Communications device, an access point and methods therein for accessing a resource unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11039484-B2
Application number	US-201916562191-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2019
Priority date	Apr 22, 2016
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A communications device and a method therein for accessing a Resource Unit (RU) are provided. The communications device and an Access Point (AP) are operating in a wireless communications network. When wanting to start an access attempt within a time interval, the communications device selects a counter value from a first range given by zero and a first Contention-Window OFDMA (CWO) value CWO 1 . Further, when wanting to start an access attempt outside the time interval, the communications device selects the counter value from a second range given by zero and a second CWO value CWO 2 , wherein the second CWO value CWO 2 is larger than the first CWO value CWO 1 . The communications device performs a contention procedure using the selected counter value, wherein a Resource Unit (RU) is accessed in dependence of the performed contention procedure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method performed by an Access Point, AP, for controlling access to a Resource Unit, RU, by a communications device, wherein the AP and the communications device are operating in a wireless communications network, and wherein the method comprises:
receiving, from the communications device, a request for the communications device to make contention-based RU access attempts for purposes of regularly transmitting data at points in time spaced apart by T time units;
determining a start point of time T 0 for an access attempt to be made within a time interval of length 2δ, wherein δ<T, and wherein the time interval is given by (T 0 +nT)±δ wherein T 0 is the start point of time, and n is a non-negative integer; and
transmitting, to the communications device, information relating to the start point of time T 0 , and δ of the time interval,
wherein the determining of the start point of time T 0 for the access attempt comprises:
determining a load in the wireless communications network; and
determining the start point of time T 0 for the access attempt for the communications device based on the determined load.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a first Contention-Window OFDMA (CWO) value CWO 1 to be used by the communications device when starting an access attempt within the time interval;
transmitting information relating to the first CWO value CWO 1 to the communications device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting, to the communications device, information about a number of one or more available RUs; and
receiving, from the communications device, data transmitted on one RU among the available RUs.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the start point of time T 0 for the access attempt comprises:
determining the start point of time T 0 for the access attempt for the communications device to be different from a previously determined start point of time for another access attempt from one or more further communications devices.

5. An Access Point, AP, for controlling access to a Resource Unit, RU, by a communications device, wherein the AP and the communications device are configured to operate in a wireless communications network, and wherein the AP is configured to:
receive, from the communications device, a request for the communications device to make contention-based RU access attempts for purposes of regularly transmitting data at points in time spaced apart by T time units;
determine a start point of time T 0 for an access attempt to be made within a time interval of length 2δ, wherein δ<T, and wherein the time interval is given by (T 0 +nT)±δ wherein T 0 is the start point of time, and n is a non-negative integer; and
transmit, to the communications device, information relating to the start point of time T 0 , and δ of the time interval,
wherein the AP is configured to determine the start point of time T 0 for the access attempt by further being configured to:
determine a load in the wireless communications network; and
determine the start point of time T 0 for the access attempt for the communications device based on the determined load.

6. The AP of claim 5 , further being configured to:
determine a first Contention-Window OFDMA (CWO) value CWO 1 to be used by the communications device when starting an access attempt within the time interval;
transmit information relating to the first CWO value CWO 1 to the communications device.

7. The AP of claim 5 , further being configured to:
transmit, to the communications device, information about one or more available RUs; and
receive, from the communications device, data transmitted on one RU among the available RUs.

8. The AP of claim 5 , wherein the AP is configured to determine the start point of time T 0 for the access attempt by further being configured to:
determine the start point of time T 0 for the access attempt for the communications device to be different from a previously determined start point of time for another access attempt from one or more further communications devices.

9. A nontransitory computer readable storage medium comprising a computer program, comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to carry out a method of an Access Point, AP, for controlling access to a Resource Unit, RU, by a communications device, wherein the AP and the communications device are operating in a wireless communications network, and wherein the method comprises:
receiving, from the communications device, a request for the communications device to make contention-based RU access attempts for purposes of regularly transmitting data at points in time spaced apart by T time units;
determining a start point of time T 0 for an access attempt to be made within a time interval of length 2δ, wherein δ<T, and wherein the time interval is given by (T 0 +nT)±δ wherein T 0 is the start point of time, and n is a non-negative integer; and
transmitting, to the communications device, information relating to the start point of time T 0 , and δ of the time interval,
wherein the determining of the start point of time T 0 for the access attempt comprises:
determining a load in the wireless communications network; and
determining the start point of time T 0 for the access attempt for the communications device based on the determined load.

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Butt Naveed
• Nilsson Thomas
• Wilhelmsson Leif

Classifications

• H04W74/00

  Wireless channel access · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W74/0816 Primary

  with collision avoidance · CPC title

• H04W74/002

  Transmission of channel access control information · CPC title

• H04W74/085 Primary

  collision avoidance · CPC title