CN113301577A - Method and apparatus for broadband transmission in wireless communication - Google Patents

Abstract

A device obtains transmission opportunities (TXOPs) in a wideband operating bandwidth that includes a primary channel and a plurality of non-primary channels. The apparatus initiates a frame exchange to reserve the TXOP for TXOP sharing. The apparatus performs data transmission on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels within the TXOP. After the frame exchange, the device shares the primary channel with a Basic Service Set (BSS).

Description

Method and apparatus for broadband transmission in wireless communication

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to a wideband (wideband) transmission scheme in wireless communications.

Background

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not background to the claims set forth below and are not admitted to be background by inclusion in this section.

In the context of wireless communications according to one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11 standards, such as local area networks (wanns), devices in a contention-based channel access system may access a medium in a wide frequency band, including multiple narrow frequency bands (or channels), by listening to a main channel and transmitting while the main channel is idle. Under a dynamic broadband transmission scheme, a device is allowed to transmit frames on an idle primary channel and one or more non-primary channels. Furthermore, with the puncturing of the primary channel(s) instead of puncturing the primary channel(s), spectrum usage increases when there are radar signals, existing signals, or Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) interference in one or more non-primary channels.

In next generation wireless communication systems, which support wider operating bandwidths (e.g., 320MHz/160+160MHz/240MHz/160+80MHz/160MHz), contention on the primary channel is allowed and contention on the non-primary channel is not allowed. When the main channel is overloaded or busy due to channel contention, transmission cannot be performed, so that the wide-band spectrum cannot be fully utilized. In addition, the conventional apparatus needs to be protected and also needs to consider fairness issues. Therefore, a solution for a wide band transmission scheme is required in wireless communication.

Disclosure of Invention

The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. That is, the following summary is provided to introduce concepts, brightness, benefits and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Selected embodiments are further described in the detailed description. Thus, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

It is an object of the present invention to provide solutions, concepts, references, techniques, methods and arrangements to solve the aforementioned problems. Under various aspects presented herein, broadband transmission in wireless communications may be implemented to further increase spectral reuse to allow multiple sets of services to share broadband resources. For example, traffic on a primary channel may be controlled such that the primary channel will not be so busy and multiple sets of services may easily access the primary channel. In addition, non-primary channels may also be multiplexed in the spatial domain and/or in the spectral/frequency domain without causing interference to ongoing transmissions. In addition, fairness of the conventional apparatus can be ensured.

In one aspect, a method involves obtaining transmission opportunities (TXOPs) in a wideband operating bandwidth that includes one primary channel and a plurality of non-primary channels. The method also involves initiating a frame exchange to reserve the TXOP for TXOP sharing. The method may additionally involve performing data transmission on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels within the TXOP. The method further involves sharing the primary channel with a Basic Service Set (BSS) after the frame exchange.

In another aspect, a method may involve detecting a frame exchange of a primary channel in a wideband operating bandwidth that includes the primary channel and a plurality of non-primary channels, the frame exchange reserving a TXOP for sharing. The method can also involve starting or resuming a backoff process to contend for a medium on the primary channel within the TXOP. The method may further involve initiating a wideband shared transmission opportunity (WSTXOP) within the TXOP. The method may additionally involve performing data transmission on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels within the WSTXOP.

It is worthy to note that although the description provided herein may be described in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies (e.g., WLAN), the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations/derivations thereof, may be implemented on or by other types of radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as, but not limited to, bluetooth, ZigBee, 5G/New Radio (NR), LTE-Advanced Pro, internet of things (IoT), industrial internet of things (IIoT), and narrowband IoT (NB-IoT). Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. It will be appreciated that, because some of the elements may be shown out of proportion to the embodiments in order to clearly illustrate the aspects of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment in which various solutions and schemes according to the present invention may be implemented.

Fig. 2 shows an exemplary scenario according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows an exemplary scenario according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 shows an exemplary scenario according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows an exemplary scenario according to the present invention.

Fig. 6 shows an exemplary scenario according to the present invention.

Fig. 7 shows an exemplary scenario according to the present invention.

Fig. 8 shows an exemplary scenario according to the present invention.

Fig. 9 shows an exemplary scenario according to the present invention.

Fig. 10 shows an exemplary scenario according to the present invention.

Fig. 11 shows an exemplary scenario according to the present invention.

Fig. 12 shows a block diagram of an exemplary communication system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of an exemplary process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary process according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT (S) OF INVENTION

Specific embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed subject matter, which can be embodied in various forms. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that this description of the invention is thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the following description, well-known features and details of the technology are omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to various techniques, methods, schemes and/or solutions relating to broadband transmission schemes in wireless communications. Some of the possible solutions according to the invention can be implemented separately or jointly. That is, while these possible solutions may be described separately below, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or other combinations.

In the present invention, it is assumed that a Basic Service Set (BSS) is configured with a 160MHz operation bandwidth, and a first Access Point (AP) of the BSS operates in the 160MHz bandwidth. It is also assumed that the Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) is set with a 320MHz operating bandwidth, and that a second Access Point (AP) of the OBSS operates in the 320MHz operating bandwidth. Further assume that the BSS and OBSS have the same 20MHz primary channel for channel contention. Further, in the present invention, the term "primary channel" refers to a 20MHz channel in which medium access by channel contention is allowed, and the term "non-primary channel" refers to a 20MHz channel in the broadband operating bandwidth that is not a primary channel. It is noted that herein an Access Point (AP) or AP Station (STA) is interchangeably referred to as an "AP" and "non-AP-STA" is interchangeably referred to as a STA. The term "STA" is a generic name used to refer to "non-AP STA" or "AP STA".

