System and method for one-way traffic in wireless communications systems

• US 9,585,171 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kwon, Young Hoon, Rong, Zhigang, Yang, Yunsong, Du, Zhenguo
• Primary Examiner(s): NGO, RICKY QUOC
• Assistant Examiner(s): Samuel, Dewanda
• Application Number:
  US14/318,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20150078356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/252, 370/328
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method for operating a sharing station includes receiving, by the sharing station, a request to send (RTS) frame on a wireless channel, wherein the RTS frame is not addressed to the sharing station, and wherein the RTS frame including a transmit only indicator indicating that a transmitting station of the RTS frame will only transmit frames without receiving frames until expiration of a first time value in a first duration field of the RTS frame. The method also includes determining, by the sharing station, if a clear to send (CTS) frame corresponding to the RTS frame is received within a specified time period after receiving the RTS frame, and transmitting, by the sharing station, a frame when the CTS frame corresponding to the RTS frame is not received within the specified time period.

Claims

1. A method for operating a sharing station, the method comprising:

receiving, by the sharing station, a request to send (RTS) frame on a wireless channel, wherein the RTS frame is not addressed to the sharing station, and wherein the RTS frame includes a transmit only indicator indicating that a transmitting station of the RTS frame will only transmit frames without receiving frames until expiration of a first time value in a first duration field of the RTS frame;

determining, by the sharing station, if a clear to send (CTS) frame corresponding to the RTS frame is received within a specified time period after receiving the RTS frame; and

transmitting, by the sharing station, a data frame when the CTS frame corresponding to the RTS frame is not received within the specified time period, wherein the data frame is transmitted prior to expiration of the first time value in the first duration field of the RTS frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data frame is transmitted if the wireless channel is accessible.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless channel is accessible if at least one of the wireless channel is idle and the wireless channel is occupied by the transmitting station is true.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmit only indicator comprises at least one bit in a frame control field of the RTS frame.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one bit comprises at least one of a TO DS bit, a FROM DS bit, a MORE FRAG bit, a RETRY bit, a MORE DATA bit, a PROTECTED frame bit, and an ORDER bit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified time period comprises a short inter-frame space (SIFS) duration.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a plurality of frames until expiration of the first time value in the first duration field of the RTS frame.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising disallowing reception of frames from other stations.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a data frame comprising a second duration field from the transmitting station prior to expiration of the first time value in the first duration field of the RTS frame, and wherein the frame is transmitted prior to expiration of a second time value in the second duration field of the data frame.

10. A method for operating a receiving station, the method comprising:

receiving, by the receiving station, a request to send (RTS) frame on a wireless channel, wherein the RTS frame is addressed to the receiving station, and wherein the RTS frame includes a transmit only indicator indicating that a transmitting station of the RTS frame will only transmit frames without receiving frames until expiration of a first time value in a first duration field of the RTS frame, wherein the transmit only indicator comprises at least one bit in a frame control field of the RTS frame, and wherein the frame control field is different from the first duration field;

transmitting, by the receiving station, a clear to send (CTS) frame on the wireless channel;

receiving, by the receiving station, a plurality of frames from the transmitting station of the RTS frame prior to expiration of the first time value in the first duration field of the RTS frame;

receiving, by the receiving station, a block acknowledgement request frame from the transmitting station after expiration of the first time value in the first duration field of the RTS frame; and

transmitting, by the receiving station, a block acknowledgement frame to the transmitting station, wherein the block acknowledgement frame is reflective of decoding attempts of the plurality of frames.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a frame of the plurality of frames comprises a second duration field including a second time value that is sufficient for receiving the block acknowledgement request frame and transmitting the block acknowledgement frame.

12. A method for operating a transmitting station, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the transmitting station, a request to send (RTS) frame on a wireless channel, wherein the RTS frame is addressed to a receiving station, and wherein the RTS frame including a transmit only indicator indicating that the transmitting station will only transmit frames without receiving frames until expiration of a first time value in a first duration field of the RTS frame, wherein the transmit only indicator comprises at least one bit in a frame control field of the RTS frame, and wherein the frame control field is different from the first duration field;

receiving, by the transmitting station, a clear to send (CTS) frame from the receiving station;

transmitting, by the transmitting station, a plurality of frames prior to expiration of the first time value in the first duration field of the RTS frame;

transmitting, by the transmitting station, a block acknowledgement request frame after expiration of the first time value in the first duration field of the RTS frame; and

receiving, by the transmitting station, a block acknowledgement frame from the receiving station, wherein the block acknowledgement frame is reflective of decoding attempts of the plurality of frames by the receiving station.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a frame of the plurality of frames comprises a second duration field including a second time value that is sufficient for transmitting the block acknowledgement request frame and receiving the block acknowledgement frame.

14. A sharing station comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a request to send (RTS) frame on a wireless channel, wherein the RTS frame is addressed to a station different from the sharing station, and wherein the RTS frame includes a transmit only indicator indicating that a transmitting station of the RTS frame will only transmit frames without receiving frames until expiration of a first time value in a first duration field of the RTS frame;

a processor operatively coupled to the receiver, the processor configured to determine if a clear to send (CTS) frame corresponding to the RTS frame is received within a specified time period after receiving the RTS frame; and

a transmitter operatively coupled to the processor, the transmitter configured to transmit a data frame when the CTS frame corresponding to the RTS frame is not received within the specified time period.

15. The sharing station of claim 14, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit a plurality of frames until expiration of the first time value in the first duration field of the RTS frame.

16. The sharing station of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to disallow reception of frames from other stations.

17. The sharing station of claim 14, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the frame prior to expiration of the first time value in the first duration field of the RTS frame.

18. The sharing station of claim 14, wherein the receiver is configured to receive a data frame comprising a second duration field from the transmitting station prior to expiration of the first time value in the first duration field of the RTS frame, and wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the frame prior to expiration of a second time value in the second duration field of the data frame.

19. The sharing station of claim 14, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the frame if the wireless channel is accessible.

20. The sharing station of claim 19, wherein the wireless channel is accessible if at least one of the wireless channel is idle and the wireless channel is occupied by the transmitting station is true.