MAC protocol for full duplex wireless communications

• US 9,467,275 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Tetzlaff, Thomas A., Stacey, Robert J., Park, Minyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, STEVEN H D
• Application Number:
  US14/335,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20160021669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1461 Suppression of signals in the return path, i.e. bidirectional control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance

Abstract

Disclosed in some examples are systems, methods, and machine readable mediums which allow for the deployment of advanced radios which are capable of simultaneous transmission and reception on the same frequency in existing wireless networks, while maintaining backward compatibility with older devices.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium for full duplex wireless transmission performed by a wireless device, the machine readable medium including instructions, which when performed the wireless device, configure the wireless device to perform operations comprising:

sending a wireless medium reservation message addressed to a second wireless device on a first wireless channel;

receiving the wireless medium reservation message;

utilizing the received wireless medium reservation message to train echo cancellation circuitry;

receiving a confirmation message from the second wireless device, the confirmation message confirming receipt of the wireless medium reservation message by the second wireless device;

responsive to receiving the confirmation message, simultaneously transmitting data to the second wireless device and receiving data from the second wireless device on the first wireless channel by reducing interference from transmissions of the wireless device using the echo cancellation circuitry, wherein the receiving data from the second wireless device comprises receiving a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message from the second wireless device, the NACK message reporting an error in receiving the transmitted data transmitted by the wireless device to the second wireless device; and

responsive to receiving the NACK, transmitting acknowledgements to the second wireless device in a current transmission opportunity and refraining from transmitting user data to the second wireless device in the current transmission opportunity.

2. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the wireless medium reservation message is a Request To Send (RTS) message formatted in accordance with an 802.11 family of wireless standards.

3. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the confirmation message is a Clear To Send (CTS) message formatted in accordance with an 802.11 family of wireless standards.

4. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations of transmitting data to the second wireless device comprises sending a block acknowledgement for data received from the second wireless device on the first wireless channel.

5. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to receiving the NACK, resending the transmitted data at a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) which is more tolerant of errors than a previous MCS used to send the transmitted data.

6. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein received data is not received from the second wireless device until after a first user data packet is received at the second wireless device.

7. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless devices operate in accordance with an 802.11 family of standards.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is an access point (AP) and the second wireless device is a station (STA).

9. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a station (STA) and the second wireless device is an access point (AP).

10. A wireless device comprising:

memory including instructions; and

processing circuitry, the processing circuitry configured to execute the instructions for medium access control (MAC) operations to configure the wireless device to;

send a wireless medium reservation message addressed to a second wireless device on a first wireless channel;

receive the wireless medium reservation message;

utilize the received wireless medium reservation message to train echo cancellation circuitry;

receive a confirmation message from the second wireless device, the confirmation message confirming receipt of the wireless medium reservation message by the second wireless device;

responsive to receiving the confirmation message, simultaneously cause a physical layer module to transmit data to the second wireless device and receive data from the second wireless device on the first wireless channel by using the echo cancellation circuitry to reduce interference from transmissions of the wireless device, wherein the received data from the second wireless device comprises a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message from the second wireless device, the NACK message reporting an error in receiving the transmitted data transmitted by the wireless device to the second wireless device; and

responsive to receipt of the NACK, transmit acknowledgements to the second wireless device in a current transmission opportunity and refrain from transmission of user data to the second wireless device in the current transmission opportunity.

11. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the wireless medium reservation message is a Request To Send (RTS) message formatted in accordance with an 802.11 family of wireless standards.

12. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the confirmation message is a Clear To Send (CTS) message formatted in accordance with an 802.11 family of wireless standards.

13. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein transmitting data to the second wireless device comprises sending a block acknowledgement for data received from the second wireless device on the first wireless channel.

14. The wireless device of claim 10,

wherein responsive to receipt of the NACK, the wireless device is configured to resend the transmitted data at a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) which is more tolerant of errors than a previous MCS used to send the transmitted data.

15. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein received data is not received from the second wireless device until after a first user data packet is received at the second wireless device.

16. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the first and second wireless devices operate in accordance with an 802.11 family of standards.

17. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the wireless device is an access point (AP) and the second wireless device is a station (STA).

18. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the wireless device is a station (STA) and the second wireless device is an access point (AP).

19. A method for full duplex wireless transmission performed by a wireless device, the method comprising:

sending a wireless medium reservation message addressed to a second wireless device on a first wireless channel;

receiving the wireless medium reservation message;

utilizing the received wireless medium reservation message to train echo cancellation circuitry;

receiving a confirmation message from the second wireless device, the confirmation message confirming receipt of the wireless medium reservation message by the second wireless device;

responsive to receiving the confirmation message, simultaneously transmitting data to the second wireless device and receiving data from the second wireless device on the first wireless channel by reducing interference from transmissions of the wireless device using the echo cancellation circuitry, wherein the receiving data from the second wireless device comprises receiving a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message from the second wireless device, the NACK message reporting an error in receiving the transmitted data transmitted by the wireless device to the second wireless device; and

responsive to receiving the NACK, transmitting acknowledgements to the second wireless device in a current transmission opportunity and refraining from transmitting user data to the second wireless device in the current transmission opportunity.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the wireless medium reservation message is a Request To Send (RTS) message formatted in accordance with an 802.11 family of wireless standards.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the confirmation message is a Clear To Send (CTS) message formatted in accordance with an 802.11 family of wireless standards.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting data to the second wireless device comprises sending a block acknowledgement for data received from the second wireless device on the first wireless channel.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving data from the second and wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to receiving the NACK, resending the transmitted data at a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) which is more tolerant of errors than a previous MCS used to send the transmitted data.

24. A wireless device comprising:

echo cancellation circuitry coupled to one or more antennas;

a transceiver coupled to the echo cancellation circuitry and the one or more antennas;

memory including instructions; and

processing circuitry, the processing circuitry configured to execute the instructions for medium access control (MAC) operations to configure the wireless device to;

receive a wireless medium reservation message addressed to the wireless device on a first wireless channel;

send a confirmation message from the second wireless device, the confirmation message confirming receipt of the wireless medium reservation message by the second wireless device;

receive the confirmation message;

train echo cancellation circuitry using the received confirmation message;

responsive to receiving the confirmation message, simultaneously cause a physical layer module to transmit data via the transceiver to the second wireless device and receive data from the second wireless device on the first wireless channel via the transceiver by using the echo cancellation circuitry to reduce interference from transmissions of the wireless device, wherein the received data from the second wireless device comprises a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message from the second wireless device, the NACK message reporting an error in receiving the transmitted data transmitted by the wireless device to the second wireless device; and

responsive to receipt of the NACK, transmit acknowledgements to the second wireless device in a current transmission opportunity and refrain from transmission of user data to the second wireless device in the current transmission opportunity.

25. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the wireless medium reservation message is a Request To Send (RTS) message formatted in accordance with an 802.11 family of wireless standards.

26. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the confirmation message is a Clear To Send (CTS) message formatted in accordance with an 802.11 family of wireless standards.

27. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the processor is configured to include an higher layer module configured to implement one of a data link layer protocols, a network layer protocol, a transport layer protocol, a session layer protocol, a presentation layer protocol, and an application layer protocol.

28. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein responsive to receipt of the NACK, the wireless device is configured to resend the transmitted data at a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) which is more tolerant of errors than a previous MCS used to send the transmitted data.