Wireless Channel Allocation via Bitmap Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques are inadequate for allocating 20 MHz channels to achieve channel bandwidths greater than 40 MHz, especially when the indicated channels are not adjacent to each other, posing a challenge in modern wireless communication networks.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an information element (IE) in wireless networks that indicates which narrow channels can be combined to form a wide channel, using bitmap formats to specify the usage of allocated channels, allowing for non-contiguous channel combinations and flexible channel width adjustments up to 80 MHz or more.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional techniques are used to allocate 20 MHz channels, then channel bandwidth can be maintained at 20-40 MHz, but the system cannot achieve channel bandwidths greater than 40 MHz with non-adjacent channels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the channel allocation process into two independent parts: (1) allocating a set of 20 MHz channels to a device, and (2) selecting a subset of these allocated channels for actual communication. This segmentation allows the system to support flexible channel bandwidths (20, 40, 80, 160 MHz) by simply controlling which allocated channels are selected, without requiring complex real-time allocation decisions for each bandwidth size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary allocation of a superset of 20 MHz channels to the device before actual communication occurs. The network controller allocates multiple 20 MHz channels in advance, and the device later selects the appropriate subset for the desired channel bandwidth. This preliminary action simplifies the communication phase, as only channel selection (not full allocation) is needed during data transmission.
2Adaptability or versatility
If adjacent channels are combined to form wider channels, then implementation is simpler, but non-adjacent channel combinations cannot be supported
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new dimension to channel indication by using a two-stage process: first indicating the allocated channel set (superset), then indicating the selected subset. This dimensional approach transforms the single-step channel indication problem into a two-step process, enabling non-contiguous channel combinations while keeping each individual indication step relatively simple.
3Adaptability or versatility
If 40 MHz channels are formed by combining two adjacent 20 MHz channels, then backward compatibility is maintained, but channel bandwidth expansion to 80 MHz or 160 MHz becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic channel allocation system where the channel bandwidth is not fixed but can be adjusted by selecting different subsets of the allocated 20 MHz channels. The device can dynamically choose to use 20 MHz (one channel), 40 MHz (two channels), 80 MHz (four channels), or 160 MHz (eight channels) by selecting the appropriate number of allocated channels, making the system adaptable to various bandwidth requirements without requiring separate allocation mechanisms for each bandwidth size.
Data Source
AI summary
In a wireless communications network in which a device may simultaneously use multiple 20MHz channels for communicating with another network device, various embodiments of the invention provide a way for a network controller to indicate to a mobile device which combinations of those channels the mobile device is permitted for use in subsequent communications involving the mobile device, and may also provide a way to specify which of those permitted channels are actually being used in those subsequent communications.