Device, system and method of wireless communication over a beamformed communication link

• US 8,843,076 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2010
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Trainin, Solomon, Kasher, Assaf, Cordeiro, Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIEH, PING Y
• Application Number:
  US12/941,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20120009880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/68, 455/226.1, 455/562, 370/310, 370/336, 375/259
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1829 Arrangements specially adapted for the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03426 transmission using multiple-input and multiple-output channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03783 Details of reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03815 Transmission of a training request
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of wireless communication over a beamformed communication link. For example, a device may include a wireless communication unit to establish at least one beamformed communication link for communication with at least one other wireless communication device, wherein the wireless communication unit is to measure a link maintenance time period corresponding to the beamformed communication link, and wherein the wireless communication unit is to attempt to restore the beamformed communication link upon expiration of the link maintenance time period. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a wireless communication unit to establish at least one beamformed communication link for communication with at least one other wireless communication device,

wherein the wireless communication unit is to measure a link maintenance time period corresponding to the beamformed communication link, and to attempt to restore the beamformed communication link upon expiration of the link maintenance time period,

wherein the wireless communication unit is to transmit to the other wireless communication device a first frame comprising an indication of a first negotiated maintenance time period, to receive from the other wireless communication device a second frame comprising an indication of a second negotiated maintenance time period, and to set the link maintenance time period based on one of the first and second negotiated maintenance time periods.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is to measure the link maintenance time period after establishing said beamformed communication link.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first frame comprises a first master/slave indicator to indicate whether the wireless communication unit requests to control the link maintenance time period, wherein the second frame comprises a second master/slave indicator to indicate whether the other wireless communication device requests to control the link maintenance time period, and wherein the wireless communication unit is to set the link maintenance time period based on the first and second master/slave indicators.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 3, wherein the wireless communication unit is to set the link maintenance time period according to the first negotiated maintenance time period, if the first master/slave indicator indicates the wireless communication unit requests to control the link maintenance time period and the second master/slave indicator does not indicate the other wireless communication device requests to control the link maintenance time period.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 3, wherein the wireless communication unit is to set the link maintenance time period based on a relationship between the first and second negotiated maintenance time periods, if both the first and second master/slave indicators indicate that both the wireless communication unit and the other wireless communication device request to control the link maintenance time period.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 3, wherein the wireless communication unit is to set the link maintenance time period based on a relationship between the first and second negotiated maintenance time periods, if both the first and second master/slave indicators indicate that both the wireless communication unit and the other wireless communication device do not request to control the link maintenance time period.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first frame comprises a first indicator indicating a unit index selected from a plurality of predefined unit indexes, wherein the unit index represents a predefined maintenance unit value,

wherein the first frame comprises a second indicator indicating a maintenance value,

and wherein the first negotiated maintenance time period is equal to a product of the maintenance unit value and the maintenance value.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second frames includes a sector sweep feedback frame or a sector sweep acknowledgement frame.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is to restart the measuring of the link maintenance time period upon receiving over the beamformed communication link at least one transmission selected from the group consisting of a response, a service period request, a poll frame, a grant frame, a request, an acknowledgement, a denial-to-send frame, and a clear-to-send frame.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is to restart the measuring of the link maintenance time period upon transmitting over the beamformed communication link at least one transmission selected from the group consisting of an acknowledgement, a block acknowledgment, a clear-to-send frame, and a denial-to-send frame.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is to transmit one or more null data frames over the beamformed link prior to expiration of the link maintenance time period, if no data units are to be transmitted by the wireless communication unit.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is to halt the measuring of the link maintenance time period during at least one period selected from the group consisting of a beacon time, an association beamforming training period of a beacon interval, and a contention-based period.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is not an initiator of the beamformed communication link, and wherein the wireless communication unit is to attempt to restore the beamformed communication link by switching one or more receive antennas to a quasi-omni antenna pattern.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is an initiator of the beamformed communication link, and wherein the wireless communication unit is to attempt to restore the beamformed communication link by performing a sector sweep.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a millimeter-wave-station.

