Systems and methods for peer-to-peer and AP traffic multiplexing

• US 9,369,258 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sampath, Hemanth, Tian, Bin, Tandra, Rahul, Barriac, Gwendolyn Denise, Zhou, Yan, Vermani, Sameer, Merlin, Simone
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lopata, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/265,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20140328262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/328, 370/329
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for concurrently allowing station-to-station transmissions and access point-to-station transmissions are described herein. In some aspects, a method comprises receiving, from a first device, a peer request to send message requesting a first time for transmissions with a second device. The method further comprises reserving the first time for transmissions between the first device and the second device. The method further comprises transmitting a coordination message to the first device and the second device. The coordination message may indicate that the first time is reserved for transmissions between the first device and the second device. The method further comprises transmitting a first data packet to a third device during a time other than the first time. The first device may transmit a second data packet to the second device during the first time.

Claims

1. A method for coordinating transmissions between devices, comprising:

associating a first set of devices with a first group, the first group representing devices with a peer-to-peer connection and that are associated with a first access point, a second set of devices associated with a second group, the second group representing devices with a peer-to-peer connection and that are associated with a second access point;

receiving, from a first device in the first set of devices, a peer request to send message requesting a first time for transmissions with a second device in the first set of devices;

reserving the first time for transmissions between the first device and the second device and a second time different than the first time for communications with the first access point;

transmitting a coordination message to the first set of devices and the second set of devices, the coordination message indicating that the first time is reserved for transmissions between the first set of devices and between the second set to devices; and

transmitting a first data packet to a third device in the first set of devices during the second time, the first device transmitting a second data packet to the second device during the first time.

2. The method of claim 1, the first device comprising the first access point, the second device comprising a first station, and the third device comprising a second station.

3. The method of claim 1, the first device comprising a first station, the second device comprising a second station, and the third device comprising a third station.

4. The method of claim 1, reserving a first time comprising assigning the first time for communications between the devices in the first group and the second time for communications between the first access point and devices not in the first group.

5. The method of claim 1, transmitting a coordination message comprising transmitting a peer clear to send message to the first set of devices and the second set of devices, the peer clear to send message comprising the first time.

6. The method of claim 1, the first device determines whether a medium is idle during the first time for a set period of time and transmits the second data packet if the medium is idle during the first time for the set period of time.

7. An apparatus for coordinating transmissions between devices, comprising:

means for associating a first set of devices with a first group, the first group representing devices with a peer-to-peer connection and that are associated with a first access point, a second set of devices associated with a second group, the second group representing devices with a peer-to-peer connection and that are associated with a second access point;

means for receiving, from a first device in the first group, a peer request to send message requesting a first time for transmissions with a second device in the first group;

means for reserving the first time for transmissions between the first device and the second device and a second time different than the first time for communications with the first access point;

means for transmitting a coordination message to the first set of devices and the second set of devices, the coordination message indicating that the first time is reserved for transmissions between the first set of devices and between the second set of devices; and

means for transmitting a first data packet to a third device in the first set of devices during the second time, the first device transmitting a second data packet to the second device during the first time.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the first device comprising the first access point, the second device comprising a first station, and the third device comprising a second station.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, the first device comprising a first station, the second device comprising a second station, and the third device comprising a third station.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, means for reserving a first time comprising means for assigning the first time for communications between the devices in the first group and the second time for communications between the first access point and devices not in the first group.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, means for transmitting a coordination message comprising means for transmitting a peer clear to send message to the first set of devices and the second set of devices, the peer clear to send message comprising the first time.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, the first device determines whether a medium is idle during the first time for a set period of time and transmits the second data packet if the medium is idle during the first time for the set period of time.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, the means for receiving comprising a receiver, the means for reserving comprising a transmit control unit, the means for transmitting the coordination message and the means for transmitting the first data packet comprising a transmitter.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus to:

associate a first set of devices with a first group, the first group representing devices with a peer-to-peer connection and that are associated with a first access point, a second set of devices associated with a second group, the second group representing devices with a peer-to-peer connection and that are associated with a second access point;

receive, from a first device in the first set of devices, a peer request to send message requesting a first time for transmissions with a second device in the first set of devices;

reserve the first time for transmissions between the first device and the second device and a second time different than the first time for communications with the first access point;

transmit a coordination message to the first set of devices and the second set of devices, the coordination message indicating that the first time is reserved for transmissions between the first set of devices and between the second set of devices; and

transmit a first data packet to a third device in the first set of devices during the same time, the first device transmitting a second data packet to the second device during the first time.

15. The medium of claim 14, the first device comprising the first access point, the second device comprising a first station, and the third device comprising a second station.

16. The medium of claim 14, the first device comprising a first station, the second device comprising a second station, and the third device comprising a third station.

17. The medium of claim 14, further comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus to assign the first time for communications between the devices in the first group and the second time for communications between the first access point and devices not in the first group.

18. The medium of claim 14, further comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus to transmit a peer clear to send message to the first set of devices and the second set of devices, the peer clear to send message comprising the first time.

19. The medium of claim 14, the first device determines whether a medium is idle during the first time for a set period of time and transmits the second data packet if the medium is idle during the first time for the set period of time.

20. An apparatus for coordinating transmissions between devices, comprising:

a classifier unit configured to associate a first set of devices with a first group, the first group representing devices with a peer-to-peer connection and that are associated with a first access point, a second set of devices associated with a second group, the second group representing devices with a peer-to-peer connection and that are associated with a second access point;

a receiver configured to receive, from a first device in the first set of devices, a peer request to send message requesting a first time for transmissions with a second device in the first set of devices;

a transmit control unit configured to reserve a first time for transmissions between the first device and the second device and a second time different than the first time for communications with the first access point; and

a transmitter configured to transmit a coordination message to the first set of devices and the second set of devices, the coordination message indicating that the first time is reserved for transmissions between the first set of devices and between the second set of devices, the transmitter further configured to transmit a first data packet to a third device in the first set of devices during the second time, the first device transmitting a second data packet to the second device during the first time.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, the first device comprising the first access point, the second device comprising a first station, and the third device comprising a second station.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, the first device comprising a first station, the second device comprising a second station, and the third device comprising a third station.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, the transmit control unit further configured to assign the first time for communications between the devices in the first group and the second time for communications between the first access point and devices not in the first group of devices.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, the coordination message comprising a peer clear to send message, the peer clear to send message comprising the first time.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, the first device determines whether a medium is idle during the first time for a set period of time and transmits the second data packet if the medium is idle during the first time for the set period of time.