Methods for interactive data transmission and communication devices utilizing the same

Abstract

A method for interactive data transmission includes: determining the duration of interactive data transmission between a first device and a second device, wherein the duration of interactive data transmission covers the time required to transmit a first data frame of the first device and the time required to transmit a second data frame of the second device; setting a duration field of the first frame according to the duration of interactive data transmission; transmitting the first frame, wherein the first frame is a Request to Send (RTS) frame transmitted by the first device or a Clear to Send (CTS) frame transmitted by the second device; transmitting the first data frame by the first device during the duration of interactive data transmission; and transmitting the second data frame by the second device during the duration of interactive data transmission.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a method for interactive data transmission and a communication device using the method. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Wi-Fi Aware, or Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN), is a protocol that allows Wi-Fi devices to discover services in their vicinity. NAN extends effectively in dense Wi-Fi environments and complements Wi-Fi connectivity by providing information about people and services in the vicinity. Compared to Wi-Fi Direct (peer-to-peer, P2P), Wi-Fi NAN offers more reliable connections and higher throughput.

[0003] With Wi-Fi Aware enabling direct connection and data transfer between Wi-Fi devices, Wi-Fi Aware is becoming increasingly popular. Therefore, communication performance based on Wi-Fi Aware is a topic worthy of development. [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for interactive data transmission includes: determining the duration of interactive data transmission between a first device and a second device, wherein the duration of interactive data transmission covers the time required to transmit a first data frame of the first device and the time required to transmit a second data frame of the second device; setting a duration field of the first frame according to the duration of interactive data transmission; transmitting the first frame, wherein the first frame is a Request to Send (RTS) frame transmitted by the first device or a Clear to Send (CTS) frame transmitted by the second device; transmitting the first data frame by the first device during the duration of interactive data transmission; and transmitting the second data frame by the second device during the duration of interactive data transmission.

[0005] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a communication device includes a transceiver circuit for transmitting and receiving a plurality of wireless signals to and from a peer device, and a processor that receives a Transmit Request (RTS) frame from the peer device via the transceiver circuit and obtains duration information associated with the RTS frame, and in response to receiving the RTS frame, transmits a Clear Transmit (CTS) frame via the transceiver circuit. Before transmitting the CTS frame, the processor further determines the duration of an interactive data transmission based on the duration information associated with the RTS frame, and sets a duration field of the CTS frame according to the duration of the interactive data transmission. The duration of the interactive data transmission covers the time required for the peer device to transmit a first data frame and the time required for the communication device to transmit a second data frame.

[0006] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a communication device includes a transceiver circuit for transmitting and receiving a plurality of wireless signals to and from a peer device, and a processor for transmitting a transmit request (RTS) frame through the transceiver circuit and receiving a clear transmit (CTS) frame from the peer device through the transceiver circuit. Before transmitting the RTS frame, the processor further determines the duration of interactive data transmission between the communication device and the peer device, and sets a duration field of the RTS frame according to the duration of the interactive data transmission. The duration of the interactive data transmission covers the time required for the communication device to transmit a first data frame and the time required for the peer device to transmit a second data frame.

Implementation Method

[0008] Figure 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication device 100 may include at least one antenna module, which includes at least one antenna, a transceiver circuit 110, a baseband signal processing circuit 120, and a processor 130. The transceiver circuit 110 may be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals to and from a peer device (or, to and from an air interface of a wireless network including the peer device) via the antenna module in order to communicate with the peer device (e.g., through a communication link established between the communication device 100 and the peer device). The transceiver circuit 110 may include a receiver configured to receive wireless signals and a transmitter configured to transmit wireless signals, and the transceiver circuit 110 may be further configured to perform radio frequency (RF) signal processing. For example, the receiver may convert the received signal into an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal for processing, or the transmitter may receive the IF or baseband signal from the baseband signal processing circuit 120 and convert the received signal into an RF wireless signal for transmission to the air interface.

[0009] The transmitter and receiver of the transceiver circuit 110 may include a plurality of hardware devices to perform RF conversion and RF signal processing. For example, the transmitter and / or receiver may include a power amplifier for amplifying the RF signal, a filter for filtering out unwanted portions of the RF signal, and / or a mixer for performing RF conversion. According to one embodiment of the invention, the RF frequency may be, for example, but not limited to, any specific frequency band of a Wi-Fi system, or others.

