Method and apparatus for signaling transmission characteristics in a wireless communication network
A wireless network uses an improved frame structure to increase timing acquisition capabilities as well as reduction of spectral lines. In one aspect, the frame packet can be used to communicate the different modes of operation under which the packet was created.
1. A method for wireless communication comprising:
generating a packet that comprises a first portion and a second portion separated by a start frame delimiter, wherein the start frame delimiter is further used to signal a characteristic of the second portion, and wherein the start frame delimiter comprises a plurality of symbols indicating at least one of:
a rate of transmission of at least one of a header and a data of the packet;
a beacon packet;
a duration of the packet; or
a duration of an allocation of a transmission medium; and
transmitting the packet.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generation comprises encoding the start frame delimiter using a first scheme and encoding the second portion using a second scheme different from the first scheme.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first scheme comprises a single carrier communication scheme, and the second scheme comprises an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication scheme.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of symbols further indicates at least one of a mode of transmission of the packet and a modulation and coding scheme of a header of the packet.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of symbols indicates the duration of an allocation of a transmission medium, and wherein the duration is represented in a network allocation vector.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of symbols indicates whether the packet was transmitted in one of a single carrier and OFDM carrier mode.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of symbols indicates the duration of an allocation of a transmission medium.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of packets comprises the packet.
9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the packet comprises a preamble used for both the single carrier and the OFDM mode.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the start frame delimiter is based on at least one Golay code.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the start frame delimiter is used for channel estimation.
12. A communication apparatus comprising:
means for generating a packet that comprises a first portion and a second portion separated by a start frame delimiter, wherein the start frame delimiter is further used to signal a characteristic of the second portion and wherein the start frame delimiter comprises a plurality of symbols indicating at least one of:
a rate of transmission of at least one of a header and a data of the packet;
a beacon packet;
a duration of the packet; or
a duration of an allocation of a transmission medium; and
means for transmitting the packet.
13. The communication apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the generation means comprises means for encoding the start frame delimiter using a first scheme and means for encoding the second portion using a second scheme different from the first scheme.
14. The communication apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first scheme comprises a single carrier communication scheme, and the second scheme comprises an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication scheme.
15. The communication apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of symbols further indicates at least one of a mode of transmission of the packet and a modulation and coding scheme of a header of the packet.
16. The communication apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of symbols indicates the duration of an allocation of a transmission medium, and wherein the duration is represented in a network allocation vector.
17. The communication apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of symbols indicates whether the packet was transmitted in one of a single carrier and OFDM carrier mode.
18. The communication apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of symbols indicates the duration of an allocation of a transmission medium.
19. The communication apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of packets comprises the packet.
20. The communication apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the packet comprises a preamble used for both the single carrier and the OFDM mode.
21. The communication apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the start frame delimiter is based on at least one Golay code.
22. The communication apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the start frame delimiter is used for channel estimation.
23. A communication apparatus comprising:
a processing system configured to:
generate a packet that comprises a first portion and a second portion separated by a start frame delimiter, wherein the start frame delimiter is further used to signal a characteristic of the second portion and wherein the start frame delimiter comprises a plurality of symbols indicating at least one of:
a rate of transmission of at least one of a header and a data of the packet;
a beacon packet;
a duration of the packet; or
a duration of an allocation of a transmission medium; and
transmit the packet.
24. The communication apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the processing system is further configured to encode the start frame delimiter using a first scheme and encode the second portion using a second scheme different from the first scheme.
25. The communication apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the first scheme comprises a single carrier communication scheme, and the second scheme comprises an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication scheme.
26. The communication apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the plurality of symbols further indicates at least one of a mode of transmission of the packet—and a modulation and coding scheme of a header of the packet.
27. The communication apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the plurality of symbols indicates the duration of an allocation of a transmission medium, and wherein the duration is represented in a network allocation vector.
28. The communication apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the plurality of symbols indicates whether the packet was transmitted in one of a single carrier and OFDM carrier mode.
29. The communication apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the plurality of symbols indicates the duration of an allocation of a transmission medium.
30. The communication apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of packets comprises the packet.
31. The communication apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the packet comprises a preamble used for both the single carrier and the OFDM mode.
32. The communication apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the start frame delimiter is based on at least one Golay code.
33. The communication apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the start frame delimiter is used for channel estimation.
34. A computer-program product for communications comprising:
a machine-readable storage device encoded with instructions executable to cause a machine to:
generate a packet that comprises a first portion and a second portion separated by a start frame delimiter, wherein the start frame delimiter is further used to signal a characteristic of the second portion, and wherein the start frame delimiter comprises a plurality of symbols indicating at least one of:
a rate of transmission of at least one of a header and a data of the packet;
a beacon packet;
a duration of the packet; or
a duration of an allocation of a transmission medium; and
transmit the packet.
35. A wireless device comprising:
an antenna;
a packet generator configured to generate a packet that comprises a first portion and a second portion separated by a start frame delimiter, wherein the start frame delimiter is further used to signal a characteristic of the second portion, and wherein the start frame delimiter comprises a plurality of symbols indicating at least one of:
a rate of transmission of at least one of a header and a data of the packet;
a beacon packet;
a duration of the packet; or
a duration of an allocation of a transmission medium; and
a transmitter configured to transmit, via the antenna, the packet.