Mechanism for handling transmission opportunity termination in non-primary channel access

Abstract

The invention relates to a mechanism for handling transmission opportunity termination in non-primary channel access. This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices related to enhanced channel efficiency. The device may enable utilization of the secondary channel within the Wi-Fi network when the primary channel is occupied. The device may monitor the state of the primary channel when the primary channel is busy. A device may assess the presence of energy in a primary channel using clear channel assessment (CCA) during a receive mode. The device may provide a state of the primary channel via block acknowledgement during a frame exchange on the secondary channel when the primary channel is determined to be idle. The device may switch back to the primary channel by a broadcast frame or a unicast frame indication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for wireless communications, and more particularly to mechanisms for handling transmission opportunity termination in non-primary channel access. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication networks are essential in today's connected world, facilitating the exchange of information across vast distances. However, traditional approaches often fail to optimize the use of available spectrum, resulting in underutilization of network resources and thus reduced performance. Therefore, a more efficient system is needed that fully utilizes available spectrum resources to improve network performance and data throughput. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] Figure 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment for enhanced channel efficiency according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0004] Figures 2 to 3 Depicted are illustrative schematic diagrams for enhanced channel efficiency in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0005] Figure 4 A flow chart of a process for describing an enhanced channel efficiency system according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0006] Figure 5 A functional diagram of an exemplary communication station that may be suitable for use as a user equipment according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0007] Figure 6 A block diagram of an example machine is shown on which any of one or more techniques (eg, methodologies) may be performed according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a radio architecture according to some examples.

[0009] Figure 8 A method for performing a multi-function circuit according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 Example front-end module circuit in a radio architecture of FIG.

[0010] Fig. 9 A method for performing a multi-function circuit according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 Example radio IC circuit in a radio architecture of FIG.

[0011] Fig.10 A method for performing a multi-function circuit according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7Example baseband processing circuitry in a radio architecture of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The following description and accompanying drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice these embodiments. Other embodiments may include structural, logical, electrical, algorithmic, process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in portions and features of other embodiments, or may replace portions and features of other embodiments. The embodiments set forth in the claims include all available equivalents of these claims.

[0013] Wi-Fi 8 (referred to as IEEE 802.11bn or Ultra High Reliability (UHR)) is the next generation of Wi-Fi and the successor to the IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) standard. Consistent with all previous Wi-Fi standards, Wi-Fi 8 will focus on improving wireless performance overall while introducing new innovative features to further advance Wi-Fi technology.

[0014] In 11n / UHR, the group is considering non-primary channel access as a potential solution to achieve low latency. The basic idea is that whenever the primary channel of the BSS is blocked (for example, due to OBSS transmission), the AP and STA will operate on the non-primary channel in a timely manner. The typical use case will be for the case when both the STA and the AP set their network allocation vector (NAV) from the OBSS transmission and therefore both start operating on the non-primary channel. It is expected that each STA will have the ability to monitor the non-primary channel while it is not transmitting on the primary channel, at least to the extent of performing CCA through ED checks, and vice versa. The duration of operation of the two STAs on the non-primary link is expected to be limited to the time when the NAV in the primary channel is set by the OBSS transmission. Staying on the channel for a longer time may mean that the STA and AP will lose medium access on the primary channel. This also means that the AP remains unavailable to any associated legacy STAs (such STAs will try to contact the AP after the NAV set by the OBSS transmission ends).

[0015] In Wi-Fi networks, a Basic Service Set (BSS) refers to a group of devices that communicate together. OBSS, therefore, refers to a situation where the coverage areas of two or more BSSs overlap, creating an environment where transmissions from one BSS can be overheard and interfere with the operations of another BSS.

[0016] Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems, methods, and devices for mechanisms for handling transmission opportunity (TXOP) termination in non-primary channel access.

[0017] In one embodiment, the enhanced channel efficiency system may facilitate a STA that has switched to a secondary channel and is able to perform CCA on the primary channel using ED and / or NAV information when not transmitting on the secondary channel to report to its associated STA or AP when the medium becomes idle.

[0018] In one embodiment, the enhanced channel efficiency system may facilitate the AP to explicitly instruct the STA to switch back to the primary channel when it determines that the medium on the primary channel is idle.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, the enhanced channel efficiency system can address the OBSS TXOP termination issue during non-primary channel access described in Section 1, thereby achieving higher overall performance.

[0020] The above description is for the purpose of illustration and is not meant to be limiting. There may be many other examples, configurations, processes, algorithms, etc., some of which will be described in more detail below. Example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment for enhanced channel efficiency according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. A wireless network 100 may include one or more user devices 120 and one or more access points (APs) 102, which may communicate according to the IEEE 802.11 communication standard. The user device(s) 120 may be a non-static (e.g., not having a fixed location) mobile device, or may be a static device.

[0022] In some embodiments, user equipment 120 and AP 102 may include a Figure 5 Functional diagram and / or Figure 6 One or more computer systems of an example machine / system.

[0023] One or more illustrative user devices 120 and / or AP 102 may be operated by one or more users 110. It should be noted that any addressable unit may be a station (STA). A STA may have a plurality of different characteristics, each of which shapes its functionality. For example, a single addressable unit may be a portable STA, a quality of service (QoS) STA, a dependent STA, and a hidden STA at the same time. One or more illustrative user devices 120 and AP 102 may be STAs. One or more illustrative user devices 120 and / or AP 102 may operate as a personal basic service set (PBSS) control point / access point (PCP / AP). (One or more) user devices 120 (e.g., 124, 126, or 128) and / or AP 102 may include any suitable processor-driven device, including but not limited to a mobile device or a non-mobile (e.g., static) device. For example, the user equipment(s) 120 and / or the AP 102 may include a user equipment (UE), a station (STA), an access point (AP), a software-enabled AP (SoftAP), a personal computer (PC), a wearable wireless device (e.g., a bracelet, a watch, glasses, a ring, etc.), a desktop computer, a mobile computer, a laptop computer, an ultrabook, or a laptop computer. TM) computer, notebook computer, tablet computer, server computer, handheld computer, handheld device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, sensor device, PDA device, handheld PDA device, on-board device, off-board device, hybrid device (e.g., combining cellular phone functionality with PDA device functionality), consumer device, vehicle-mounted device, off-vehicle device, mobile or portable device, non-mobile or non-portable device, mobile phone, cellular phone, PCS device, PDA device including wireless communication device, mobile or portable GPS device, DVB device, relatively small computing device, non-desktop computer, "Central Computing System (CSLL)" device, ultra mobile device (UMD), ultra mobile PC (UMPC), mobile Internet device (MID), "origami" device or computer Devices, devices supporting Dynamic Composable Computing (DCC), context-aware devices, video devices, audio devices, A / V devices, set-top boxes (STBs), Blu-ray Disc (BD) players, BD recorders, digital video disc (DVD) players, high-definition (HD) DVD players, DVD recorders, HDDVD recorders, personal video recorders (PVRs), broadcast HD receivers, video sources, audio sources, video receivers, audio receivers, stereo tuners, broadcast radio receivers, flat panel displays, personal media players (PMPs), digital video cameras (DVCs), digital audio players, speakers, audio receivers, audio amplifiers, gaming devices, data sources, data receivers, digital still cameras (DSCs), media players, smartphones, televisions, music players, etc. Other devices, including smart devices such as lamps, climate controls, automotive components, household components, appliances, etc., may also be included in this list.

[0024] As used herein, the term "Internet of Things (IoT) device" is used to refer to any object (e.g., appliance, sensor, etc.) that has an addressable interface (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) address, Bluetooth identifier (ID), near field communication (NFC) ID, etc.) and can send information to one or more other devices through a wired or wireless connection. IoT devices can have passive communication interfaces, such as quick response (QR) codes, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, NFC tags, etc., or active communication interfaces, such as modems, transceivers, transmitter-receivers, etc. IoT devices can have a set of specific attributes (e.g., device states or conditions, such as whether the IoT device is on or off, open or closed, idle or active, available for task execution or busy, etc., cooling or heating functions, environmental monitoring or recording functions, light emission functions, sound emission functions, etc.), which can be embedded in a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an ASIC, etc. and / or controlled / monitored by these, and configured to be connected to an IoT network such as a local ad hoc network or the Internet. For example, IoT devices may include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, toasters, ovens, microwave ovens, freezers, dishwashers, dishes, hand tools, washing machines, dryers, stoves, air conditioners, thermostats, televisions, lamps, vacuum cleaners, sprinklers, electric meters, gas meters, etc., as long as these devices are equipped with an addressable communication interface for communicating with the IoT network. IoT devices may also include mobile phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. Therefore, an IoT network may include a combination of "old-fashioned" Internet-accessible devices (e.g., laptop or desktop computers, mobile phones, etc.) in addition to devices that typically do not have Internet connectivity (e.g., dishwashers, etc.).

[0025] The user equipment(s) 120 and / or the AP 102 may also include, for example, mesh stations in a mesh network in accordance with one or more IEEE 802.11 standards and / or 3GPP standards.

[0026] Any of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may be configured to communicate with each other wirelessly or wired via one or more communication networks 130 and / or 135. The user devices 120 may also communicate peer-to-peer or directly with each other with or without the AP 102. Any of the communication networks 130 and / or 135 may include, but are not limited to, any of a combination of different types of appropriate communication networks, including, for example, a broadcast network, a wired network, a public network (e.g., the Internet), a private network, a wireless network, a cellular network, or any other suitable private and / or public network. In addition, any of the communication networks 130 and / or 135 may have any suitable communication range associated therewith, and may include, for example, a global network (e.g., the Internet), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN,) or a personal area network (PAN). In addition, any of the communication networks 130 and / or 135 may include any type of medium that can carry network traffic, including but not limited to coaxial cable, twisted pair, optical fiber, hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) medium, microwave ground transceivers, radio frequency communication medium, white space communication medium, ultra-high frequency communication medium, satellite communication medium, or any combination thereof.

[0027] Any of the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and the AP 102 may include one or more communication antennas. The one or more communication antennas may be any suitable type of antenna corresponding to the communication protocol used by the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, and 128) and the AP 102. Some non-limiting examples of suitable communication antennas include Wi-Fi antennas, antennas compatible with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, directional antennas, non-directional antennas, dipole antennas, folded dipole antennas, patch antennas, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, omnidirectional antennas, quasi-omnidirectional antennas, and the like. The one or more communication antennas may be communicatively coupled to a radio component to transmit signals (e.g., communication signals) to and / or receive signals from the user device 120 and / or the AP 102.

[0028] Any one of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may be configured to perform directional transmission and / or directional reception in conjunction with wireless communications in a wireless network. Any one of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may be configured to perform such directional transmission and / or reception using a set of multiple antenna arrays (e.g., DMG antenna arrays, etc.). Each of the multiple antenna arrays may be used for transmission and / or reception in a specific corresponding direction or range of directions. Any one of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may be configured to perform any given directional transmission toward one or more defined transmission sectors. Any one of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may be configured to perform any given directional reception for one or more defined reception sectors.

[0029] MIMO beamforming in a wireless network can be implemented using RF beamforming and / or digital beamforming. In some embodiments, when performing a given MIMO transmission, (one or more) user devices 120 and / or AP 102 can be configured to use all or a subset of their one or more communication antennas to perform MIMO beamforming.

[0030] Any of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may include any suitable radio and / or transceiver for sending and / or receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in a bandwidth and / or channel corresponding to a communication protocol used by any of the user devices 120 and AP 102 to communicate with each other. The radio component may include hardware and / or software for modulating and / or demodulating communication signals according to a pre-established transmission protocol. The radio component may also have hardware and / or software instructions to communicate via one or more Wi-Fi protocols and / or Wi-Fi Direct protocols standardized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard. In certain example embodiments, the radio component cooperates with the communication antenna and can be configured to communicate via a 2.4 GHz channel (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ax), a 5 GHz channel (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, etc.), a 6 GHz channel (e.g., 802.11ax, 802.11be, etc.), a 60 GHz channel (e.g., 802.11ad, 802.11ay), or an 800 MHz channel (e.g., 802.11ah). The communication antenna can operate at 28 GHz and 40 GHz. It should be understood that this list of communication channels according to certain 802.11 standards is only a partial list, and other 802.11 standards (e.g., next generation Wi-Fi or other standards) can be used. In some embodiments, non-Wi-Fi protocols may be used for communication between devices, such as Bluetooth, dedicated short range communication (DSRC), ultra-high frequency (UHF) (e.g., IEEE 802.11af, IEEE 802.22), white space frequencies (e.g., white space), or other packetized radio communications. The radio component may include any known receiver and baseband suitable for communicating via a communication protocol. The radio component may also include a low noise amplifier (LNA), an additional signal amplifier, an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter, one or more buffers, and a digital baseband.

[0031] In one embodiment, reference Figure 1, the user equipment 120 may communicate with one or more APs 102. For example, the one or more APs 102 may implement enhanced channel efficiency 142 with the one or more user equipment 120. The one or more APs 102 may be a multi-link device (MLD), and the one or more user equipment 120 may be a non-AP MLD. Each of the one or more APs 102 may include multiple individual APs (e.g., AP1, AP2, ..., APn, where n is an integer), and each of the one or more user equipment 120 may include multiple individual STAs (e.g., STA1, STA2, ..., STAn). The AP MLD and the non-AP MLD may establish one or more links (e.g., Link1, Link2, ..., Linkn) between each AP and the STA. It should be understood that the above description is for illustrative purposes and is not meant to be limiting.

[0032] Figures 2 to 3 Depicted are illustrative schematic diagrams for enhanced channel efficiency in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] In practice, the TXOP holder can end the TXOP early by sending a CF-end. However, a STA that temporarily switches to a non-primary channel will miss the CF-end and thus will not switch back to the primary channel immediately after the TXOP on the primary channel ends.

[0034] refer to Figure 2 , shows an example in which a STA (eg, a UHR STA) adopts a non-primary channel access based on an initial NAV setting, misses a TXOP termination, and delays switching back to a primary channel.

[0035] In one or more embodiments, an enhanced channel efficiency system may facilitate a solution to this TXOP termination problem.

[0036] In one or more embodiments, an enhanced channel efficiency system can address the issue of using non-primary channels or using secondary channels in a Wi-Fi network, especially when the primary channel is occupied. Today's Wi-Fi, including versions up to 11be (Wi-Fi 7), typically does not allow the use of secondary channels when the primary channel is busy. However, the proposed enhanced channel efficiency system is intended to enable a mode that allows the use of secondary channels even when the primary channel is active. In standard Wi-Fi practice, transmissions typically use 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 / 320MHz channels, with one dedicated 20MHz channel used as the primary channel. Regardless of whether the secondary channels are idle or busy, these channels will be inaccessible if the primary channel is occupied.

