Scheduling with reverse direction grant in wireless communication systems

• US 8,600,336 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Meylan, Arnaud, Nanda, Sanjiv
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/312,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20070058605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,906 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343.2, 455/343.4, 455/346, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/507, 370/329, 370/346, 370/449
• US Class Current: 455/346
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• 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 74/06 using polling

Abstract

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate increased communication channel bandwidth efficiency in association with scheduled time periods that allocate channel access to particular stations. According to various aspects, systems and methods are described that facilitate providing and/or utilizing reverse direction grants in connection with scheduled channel access. Such systems and/or method can mitigate an amount of unused channel access time after a station completes data transmission prior to an end of the allocated period.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

receiving a multi-poll frame, at a recipient from an access point, that schedules transmissions for a number of time periods associated with transmission opportunities;

communicating data, to the access point from the recipient in a first direction, during a particular one of the scheduled time periods associated with a particular transmission opportunity according to the multi-poll frame;

transmitting a reverse direction grant, to the access point from the recipient in the first direction, during the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity, the reverse direction grant enables the access point to transmit data in a second direction to the recipient using the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity; and

receiving data, from the access point, in the second direction during the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity wherein the first direction is opposite the second direction.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising evaluating whether to transmit the reverse direction grant.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining an amount of time remaining in the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining whether a station indicated to be a transmitter in the multi-poll frame completed an associated transmission.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising evaluating whether to employ a received reverse direction grant during at least a portion of a remainder of the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising evaluating at least one of an amount of time remaining in the particular scheduled time period and an amount of data to be transmitted in the second direction upon obtaining channel access.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the multi-poll frame which is a frame that indicates, for each of the number of time periods, information associated with a respective, corresponding transmission opportunity, the information includes at least one of an identity of a transmitting station, an identity of a receiving station, a start time, and a duration.

8. The method of claim 1, the multi-poll frame is a SCHED frame.

9. An apparatus that facilitates utilizing a reverse direction grant in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores information associated with at least one transmission opportunity related to access of a channel, the information received in a multi-poll frame from an access point, the multi-poll frame configured to schedule transmissions for a number of time periods associated with transmission opportunities; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that is configured to;

communicate data, to the access point in a first direction, during a particular one of the scheduled time periods associated with a particular transmission opportunity assigned to the apparatus according to the multi-poll frame;

transmit a reverse direction grant, in the first direction to the access point, during the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity the reverse direction grant configured to enable the access point to transmit data in a second direction to the apparatus using the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity, and

receive data, from the access point, in the second direction during the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity, wherein the first direction is opposite the second direction.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to evaluate whether to transmit the reverse direction grant.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an amount of time remaining in the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the multi-poll frame comprises a frame that indicates, for each of a number of time periods, information associated with a respective, corresponding transmission opportunity, the information includes at least one of an identity of a transmitting station, an identity of a receiving station, a start time, and a duration.

10. A wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a multi-poll frame, from an access point, that schedules transmissions for a number of time periods associated with transmission opportunities;

means for communicating data in a first direction during a particular one of the scheduled time periods associated with a particular transmission opportunity to the access point according to the multi-poll frame;

means for transmitting a reverse direction grant in the first direction to the access point during the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity, the reverse direction grant enables the access point to transmit data in a second direction to the apparatus using the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity; and

means for receiving data in the second direction from the access point during the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity after the reverse direction grant has been received by the access point, wherein the first direction is opposite the second direction.

15. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

means for evaluating whether to transmit the reverse direction grant.

16. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for determining an amount of time remaining in the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity.

17. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 10, wherein the multi-poll frame comprises a frame that indicates, for each of a number of time periods, information associated with a respective, corresponding transmission opportunity, the information includes at least one of an identity of a transmitting station, an identity of a receiving station, a start time, and a duration.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for:

receiving a multi-poll frame, at a recipient from an access point, that schedules transmissions for a number of time periods associated with transmission opportunities;

communicating data in a first direction to the access point during a particular one of the scheduled time periods associated with a particular transmission opportunity according to the multi-poll frame;

transmitting the reverse direction grant in the first direction to the access point during the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity, the reverse direction grant enables the access point to transmit data in a second direction to the recipient using the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity; and

receiving data from the access point in the second direction during the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity after the reverse direction grant has been received by the access point, wherein the first direction is opposite the second direction.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising computer instructions for evaluating whether to transmit the reverse direction grant.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising computer instructions for determining an amount of time remaining in the particular scheduled time period associated with the particular transmission opportunity.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the multi-poll frame comprises a frame that indicates, for each of the number of time periods, information associated with a respective, corresponding transmission opportunity, the information includes at least one of an identity of a transmitting station, an identity of a receiving station, a start time, and a duration.