[0010] The baseband signal processing circuit 120 can be configured to process IF or baseband signals received from or to be transmitted to the transceiver circuit 110. The processor 130 can be configured to process corresponding communication protocol operations, process signals or data received from or to be transmitted to the baseband signal processing circuit 120, and control the overall operation of the communication device 100.

[0011] It should be noted that, in order to illustrate the concept of the present invention, Figure 1 shows a simplified block diagram of a communication device, in which only components relevant to the present invention are shown. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the communication device may also include other components not shown in Figure 1, which are configured to perform wireless communication and related signal processing functions.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the communication device 100 can establish a wireless connection with and communicate with a peer device. For example, the communication device 100 can transmit signals and data to and receive signals and data from the peer device. Note that in embodiments of the present invention, the peer device can be another communication device and can be implemented in a manner similar to that shown in Figure 1.

[0013] In wireless communication environments, such as wireless local area networks established in accordance with Wi-Fi standards, channel contention occurs before actual data transmission to avoid collisions. For example, a communication device may wait for a random backoff time before transmission. Furthermore, the communication device may perform physical carrier sensing or virtual carrier sensing before data transmission to avoid collisions. However, in scenarios with dense round-trip data transmission, the channel contention process can be time-consuming.

[0014] In order to improve transmission performance, especially in scenarios with dense back-and-forth data transmission, a method for interactive data transmission and a communication device (e.g., communication device 100) using the method are proposed to achieve fast interactive data transmission.

[0015] Figure 2 shows an exemplary flowchart of a method for interactive data transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. The proposed method for interactive data transmission includes the following steps:

[0016] Step S202: Determine the duration of the interactive data transmission between the first device and the second device. In embodiments of the present invention, the duration of the interactive data transmission includes the time required to transmit the first data frame of the first device and the time required to transmit the second data frame of the second device. Note that in embodiments of the present invention, the time required to transmit the first data frame and the time required to transmit the second data frame include the total necessary channel occupancy time required to successfully complete the transmission of the first / second data frames and avoid collisions.

[0017] Step S204: Set the duration field of the first frame according to the duration of the interactive data transmission.

[0018] Step S206: Transmit the first frame. In some embodiments of the present invention, the first frame is a transmit request (RTS) frame transmitted by the first device. In other embodiments of the present invention, the first frame is a clear transmit (CTS) frame transmitted by the second device.

[0019] Step S208: The first device transmits the first data frame during the duration of the interactive data transmission.

[0020] Step S210: The second device transmits the second data frame during the duration of the interactive data transmission.

[0021] In embodiments of the present invention, the proposed method can be performed by a first device and a second device communicating with each other, and both the first device and the second device can be implemented as the communication device 100 shown in Figure 1. Note that in embodiments of the present invention, the first device can initiate data transmission as an initiator, and the second device can respond to the initiator as a responder. Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, when the duration of the interactive data transmission does not exceed the maximum channel occupancy time, steps S208 and / or S210 can be repeated.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the first frame is transmitted by the second device (e.g., the responder), the first frame is a CTS frame. Furthermore, before transmitting the first frame, the second device receives an RTS frame transmitted by the first device (e.g., the initiator). The first frame (i.e., the CTS frame in this embodiment) is transmitted in response to receiving the RTS frame.

[0023] In this embodiment, the second device obtains duration information related to the RTS frame from the duration field of the RTS frame, and determines the duration of interactive data transmission in step S202 based on the duration information related to the RTS frame and the time required to transmit the second data frame of the second device.

[0024] Furthermore, the second device may then receive the first data frame transmitted by the first device and correspondingly transmit an acknowledgment (ACK) frame in response to receiving the first data frame. In embodiments of the present invention, the second device does not transmit any further RTS frames after transmitting the ACK frame and before transmitting the second data frame. That is, the second device does not transmit any further RTS frames before transmitting the second data frame. Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, the second device transmits the second data frame without waiting for or calculating a backoff time.

[0025] According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the first frame is transmitted by the first device (e.g., the initiator), the first frame is an RTS frame. The duration information associated with the RTS frame and set in the duration field of the RTS frame is the duration of the interactive data transmission determined by the first device in step S202, and the duration information set in the duration field of the RTS frame covers the time required to transmit the first data frame of the first device and the time required to transmit the second data frame of the second device. Note that in embodiments of the present invention, the time required to transmit the first / second data frame includes the total necessary channel occupancy time required to successfully complete the transmission of the first / second data frame and avoid collisions.