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network environment 100 in which various solutions and schemes according to this invention may be implemented. Fig. 2-11 show examples of implementations of various proposed schemes in a network environment 100 according to the present invention. Subsequent descriptions of various proposed schemes are provided with reference to fig. 1-11.

Referring to fig. 1, network environment 100 may refer to STA110, STA115, STA120, and STA125 that wirelessly communicate according to one or more IEEE802.11 standards (e.g., IEEE802.11 be). Each STA110 and 120 may act as an AP and each STA115 and 125 may act as a non-AP STA. Each STA110 and 115 may be associated with or otherwise belong to a BSS 130 having a wide operating bandwidth (e.g., 160MHz or another bandwidth greater than 80 MHz). Each STA120 and 125 may be associated with a BSS 140 having a wide operating bandwidth (e.g., 320MHz or another bandwidth greater than 80MHz) or otherwise belong to an OBSS 140. The BSS 130 and the OBSS 140 may have the same 20MHz main channel for channel contention. Under the proposed scheme according to the present invention, the STA110, the STA115, the STA120, and the STA125 may be configured to perform a broadband transmission scheme in wireless communication according to various proposed schemes described below.

Under the proposed scheme according to the present invention, devices (e.g., STA110 and/or STA 120) may contend for a primary channel and initiate a specific frame exchange (e.g., a Request To Transmit (RTTX)/Clear To Transmit (CTTX) frame exchange) to reserve a TXOP on the primary channel when a backoff counter or timer counts down to 0. The RTTX/CTTX frame exchange may be replicated on one or more non-primary channels that are idle (e.g., a Point Coordination Function (PCF) inter-frame space (PIFS) interval is idle prior to transmission of the RTTX). The RTTX/CTTX frame exchange may indicate bandwidth information, preamble puncturing information, and the like. Under the proposed scheme, RTTX/CTTX frame exchange may set or update an intra-BSS timer of a third party device within the own BSS in case the RTTX/CTTX frame is from its own BSS. Furthermore, in the case where the RTTX/CTTX frame is from an OBSS, the RTTX/CTTX frame exchange may not set or update the inter-frame BSS timer of the third party device within the own BSS. The legacy devices may set or update their timers such that the legacy devices may not access the wireless medium on the primary channel for the duration of the TXOP, which may be obtained from the received RTTX/CTTX frame exchange.

Under the scheme proposed according to the present disclosure, an OBSS device that is not a legacy device does not set or update its inter-frame BSS timer, so that its backoff process can be started or resumed after an RTTX/CTTX frame exchange on the primary channel to contend for access on the primary channel for a TXOP duration, which is information obtained through the RTTX/CTTX frame exchange received on the primary channel. Under the proposed scheme, a wideband shared transmission opportunity (WSTXOP) may be initiated within a TXOP duration, which is limited to the TXOP duration described above, which is duration information of the TXOP transmission opportunity obtained by a successful RTTX/CTTX frame exchange on the primary channel. Further, data transmissions within a WSTXOP may be on non-primary channels not occupied by the shared TXOP indicated by the received RTTX/CTTX, which are idle. Furthermore, the duration of a WSTXOP may be limited by the TXOP duration, which information is obtained from the RTTX/CTTX frame exchange received on the primary channel.

Fig. 2 shows an exemplary scenario 200 of a broadband transmission scheme according to the present invention. In scenario 200, a first device (e.g., STA110 as AP1 of fig. 2) associated with a BSS capable of broadband transmission (e.g., BSS 130) may initiate a particular frame exchange (e.g., RTTX/CTTX frame exchange) to reserve a TXOP on a primary channel when the primary channel is idle. Further, RTTX/CTTX frame exchanges may be replicated (e.g., also performed) on one or more non-primary channels that are idle during the PIFS interval prior to RTTX transmission. Further, subsequent data transmissions within a TXOP initiated by an RTTX/CTTX frame exchange may not be on the primary channel. For example, subsequent data transmissions within a TXOP initiated by an RTTX/CTTX frame exchange may be on one or more non-primary channels that are idle on both the TXOP initiating side and the TXOP responding side.

In scenario 200, a second device associated with an OBSS (e.g., STA120 as AP2 in fig. 2) may initiate a WSTXOP with an RTTX/CTTX frame exchange for the TXOP duration, information of the WSTXOP being available from the received RTTX/CTTX frame exchange. Based on the received RTTX/CTTX frame exchange, the second device may not set or update its inter-frame BSS timer. However, the second device may perform a number of operations, including: (1) setting a WSTXOP timer based on information of a TXOP duration obtained from the received RTTX/CTTX frame exchange; (2) starting or recovering a back-off timer of an RTTX/CTTX frame exchange or a CTTX frame after receiving the RTTX/CTTX frame exchange or the CTTX frame on a main channel; (3) transmitting RTTX on the primary channel when the backoff timer counts down to 0 and the WSTXOP timer is not 0; and (4) replicating the RTTX frame on one or more non-primary channels that are not occupied by the shared TXOP indicated by the RTTX/CTTX frame exchange and that are idle during the PIFS interval prior to transmission. Further, in scenario 200, a non-AP STA2 (e.g., STA 125) responds to the CTTX frame on a corresponding non-primary channel that is idle.

