Switching scheme for opting in and out of multi-user orthogonal frequency-division multiple access

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11310693-B2
Application number	US-201916713956-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2019
Priority date	Dec 13, 2019
Publication date	Apr 19, 2022
Grant date	Apr 19, 2022

Abstract

This document describes methods, devices, systems, and means for a switching scheme for opting in and out of multi-user orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (MU-OFDMA). In one aspect, an electronic device enters the MU-OFDMA mode to communicate via a wireless network over a shared-channel bandwidth. During the MU-OFDMA mode, the electronic device determines that an uplink-queue size is greater than a first threshold size. Responsive to the determining, the electronic device opts out of the MU-OFDMA mode and enters a single-user mode to contend for a transmit channel for transmitting uplink data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed by an electronic device, the method comprising:
entering a multi-user orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (MU-OFDMA) mode to communicate via a wireless network over a shared-channel bandwidth;
responsive to entering the MU-OFDMA mode, initiating a first timer that defines an amount of time in which the electronic device is prevented from opting out of the MU-OFDMA mode;
during the MU-OFDMA mode, determining that an uplink-queue size is greater than a first threshold size; and
responsive to the determining and expiration of the first timer:
opting out of the MU-OFDMA mode; and
entering a single-user mode to contend for a transmit channel for transmitting uplink data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the opting out comprises:
transmitting, to an access point of the wireless network, an indication to disable the MU-OFDMA mode; and
receiving an acknowledgment signal from the access point indicating that the MU-OFDMA mode is disabled for the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
subsequent to entering the single-user mode, determining that the uplink-queue size has decreased to a size that is less than a second threshold size; and
responsive to the determining that the uplink-queue size has decreased to a size that is less than the second threshold, opting in to the MU-OFDMA mode.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the opting in to the MU-OFDMA mode includes:
transmitting a request to an access point of the wireless network to participate in the MU-OFDMA mode;
receiving an additional acknowledgment signal to enter the MU-OFDMA mode; and
re-entering the MU-OFDMA mode.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
initiating a second timer in response to entering the single-user mode; and
delaying the opting in to the MU-OFDMA mode until expiration of the second timer.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
initiating a second timer in response to entering the single-user mode; and
delaying the determining of uplink-queue size being less than a second threshold size until after the second timer expires.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the determining of uplink-queue size being less than a second threshold size comprises determining that the uplink-queue size has decreased below a third threshold size that is less than the second threshold size.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first and second thresholds are based on an access category of the uplink data.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold is dependent on a maximum latency in an uplink queue.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
waiting until the first timer expires before performing the determining of the uplink-queue size being greater than the first threshold size.

11. An electronic device comprising:
a memory and a processor, the processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to implement an access-mode manager application configured to:
manage transmission and reception of signals over a wireless network according to a multi-user orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (MU-OFDMA) mode;
enter the MU-OFDMA mode to communicate via a wireless network over a shared-channel bandwidth;
responsive to entering the MU-OFDMA mode, initiate a first timer that defines an amount of time in which the electronic device is prevented from opting out of the MU-OFDMA mode;
during the MU-OFDMA mode, determine that an uplink-queue size is greater than a first threshold size;
responsive to a determination that the uplink-queue size is greater than the first threshold size and expiration of the first timer:
opt out of the MU-OFDMA mode; and
enter a single-user mode to contend for a transmit channel for transmitting uplink data.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein to opt out of the MU-OFDMA mode, the access-mode manager application is configured to:
transmit, to an access point of the wireless network, an indication to disable the MU-OFDMA mode; and
receive an acknowledgment signal from the access point indicating that the MU-OFDMA mode is disabled for the electronic device.

13. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the access-mode manager application is further configured to:
subsequent to entering the single-user mode, determine whether the uplink-queue size has decreased to a size that is less than a second threshold size; and
responsive to a determination that the uplink-queue size has decreased to a size that is less than the second threshold, opt in to the MU-OFDMA mode.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein to opt in to the MU-OFDMA mode, the access-mode manager application is configured to:
transmit a request to an access point of the wireless network to participate in the MU-OFDMA mode;
receive an additional acknowledgment signal to enter the MU-OFDMA mode; and
re-enter the MU-OFDMA mode.

15. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the access-mode manager application is further configured to:
initiate a second timer in response to entering the single-user mode; and
delay the opting in to the MU-OFDMA mode until expiration of the second timer.

16. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the access-mode manager application is further configured to:
initiate a second timer in response to entering the single-user mode; and
delay the determination of whether the uplink-queue size has decreased to a size that is less than a second threshold size until after the second timer expires.

17. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein to determine whether the uplink-queue size has decreased to a size that is less than a second threshold size includes a determination that the uplink-queue size has decreased below a third threshold size that is less than the second threshold size.

18. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the first and second thresholds are based on an access category of the uplink data.

19. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold is dependent on a maximum latency in an uplink queue.

20. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the access-mode manager application is further configured to wait until the first timer expires before making the determination of the uplink-queue size being greater than the first threshold size.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Elarabawy Ahmed Ibrahim
• Zhang Ning
• Shi Kai

Classifications

• H04W72/21

  in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network · CPC title

• H04W28/0236

  radio quality, e.g. interference, losses or delay · CPC title

• H04W28/0231 Primary

  based on communication conditions (dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54) · CPC title

• H04W28/0289 Primary

  Congestion control (load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12) · CPC title

• H04W72/0453

  Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA · CPC title