[0037] In one or more embodiments, the enhanced channel efficiency system can utilize a secondary channel for frame exchanges when the primary channel is busy. This application of the system is particularly meaningful when it is assumed that the primary channel will be busy for a period of time. However, complications may arise in situations where a busy frame exchange on the primary channel terminates earlier than expected and additional frame exchanges occur that exceed the expected duration. When the system returns to the primary channel under these circumstances, the system lacks knowledge of the activity of the primary channel.

[0038] In one or more embodiments, the enhanced channel efficiency system may be designed to track the status of the primary channel through the AP and STA. This tracking process involving measurements can occur when the AP and STA are not transmitting signals, mainly during their reception or listening periods. During such periods, the system can perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) to detect the presence of energy in the medium. However, this is not possible during transmission because the transmission of the device interferes with its receiving side.

[0039] In one or more embodiments, the enhanced channel efficiency system may allow a station to deliver status information of the primary channel during its receive mode. If the medium is found to be idle, the station may communicate this information as part of a block acknowledgment during a frame exchange on the secondary channel. This approach essentially requires piggybacking the status information onto the block acknowledgment. Therefore, the access point (AP) may then send a broadcast frame indicating a switch back to the primary channel before the end of the originally expected NAV in the primary channel. NAV is a virtual carrier sensing mechanism used as part of a collision avoidance method in wireless networks. When a device needs to send a frame, it first sends a small frame called RTS (Request to Send) that contains the duration that the channel will be occupied. Every other device in range will hear this RTS and update its NAV to that duration. During this time, they will not transmit, effectively reserving the channel for the original device. The NAV counter counts down to zero, at which point the device will again listen to see if the channel is idle before attempting to transmit. Therefore, the use of NAV helps avoid collisions, improves network efficiency, and is one of the key elements in the Wi-Fi collision avoidance mechanism.

[0040] In one or more embodiments, the enhanced channel efficiency system may be particularly beneficial in situations where the primary channel is busy with overlapping basic service set (OBSS) traffic. For example, consider a situation where another network adjacent to the primary network occupies the primary channel, leaving a non-primary channel unused. If the primary channel is a 20 MHz channel within the 160 MHz operating bandwidth, there will still be 140 MHz channels available for use. Currently, the total 160 MHz bandwidth would be considered unavailable because the 20 MHz primary channel is occupied. However, the proposed enhanced channel efficiency system can still utilize the available 140 MHz of the secondary channel even when the primary channel is in use, thereby optimizing network performance and efficiency.

[0041] refer to Figure 3 , shows an example use of signaling from a STA to an AP regarding a primary channel becoming idle. Note that the AP cannot detect when a channel becomes idle.

[0042] In one embodiment, the STA report monitoring the primary channel through ED captures information whether the medium in the primary channel is now available. This information can be, for example, whether the medium has been idle for a number of milliseconds (ms), and this information can be signaled in one bit.

[0043] In one embodiment, where a STA implementation may monitor the primary channel, this information may be the remaining NAV duration (including zero if the NAV has expired).

[0044] In one embodiment, the above information can be carried by the non-AP STA in the PPDU sent to its associated AP during frame exchange, for example, in the Block Ack (BA) frame during the downlink (DL) data frame exchange with the AP. Similarly, the AP can also carry this information in a regular frame to the associated STA, for example, in the BA or multi-STA BA during the UL frame exchange.

[0045] In one embodiment, this information may be requested by the AP from its associated STAs operating on the non-primary channel, or proactively sent by the STAs in a new frame using EDCA.

[0046] In one embodiment, the AP may explicitly instruct its associated STAs to move back to the primary channel in a broadcast frame or in a separate unicast frame. The frame may be a new frame, or the 802.11 standard will define the use of an existing frame (eg, CF-end).

[0047] In one embodiment, switching back to the primary channel before the end of the expected TXOP may be based on CCA information obtained through energy detection (ED) check on the primary channel, the STA may run a medium access recovery procedure, and conservatively apply a lower ED threshold (e.g., -72dBm) for the remainder of the expected TXOP.

[0048] Figure 4 A flow chart of an illustrative process 400 for an enhanced channel efficiency system is shown, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0049] At block 402, a device (e.g., Figure 1 The user equipment 120 and / or the AP 102 and / or Figure 6 The enhanced channel efficiency device 619) can enable the utilization of secondary channels within the Wi-Fi network when the primary channel is occupied.

[0050] At block 404, the device may monitor the status of the primary channel when the primary channel is busy.

[0051] At block 406, the device may use clear channel assessment (CCA) during receive mode to assess the presence of energy in the primary channel.

[0052] At block 408, the device may provide the status of the primary channel via a block acknowledgement during a frame exchange on the secondary channel when the primary channel is determined to be idle.

[0053] At block 410 , the device may indicate a switch back to the primary channel via a broadcast frame or a unicast frame.

[0054] The device may also be configured to initiate use of the secondary channel if the primary channel is determined to be busy. Furthermore, the device may be used as an access point (AP) or a non-AP. Furthermore, the device may be designed to deliver the status of the primary channel as part of a block acknowledgment, and the device may also piggyback the status on the block acknowledgment. Furthermore, the device may be equipped to indicate a switch back to the primary channel before the network allocation vector (NAV) in the primary channel ends. The primary channel pit may be busy with overlapping basic service set (OBSS) traffic. Along these lines, the device may be set to deliver status information of the primary channel during receive mode, and communicate the information as part of a block acknowledgment during a frame exchange on the secondary channel if the primary channel is found to be idle. Finally, the device may be configured to utilize a secondary channel from the same bandwidth even when the primary channel within the available bandwidth is occupied.

[0055] It should be understood that the above description is for illustrative purposes only and is not meant to be limiting.

[0056] Figure 5FIG. 5 is a functional diagram of an exemplary communication station 500 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, Figure 5 1 shows a functional block diagram of a communication station according to some embodiments, which may be suitable for use as an AP 102 ( Figure 1 ) or user equipment 120( Figure 1 The communication station 500 may also be suitable for use as a handheld device, a mobile device, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet device, a netbook, a wireless terminal, a laptop computer, a wearable computer device, a femtocell, a high data rate (HDR) user station, an access point, an access terminal, or other personal communication system (PCS) device.

[0057] The communication station 500 may include a communication circuit 502 and a transceiver 510 for sending signals to other communication stations and receiving signals from other communication stations using one or more antennas 501. The communication circuit 502 may include circuits that can operate to control physical layer (PHY) communications and / or medium access control (MAC) communications for access to the wireless medium, and / or any other communication layer for sending and receiving signals. The communication station 500 may also include a processing circuit 506 and a memory 508, which are arranged to perform the operations described herein. In some embodiments, the communication circuit 502 and the processing circuit 506 may be configured to perform the operations described in detail in the above illustrations, diagrams, and processes.

[0058] According to some embodiments, the communication circuit 502 may be arranged to contend for a wireless medium and configure a frame or packet for communication on the wireless medium. The communication circuit 502 may be arranged to send and receive signals. The communication circuit 502 may also include circuits for modulation / demodulation, up-conversion / down-conversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 506 of the communication station 500 may include one or more processors. In other embodiments, two or more antennas 501 may be coupled to the communication circuit 502 arranged to send and receive signals. The memory 508 may store information for configuring the processing circuit 506 to perform operations for configuring and sending message frames and performing various operations described herein. The memory 508 may include any type of memory, including non-transitory memory, for storing information in a machine (e.g., computer) readable form. For example, the memory 508 may include a computer-readable storage device, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a disk storage medium, an optical storage medium, a flash memory device, and other storage devices and media.

[0059] In some embodiments, the communication station 500 may be part of a portable wireless communication device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer with wireless communication capabilities, a web tablet device, a wireless telephone, a smart phone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, a television, a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), a wearable computer device, or another device that can wirelessly receive and / or send information.

[0060] In some embodiments, the communication station 500 may include one or more antennas 501. Antenna 501 may include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for the transmission of RF signals. In some embodiments, instead of two or more antennas, a single antenna with multiple apertures may be used. In these embodiments, each aperture may be considered as a separate antenna. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated to obtain spatial diversity and different channel characteristics that may be generated between each antenna and the antenna of the transmitting station.

[0061] In some embodiments, communication station 500 may include one or more of a keyboard, a display, a non-volatile memory port, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, an application processor, a speaker, and other mobile device elements. The display may be an LCD screen including a touch screen.

[0062] Although the communication station 500 is illustrated as having several separate functional elements, two or more of these functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by a combination of software-configured elements, for example, a processing element including a digital signal processor (DSP) and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), and combinations of various hardware and logic circuits for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements of the communication station 500 may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0063] Certain embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. Other embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may be read and executed by at least one processor to perform the operations described herein. A computer-readable storage device may include any non-transitory memory mechanism for storing information in a machine (e.g., computer) readable form. For example, a computer-readable storage device may include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a disk storage medium, an optical storage medium, a flash memory device, and other storage devices and media. In some embodiments, the communication station 500 may include one or more processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device.

[0064] Figure 6 A block diagram of an example of a machine 600 or system on which any one or more technologies (e.g., methods) discussed herein can be executed is shown. In other embodiments, the machine 600 can be operated as a standalone device, or can be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 600 can operate in a server-client network environment with the capabilities of a server machine, a client machine, or both. In one example, the machine 600 can act as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The machine 600 can be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a wearable computer device, a network device, a network router, a switch or a bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (the instructions specify the actions to be taken by the machine) (sequentially or otherwise), such as a base station. In addition, although only a single machine is shown, the term "machine" should also be deemed to include any machine collection that executes a set (or multiple sets) of instructions individually or jointly to execute any one or more methods discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), or other computer cluster configurations.

[0065] As described herein, examples may include logic or multiple components, modules, or mechanisms, or may operate on these logic or multiple components, modules, or mechanisms. A module is a tangible entity (e.g., hardware) that can perform a specified operation when in operation. A module includes hardware. In one example, the hardware may be specifically configured to perform a specific operation (e.g., hardwired). In another example, the hardware may include a configurable execution unit (e.g., a transistor, a circuit, etc.) and a computer-readable medium containing instructions, wherein the instructions configure the execution unit to perform a specific operation when in operation. Configuration may be performed under the guidance of an execution unit or a loading mechanism. Therefore, when the device is operating, the execution unit is communicatively coupled to the computer-readable medium. In this example, the execution unit may be a member of more than one module. For example, under operation, the execution unit may be configured by a first instruction set to implement a first module at a point in time, and reconfigured by a second instruction set to implement a second module at a second point in time.

[0066] The machine (e.g., computer system) 600 may include a hardware processor 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 604, and a static memory 606, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnect (e.g., a bus) 608. The machine 600 may also include a power management device 632, a graphics display device 610, an alphanumeric input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 614 (e.g., a mouse). In one example, the graphics display device 610, the alphanumeric input device 612, and the UI navigation device 614 may be a touch screen display. The machine 600 may also include a storage device (i.e., a drive unit) 616, a signal generating device 618 (e.g., a speaker), an enhanced channel efficiency device 619, a network interface device / transceiver 620 coupled to an antenna (one or more) 630, and one or more sensors 628, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensors. The machine 600 may include an output controller 634, for example, a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB)), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., printer, card reader, etc.). Operations according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed by a baseband processor. The baseband processor may be configured to generate corresponding baseband signals. The baseband processor may further include a physical layer (PHY) and a media access control layer (MAC) circuit, and may further interface with the hardware processor 602 for baseband signal generation and processing and for controlling the operation of the main memory 604, the storage device 616, and / or the enhanced channel efficiency device 619. The baseband processor may be provided on a single radio card, a single chip, or an integrated circuit (IC).

[0067] The storage device 616 may include a machine-readable medium 622 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 624 (e.g., software) embodied or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functionality described herein. The instructions 624 may also reside, in whole or in part, within the main memory 604, within the static memory 606, or within the hardware processor 602 during execution by the machine 600. In one example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 602, the main memory 604, the static memory 606, or the storage device 616 may constitute a machine-readable medium.

[0068] The enhanced channel efficiency device 619 may perform or implement any of the operations and processes described and illustrated above (eg, process 300 ).

[0069] It should be understood that the above is merely a subset of the functions that the enhanced channel efficiency device 619 may be configured to perform, and other functions included throughout the present disclosure may also be performed by the enhanced channel efficiency device 619.

[0070] Although the machine-readable medium 622 is illustrated as a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (eg, a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 624 .

[0071] Various embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in software and / or firmware. The software and / or firmware may take the form of instructions contained in or on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. These instructions may then be read and executed by one or more processors to enable the operations described herein to be performed. The instructions may be in any suitable form, such as, but not limited to, source code, compiled code, parsed code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, etc. Such a computer-readable medium may include any tangible, non-transitory medium for storing information in one or more computer-readable forms, such as, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage medium; optical storage medium; flash memory, etc.

[0072] The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions executed by the machine 600 and causing the machine 600 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or associated with these instructions. Non-limiting examples of machine-readable media may include solid-state memory and optical and magnetic media. In one example, a large-capacity machine-readable medium includes a machine-readable medium having a plurality of particles of a rest mass. Specific examples of large-capacity machine-readable media may include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0073] The instructions 624 may also be sent or received using a transmission medium via the network interface device / transceiver 920 over a communication network 626 using any of a variety of transmission protocols including, for example, frame relay, Internet Protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc. Example communication networks may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), a mobile telephone network (e.g., a cellular network), a plain old telephone (POTS) network, a wireless data network (e.g., known as a wireless network), a wireless data network (e.g., a wireless network such as a Wi-Fi network), a wireless cellular network (e.g., ... The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, known as IEEE 802.16 family of standards), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, etc. In one example, the network interface device / transceiver 620 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communication network 626. In one example, the network interface device / transceiver 620 may include multiple antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) technologies. The term "transmission medium" should be deemed to include any intangible medium that can store, encode, or carry instructions for execution by the machine 600, and includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media that facilitate the communication of such software.

[0074] In various embodiments, the operations and processes described and shown above can be performed or implemented in any suitable order as needed. In addition, in some implementations, at least a portion of the operations can be performed in parallel. In addition, in some implementations, more or less operations than the described operations can be performed.

[0075] Figure 7 According to some embodiments, it can be implemented in Figure 1 105A, 105B in any of the example AP 102 and / or example STA 120. The radio architecture 105A, 105B may include radio front end module (FEM) circuits 704a-b, radio IC circuits 706a-b, and baseband processing circuits 708a-b. The radio architecture 105A, 105B as shown includes wireless local area network (WLAN) functionality and Bluetooth (BT) functionality, although embodiments are not limited thereto. In the present disclosure, "WLAN" and "Wi-Fi" may be used interchangeably.

