Multi-user parallel channel access in WLAN systems

• US 10,231,251 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2017
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Xiaofei, Lou, Hanqing, Ghosh, Monisha, Shah, Nirav B, Zhang, Guodong, Murias, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Shivers, Ashley
• Application Number:
  US15/826,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20180084566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/007 Unequal error protection for format H04L1/0078; for codes per se H03M13/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1664 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with payload signals; piggybacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/121 for groups of terminals or users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 in the uplink, i.e. towards network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are related to multi-user parallel channel access (MU-PCA). For example, a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) is provided that is one of a plurality of WTRUs operable to simultaneously communicate via a plurality of channels managed by an access point (AP). The WTRU includes a receiver configured to receive, from the AP, over at least one channel of the plurality of channels, a group poll (G-Poll) message that includes a resource allocation that indicates at least one allocated channel of the plurality of channels for the WTRU; and a transmitter configured to transmit an uplink request message, to the AP in response to the G-Poll message, over the at least one allocated channel of the plurality of channels, the uplink request message corresponding to uplink data the WTRU has for transmission to the AP.

Claims

1. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, from an AP, over at least one channel of a plurality of channels, a group poll message that includes a resource allocation that indicates at least one allocated channel of the plurality of channels for the WTRU; and

a transmitter configured to transmit an uplink message to the AP, in response to the group poll message, over the at least one allocated channel of the plurality of channels, the uplink message notifying the AP that the WTRU has uplink data for transmission to the AP.

2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein:

the receiver is configured to receive a clear-to-send (CTS) message, from the AP, in response to the transmitted uplink message; and

the transmitter is configured to transmit the uplink data in response to the received CTS message.

3. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein:

the transmitter is configured to transmit the uplink data over the at least one allocated channel of the plurality of channels.

4. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the group poll message includes an identifier corresponding to the WTRU.

5. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the uplink message indicates an amount of the uplink data the WTRU has for transmission to the AP.

6. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the uplink message indicates a quality of service (QoS) priority for the uplink data.

7. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the uplink message includes an indication of an amount of the uplink data and a modulation coding scheme (MCS) that will be used to transmit the uplink data.

8. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the at least one allocated channel includes two or more of the plurality of channels.

9. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the group poll message includes resource allocations for a plurality of WTRUs.

10. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the CTS message indicates that the AP is ready to receive on the at least one allocated channel.

11. A method for use in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising:

receiving, from an AP, over at least one channel of a plurality of channels, a group poll message that includes a resource allocation that indicates at least one allocated channel of the plurality of channels for the WTRU; and

transmitting an uplink message to the AP, in response to the group poll message, over the at least one allocated channel of the plurality of channels, the uplink message corresponding to uplink data the WTRU has for transmission to the AP.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a clear-to-send (CTS) message, from the AP, in response to the transmitted uplink message; and

transmitting the uplink data in response to the received CTS message.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting the uplink data over the at least one allocated channel of the plurality of channels.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the group poll message includes an identifier corresponding to the WTRU.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the uplink message indicates an amount of the uplink data the WTRU has for transmission to the AP.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the uplink message indicates a quality of service (QoS) priority for the uplink data.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the uplink message includes indication of an amount of the uplink data and a modulation coding scheme (MCS) that will be used to transmit the uplink data.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one allocated channel includes two or more of the plurality of channels.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the group poll message includes resource allocations for a plurality of WTRUs.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the CTS message indicates that the AP is ready to receive on the at least one allocated channel.