SMART ANTENNA ARRAY CONFIGURATION FOR MULTIPLE-INPUT MULTIPLE-OUTPUT COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20140269964A1
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Du, Shu, Gao, Qinghai, Cho, James Simon, Chen, Chin-Hung, Van Nee, Didier Johannes Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,124,318 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/267
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/009 arrangements specific to transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/06 using space diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1621 Group acknowledgement, i.e. the acknowledgement message defining a range of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal

Abstract

An access point can include an array of antennas and a smart antenna selector. The smart antenna selector is configured to select a subset of antennas from the antenna array for use in multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU MIMO) data transmissions. Stations that are communicatively coupled to the access point can be selected for inclusion in a multi-user group based, at least in part, on performance measurements of the stations. Performance measurements are determined directly and indirectly from data transmissions sent in response to sounding packets. Antennas for use in MU MIMO data transmissions are selected for the antenna array based, at least in part, on previous antenna selections used for single user data transmissions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

logically forming, at an access point including a plurality of antennas, a multi-user group for a multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) data transmission based, at least in part, on similar station performance measurements of stations included in the multi-user group;

selecting a first subset of antennas from the plurality of antennas to transmit a multi-user MIMO data transmission to the multi-user group;

receiving a data transmission responsive to a sounding packet transmitted by the access point from the first subset of antennas; and

sending the multi-user MIMO data transmission based, at least in part, on the received data transmission responsive to the sounding packet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the first subset of antennas is based, at least in part on:

determining a second subset of antennas used to communicate with a first station of the multi-user group, wherein the first station is communicatively coupled to the access point in a first single user configuration; and

determining a third subset of antennas used to communicate with a second station of the multi-user group, wherein the second station is communicatively coupled to the access point in a second single user configuration,

wherein selecting the first subset of antennas further comprises selecting at least one antenna common to the second subset of antennas and the third subset of antennas.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein logically forming the multi-user group based, at least in part, on the station performance measurements further comprises determining whether a first station modulation coding scheme associated with a first station from the multi-user group is similar to a second station modulation coding scheme associated with a second station from the multi-user group, wherein the first station and the second station are communicably coupled to the access point.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein logically forming the multi-user group based, at least in part, on the station performance measurements further comprises determining whether a first station data queue depth associated with a first station from the multi-user group is similar to a second station data queue depth associated with a second station from the multi-user group, wherein the first station and the second station are communicably coupled to the access point.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein logically forming the multi-user group based, at least in part, on the station performance measurements further comprises determining one of received signal strength, signal to noise ratio and packet error rates associated with the sounding packet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the data transmission responsive to the sounding packet further comprises receiving beamforming reports from a first station from the multi-user group and a second station from the multi-user group, wherein the first station and the second station are communicably coupled to the access point.

7. A method comprising:

logically forming, at an access point including a plurality of antennas, a multi-user group for a multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) data transmission;

selecting a first subset of antennas from the plurality of antennas;

receiving a first beamforming report responsive to a first sounding packet transmitted from the first subset of antennas;

determining a first communication channel based, at least in part, on the first beamforming report;

selecting a second subset of antennas from the plurality of antennas;

receiving a second beamforming report responsive to a second sounding packet transmitted from the second subset of antennas;

determining a second communication channel based, at least in part on the second beamforming report;

and

selecting an antenna configuration based, at least in part, on a correlation between the first communication channel and the second communication channel.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining a first receive signal strength associated with the first subset of antennas and a second receive signal strength associated with the second subset of antennas wherein the selecting the antenna configuration is based, at least in part, on the correlation between the first communication channel and the second communication channel and the first receive signal strength and the second receive signal strength.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining a channel correlation coefficient based, at least in part, on the correlation, wherein the selecting the antenna configuration is based, at least in part, on the channel correlation coefficient.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the selecting the antenna configuration is based, at least in part, on the correlation indicating dissimilar communication channels.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein logically forming the multi-user group is based, at least in part, on determining whether a first station modulation coding scheme is similar to a second station modulation coding scheme.

