Power saving mechanism for MU-MIMO transmissions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11115925-B2
Application number	US-202016786638-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2020
Priority date	Dec 23, 2016
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

Techniques for power saving by remote wireless mobile devices are provided, in particular by stations (STAs) during downlink (DL) multiple-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmissions in an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ay network when reverse direction (RD) transmissions are either enabled and not enabled. Various embodiments enable each STA in a group of STAs to determine an order in which the STAs are requested to send a block acknowledgement (BACK) and which STAs will be granted an RD transmission. Further, a duration of each RD transmission is provided to each STA. Based on the provided information, each STA can determine times to enter a power saving mode. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a memory of a first station (STA); and
processing circuitry of the first STA coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry to:
process a first multiple-user PHY protocol data unit (MU-PPDU) communicated in a downlink (DL) multiple-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication to initiate a reverse direction communication;
cause transmission of the reverse direction communication including a first block acknowledgement and data in response to reception of the first MU-PPDU;
cause the first STA to be in a power save state between the first block acknowledgement until receipt of a second MU-MIMO PPDU including a second aggregate medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (A-MPDU); and
process a second block acknowledgement communicated to acknowledge the reverse direction communication.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a bit of a reverse direction (RD) indication set to 1 to initiate a reverse direction communication.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a Response Duration for a reverse direction (RD) responder.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a request for a block acknowledgement frame to initiate a reverse direction communication.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a quality of service (QoS) frame to initiate a reverse direction communication.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a block acknowledgement request frame and a QoS Null frame are aggregated in a MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) of the MU-PPDU.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the MU-PPDU is received from one of an access point (AP) and personal basic service set (PBSS) control point (PCP).

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first STA is one of a plurality of STAs in a MU-MIMO group.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
a transceiver; and
one or more antennas coupled with the transceiver.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , the processing circuitry to cause transmission of the reverse direction communication to one of an access point (AP) and a personal basic service set (PBSS) control point (PCP) via the transceiver and one or more antennas.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising a plurality of instructions, that when executed, enable processing circuitry to:
process a first multiple-user PHY protocol data unit (MU-PPDU) communicated in a downlink (DL) multiple-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication to initiate a reverse direction communication;
cause transmission of the reverse direction communication including a first block acknowledgement and data in response to reception of the first MU-PPDU;
cause a first STA to be in a power save state between the first block acknowledgement until receipt of a second MU-MIMO PPDU including a second aggregate medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (A-MPDU); and
process a second block acknowledgement communicated to acknowledge the reverse direction communication.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a bit of a reverse direction (RD) indication set to 1 to initiate a reverse direction communication.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a Response Duration for a reverse direction (RD) responder.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a request for a block acknowledgement frame to initiate a reverse direction communication.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a quality of service (QoS) frame to initiate a reverse direction communication.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
processing a first multiple-user PHY protocol data unit (MU-PPDU) communicated in a downlink (DL) multiple-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication to initiate a reverse direction communication;
causing transmission of the reverse direction communication including a first block acknowledgement and data in response to reception of the first MU-PPDU;
causing the a STA to be in a power save state between the first block acknowledgement until receipt of a second MU-MIMO PPDU including a second aggregate medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (A-MPDU); and
processing a second block acknowledgement communicated to acknowledge the reverse direction communication.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a bit of a reverse direction (RD) indication set to 1 to initiate a reverse direction communication.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a Response Duration for a reverse direction (RD) responder.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a request for a block acknowledgement frame to initiate a reverse direction communication.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a quality of service (QoS) frame to initiate a reverse direction communication.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 , comprising causing transmission of the reverse direction communication to one of an access point (AP) and personal basic service set (PBSS) control point (PCP) via a transceiver coupled one or more antennas.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Yang Ou
• Cordeiro Carlos
• Cariou Laurent
• Ghosh Chittabrata
• Trainin Solomon

Classifications

• H04W52/0216 Primary

  using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame · CPC title

• H04W52/0219

  where the power saving management affects multiple terminals · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title

• H04B7/0452

  Multi-user MIMO systems · CPC title