In scenario 200, data transmissions within a WSTXOP may only be on one or more non-primary channels that are idle, as indicated by the RTTX/CTTX frame exchange that indicates the WSTXOP. WSTXOP data transmission may not be performed on the primary channel, and during the WSTXOP, preamble puncturing may be applied to one or more non-primary channels that are not idle. Notably, the duration of the WSTXOP may be limited by the WSTXOP timer. In addition, the primary channel may be used for channel contention and devices (other than legacy devices) may transmit only control frames, management frames, or broadcast frames on the primary channel.

Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary scenario 300 of a broadband transmission scheme according to an embodiment of the invention. In scenario 300, following dynamic bandwidth negotiation between RTTX and CTTX, data transmission in TXOP1 may be on only two non-primary channels. RTTX/CTTX frame exchanges for a WSTXOP indicated by AP2 may be duplicated on one or more non-primary channels, which are not occupied by data transmissions of TXOP1 and are idle during PIFS intervals prior to RTTX transmissions. In the case where AP2 receives the RTTX of TXOP1 but does not receive the CTTX of TXOP1 on the primary channel, then AP2 may defer starting or resuming its backoff process with a particular time interval (e.g., a short inter-frame space (SIFS) interval plus the transmission time of the CTTX). In addition, STA2 may negotiate dynamic bandwidth with AP2 by transmitting CTTX on one or more non-primary channels that are idle to both AP2 and STA 2. Data transmission within a WSTXOP may be performed on a non-primary channel negotiated between the AP2 and the STA 2.

It is noted that in a wide bandwidth system with an operating bandwidth of 240MHz, 160+80MHz, 320MHz, or 160+160MHz, in the case that most of the user devices only support narrower bandwidths (e.g., 80MHz, 160MHz, or 80+80MHz), the wide bandwidth may not be fully utilized due to the channel contention mechanism operating only on the main channel. Under the proposed scheme of the present invention, a primary channel and one or more secondary primary channels may be configured in a BSS (e.g., BSS 130). Under the proposed scheme, a 20MHz channel may be designated as a primary channel of a BSS for a specific duration for contention-based channel access (e.g., Energy Detection Channel Access (EDCA)) operation. In addition, one or more 20MHz channels of different segments of BSS operating bandwidth may be designated as secondary primary channels for channel access when the primary 20MHz channel is blocked/busy. The secondary primary channel of a different channel segment may be designated as the primary channel of the BSS for a particular time interval or duration. The AP device may signal when: the secondary primary channel becomes the primary channel and the current primary channel becomes the secondary primary channel.

Under the proposed scheme, a broadband system may apply a dynamic main channel scheme to control channel access. For example, the AP device may designate a particular duration of one primary 20MHz channel for contention-based channel access (e.g., EDCA). The AP device may also designate one or more 20MHz channels of different channel segments of BSS operating bandwidth as secondary primary channels for accessing the primary 20MHz channels when they are blocked/busy. The AP device may control and signal the primary channel in multiple secondary primary 20MHz channels located in different portions/segments of bandwidth of different durations. non-AP devices residing on the primary 20MHz channel may contend for the channel using EDCA, and non-AP devices associated with the AP device may reside on the secondary primary 20MHz channel of the portion/segment of bandwidth. The AP may control the channel access mode of non-AP devices residing on the secondary primary 20MHz channel, restricting them from contention-based channel access. For example, the AP device may change the EDCA parameter to a low priority parameter or allow only UL based on the trigger, or the AP device may change the MU-EDCA count set to a specific value to disallow EDCA.

Fig. 4 shows an exemplary scenario 400 of a dynamic primary channel scheme according to the present invention. In scenario 400, within each interval, a primary 20MHz channel may be designated in an 80MHz bandwidth portion/segment. Furthermore, only the primary 20MHz channel may be used for channel contention. In addition, different intervals may have different primary 20MHz channels located in different 80MHz portions/segments of bandwidth. Further, a change in the primary channel may be indicated by the AP device, and the duration of such a change may also be indicated by the AP device.

Under the proposed scheme according to the present invention, one primary channel as well as a secondary primary channel may be used by the AP device for channel access for a specific duration. For example, for a particular duration, a primary 20MHz channel may be designated for channel access and one or more 20MHz channels may be designated as secondary primary channels for channel access when the primary 20MHz channel is blocked/busy. The secondary primary channel may be located in different portions/segments of bandwidth. The secondary primary channel may be a default primary channel when the AP device signals to switch the primary channel to the corresponding bandwidth portion/segment. The secondary primary channel may be dynamically accessed by the AP device based on EDCA channel contention when the primary channel is blocked/busy. The AP device may consistently perform random selection of one or more secondary channels for channel access when the primary channel is blocked/busy. The AP device may consistently randomly select one or more secondary primary channels for channel access when the primary channel is blocked/busy. When selecting a plurality of secondary primary channels for channel access, one secondary primary channel, which is first backed off to 0, may be used for channel access.

Fig. 5 shows an exemplary scenario 500 of a dynamic primary channel scheme according to the present invention. In scenario 500, within each interval, one primary 20MHz channel is designated in an 80MHz portion/segment of bandwidth and multiple 20MHz channels are designated as multiple secondary primary channels in other portions/segments of bandwidth. The secondary primary 20MHz channel in a particular interval may be a primary channel in another interval. For example, as shown in fig. 5, the secondary primary 20MHz channel of 80MHz segment 2 in interval 1 may become the primary 20MHz channel of 80MHz segment 2 in interval 2.

