Patent ID: 8416897

Claim:
An apparatus for processing a signal in a receiver of a wireless communication system, comprising: a carrier sensor configured to sense a carrier used in the wireless communication system; a decoder configured to decode the detected carrier signal to a signal and data; a clock gating circuit; and a controller configured to control: supplying power and clock only to the carrier sensor, and not to the decoder, during carrier sensing, supplying power and clock, using the clock gating circuit, to the decoder after the carrier sensor senses a carrier, and interrupting the supplying of power and clock, using the clock gating circuit, to the decoder after the detected carrier signal has been decoded, wherein, in response to the receiver obtaining virtual carrier sensing in a MAC layer by receiving information about a channel occupying time of a second receiver, the controller interrupts supplying of power and clock to the carrier sensor during the channel occupying time of the second receiver.