Power saving mechanism for MU-MIMO transmissions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11696229-B2
Application number	US-202117468289-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2021
Priority date	Dec 23, 2016
Publication date	Jul 4, 2023
Grant date	Jul 4, 2023

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:
generate a first multiple-user PHY protocol data unit (MU-PPDU) to communicate in a downlink (DL) multiple-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication to initiate a reverse direction (RD) communication, the MU-PPDU comprising aggregated frames, the aggregated frames comprising a frame to request a block acknowledgement and a quality of service (QoS) frame comprising a grant for a RD communication;
cause transmission of the first MU-PPDU to a second STA;
process the reverse direction communication including a first block acknowledgement and data in response to the first MU-PPDU; and
cause transmission of a second block acknowledgement 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 grant the RD communication.

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

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first MU-PPDU comprising an enhanced directional multigigabit (EDMG) Header A.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , the first STA comprising an access point and the second STA comprising an EDMG STA.

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 first STA is a personal basic service set (PBSS) control point (PCP).

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

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , the processing circuitry to cause transmission of the grant for the RD communication to the first STA via the transceiver and one or more antennas.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising a plurality of instructions, that when executed, enable processing circuitry to:
generate a first multiple-user PHY protocol data unit (MU-PPDU) to communicate in a downlink (DL) multiple-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication to initiate a reverse direction (RD) communication, the MU-PPDU comprising aggregated frames, the aggregated frames comprising a frame to request a block acknowledgement and a quality of service (QoS) frame comprising a grant for a RD communication;
cause transmission of the first MU-PPDU to a second station (STA);
process the reverse direction communication including a first block acknowledgement and data in response to the first MU-PPDU; and
cause transmission of a second block acknowledgement to acknowledge the reverse direction communication.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a Response Duration for a RD responder.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , the first MU-PPDU comprising an enhanced directional multigigabit (EDMG) Header A.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , a first STA comprising the processing circuitry is an access point and the second STA comprises an EDMG STA.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein a block acknowledgement request frame and a QoS Null frame are aggregated in a MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) of the MU-PPDU.

15. 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) to communicate in a downlink (DL) multiple-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication to initiate a reverse direction (RD) communication, wherein the MU-PPDU comprises aggregated frames, the aggregated frames comprising a frame to request a block acknowledgement and a quality of service (QoS) frame comprising a grant for a RD communication;
cause transmission of the reverse direction communication including a first block acknowledgement and data in response to reception of the first MU-PPDU; and
process a second block acknowledgement communicated to acknowledge the reverse direction communication.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a bit of a reverse direction (RD) indication set to 1 to grant the RD communication.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a Response Duration for a RD responder.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , the first MU-PPDU comprising an enhanced directional multigigabit (EDMG) Header A.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , the first MU-PPDU is received from an access point and the first STA is an EDMG STA.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein a block acknowledgement request frame and a QoS Null frame are aggregated in a MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) of the MU-PPDU.

21. The apparatus of claim 15 , comprising:
a transceiver; and
one or more antennas coupled with the transceiver.

22. 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) to communicate in a downlink (DL) multiple-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication to initiate a reverse direction (RD) communication, wherein the MU-PPDU comprises aggregated frames, the aggregated frames comprising a frame to request a block acknowledgement and a quality of service (QoS) frame comprising a grant for a RD communication;
cause transmission of the reverse direction communication including a first block acknowledgement and data in response to reception of the first MU-PPDU; and
process a second block acknowledgement communicated to acknowledge the reverse direction communication.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a bit of a reverse direction (RD) indication set to 1 to grant the RD communication.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 , the first MU-PPDU comprising a Response Duration for a RD responder.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 , the first MU-PPDU comprising an enhanced directional multigigabit (EDMG) Header A.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 , the first MU-PPDU is received from an access point and a first STA comprising the processing circuitry is an EDMG STA.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H04W52/0219

  where the power saving management affects multiple terminals · CPC title

• H04W52/0216 Primary

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

• H04B7/0452

  Multi-user MIMO systems · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title