Method and Apparatus for Dynamic Frequency Selection in Wireless Local Area Network System

1. A method of dynamic frequency selection by a station among a plurality of stations that are members of a basic service set (BSS) in a wireless local area network, the station configured to communicate over a primary 80 MHz subchannel and a secondary 80 MHz subchannel with an access point (AP), the method comprising: receiving a frame including a quiet channel element from the AP if an operating bandwidth of the BSS is equal to 160 MHz, wherein the quiet channel element indicates whether the secondary 80 MHz subchannel is to be quieted during a quiet interval in which the AP tests the secondary 80 MHz subchannel for a presence of radar transmissions and the station does not send any frame to the AP, and wherein the quiet channel element includes an AP quiet mode field having a single bit and indicating whether a communication to the AP is allowed within the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval; and, quieting the secondary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval and communicating with the AP via the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval, if the AP quiet mode field indicates that the communication to the AP is allowed within the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval, wherein the primary 80 MHz subchannel is used to transmit an 80 MHz physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) in the BSS having a bandwidth of 160 MHz and includes a primary 20 MHz subchannel that is a common channel of operation for all of the plurality of stations, wherein the secondary 80 MHz subchannel is used to form a 160 MHz channel together with the primary 80 MHz subchannel and does not include the primary 20 MHz subchannel, and wherein the quiet channel element further includes information about the quiet interval for the secondary 80 MHz subchannel only if the AP quiet mode field indicates that the communication to the AP is allowed within the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the value of the AP quiet mode field is set to 1 to indicate the communication to the AP is allowed within the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval, and wherein the value of the AP quiet mode field is set to 0 to indicate the communication to the AP is not allowed within the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary 80 MHz subchannel and the secondary 80 MHz subchannel are non-contiguous.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the frame containing the quiet channel element is periodically transmitted.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the frame containing the quiet channel element is a beacon frame.

6. A first station among a plurality of stations that are members of a basic service set (BSS) in a wireless local area network, the first station configured to communicate over a primary 80 MHz subchannel and a secondary 80 MHz subchannel with an access point (AP), the first station comprising: a transceiver; and a controller operatively connected to the transceiver and configured to: receive a frame including a quiet channel element from the AP if an operating bandwidth of the BSS is equal to 160 MHz, wherein the quiet channel element indicates whether the secondary 80 MHz subchannel is to be quieted during a quiet interval in which the AP tests the secondary 80 MHz subchannel for a presence of radar transmissions and the first station does not send any frame to the AP, and wherein the quiet channel element includes an AP quiet mode field having a single bit and indicating whether a communication to the AP is allowed within the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval; and, quiet the secondary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval and communicating with the AP via the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval, if the AP quiet mode field indicates that the communication to the AP is allowed within the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval, wherein the primary 80 MHz subchannel is used to transmit an 80 MHz physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) in the BSS having a bandwidth of 160 MHz and includes a primary 20 MHz subchannel that is a common channel of operation for all of the plurality of stations, wherein the secondary 80 MHz subchannel is used to form a 160 MHz channel together with the primary 80 MHz subchannel and does not include the primary 20 MHz subchannel, and wherein the quiet channel element further includes information about the quiet interval for the secondary 80 MHz subchannel only if the AP quiet mode field indicates that the communication to the AP is allowed within the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval.

7. The first station of claim 6 , wherein the value of the AP quiet mode field is set to 1 to indicate the communication to the AP is allowed within the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval, and wherein the value of the AP quiet mode field is set to 0 to indicate the communication to the AP is not allowed within the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval.

8. The first station of claim 6 , wherein the primary 80 MHz subchannel and the secondary 80 MHz subchannel are non-contiguous.

9. The first station of claim 6 , wherein the quiet channel element is periodically transmitted in a frame.

10. The first station of claim 9 , wherein the frame containing the quiet channel element is a beacon frame.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the quiet channel element does not include any information about the quiet interval for the secondary 80 MHz subchannel if the AP quiet mode field indicates that the communication to the AP is not allowed within the primary 80 MHz subchannel during the quiet interval.