System and method for OFDMA resource management in WLAN

• US 10,440,715 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2018
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aboul-Magd, Osama, Au, Kwok Shum, Suh, Jung Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Elpenord, Candal
• Application Number:
  US15/938,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20180220424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for implementing a control function in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) for allocation of resources to multiple stations (STAs) to enable Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communications. An embodiment method includes determining a plurality of transmission resources for OFDMA communications of a plurality of STAs in the WLAN. The determination includes allocating a plurality of subcarriers to the STAs. The method further includes signaling the determined transmission resources to the STAs. The signaling of the transmission resources is piggybacked on at least one of data and management frames, such as in a sub-header of a MAC frame, or is an explicit signaling, such as in one or more dedicated fields of a traffic specification information element. The transmission resources for OFDMA communications allow simultaneous transmissions of the STAs in the WLAN.

Claims

1. A method by an apparatus in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

associating with one or more stations (STAs); and

transmitting signaling of transmission resources to the one or more STAs, the transmission resources allowing simultaneous orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) transmissions by the one or more STAs in the WLAN;

the signaling being carried in an OFDMA sub-header of a Media Access Control (MAC) frame for one STA of the one or more STAs, and the OFDMA sub-header being dedicated as an OFDMA control field for carrying OFDMA control information to the one STA of the one or more STAs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the MAC frame is a MAC data frame.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the signaling of the transmission resources includes transmitting signaling of a number of subcarriers allocated to each of the one or more STAs.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more transmission resources for OFDMA communications of the one or more STAs in the WLAN, wherein the determining includes allocating a group of subcarriers to the STAs;

the transmitting the signaling of the transmission resources to the one or more STAs comprising transmitting signaling of the determined one or more transmission resources to the one or more STAs, wherein the OFDMA sub-header of the MAC frame includes allocation of the group of subcarriers to the one STA.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the one or more transmission resources includes determining at least one of a number of subcarriers allocated to each one of the STAs for a single transmission, selecting the STAs participating for an occurrence of OFDMA transmissions, and allocating the subcarriers to the selected STAs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the OFDMA sub-header of the MAC frame includes a plurality of sub-fields for indicating communication parameters to the one STA.

7. An apparatus for managing orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) resources in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the apparatus comprising:

a transmitter configured to;

associate with one or more stations (STAs); and

transmit signaling of transmission resources to the one or more STAs, the transmission resources allowing simultaneous orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) transmissions by the one or more STAs in the WLAN;

the signaling being carried in an OFDMA sub-header of a Media Access Control (MAC) frame for one STA of the one or more STAs, and the OFDMA sub-header being dedicated as an OFDMA control field for carrying OFDMA control information to the one STA of the one or more STAs.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the MAC frame is a MAC data frame.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the transmitter configured to transmit the signaling of the transmission resources includes the transmitter configured to transmit signaling of a number of subcarriers allocated to each of the one or more STAs.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, further configured to:

determine one or more transmission resources for OFDMA communications of the one or more STAs in the WLAN, wherein the apparatus configured to determine comprises the apparatus configured to allocate a group of subcarriers to the STAs;

wherein the transmitter configured to transmit the signaling of the transmission resources to the one or more STAs comprises the transmitter configured to transmit signaling of the determined one or more transmission resources to the one or more STAs, and wherein the OFDMA sub-header of the MAC frame includes allocation of the group of subcarriers to the one STA.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus configured to determine the one or more transmission resources includes the apparatus configured to determine at least one of a number of subcarriers allocated to each one of the STAs for a single transmission, select the STAs participating for an occurrence of OFDMA transmissions, and allocate the subcarriers to the selected STAs.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the OFDMA sub-header of the MAC frame includes a plurality of sub-fields for indicating communication parameters to the one STA.

13. A method by an apparatus in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

receiving, from an access point (AP), a Media Access Control (MAC) frame carrying signaling of transmission resources to one or more stations (STAs), the transmission resources allowing simultaneous orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) transmissions by the one or more STAs in the WLAN;

the signaling being carried in an OFDMA sub-header of a Media Access Control (MAC) frame for one STA of the one or more STAs, and the OFDMA sub-header being dedicated as an OFDMA control field for carrying OFDMA control information to the one STA of the one or more STAs; and

communicating with the AP using the transmission resources according to the signaling.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the MAC frame is a MAC data frame.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the signaling of the transmission resources includes signaling of a number of subcarriers allocated to each of the one or more STAs.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the OFDMA sub-header of the MAC frame includes a plurality of sub-fields for indicating communication parameters to the one STA.

17. An apparatus supporting orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a Media Access Control (MAC) frame from an access point (AP), the MAC frame carrying signaling of transmission resources to one or more stations (STAs), the transmission resources allowing simultaneous orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) transmissions by the one or more STAs in the WLAN;

the signaling being carried in an OFDMA sub-header of a Media Access Control (MAC) frame for one STA of the one or more STAs, and the OFDMA sub-header being dedicated as an OFDMA control field for carrying OFDMA control information to the one STA of the one or more STAs; and

a transmitter configured to communicate with the AP using the transmission resources according to the signaling.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the MAC frame is a MAC data frame.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the signaling of the transmission resources includes signaling of a number of subcarriers allocated to each of the one or more STAs.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the OFDMA sub-header of the MAC frame includes a plurality of sub-fields for indicating communication parameters to the one STA.