IP Library Granted Patent US 8,391,374
Granted Patent B2
US 8,391,374 · App. 12/402,341 · Granted Mar 5, 2013

Method and apparatus for selective disregard of Co-channel transmissions on a medium

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,391,374
App. No.
12/402,341
Granted
Mar 5, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method and apparatus to selectively disregard co-channel transmissions on a medium uses an automatic gain control/clear channel assessment (AGC/CCA) circuit to gather signal power information, which is used to establish receiver sensitivity thresholds. Raw and cyclical power measurements of a received signal are processed by the AGC/CCA circuit to determine whether a current received signal process should be halted, and a new signal acquisition sequence begun.

Claims (36)

1. A method of selectively disregarding co-channel signals in a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:

initiating a search sequence for a signal with a packet thereon;

receiving the signal;

processing the received signal;

detecting an in-band signal from the processed signal; and

activating a signal reception sequence for the detected in-band signal, the signal reception sequence including a selective packet abort sequence,

wherein the selective packet abort sequence includes:

aborting the signal reception sequence if a decrease in an in-band power measurement of the in-band signal exceeds a delta power decrease limit; and

returning to the step of initiating the search sequence using a weak signal search mode, the weak signal search mode including measuring normalized self-correction of short sequences.

2. A method of selectively disregarding co-channel signals in a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:

initiating a search sequence for a signal with a packet thereon;

receiving the signal;

processing the received signal;

detecting an in-band signal from the processed signal; and

activating a signal reception sequence for the detected in-band signal, the signal reception sequence including a channel busy suppression,

wherein the channel busy suppression includes:

suppressing a channel busy signal based on a packet type and whether the in-band signal is determined to include at least one undesirable characteristic indicative of a foreign basic service set identification (BSSID); and

returning to the step of initiating the search sequence.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one undesirable characteristic includes an address.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein suppressing is applied to the inband signal only when a corresponding packet is of type data.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein suppressing is cancelled when a packet is one of a control type packet and a management type packet.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein suppressing is cancelled when a packet is one of a request to send (RTS) packet, a clear to send (CTS) packet, and a beacon packet.

7. A method of selectively disregarding co-channel signals in a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:

initiating a search sequence for a signal with a packet thereon;

receiving the signal;

processing the received signal;

detecting an in-band signal from the processed signal; and

activating a signal reception sequence for the detected in-band signal, the signal reception sequence including aborting the inband signal based on criteria including having packets of a designated type,

wherein when a packet is of type data and has a foreign basic service set identification, then the packet is aborted, and wherein when a packet is other than type data and has a foreign basic service set identification, then the packet is not aborted.

8. A method of selectively disregarding co-channel signals in a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:

initiating a search sequence for a signal with a packet thereon;

receiving the signal;

processing the received signal;

detecting an in-band signal from the processed signal; and

activating a signal reception sequence for the detected in-band signal, the signal reception sequence including aborting the inband signal based on criteria including having packets of a designated type,

wherein when a packet is one of a request to send (RTS) packet, a clear to send (CTS) packet, and a beacon packet, then aborting is cancelled irrespective of a basic service set identification.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 29, 2018
From: HUSTED, PAUL J.; MCFARLAND, WILLIAM J.
To: ATHEROS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 045385/0380 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2012
From: QUALCOMM ATHEROS, INC.
To: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 029328/0052 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 15, 2011
From: ATHEROS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: QUALCOMM ATHEROS, INC.
Reel/Frame 026599/0360 →