IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,745,284
Granted Patent B2
US 12,745,284 · App. 17/120,451 · Granted Sep 22, 2026

Apparatus, system and method of communication based on clear channel assessment (CCA) in one or more directions

Inventors: Laurent Cariou (Portland, OR); Carlos Cordeiro (Portland, OR)
Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
H04W74/0816H04B7/0413
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,745,284
App. No.
17/120,451
Filed
Dec 14, 2020
Granted
Sep 22, 2026
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2411
USPC
370/329
Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, devices, systems and methods of communication based on Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) in one or more directions. For example, an apparatus may include logic and circuitry configured to cause a wireless station to determine a plurality of directions to transmit a plurality of respective data streams of a Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) transmission; to detect a plurality of CCA states corresponding to the plurality of directions, respectively; and based on the plurality of CCA states, to transmit one or more selected data streams of the plurality of data streams in one or more respective selected directions of the plurality of directions.

Claims (30)

1 . An apparatus comprising:

memory circuitry; and

a processor comprising logic and circuitry configured to cause a first wireless communication station (STA) to:

identify a first plurality of directions based on a plurality of Request to Send (RTS) frames from a second STA, wherein the first plurality of directions comprises a plurality of antenna beam directions, respectively;

select a second plurality of directions based on Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) states of the first plurality of directions, the second plurality of directions comprises a plurality of selected antenna beam directions from the plurality of antenna beam directions, wherein the processor is configured to cause the first STA to exclude from the second plurality of directions any directions of the first plurality of directions which have a detected CCA non-idle state such that the second plurality of directions is to comprise only directions of the first plurality of directions which have a detected CCA idle state; and

transmit to the second STA a plurality of Clear to Send (CTS) frames in the second plurality of directions.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the first STA to select the second plurality of directions from the first plurality of directions based on the CCA states of the first plurality of directions.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the first STA to detect the CCA states of the first plurality of directions based on receipt of the plurality of RTS frames from the second STA.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the first STA to transmit two or more CTS frames of the plurality of CTS frames simultaneously.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the first STA to transmit two or more CTS frames of the plurality of CTS frames sequentially.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the first STA to process a plurality of streams of a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) from the second STA, the plurality of streams received via the second plurality of directions, respectively.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the PPDU comprises a Single User (SU) PPDU.

8 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the PPDU comprises a Multi User (MU) PPDU.

9 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of streams comprises a plurality of Multiple-input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) streams.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the first STA to transmit the plurality of CTS frames based on a frame received from the second STA after the plurality of RTS frames.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first STA comprises a Directional Multi-Gigabit (DMG) STA.

12 . The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a radio, the processor configured to cause the radio to transmit the plurality of CTS frames.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 comprising two or more antennas connected to the radio, and another processor to execute instructions of an operating system.

14 . A product comprising one or more tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one processor, enable the at least one processor to cause a first wireless communication station (STA) to:

identify a first plurality of directions based on a plurality of Request to Send (RTS) frames from a second STA, wherein the first plurality of directions comprises a plurality of antenna beam directions, respectively;

select a second plurality of directions based on Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) states of the first plurality of directions, the second plurality of directions comprises a plurality of selected antenna beam directions from the plurality of antenna beam directions, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first STA to exclude from the second plurality of directions any directions of the first plurality of directions which have a detected CCA non-idle state such that the second plurality of directions is to comprise only directions of the first plurality of directions which have a detected CCA idle state; and

transmit to the second STA a plurality of Clear to Send (CTS) frames in the second plurality of directions.

15 . The product of claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first STA to detect the CCA states of the first plurality of directions based on receipt of the plurality of RTS frames from the second STA.

16 . The product of claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first STA to transmit two or more CTS frames of the plurality of CTS frames simultaneously.

17 . The product of claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first STA to process a plurality of streams of a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) from the second STA, the plurality of streams received via the second plurality of directions, respectively.

18 . An apparatus for a first wireless communication station (STA), the apparatus comprising:

means for identifying a first plurality of directions based on a plurality of Request to Send (RTS) frames from a second STA, wherein the first plurality of directions comprises a plurality of antenna beam directions, respectively;

means for selecting a second plurality of directions based on Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) states of the first plurality of directions, the second plurality of directions comprises a plurality of selected antenna beam directions from the plurality of antenna beam directions, wherein the means for selecting the second plurality of directions is configured to exclude from the second plurality of directions any directions of the first plurality of directions which have a detected CCA non-idle state such that the second plurality of directions is to comprise only directions of the first plurality of directions which have a detected CCA idle state; and

means for causing the first STA to transmit to the second STA a plurality of Clear to Send (CTS) frames in the second plurality of directions.

19 . The apparatus of claim 18 comprising means for causing the first STA to process a plurality of streams of a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) from the second STA, the plurality of streams received via the second plurality of directions, respectively.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 11, 2026
From: INTEL CORPORATION
To: INTEL PRODUCTS IP LLC
Reel/Frame 075992/0263 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 2, 2021
From: INTEL IP CORPORATION
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 057060/0577 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 9, 2021
From: INTEL IP CORPORATION
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 057254/0415 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 27, 2021
From: CARIOU, LAURENT; CORDEIRO, CARLOS
To: INTEL IP CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 056369/0737 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 15084903 · Mar 30, 2016
Provisional Application 62246178 · Oct 26, 2015
Related Publication 20210168865A1 · Jun 3, 2021
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