METHODS AND DEVICES FOR SUB-CHANNELIZED TRANSMISSION SCHEMES IN WLANS

• US 20180139635A1
• Filed: 04/29/2016
• Published: 05/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: OTERI, Oghenekome, LOU, Hanqing, SHAH, Nirav B., WANG, Xiaofei, YANG, Rui, ZHANG, Guodong, LA SITA, Frank, OLESEN, Robert L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,986,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/00 Orthogonal multiplex systems, e.g. using WALSH codesH04J13/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/34 TPC management, i.e. sharing limited amount of power among users or channels or data types, e.g. cell loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Device, systems, and/or techniques for using sub-channel signaling information between an access point and a first station are disclosed. An uplink trigger sent from the access point to the first station may be received. A map may be transmitted from the first station indicating at least one sub-channel that is available for spatial sharing by a second station. The first station may receive an acknowledgement from the access point that data was transmitted from the second station on the at least one sub-channel and/or received by the at least one access point. An OFDMA transmission having a sub-channel/sub-band available for transmitting data may be determined. An energy in the sub-channel/sub-band may be measured and/or compared to a dynamic and/or static threshold. Whether a sub-channel/sub-band is free or busy may be determined for example based on if the measured energy is, or is not, greater than the threshold.

Claims

1-35. -35. (canceled)

36. A method performed by a first station (STA) in a first Basic Service Set (first BSS), the method comprising:

detecting, via a receiver, information from a trigger frame of an access point (AP) including;

one or more sub-bands of 20 MHz increments available for Overlapping BSS (OBSS) spatial reuse (OBSS SR); and

at least one transmission power threshold for the one or more bands of 20 MHz increments available for the OBSS SR;

constructing, via a processor, a Physical Layer (PHY) preamble for a transmission, the PHY preamble including a signal field, the constructing including placing in the signal field at least one of;

an indication of the one or more subbands of 20 MHz increments available for OBSS SR, or the at least one transmission power threshold for the OBSS SR; and

sending, via a transmitter, a transmission including the preamble of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), at least the preamble being detectable by a second STA in a second BSS.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the PDU is a Physical Layer Convergence Procedure (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU).

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the signal field is a HE-SIGA1 field.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the second BSS is an Overlapping BSS (OBSS).

40. A first station (STA) in a first Basic Service Set (first BSS), the first STA comprising:

a memory;

a receiver, the receiver configured at least to;

detect information from a trigger frame of an access point (AP) including;

one or more sub-bands of 20 MHz increments available for Overlapping BSS (OBSS) spatial reuse (OBSS SR); and

at least one transmission power threshold for the one or more bands of 20 MHz increments available for the OBSS SR;

a processor, the processor configured at least to;

construct a Physical Layer (PHY) preamble for a transmission, the PHY preamble including a signal field, the processor further configured to place in the signal field at least one of;

an indication of the one or more subbands of 20 MHz increments available for OBSS SR, or the at least one transmission power threshold for the OBSS SR; and

a transmitter, the transmitter configured at least to;

send a transmission including the preamble of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), at least the preamble being detectable by a second STA in a second BSS.

41. The first STA of claim 40, wherein the transmitter is further configured such that the PDU is a Physical Layer Convergence Procedure (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU).

42. The first STA of claim 40, wherein the processor is further configured such that the signal field is a HE-SIGA1 field.

43. The first STA of claim 40, wherein the transmitter is further configured such that the preamble is detectable by the second STA in the second BSS, the second BSS being an Overlapping BSS (OBSS).

44. A method performed by a station (STA), the method comprising:

receiving, via a receiver from an access point (AP) device, a request for measurement on at least one sub-band of one or more sub-bands on which the STA is configured to communicate;

performing one or more measurements on the at least one sub-band upon receipt of the request; and

sending, via a transmitter, a measurement report based on the one or more measurements to the AP device.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the STA is an UL orthogonal frequency division multiple access (UL OFDMA) STA.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the AP device is in a first Basic Service Set (BSS), and the STA is in a second BSS.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the first BSS neighbors the second BSS.

48. The method of claim 44, wherein the AP device is in a first Basic Service Set (BSS), the method further comprising:

receiving, via a receiver from the AP device in the first BSS, specific information for a potential for the one or more sub-bands for Overlapping BSS (OBSS) spatial reuse (OBSS SR) for uplink (UL) communication for one or more stations (STAs) in a second BSS, the specific information including one or more thresholds related to each of the one or more sub-bands'"'"' potential for OBSS SR for the UL communication, wherein the specific information for OBSS SR for each of the one or more sub-bands further includes a size of the one or more sub-bands; and

sending, via the transmitter, a transmission that includes at least some of the specific information to at least one of;

the AP, or one or more other stations (STAs) in the first BSS, the transmission being detectable by at least one STA of the one or more STAs in the second BSS.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein at least one of the one or more thresholds is a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) threshold.

50. The method of claim 44, wherein the STA is an Overlapping BSS (OBSS) STA.

51. A station (STA), the STA comprising:

a memory;

a receiver, the receiver configured at least to;

receive, from an access point (AP) device, a request for measurement on at least one sub-band of one or more sub-bands on which the STA is configured to communicate;

a processor, the processor configured at least to;

perform one or more measurements on the at least one sub-band upon receipt of the request; and

a transmitter, the transmitter configured at least to;

send a measurement report based on the one or more measurements to the AP device.

52. The STA of claim 51, wherein the STA is at least one of:

an UL orthogonal frequency division multiple access (UL OFDMA) STA, or an Overlapping BSS (OBSS) STA.

53. The STA of claim 51, wherein the receiver is further configured such that the AP device is in a first Basic Service Set (BSS), and the STA is in a second BSS.

54. The STA of claim 53, wherein the first BSS neighbors the second BSS.

55. The STA of claim 51, wherein the AP device is in a first Basic Service Set (BSS), the receiver being further configured to:

receive, via a receiver from the AP device in the first BSS, specific information for a potential for the one or more sub-bands for Overlapping BSS (OBSS) spatial reuse (OBSS SR) for uplink (UL) communication for one or more stations (STAs) in a second BSS, the specific information including one or more thresholds related to each of the one or more sub-bands'"'"' potential for OBSS SR for the UL communication, wherein the specific information for OBSS SR for each of the one or more sub-bands further includes a size of the one or more sub-bands, and the transmitter being further configured to;

send a transmission that includes at least some of the specific information to at least one of;

the AP, or one or more other stations (STAs) in the first BSS, the transmission being detectable by at least one STA of the one or more STAs in the second BSS.