Sounding operations for radio-frequency (RF) sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11764847-B2
Application number	US-202117238190-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2021
Priority date	Apr 22, 2021
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

This disclosure provides methods, devices and systems for radio frequency (RF) sensing in wireless communication systems. In some implementations, a transmitter device transmits sounding sequences configured for channel estimation over a wireless channel to a receiver device. The transmitter device also transmits or receives non-sounding frames associated with a channel report of the receiver device. The transmitter device transmits a frame soliciting the channel report from the receiver device. The transmitter device receives the channel report, which may include channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel responsive to at least the sounding sequences. Some types of channel reports may take longer to generate than other types of channel reports. Transmitting or receiving the non-sounding frames during the time period may prevent other devices from accessing the wireless channel when the receiver device needs additional time to generate a certain type of channel report.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for wireless sensing performed by an apparatus of a transmitter device, comprising:
transmitting sounding parameters for a sensing operation on a wireless channel with a receiver device, the sounding parameters indicating a channel report transmission time for the receiver device;
transmitting sounding sequences over the wireless channel to the receiver device, the sounding sequences configured for obtaining channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel;
transmitting or receiving one or more non-sounding frames over the wireless channel associated with a channel report of the receiver device;
transmitting a frame soliciting the channel report from the receiver device; and
receiving the channel report from the receiver device sent according to the channel report transmission time, the channel report including CSI of the wireless channel responsive to at least the sounding sequences.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more non-sounding frames include frames transmitted over the wireless channel by a wireless communication device associated with the transmitter device or the receiver device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more non-sounding frames include a trigger frame that does not identify the receiver device, a poll frame that does not identify the receiver device, a clear-to-send (CTS) frame, a request-to-send (RTS) trigger frame, a buffer status request poll (BSRP) trigger frame, a bandwidth query report poll (BQRP) frame, a quality of service (QoS) Null frame, or an acknowledgement (ACK) frame.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting, to the receiver device, an indication of transmit parameters used for transmitting the sounding sequences, wherein the channel report is further responsive to the indicated transmit parameters.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the indication of the transmit parameters is transmitted over the wireless channel in a Null Data Packet Announcement (NDPA), the sounding sequences are transmitted over the wireless channel in a Null Data Packet (NDP), and the NDPA indicates a type of channel report requested by the transmitter device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the type of channel report is one of a compressed beamforming report (CBR), a channel report including uncompressed CSI, a channel report including CSI normalized according to the indicated transmit parameters, or a channel report including CSI normalized according to receive parameters used by the receiver device to receive the NDP.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the indicated type of channel report includes CSI encoded with encoding parameters indicating one or more of a minimum quantization level for the CSI, a maximum quantization level for the CSI, a specified number of bits to be used for encoding each orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) tone in the channel report, a subset of OFDM tones to be included in the channel report, a bandwidth allocation, a resource unit (RU) allocation, a tone grouping value, a number of spatial streams, or one or more antenna indexes.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the NDP, the frame, and the channel report are transmitted over the wireless channel during a same transmission opportunity (TXOP).

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting the sounding parameters on the wireless channel with the receiver device, the sounding parameters indicating one or more of a minimum period of time between respective transmissions of the sounding sequences and the frame, a maximum period of time between respective transmissions of the sounding sequences and the frame, a minimum period of time between respective transmissions of the sounding sequences and the channel report, a maximum period of time between respective transmissions of the sounding sequences and the channel report, conditions under which the receiver device is to generate the channel report, or conditions under which the receiver device is to delay transmission of the channel report.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the minimum period of time between respective transmissions of the sounding sequences and the frame is the same as the minimum period of time between respective transmissions of the sounding sequences and the channel report, and the maximum period of time between respective transmissions of the sounding sequences and the frame is the same as the maximum period of time between respective transmissions of the sounding sequences and the channel report.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sounding parameters permit the receiver device to transmit empty frames responsive to the sounding sequences during the time period, the method further comprising:
receiving one or more empty frames from the receiver device during the time period.

12. A wireless communication device, comprising:
a processing system; and
an interface configured to:
output sounding parameters for a sensing operation on a wireless channel with a receiver device, the sounding parameters indicating a channel report transmission time for the receiver device;
output sounding sequences over the wireless channel to the receiver device, the sounding sequences configured for obtaining channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel;
output or obtain one or more non-sounding frames over the wireless channel associated with a channel report of the receiver device;
output a frame soliciting the channel report from the receiver device; and
obtain the channel report from the receiver device sent according to the channel report transmission time, the channel report including CSI of the wireless channel responsive to at least the sounding sequences.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 12 , wherein the one or more non-sounding frames a trigger frame that does not identify the receiver device, a poll frame that does not identify the receiver device, a clear-to-send (CTS) frame, a request-to-send (RTS) trigger frame, a buffer status request poll (BSRP) trigger frame, a bandwidth query report poll (BQRP) frame, a quality of service (QoS) Null frame, or an acknowledgement (ACK) frame.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 12 , wherein the interface is further configured to:
output, to the receiver device, an indication of transmit parameters used for transmitting the sounding sequences, wherein the channel report is further responsive to the indicated transmit parameters.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14 , wherein the indication of the transmit parameters is transmitted over the wireless channel in a Null Data Packet Announcement (NDPA), the sounding sequences are transmitted over the wireless channel in a Null Data Packet (NDP), and the NDPA indicates a type of channel report requested by the wireless communication device.

16. A method for wireless sensing performed by an apparatus of a transmitter device, comprising:
transmitting sounding parameters for a sensing operation on a wireless channel with a receiver device, the sounding parameters indicating a channel report transmission time for the receiver device;
transmitting sounding sequences over the wireless channel to the receiver device, the sounding sequences configured for obtaining channel state information (CSI) of the wireless channel; and
receiving, from the receiver device, a channel report sent according to the channel report transmission time, the channel report including CSI of the wireless channel responsive to at least the sounding sequences.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the channel

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Merlin Simone
• Raissinia Alireza
• Tian Bin
• Zhang Xiaoxin
• Trainin Solomon
• Kasher Assaf
• Madan Manish
• Greszczuk John

Classifications

• H04L1/0029 Primary

  Reduction of the amount of signalling, e.g. retention of useful signalling or differential signalling (power control H04W52/04) · CPC title

• H04B7/0626 Primary

  Channel coefficients, e.g. channel state information [CSI] · CPC title

• H04B7/0643

  Feedback on request · CPC title

• H04B7/0658

  Feedback reduction · CPC title

• H04L1/0027

  Scheduling of signalling, e.g. occurrence thereof · CPC title