Collision detection and avoidance mechanism using distributed radio heads in a wireless network

An apparatus comprising:

• a central processor subsystem configured to control multiple transceivers separated from each other in a coverage region of a wireless network, each transceiver configured to transmit protocol data units (PDUs) wirelessly from one or more antennas of that transceiver and convert wirelessly received signals at the one or more antennas to receive waveforms, the central processor subsystem configured to:
• send a transmit waveform representative of a PDU, the PDU including a frame addressed to one or more wireless client devices, through a first transceiver of the multiple transceivers to be transmitted wirelessly by the first transceiver on a frequency channel;
• receive from a second transceiver of the multiple transceivers tuned to receive on the frequency channel a receive waveform representative of the PDU transmitted by the first transceiver that is wirelessly received at the second transceiver;
• and
• while sending the transmit waveform to the first transceiver:
• beginning with a start of the receive waveform, detect a level of collision between the receive waveform and another transmission on the frequency channel;
• and
• if the level of collision exceeds a threshold prior to an end of the receive waveform, modify the sending of the transmit waveform or modify sending a sequence of transmit waveforms representative of PDUs to reduce or avoid the collision.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor of a central processor subsystem configured to control multiple transceivers separated from each other in a coverage region of a wireless network, each transceiver configured to transmit protocol data units (PDUs) wirelessly from one or more antennas of that transceiver and convert wirelessly received signals at the one or more antennas to receive waveforms, cause the processor to perform:

• sending a transmit waveform representative of a PDU, the PDU including a frame addressed to one or more wireless client devices, through a first transceiver of the multiple transceivers to be transmitted wirelessly by the first transceiver on a frequency channel;
• receiving from a second transceiver of the multiple transceivers tuned to receive on the frequency channel a receive waveform representative of the PDU transmitted by the first transceiver that is wirelessly received at the second transceiver;
• and
• while sending the transmit waveform to the first transceiver:
• beginning with a start of the receive waveform, detecting a level of collision between the receive waveform and another transmission on the frequency channel;
• and
• if the level of collision exceeds a threshold prior to an end of the receive waveform, modifying the sending of the transmit waveform or modifying sending of a sequence of transmit waveforms representative of PDUs to reduce or avoid the collision.