Sub-band feedback for beamforming on downlink multiple user MIMO configurations
First Claim
1. A method in a communication network, the method comprising:
- receiving, at a first communication device, a sounding packet, wherein the sounding packet was transmitted by a second communication device over a communication channel such that the sounding packet spans an entire bandwidth of the communication channel;
performing, at the first communication device, a channel estimation on a subchannel block of the communication channel, based on reception of the sounding packet, to determine steering matrix feedback information for the subchannel block, wherein the subchannel block spans a contiguous partial bandwidth of the communication channel and does not span the entire bandwidth of the communication channel, and wherein the steering matrix feedback information does not include steering matrix feedback information for one or more other subchannel blocks of the communication channel that respectively span one or more other respective contiguous partial bandwidths of the communication channel; and
transmitting, by the first communication device, a communication frame to the second communication device, the communication frame i) including the steering matrix feedback information for the subchannel block, and ii) not including steering matrix feedback information for the one or more other subchannel blocks of the communication channel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A first communication device receives a sounding packet that was transmitted by a second communication device over a communication channel, and performs a channel estimation on a subchannel block of the communication channel to determine steering matrix feedback information for the subchannel block. The subchannel block spans a contiguous partial bandwidth of the communication channel and does not span an entire bandwidth of the communication channel. The first communication device transmits a communication frame to the second communication device, the communication frame i) including the steering matrix feedback information for the subchannel block, and ii) not including steering matrix feedback information for the one or more other subchannel blocks of the communication channel.
67 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method in a communication network, the method comprising:
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receiving, at a first communication device, a sounding packet, wherein the sounding packet was transmitted by a second communication device over a communication channel such that the sounding packet spans an entire bandwidth of the communication channel; performing, at the first communication device, a channel estimation on a subchannel block of the communication channel, based on reception of the sounding packet, to determine steering matrix feedback information for the subchannel block, wherein the subchannel block spans a contiguous partial bandwidth of the communication channel and does not span the entire bandwidth of the communication channel, and wherein the steering matrix feedback information does not include steering matrix feedback information for one or more other subchannel blocks of the communication channel that respectively span one or more other respective contiguous partial bandwidths of the communication channel; and transmitting, by the first communication device, a communication frame to the second communication device, the communication frame i) including the steering matrix feedback information for the subchannel block, and ii) not including steering matrix feedback information for the one or more other subchannel blocks of the communication channel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus, comprising:
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a transceiver associated with a first communication device, wherein the transceiver is implemented on one or more integrated circuit (IC) devices, and wherein the transceiver is configured to; receive a sounding packet, wherein the sounding packet was transmitted by a second communication device over a communication channel such that the sounding packet spans an entire bandwidth of the communication channel; a channel estimation circuit associated with the first communication device, wherein the channel estimation circuit is implemented on the one or more IC devices, and wherein the channel estimation circuit is configured to; perform a channel estimation on a subchannel block of the communication channel, based on reception of the sounding packet, to determine steering matrix feedback information for the subchannel block, wherein the subchannel block spans a contiguous partial bandwidth of the communication channel and does not span the entire bandwidth of the communication channel, and wherein the steering matrix feedback information does not include steering matrix feedback information for one or more other subchannel blocks of the communication channel that respectively span one or more other respective contiguous partial bandwidths of the communication channel; wherein the transceiver is further configured to; transmit a communication frame to the second communication device, the communication frame i) including the steering matrix feedback information for the subchannel block, and ii) not including steering matrix feedback information for the one or more other subchannel blocks of the communication channel. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method, comprising:
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transmitting, by a first communication device, a sounding packet to a second communication device over a communication channel such that the sounding packet spans an entire bandwidth of the communication channel; receiving, at the first communication device, a communication frame from the second communication device, the communication frame responsive to the sounding packet, the communication frame including steering matrix feedback information for a subchannel block of the communication channel, wherein; the subchannel block spans a contiguous partial bandwidth of the communication channel and does not span the entire bandwidth of the communication channel, and the communication frame does not include steering matrix feedback information for one or more other subchannel blocks of the communication channel that respectively span one or more other respective contiguous partial bandwidths of the communication channel; using, at the first communication device, the steering matrix feedback information for the subchannel block to identify a steering matrix for use in transmitting to the second communication device; and applying, at the first communication device, the identified steering matrix to only a portion, in frequency, of an information carrying packet, wherein the portion, in frequency, of the information carrying packet corresponds, in frequency, to the subchannel block, and does not correspond, in frequency to the one or more other subchannel blocks of the communication channel. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus, comprising:
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a network interface device associated with a first communication device, wherein the network interface device is implemented on one or more integrated circuit (IC) devices, and wherein the network interface device configured to; transmit, via a plurality of antennas, a sounding packet to a second communication device over a communication channel such that the sounding packet spans an entire bandwidth of the communication channel, and receive a communication frame from the second communication device, the communication frame responsive to the sounding packet, the communication frame including steering matrix feedback information for a subchannel block of the communication channel, wherein; the subchannel block spans a contiguous partial bandwidth of the communication channel and does not span the entire bandwidth of the communication channel, and the communication frame does not include steering matrix feedback information for one or more other subchannel blocks of the communication channel that respectively span one or more other respective contiguous partial bandwidths of the communication channel; wherein the network interface device includes a steering vector controller implemented on the one or more ICs, the steering vector controller configured to use the steering matrix feedback information to identify a steering matrix for use in transmitting to the second communication device; and wherein the network interface device further includes a spatial steering controller implemented on the one or more ICs, the spatial steering controller configured to apply the identified steering matrix to only a portion, in frequency, of an information carrying packet to be transmitted by the first communication device, wherein the portion, in frequency, of the information carrying packet corresponds, in frequency, to the subchannel block, and does not correspond, in frequency to the one or more other subchannel blocks of the communication channel. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification