Random access PPDU for WLAN systems

• US 10,263,821 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2016
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atlas Global Technologies LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Newracom Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Daewon, Moon, Sungho, Hedayat, Ahmad Reza, Noh, Yujin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Thai D
• Application Number:
  US15/170,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20160359653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 370328-330, 370335-349
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0006 Assessment of spectral gaps suitable for allocating digitally modulated signals, e.g. for carrier allocation in cognitive radio for spectrum sharing between different networks H04W16/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2613 Structure of the reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0016 Time-frequency-code
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/085 collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

In wireless communications for multi-users, an access point may transmit a first trigger frame to one or more stations. The first trigger frame may be for scheduling a first uplink multi-user transmission and may indicate a plurality of resources for indicating existence of data to be sent to the access point. The station(s) may process the first trigger frame received from the access point. In response to the first trigger frame, the station(s) may generate and transmit a respective first uplink frame to the access point. In some cases, the first uplink frame(s) from the station(s) does not have a data field and does have a signal indicating existence of data to be sent from the station(s) to the access point. The signal may be sent using a resource(s) of the plurality of resources. Other methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A station for facilitating communication in a wireless network for multi-user transmission, the station comprising:

one or more memories; and

one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors configured to cause;

processing a first trigger frame received from an access point, wherein the first trigger frame schedules a first uplink multi-user transmission and includes an indication to the station that selects between a non-data packet and a packet with an abbreviated payload for soliciting from the station, wherein the first trigger frame indicates a plurality of resources for indicating existence of data to he sent to the access point; and

transmitting, during the first uplink multi-user transmission to the access point and in response to the first trigger frame, a first uplink frame that signals existence of data at the station to be sent from the station to the access point in a frame different from the first uplink frame, wherein the first uplink frame includes the non-data packet when the indication solicits the non-data packet, wherein the first uplink frame includes the packet with the abbreviated payload when the indication solicits the packet with the abbreviated payload, and wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the first uplink frame on a first resource of the plurality of resources.

2. The station of claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of resources comprises a resource unit having a first dimension in a frequency domain and a second dimension in a code domain, and

the first resource comprises a resource unit having the first dimension associated with a first frequency of a plurality of frequencies in the frequency domain and the second dimension associated with a first code of a plurality of codes in the code domain.

3. The station of claim 2, wherein each code of the plurality of codes is orthogonal to each of the other codes of the plurality of codes.

4. The station of claim 3, wherein the first code spans a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of the first uplink frame.

5. The station of claim 4, wherein:

the plurality of OFDM symbols is a plurality of high efficiency long training field HE-LTF) symbols, and

the non-data packet includes the plurality of HE-LTF symbols which occupy the first frequency resource unit and to which the first code is applied.

6. The station of claim 5, wherein the first trigger frame further comprises information on a slumber of the plurality of HE-LTF symbols to be included in the first uplink frame.

7. The station of claim 5, wherein the first uplink frame further comprises Legacy Short Training Field (L-STF), Legacy Long Training Field (L-LTF), Legacy SIGNAL field (L-SIG), High Efficiency SIGNAL A field (HE-SIG-A), and High Efficiency Short Training Field (HE-STF).

8. The station of claim 2, wherein the plurality of codes represent a plurality of spatial streams.

9. The station of claim 8, wherein the plurality of codes correspond to a plurality of rows in a matrix that represents the plurality of spatial streams.

10. The station of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more processors are configured to cause;

selecting the first resource of the plurality of resources; and

generating the first uplink frame based on the selected first resource.

11. The station of claim 10, wherein selecting the first resource comprises randomly selecting the first resource among the plurality of resources.

12. The station of claim 10, wherein allocation information of the first resource includes mapping information between the plurality of resources and a plurality of stations,

wherein selecting the first resource comprises:

selecting the first resource among the plurality of resources based on the mapping information.

13. The station of claim 12, wherein the mapping information uniquely assigns the first resource to the station.

14. The station of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause:

processing a second trigger frame received from the access point, wherein the trigger frame comprises second resource allocation information for scheduling a second uplink multi-user transmission, wherein the second resource allocation information indicates a second plurality of resources for transmitting data to the access point; and

transmitting, during the second uplink multi-user transmission to the access point, a second uplink frame based on the second resource allocation information of the second trigger frame.

15. An access point for facilitating communication in a wireless network for multi-user transmission, the access point comprising:

one or more memories; and

one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors configured to cause;

transmitting a first trigger frame to one or more stations, to schedule an uplink multi-user transmission with the one or more stations, wherein the first trigger frame includes an indication to the one or more stations that selects between a non-data packet and a packet with an abbreviated payload for soliciting from the one or more stations and indicates a plurality of resources for indicating existence of data to be sent to the access point; and

receiving, during the uplink multi-user transmission, a first uplink frame from a first station of the one or more stations, wherein the first uplink frame signals existence of data at the first station to be sent from the first station to the access point in a frame different from the first uplink frame, wherein the first uplink frame includes the non-data packet when the indication solicits the non-data packet, wherein the first uplink frame includes the packet with the abbreviated payload when the indication solicits the packet with the abbreviated payload, and wherein the receiving comprises receiving the first uplink frame on a first resource of the plurality of resources.

16. The access point of claim 15, wherein:

each of the plurality of resources comprises a resource unit having a first dimension in a frequency domain and a second dimension in a code domain, and

the first resource comprises a resource unit having the first dimension associated with a first frequency of a plurality of frequencies in the frequency domain and the second dimension associated with a first code of a plurality of codes in the code domain.

17. The access point of claim 16, wherein each code of the plurality of codes is orthogonal to each of the other codes of the plurality of codes.

18. The access point of claim 17, wherein the first code spans a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of the first uplink frame.

19. The station of claim 18, wherein:

the plurality of OFDM symbols is a plurality of high efficiency long training field (HE-LTF) symbols, and

the non-data packet includes the plurality of HE-LTF symbols which occupy the first frequency resource unit and to which the first code is applied.

20. A computer-implemented method of facilitating communication in a wireless network for multi-user transmission, the method comprising:

processing a first trigger frame received from an access point, wherein the first trigger frame is for scheduling a first uplink multi-user transmission and includes an indication to a station that selects between a non-data packet and a packet with an abbreviated payload for soliciting from the station, wherein the first trigger frame indicates a plurality of resources for indicating existence of data to be sent to the access point; and

transmitting, during the first uplink multi-user transmission to the access point and in response to the first trigger frame, a first uplink frame that signals existence of data at the station to be sent from the station to the access point in a frame different from the first uplink frame, wherein the first uplink frame includes the non-data packet when the indication solicits the non-data packet, wherein the first uplink frame includes the packet with the abbreviated payload when the indication solicits the packet with the abbreviated payload, and wherein the first uplink frame is sent on a first resource of the plurality of resources.