[0026] After transmitting an RTS frame and before transmitting the first data frame, the first device receives a CTS frame transmitted by the second device, and then transmits the first data frame during the duration of the interactive data transmission. After transmitting the first data frame, the first device receives an ACK frame from the second device during the duration of the interactive data transmission, receives a second data frame transmitted by the second device, and transmits an ACK frame in response to receiving the second data frame during the duration of the interactive data transmission. In an embodiment of the present invention, the first device does not receive any further RTS frames from the second device before receiving the second data frame, therefore, the first device does not transmit any further CTS frames before receiving the second data frame.

[0027] Figure 3 is a timeline showing the interactive data transfer achieved after applying the proposed method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Transfers performed by the initiator are plotted above the timeline, and transfers performed by the responder are plotted below the timeline. The initiator may be the first device described above, and the responder may be the second device described above.

[0028] To gain the right to use the channel and avoid collisions, the initiator waits for a backoff time and transmits the RTS frame to the space interface. In some embodiments of the invention, the duration information associated with and set in the duration field of the RTS frame may only cover the time required for the initiator's data frame transmission. In other embodiments of the invention, the duration information associated with and set in the duration field of the RTS frame covers not only the time required for the initiator's data frame transmission but also the time required for the responder's data frame transmission, such as the duration of the interactive data transmission determined in step S202.

[0029] Upon receiving an RTS frame, the responder waits for a Short Interframe Space (SIFS) and transmits the CTS frame to the space intermediary. In some embodiments of the present invention, the duration information associated with the CTS frame and set in the duration field of the CTS frame covers not only the time required for the initiator's data frame transmission but also the time required for the responder's data frame transmission, such as the duration of the interactive data transmission determined in step S202.

[0030] Upon receiving a CTS frame, the initiator waits for SIFS and transmits a data frame (e.g., the first data frame) to the null intermediate plane. Upon receiving the first data frame, the responder waits for SIFS and transmits an ACK or block ACK (BA) frame to the null intermediate plane.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present invention, after transmitting the ACK / BA frame, the responder waits for SIFS and directly transmits the data frame (e.g., the second data frame) to the null intermediate surface without waiting for or calculating the backoff time, and without transmitting the RTS frame in advance. Upon receiving the second data frame, the initiator waits for SIFS and transmits the ACK / BA frame to the null intermediate surface.

[0032] In an embodiment of the present invention, the remaining time (labeled as Shared_Occupied_Time) after the responder transmits an ACK / BA frame and before the end of the available channel occupancy time (i.e., the available time the initiator occupies the channel) (labeled as Available_Occupied_Time in Figure 3) is shared with the responder for further data frame transmission. The responder can directly transmit data frames without channel contention. In an embodiment of the present invention, the available channel occupancy time is extended by setting the duration information associated with the RTS or CTS frame, or the duration field of the RTS or CTS frame, to a value that covers not only the time required for the initiator's data frame transmission but also the time required for the responder's data frame transmission.

[0033] According to one embodiment of the invention, the available channel occupancy time (e.g., Available_Occupied_Time as shown in Figure 3) may be limited by the maximum channel occupancy time, which may be defined based on the maximum physical protocol data unit (PPDU) time (e.g., 5.484 milliseconds as defined in the 802.11 specification) or the transmission opportunity limitation (TXOP) limitation (e.g., a priority of 6.016 milliseconds for the Movie Access Class (AC_VO) as defined in the 802.11 specification). In one embodiment of the invention, the time that can be shared with the responder (e.g., Shared_Occupied_Time as shown in Figure 3) can be derived according to the following equation Eq. (1):

[0034] Shared_Occupied_Time = (Available_Occupied_Time) - (transmission time of the initiator's data frame) - SIFS - (transmission time of the responder's ACK / BA frame) Eq. (1)

[0035] As shown in Figure 3, no backoff time is required between the two data frame transmissions. Furthermore, no further RTS and CTS frames are transmitted before the data frame from the responder is transmitted. Since the responder does not have to perform channel contention (which may at least include counting or waiting for backoff time, transmitting RST frames, and receiving CTS frames from the initiator), the time required for interactive data transmission is greatly reduced, enabling fast interactive data transmission.

[0036] As described above, the duration of the interactive data transmission between the initiator and the responder can be determined to at least cover the time required for the initiator's first data frame transmission and the time required for the responder's second data frame transmission, and the duration field of the RTS frame or CTS frame can be set according to the determined duration of the interactive data transmission.

[0037] By obtaining duration information from the duration field of the received frame, the communication device can configure the Network Allocation Vector (NAV) according to the duration information. NAV is a virtual carrier sensing mechanism used in wireless network protocols such as IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi). The Medium Access Control (MAC) layer frame header contains a duration field specifying the required transmission time of the frame. Devices or terminals listening on the wireless medium in a wireless communication environment read the duration field to obtain duration information and set their NAV according to the duration information. This is an indicator that the device or terminal must postpone access to the medium.

[0038] Figure 4 is a timing diagram showing the NAV configuration associated with RST and CTS frames, according to a first embodiment of the invention. In the first embodiment of the invention, fast interactive data transmission is achieved by setting the duration field of the CTS frame according to a determined duration of interactive data transmission, and this setting is performed by a communication device (e.g., communication device 100), which is a responder relative to a peer device (e.g., another communication device) that initiated the data transmission.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present invention, a processor (e.g., processor 130) receives an RTS frame from a peer device via a transceiver circuit (e.g., transceiver circuit 110) and obtains duration information associated with the RTS frame from the duration field of the RTS frame. The processor determines the duration of the interactive data transmission based on the duration information associated with the RTS frame and at least the time required to transmit a data frame from the communication device, and sets the duration field of the CTS frame according to the duration of the interactive data transmission.

[0040] In addition, after receiving the RTS frame, the processor transmits the CTS frame according to the duration field set in the duration of the interactive data transmission.

[0041] After transmitting the CTS frame, the processor further receives the first data frame from the peer device through the transceiver circuit, transmits the ACK / BA frame in response to receiving the first data frame through the transceiver circuit, and transmits the second data frame through the transceiver circuit during the duration of the interactive data transmission.

[0042] In embodiments of the present invention, the duration of interactive data transmission at least covers the time required for the peer device to transmit the first data frame and the time required for the communication device to transmit the second data frame. Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, the processor does not count or wait for backoff time while transmitting the second data frame.

[0043] Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, the processor transmits the second data frame without first transmitting an RTS frame associated with the second data frame. Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, the processor transmits the second data frame without first receiving a CTS frame associated with the second data frame from a peer device.

[0044] The two boxes drawn below the time axis in Figure 4 are labeled NAV(RTS) and NAV(CTS), respectively, representing the duration information obtained from the duration field of the RTS frame and the CTS frame. The NAV configuration also indicates the channel occupancy duration of the relevant frame (i.e., the time when a device or working terminal communicating through the same channel or medium must postpone accessing the channel or medium).

[0045] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the first end time of channel occupancy derived from the duration information associated with the RTS frame (i.e., NAV(RTS)) is different from the second end time of channel occupancy derived from the duration information associated with the CTS frame (i.e., NAV(CTS)). As shown in Figure 4, the rightmost boundary of the box labeled NAV(RTS) is the end time of channel occupancy associated with the RTS frame, and the rightmost boundary of the box labeled NAV(CTS) is the end time of channel occupancy associated with the CTS frame, and note that they are not aligned.

[0046] In a first embodiment of the present invention, the processor may calculate the shared occupancy time (e.g., Shared_Occupied_Time as shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4) after receiving an RTS frame from a peer device (i.e., the initiator in the first embodiment of the present invention). For example, the shared occupancy time (Shared_Occupied_Time) may be derived based on the above equation Eq. (1).

[0047] The processor can calculate the available transmission time (i.e., the maximum time to transmit the data frame) of the responder using the shared occupancy time according to the following equation Eq. (2):

[0048] The available transmission time of the responder's data frame = (Shared_Occupied_Time) - 2*SIFS - (transmission time of the responder's data frame) Eq. (2)

[0049] The processor can further calculate the duration information (e.g., NAV(CTS)) associated with the CTS frame according to the following equation Eq. (3):

[0050] NAV(CTS) = NAV(RTS) - (transmission time of the responder's CTS frame) - SIFS + (Shared_Occupied_Time) Eq. (3)

[0051] The processor can set the duration field of the CTS frame and transmit the CTS frame to the peer device.

