MULTI-USER UPLINK COMMUNICATION USING EDCA WITH POLLING

• US 20110268054A1
• Filed: 03/08/2011
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sampath, Hemanth, Abraham, Santosh P., Merlin, Simone, Wentink, Maarten Menzo
• Granted Patent: US 9,357,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1268 of uplink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling

Abstract

Simultaneous, multi-user uplink communication is scheduled in a wireless network by transmitting a poll message to a plurality of access terminals in response to receiving a first request to transmit data via uplink. The poll message includes a solicitation for requests to transmit data from each of the plurality of access terminals. The poll message also includes a medium reservation and schedule for transmission of the requests from the access terminals. Based on the requests received from the access terminals, a number of the access terminals are selected for simultaneous transmission of data via uplink. A transmit start message is sent to each of the selected access terminals indicating when and for how long the selected access terminals may transmit data via uplink. After the data is received, a block ACK message is sent to each of the selected access terminals indicating successful simultaneous communication.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling uplink communication in a wireless network, comprising:

receiving a first transmit request message from a first access terminal that includes a request to transmit data via uplink;

transmitting a poll message to a first plurality of access terminals, the poll message including a solicitation for requests to transmit data via uplink from the first plurality of access terminals; and

receiving transmit request messages from a second plurality of access terminals of the first plurality.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a third plurality of access terminals from the second plurality for assignment of a first simultaneous transmit opportunity based at least in part on the received transmit request messages; and

transmitting a first transmit start message to the third plurality of access terminals, the first transmit start message indicating the assignment of the first simultaneous transmit opportunity.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving data from the third plurality of access terminals in accordance with the assignment of the first simultaneous transmit opportunity; and

transmitting a block acknowledgement message to each of the third plurality of access terminals based at least in part on the received data.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing an indication of a transmit request received from at least one of the second plurality of access terminals that was not selected for the first simultaneous transmit opportunity.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving data from the third plurality of access terminals in accordance with the assignment of the first simultaneous transmit opportunity;

transmitting a block acknowledgement message to each of the third plurality of access terminals based at least in part on the received data; and

transmitting a second transmit start message to a fourth plurality of access terminals, the second transmit start message indicating an assignment of a second simultaneous transmit opportunity for each of the fourth plurality of access terminals, the fourth plurality of access terminals including the at least one of the second plurality of access terminals not selected for assignment of the first simultaneous transmit opportunity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the poll message includes a schedule indicating when each of the first plurality of access terminals is to respond with a transmit request message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the schedule indicates fixed points in time.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the schedule indicates a deterministic backoff corresponding to each of the first plurality of access terminals.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the poll message includes a duration field indicating a time reservation during which transmit request messages from the first plurality of access terminals should be received.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the poll message includes a priority class specification.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the first transmit start message includes at least one of

an indication of a spatial stream assigned to each of the third plurality of access terminals,

a priority class of data permitted to be transmitted by each of the third plurality of access terminals,

a time duration for data transmission by the third plurality of access terminals, and

a modulation and coding rate assignment to each of the third plurality of access terminals.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the transmit request messages from the second plurality of access terminals indicates an amount of data to be communicated via uplink and a priority class of the data.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including an access terminal in the first plurality of access terminals based at least in part on a response by the access terminal to a previous poll message.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including an access terminal in the first plurality of access terminals based at least in part on participation of the access terminal in a previous transmit opportunity.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the selecting of an access terminal for assignment of the first simultaneous transmit opportunity is based at least in part on at least one of

an amount of data to transmit reported by the access terminal,

an amount of data in a queue of the access terminal, and

a priority class associated with the data to transmit.

