SDMA Multi-Device Wireless Communications

• US 20110038332A1
• Filed: 08/04/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Liu, Yong, Ramamurthy, Harish, Banerjea, Raja, Zhang, Hongyuan
• Granted Patent: US 8,923,217 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• 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 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1263 Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers

Abstract

The present disclosure includes systems and techniques relating to wireless communications. A described system, for example, includes a device configured to transmit signals, in a frequency band, to the wireless communication devices. The signals can include spatially steered first signals that concurrently provide data to the wireless communication devices. The signals can include one or more second signals to the wireless communication devices to control transmission of responses from the wireless communication devices in the frequency band. The device can monitor for the responses in the frequency band. The device can control, based on a lack of reception of an expected response, a transmission of a third signal in the frequency band to prevent a transmission from another wireless communication device different than the wireless communication devices. The third signal can include information to reschedule a transmission of a response from a wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, in a frequency band, information to wireless communication devices, wherein the transmitting comprises (i) transmitting spatially steered first signals that concurrently provide data to the wireless communication devices, and (ii) transmitting one or more second signals to the wireless communication devices to control transmission of acknowledgements from the wireless communication devices in the frequency band, wherein the acknowledgements indicate a successful reception of a respective portion of the data;

monitoring for the acknowledgements in the frequency band; and

selectively transmitting, based on a lack of reception of an expected acknowledgement, a third signal in the frequency band to prevent a transmission from another wireless communication device different than the wireless communication devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring for the acknowledgements in the frequency band comprises detecting a lack of reception of an acknowledgement from a first device of the wireless communication devices, wherein selectively transmitting the third signal comprises transmitting information to a second device of the wireless communication devices to reschedule a transmission of a response from the second device, and wherein the second device is originally scheduled to send an acknowledgement after the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the one or more second signals comprises:

transmitting first response scheduling information to cause a first device of the wireless communication devices to transmit an acknowledgement during a first portion of an acknowledgement period; and

transmitting second response scheduling information to cause a second device of the wireless communication devices to transmit an acknowledgement during a second, subsequent portion of the acknowledgement period.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

controlling the wireless communication devices to perform reachability testing, wherein the reachability testing comprises determining whether a signal emanating from the first device is at least received by the second device; and

generating an acknowledgement response schedule based on the reachability testing,

wherein the first and second response scheduling information are based on the acknowledgement response schedule.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the one or more second signals comprises transmitting a block acknowledgment request to at least a first device of the wireless communication devices.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the block acknowledgment request comprises transmitting an aggregated block acknowledgment request to the wireless communication devices, wherein the aggregated block acknowledgment request comprises (i) a first indication of an acknowledgement response time for the first device and (ii) a second indication of a subsequent acknowledgement response time for a second device of the wireless communication devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the spatially steered first signals comprises:

transmitting a first packet data unit (PDU) of a medium access control (MAC) layer to a first device of the wireless communication devices via a first spatial wireless channel, wherein the first PDU comprises first information that causes the first device to selectively transmit an acknowledgement in a first period; and

transmitting a second PDU of the MAC layer to a second device of the wireless communication devices via a second spatial wireless channel, wherein the second PDU comprises second information that causes the second device to selectively transmit an acknowledgement in a second period that is subsequent to the first period.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the one or more second signals comprises:

transmitting, via a first spatial wireless channel, a signaling field in a physical layer to signal a first acknowledgement response time for a first device of the wireless communication devices; and

transmitting, via a second spatial wireless channel, a signaling field in a physical layer to signal a second, subsequent acknowledgement response time for a second device of the wireless communication devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the spatially steered first signals comprises:

transmitting space division multiple access frames to the wireless communication devices, wherein at least one of the frames includes padding, wherein an amount of the padding is based on a maximum length that is determined by lengths of the frames.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

circuitry to transmit, in a frequency band, signals to wireless communication devices, wherein the signals includes (i) spatially steered first signals that concurrently provide data to the wireless communication devices, and (ii) one or more second signals to the wireless communication devices to control transmission of acknowledgements from the wireless communication devices in the frequency band, wherein the acknowledgements indicate a successful reception of a respective portion of the data;

circuitry to monitor for the acknowledgements in the frequency band; and

circuitry to selectively transmit, based on a lack of reception of an expected acknowledgement, a third signal in the frequency band to prevent a transmission from another wireless communication device different than the wireless communication devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry to monitor is configured to detect a lack of reception of an acknowledgement from a first device of the wireless communication devices, wherein the circuitry to selectively transmit the third signal is configured to transmit information to a second device of the wireless communication devices to reschedule a transmission of a response from the second device, and wherein the second device is originally scheduled to send an acknowledgement after the first device.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more second signals collectively include (i) first response scheduling information to cause a first device of the wireless communication devices to transmit an acknowledgement during a first portion of an acknowledgement period and (ii) second response scheduling information to cause a second device of the wireless communication devices to transmit an acknowledgement during a second, subsequent portion of the acknowledgement period.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

circuitry to control the wireless communication devices to perform reachability testing, wherein the reachability testing comprises determining whether a signal emanating from the first device is at least received by the second device; and

circuitry to generate an acknowledgement response schedule based on the reachability testing,

wherein the first and second response scheduling information are based on the acknowledgement response schedule.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more second signals is indicative of a block acknowledgment request to at least a first device of the wireless communication devices.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more second signals are indicative of an aggregated block acknowledgment request to the wireless communication devices, wherein the aggregated block acknowledgment request comprises (i) a first indication of an acknowledgement response time for the first device and (ii) a second indication of a subsequent acknowledgement response time for a second device of the wireless communication devices.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the spatially steered first signals collectively includes (i) a first packet data unit (PDU) of a medium access control (MAC) layer to a first device of the wireless communication devices via a first spatial wireless channel and (ii) a second PDU of the MAC layer to a second device of the wireless communication devices via a second spatial wireless channel, wherein the first PDU comprises first information that causes the first device to selectively transmit an acknowledgement in a first period, and wherein the second PDU comprises second information that causes the second device to selectively transmit an acknowledgement in a second period that is subsequent to the first period.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry to transmit signals to wireless communication devices comprises:

circuitry to transmit, via a first spatial wireless channel, a signaling field in a physical layer to signal a first acknowledgement response time for a first device of the wireless communication devices; and

circuitry to transmit, via a second spatial wireless channel, a signaling field in a physical layer to signal a second, subsequent acknowledgement response time for a second device of the wireless communication devices.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry to transmit signals to wireless communication devices comprises circuitry to transmit space division multiple access frames to the wireless communication devices, wherein at least one of the frames includes padding, wherein an amount of the padding is based on a maximum length that is determined by lengths of the frames.

19. A system, comprising:

circuitry to communicate with two or more wireless communication devices; and

processor electronics configured to (i) control the transmission of signals, in a frequency band, to the wireless communication devices, wherein the signals includes spatially steered first signals that concurrently provide data to the wireless communication devices, and one or more second signals to the wireless communication devices to control transmission of responses from the wireless communication devices in the frequency band, (ii) monitor for the responses in the frequency band; and

(iii) control, based on a lack of reception of an expected response, a transmission of a third signal in the frequency band to prevent a transmission from another wireless communication device different than the wireless communication devices.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor electronics are configured to detect a lack of reception of an acknowledgement from a first device of the wireless communication devices, wherein the third signal comprises information to reschedule a transmission of a response from a second device of the wireless communication devices, and wherein the second device is originally scheduled to send an acknowledgement after the first device.