NEIGHBOR NETWORK CHANNEL REUSE WITH MIMO CAPABLE STATIONS

• US 20150172036A1
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Katar, Srinivas, Zhu, Hao, Rende, Deniz, Yonge, Lawrence Winston III
• Granted Patent: US 9,137,004 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5408 using protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5425 improving S/N by matching impedance, noise reduction, gain control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5466 using three phases conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/544 Setting up communications; Call and signalling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0092 Indication of how the channel is divided
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0096 Indication of changes in allocation

Abstract

Channel reuse may be used so that multiple networks may communicate via a shared powerline communication (PLC) medium. In a PLC network that supports different transmission modes, channel reuse may be improved by determining signal performance metrics associated with the different transmission modes. A transmission mode may be selected to facilitate channel reuse of the PLC medium by the local network and neighbor network. A first device and a second device may belong to a local network that shares the PLC medium with a neighbor network. The transmission mode may be selected based on interference and signal measurements at one or more receivers of the second device. The transmission mode may be selected from a group comprising a 2-stream multi-input multi-output (MIMO) eigen-beamforming transmission mode, a 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode, and a 1-stream single-input-single-output (SISO) transmission mode.

Claims

1. A method for managing communication in a powerline communication (PLC) network, the method comprising:

selecting a transmission mode for a transmission from a first device to a second device via a PLC medium, the first device and second device belonging to a local network that shares the PLC medium with a neighbor network, the transmission mode selected to facilitate channel reuse of the PLC medium by the local network and neighbor network,

wherein the transmission mode is selected from a group comprising a 2-stream multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) eigen-beamforming transmission mode, a 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode, and a 1-stream single-input-single-output (SISO) transmission mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining interference associated with a plurality of receivers of the second device, and

wherein the transmission mode is selected based, at least in part, on the interference.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting the transmission mode is performed by the second device, the method further comprising:

indicating the selected transmission mode.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein indicating the selected transmission mode comprises communicating an indication from the second device to the first device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein indicating the selected transmission mode comprises communicating an indication from the second device to a central coordinator of the local network.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein indicating the selected transmission mode comprises communicating a management message (MME), a channel estimation message, or a tone mask message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting the transmission mode is performed by the first device, the method further comprising:

receiving, from the second device, interference measurements associated with a plurality of receivers of the second device, and

wherein the transmission mode is selected based, at least in part, on the interference measurements received from the second device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission mode is selected based, at least in part, on interference measurements at a plurality of receivers of the second device, the method further comprising:

determining a first path signal performance metric based, at least in part, on the interference measurements associated with a first receiver of the second device; and

determining a second path signal performance metric based, at least in part, on the interference measurements associated with a second receiver of the second device,

wherein the 2-stream MIMO eigen-beamforming transmission mode is selected responsive to both the first path signal performance metric and the second path signal performance metric being above a first threshold associated with the 2-stream MIMO eigen-beamforming transmission mode.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein the 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode is selected responsive to the first path signal performance metric or the second path signal performance metric being above a second threshold associated with the 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the 1-stream SISO transmission mode is selected responsive to the first path signal performance metric or the second path signal performance metric being above a third threshold associated the 1-stream SISO transmission mode.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

calculating a combined signal performance estimate based, at least in part, on the first path signal performance metric and the second path signal performance metric,

wherein the 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode is selected responsive to the combined signal performance estimate being above a second predetermined threshold associated with the 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said calculating the combined signal performance estimate includes performing an equal gain combining (EGC) calculation.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said calculating the combined signal performance estimate includes performing a maximal ration combining (MRC) calculation.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the transmission mode for the transmission from the first device to the second device comprises:

selecting a first transmission mode between the first device and a third device, wherein the first transmission mode comprises a SISO transmission mode; and

selecting a second transmission mode between the third device and the second device, wherein the second transmission mode comprises a MIMO transmission mode.

