Access Point, a Station and Methods Therein for Access Point Selection in a Wireless Local Area Network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018359697-A1
Application number	US-201515780364-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Dec 13, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments herein relate to a method performed by an Access Point, AP (131, 132), of a Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN (135, 136), for enabling a station, STA (121), to select an AP (131, 132). The AP (131, 132) determines information indicating the number of STAs currently being served by the AP (131, 132) which are capable of using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing Access, OFDMA, in the WLAN (135, 136). Then, the AP (131, 132) transmit the determined information to the STA (121). Embodiments of the AP (131, 132) are also described. Embodiments herein also relate to a method performed by a STA (121) for selecting an AP (131, 132) of a WLAN (135, 136) and embodiments of the STA (121).

First claim

1 - 40 . (canceled)

41 . A method performed by an Access Point (AP) of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) for enabling a station (STA) to select an AP, the method comprising:
determining information indicating the number of STAs currently being served by the AP which are capable of using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA) in the WLAN; and transmitting the determined information to the STA.

42 . The method according to claim 41 , wherein the determined information comprises the number of STAs currently being served by the AP capable of using OFDMA in the WLAN.

43 . The method according to claim 42 , wherein the determined information comprises the number of STAs that are compliant with the IEEE 802.11ax standard and that are currently being served by the AP.

44 . An Access Point (AP) of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) for enabling a station (STA) to select an AP, wherein the AP comprises:
radio frequency circuitry; and processing circuitry configured to:
determine information indicating the number of STAs currently being served by the AP which are capable of using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA) in the WLAN, and
transmit, via the radio frequency circuitry, the determined information to the STA.

45 . The AP according to claim 44 , wherein the determined information comprises the number of STAs currently being served by the AP which are capable of using OFDMA in the WLAN.

46 . The AP according to claim 45 , wherein the determined information comprises the number of STAs that are compliant with the IEEE 802.11ax standard and that are currently being served by the AP.

47 . The AP according to claim 44 , wherein the determined information comprises an estimated performance of the STA in the WLAN in case of selecting the AP, wherein the estimated performance of the STA is based on the number of STAs currently being served by the AP which are capable of using OFDMA in the WLAN.

48 . The AP according to claim 47 , wherein the estimated performance of the STA is:
the throughput that the STA is to expect in the WLAN in case of selecting the AP, or an average access delay value that the STA is to expect in the WLAN in case of selecting the AP.

49 . The AP according to claim 45 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to encode the determined information in a Station Count field of a Basic Service Set (BSS) load element broadcasted by the AP, wherein the determined information is encoded into the Station Count field as a quadrature component using Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) while information relating to other STAs currently being served by the AP is encoded into the Station Count field as an in-phase component using BPSK, and/or wherein the two Most Significant Bits (MSBs) of the Station Count field of the BSS Load Element is used to indicate that the Station Count field of the BSS Load Element refers to the determined information.

50 . The AP according to claim 45 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit the determined information as part of:
a beacon signal broadcasted by the AP; a probe response transmitted by the AP to the STA in response to receiving a probe request from the STA; or a dedicated transmission by the AP to the STA in response to receiving a transmission from the STA requesting the determined information.

51 . A method performed by a station (STA) for selecting an Access Point (AP) of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), the method comprising:
receiving information indicating the number of STAs currently being served by the AP that are capable of using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA) in the WLAN; and selecting an AP at least partly based on the received information.

52 . The method according to claim 51 , wherein the received information comprises the number of STAs currently being served by the AP that are capable of using OFDMA in the WLAN.

53 . The method according to claim 52 , wherein the received information comprises the number of STAs compliant with the IEEE 802.11ax standard which are currently being served by the AP.

54 . A station (STA) for selecting an Access Point (AP) of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), the STA comprising:
radio frequency circuitry; and processing circuitry configured to:
receive, via the radio frequency circuitry, information indicating the number of STAs currently being served by the AP that are capable of using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA) in the WLAN; and
select an AP at least partly based on the received information.

55 . The STA according to claim 54 , wherein the received information comprises the number of STAs currently being served by the AP which are capable of using OFDMA in the WLAN.

56 . The STA according to claim 55 , wherein the received information comprises the number of STAs compliant with the IEEE 802.11ax standard which are currently being served by the AP.

57 . The STA according to claim 54 , wherein the received information comprises an estimated performance of the STA in the WLAN in case of selecting the AP, wherein the estimated performance of the STA is based on the number of STAs currently being served by the AP capable of using OFDMA in the WLAN.

58 . The STA according to claim 57 , wherein the estimated performance of the STA is:
the throughput that the STA is to expect in the WLAN in case of selecting the AP, or an average access delay value that the STA is to expect in the WLAN in case of selecting the AP.

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Mestanov Filip
• Wilhelmsson Leif

Classifications

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W48/20 Primary

  Selecting an access point · CPC title

• H04W8/22

  Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities · CPC title

• H04B7/0452

  Multi-user MIMO systems · CPC title