Method and apparatus for supporting sectorization coordination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016174206-A1
Application number	US-201414904227-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 10, 2014
Priority date	Jul 11, 2013
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and apparatus may be used to support coordinated and cooperative sectorized transmissions. Power control and clear channel assessment for sectorized transmissions may be used, along with sectorized beacon and associated procedures. Transmissions in a network may be protected by a first access point (AP) sending an omni-directional transmission and a beamformed or sectorized transmission to a station (STA), an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) confirming a spatially orthogonal (SO) condition based on the omni-directional transmission, and a second AP monitoring the omni-directional transmission and confirming the SO condition. The STA may be configured to receive a request-to-send (RTS) frame indicating data is available for transmission, and transmit a cooperative sectorized (CS) clear-to-send (CTS) frame indicating an ability for multiple AP reception.

First claim

1 . A method for performing coordinated sectorized transmissions in wireless communications, the method comprising:
receiving, at a first station (STA), from a first access point (AP), a first null data packet announcement (NDPA) frame using a first plurality of sectors; receiving, at the first STA, from a second AP, a second NDPA frame using a second plurality of sectors; receiving, at the first STA, a first null data packet (NDP) frame from the first AP; receiving, at the first STA, a second NDP frame from the second AP; receiving, at the first STA, a first feedback packet destined to the second AP from a second STA based on the second NDP frame, wherein the first feedback packet indicates a first sector usable by the second AP for communicating with the second STA; transmitting, from the first STA, a second feedback packet to the first AP and the second AP, wherein the second feedback packet is based on the first NDP frame received from the first AP and the first feedback packet received from the second STA, and indicates a second sector usable by the first AP for communicating with the first STA, wherein the second sector for communicating with the first STA is compatible with the first sector for communicating with the second STA thereby enabling coordinated spatial orthogonality of the first sector and the second sector; and receiving data from the first AP via the indicated sector for communicating with the first STA.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first NDP frame and the second NDP frame are received after a short interframe space (SIFS) duration from the first NDPA frame and the second NDPA frame, respectively.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first NDP frame and the second NDP frame are used to estimate transmit sectorization.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second feedback packet further indicates the first sector usable by the second AP for communicating with the second STA.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first feedback packet indicates a sector from the second AP.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second feedback packet indicates an undesired sector.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second feedback packet indicates a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the first AP.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second feedback packet indicates a transmit power for the first AP.

9 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a sectorization confirmation signal from the first AP.

10 . A station (STA) for performing coordinated sectorized transmissions in wireless communications, the STA comprising:
a receiver configured to:
receive, from a first access point (AP), a first null data packet announcement (NDPA) frame using a first plurality of sectors;
receive, from a second AP, a second NDPA frame using a second plurality of sectors;
receive a first null data packet (NDP) frame from the first AP;
receive a second NDP frame from the second AP; and
receive a first feedback packet destined to the second AP from a second STA based on the second NDP frame, wherein the first feedback packet indicates a first sector usable by the second AP for communicating with the second STA; and
a transmitter configured to transmit a second feedback packet to the first AP and the second AP, wherein the second feedback packet is based on the first NDP frame received from the first AP and the first feedback packet received from the second STA, and indicates a second sector usable by the first AP for communicating with the STA, wherein the second sector for communicating with the STA is compatible with the first sector for communicating with the second STA thereby enabling coordinated spatial orthogonality of the first sector and the second sector; and wherein the receiver is further configured to receive data from the first AP via the indicated sector for communicating with the STA.

11 . The STA of claim 10 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive the first NDP frame and the second NDP frame after a short interframe space (SIFS) duration from the first NDPA frame and second NDPA frame, respectively.

12 . The STA of claim 10 further comprising:
a processor configured to estimate a transmit sectorization based on the first NDP frame and the second NDP frame.

13 . The STA of claim 10 , wherein the first feedback packet indicates a sector from the second AP.

14 . The STA of claim 10 , wherein the second feedback packet indicates an undesired sector.

15 . The STA of claim 10 , wherein the second feedback packet indicates a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the first AP.

16 . The STA of claim 10 , wherein the second feedback packet indicates a transmit power for the first AP.

17 . The STA of claim 10 , wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a sectorization confirmation signal from the first AP.

18 . A method of providing training and feedback for cooperative sectorized transmission, the method comprising:
transmitting a probe request from a station (STA); receiving a probe response from each of a first access point (AP) and a second AP, wherein each of the received probe responses indicate multiple AP association capability and cooperative sectorization capability; and transmitting, from the STA, an association request to the first AP and the second AP, wherein the association request is aggregated with a capability frame that indicates the multiple AP association capability and cooperative sectorization capability of the STA.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the first AP is set as a primary AP and the second AP is set as a secondary AP.

20 . The method of claim 19 wherein data for the STA is received via a distribution system (DS) or by a direct link between the first AP and the second AP.

Assignees

• Interdigital Patent Holdings

Inventors

• Xia Pengfei
• Oteri Oghenekome
• Lou Hanqing
• Shah Nirav B
• Ghosh Monisha
• Olesen Robert L

Classifications

• H04B7/063

  Parameters other than those covered in groups H04B7/0623 - H04B7/0634, e.g. channel matrix rank or transmit mode selection · CPC title

• H04B7/0417

  Feedback systems · CPC title

• H04W72/046 Primary

  the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams · CPC title

• H04L1/00

  Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received {(correcting synchronisation H04L7/00)} · CPC title

• H04B7/0491 Primary

  using two or more sectors, i.e. sector diversity · CPC title