16. A wireless communication system comprising:

a first wireless communication device comprising;

one or more antennas for communicating with a second wireless communication device over a beamformed communication link; and

a wireless communication unit to measure a link maintenance time period corresponding to the beamformed communication link and to attempt to restore the beamformed communication link upon expiration of the link maintenance time period,

wherein the first wireless communication device is to transmit to the second wireless communication device a first frame comprising an indication of a first negotiated maintenance time period, to receive from the second wireless communication device a second frame comprising an indication of a second negotiated maintenance time period, and to set the link maintenance time period based on one of the first and second negotiated maintenance time periods.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first wireless communication device is to measure the link maintenance time period after establishing said beamformed communication link.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the first wireless communication device is to transmit one or more null data frames over the beamformed link prior to expiration of the link maintenance time period, if no data units are to be transmitted by the first wireless communication device.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the first frame comprises a first master/slave indicator to indicate whether the first wireless communication device requests to control the link maintenance time period, wherein the second frame comprises a second master/slave indicator to indicate whether the second wireless communication device requests to control the link maintenance time period, and wherein the first wireless communication device is to set the link maintenance time period based on the first and second master/slave indicators.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the first frame comprises a first indicator indicating a unit index selected from a plurality of predefined unit indexes, wherein the unit index represents a predefined maintenance unit value,

wherein the first frame comprises a second indicator indicating a maintenance value,

and wherein the first negotiated maintenance time period is equal to a product of the maintenance unit value and the maintenance value.

21. A method comprising:

transmitting from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device a first frame comprising an indication of a first negotiated maintenance time period;

receiving at the first wireless communication device a second frame, from the second wireless communication device, comprising an indication of a second negotiated maintenance time period;

setting a link maintenance time period based on one of the first and second negotiated maintenance time periods;

at the first wireless communication device, measuring a link maintenance time period corresponding to a beamformed communication link established between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device; and

attempting to restore the beamformed communication link upon expiration of the link maintenance time period.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein measuring the link maintenance time period comprises measuring the link maintenance time period after establishing said beamformed communication link.

23. The method of claim 21 comprising restarting the measuring of the link maintenance time period upon receiving over the beamformed communication link at least one transmission selected from the group consisting of a response, a service period request, a poll frame, a grant frame, a request, an acknowledgement, a denial-to-send frame, and a clear-to-send frame.

24. The method of claim 21 comprising restarting the measuring of the link maintenance time period upon transmitting over the beamformed communication link at least one transmission selected from the group consisting of an acknowledgement, a block acknowledgment, a clear-to-send frame, and a denial-to-send frame.

25. The method of claim 21 comprising transmitting one or more null data frames over the beamformed link prior to expiration of the link maintenance time period, if no data units are to be transmitted by the first wireless communication device.

26. A product including a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, result in:

transmitting from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device a first frame comprising an indication of a first negotiated maintenance time period;

receiving at the first wireless communication device a second frame, from the second wireless communication device, comprising an indication of a second negotiated maintenance time period;

setting a link maintenance time period based on one of the first and second negotiated maintenance time periods;

at the first wireless communication device, measuring a link maintenance time period corresponding to a beamformed communication link established between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device; and

attempting to restore the beamformed communication link upon expiration of the link maintenance time period.

27. The product of claim 26, wherein measuring the link maintenance time period comprises measuring the link maintenance time period after establishing said beamformed communication link.

28. The product of claim 26, wherein said instructions result in restarting the measuring of the link maintenance time period upon receiving over the beamformed communication link at least one transmission selected from the group consisting of a response, a service period request, a poll frame, a grant frame, a request, an acknowledgement, a denial-to-send frame, and a clear-to-send frame.

29. The product of claim 26, wherein said instructions result in restarting the measuring of the link maintenance time period upon transmitting over the beamformed communication link at least one transmission selected from the group consisting of an acknowledgement, a block acknowledgment, a clear-to-send frame, and a denial-to-send frame.

30. The product of claim 26, wherein said instructions result in transmitting one or more null data frames over the beamformed link prior to expiration of the link maintenance time period, if no data units are to be transmitted by the first wireless communication device.