METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SCHEDULING A NARROWBAND RESPONSE TO WIDEBAND DATA IN A HIGH-EFFICIENCY WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK

• US 20170079011A1
• Filed: 09/11/2015
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Kenney, Thomas J., Ghosh, Chittabrata
• Granted Patent: US 9,913,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for scheduling a narrowband uplink transmission from a wireless station to a wireless access point in response to a station-specific wideband downlink transmission from the access point to the station. A station-specific downlink frame includes a station identifier associated with the station, and further includes resource allocation information associated with an uplink transmission channel over which the station is to transmit an uplink frame. The station-specific downlink frame is transmitted from the access point to the station over a downlink transmission channel having an associated downlink bandwidth. Based on the resource allocation information, the access point receives the uplink frame from the station over the uplink transmission channel. The uplink transmission channel has an associated uplink bandwidth that is narrower than the downlink bandwidth of the downlink transmission channel. In some disclosed examples, the uplink transmission channel is a sub-channel of the downlink transmission channel.

Claims

1. A wireless access point to schedule a narrowband response to wideband data, the wireless access point comprising:

a communication manager to identify (a) a station identifier associated with a wireless station and (b) resource allocation information associated with an uplink transmission channel over which the wireless station is to transmit an uplink frame;

a transmitter to transmit a station-specific downlink frame from the wireless access point to the wireless station over a downlink transmission channel, the downlink transmission channel having an associated downlink bandwidth, the station-specific downlink frame including the station identifier and the resource allocation information; and

a receiver to, based on the resource allocation information, receive the uplink frame at the wireless access point from the wireless station over the uplink transmission channel, the uplink transmission channel having an associated uplink bandwidth that is narrower than the downlink bandwidth of the downlink transmission channel, the uplink transmission channel being a sub-channel of the downlink transmission channel.

2. A wireless access point as defined in claim 1, wherein the communication manager is further to specify a minimum resource unit for the uplink frame, the minimum resource unit corresponding to the uplink transmission channel, the resource allocation information being indicative of the minimum resource unit.

3. A wireless access point as defined in claim 1, wherein the communication manager is further to generate a resource selection notification that notifies the wireless station to select a minimum resource unit for the uplink frame from among a plurality of available minimum resource units corresponding to available sub-channels of the downlink transmission channel, the minimum resource unit corresponding to the uplink transmission channel, the resource allocation information including the resource selection notification.

4. A wireless access point as defined in claim 1, wherein the downlink bandwidth is 20 MHz.

5. A wireless access point as defined in claim 1, wherein the uplink bandwidth is about 2.03 MHz.

6. A wireless access point as defined in claim 1, wherein the uplink frame includes an acknowledgement frame.

7. A wireless access point as defined in claim 1, wherein the station-specific downlink frame further includes timing information associated with a time by which the wireless station is to transmit the uplink frame to the wireless access point.

8. A method to schedule a narrowband response to wideband data, the method comprising:

identifying a station identifier associated with a wireless station;

identifying resource allocation information associated with an uplink transmission channel over which the wireless station is to transmit an uplink frame;

transmitting a station-specific downlink frame from a wireless access point to the wireless station over a downlink transmission channel, the downlink transmission channel having an associated downlink bandwidth, the station-specific downlink frame including the station identifier and the resource allocation information; and

based on the resource allocation information, receiving the uplink frame at the wireless access point from the wireless station over the uplink transmission channel, the uplink transmission channel having an associated uplink bandwidth that is narrower than the downlink bandwidth of the downlink transmission channel, the uplink transmission channel being a sub-channel of the downlink transmission channel.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein identifying the resource allocation information includes specifying a minimum resource unit for the uplink frame, the minimum resource unit corresponding to the uplink transmission channel, the resource allocation information being indicative of the minimum resource unit.

10. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein identifying the resource allocation information includes generating a resource selection notification that notifies the wireless station to select a minimum resource unit for the uplink frame from among a plurality of available minimum resource units corresponding to available sub-channels of the downlink transmission channel, the minimum resource unit corresponding to the uplink transmission channel, the resource allocation information including the resource selection notification.

11. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the downlink bandwidth is 20 MHz.

12. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the uplink bandwidth is about 2.03 MHz.

13. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the uplink frame includes an acknowledgement frame.

14. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the station-specific downlink frame further includes timing information associated with a time by which the wireless station is to transmit the uplink frame to the wireless access point.

15. A tangible machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a wireless access point to, at least:

identify a station identifier associated with a wireless station;

identify resource allocation information associated with an uplink transmission channel over which the wireless station is to transmit an uplink frame;

transmit a station-specific downlink frame from the wireless access point to the wireless station over a downlink transmission channel, the downlink transmission channel having an associated downlink bandwidth, the station-specific downlink frame including the station identifier and the resource allocation information; and

based on the resource allocation information, receive the uplink frame at the wireless access point from the wireless station over the uplink transmission channel, the uplink transmission channel having an associated uplink bandwidth that is narrower than the downlink bandwidth of the downlink transmission channel, the uplink transmission channel being a sub-channel of the downlink transmission channel.

16. A machine-readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to specify a minimum resource unit for the uplink frame, the minimum resource unit corresponding to the uplink transmission channel, the resource allocation information being indicative of the minimum resource unit.

17. A machine-readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to generate a resource selection notification that notifies the wireless station to select a minimum resource unit for the uplink frame from among a plurality of available minimum resource units corresponding to available sub-channels of the downlink transmission channel, the minimum resource unit corresponding to the uplink transmission channel, the resource allocation information including the resource selection notification.

18. A machine-readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the downlink bandwidth is 20 MHz.

19. A machine-readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the uplink bandwidth is about 2.03 MHz.

20. A machine-readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the uplink frame includes an acknowledgement frame.

21. A machine-readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein station-specific downlink frame further includes timing information associated with a time by which the wireless station is to transmit the uplink frame to the wireless access point.

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