16. A method for scheduling uplink communication in a wireless network, comprising:

receiving a poll message from an access point, the poll message including a solicitation for a request to transmit data via uplink to the access point;

determining a time to transmit a transmit request message to the access point based at least in part on a schedule indicated by the poll message;

transmitting the transmit request message at the determined time; and

receiving a transmit start message from the access point indicating an assignment of a first simultaneous transmit opportunity to transmit data via uplink to the access point.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting data via uplink to the access point in accordance with the assignment of the first simultaneous transmit opportunity; and

receiving a block acknowledgement message from the access point based at least in part on the transmitted data.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the schedule includes a deterministic backoff.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the poll message includes a priority class specification.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the transmit start message includes at least one of

an indication of a spatial stream assigned for the transmitting of data via uplink,

a priority class of data permitted to be transmitted via uplink,

a time duration for the transmitting of data via uplink, and

a modulation and coding rate associated with the transmitting of data via uplink.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmit request message indicates an amount of data to be communicated via uplink and a priority class associated with the data.

22. A computer-program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing a computer to receive a first transmit request message from a first access terminal that includes a request to transmit data via uplink;

code for causing the computer to transmit a poll message to a first plurality of access terminals, the poll message including a solicitation for requests to transmit data via uplink from the first plurality of access terminals; and

code for causing the computer to receive transmit request messages from a second plurality of access terminals of the first plurality.

23. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing the computer to select a third plurality of access terminals from the second plurality for assignment of a first simultaneous transmit opportunity based at least in part on the received transmit request messages; and

code for causing the computer to transmit a first transmit start message to the third plurality of access terminals indicating the assignment of the first simultaneous transmit opportunity.

24. The computer-program product of claim 23, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing the computer to receive data from the third plurality of access terminals in accordance with the assignment of the first simultaneous transmit opportunity; and

code for causing the computer to transmit a block acknowledgement message to each of the third plurality of access terminals based at least in part on the received data.

25. The computer-program product of claim 23, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing the computer to store an indication of a transmit request received from at least one of the second plurality of access terminals that was not selected for the first simultaneous transmit opportunity.

26. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the poll message includes a deterministic backoff corresponding to each of the first plurality of access terminals to schedule when each of the first plurality of access terminals is to respond with a transmit request message.

27. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the poll message includes a duration field indicating a time reservation during which transmit request messages from the first plurality of access terminals should be received.

28. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the poll message includes a priority class specification.

29. The computer-program product of claim 23, wherein the first transmit start message includes at least one of

an indication of a spatial stream assigned to each of the third plurality of access terminals,

a priority class of data permitted to be transmitted by each of the third plurality of access terminals,

a time duration for data transmission by the third plurality of access terminals, and

a modulation and coding rate assignment to each of the third plurality of access terminals.

30. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein each of the transmit request messages from the second plurality of access terminals indicates an amount of data to be communicated via uplink and a priority class of the data.

31. The computer-program product of claim 23, wherein the selecting of an access terminal for assignment of the first simultaneous transmit opportunity is based at least in part on at least one of

an amount of data to transmit reported by the access terminal,

an amount of data in a queue of the access terminal, and

a priority class associated with the data to transmit.

32. An apparatus, comprising:

means for generating a poll message, the poll message including a solicitation for requests to simultaneously transmit data via uplink from a first plurality of access terminals and generating a transmit start message indicating an assignment of a simultaneous transmit opportunity to a second plurality of access terminals; and

an antenna configured to transmit the poll message to the first plurality of access terminals of a wireless network and the transmit start message to the second plurality of access terminals.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the means is also for storing an indication of a transmit request received from at least one of the first plurality of access terminals that was not selected for the simultaneous transmit opportunity.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the poll message includes a schedule indicating when each of the first plurality of access terminals is to respond with a transmit request message.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the schedule indicates a deterministic backoff corresponding to each of the first plurality of access terminals.

36. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the transmit start message includes at least one of

an indication of a spatial stream assigned to each of the second plurality of access terminals,

a priority class of data permitted to be transmitted by each of the second plurality of access terminals,

a time duration for data transmission by the second plurality of access terminals, and

a modulation and coding rate assignment for each of the second plurality of access terminals.

37. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the means and the antenna are elements of a wireless access point operable to provide simultaneous access to multiple, spatially separated access terminals.