Request to send (RTS) and clear to send (CTS) for multichannel operations

US9119110B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• QUALCOMM Incorporated · US

Inventors

• Simone Merlin · San Diego, US
• Santosh Paul Abraham · San Diego, US
• Guido Robert Frederiks · Capitola, US
• Vincent Knowles Jones, IV · Redwood Shores, US
• Maarten Menzo Wentink · Naarden, NL

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 21, 2011
• Grant date: Aug 25, 2015
• Expiry date: Oct 4, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04W74/0816
• WIPO field: Digital communication
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for signaling the bandwidth to be used for wireless communications using an RTS/CTS (Request to Send/Clear to Send) frame exchange, providing for bandwidths of at least 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or higher. This exchange of bandwidth information may be performed implicitly—by determining the channels in which the RTS/CTS frames are actually sent—or explicitly. In addition to this bandwidth information exchange, aspects of the present disclosure may also allow for Network Allocation Vector (NAV) protection in multiple channels. In this manner, the wireless medium may be reserved, and the transmission may be protected from hidden nodes.