together in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver configured to transmit one of a beacon frame, a probe response frame and a WSM announcement frame to the station; and

a processor configured to;

obtain available frequency information and maximum allowed transmission powers of the available channels from a regulatory database system, wherein the available frequency information indicates frequencies permitted by the regulatory database system,

generate the WSM, and

control the transceiver to transmit the WSM to the station such that the station operates using one or more channels within the available frequencies identified by the WSM,

wherein the WSM comprises a channel number field and a maximum power level field,

wherein the channel number field indicates the available frequency information and the maximum power level field indicates the maximum allowed transmission power information for the available frequencies,

wherein the WSM further comprises a type field indicating whether the available frequency information is a partial channel list or a full channel list, and a map version field indicating a version of the WSM,

wherein a WSM having the most recent version is used by the second station, and

wherein the second station, receiving multiple WSMs with the same value of the map version fields and the type fields indicating the partial channel list, constructs a whole channel list using the received multiple WSMs.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is configured as an enabling station generating the WSM using its own geographic location identification and a regulatory database access capability, and the second station lacks regulatory database access capability.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the station is a dependent station receiving the available frequency information from the enabling station or a dependent AP (Access Point) station that enables the operation of the dependent station.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the station, receiving the WSM, performs scanning for an existing BSS (Basic Service Set) on the available frequencies identified by the channel number field with a transmission power within the maximum allowed transmission power identified by the maximum power level field.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the WSM comprises a TV band WSM, and

wherein the WSM further comprises a WSM type field indicating whether the WSM is the TV band WSM.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the WSM further comprises a length field indicating a length of the WSM, and

wherein the number of pairs of the channel number field and the maximum power level field is multiple as determined by the length field.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to update the WSM when the processor performed a measurement or received, via the transceiver, a measurement report in which a primary service signal is measured on a channel identified as available by the WSM, and

wherein the map version field has a value circularly incremented by 1 by the processor when the processor updates the WSM.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the type field and the map version field are included in a map ID field in the WSM.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the WSM is included in one of the beacon frame, the probe response frame or the white space map announcement frame.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the available frequency information has a first channel granularity,

the one or more channels on which the station operates has a second channel granularity,

the first channel granularity is defined as a unit for indicating the available frequencies in a TV white space, and

the second channel granularity is defined as a unit of a channel bandwidth for a WLAN operation in the TV white space.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein both of the apparatus and the station operate using a channel having the second channel granularity.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the unit of the channel bandwidth for the WLAN operation in the TV white space is one of an integer multiple of a basic channel unit.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first channel granularity is 6 MHz, and the second channel granularity is one of 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 20 MHz or 40 MHz.