# US 2016/0366701 A1 · Channel access for simultaneous uplink transmissions by multiple communication devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0366701 A1 - Document ID: US20160366701A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/178,307 - Filed: 2016-06-09 - Published: 2016-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2015-06-09 - Assignees: Marvell World Trade Ltd. - Applicants: Marvell World Trade Ltd. - Inventors: Liwen CHU; Lei WANG; Jinjing JIANG; Yakun SUN; Hongyuan ZHANG; Hui-Ling LOU - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160366701A1 ## CPC - H04W 74/0816: with collision avoidance - H04W 24/10: Scheduling measurement reports {; Arrangements for measurement reports} - H04W 74/002: {Transmission of channel access control information} - H04W 74/004: {in the uplink, i.e. towards network} - H04W 74/0808: using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA] - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04W 88/10: adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A first communication device determines whether the first communication device is to use a first channel access mode or a second channel access mode for accessing a communication channel when the first communication device is triggered for uplink transmission by a second communication device. The first communication device receives a trigger frame from the second communication device. The first communication device transmits, to the second communication device, a data unit triggered by the trigger frame, including using the determined one of the first channel access mode or the second channel access mode to gain access to the communication channel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for communicating in a communication channel of a wireless communication network, the method comprising: determining, at a first communication device, whether the first communication device is to use a first channel access mode or a second channel access mode for accessing the communication channel when the first communication device is triggered for uplink transmission by a second communication device; receiving, at the first communication device from the second communication device, a trigger frame; and transmitting, from the first communication device to the second communication device, a data unit triggered by the trigger frame, wherein transmitting the data unit includes using the determined one of the first channel access mode or the second channel access mode to gain access to the communication channel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first communication device is to use the first channel access mode or the second channel access mode includes receiving, at the first communication device from the second communication device, an indication that indicates whether the first channel access mode or the second channel access mode should be used by the first communication device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the indication comprises receiving the indication included in the trigger frame. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the indication comprises receiving the indication included in a management frame transmitted by the second communication device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: transmitting the data unit using the first channel access mode comprises transmitting the data unit without relying on channel sensing performed by the first communication device; and transmitting the data unit using the second channel access mode comprises: determining, using a channel sensing technique, whether at least a portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device, and transmitting the data unit only if it is determined, based on the channel sensing technique, that at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein determining, using the channel sensing technique, whether at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device comprises: sensing the communication channel before receiving the trigger frame; generating a channel sensing report based on sensing of the communication channel before receiving the trigger frame; and after receiving the trigger frame, determining, based on the channel sensing report, whether at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein: generating the channel sensing report includes generating respective indications for each of a plurality of channels of the wireless communication network, wherein each indication indicates whether a particular channel of the wireless communication network is busy or idle; and the method further comprises: determining, based on the trigger frame, a subchannel allocated for transmission by the first communication device, and determining that at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device if a channel, of the plurality of channels, that includes the subchannel allocated for transmission by the first communication device is idle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein determining, using the channel sensing technique, whether at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device comprises: sensing the communication channel after receiving the trigger frame; and determining, based on sensing the communication channel after receiving the trigger frame, whether at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, based on the trigger frame, a subchannel allocated for transmission by the first communication device; determining, based on sensing the communication channel after receiving the trigger frame, whether a channel, of a plurality of channels of the wireless communication network, that includes the subchannel allocated for transmission by the first communication device is busy or idle; and determining that at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device if the channel that includes the subchannel allocated for transmission by the first communication device is idle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein determining, using the channel sensing technique, whether at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device includes selecting the channel sensing from among a first channel sensing technique and a second channel sensing technique, wherein (i) the first channel sensing technique includes sensing the communication channel before receiving the trigger frame and (ii) the second channel sensing technique includes sensing the communication channel after receiving the trigger frame. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the data unit using the second channel access mode comprises: determining, using a channel sensing technique, whether each of one or more 20 MHz channels corresponding to an allocated subchannel is available for transmission by the first communication device; and transmitting the data unit only if it is determined, based on the channel sensing technique, that all of the one or more 20 MHz channels corresponding to the allocated subchannel are available for transmission by the first communication device. ### Claim 12 A first communication device, comprising: a network interface device having one or more integrated circuits configured to determine whether the first communication device is to use a first channel access mode or a second channel access mode for accessing the communication channel when the first communication device is triggered for uplink transmission by a second communication device, receive a trigger frame from the second communication device, and transmit, to the second communication device, a data unit triggered by the trigger frame, wherein transmitting the data unit includes using the determined one of the first channel access mode or the second channel access mode to gain access to the communication channel. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The first communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more integrate circuits are further configured to: receive, from the second communication device, an indication that indicates whether the first communication device is to use the first channel access mode or the second channel access mode; and determine whether the first communication device is to use the first channel access mode or the second channel access mode based on the indication received from the second communication device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The first communication device of claim 13, wherein the indication is included in the trigger frame received from the second communication device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The first communication device of claim 13, wherein the indication is included in a management frame transmitted by the second communication device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The first communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to: when transmitting the data unit using the first channel access mode, transmit the data unit without relying on channel sensing performed by the first communication device; and when transmitting the data unit using the second channel access mode: determine, using a channel sensing technique, whether at least a portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device, and transmit the data unit only if it is determined, based on the channel sensing technique, that at least the portion communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The first communication device of claim 16, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to: sense the communication channel before receiving the trigger frame; generate a channel sensing report based on sensing of the communication channel before receiving the trigger frame; and after receiving the trigger frame, determine, based on the channel sensing report, whether at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The first communication device of claim 17, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to: generate the channel sensing report to include respective indications for each of a plurality of channels of the wireless communication network, wherein each indication indicates whether a particular channel of the wireless communication network is busy or idle; determine, based on the trigger frame, a subchannel allocated for transmission by the first communication device; and determine that at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device if a channel, of the plurality of channels, that includes the subchannel allocated for transmission by the first communication device is idle. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The first communication device of claim 16, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to: sense the communication channel after receiving the trigger frame; and determine whether at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device based on sensing the communication channel after receiving the trigger frame. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The first communication device of claim 19, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are further configured to: determine, based on the trigger frame, a subchannel allocated for transmission by the first communication device; determine, based on sensing the communication channel after receiving the trigger frame, whether a channel, of a plurality of channels of the wireless communication network, that includes the subchannel allocated for transmission by the first communication device is busy or idle; and determine that at least the portion of the communication channel is available for transmission by the first communication device if the channel that includes the subchannel allocated for transmission by the first communication device is idle. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The first communication device of claim 16, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are further configured to, when transmitting the data unit using the second channel access mode, select the channel sensing from among a first channel sensing technique and a second channel sensing technique, wherein (i) the first channel sensing technique includes sensing the communication channel before receiving the trigger frame and (ii) the second channel sensing technique includes sensing the communication channel after receiving the trigger frame. ### Claim 22 (depends on 12) The first communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more integrated circuits are configured to, when transmitting the data unit using the second channel access mode: determine, using a channel sensing technique, whether each of one or more 20 MHz channels corresponding to an allocated subchannel is available for transmission by the first communication device; and transmit the data unit only if it is determined, based on the channel sensing technique, that all of the one or more 20 MHz channels corresponding to the allocated subchannel are available for transmission by the first communication device.