Device, system and method of uplink/downlink communication in wireless network

• US 20070153748A1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Celeno Communications (Israel) Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Celeno Communications (Israel) Ltd.
• Inventors: Shapira, Nir
• Granted Patent: US 7,570,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/346 distributing total power among users or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1263 Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments of the invention include a method device and/or system of scheduling transmissions of one or more wireless communication stations. The method, according to some demonstrative embodiments may include instructing a plurality of wireless communication stations to set a transmission-disable counter to count a first value corresponding to a selective-transmission time period during which transmission by only a selected one of the plurality of stations is to be allowed; and instructing the selected station to set its transmission-disable counter to a second value that allows transmission of the selected station during at least part of the selective-transmission time period. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling transmissions of one or more wireless communication stations, the method comprising:

instructing a plurality of wireless communication stations to set a transmission-disable counter to count a first value corresponding to a selective-transmission time period during which transmission by only a selected one of said plurality of stations is to be allowed; and

instructing the selected station to set its transmission-disable counter to a second value that allows transmission of the selected station during at least part of said selective-transmission time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing said selected station comprises transmitting to said selected station a protection-end frame.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting said protection-end frame comprises transmitting said protection-end frame such that said protection-end frame is not received by one or more other stations of said plurality of stations.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting said protection-end frame comprises:

generating a set of N spatial channels to be transmitted to said selected station using a set of N respective antennas, by applying at least one preceding matrix to a set of inputs including said protection-end frame and one or more dither sequences,

wherein said preceding matrix includes a beamforming vector based on channel state information of said selected station and one or more additional vectors orthogonal to said beamforming vector.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting said protection-end frame comprises:

allocating transmission power to a set of N spatial channels to be transmitted to said selected station such that the power to be received by said selected station is not greater, by more than a predefined power margin, than a minimum power required for reception at a desired quality of service.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting said protection-end frame comprises transmitting a contention-free-end frame.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing said plurality of stations comprises transmitting a medium-access-control frame having a duration field corresponding to said first value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting said medium-access-control frame comprises transmitting a clear-to-send-to-self frame.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmission-disable counter comprises a network vector allocation counter.

10. An apparatus able to schedule transmissions of one or more wireless communication stations, the apparatus comprising:

a transmission scheduler to instruct a plurality of wireless communication stations to set a transmission-disable counter to count a first value corresponding to a selective-transmission time period during which transmission by only a selected one of said plurality of stations is to be allowed; and

instruct the selected station to set its transmission-disable counter to a second value that allows transmission of the selected station during at least part of said selective-transmission time period.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said scheduler is able to instruct the selected station to set its transmission-disable counter by transmitting to said selected station a protection-end frame.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said scheduler is able to transmit said protection-end frame such that said protection-end frame is not received by one or more other stations of said plurality of stations.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 comprising:

a precoder to generate a set of N spatial channels to be transmitted to said selected station, using a set of N respective antennas, by applying at least one precoding matrix to a set of inputs including said protection-end frame and one or more dither sequences,

wherein said precoding matrix includes a beamforming vector based on channel state information of said selected station and one or more additional vectors orthogonal to said beamforming vector.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 comprising:

a power allocator to allocate transmission power to a set of N spatial channels to be transmitted to said selected station such that the power to be received by said selected station is not greater, by more than a predefined power margin, than a minimum power required for reception at a desired quality of service.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said protection-end frame comprises a contention-free-end frame.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said scheduler is able to instruct said plurality of wireless communication stations to set said transmission-disable counter by transmitting a medium-access-control frame having a duration field corresponding to said first value.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said medium-access-control frame comprises a clear-to-send-to-self frame.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said transmission-disable counter comprises a network vector allocation counter.

19. A wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of stations;

an access point to instruct said plurality of stations to set a transmission-disable counter to count a first value corresponding to a selective-transmission time period during which transmission by only a selected one of said plurality of stations is to be allowed; and

instruct the selected station to set its transmission-disable counter to a second value that allows transmission of the selected station during at least part of said selective-transmission time period.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said access point is able to instruct the selected station to set its transmission-disable counter by transmitting to said selected station a protection-end frame.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said access point is able to transmit said protection-end frame such that said protection-end frame is not received by one or more other stations of said plurality of stations.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said access point comprises:

a precoder to generate a set of N spatial channels to be transmitted to said selected station, using a set of N respective antennas, by applying at least one precoding matrix to a set of inputs including said protection-end frame and one or more dither sequences,

wherein said precoding matrix includes a beamforming vector based on channel state information of said selected station and one or more additional vectors orthogonal to said beamforming vector.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein said access point comprises:

a power allocator to allocate transmission power to a set of N spatial channels to be transmitted to said selected station such that the power to be received by said selected station is not greater, by more than a predefined power margin, than a minimum power required for reception at a desired quality of service.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein said protection-end frame comprises a contention-free-end frame.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein said access point is able to instruct said plurality of wireless communication stations to set said transmission-disable counter by transmitting a medium-access-control frame having a duration field corresponding to said first value.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said medium-access-control frame comprises a clear-to-send-to-self frame.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein said transmission-disable counter comprises a network vector allocation counter.