Apparatus, system and method of dynamic allocation using a grant frame

• US 10,194,461 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Trainin, Solomon B., Cordeiro, Carlos, Kasher, Assaf
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Parth
• Application Number:
  US15/713,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20180110067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 492 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, devices, systems and methods of dynamically scheduling a transmit opportunity. For example, a first wireless station may be configured to generate a grant frame including a duration field and a dynamic allocation information field, the dynamic allocation information field including an allocation duration subfield, the allocation duration subfield being set to a value within a predefined range of values, when the grant frame is to grant to a second wireless station a period after a Transmit Opportunity (TxOP), the allocation duration subfield being set to a predefined value which is not within the predefined range of values, when the grant frame is to grant to the second wireless station a period within the TxOP; and transmit the grant frame during the TxOP.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising logic and circuitry configured to cause a first wireless communication station (STA) to:

set a value of an allocation duration field to indicate whether a grant frame is for a first purpose or for a second purpose, the first purpose comprises an allocation beyond a current time period allocation for the first STA, the second purpose comprises an allocation within the current time period allocation for the first STA, the first purpose to be indicated by the value of the allocation duration field set in a range from 0 to 32767, the second purpose to be indicated by the value of the allocation duration field set to 32768; and

transmit the grant frame to a second STA during the current time period allocation for the first STA, the grant frame comprising a duration field and a dynamic allocation information (Info) field, the dynamic allocation Info field comprising the allocation duration field.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first purpose comprises an allocation beyond a current Transmit opportunity (TXOP), and the second purpose comprises an allocation within the current TXOP.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the first STA to, when setting the value of the allocation duration field in the range from 0 to 32767, set a value of the duration field such that a sum of the value of the allocation duration field and the value of the duration field is to indicate when the first STA is to attempt to initiate access for communication with the second STA.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the sum of the value of the allocation duration field and the value of the duration field is to indicate a time offset, from a transmit end (TXEND) indication primitive of the grant frame, of when the first STA is to attempt to initiate the access for communication with the second STA.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the first STA to set the value of the allocation duration field to 32768, and to transmit the grant frame during a Transmit Opportunity (TXOP) to relinquish a remainder of the TXOP to the second STA.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 configured to cause the first STA to set an Allocation type field in the dynamic allocation Info field to indicate a Contention Based Access Period (CBAP).

7. The apparatus of claim 5 configured to cause the first STA to set a value of the duration field based on a time remaining in the TXOP.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 configured to cause the first STA to set a value of the duration field to a result of subtracting from a time remaining in the TXOP a transmit time of the grant frame and a Short Inter Frame Space (SIFS) time.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 configured to cause the first STA to switch from a role of a TXOP holder to a role of a TXOP responder for the remainder of the TXOP.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the first STA to set the value of the allocation duration field to 32768, and to transmit the grant frame during a Service Period (SP) to relinquish a remainder of the SP to the second STA.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 configured to cause the first STA to set an Allocation type field in the dynamic allocation Info field to indicate the SP.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 configured to cause the first STA to set a value of the duration field based on a time remaining in the SP.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 configured to cause the first STA to set a value of the duration field to a result of subtracting from a time remaining in the SP a transmit time of the grant frame and a Short Inter Frame Space (SIFS) time.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 configured to cause the first STA to switch from a role of a source STA to a role of a destination STA for the remainder of the SP.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the grant frame comprises a Receive Address (RA) field to indicate an address of the second STA.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a Medium Access Control (MAC), and a Physical Layer (PHY).

17. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a radio.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising one or more antennas.

19. A product comprising one or more tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one processor, enable the at least one processor to cause a first wireless communication station (STA) to:

set a value of an allocation duration field to indicate whether a grant frame is for a first purpose or for a second purpose, the first purpose comprises an allocation beyond a current time period allocation for the first STA, the second purpose comprises an allocation within the current time period allocation for the first STA, the first purpose to be indicated by the value of the allocation duration field set in a range from 0 to 32767, the second purpose to be indicated by the value of the allocation duration field set to 32768; and

transmit the grant frame to a second STA during the current time period allocation, for the first STA, the grant frame comprising a duration field and a dynamic allocation information (Info) field, the dynamic allocation Info field comprising the allocation duration field.

20. The product of claim 19, wherein the first purpose comprises an allocation beyond a current Transmit opportunity (TXOP), and the second purpose comprises an allocation within the current TXOP.

21. The product of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first STA to, when setting the value of the allocation duration field in the range from 0 to 32767, set a value of the duration field such that a sum of the value of the allocation duration field and the value of the duration field is to indicate when the first STA is to attempt to initiate access for communication with the second STA.

22. The product of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first STA to set the value of the allocation duration field to 32768, and to transmit the grant frame during a Transmit Opportunity (TXOP) to relinquish a remainder of the TXOP to the second STA.

23. The product of claim 22, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first STA to set a value of the duration field based on a time remaining in the TXOP.

24. The product of claim 22, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first STA to switch from a role of a TXOP holder to a role of a TXOP responder for the remainder of the TXOP.

25. The product of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first STA to set the value of the allocation duration field to 32768, and to transmit the grant frame during a Service Period (SP) to relinquish a remainder of the SP to the second STA.

26. The product of claim 25, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first STA to set a value of the duration field based on a time remaining in the SP.

27. The product of claim 25, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first STA to switch from a role of a source STA to a role of a destination STA for the remainder of the SP.

28. An apparatus comprising:

means for setting at a first wireless communication station (STA) a value of an allocation duration field to indicate whether a grant frame is for a first purpose or for a second purpose, the first purpose comprises an allocation beyond a current time period allocation for the first STA, the second purpose comprises an allocation within the current time period allocation for the first STA, the first purpose to be indicated by the value of the allocation duration field set in a range from 0 to 32767, the second purpose to be indicated by the value of the allocation duration field set to 32768; and

means for causing the first STA to transmit the grant frame to a second STA during the current time period allocation for the first STA, the grant frame comprising a duration field and a dynamic allocation information (Info) field, the dynamic allocation Info field comprising the allocation duration field.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the first purpose comprises an allocation beyond a current Transmit opportunity (TXOP), and the second purpose comprises an allocation within the current TXOP.

30. The apparatus of claim 28 comprising means for causing the first STA to set the value of the allocation duration field to 32768, and to transmit the grant frame during a Transmit Opportunity (TXOP) to relinquish a remainder of the TXOP to the second STA.