Under the proposed scheme according to the present invention, an AP device operating in a wide bandwidth may provide flexible channel access opportunities using a dynamic main channel scheme. The AP device may divide the wide bandwidth into multiple bandwidth portions (or segments) and configure the 20MHz channel as a primary channel or an auxiliary primary channel for each bandwidth portion, respectively. During a particular duration, the AP device may activate a portion of the primary channel of bandwidth for contention-based channel access. For a particular duration, the secondary primary channel at other portions of the bandwidth may be used by the AP device for channel access when the primary 20MHz channel is blocked/busy. When the primary channel is blocked/busy, a secondary primary channel may be dynamically accessed based on EDCA channel contention. When the primary channel is blocked/busy, the AP device may select one or more secondary primary channels for channel access. When multiple secondary primary channels are selected for channel access, multiple backoff processes may be performed on the secondary primary channels, and the first one of the backoff counters up to 0 may be used for channel access. The secondary primary channel may become the primary channel when the AP device indicates a change in the primary channel into the corresponding bandwidth portion/segment.

Fig. 6 shows an exemplary scenario 600 of a dynamic primary channel scheme according to the present invention. In scenario 600, the AP device may select a secondary primary channel for channel access when the primary channel is blocked due to interference. The backoff counter may start counting down based on the CCA detection of the selected secondary primary channel. ED detection may be performed for other channels within a portion/segment of bandwidth (e.g., PIFS detection prior to transmission).

Fig. 7 shows an exemplary scenario 700 of a dynamic primary channel scheme according to the present invention. In scenario 700, the AP device may select a secondary primary channel for channel access when the primary channel is blocked/busy. The backoff timer may start counting down based on CCA detection of the selected secondary primary channel. In the event that the selected secondary primary channel is also blocked, then the AP device may select another secondary primary channel for channel access. In the event that the primary 20MHz channel is not blocked (e.g., NAV equals 0 or physical CS indicates idle), then the AP device may begin to switch back to the primary channel for channel access.

Fig. 8 shows an exemplary scenario 800 of a dynamic primary channel scheme according to the present invention. In scenario 800, the AP device may select a secondary primary channel for channel access when the primary channel is blocked. The backoff timer may start counting down based on CCA detection of the selected secondary primary channel. ED detection of other channels within multiple bandwidth portions/segments (e.g., PIFS detection prior to transmission) may be performed.

Fig. 9 shows an exemplary scenario 900 of a dynamic primary channel scheme according to the present invention. In scenario 900, the AP device may select multiple secondary primary channels for channel access when the primary channel is blocked. An EDCA backoff process may be performed on each selected secondary primary channel with an initial value. The initial value of each backoff timer may be the same or different. The backoff timer may start counting down based on CCA detection of the selected secondary primary channel. ED detection (e.g., PIFS detection prior to transmission) may be performed on other channels within each portion/segment of bandwidth.

Fig. 10 shows an exemplary scenario 1000 of a dynamic main channel according to the present invention. In scenario 1000, the AP device may select multiple secondary primary channels for channel access when the primary channel is blocked. The EDCA backoff process may be performed on each selected secondary primary channel with its own initial value. The backoff timer may start counting down based on CCA detection of the selected secondary primary channel. In scenario 1000, the backoff on segment 4 may be suspended after the backoff on segment 3 counts down to 0.

Fig. 11 shows an exemplary scenario 1100 of a dynamic primary channel scheme according to the present invention. In scenario 1100, the AP device may select multiple secondary primary channels for channel access when the primary channel is blocked. The EDCA backoff process may be performed for each selected secondary primary channel with its own initial value. In scenario 1100, the backoff on segment 4 may be suspended after the backoff for segment 3 times down to 0. In addition, ED detection of other channels including the secondary primary channel of segment 4 (e.g., PIFS detection prior to transmission) may be performed.

Thus, under the schemes described above with respect to fig. 4-11, one primary channel and a plurality of secondary primary channels may be designated for a BSS (e.g., BSS 130) during the time interval indicated by the system information. For example, for a BSS having 320MHz operating bandwidth, the 320MHz bandwidth may be split into four 80MHz bandwidth segments, with one 20MHz primary channel being assigned for each 80MHz bandwidth segment, which has a total of four primary channels in the 320MHz operating bandwidth. Of the four primary channels, one primary channel may be the designated primary channel for the entire 320MHz bandwidth and the other three primary channels may be auxiliary primary channels. The AP device of the BSS may change the designated primary channel to the secondary primary channel for certain time intervals or as explicitly indicated.

Furthermore, flexible channel access rules may be applied based on the state of the designated primary channel and the secondary primary channel under the schemes described with respect to fig. 4-11. For example, the AP device may perform EDCA-based channel contention for the currently designated primary channel. When the designated primary channel is blocked/busy, the secondary primary channel in the other 80MHz bandwidth segment may be used by the AP device to perform EDCA-based channel contention. When multiple secondary primary channels are selected for channel access, one or more backoff processes may be performed on the multiple secondary primary channels. The first backoff procedure when the backoff timer counts down to 0 may be used for channel access. Thus, in the examples shown in fig. 4-11, multiple auxiliary primary channels may be used for channel contention when the primary channel is blocked/busy, thereby improving bandwidth utilization when the primary channel is not available.

Fig. 12 illustrates an exemplary system 1200 having at least one exemplary apparatus 1210 and an exemplary apparatus 1220 according to an embodiment of the invention. Each of the devices 1210 and 1220 may perform various functions to implement aspects, techniques, procedures, and methods related to broadband transmission schemes in wireless communications, including aspects related to the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above and procedures described below. For example, apparatus 1210 may be implemented in one of STA110 or STA120 and apparatus 1220 may be implemented in the other of STA110 or STA120, or vice versa.