[0076] The FEM circuits 704a-b may include WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuits 704a and Bluetooth (BT) FEM circuits 704b. The WLAN FEM circuits 704a may include a receive signal path including circuits configured to operate on WLAN RF signals received from one or more antennas 701, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the WLAN radio IC circuit 706a for further processing. The BT FEM circuits 704b may include a receive signal path including circuits configured to operate on BT RF signals received from one or more antennas 701, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the BT radio IC circuit 706b for further processing. The FEM circuits 704a may also include a transmit signal path including circuits configured to amplify WLAN signals provided by the radio IC circuit 706a for wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 701. Additionally, the FEM circuitry 704b may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify BT signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 706b for wireless transmission by one or more antennas. Figure 7 In the embodiment of the present invention, although FEM 704a and FEM 704b are shown as being different from each other, the embodiments are not limited thereto and include within their scope the use of a FEM (not shown) that includes a transmit path and / or receive path for both WLAN signals and BT signals, or the use of one or more FEM circuits where at least some of the FEM circuits share transmit and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN signals and BT signals.

[0077] The radio IC circuits 706a-b as shown may include a WLAN radio IC circuit 706a and a BT radio IC circuit 706b. The WLAN radio IC circuit 706a may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting a WLAN RF signal received from the FEM circuit 704a and providing a baseband signal to a WLAN baseband processing circuit 708a. The BT radio IC circuit 706b may in turn include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting a BT RF signal received from the FEM circuit 704b and providing a baseband signal to the BT baseband processing circuit 708b. The WLAN radio IC circuit 706a may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry for up-converting a WLAN baseband signal provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuit 708a and providing a WLAN RF output signal to the FEM circuit 704a for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 701. The BT radio IC circuit 706b may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry for up-converting a BT baseband signal provided by the BT baseband processing circuit 708b and providing a BT RF output signal to the FEM circuit 704b for subsequent wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 701. Figure 7 In the embodiment, although the radio IC circuits 706a and 706b are shown as being different from each other, the embodiments are not limited thereto and include within their scope the use of a radio IC circuit (not shown) that includes a transmit signal path and / or receive signal path for both WLAN signals and BT signals, or includes the use of one or more radio IC circuits in which at least some of the radio IC circuits share transmit and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN signals and BT signals.

[0078] The baseband processing circuits 708a-b may include a WLAN baseband processing circuit 708a and a BT baseband processing circuit 708b. The WLAN baseband processing circuit 708a may include a memory, such as a set of RAM arrays in a fast Fourier transform or inverse fast Fourier transform block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing circuit 708a. Each of the WLAN baseband circuit 708a and the BT baseband circuit 708b may further include one or more processors and control logic to process signals received from the corresponding WLAN receive signal path or BT receive signal path of the radio IC circuit 706a-b, and also generate corresponding WLAN baseband signals or BT baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 706a-b. Each of the baseband processing circuits 708a and 708b may further include a physical layer (PHY) and a medium access control layer (MAC) circuit, and may further interface with devices for baseband signal generation and processing and for controlling the operation of the radio IC circuit 706a-b.

[0079] Still reference Figure 7 According to the illustrated embodiment, the WLAN-BT coexistence circuit 713 may include logic to provide an interface between the WLAN baseband circuit 708a and the BT baseband circuit 708b to enable use cases requiring WLAN and BT coexistence. In addition, a switch 703 may be provided between the WLAN FEM circuit 704a and the BT FEM circuits 704a-b to allow switching between WLAN and BT radios as required by the application. In addition, although the antenna 701 is described as being connected to the WLAN FEM circuit 704a and the BT FEM circuit 704b, respectively, embodiments include within their scope sharing one or more antennas between the WLAN and BT FEMs, or providing more than one antenna connected to each of the FEMs 704a or 704b.

[0080] In some embodiments, the front end module circuits 704a-b, the radio IC circuits 706a-b, and the baseband processing circuits 708a-b may be provided on a single radio card, such as the wireless radio card 702. In some other embodiments, one or more antennas 701, the FEM circuits 704a-b, and the radio IC circuits 706a-b may be provided on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuits 706a-b and the baseband processing circuits 708a-b may be provided on a single chip or integrated circuit (IC), such as on IC 712.

[0081] In some embodiments, wireless radio card 702 may include a WLAN radio card and may be configured for Wi-Fi communications, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some of these embodiments, radio architecture 105A, 105B may be configured to receive and transmit orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication signals over a multi-carrier communication channel. OFDM or OFDMA signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0082] In some of these multi-carrier embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may be part of a Wi-Fi communication station (STA), such as a wireless access point (AP), a base station, or a mobile device including a Wi-Fi device. In some of these embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may be configured to send and receive signals according to a specific communication standard and / or protocol, such as any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards (including 802.11n-2009, IEEE 802.11-2012, IEEE 802.11-2016, 802.11n-2009, 802.11ac, 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, and / or 802.11ax standards) and / or specifications proposed for WLAN, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this regard. The radio architecture 105A, 105B may also be adapted to send and / or receive communications according to other technologies and standards.

[0083] In some embodiments, the radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured for high-efficiency Wi-Fi (HEW) communications in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard. In these embodiments, the radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured to communicate in accordance with OFDMA technology, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0084] In some other embodiments, the radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured to transmit and receive signals transmitted using one or more other modulation techniques, including, for example, spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) and / or frequency hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA)), time division multiplexing (TDM) modulation, and / or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) modulation, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0085] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As further shown in FIG. 7 , the BT baseband circuit 708 b may comply with a Bluetooth (BT) connection standard, such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth 8.0, or Bluetooth 6.0, or any other iteration of the Bluetooth standard.

[0086] In some embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may include other radio cards, such as a cellular radio card configured for cellular (e.g., 5GPP such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, or 7G communications).

[0087] In some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, the radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured to communicate over a variety of channel bandwidths, including bandwidths with center frequencies of approximately 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and bandwidths of approximately 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 5 MHz, 5.5 MHz, 6 MHz, 8 MHz, 10 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz (with continuous bandwidth), or 80+80 MHz (160 MHz) (with non-continuous bandwidth). In some embodiments, a channel bandwidth of 920 MHz may be used. However, the scope of the embodiments is not limited to the above center frequencies.

[0088] Figure 8 WLAN FEM circuit 704a is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 8 The example is described in conjunction with the WLAN FEM circuit 704a, Figure 8 The example can also be combined with the example BT FEM circuit 704b ( Figure 7 ) is described, although other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

[0089] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 704a may include a TX / RX switch 802 for switching between transmit mode and receive mode operation. FEM circuit 704a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuit 704a may include a low noise amplifier (LNA) 806 to amplify received RF signal 803 and provide the amplified received RF signal 807 as an output (e.g., to radio IC circuits 706a-b ( Figure 7 )). The transmit signal path of circuit 704a may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal 809 (e.g., provided by radio IC circuits 706a-b), and may include one or more filters 812, such as a bandpass filter (BPF), a lowpass filter (LPF), or other types of filters, to generate a signal for subsequent transmission via an example duplexer 814 (e.g., through one or more antennas 701 ( Figure 7 ) transmits RF signal 815.

