Techniques for transmitting preambles over an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band

• US 9,929,844 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Damnjanovic, Aleksandar, Malladi, Durga Prasad, Luo, Tao, Wei, Yongbin, Gaal, Peter, Chen, Wanshi, Xu, Hao
• Primary Examiner(s): Nooristany, Sulaiman
• Application Number:
  US14/866,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20160142192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/261 Details of reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance

Abstract

A device may determine that an unlicensed radio frequency (RF) spectrum band is available for a communication. The device may transmit a first transmission indicator that indicates that the device is transmitting information via the unlicensed RF spectrum band. The first transmission indicator may be associated with a first radio access technology. The device may transmit a second transmission indicator that indicates that the device is transmitting information via the unlicensed RF spectrum band. The second transmission indicator may be associated with a second radio access technology that is different from the first radio access technology.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

determining, by a device, that an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band is available for a communication;

transmitting, by the device and based on determining that the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band is available for the communication, a preamble that indicates that the device is transmitting information via the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band,

wherein the preamble is associated with a first radio access technology; and

transmitting, by the device and based on determining that the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band is available for the communication, a beacon signal that indicates that the device is transmitting the information via the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band,

wherein the beacon signal is associated with a second radio access technology that is different from the first radio access technology, and

wherein the preamble and the beacon signal indicate the radio access technology that the device is using to transmit the information via the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the preamble comprises:

transmitting the preamble via the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; and

wherein transmitting the beacon signal comprises;

transmitting the beacon signal via the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the preamble includes a Wi-Fi preamble;

wherein the first radio access technology includes a Wi-Fi radio access technology;

wherein the beacon signal includes a channel usage beacon symbol; and

wherein the second radio access technology includes a long term evolution (LTE) radio access technology deployed in the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the preamble and transmitting the beacon signal comprises:

including the Wi-Fi preamble and the channel usage beacon symbol in a communication structure,

the Wi-Fi preamble being included in a first field of the communication structure,

the channel usage beacon symbol being included in a second field of the communication structure,

the first field preceding the second field; and

transmitting the preamble and the beacon signal using the communication structure.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the preamble and transmitting the beacon signal comprises:

including the Wi-Fi preamble and the channel usage beacon symbol in a communication structure,

the Wi-Fi preamble being included in a first field of the communication structure,

the channel usage beacon symbol being included in a second field of the communication structure,

the second field preceding the first field; and

transmitting the preamble and the beacon signal using the communication structure.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the preamble and transmitting the beacon signal comprises:

including the Wi-Fi preamble and the channel usage beacon symbol in a same field of a communication structure; and

transmitting the preamble and the beacon signal using the communication structure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the preamble is embedded within the beacon signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band is available for the communication comprises:

performing a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure; and

determining that the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band is available for the communication based on performing the CCA procedure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device includes at least one of a base station or a user equipment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the preamble includes a Wi-Fi preamble;

and

wherein the Wi-Fi preamble includes at least one of;

a source identifier that identifies the device, or

a radio access technology indicator that indicates that the device is capable of transmitting signals using a long term evolution (LTE) radio access technology deployed in the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a Wi-Fi protocol associated with a Wi-Fi access point within a communication range of the device; and

generating the preamble based on the Wi-Fi protocol.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the preamble includes a Wi-Fi preamble;

wherein the Wi-Fi preamble includes a duration indicator that indicates a duration of the communication; and

wherein the beacon signal includes an indication that the preamble was transmitted.

13. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor; and

the processor and the memory configured to;

determine that an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band is available for a communication;

transmit, based on determining that the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band is available for the communication, a preamble that indicates that the device is transmitting information via the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band,

wherein the preamble is associated with a first radio access technology; and

transmit, based on determining that the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band is available for the communication, a beacon signal that indicates that the device is transmitting the information via the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band,

wherein the beacon signal is associated with a second radio access technology that is different from the first radio access technology, and

wherein the preamble and the beacon signal indicate the radio access technology that the device is using to transmit the information via the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.