Each device 1210 and 1220 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a STA or AP, such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. When implemented in a STA, each of the devices 1210 and 1220 may be implemented in a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, or a computing device such as a tablet, desktop, or laptop computer. Each device 1210 and 1220 can also be part of a machine-type device, which can be an IoT device, such as a stationary or stationary device, a home device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, each device 1210 and 1220 can be implemented in an intelligent thermostat, an intelligent refrigerator, an intelligent door lock, a wireless microphone, or a home control center. When implemented or implemented as a network device, apparatus 1210 and/or apparatus 1220 may be implemented in a network node, such as an AP in a wlan.

In some embodiments, each of the devices 1210 and 1220 may be implemented in the form of one or more Integrated Circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors, or one or more Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processors. In the various aspects described above, each of the means 1210 and the means 1220 may be implemented at or as a STA or an AP. Each of the devices 1210 and 1220 may include at least some of the elements shown in fig. 12, such as a processor 1212 and a processor 1222, respectively. Each of the devices 1210 and 1220 may further include one or more other elements (e.g., an internal power source, a display device, and/or a user interface device) not relevant to the presently contemplated aspects of the invention, and for simplicity, such elements of the devices 1210 and 1220 are not shown in fig. 12 and are not described below.

In an aspect, each of processor 1212 and processor 1222 may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more RISC processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, although the term "a processor" is used herein to refer to both the processor 1212 and the processor 1222, each of the processor 1212 and the processor 1222 may include multiple processors in some embodiments and a single processor in other embodiments. On the other hand, each of the processor 1212 and the processor 1222 may be implemented in hardware (optionally firmware) with electronic components, such as, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and/or one or more varactors configured and used to achieve particular objectives according to the present disclosure. In other words, in at least some embodiments, each of processor 1212 and processor 1222 is a dedicated machine specially designed, arranged and configured to perform certain tasks pertaining to wideband transmission schemes in wireless communications according to various embodiments of the present invention.

In some embodiments, the apparatus 1210 may also include a transceiver 1216 coupled to the processor 1212. The transceiver 1216 may include a transmitter capable of wireless transmission and a receiver capable of wirelessly receiving data. In some embodiments, the apparatus 1220 may also include a transceiver 1226 coupled to the processor 1222. The transceiver 1226 may include a transmitter capable of wireless transmission and a receiver capable of wireless reception of data.

In some embodiments, the apparatus 1210 may also include a transceiver 1216 coupled to the processor 1212. The transceiver 1216 may include a transmitter capable of wireless transmission and a receiver capable of wirelessly receiving data. In some embodiments, the apparatus 1220 may also include a transceiver 1226 coupled to the processor 1222. The transceiver 1226 may also include a transmitter capable of wireless transmission and a receiver capable of wireless reception of data.

In some embodiments, the apparatus 1210 may further include a memory 1214 coupled to the processor 1212 and capable of being accessed by and storing data in the processor 1212. In some embodiments, the apparatus 1220 may further include a memory 1224 coupled to the 1222 and capable of being accessed by and storing data within the processor 1222. Each of memory 1214 and memory 1224 may include a type of Random Access Memory (RAM) such as Dynamic RAM (DRAM), Static RAM (SRAM), transistor RAM (T-RAM), and/or 0 capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, each memory 1214 and 1224 may include one type of read-only memory (ROM), such as shadow ROM, programmable ROM (prom), erasable programmable ROM (eprom), and/or electrically erasable programmable ROM (eeprom). Alternatively, each memory 1214, 1224 may include a type of non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric ram (feram), magnetoresistive ram (mram), and/or phase change memory.

Each of the devices 1210 and 1220 may be a communication entity capable of communicating with each other using the scheme proposed according to the present invention. For purposes of illustration and not limitation, a performance description is provided below with device 1210 as one of STA110 and STA120 and device 1220 as the other of STA110 and STA 120. It is noted that although the description of the exemplary embodiments is provided in the context of a WLAN, the same may be implemented in other types of networks.

Under aspects of the present disclosure relating to broadband transmission in wireless communications, a processor 1212 of an apparatus 1210 (e.g., implemented or embodied as an STA as AP1 in scenario 200 and/or scenario 300) may obtain a TXOP in a broadband operating bandwidth, including a primary channel and a plurality of non-primary channels, via a transceiver 1216. Further, processor 1212 can initiate a frame exchange via transceiver 1216 to reserve a TXOP for TXOP sharing. Further, after the frame exchange, processor 1212 may share a primary channel with a Basic Service Set (BSS) via transceiver 1216.

In some embodiments, the frame exchange may comprise an RTTX/CTTX frame exchange indicating at least one of: occupied bandwidth, preamble puncturing information, and TXIO sharing duration.

In some embodiments, when initiating a frame exchange, processor 1212 may initiate a frame exchange on the primary channel and one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels indicated in the frame exchange.

In some embodiments, processor 1212 may initiate a frame exchange on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels that are idle during a PIFS interval prior to the frame exchange when the frame exchange is initiated on the one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels.

In some embodiments, when performing data transmission, processor 1212 may perform data transmission on at least one of the plurality of non-primary channels reserved by the frame exchange.

In some embodiments, the primary channel may be shared by a BSS (e.g., BSS 130) and an OBSS (e.g., OBSS 140) to initiate a frame exchange to reserve a TXOP for sharing. Further, the primary channel includes a 20MHz primary channel. In this case, the primary channel may be used for channel contention and transmission of control, management and broadcast frames but no data frames by non-legacy devices. Further, the frame exchange may set or update an intra-frame BSS timer of a third party device associated with the BSS, but not set or update an inter-frame BSS timer of a third party device associated with the OBSS.