[0090] In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communications, the FEM circuit 704a can be configured to operate in the 2.4 GHz spectrum or the 5 GHz spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuit 704a can include a receive signal path duplexer 804 to separate the signals from each spectrum and provide a separate LNA 806 for each spectrum, as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 704a can also include a power amplifier 810 and a filter 812 (e.g., a BPF, LPF, or another type of filter) for each spectrum and provide the signal of one of the different spectrums to a single transmit path for one or more antennas 701 ( Figure 7 ) The transmit signal path duplexer 804 for subsequent transmissions. In some embodiments, BT communications may utilize a 2.4 GHz signal path and may utilize the same FEM circuit 704a as the FEM circuit used for WLAN communications.

[0091] Fig. 9 706a according to some embodiments. The radio IC circuit 706a may be suitable for use as a WLAN radio IC circuit 706a or a BT radio IC circuit 706b ( Figure 7 ) is an example of a circuit, although other circuit configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, Fig. 9 Examples of may be described in conjunction with example BT radio IC circuit 706b.

[0092] In some embodiments, the radio IC circuit 706a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the radio IC circuit 706a may include at least a mixer circuit 902 (e.g., a down-conversion mixer circuit), an amplifier circuit 906, and a filter circuit 908. The transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 706a may include at least a filter circuit 912 and a mixer circuit 914 (e.g., an up-conversion mixer circuit). The radio IC circuit 706a may also include a synthesizer circuit 904 for synthesizing a frequency 905 for use by the mixer circuit 902 and the mixer circuit 914. According to some embodiments, each of the mixer circuits 902 and / or 914 may be configured to provide a direct conversion function. The latter type of circuit presents a much simpler architecture than a standard superheterodyne mixer circuit, and any flicker noise introduced therefrom may be mitigated, for example, by using OFDM modulation. Fig. 9Only a simplified version of the radio IC circuit is shown, and may include (although not shown) embodiments in which each of the shown circuits may include more than one component. For example, as required by the application, mixer circuit 914 may each include one or more mixers, and filter circuits 908 and / or 912 may each include one or more filters, such as one or more BPFs and / or LPFs. For example, when the mixer circuits are of the direct conversion type, they may each include two or more mixers.

[0093] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 902 may be configured to generate a synthesized frequency 905 from FEM circuits 704a-b based on the synthesized frequency 905 provided by synthesizer circuit 904. Figure 7 ) down-converts the received RF signal 807. The amplifier circuit 906 may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 908 may include an LPF configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal 907. The output baseband signal 907 may be provided to the baseband processing circuits 708a-b ( Figure 7 ) for further processing. In some embodiments, output baseband signal 907 may be a zero frequency baseband signal, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 902 may include a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0094] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 914 may be configured to up-convert input baseband signal 911 based on synthesized frequency 905 provided by synthesizer circuit 904 to generate RF output signal 809 for FEM circuits 704a-b. Baseband signal 911 may be provided by baseband processing circuits 708a-b and may be filtered by filter circuit 912. Filter circuit 912 may include an LPF or a BPF, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0095] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 902 and mixer circuit 914 may each include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and / or up-conversion, respectively, with the aid of synthesizer 904. In some embodiments, each of mixer circuit 902 and mixer circuit 914 may include two or more mixers, each mixer being configured for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, mixer circuit 902 and mixer circuit 914 may each be arranged for direct down-conversion and / or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 902 and mixer circuit 914 may be configured for superheterodyne operation, although this is not a requirement.

[0096] According to one embodiment, mixer circuit 902 may include a quadrature passive mixer (e.g., for an in-phase (I) path and a quadrature-phase (Q) path). In such an embodiment, Fig. 9 The RF input signal 807 in is down-converted to provide an I baseband output signal and a Q baseband output signal for transmission to a baseband processor.

[0097] The quadrature passive mixers can be driven by 0 and 90 degree time-varying LO switching signals provided by a quadrature circuit that can be configured to receive LO frequencies (f LO ), for example, synthesizer 904 ( Fig. 9 ) 905. In some embodiments, the LO frequency may be the carrier frequency, while in other embodiments the LO frequency may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the 0 degree and 90 degree time-varying switching signals may be generated by a synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0098] In some embodiments, the duty cycle (percentage of a period that the LO signal is high) and / or the offset (difference between the starting points of the period) of the LO signal may be different. In some embodiments, the LO signal may have an 85% duty cycle and an 80% offset. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuit (e.g., the in-phase (I) path and the quadrature-phase (Q) path) may operate at an 80% duty cycle, which may result in a significant reduction in power consumption.

[0099] RF input signal 807( Figure 8 ) may include balanced signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The I baseband output signal and the Q baseband output signal may be provided to amplifier circuit 906 ( Fig. 9 ) or provided to a low noise amplifier such as filter circuit 908 ( Fig. 9 ).

[0100] In some embodiments, output baseband signal 907 and input baseband signal 911 may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, output baseband signal 907 and input baseband signal 911 may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the radio IC circuit may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits.

[0101] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, or for other spectrums not mentioned herein, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0102] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 904 may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 904 may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. According to some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 904 may include a digital synthesizer circuit. One advantage of using a digital synthesizer circuit is that, although it may still include some analog components, its footprint may be much smaller than the footprint of an analog synthesizer circuit. In some embodiments, the frequency input to synthesizer circuit 904 may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not a requirement. Depending on the desired output frequency 905, the divider control input may be further controlled by baseband processing circuits 708a-b ( Figure 7 ) is provided. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) can be determined from a lookup table (e.g., within a Wi-Fi card) based on the channel number and channel center frequency determined or indicated by the example application processor 710. The application processor 710 can include, or be otherwise connected to, one of the example secure signal converter 101 or the example receive signal converter 103 (e.g., depending on which device the example radio architecture is implemented in).

[0103] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 904 can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency 905, while in other embodiments, the output frequency 905 can be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half of the carrier frequency, one-third of the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the output frequency 905 can be the LO frequency (f LO ).

[0104] Fig.10 1 shows a functional block diagram of a baseband processing circuit 708a according to some embodiments. The baseband processing circuit 708a is a circuit that can be suitable for use as a baseband processing circuit 708a ( Figure 7 ) is an example of a circuit, although other circuit configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, Fig. 9 The example can be used to implement Figure 7 An example BT baseband processing circuit 708b.

[0105] Baseband processing circuitry 708a may include circuitry for processing signals received by radio IC circuitry 706a-b ( Figure 7 ) and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 1004 for generating a transmit baseband signal 911 for the radio IC circuits 706a-b. The baseband processing circuit 708a may also include control logic 1006 for coordinating the operation of the baseband processing circuit 708a.

[0106] In some embodiments (e.g., when analog baseband signals are exchanged between baseband processing circuits 708a-b and radio IC circuits 706a-b), baseband processing circuits 708a may include ADC 1010 to convert analog baseband signals 1009 received from radio IC circuits 706a-b into digital baseband signals for processing by RX BBP 1002. In these embodiments, baseband processing circuits 708a may also include DAC 1012 to convert digital baseband signals from TX BBP 1004 into analog baseband signals 1011.

[0107] In some embodiments, for example, in which an OFDM signal or an OFDMA signal is transmitted by the baseband processor 708a, the transmit baseband processor 1004 may be configured to generate an OFDM or OFDMA signal suitable for transmission by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). The receive baseband processor 1002 may be configured to process the received OFDM signal or OFDMA signal by performing an FFT. In some embodiments, the receive baseband processor 1002 may be configured to detect the presence of an OFDM signal or OFDMA signal by performing an autocorrelation to detect a preamble (e.g., a short preamble) and by performing a cross-correlation to detect a long preamble. The preamble may be part of a predetermined frame structure for Wi-Fi communication.