12. A device comprising:

an antenna selector configured to form a multi-user group for a multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) data transmission based, at least in part, on station performance measurements of stations included in the multi-user group;

an antenna array;

an antenna routing module coupled to the antenna array and configured to select a first subset of antennas from the antenna array to transmit a multi-user MIMO data transmission to the multi-user group;

a receive processing unit configured to receive a first data transmission from the multi-user group sent in response to a first sounding packet transmitted by the device through the first subset of antennas; and

a transmit processing unit configured to send the multi-user MIMO data transmission based, at least in part, on the received first data transmission responsive to the first sounding packet.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the antenna selector is further configured to determine the station performance measurements based, at least in part, on whether a first station modulation coding scheme associated with a first station from the multi-user group is similar to a second station modulation coding scheme associated with a second station from the multi-user group, wherein the first station and the second station are communicatively coupled to the device.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the antenna selector is further configured to determine the station performance measurements based, at least in part, on whether a first station data queue depth associated with a first station from the multi-user group is similar to a second station data queue depth associated with a second station from the multi-user group, wherein the first station and the second station are communicatively coupled to the device.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the antenna selector is further configured to determine the station performance measurements based, at least in part, on one of received signal strength, signal to noise ratio and packet error rates associated with the first sounding packet.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the receive processing unit is further configured to:

receive a second data transmission from the multi-user group sent in response to a second sounding packet transmitted by the device through a second subset of antennas;

determine a first communication channel based, at least in part, on the first data transmission; and

determine a second communication channel based, at least in part, on the second data transmission,

wherein the antenna selector is further configured to determine a correlation between the first communication channel and the second communication channel.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the antenna routing module is further configured to select a subset of antennas based, at least in part, on the correlation.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage media having machine instructions stored therein, the machine executable instructions comprising instructions to:

form, at an access point including a plurality of antennas, a multi-user group for a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) data transmission based, at least in part, on station performance measurements of stations included in the multi-user group;

select a first subset of antennas from the plurality of antennas to transmit a multi-user MIMO data transmission to the multi-user group;

receive a data transmission responsive to a sounding packet transmitted from the first subset of antennas; and

send the multi-user MIMO data transmission based, at least in part, on the received data transmission responsive to the sounding packet.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein operations to select the first subset of antennas further comprise instructions to:

determine a second subset of antennas used to communicate with a first station of the multi-user group in a first single user configuration, wherein the first station is communicatively coupled to the access point; and

determine a third subset of antennas used to communicate with a second station of the multi-user group in a second single user configuration, wherein the second station is communicatively coupled to the access point,

wherein selecting the first subset of antennas further comprises selecting at least one antenna common to the second subset of antennas and the third subset of antennas.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein operations to form the multi-user group based, at least in part, on the station performance measurements further comprise instructions to determine whether a first station modulation coding scheme associated with a first station from the multi-user group is similar to a second station modulation coding scheme associated with a second station from the multi-user group, wherein the first station and the second station are communicatively coupled to the access point.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein operations to form the multi-user group based, at least in part, on the station performance measurements further comprise instructions to determine whether a first station data queue depth associated with a first station from the multi-user group is similar to a second station data queue depth associated with a second station from the multi-user group, wherein the first station and the second station are communicatively coupled to the access point.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein operations to form the multi-user group based, at least in part, on the station performance measurements further comprise instructions to determine one of received signal strength, signal to noise ratio and packet error rates associated with the sounding packet.

23. A device comprising:

means for forming, at an access point including a plurality of antennas, a multi-user group for a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) data transmission based, at least in part, on station performance measurements of stations included in the multi-user group;

means for selecting a first subset of antennas from the plurality of antennas to transmit a multi-user MIMO data transmission to the multi-user group;

means for receiving a data transmission responsive to a sounding packet transmitted from the first subset of antennas; and

means for sending the multi-user MIMO data transmission based, at least in part, on the received data transmission responsive to the sounding packet.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the means for selecting the first subset of antennas further comprises:

means for determining a second subset of antennas used to communicate with a first station from the multi-user group in a first single user configuration, wherein the first station is communicatively coupled to the access point; and

means for determining a third subset of antennas used to communicate with a second station from the multi-user group in a second single user configuration, wherein the second station is communicatively coupled to the access point,

wherein selecting the first subset of antennas further comprises selecting at least one antenna common to the second subset of antennas and the third subset of antennas.

25. The device of claim 23, wherein the means for forming a multi-user group further comprises a means for determining whether a first station data queue depth associated with a first station from the multi-user group is similar to a second station data queue depth associated with a second station from the multi-user group, wherein the first station and the second station are communicatively coupled to the access point.

26. The device of claim 23, wherein the means for forming the multi-user group based, at least in part, on the station performance measurements further comprises determining one of received signal strength, signal to noise ratio and packet error rates associated with the sounding packet.