Under another proposed scheme for a wideband transmission scheme in wireless communications in accordance with the invention, processor 1222 of apparatus 1220 (e.g., implemented or embodied as STA2 as AP2 in scenario 200 and/or scenario 300) may detect, via transceiver 1226, a frame exchange on a primary channel in a wideband operating bandwidth that includes the primary channel and a plurality of non-primary channels, the frame exchange being reserved for a shared TXOP. Further, processor 1222 can initiate or resume a backoff process to contend for the medium for the primary channel within the TXOP. Further, processor 1222 may initiate a WSTXOP within the TXOP via transceiver 1226. Further, processor 1222 can perform data transmission on one or more of a plurality of non-primary channels within a TXOP via transceiver 1226. Further, processor 1222 may perform data transmission on one or more of a plurality of non-primary channels within a WSTXOP via transceiver 1226.

In some embodiments, processor 1222 may perform certain operations in detecting frame exchanges. For example, processor 1222 may obtain information of TXOP duration from one or more frames received by the frame exchange. Further, processor 1222 may set a WSTXOP timer based on the duration of the TXOP to limit the duration of the WSTXOP.

In some embodiments, processor 1222 can start or resume the backoff timer upon receiving at least one frame of the RTTX/CTTX frame exchange on the primary channel when the backoff process is started or resumed.

In some embodiments, upon initiating a WSTXOP, processor 1222 may initiate another RTTX/CTTX frame exchange within the TXOP by transmitting an RTTX frame on the primary channel once the backoff timer has counted down to 0 and the WSTXOP timer is not 0.

In some embodiments, processor 1222 can initiate another RTTX/CTTX frame exchange on one or more of the primary channel and the plurality of non-primary channels when initiating another RTTX/CTTX frame exchange.

In some embodiments, processor 1222 can initiate another RTTX/CTTX frame exchange on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels that are not included in the bandwidth indicated by the RTTX/CTTX received from the primary channel and that are idle during the PIFS interval before the other RTTX/CTTX frame exchange when the other RTTX/CTTX frame exchange is initiated on the one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels.

In some embodiments, the processor 1222 may perform certain operations while performing data transfers. For example, processor 1222 can perform data transmission on at least one non-primary channel reserved by another RTTX/CTTX frame exchange of a WSTXOP. Further, during a WSTXOP, processor 1222 may apply preamble puncturing for one or more non-primary channels that are not idle.

In some embodiments, the primary channel may be shared by a BSS (e.g., BSS 130) and an OBSS (e.g., OBSS 140). Further, the primary channel may comprise a 20MHz primary channel. In this case, the primary channel may be used for channel contention and transmission of control, management and broadcast frames but no data frames by non-legacy devices.

Fig. 13 illustrates an exemplary process 1300 according to an embodiment of the invention. Process 1300 may represent an aspect to implement various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems and methods described above. More specifically, process 1300 may represent an aspect of the proposed concept with respect to a wideband transmission scheme for wireless communications in accordance with the present invention. Process 1300 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 1310, 1320, 1330, and 1340. Although shown as separate blocks, the various blocks of process 1300 may be broken down into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Further, the blocks/sub-blocks of process 1300 may be performed in the order shown in fig. 13 or in a different order. Further, one or more blocks/sub-blocks of process 1300 may be performed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 1300 may be implemented by apparatus 1210 and apparatus 1220, as well as variations thereof. For purposes of illustration only and not limitation, process 1300 is described in the context of STA110, where apparatus 1210 is implemented in or as a wireless network, which may be a WLAN in a network environment according to one or more IEEE standards, and STA 130, where apparatus 1220 is implemented in or as a wireless network. Process 1300 may begin at block 1310.

At 1310, process 1300 may involve a processor of apparatus 1210 obtaining a TXOP of a wideband operating bandwidth including a primary channel and a plurality of non-primary channels via a transceiver 1216. Process 1300 may proceed from 1310 to 1320.

At 1320, process 1300 can involve processor 1212 initiating a frame exchange via transceiver 1216 to reserve a TXOP for TXOP sharing. From 1320, process 1300 proceeds to 1330.

At 1330, process 1300 may involve processor 1212 performing a data transmission on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels within the TXOP via transceiver 1216. Process 1300 may proceed from 1330 to 1340.

At 1340, process 1300 may involve processor 1212 sharing a primary channel with a Basic Service Set (BSS) via transceiver 1216 after the frame exchange.

In some embodiments, the frame exchange may comprise an RTTX/CTTX frame exchange indicating at least one of: occupied bandwidth, preamble puncturing information, and TXOP sharing duration.

In some embodiments, when initiating a frame exchange, process 1300 may involve processor 1212 initiating a frame exchange on the primary channel and on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels indicated by the frame exchange.

In some embodiments, process 1300 may involve processor 1212 initiating a frame exchange on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels that are idle during a PIFS interval prior to the frame exchange when the frame exchange is initiated on the one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels.

In some embodiments, process 1300 may further involve processor 1212 performing data transmission on at least one of the plurality of non-primary channels reserved by the frame exchange.

In some embodiments, the primary channel may be shared by a BSS (e.g., BSS 130) and an OBSS (e.g., OBSS 140) to initiate a frame exchange to reserve a TXOP for sharing. Further, the primary channel may comprise a 20MHz primary channel. In this case, the primary channel may be used for channel contention and transmission of control, management and broadcast frames but no data frames by non-legacy devices. Further, the frame exchange may set or update an intra-frame BSS timer of a third party device associated with the BSS but not set or update an inter-frame BSS timer of a third party device associated with the OBSS.

