Multi-User Ranging with Unassociated Stations

• US 20180070330A1
• Filed: 09/05/2017
• Published: 03/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: CHU, Liwen, TAMHANE, Sagar A., BERGER, Christian R., GRANDHE, Niranjan, ZHANG, Hongyuan, LOU, Hui-Ling
• Granted Patent: US 10,142,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/252 Employing an initial estimate of location in generating assistance data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0226 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/02 Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas RAKE receivers H04B1/7115
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0697 using spatial multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/121 for groups of terminals or users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 : based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/563 : of the wireless resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 : Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

A first communication i) selects one or more respective preliminary identifiers (IDs) for one or more second communication devices, or ii) receives one or more respective preliminary IDs from one or more second communication devices, the one or more respective preliminary IDs having been respectively selected by the one or more second communication devices. The first communication device generates a trigger frame, the trigger frame indicating one or more first frequency resource and/or spatial stream allocations to one or more second communication devices using the one or more respective preliminary IDs. The first communication device transmits the trigger frame to initiate at least an uplink (UL) MU transmission by multiple second communication devices for a ranging procedure.

Claims

1. A method for multi-user (MU) communications in a wireless communication network, the MU communications between a first communication device that manages the wireless communication network and a plurality of second communication devices, wherein a first set of one or more second communication devices is not associated with the wireless communication network and has not been assigned association identifiers (IDs) by the first communication device, and wherein a second set of one or more second communication devices is associated with the wireless communication network and has been assigned association IDs by the first communication device, the method comprising:

one of i) selecting, at the first communication device, one or more respective preliminary IDs for one or more second communication devices in the first set, or ii) receiving, at the first communication device, one or more respective preliminary IDs from one or more second communication devices in the first set, the one or more respective preliminary IDs having been respectively selected by the one or more second communication devices in the first set;

generating, at the first communication device, a trigger frame, the trigger frame including one or more respective first fields respectively indicating one or more first frequency resource and/or spatial stream allocations to one or more second communication devices in the first set, the one or more respective first frequency resource and/or spatial stream allocations respectively indicated by the one or more respective preliminary IDs; and

transmitting, with the communication device, the trigger frame to initiate at least an uplink (UL) MU transmission by multiple second communication devices according to the one or more first frequency resource and/or spatial stream allocations in the trigger frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the trigger frame includes generating the trigger frame to include one or more respective second fields respectively indicating one or more second frequency resource and/or spatial stream allocations to one or more second communication devices in the second set, the one or more respective second frequency resource and/or spatial stream allocations respectively indicated by one or more respective association IDs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the trigger frame is associated with a MU ranging procedure that includes an MU ranging exchange between the first communication device and the multiple second communication devices; and

the MU ranging exchange includes the UL MU OFDMA transmission by the multiple second communication devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the MU ranging procedure includes a first stage corresponding to a service negotiation between the first communication device and the plurality of second communication devices, and ii) a second stage corresponding to the MU ranging exchange;

the UL MU transmission is a first UL MU transmission;

the first UL MU transmission is received during the second stage; and

the method further comprises receiving, at the first communication device, a second UL MU transmission during the first stage, the second UL MU transmission including one or more transmissions respectively by one or more second communication devices in the first set using frequency resources obtained by the one or more second communication devices in the first set via contention.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

selecting, at the first communication device, one or more respective preliminary IDs for the one or more second communication devices in the first set that transmitted as part of the second UL MU transmission.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting the one or more respective preliminary IDs for the one or more second communication devices in the first set that transmitted as part of the second UL MU transmission comprises:

generating, at the first communication device, a hash value using i) a hash function, and ii) a media access control (MAC) address of one of the second communication devices in the first set that transmitted as part of the second UL MU transmission; and

selecting the hash value as a preliminary ID of the one second communication device.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

generating, at the first communication device, a multi-station block acknowledgment frame responsive to the second UL MU transmission, the multi-station block acknowledgment frame including information that respectively indicates to the one or more second communication devices in the first set that transmitted as part of the second UL MU transmission the one or more respective preliminary IDs selected by the first communication device for the one or more second communication devices in the first set; and

transmitting, with the first communication device, the multi-station block acknowledgment frame to inform the one or more second communication devices in the first set that transmitted as part of the second UL MU transmission the one or more respective preliminary IDs selected by the first communication device for the one or more second communication devices in the first set.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the multi-station block acknowledgment frame includes:

generating the multi-station block acknowledgment frame to include a plurality of block acknowledgement (BA) fields arranged in an order corresponding to an order of frequency resource units and/or spatial streams utilized by different second communication devices in the second UL MU transmission, wherein a first set of one or more BA fields respectively includes the one or more respective preliminary IDs selected by the first communication device for the one or more second communication devices in the first set.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the multi-station block acknowledgment frame includes:

generating the multi-station block acknowledgment frame to include a plurality of block acknowledgement (BA) fields, wherein a first set of one or more BA fields respectively includes i) the one or more respective preliminary IDs selected by the first communication device for the one or more second communication devices in the first set, and ii) one or more respective indications of one or more frequency resource units respectively utilized by the one or more second communication devices in the first set for the second UL MU transmission.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the multi-station block acknowledgment frame includes:

generating the multi-station block acknowledgment frame to include a plurality of block acknowledgement (BA) fields, wherein a first set of one or more BA fields respectively includes i) the one or more respective preliminary IDs selected by the first communication device for the one or more second communication devices in the first set, and ii) one or more respective media access control (MAC) addresses of the one or more second communication devices in the first set.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the second UL MU OFDMA transmission includes one or more respective fields that respectively indicate one or more respective preliminary IDs respectively selected by the one or more second communication devices in the first set that transmitted as part of the second UL MU OFDMA transmission.

