Apparatus, computer readable medium, and method for multi-user request-to-send for wide channel access in a high efficiency wireless local-area network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018310310-A1
Application number	US-201815967794-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 1, 2018
Priority date	Apr 24, 2015
Publication date	Oct 25, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for MU-RTS and CTS are disclosed. An apparatus of a high-efficiency wireless local-area network (HEW) master station is disclosed. The HEW master station including processing circuitry configured to generate a packet to indicate a multi-user request-to-send (MU-RTS) and to indicate channels on which one or more HEW stations are to transmit a clear-to-send (CTS). The HEW master station further including a transceiver configured to transmit the packet to the one or more HEW stations, and receive clear-to-send responses to the packet on the one or more channels. An apparatus of a HEW station is also disclosed. The HEW station including circuitry configured to receive a packet that indicates a MU-RTS that indicates channels on which the HEW station is to transmit a CTS, and to determine whether to send the CTS.

First claim

1 . (canceled)

2 . An apparatus of a high-efficiency (HE) station (STA), the apparatus comprising: memory; and processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to:
decode a trigger frame (TO from an access point, the TF comprising an uplink (UL) resource allocation for the HE STA to transmit a bandwidth query report (BQR) to the access point, wherein the TF comprises an indication that the TF is of type bandwidth query report poll (BQRP); in response to the TF, determine whether each 20 MHz subchannel of a plurality of 20 MHz subchannels is busy, and set a corresponding bit of the BQR to one when a corresponding 20 MHz subchannel is busy, otherwise set the corresponding bit to zero; generate signaling to configure the HE STA to transmit the BQR to the access point in accordance with the UL resource allocation.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein determine whether each 20 MHz subchannel of the plurality of 20 MHz subchannels is busy further comprises:
determine the corresponding 20 MHz subchannel is busy if a clear channel assessment (CCA) of the corresponding 20 MHz subchannel indicates a value above a threshold level.

4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the UL resource allocation comprises a subchannel allocation, the subchannel allocation less than 20 MHz.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein generate signaling to configure the HE STA to transmit the BQR to the access point in accordance with the UL resource allocation further comprises:
generate signaling to configure the HE STA to transmit to the access point a first portion of a physical layer convergence procedure protocol data unit (PPDU) with a 20 MHz bandwidth and a second portion of the PPDU with a bandwidth in accordance with the subchannel allocation, wherein the second portion of the PPDU comprises the BQR.

6 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
before the decode the trigger frame, encode a frame for the access point, the frame comprising a bandwidth field, wherein the BQR comprises one bit for each 20 MHz subchannel of a bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the bandwidth is 80 MHz and the plurality of 20 MHz subchannels is four 20 MHz subchannels.

8 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the UL resource allocation is one of a plurality of UL resource allocations for a plurality of HE stations to transmit BQRs to the access point.

9 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the UL resource allocation further comprises a subchannel allocation and an indication of the HE STA.

10 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein generate signaling to configure the HE STA to transmit the BQR to the access point in accordance with the UL resource allocation further comprises:
generate signaling to configure the HE STA to transmit the BQR to the access point in accordance with the UL resource allocation and in accordance with one or both of orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and multiple-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO).

11 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the UL resource allocation comprises a subchannel allocation, and wherein generate signaling to configure the HE STA to transmit the BQR to the access point in accordance with the UL resource allocation further comprises:
generate signaling to configure the HE STA to transmit to the access point a first portion of a physical layer convergence procedure protocol data unit (PPDU) with a 20 MHz bandwidth and a second portion of the PPDU with a bandwidth in accordance with the subchannel allocation, wherein the second portion of the PPDU comprises the BQR and wherein the subchannel allocation is within the 20 MHz bandwidth.

12 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein determine whether each 20 MHz subchannel of the plurality of 20 MHz subchannels is busy further comprises:
determine the corresponding 20 MHz subchannel is busy if a clear channel assessment (CCA) of the corresponding 20 MHz subchannel indicates a value above a threshold level or a network allocation vector of the HE STA indicates the corresponding 20 MHz subchannel is busy.

13 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the HE STA and the access point are each one from the following group: an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ax access point, an IEEE 802.11ax station, an IEEE 802.11 station, and an IEEE 802.11 access point.

14 . The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising transceiver circuitry coupled to the processing circuitry.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising one or more antennas coupled to the transceiver circuitry.

16 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors of an apparatus of a high-efficiency (HE) station (STA), the instructions to configure the one or more processors to:
decode a trigger frame (TF) from an access point, the TF comprising an uplink (UL) resource allocation for the HE STA to transmit a bandwidth query report (BQR) to the access point, wherein the TF comprises an indication that the TF is of type bandwidth query report poll (BQRP); in response to the TF, determine whether each 20 MHz subchannel of a plurality of 20 MHz subchannels is busy, and set a corresponding bit of the BQR to one when a corresponding 20 MHz subchannel is busy, otherwise set the corresponding bit to zero; generate signaling to configure the HE STA to transmit the BQR to the access point in accordance with the UL resource allocation.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein determine whether each 20 MHz subchannel of the plurality of 20 MHz subchannels is busy further comprises:
determine the corresponding 20 MHz subchannel is busy if a clear channel assessment (CCA) of the corresponding 20 MHz subchannel indicates a value above a threshold level.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the UL, resource allocation comprises a subchannel allocation, the subchannel allocation less than 20 MHz and wherein generate signaling to configure the HE STA to transmit the BQR to the access point in accordance with the UL resource allocation further comprises:
generate signaling to configure the HE STA to transmit to the access point a first portion of a physical layer convergence procedure protocol data unit (PPDU) with a 20 MHz bandwidth and a second portion of the PPDU with a bandwidth in accordance with the subchannel allocation, wherein the second portion of the PPDU comprises the BQR.

19 . A method performed by an apparatus of a 6 GHz high-efficiency (HE) station (STA), the method comprising:
decoding a trigger frame (FE) from an access point, the TF comprising an uplink (UL) resource allocation for the HE STA to transmit a bandwidth query report (BQR) to the access point, wherein the TF comprises an indication that the TF is of type bandwidth query report poll (BQRP);
in response to the TF, determining whether each 20 MHz subchannel of a plurality of 20 MHz subchannels is busy, and setting a corresponding bit of the BQR to one when a corresponding 20 MHz subchannel is busy, otherwise set the corresponding bit to zero;
generating signaling to configure the HE STA to transmit the BQR to the access point in accordance with the UL resource allocation.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein determining whether each 20 MHz subchannel of the plurality of 20 MHz subchannels is busy further compr

Assignees

• Intel Ip Corp

Inventors

• Huang Po-Kai
• Li Qinghua
• Stacey Robert J

Classifications

• H04L5/001

  the frequencies being arranged in component carriers · CPC title

• H04L5/0039

  Frequency-contiguous, i.e. with no allocation of frequencies for one user or terminal between the frequencies allocated to another · CPC title

• H04L5/0071

  Allocation based on fairness other than the proportional kind · CPC title

• H04W84/20

  Leader-follower arrangements · CPC title

• H04L5/0094 Primary

  Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated · CPC title