Method and system for station-to-station directional wireless communication

• US 8,817,676 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2009
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shao, Huai-Rong, Ngo, Chiu
• Primary Examiner(s): BEDNASH, JOSEPH A
• Application Number:
  US12/541,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20100110981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/448, 342/367, 455/41.2, 714/783
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

Method and system for directional wireless communication, is provided. One implementation involves directionally transmitting a request for access to a shared wireless communication medium, for directional communication between two wireless stations, and receiving a broadcast response indicating a time period during which the wireless stations may perform directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium by setting their antenna directions to each other.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

directionally transmitting a request for access to a shared wireless communication medium, for directional communication between two wireless stations;

receiving a broadcast response indicating a contention-free access period (CFP) during which the wireless stations perform directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium by setting their antenna directions to each other; and

training antennas of the two wireless stations for determining antenna directions for directional communication with each other;

wherein channel time is organized into multiple time frames, each time frame comprising a CFP and a contention-based access period (CAP),

wherein each CAP comprising multiple sub-CAPs each based on a different receiving direction,

wherein the two wireless stations switch their antenna directions for directional communication with each other during a specified CAP,

wherein an information element indicates that in a CAP the wireless stations may perform directional communication therebetween, and the information element is included in each time frame until one of the two wireless stations transmits a relinquish request.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a broadcast response further comprises:

receiving the broadcast response indicating a contention-based access period (CAP) during which the wireless stations may perform directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium by setting their antenna directions to each other.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:

directionally transmitting a request for access to a shared wireless communication medium further comprises;

during a sub-CAP in a selected CAP, a first wireless station directionally transmitting a request to a coordinator for directional communication with a second wireless station; and

receiving a broadcast response further comprises;

receiving a broadcast response indicating that during a next CAP the wireless stations may set their antenna directions to each other for directional communication therebetween via a wireless channel.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein:

directionally transmitting a request for access to a shared wireless communication medium, for directional communication between two wireless station further comprises;

during a sub-CAP in a selected CAP in a current time frame, the first wireless station directionally transmitting a request to a coordinator for directional communication with the second wireless station during a sub-CAP; and

the coordinator broadcasting the information element, and the the wireless stations perform directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium by setting their antenna directions to each other; and

receiving a broadcast response further comprises;

the first and second wireless stations receiving the broadcast from the coordinator in a subsequent time frame, the broadcast including an information element indicating that in a CAP the wireless stations may set their antenna directions to each other for directional communication therebetween via the wireless channel.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

during a sub-CAP, the second wireless station transmitting the relinquish request to the coordinator, rejecting communication with the first wireless station.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

channel time is organized into multiple time frames, each time frame comprising a reservation period;

directionally transmitting a request for access to a shared wireless communication medium, for directional communication between two wireless stations further comprises;

directionally transmitting an allocation request to a coordinator for directional communication on a wireless channel between two wireless stations during a reservation period; and

receiving a broadcast response further comprises;

receiving a broadcast from the coordinator, the broadcast including the information element indicating that during an allocated channel time period in a reservation period the wireless stations may set their antenna directions to each other for directional communication therebetween via the wireless channel.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein more than two wireless stations may share the wireless channel during an allocated channel time period for directional communication through contention access or spatial re-use within the allocated channel time period.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the request indicates whether an allocated channel time period may overlap with another channel time period wherein spatial re-use is permitted in said allocated channel time period but contention channel access is not permitted.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the request indicates whether an allocated channel time period may overlap with another channel time period wherein spatial re-use and contention channel access are permitted in said allocated channel time period.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the two wireless stations performing directional communication therebetween in the indicated CFP period by setting their antenna directions to each other.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the wireless communication comprises millimeter wave (mmW) radio frequency communication.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the wireless communication comprises 60 GHz radio frequency communication.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the different receiving directions of the multiple sub-CAPS comprise different coordinator receiving directions.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the coordinator receiving directions comprise all pico-network-coordinator (PNC) receiving directions.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein in each sub-CAP a coordinator sets an antenna to a particular direction for receiving communication packets from devices that have an antenna set to point to the coordinator.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein each sub-CAP is separated by a guard time period.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the two wireless stations exchange data with each other in a CAP on a wireless channel, while other wireless stations contend the same wireless channel simultaneously at the same CAP.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein a CFP is used for channel time allocation for the two wireless stations for exchanging information with each other, wherein the CFP is shared with other wireless stations through contention access or spatial re-use within the CFP.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein multiple pairs of wireless stations share a same CFP for device-to-device communication.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein during a CFP, a pair of wireless stations exchange information with one another, and the CFP is shared with other wireless devices through contention access or spatial re-use within the CFP.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the multiple sub-CAPs comprises a different receiving direction from one another.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of sub-CAPs equals a number of different coordinator antenna receiving directions.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the two wireless stations switch their antenna directions from a direction towards a coordinator to directions towards each other for directional communication with each other during a CAP.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein the time frame comprises a superframe, and each superframe marks a channel time period between a pair of successive beacons.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein each beacon includes multiple beacon packets separated by guard time (GT) periods.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein a coordinator communicates with a particular one of the two wireless stations during a CAP, the coordinator temporarily removes the information element from one or more time frames.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the coordinator adds the information element back to one or more time frames after terminating communication with the particular one of the two wireless stations.

13. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a transmitting wireless station that directionally transmits a request for access to a shared wireless communication medium, for directional communication with a receiving wireless station; and

a coordinator that broadcasts a response indicating a contention-free access period (CFP) during which the wireless stations may perform directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium by setting their antenna directions to each other;

wherein antennas of the wireless stations are trained for determining antenna directions for directional communication with each other;

wherein the transmitting and receiving wireless stations receive said broadcast response and perform directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium during the indicated period by setting their antenna directions to each other,

wherein channel time is organized into multiple time frames, each time frame comprising a CFP and a contention-based access period (CAP),

wherein each CAP comprising multiple sub-CAPs each based on a different receiving direction,

wherein the wireless stations switch their antenna directions for directional communication with each other during a CAP,

wherein an information element indicates that in a CAP the wireless stations may perform directional communication therebetween, and the information element is included in each time frame until the receiving wireless station transmits a relinquish request.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the coordinator broadcasts a response indicating that in a CAP the wireless stations may perform directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium by setting their antenna directions to each other.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the transmitting wireless station directionally transmits a request to the coordinator during a sub-CAP for directional communication with the receiving wireless station;

the coordinator broadcasting the information element specifying that in a CAP the wireless stations may perform directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium by setting their antenna directions to each other; and

the transmitting and receiving wireless stations receive the broadcast from the coordinator in a subsequent time frame, and set their antenna directions to each other for directional communication therebetween via a wireless channel during the specified CAP.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein:

each time frame comprising a reservation period;

the transmitting wireless station directionally transmits an allocation request to a coordinator for directional communication on a wireless channel with the receiving wireless station during a reservation period; and

the coordinator broadcasts a response including the information element, and the wireless stations set their antenna directions to each other for directional communication therebetween via the wireless channel.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein more than two wireless stations may share the wireless channel during an allocated channel time period for directional communication through contention access or spatial re-use within the allocated channel time period.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the request indicates whether an allocated channel time period may overlap with another channel time period wherein spatial re-use is permitted in said allocated channel time period but contention channel access is not permitted.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the request indicates whether an allocated channel time period may overlap with another channel time period wherein spatial re-use and contention channel access are permitted in said allocated channel time period.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein wireless communication comprises millimeter wave (mmW) radio frequency communication.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein wireless communication comprises 60 GHz radio frequency communication.

22. The system of claim 13 wherein:

the transmitting wireless station comprises a media access control (MAC) layer and a physical (PHY) layer, the MAC layer configured for station-to-station directional wireless communication by directionally transmitting a request for access to a shared wireless communication medium, for directional communication with the receiving wireless station;

the coordinator comprises a MAC layer and a PHY layer, the MAC layer configured for station-to-station directional wireless communication by broadcasting a response indicating a time period during which the wireless stations may perform directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium by setting their antenna directions to each other; and

the receiving wireless station comprises a MAC layer and a PHY layer, wherein the MAC layers of the transmitting wireless and receiving wireless stations are configured for station-to-station directional wireless communication by performing directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium during the indicated period by setting their antenna directions to each other.

23. A non-transitory computer usable medium having a processor readable program code embodied therewith, wherein the processor readable program code when executed on a processor causes the processor in conjunction with a transceiver of a wireless station to:

directionally transmit a request for access to a shared wireless communication medium, for directional communication with another wireless station;

receive a broadcast response indicating a contention-free access period (CFP) in which the wireless stations may perform directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium by setting their antenna directions to each other;

train antennas of the wireless stations for determining antenna directions for directional communication with each other; and

perform directional communication with said another wireless station via the wireless communication medium during the indicated period by setting an antenna direction to the another wireless station,

wherein channel time is organized into multiple time frames, each time frame comprising a CFP and a contention-based access period (CAP),

wherein each CAP comprising multiple sub-CAPs each based on a different receiving direction, wherein the wireless stations switch their antenna directions for directional communication with each other during a CAP,

wherein an information element indicates that in a CAP the wireless stations may perform directional communication therebetween, and the information element is included in each time frame until one of the wireless stations transmits a relinquish request.

24. A non-transitory computer usable medium having a processor readable program code embodied therewith, wherein the processor readable program code when executed on a processor causes the processor in conjunction with a transceiver to:

receive a directional transmission comprising a request from wireless transmitter for access to a shared wireless communication medium, for directional communication with a wireless receiver;

broadcast a response indicating a contention-free access period (CFP) during which the transmitter and receiver may perform directional communication therebetween via the wireless communication medium by setting their antenna directions to each other; and

train antennas of the transmitter and receiver for determining antenna directions for directional communication with each other;

wherein channel time is organized into multiple time frames, each time frame comprising a CFP and a contention-based access period (CAP),

wherein each CAP comprising multiple sub-CAPs each based on a different receiving direction,

wherein the transmitter and the receiver switch their antenna directions for directional communication with each other during a CAP,

wherein an information element indicates that in a CAP the wireless stations may perform directional communication therebetween, and the information element is included in each time frame until the wireless receiver transmits a relinquish request.

25. A non-transitory computer usable medium having a processor readable program code embodied therewith, wherein the processor readable program code when executed on a processor causes the processor in conjunction with a wireless transceiver to:

receive a broadcast indicating a contention-free access period (CFP) during which the wireless transceiver may perform directional communication with a wireless transmitter via a wireless communication medium, by setting its antenna direction to the wireless transmitter;

train antennas of the wireless transceiver and the wireless transmitter for determining antenna directions for directional communication with each other; and

perform directional communication with said wireless transmitter via the wireless communication medium during the indicated CFP by setting its antenna direction to the wireless transmitter,

wherein channel time is organized into multiple time frames, each time frame comprising a CFP and a contention-based access period (CAP),

wherein each CAP comprising multiple sub-CAPs each based on a different receiving direction,

wherein the wireless transceiver and the wireless transmitter switch their antenna directions for directional communication with each other during a CAP,

wherein an information element indicates that in a CAP the wireless transceiver and the wireless transmitter may perform directional communication therebetween, and the information element is included in each time frame until the wireless transceiver and the wireless transmitter transmit a relinquish request.