12. An apparatus for use in a wireless communication network that includes a first communication device that manages the wireless communication network and a plurality of second communication devices, wherein a first set of one or more second communication devices is not associated with the wireless communication network and has not been assigned association identifiers (IDs) by the first communication device, and wherein a second set of one or more second communication devices is associated with the wireless communication network and has been assigned association IDs by the first communication device, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface device associated with the first communication device, wherein the network interface device includes one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to;

one of i) select one or more respective preliminary IDs for one or more second communication devices in the first set, or ii) receive one or more respective preliminary IDs from one or more second communication devices in the first set, the one or more respective preliminary IDs having been respectively selected by the one or more second communication devices in the first set;

wherein the network interface device comprises a media access control layer (MAC) processor implemented on the one or more ICs, the MAC processor configured to generate a trigger frame, the trigger frame including one or more respective first fields respectively indicating one or more first frequency resource and/or spatial stream allocations to one or more second communication devices in the first set, the one or more respective first frequency resource and/or spatial stream allocations respectively indicated by the one or more respective preliminary IDs; and

wherein the network interface device further comprises a physical layer (PHY) processor implemented on the one or more ICs and coupled to the MAC processor, the PHY processor configured to generate a PHY data unit for transmission via one or more antennas of the communication device, the PHY data unit including the trigger frame, wherein transmission of the trigger frame initiates at least an uplink (UL) multi user (MU) transmission by multiple second communication devices according to the one or more first frequency resource and/or spatial stream allocations in the trigger frame.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the MAC processor is configured to generate the trigger frame to include one or more respective second fields respectively indicating one or more second frequency resource and/or spatial stream allocations to one or more second communication devices in the second set, the one or more respective second frequency resource and/or spatial stream allocations respectively indicated by one or more respective association IDs.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the trigger frame is associated with a MU ranging procedure that includes an MU ranging exchange between the first communication device and the multiple second communication devices; and

the MU ranging exchange includes the UL MU transmission by the multiple second communication devices.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the MU ranging procedure includes i) a first stage corresponding to a service negotiation between the first communication device and the plurality of second communication devices, and ii) a second stage corresponding to the MU ranging exchange;

the UL MU transmission is a first UL MU transmission;

the first UL MU transmission is received during the second stage; and

the network interface is configured to receive a second UL MU transmission during the first stage, the second UL MU transmission including one or more transmissions respectively by one or more second communication devices in the first set using frequency resources obtained by the one or more second communication devices in the first set via contention.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the MAC processor is configured to:

select one or more respective preliminary IDs for the one or more second communication devices in the first set that transmitted as part of the second UL MU transmission.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the MAC processor is configured to:

generate a hash value using i) a hash function, and ii) a media access control (MAC) address of one of the second communication devices in the first set that transmitted as part of the second UL MU OFDMA transmission; and

select the hash value as a preliminary ID of the one second communication device.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the PHY data unit is a first PHY data unit;

the MAC processor is configured to generate a multi-station block acknowledgment frame responsive to the second UL MU transmission, the multi-station block acknowledgment frame including information that respectively indicates to the one or more second communication devices in the first set that transmitted as part of the second UL MU transmission the one or more respective preliminary IDs selected by the first communication device for the one or more second communication devices in the first set; and

the PHY processor is configured to generate a second PHY data unit for transmission via, one or more antennas of the communication device, the second PHY data unit including the multi-station block acknowledgment frame, wherein transmission of the multi-station block acknowledgment frame informs the one or more second communication devices in the first set that transmitted as part of the second UL MU transmission the one or more respective preliminary IDs selected by the first communication device for the one or more second communication devices in the first set.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the MAC processor is configured to:

generate the multi-station block acknowledgment frame to include a plurality of block acknowledgement (BA) fields arranged in an order corresponding to an order of frequency resource units utilized by different second communication devices in the second UL MU transmission, wherein a first set of one or more BA fields respectively includes the one or more respective preliminary IDs selected by the first communication device for the one or more second communication devices in the first set.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the MAC processor is configured to:

generate the multi-station block acknowledgment frame to include a plurality of block acknowledgement (BA) fields, wherein a first set of one or more BA fields respectively includes i) the one or more respective preliminary IDs selected by the first communication device for the one or more second communication devices in the first set, and ii) one or more respective indications of one or more frequency resource units respectively utilized by the one or more second communication devices in the first set for the second UL MU transmission.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the MAC processor is configured to:

generate the multi-station block acknowledgment frame to include a plurality of block acknowledgement (BA) fields, wherein a first set of one or more BA fields respectively includes i) the one or more respective preliminary IDs selected by the first communication device for the one or more second communication devices in the first set, and ii) one or more respective media access control (MAC) addresses of the one or more second communication devices in the first set.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the second UL MU OFDMA transmission includes one or more respective fields that respectively indicate one or more respective preliminary IDs respectively selected by the one or more second communication devices in the first set that transmitted as part of the second UL MU OFDMA transmission.