# US 12,114,358 B2 · Heterogeneous network allocation vector (NAV)-based communication in wireless LAN system

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- Number: US 12,114,358 B2
- Document ID: US12114358B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/372,039
- Filed: 2021-07-09
- Published: 2021-10-28
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2016-04-22
- Assignees: LG Electronics Inc.
- Applicants: LG Electronics Inc.
- Inventors: Jeongki Kim; Kiseon Ryu; Hangyu Cho
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12114358B2

## CPC

- H04W 74/0816: with collision avoidance
- H04L 1/1812: Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
- H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
- H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

In the wireless LAN system, the station STA receives a frame and updates a corresponding Inter-BSS Network Allocation Vector (NAV) or Intra-BSS NAV according to whether the frame is an Inter-BSS (Basic Service Set) frame or an Intra-BSS frame. If the received frame cannot be distinguished from the Inter-BSS frame or the Intra-BSS frame, it updates the Inter-NAV, and after receiving the frame that cannot be distinguished from the Inter-BSS frame or the Intra-BSS frame, it receives the CF-End frame, and then the corresponding NAV is reset.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for transmitting a signal by a station (STA) in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system, the method comprising:
maintaining a first Network Allocation Vector (NAV) and a second NAV;
receiving a first frame;
updating the second NAV based on that the first frame cannot be classified as an Inter-Basic Service Set (BSS) frame or an Intra-BSS frame;
receiving a Contention Free (CF)-END frame,
resetting the first NAV, the second NAV, or both of the first NAV and the second NAV, such that:
the first NAV is reset based on that the CF-END frame is the Intra-BSS frame,
the second NAV is reset based on that the CF-END frame is the Inter-BSS frame, and
both of the first NAV and the second NAV are reset based on that the CF-END frame is the Intra-BSS frame and the second NAV was updated due to that the first frame cannot be classified as the Inter-BSS frame or the Intra-BSS frame; and
transmitting the signal based on the first NAV or the second NAV that have been reset.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first NAV is an intra-BSS NAV and the second NAV is a regular NAV.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the intra-BSS NAV is updated based on the first frame being the Intra-BSS frame, and
wherein the regular NAV is updated based on the first frame being the Inter-BSS frame or the first frame that cannot be classified as the Inter-BSS frame or the Intra-BSS frame.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein both of the regular NAV and the intra-BSS NAV are reset based on that the CF-END frame is the Intra-BSS frame and the regular NAV was updated due to that the first frame cannot be classified as the Inter-BSS frame or the Intra-BSS frame.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising resetting the regular NAV based on that the CF-END frame is the Inter-BSS frame.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the STA is a non-AP (Access Point) STA or an AP STA.

### Claim 7

A station (STA) operating in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system, the STA comprising:
a transceiver configured to receive a first frame and a Contention Free (CF)-End frame; and
a processor configured to maintain a first Network Allocation Vector (NAV) and a second NAV, and to update the second NAV based on that the first frame that cannot be classified as an Inter-Basic Service Set (BSS) frame or an Intra-BSS frame,
wherein the processor further configured to reset the first NAV, the second NAV, or both of the first NAV and the second NAV such that:
the first NAV is reset based on that the CF-END frame is the Intra-BSS frame,
the second NAV is reset based on that the CF-END frame is the Inter-BSS frame, and
both of the first NAV and the second NAV are reset based on that the CF-END frame, received by the transceiver, is the Intra-BSS frame and the second NAV was updated due to that the first frame cannot be classified as the Inter-BSS frame or the Intra-BSS frame.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The STA of claim 7, wherein the first NAV is an intra-BSS NAV and the second NAV is a regular NAV.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The STA of claim 8, wherein the processor updates the intra-BSS NAV based on the first frame being the Intra-BSS frame, and
wherein the processor updates the regular NAV based on the first frame being the Inter-BSS frame or that the first frame cannot be classified as the Inter-BSS frame or the Intra-BSS frame.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The STA of claim 9, wherein the processor resets both of the regular NAV and the intra-BSS NAV based on that the CF-END frame is the Intra-BSS frame and the regular NAV was updated due to that the first frame cannot be classified as the Inter-BSS frame or the Intra-BSS frame.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The STA of claim 8, wherein the processor resets the regular NAV based on that the CF-END frame is the Inter-BSS frame.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The STA of claim 7, wherein the STA is a non-AP (Access Point) STA or an AP STA.