Primary and non-primary subchannels in a basic service set of a wireless network
Embodiments of a method and apparatus for wireless communications are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method includes selecting backoff 20 MHz channels of an operating channel bandwidth (BW) of a Basic Service Set (BSS), and announcing to a second wireless device the operating channel BW of the BSS for use in communicating between the wireless device and the second wireless device, subchannels of the operating channel bandwidth, and backoff 20 MHz channels of each subchannel, wherein one subchannel is a primary subchannel and one subchannel is a non-primary subchannel. A data unit is transmitted to the second wireless device in a backoff 20 MHz channel of the non-primary subchannel.
1 . A wireless device comprising
a controller to select backoff channels of an operating channel bandwidth (BW) of a Basic Service Set (BSS); and
a wireless transceiver configured to announce to a second wireless device the operating channel BW of the BSS for use in communicating between the wireless device and the second wireless device, subchannels of the operating channel bandwidth, and backoff channels of each subchannel,
wherein one subchannel is a primary subchannel and one subchannel is a non-primary subchannel,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit a data unit to the second wireless device in a backoff channel of the non-primary subchannel; and
wherein the wireless device is an access point (AP) and the second wireless device is a non-AP device.
2 . The wireless device of claim 1 ,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to announce using a management frame.
3 . The wireless device of claim 1 ,
wherein the management frame is at least one of a Beacon Frame, a Probe Response Frame, and an Association Response Frame.
4 . The wireless device of claim 3 ,
wherein the Beacon Frame is in a backoff 20 MHz channel of the non-primary subchannel.
5 . The wireless device of claim 1 ,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to start a transmit opportunity for data unit exchanges with the second wireless device after a backoff counter reaches zero.
6 . The wireless device of claim 5 ,
wherein the controller is configured to suspend backoff counters of the primary channel until after the transmit opportunity.
7 . The wireless device of claim 1 ,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured
to send a request to send message in the non-primary subchannel including a backoff 20 MHz channel of the non-primary subchannel, to receive a clear to send message in the backoff 20 MHz channel, and
to send a data unit having a bandwidth within the non-primary subchannel.
8 . The wireless device of claim 1 ,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured
to send a multi-user request to send message in the non-primary subchannel including a backoff 20 MHz channel of the non-primary subchannel to multiple wireless devices,
to receive a clear to send message in the backoff 20 MHz channel from multiple users, and
to send a data unit having a bandwidth within the non-primary subchannel.
9 . The wireless device of claim 1 ,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured
to send a request to send message in the backoff channel of the non-primary subchannel,
to receive a clear to send message in the non-primary subchannel, and
to send a data unit having a bandwidth greater than the non-primary subchannel.
10 . The wireless device of claim 1 ,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured
to detect whether the primary channel is busy and
to transmit the data unit in the backoff channel of the non-primary subchannel in response to the primary channel being busy.
11 . The wireless device of claim 10 ,
wherein the detecting whether the primarychannel is busy includes
waiting for an interframe space and
determining that channel state information indicates that the backoff channel is idle.
12 . The wireless device of claim 1 ,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the data unit in multiple backoff channels of the non-primary channel.
13 . The wireless device of claim 1 ,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to send a message to the second wireless device to park in the non-primary subchannel that includes the backoff channel.
14 . The wireless device of claim 13 ,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to assign the backoff channel as a dummy primary channel for use as a primary channel in the non-primary subchannel by the second wireless device.
15 . The wireless device of claim 13 ,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to send a data unit in the non-primary subchannel in response to sending the message to park in the non-primary subchannel.
16 . The wireless device of claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is configured to allocate resource units to the second wireless device in the non-primary subchannel and
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to assign resource units.
17 . The wireless device of claim 16 ,
wherein the resource units are assigned by sending a Trigger Frame.
18 . A wireless device comprising
a controller to store backoff channels of an operating channel BW of a BSS announced by a second wireless device; and
a wireless transceiver configured to receive an announcement from the second wireless device of the operating channel BW of the BSS for use in communicating between the wireless device and the second wireless device, subchannels of the operating channel bandwidth, and backoff channels of each subchannel,
wherein one subchannel is a primary subchannel and one subchannel is a non-primary subchannel,
wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit a data unit to the second wireless device in a backoff channel of the non-primary subchannel; and
wherein the wireless device is a non-access point (AP) device and the second wireless device is an AP device.
19 . A method comprising:
selecting, by a first wireless device, backoff channels of an operating channel bandwidth (BW) of a Basic Service Set (BSS);
announcing by the first wireless device to a second wireless device the operating channel BW of the BSS for use in communicating between the wireless device and the second wireless device, subchannels of the operating channel bandwidth, and backoff channels of each subchannel,
wherein one subchannel is a primary subchannel and one subchannel is a non-primary subchannel;
transmitting by the first wireless device a data unit to the second wireless device in a backoff channel of the non-primary subchannel; and
wherein the first wireless device is an access point (AP) and the second wireless device is a non-AP device.