Uplink signal transmission method and station device, and uplink signal receiving method and access point device

• US 9,392,561 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): CHO, HONG SOL
• Application Number:
  US14/387,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20150085836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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, by the STA, that a channel is occupied by another STA by sensing an uplink signal of the another STA transmitted to the AP on the channel;

acquiring, by the STA, information based on the sensed uplink signal of the another STA, the acquired information comprising at least one of;

identifier information of the another STA,

identifier information of the AP,

a type of the uplink signal of the another STA, or

time/frequency synchronization information with the another STA; and

transmitting, by the STA based on the acquired information, an uplink signal of the STA to the AP on the channel currently occupied by the another STA.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the uplink signal of the STA 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 of the STA is transmitted on the channel currently occupied by the another STA when a frequency offset of the sensed uplink signal of the another STA is within a predetermined error range.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the uplink signal of the STA is transmitted on the channel currently occupied by the another STA when the sensed uplink signal of the another STA 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 that a channel is occupied by another STA by control the RF unit to sense an uplink signal of the another STA transmitted to the AP on the channel channel,

acquire information based on the sensed uplink signal of the another STA, the acquired information comprising at least one of;

identifier information of the another STA,

identifier information of the AP,

a type of the uplink signal of the another STA, or

time/frequency synchronization information with the another STA; and

control the RF unit to transmit an uplink signal of the STA to the AP on the channel currently occupied by the another STA, based on the acquired information.

6. The STA according to claim 5, wherein the processor controls the RF unit to transmit the uplink signal of the STA 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 of the STA on the channel currently occupied by the another STA when a frequency offset of the sensed uplink signal of the another STA is within a predetermined error range.

8. The STA according to claim 5, wherein the processor controls the RF unit to transmit the uplink signal of the STA on the channel currently occupied by the another STA when the sensed uplink signal of the another STA 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.