15. A powerline communication (PLC) device, comprising:

a channel reuse determination unit configured to select a transmission mode for a transmission from a first device to a second device via a PLC medium, the first device and the second device belonging to a local network that shares the PLC medium with a neighbor network, the transmission mode is selected to facilitate channel reuse of the PLC medium by the local network and neighbor network,

wherein the transmission mode is selected from a group comprising a 2-stream multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) eigen-beamforming transmission mode, a 1-stream MIMO pot-beamforming transmission mode, and a 1-stream single-input-single-output (SISO) transmission mode.

16. The PLC device of claim 15,

wherein the channel reuse determination unit is further configured to determine interference associated with a plurality of receivers that communicate via the PLC medium, and

wherein the channel reuse determination unit is further configured to select the transmission mode based, at least in part, on the interference.

17. The PLC device of claim 15, further comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit an indicator of the transmission mode.

18. The PLC device of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the indicator to the first device.

19. The PLC device of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the indicator to a central coordinator of the local network.

20. The PLC device of claim 15,

wherein the channel reuse determination unit is further configured to determine a first path signal performance metric based on interference measurements associated with a first receiver of the second device;

wherein the channel reuse determination unit is further configured to determine a second path signal performance metric based on the interference measurements associated with a second receiver of the second device; and

wherein the channel reuse determination unit is further configured to select the 2-stream MIMO eigen-beamforming transmission mode responsive to both the first path signal performance metric and the second path signal performance metric being above a first predetermined threshold associated with the 2-stream MIMO eigen-beamforming transmission mode.

21. The PLC device of claim 20,

wherein the channel reuse determination unit is further configured to select the 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode responsive to the first path signal performance metric or the second path signal performance metric being above a second predetermined threshold associated with the 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode.

22. The PLC device of claim 20, further comprising:

wherein the channel reuse determination unit is further configured to calculate a combined signal performance estimate based, at least in part, on the first path signal performance metric and the second path signal performance metric,

wherein the channel reuse determination unit is further configured to select the 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode responsive to the combined signal performance estimate being above a second predetermined threshold associated with the 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode.

23. A non-transitory machine-readable media having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor unit in a powerline communication (PLC) network causes the processor unit to perform operations that comprise:

selecting a transmission mode for a transmission from a first device to a second device via a PLC medium, the first device and second device belonging to a local network that shares the PLC medium with a neighbor network, the transmission mode is selected to facilitate channel reuse of the PLC medium by the local network and neighbor network,

wherein the transmission mode is selected from a group comprising a 2-stream multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) eigen-beamforming transmission mode, a 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode, and a 1-stream single-input-single-output (SISO) transmission mode.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor unit, causes the processor unit to perform operations that further comprise:

determining interference associated with a plurality of receivers of the second device, and

wherein the transmission mode is selected based, at least in part, on the interference.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor unit, causes the processor unit to perform operations that further comprise:

indicating the selected transmission mode.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor unit, causes the processor unit to perform operations that further comprise:

determining a first path signal performance metric based on interference measurements associated with a first receiver of the second device;

determining a second path signal performance metric based on interference measurements associated with a second receiver of the second device; and

wherein the 2-stream MIMO eigen-beamforming transmission mode is selected responsive to the first path signal performance metric and the second path signal performance metric being above a first predetermined threshold associated with the 2-stream MIMO eigen-beamforming transmission mode.

27. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 26, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor unit, causes the processor unit to perform operations that further comprise:

calculating a combined signal performance estimate based, at least in part, on the first path signal performance metric and the second path signal performance metric,

wherein the 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode is selected responsive to the combined signal performance estimate being above a second predetermined threshold associated with the 1-stream MIMO spot-beamforming transmission mode.

28. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 27, wherein said calculating the combined signal performance estimate includes performing an equal gain combining (EGC) calculation.

29. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 27, wherein said calculating the combined signal performance estimate includes performing a maximal ration combining (MRC) calculation.

30. The non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 23, wherein selecting the transmission mode for the transmission from the first device to the second device comprises:

selecting a first transmission mode between the first device and a third device, wherein the first transmission mode comprises a SISO transmission mode; and

selecting a second transmission mode between the third device and the second device, wherein the second transmission mode comprises a MIMO transmission mode.