[0052] By setting the duration field of the CTS frame according to the duration information calculated based on Eq. (3), NAV(CTS) is extended, and the responder obtains additional shared occupancy time available for data transmission (e.g., Shared_Occupied_Time as shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4).

[0053] Figure 5 is a time diagram showing the NAV configuration associated with RST frames and CTS frames according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment of the present invention, fast interactive data transmission is achieved by setting the duration field of the RTS frame according to a determined interactive data transmission duration, and this setting is performed by a communication device (e.g., communication device 100) that initiates the data transmission.

[0054] In an embodiment of the present invention, a processor (e.g., processor 130) determines the duration of interactive data transmission between a communication device and a peer device (e.g., another communication device acting as a responder), sets the duration field of an RTS frame according to the duration of the interactive data transmission, and transmits the RTS frame via a transceiver circuit (e.g., transceiver circuit 110).

[0055] After transmitting the RTS frame, the processor further receives the CTS frame from the peer device through the transceiver circuit, transmits the first data frame through the transceiver circuit, and then receives the ACK / BA from the peer device through the transceiver circuit.

[0056] In an embodiment of the present invention, the duration of interactive data transmission covers at least the time required for the communication device to transmit the first data frame and the time required for the peer device to transmit the second data frame.

[0057] In an embodiment of the invention, the processor further receives the second data frame during the duration of the interactive data transmission, without calculating the backoff time for the peer device to transmit the second data frame. Furthermore, in an embodiment of the invention, no further RTS frames are received from the peer device before receiving the second data frame, and the processor does not transmit any further CTS frames before receiving the second data frame.

[0058] In a second embodiment of the invention, the first end time of channel occupancy derived from the duration information (i.e., NAV(RTS)) associated with the RTS frame is the same as the second end time of channel occupancy derived from the duration field or duration information (i.e., NAV(CTS)) associated with the CTS frame. As shown in Figure 5, the rightmost boundary of the box labeled NAV(RTS) is the end time of channel occupancy associated with the RTS frame, and the rightmost boundary of the box labeled NAV(CTS) is the end time of channel occupancy associated with the CTS frame. Note that they are aligned because the duration setting for interactive data transmission is performed by the initiator on the RTS frame.

[0059] In a second embodiment of the present invention, the processor can calculate the available channel occupancy time (e.g., Available_Occupied_Time as shown in Figure 3 or Figure 5) according to the following equation Eq. (4):

[0060] Available_Occupied_Time = (transmission time of the initiator's data frame) + SIFS + (transmission time of the responder's ACK / BA frame) + SIFS + (transmission time of the responder's data frame) + SIFS + (transmission time of the initiator's ACK / BA frame) Eq. (4)

[0061] The processor can further calculate the duration information (e.g., NAV(RTS)) associated with the RTS frame according to Eq. (4), set the duration field of the RTS frame, and transmit the RTS frame to the peer device.

[0062] After receiving an RTS frame, the responder can calculate the duration associated with the CTS frame (e.g., NAV(CTS)) based on the duration information associated with the received RTS frame, set the duration field of the CTS frame, and transmit the CTS frame to the initiator.

[0063] By setting the duration field of the RTS frame according to the duration information calculated based on Eq. (4), NAV(RTS) is extended, and the responder obtains additional shared occupancy time available for data transmission (e.g., Shared_Occupied_Time as shown in Figure 3 or Figure 5).

[0064] In embodiments of the present invention, by setting the duration field of the RTS or CTS frame according to the duration required for interactive data transmission described above, the duration of the RTS and / or CTS frames and the corresponding NAV(RTS) and / or NAV(CTS) can be extended as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and the responder can skip channel contention before data frame transmission, as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5. Therefore, the time required for interactive data transmission is greatly reduced, and fast interactive data transmission is achieved. The above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all equivalent variations and modifications made within the scope of the claims of this invention should be considered within the scope of this invention. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0007] Figure 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 shows an exemplary flowchart of a method for interactive data transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a timing diagram showing interactive data transmission implemented according to an embodiment of the present invention after applying the proposed method. Figure 4 is a timing diagram showing NAV configuration associated with RST frames and CTS frames according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a timing diagram showing NAV configuration associated with RST frames and CTS frames according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for interactive data transmission, comprising: Determine the duration of interactive data transmission between a first device and a second device, wherein the duration of the interactive data transmission covers the time required to transmit a first data frame of the first device and the time required to transmit a second data frame of the second device; set a duration field for the first frame according to the duration of the interactive data transmission; transmit the first frame, wherein the first frame is a transmit request (RTS) frame transmitted by the first device or a clear transmit (CTS) frame transmitted by the second device; transmit the first data frame by the first device during the duration of the interactive data transmission; and transmit the second data frame by the second device during the duration of the interactive data transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when the first frame is the CTS frame transmitted by the second device, the method further comprises: Receive the RTS frame transmitted by the first device, wherein the first frame is transmitted in response to receiving the RTS frame; Obtain duration information associated with the RTS frame, wherein the duration of the interactive data transmission is determined by the second device based on the duration information associated with the RTS frame and the time required to transmit the second data frame of the second device; and wherein the first end time of channel occupancy derived from the duration information associated with the RTS frame transmitted by the first device is different from the second end time of channel occupancy derived from the duration field of the first frame.

