Overlapping sub-channels in a network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9509466-B2
Application number	US-201214372564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2012
Priority date	Apr 27, 2012
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

In a network, a first network station ( 61 ) communicates with a second network station ( 65 ) using a first channel ( 45 ) from a plurality of channels. The first channel ( 45 ) has a central frequency ( 46 ). A third network station ( 62 ) communicates using a sub-channel ( 55 ) of the first channel ( 45 ). The sub-channel overlaps the first channel ( 45 ). The sub-channel ( 55 ) has a center frequency ( 56 ) that varies sufficiently from the center frequency ( 46 ) of the first channel ( 45 ) so that the first network station ( 61 ) and the second network station ( 65 ) do not lock onto packets transmitted from the third network station ( 62 ). The center frequency ( 56 ) of the sub-channel ( 55 ) is closer in frequency to the center frequency ( 46 ) of the first channel ( 45 ) than to a center frequency of any other channel in the plurality of channels.

First claim

We claim:

1. A network station, comprising: a processor; and, a transceiver that sends and receives wireless communications, wherein the transceiver is arranged to communicate with a second network station on a sub-channel with a center frequency, the sub-channel being a sub-channel of a first Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 channel from a plurality of IEEE 802.11 channels, the first channel having a central frequency, the sub-channel overlapping the first channel, the center frequency of the sub-channel being offset sufficiently from the center frequency of the first channel so that the network station and the second network station do not lock onto packets transmitted from a third network station transmitting in the first channel; wherein the center frequency of the sub-channel is closer in frequency to the center frequency of the first channel than to a center frequency of any other channel in the plurality of channels;
wherein the network station is an access point in a first local area wireless network and the third network station is a second access point in a second local area wireless network;
wherein the transceiver being arranged to send out a beacon signal with a center frequency at the center frequency of the first channel, so that when the second access point sends out a beacon signal with a center frequency at the center frequency of the first channel, the beacon signal sent out by the transceiver is completely within a bandwidth of the first channel and within a bandwidth of the sub-channel and the beacon signal sent out by the second access point is completely within the bandwidth of the first channel and within the bandwidth of the sub-channel;
wherein the beacon signal sent out by the transceiver includes a training sequence in a preamble that indicates the beacon signal sent out by the first access point has a smaller bandwidth than other transmissions from the first access point.

2. A network station as in claim 1 additionally comprising:
an IEEE 802.11 media access controller.

3. A network station as in claim 1 wherein:
the plurality of channels is a plurality of non-overlapping channels.

4. A network station as in claim 1 wherein:
the plurality of channels is a plurality of overlapping channels.

5. A method comprising:
using a first Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 channel from a plurality of IEEE 802.11 channels to communicate between a first network station and a second network station, the first channel having a central frequency; and,
using a sub-channel for transmissions from a third network station, the sub-channel overlapping the first channel, the sub-channel having a center frequency that varies sufficiently from the center frequency of the first channel so that the first network station and the second network station do not lock onto packets transmitted from the third network station, wherein the center frequency of the sub-channel is closer in frequency to the center frequency of the first channel than to a center frequency of any other channel in the plurality of channel;
wherein using the first channel from the plurality of channels to communicate between a first network station and a second network station includes the first network station broadcasting a beacon signal with a center frequency at the center frequency of the first channel, wherein the beacon signal sent out by the first network station is completely within a bandwidth of the first channel and within a bandwidth of the sub-channel; and using the sub-channel for transmissions from the third network station includes the second network station broadcasting a beacon signal with a center frequency at the center frequency of the sub-channel, wherein the beacon signal sent out by the second network station is completely within the bandwidth of the first channel and within the bandwidth of the sub-channel;
wherein the beacon signal sent out by the first network station includes a preamble that indicates the beacon signal sent out by the first network station has a smaller bandwidth than other transmissions from the first network station; and the beacon signal sent out by the second network station includes a preamble that indicates the beacon signal sent out by the second network station has a smaller bandwidth than other transmissions from the second network station.

6. A method as in claim 5 wherein:
the plurality of channels is a plurality of non-overlapping channels.

7. A method as tin claim 5 wherein:
the plurality of channels is a plurality of overlapping channels.

8. A method as in claim 5 wherein the first network and the second network communicate in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard.

9. A method as in claim 5 wherein the first network station is an access point in a first local area wireless network and the third network station is an access point in a second local area wireless network.

Assignees

• Hogan Thomas
• Lee Jeongkeun
• Lindsay Scott A
• Hewlett Packard Entpr Dev Lp

Inventors

• Hogan Thomas
• Lee Jeongkeun
• Lindsay Scott A

Classifications

• H04L5/0044 Primary

  Allocation of payload; Allocation of data channels, e.g. PDSCH or PUSCH · CPC title

• H04W16/12 Primary

  Fixed resource partitioning · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title