SYNCHRONIZED GROUP MESSAGING

• US 20180324306A1
• Filed: 07/17/2018
• Published: 11/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Zhou, Yan, Merlin, Simone, Cherian, George, Abraham, Santosh Paul, Barriac, Gwendolyn Denise, Sampath, Hemanth
• Granted Patent: US 10,523,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting broadcasting in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/356 Phonecasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

Devices and methods for synchronized group messaging in a wireless communication system are described. Multicast transmissions, such as those in a dense network, can cause significant medium usage because same multicast packet is likely sent by multiple APs at different time. Medium usage in such implementations may be redundant. As such, the transmission medium is not used optimally. Devices and methods which coordinate and align group messages (e.g., multicast packets) amongst APs are described. Each AP may be configured to transmit identical packets at the same time. Therefore, medium usage can be reduced, while the range can be extended due to accumulated energy from APs.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing wireless communications, comprising:

receiving, by a first access point, a message over a wireless communication channel;

determining, by the first access point, a common transmission time for synchronous wireless communications by a group of access points based on the message, the group of access points including the first access point and at least one second access point; and

transmitting, by the first access point, based on the common transmission time, a first wireless communication to at least one first wireless communication device synchronously with at least one second wireless communication from the at least one second access point to at least one second wireless communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronous wireless communications comprise a first set of simultaneous wireless communications, the first set of simultaneous wireless communications including the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication includes a multicast packet including identical content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received message includes a trigger frame, and wherein the transmitting of the first wireless communication is in response to receiving the trigger frame.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the received message indicates a common transmission time interval, the method further comprising determining the common transmission time based on the indicated common transmission time interval.

6. The method of claim 1, further including:

performing a clear channel assessment sensing prior to the common transmission time; and

in response to determining that a wireless communication channel is clear based on the clear channel sensing, transmitting a message to reserve the wireless communication channel for the synchronous wireless communications including the first wireless communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the group of access points is associated with a group temporal key (GTK), and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication is encrypted based on the GTK;

or

the group of access points is associated with a common transmit Media Access Control (MAC) address, and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication includes the common transmit MAC address;

or

the group of access points is associated with a common MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) sequence number, and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication includes the common MPDU sequence number.

8. A method for synchronizing wireless communications, comprising:

determining, by a first access point, a common transmission time for synchronous wireless communications by a group of access points, the group of access points including the first access point and at least one second access point;

transmitting, by the first access point, a trigger frame to the group of access points prior to the common transmission time, the trigger frame indicating the common transmission time; and

transmitting, by the first access point, based on the common transmission time, a first wireless communication to at least one first wireless communication device synchronously with at least one second wireless communication from the at least one second access point to at least one second wireless communication device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising exchanging one or more frames with the at least one second access point to establish the first access point as a master access point.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving access point information, the access point information including one or more of;

a load on the at least one second access point, wireless channel information, or an identification of multicast streams to be used for the synchronized wireless communications; and

determining the common transmission time based on the access point information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one second wireless communication is associated with at least one first multicast stream, the method further comprising determining a second common transmission time for a second set of synchronous wireless communications associated with at least one second multicast stream different than the at least one first multicast stream, the second common transmission time being staggered relative to the common transmission time.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the common transmission time is one of a series of common transmission times for the group of access points, the method further including adapting a rate of the common transmission times for the group of access points based on an indication of link quality.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the synchronous wireless communications comprise a first set of simultaneous wireless communications, the first set of simultaneous wireless communications including the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication includes a multicast packet including identical content.

15. The method of claim 8, further including:

performing a clear channel assessment sensing prior to the common transmission time; and

in response to determining that a wireless communication channel is clear based on the clear channel sensing, transmitting a message to reserve the wireless communication channel for the synchronous wireless communications including the first wireless communication.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the group of access points is associated with a group temporal key (GTK), and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication is encrypted based on the GTK;

or

the group of access points is associated with a common transmit Media Access Control (MAC) address, and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication includes the common transmit MAC address;

or

the group of access points is associated with a common MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) sequence number, and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication includes the common MPDU sequence number.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the group of access points is a first group of access points;

the synchronous wireless communications including the trigger frame and the first wireless communication are transmitted on a first primary wireless channel of the first group of access points; and

the method further includes transmitting group messaging transmit time offset information, the group messaging transmit time offset information identifying at least one second common transmission time associated with at least one second group of access points operating on at least one second primary wireless channel different than the first primary wireless channel.

18. An access point, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory communicatively coupled with the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the access point to;

receive a message over a wireless communication channel;

determine a common transmission time for synchronous wireless communications by a group of access points based on the message, the group of access points including the access point and at least one second access point; and

transmit, based on the common transmission time, a first wireless communication to at least one first wireless communication device synchronously with at least one second wireless communication from the at least one second access point to at least one second wireless communication device.

19. The access point of claim 18, wherein the received message includes a trigger frame, and wherein the transmission of the first wireless communication is in response to receiving the trigger frame.

20. The access point of claim 18, wherein the received message indicates a common transmission time interval, the method further comprising determining the common transmission time based on the indicated common transmission time interval.

21. The access point of claim 18, further including:

performing a clear channel assessment sensing prior to the common transmission time; and

in response to determining that a wireless communication channel is clear based on the clear channel sensing, transmitting a message to reserve the wireless communication channel for the synchronous wireless communications including the first wireless communication.

22. The access point of claim 18, wherein:

the group of access points is associated with a group temporal key (GTK), and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication is encrypted based on the GTK;

or

the group of access points is associated with a common transmit Media Access Control (MAC) address, and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication includes the common transmit MAC address;

or

the group of access points is associated with a common MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) sequence number, and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication includes the common MPDU sequence number.

23. An access point, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory communicatively coupled with the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the access point to;

determine a common transmission time for synchronous wireless communications by a group of access points, the group of access points including the access point and at least one second access point;

transmit a trigger frame to the group of access points prior to the common transmission time, the trigger frame indicating the common transmission time; and

transmit, based on the common transmission time, a first wireless communication to at least one first wireless communication device synchronously with at least one second wireless communication from the at least one second access point to at least one second wireless communication device.

24. The access point of claim 23, wherein the code further causes the access point to exchange one or more frames with the at least one second access point to establish the access point as a master access point.

25. The access point of claim 23, wherein:

the group of access points is associated with a group temporal key (GTK), and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication is encrypted based on the GTK;

or

the group of access points is associated with a common transmit Media Access Control (MAC) address, and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication includes the common transmit MAC address;

or

the group of access points is associated with a common MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) sequence number, and wherein each of the first wireless communication and the at least one second wireless communication includes the common MPDU sequence number.