[0108] Return to reference Figure 7 In some embodiments, antenna 701 ( Figure 7 ) can each include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas can be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result. Each of the antennas 701 can include a set of phased array antennas, although the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0109] Although the radio architecture 105A, 105B is shown as having several separate functional elements, one or more of these functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by a combination of software-configured elements, for example, a processing element including a digital signal processor (DSP) and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), and combinations of various hardware and logic circuits for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, a functional element may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0110] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The terms "computing device," "user device," "communication station," "station," "handheld device," "mobile device," "wireless device," and "user equipment (UE)" as used herein refer to a wireless communication device, such as a cellular phone, a smartphone, a tablet device, a netbook, a wireless terminal, a laptop computer, a femtocell, a high data rate (HDR) user station, an access point, a printer, a point of sale device, an access terminal, or other personal communication system (PCS) device. The device may be mobile or fixed.

[0111] The term "transmit" as used in this document is intended to include sending, receiving, or sending and receiving. This may be particularly useful in a claim when describing the organization of data sent by one device and received by another device, but an infringement claim only requires the functionality of one of the devices. Similarly, a two-way data exchange between two devices (the two devices send and receive during the exchange) may be described as "communication" when only the functionality of one of the devices is required. The term "transmit" used in this document with respect to wireless communication signals includes sending wireless communication signals and / or receiving wireless communication signals. For example, a wireless communication unit capable of transmitting wireless communication signals may include a wireless transmitter for sending wireless communication signals to at least one other wireless communication unit, and / or a wireless communication receiver for receiving wireless communication signals from at least one other wireless communication unit.

[0112] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of ordinal adjectives "first," "second," and "third," etc. to describe a common object merely indicates that different instances of similar objects are referenced and does not imply that the objects so described are necessarily in a given sequence in time, space, ranking, or in any other manner.

[0113] The term "access point" (AP) as used herein may be a fixed station. An access point may also be referred to as an access node, a base station, an evolved Node B (eNodeB), or some other similar terminology known in the art. An access terminal may also be referred to as a mobile station, a user equipment (UE), a wireless communication device, or some other similar terminology known in the art. Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to wireless networks. Some embodiments may relate to a wireless network operating according to one of the IEEE 802.11 standards.

[0114] Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with various devices and systems, such as a personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, a mobile computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a server computer, a handheld computer, a handheld device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld PDA device, an on-board device, an off-board device, a hybrid device, an on-board device, an off-board device, a mobile or portable device, a consumer device, a non-mobile or non-portable device, a wireless communication station, a wireless communication device, a wireless access point (AP), a wired or wireless router, a wired or wireless modem, a video device, an audio device, an audio and video (A / V) device, a wired or wireless network, a wireless area network, a wireless video area network (WVAN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a personal area network (PAN), a wireless PAN (WPAN), etc.

[0115] Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with one-way and / or two-way radio communication systems, cellular radiotelephone communication systems, mobile phones, cellular phones, wireless phones, personal communication system (PCS) devices, PDA devices including wireless communication devices, mobile or portable global positioning system (GPS) devices, devices including GPS receivers or transceivers or chips, devices including RFID elements or chips, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transceivers or devices, single-input multiple-output (SIMO) transceivers or devices, multiple-input single-output (MISO) transceivers or devices, devices with one or more internal antennas and / or external antennas, digital video broadcasting (DVB) devices or systems, multi-standard radio devices or systems, wired or wireless handheld devices (e.g., smart phones), wireless application protocol (WAP) devices, etc.

[0116] Some embodiments may be used with one or more types of wireless communication signals and / or systems that comply with one or more wireless communication protocols, including, for example, radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal FDM (OFDM), time division multiplexing (TDM), time division multiple access (TDMA), extended TDMA (E-TDMA), general packet radio service (GPRS), extended GPRS, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA 2000, single carrier CDMA, multi-carrier CDMA, multi-carrier modulation (MDM), discrete multi-tone (DMT), Global Positioning System (GPS), Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, ZigBee, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, fifth generation (5G) mobile networks, 3GPP, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE, Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), etc. Other embodiments may be used in various other devices, systems, and / or networks.

[0117] The following examples relate to further embodiments.

[0118] Example 1 may include an apparatus comprising a processing circuit coupled to a memory device, the processing circuit configured to: enable utilization of a secondary channel within a Wi-Fi network when a primary channel may be occupied; monitor a status of the primary channel when the primary channel is busy; during a receive mode, assess the presence of energy in the primary channel using a clear channel assessment (CCA); when the primary channel is determined to be idle, provide the status of the primary channel via a block acknowledgement during a frame exchange on the secondary channel; and indicate a switch back to the primary channel via a broadcast frame or a unicast frame.

[0119] Example 2 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the processing circuit may be further configured to: initiate use of the secondary channel if the primary channel may be determined to be busy.

[0120] Example 3 may include the device of Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the device may be an access point (AP) or a non-AP.

[0121] Example 4 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the processing circuit may be further configured to: deliver the status of the primary channel as part of the block acknowledgement.

[0122] Example 5 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the processing circuit may be further configured to: piggyback the status onto the block confirmation.

[0123] Example 6 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the processing circuit may be further configured to: indicate switching back to the primary channel before a network allocation vector (NAV) in the primary channel ends.

[0124] Example 7 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the primary channel may be busy with overlapping basic service set (OBSS) traffic.

[0125] Example 8 may include the device of Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the processing circuit may be configured to: deliver status information of the primary channel during the receive mode, and, if the primary channel is found to be idle, communicate the information as part of the block confirmation during a frame exchange on the secondary channel.

[0126] Example 9 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the processing circuit may be further configured to utilize a secondary channel from the same bandwidth even when a primary channel within the available bandwidth is occupied.

[0127] Example 10 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause operations to be performed, the operations including: enabling utilization of a secondary channel within a Wi-Fi network when a primary channel may be occupied; monitoring a status of the primary channel when the primary channel is busy; during a receive mode, assessing the presence of energy in the primary channel using a clear channel assessment (CCA); when the primary channel is determined to be idle, providing the status of the primary channel via a block acknowledgement during a frame exchange on the secondary channel; and indicating a switch back to the primary channel via a broadcast frame or a unicast frame.

[0128] Example 11 may include the non-transitory computer readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the operations further include: initiating use of the secondary channel if the primary channel can be determined to be busy.

[0129] Example 12 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the device is an access point (AP) or a non-AP.

[0130] Example 13 may include the non-transitory computer readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the operations further comprise delivering the status of the primary channel as part of the block acknowledgement.

[0131] Example 14 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the operations further comprise: piggybacking the state onto the block confirmation.

[0132] Example 15 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the operations further comprise: indicating a switch back to the primary channel before a network allocation vector (NAV) in the primary channel ends.

[0133] Example 16 may include the non-transitory computer readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the primary channel may be busy with overlapping basic service set (OBSS) traffic.

[0134] Example 17 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the processing circuit may be configured to: deliver status information of the primary channel during the receive mode, and, if the primary channel is found to be idle, communicate the information as part of the block confirmation during a frame exchange on the secondary channel.

[0135] Example 18 may include the non-transitory computer readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the operations further comprise utilizing a secondary channel from an available bandwidth even when a primary channel within the same bandwidth is occupied.

[0136] Example 19 may include a method comprising: enabling utilization of a secondary channel within a Wi-Fi network when a primary channel is occupied; monitoring a status of the primary channel when the primary channel may be busy; during a receive mode, assessing the presence of energy in the primary channel using a clear channel assessment (CCA); when the primary channel may be determined to be idle, providing the status of the primary channel via a block acknowledgement during a frame exchange on the secondary channel; and indicating a switch back to the primary channel via a broadcast frame or a unicast frame.

[0137] Example 20 may include the method of Example 19 and / or some other examples herein, further comprising: initiating use of the secondary channel if the primary channel can be determined to be busy.

[0138] Example 21 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 20 or any other method or process described herein.

[0139] Example 22 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, and / or circuits for performing one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 20 or any other method or process described herein.

[0140] Example 23 may include a method, technique, or process, or a portion or component thereof, described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 20.

[0141] Example 24 may include a device comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the computer-readable media includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process described in or related to any example or portion thereof in Examples 1 to 20.

[0142] Example 25 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0143] Example 26 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0144] Example 27 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0145] Embodiments according to the present disclosure are particularly disclosed in the attached claims relating to methods, storage media, devices, and computer program products, wherein any feature mentioned in one claim category (e.g., method) may also be claimed in another claim category (e.g., system). The reference relationship or citation relationship in the attached claims is selected only for formal reasons. However, any subject matter resulting from intentional citation of any previous claim (especially multiple citation relationships) may also be claimed, so that any combination of claims and their features is disclosed and may be claimed, regardless of the citation relationship selected in the attached claims. The subject matter that may be claimed includes not only the combination of features described in the attached claims, but also any other combination of features in the claims, wherein each feature mentioned in the claims may be combined with any other feature or combination of other features in the claims. In addition, any embodiment and feature described or depicted herein may be claimed in a separate claim and / or in any combination with any specific embodiment or feature described and depicted herein or any feature of the attached claims.

[0146] The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the various embodiments.

[0147] Certain aspects of the present disclosure are described above with reference to block diagrams and flow charts of systems, methods, devices and / or computer program products according to various implementations. It should be understood that one or more blocks in the block diagrams and flow charts and the combination of blocks in the block diagrams and flow charts can be implemented by computer executable program instructions, respectively. Likewise, according to some implementations, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow charts may not necessarily need to be executed in the order presented, or may not necessarily need to be executed at all.

[0148] These computer executable program instructions can be loaded onto a special purpose computer or other specific machine, processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a specific machine, or other programmable data processing device to create a device for implementing one or more functions specified in one or more flowchart blocks. These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer readable storage medium or memory, which can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner so that the instructions stored in the computer readable storage medium produce a product of an instruction device including one or more functions specified in one or more flowchart blocks. For example, some implementations can provide a computer program product, which includes a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program code or program instructions implemented therein, and the computer readable program code is suitable for being executed to implement one or more functions specified in one or more flowchart blocks. Computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device to enable a series of operating elements or steps to be executed on a computer or other programmable device, thereby generating a computer-implemented process so that the instructions running on a computer or other programmable device provide functions specified in one or more flowchart blocks.

[0149] Therefore, the blocks of the block diagrams and flow charts support a combination of means for performing the specified functions, a combination of elements or steps for performing the specified functions, and a program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flow charts and the combination of blocks in the block diagrams and flow charts can be implemented by a dedicated, hardware-based computer system that performs the specified functions, components, elements or steps, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0150] Conditional language, such as "may," "can," "might," or "might be able to," unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise understood in the context of use, is generally intended to convey that some implementations may include certain features, elements, and / or operations that other implementations do not. Thus, such conditional language generally does not imply that features, elements, and / or operations are in any way required by one or more implementations, or that one or more implementations necessarily include instructions for determining, with or without user input or prompting, that such features, elements, and / or operations are included or will be performed in any particular implementation.

[0151] Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forth herein will be apparent with the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. Therefore, it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the particular implementations disclosed, and modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are used herein, they are used only in a general and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

1. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising a processing circuit coupled to a storage device, the processing circuit being configured to: Enabling utilization of secondary channels within a Wi-Fi network when the primary channel is occupied; When the primary channel is busy, monitoring the status of the primary channel; During a receive mode, assessing the presence of energy in the primary channel using a clear channel assessment (CCA); When the primary channel is determined to be idle, providing a status of the primary channel via a block acknowledgement during a frame exchange on the secondary channel; as well as Switching back to the primary channel is indicated by a broadcast frame or a unicast frame.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to initiate use of the secondary channel if the primary channel is determined to be busy.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The device is an access point (AP) or a non-AP.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to deliver a status of the primary channel as part of the block acknowledgment.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to piggyback the status onto the block acknowledgement.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to instruct a switch back to the primary channel before an end of a network allocation vector (NAV) in the primary channel.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The primary channel is busy with Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) traffic.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing circuit is configured to deliver status information of the primary channel during the receive mode and, if the primary channel is found idle, communicate the information as part of the block acknowledgement during a frame exchange on the secondary channel.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to utilize a secondary channel from an available bandwidth even when a primary channel within the same bandwidth is occupied.

10. A wireless communication device having stored thereon computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions when executed by one or more processors causing performance of operations comprising: Enabling utilization of secondary channels within a Wi-Fi network when the primary channel is occupied; When the primary channel is busy, monitoring the status of the primary channel; During a receive mode, assessing the presence of energy in the primary channel using a clear channel assessment (CCA); When the primary channel is determined to be idle, providing a status of the primary channel via a block acknowledgement during a frame exchange on the secondary channel; as well as Switching back to the primary channel is indicated by a broadcast frame or a unicast frame.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The operations further include initiating use of the secondary channel if the primary channel is determined to be busy.

12. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The device is an access point (AP) or a non-AP.

13. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The operations also include delivering a status of the primary channel as part of the block acknowledgment.

14. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The operations also include piggybacking the state onto the block confirmation.

15. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The operations further include instructing a switch back to the primary channel before an end of a network allocation vector (NAV) in the primary channel.

16. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The primary channel is busy with Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) traffic.

17. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The processing circuit is configured to deliver status information of the primary channel during the receive mode and, if the primary channel is found idle, communicate the information as part of the block acknowledgement during a frame exchange on the secondary channel.

18. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein: The operations also include utilizing a secondary channel from an available bandwidth even when a primary channel within the same bandwidth is occupied.

19. A method comprising: Enabling utilization of secondary channels within a Wi-Fi network when the primary channel is occupied; When the primary channel is busy, monitoring the status of the primary channel; During a receive mode, assessing the presence of energy in the primary channel using a clear channel assessment (CCA); When the primary channel is determined to be idle, providing a status of the primary channel via a block acknowledgement during a frame exchange on the secondary channel; as well as Switching back to the primary channel is indicated by a broadcast frame or a unicast frame.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: Use of the secondary channel is initiated if the primary channel is determined to be busy.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising: The status of the primary channel is delivered as part of the block acknowledgment.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising: The state is piggybacked onto the block confirmation.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising: A switch back to the primary channel is indicated before a network allocation vector (NAV) in the primary channel ends.

24. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The primary channel is busy with Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) traffic.

25. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 24, further comprising: Status information of the primary channel is delivered during the receive mode and communicated as part of the block acknowledgement during a frame exchange on the secondary channel in the event that the primary channel is found idle.

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