Fig. 14 illustrates an exemplary process 1400 according to an embodiment of the invention. Process 1400 may represent an aspect to implement various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems and methods described above. More specifically, process 1400 may represent one aspect of the proposed concepts and schemes for a wideband transmission scheme in wireless communications in accordance with the present invention. Process 1400 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions illustrated by one or more of blocks 1410, 1420, 1430, and 1440. Although shown as separate blocks, various blocks of process 1400 may be broken down into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Further, the blocks/sub-blocks of process 1400 may be performed in the order shown in fig. 14 or in a different order. Further, one or more blocks/sub-blocks of process 1400 may be performed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 1400 may be implemented by apparatus 1210 and apparatus 1220, and variations thereof. For purposes of illustration only and not limitation, described in the context of STA110 having apparatus 1210 implemented in or as a wireless network, which may be a WLAN in a network environment according to one or more IEEE802.11 standards, and STA120 having apparatus 1220 implemented in or as a wireless network. Process 1400 may begin with block 1410.

At 1410, process 1400 may involve processor 1222 of apparatus 1220 detecting, via the transceiver, a frame exchange on a primary channel in a broadband operating bandwidth that includes the primary channel and one or more non-primary channels, the frame exchange generating a TXOP reserved for sharing. From 1410, process 1400 may proceed to 1420.

At 1420, process 1400 can involve processor 1222 starting or resuming a backoff process to contend for a medium on a primary channel within a TXOP. Process 1400 may proceed from 1420 to 1430.

At 1430, process 1400 may involve processor 1222 initiating a WSTXOP within the TXOP via transceiver 1226. From 1430, process 1400 may proceed to 1440.

At 1440, process 1400 can involve processor 1222 performing, via transceiver 1226, a data transmission within the WSTXOP on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels.

In some embodiments, process 1400 may involve processor 1222 performing certain operations in detecting a frame exchange. For example, process 1400 may involve processor 1222 obtaining information of TXOP duration from one or more frames received by the frame exchange. Further, process 1400 may involve processor 1222 setting a WSTXOP timer based on the duration of the TXOP to limit the duration of the WSTXOP.

In some embodiments, process 1400 can involve processor 1222 starting or resuming a back-off timer upon receiving at least one frame of an RTTX/CTTX frame exchange on a primary channel when the back-off process is started or resumed.

In some embodiments, upon initiating a WSTXOP, process 1400 may involve processor 1222 initiating another RTTX/CTTX frame exchange within the TXOP by transmitting an RTTX frame on the primary channel once the backoff timer has counted down to 0 and the WSTXOP timer is not 0.

In some embodiments, process 1400 can involve processor 1222 initiating an RTTX/CTTX frame exchange on the primary channel and one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels when initiating another RTTX/CTTX frame exchange.

In some embodiments, process 1400 may involve processor 1222 initiating another RTTX/CTTX frame exchange on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels that are not included in the bandwidth indicated in the received RTTX/CTTX on the primary channel and are idle during a PIFS interval prior to the other RTTX/CTTX frame exchange when initiating the other RTTX/CTTX frame exchange on the one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels.

In some embodiments, process 1400 may involve processor 1222 performing certain operations in performing data transfers. For example, process 1400 may involve processor 1222 performing a data transmission on at least one of a plurality of non-primary channels reserved by another RTTX/CTTX frame exchange of a WSTXOP. Further, process 1400 can involve processor 1222 performing preamble puncturing on one or more of a plurality of non-primary channels that are not idle during the WSTXOP.

In some embodiments, the primary channel may be shared by a BSS (e.g., BSS 130) and an OBSS (e.g., OBSS 140). Further, the primary channel may comprise a 20MHz primary channel. In this case, the primary channel may be used for channel contention and transmission of control, management and broadcast frames but no data frames by non-legacy devices.

The subject matter described herein sometimes illustrates different elements as being included in, or connected with, different other elements. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two elements herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial elements. Likewise, any two elements so associated can also be viewed as being "operably connected," or "operably coupled," to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two elements capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being "operably couplable," to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting elements and/or wirelessly cognizable and/or wirelessly interacting elements and/or logically interactable elements.

Furthermore, to the extent that substantially any plural and/or singular terms are used herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and application. Various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for the sake of clarity.

Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that, in general, terms used herein, and especially terms used in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms, e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc. It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an," the same applies to indefinite articles such as "at least one" or "one or more. Furthermore, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least one of the recited number, and the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations. Further, where a convention analogous to "at least one A, B and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended that one skilled in the art will understand the convention such that "a system has at least one A, B and C" will include but not be limited to systems having a alone, B alone, C alone, a and B together, a and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B and C together, etc. In those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one A, B or C" is used, it is generally intended that such a construction will be understood by those skilled in the art that the convention such as "a system has at least one A, B or C" will include but not be limited to systems having a alone, B alone, C alone, a and B together, a and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B and C together, and the like. It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, in the description, claims, or drawings, will be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "a or B" will be understood to include the possibility of "a or B" or "a and B".

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without deviating from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the various embodiments described herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Claims (20)

1. A method of broadband transmission in wireless communications, the method comprising:

obtaining a transmission opportunity in a wideband operating bandwidth, the wideband operating bandwidth comprising a primary channel and a plurality of non-primary channels;

initiating a frame exchange to reserve the transmission opportunity for transmission opportunity sharing;

performing data transmission on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels within the transmission opportunity; and

sharing the primary channel with a set of base services after the frame exchange.

