Wireless Full Duplex indication message and capability message sent between two communication devices

摘要

A first device (STA1) sends to a second device (STA2) a request-to-send RTS message (202) comprising an indication that data is intended to be sent in a full duplex mode. A clear-to-send CTS message (206) from the second device (STA2) indicates that it has data to send and is full duplex capable. The first device (STA l ) sends to the second device (STA2) a first data frame (208) while receiving in full duplex mode a second data frame (210) from the second device (STA1). In one embodiment, the first data frame (208) comprises a header (208A) that confirms the full duplex mode and that gives an updated frame duration value, updated from durations indicated in the RTS and CTS messages (202,206). Aspects of the invention include Full duplex communication in a Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN). It enables sufficient measurement to be made for the communicating devices to check whether the full duplex communication is feasible on the current radio link between them. And advantageously from a control overhead perspective these embodiments require no pre-configuration of the link or any priori knowledge for using full duplex on the unlicensed band.