3. The method as described in claim 2, further comprising: Receive the first data frame transmitted by the first device; And before transmitting the second data frame, in response to receiving the first data frame, an acknowledgment frame is transmitted, wherein after transmitting the acknowledgment frame, the second device does not transmit an RTS frame before transmitting the second data frame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein when the first frame is the RTS frame transmitted by the first device, the method further comprises: Receive the second data frame transmitted by the second device; And during the duration of the interactive data transmission, in response to receiving the second data frame, an acknowledgment frame is transmitted, wherein the first device has not received an RTS frame from the second device prior to receiving the second data frame.

5. The method as described in claim 4, wherein the method further comprises: Before transmitting the first data frame, the CTS frame transmitted by the second device is received, wherein the first end time of channel occupancy derived from the duration field of the first frame is the same as the second end time of channel occupancy derived from the duration field of the CTS frame.

6. A communication device, comprising: A transceiver circuit that transmits and receives multiple wireless signals to and from a peer device; The transceiver circuit includes a processor that receives a transmit request (RTS) frame from the peer device and obtains duration information associated with the RTS frame, and responds by receiving the RTS frame and transmitting a clear transmit (CTS) frame via the transceiver circuit. Before transmitting the CTS frame, the processor further determines the duration of the interactive data transmission based on the duration information associated with the RTS frame, and sets the duration field of the CTS frame based on the duration of the interactive data transmission, wherein the duration of the interactive data transmission covers the time required for the peer device to transmit the first data frame and the time required for the communication device to transmit the second data frame.

7. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein after transmitting the CTS frame, the processor further receives the first data frame from the peer device via the transceiver circuit, transmits an acknowledgment frame in response to receiving the first data frame via the transceiver circuit, and transmits the second data frame via the transceiver circuit during the duration of the interactive data transmission.

8. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processor transmits a second data frame without first transmitting an RTS frame.

9. The communication apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor transmits a second data frame without first receiving a CTS frame from a peer device.

10. The communication apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor transmits a second data frame without waiting for a backoff time.

11. The communication apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first end time of channel occupancy derived from duration information associated with the RTS frame is different from the second end time of channel occupancy derived from the duration field of the CTS frame.

12. A communication device, comprising: A transceiver circuit for sending and receiving multiple wireless signals to and from a peer device; The transceiver circuit also includes a processor that transmits a transmit request (RTS) frame and receives a clear transmit (CTS) frame from a peer device via the transceiver circuit. Before transmitting the RTS frame, the processor further determines the duration of the interactive data transmission between the communication device and the peer device and sets a duration field of the RTS frame according to the duration of the interactive data transmission. The duration of the interactive data transmission covers the time required for the communication device to transmit the first data frame and the time required for the peer device to transmit the second data frame.

13. The communication apparatus of claim 12, wherein after receiving a CTS frame from a peer device, the processor further transmits a first data frame through the transceiver circuit, receives an acknowledgment frame from the peer device through the transceiver circuit, and receives a second data frame from the peer device through the transceiver circuit during the duration of the interactive data transmission.

14. The communication apparatus of claim 12, wherein no further RTS frames are received from the peer device before the second data frame is received.

15. The communication apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor does not transmit further CTS frames prior to receiving the second data frame.

16. The communication apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first end time of channel occupancy derived from the duration field of the RTS frame is the same as the second end time of channel occupancy derived from the duration field of the CTS frame.

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