2. The method for broadband transmission in wireless communication of claim 1, wherein the frame exchange comprises a request to transmit and an allowed to transmit frame exchange indicating at least one of occupied bandwidth, preamble puncturing information, and transmission opportunity sharing duration information.

3. The method of wideband transmission in wireless communications according to claim 1, wherein said initiating said frame exchange comprises initiating said frame exchange on said primary channel and one or more of said plurality of non-primary channels indicated in said frame exchange.

4. The method of broadband transmission in wireless communication of claim 3, wherein initiating the frame exchange on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels comprises initiating the frame exchange on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels that are idle during a point coordination function interframe space interval prior to the frame exchange.

5. The method of broadband transmission in wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein said performing said data transmission comprises performing said data transmission on at least one of said plurality of non-primary channels reserved by said frame exchange.

6. The method for broadband transmission in wireless communication of claim 1, wherein the primary channel is shared by the basic service set with an overlapping basic service set to initiate the frame exchange to reserve the transmission opportunity for sharing.

7. The method for broadband transmission in wireless communication of claim 6, wherein the primary channel comprises a 20MHz primary channel, and wherein the frame exchange sets or updates an intra-frame basic service set timer of a third party device associated with the basic service set and does not set or update an inter-frame basic service set timer of a third party device associated with the overlapping basic service set.

8. The method for broadband transmission in wireless communication of claim 1 wherein said primary channel is used for channel contention and control frames, management frames and broadcast frames are transmitted by non-legacy devices but no data frames are transmitted.

9. A method of broadband transmission in wireless communications, the method comprising:

detecting a frame exchange on a primary channel in a wideband operating bandwidth, wherein the wideband operating bandwidth includes the primary channel and a plurality of non-primary channels, the frame exchange generating transmission opportunities reserved for sharing;

starting or resuming a backoff procedure to contend for a medium on the primary channel within the transmission opportunity;

initiating a broadband shared transmission opportunity within the transmission opportunity; and

performing data transmission on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels within the broadband shared transmission opportunity.

10. The method for broadband transmission in wireless communication of claim 9, wherein said detecting said frame exchange comprises:

obtaining information of a duration of the transmission opportunity from one or more frames received by the frame exchange; and

setting a broadband shared transmission opportunity timer based on the duration of the transmission opportunity to limit the duration of the broadband shared transmission opportunity.

11. The method of broadband transmission in wireless communication of claim 10, wherein said starting or resuming said backoff process comprises starting or resuming a backoff timer after receiving at least one frame on said primary channel requesting a transmission to be exchanged with a permitted transmission frame.

12. The method of wideband transmission in a wireless communication according to claim 11, wherein said initiating said wideband shared transmission opportunity comprises initiating another request transmission and allowing transmission frame exchange within said transmission opportunity by transmitting a request-to-send frame on said primary channel once a back-off timer has counted down to 0 and said wideband shared transmission opportunity timer is not 0.

13. The method of wideband transmission in wireless communication according to claim 12, wherein initiating said another request transmission to exchange with an allowed transmission frame comprises initiating another request transmission to exchange with an allowed transmission frame on said primary channel and on one or more of said plurality of non-primary channels.

14. The method of broadband transmission in wireless communication of claim 13, wherein initiating the another request transmission and allowed transmission frame exchange on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels comprises initiating the another request transmission and allowed transmission frame exchange on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels that are idle during a point coordination function interframe space interval that is not included in the bandwidth of the request transmission and allowed transmission indication received on the primary channel and that precedes the another request transmission and allowed transmission frame exchange.

15. The method of broadband transmission in wireless communication according to claim 9, wherein said performing said data transmission comprises performing said data transmission on at least one of said plurality of non-primary channels reserved by said another request transmission of said broadband shared transmission opportunity and a grant of a transmission frame exchange.

16. The method for wideband transmission in wireless communications according to claim 15 wherein said performing said data transmission further comprises preamble puncturing one or more of said plurality of non-primary channels that are not idle during said wideband shared transmission opportunity.

17. The method for broadband transmission in wireless communication of claim 9, wherein the primary channel is shared by a basic service set and an overlapping basic service set, and wherein the primary channel comprises a 20MHz primary channel.

18. The method for broadband transmission in wireless communication of claim 9 wherein said primary channel is used for channel contention and control frames, management frames and broadcast frames are transmitted by non-legacy devices but no data frames are transmitted.

19. An apparatus for broadband transmission in wireless communication, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver for receiving and transmitting a signal from the wireless communication device,

memory for storing instructions for a method of broadband transmission in wireless communication, and

a processor coupled to the transceiver and memory, execution of the instructions stored in the memory by the processor causing the apparatus to perform a wideband transmission method:

obtaining a transmission opportunity in a wideband operating bandwidth, the wideband operating bandwidth comprising a primary channel and a plurality of non-primary channels;

initiating a frame exchange to reserve the transmission opportunity for transmission opportunity sharing;

performing data transmission on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels within the transmission opportunity; and

sharing the primary channel with a set of base services after the frame exchange.

20. The apparatus for broadband transmission in wireless communication of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to:

starting or resuming a backoff process to contend for a medium on the primary channel within the transmission opportunity;

initiating a broadband shared transmission opportunity within the transmission opportunity; and

performing data transmission on one or more of the plurality of non-primary channels within the broadband shared transmission opportunity.

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