Methods and systems for frequency multiplexed communication in dense wireless environments

• US 9,577,811 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Merlin, Simone, Barriac, Gwendolyn Denise, Sampath, Hemanth, Vermani, Sameer, Tian, Bin, Zhou, Yan, Tandra, Rahul
• Primary Examiner(s): Morlan, Robert M
• Application Number:
  US14/265,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20140328313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2621 using frequency division multiple access [FDMA] H04B7/2615 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 1/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 1/14 Arrangements providing for calling or supervisory signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0005 Time-frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0012 Hopping in multicarrier systems for frequency hopping in spread spectrum systems H04B1/713
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0069 Allocation based on distance or geographical location allocation based on terminal or device properties in general, H04W72/51
• 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 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 : Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/02 : Hybrid access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 : with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for high-efficiency wireless frequency division multiplexing are provided. A method includes determining, at an access point, a performance characteristic for each wireless device in a set of wireless devices associated with the access point. The method further includes categorizing each wireless device in the set into at least a first and second subset of wireless devices based on the performance characteristic. The method further includes receiving communications from the first subset of wireless devices on a first set of wireless frequencies. The method further includes receiving communications from the second subset of wireless devices on a second set of wireless frequencies, the second set of wireless frequencies being a subset of the first. The first set of wireless devices have a higher performance characteristic than the second set of wireless devices.

Claims

1. A method of high-efficiency wireless frequency division multiplexing, comprising:

determining a first set of wireless devices have a higher performance characteristic than a second set of wireless devices;

transmitting, from an access point, a message indicating the first set of wireless devices utilize a first set of wireless frequencies and the second set of wireless devices utilize a second set of wireless frequencies based on the determination, wherein the second set of wireless frequencies do not overlap with the first set of wireless frequencies;

transmitting, from the access point, a reference signal over the second set of wireless frequencies indicating that both the first and second sets of wireless devices may initiate transmission over the first and second sets of wireless frequencies respectively;

receiving, at the access point, communications from the first set subset of wireless devices on the first set of wireless frequencies; and

receiving communications from the second set of wireless devices on the second set of wireless frequencies.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a performance characteristic for each wireless device in a set of wireless devices associated with the access point; and

categorizing each wireless device in the set into at least a first and second subset of wireless devices based on the performance characteristic.

3. The method of claim 1, the first set of wireless devices having a higher signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR), a higher geometry rating, a higher received signal strength indicator (RSSI), or a greater transmission capability, compared to the second set of wireless devices, as the performance characteristic.

4. The method of claim 1, the first set of wireless devices comprising inner-cell devices and the second set of wireless devices comprise cell-edge devices, as the performance characteristic.

5. The method of claim 1, the first set of wireless devices having a higher modulation and coding scheme (MCS) value, compared to the second set of wireless devices, as the performance characteristic.

6. The method of claim 1, the first set of wireless devices having a lower interference, compared to the second set of wireless devices, as the performance characteristic.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning the second set of wireless frequencies to the second set of wireless devices.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of the second set of wireless frequencies from at least one device in the second set of wireless devices.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an indication of the second set of wireless frequencies to one or more devices not associated with the access point.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of the second set of wireless frequencies from one or more devices not associated with the access point.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting the second set of frequencies so as to minimize overlap with one or more second sets of frequencies employed by neighboring devices.

12. The method of claim 1, at least one wireless device in the second set of wireless devices comprising a legacy device incapable of transmitting on the entire first set of frequencies.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a ready-to-send (RTX) frame from at least one device in the second set of wireless devices.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a reference signal to at least one device in the second set of wireless devices.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising scheduling a time at which to receive communications from the second set of wireless devices.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from at least one device in the second set of wireless devices, an indication that the at least one device is ready to send data.

35. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the reference signal to comprise one or more station information fields, each station information field identifying one of the devices in the first or second set of devices, a frame check sequence (FCS), and one or more padding bits between a final station information field and the FCS.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications received from the first set of wireless devices over the first set of wireless frequencies utilize a different physical layer preamble than the communications received from the second set of wireless devices over the second set of wireless frequencies.

37. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a clear to send frame, and setting one or more reserved bits of the clear to send frame to indicate the clear to send frame includes an extended payload, the extended payload indicating that the first set of wireless devices are eligible to transmit via FDMA at a time after the reference signal, wherein the clear to send frame is the reference signal.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising receiving the communications from the first and second sets of wireless devices at least partially concurrently.

17. An access point configured to perform high-efficiency wireless frequency division multiplexing, comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a first set of wireless devices have a higher performance characteristic than a second set of wireless devices;

a transmitter, configured to;

transmit a message indicating the first set of wireless devices utilize a first set of wireless frequencies and the second set of wireless devices utilize a second set of wireless frequencies based on the determination, wherein the second set of wireless frequencies do not overlap with the first set of wireless frequencies;

transmit a reference signal over the second set of wireless frequencies indicating that both the first and second sets of wireless devices may initiate transmission over the first and second sets of wireless frequencies respectively; and

a receiver configured to;

receive communications from the first set of wireless devices on the first set of wireless frequencies; and

receive communications from the second set of wireless devices on the second set of wireless frequencies.

18. The access point of claim 17, the processor being further configured to:

determine a performance characteristic for each wireless device in a set of wireless devices associated with the access point; and

categorize each wireless device in the set into at least a first and second subset of wireless devices based on the performance characteristic.

19. The access point of claim 17, the first set of wireless devices having a higher signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR), a higher geometry rating, a higher received signal strength indicator (RSSI), or a greater transmission capability, compared to the second set of wireless devices, as the performance characteristic.

20. The access point of claim 17, the first set of wireless devices comprising inner-cell devices and the second set of wireless devices comprise cell-edge devices, as the performance characteristic.

21. The access point of claim 17, the first set of wireless devices having a higher modulation and coding scheme (MCS) value, compared to the second set of wireless devices, as the performance characteristic.

22. The access point of claim 17, the first set of wireless devices having a lower interference, compared to the second set of wireless devices, as the performance characteristic.

23. The access point of claim 17, the processor being further configured to assign the second set of wireless frequencies to the second set of wireless devices.

24. The access point of claim 17, the receiver being further configured to receive an indication of the second set of wireless frequencies from at least one device in the second set of wireless devices.

25. The access point of claim 17, the transmitter being further configured to transmit an indication of the second set of wireless frequencies to one or more devices not associated with the access point.

26. The access point of claim 17, the receiver being further configured to receive an indication of the second set of wireless frequencies from one or more devices not associated with the access point.

27. The method of claim 26, processor being further configured to select the second set of frequencies so as to minimize overlap with one or more second sets of frequencies employed by neighboring devices.

28. The access point of claim 17, at least one wireless device in the second set of wireless devices comprising a legacy device incapable of transmitting on the entire first set of frequencies.

29. The access point of claim 17, the receiver being further configured to receive a ready-to-send (RTX) frame from at least one device in the second set of wireless devices.

30. The access point of claim 17, the transmitter being further configured to transmit a reference signal to at least one device in the second set of wireless devices.

31. The access point of claim 17, the processor being further configured to schedule a time at which to receive communications from the second set of wireless devices.

32. The access point of claim 17, the receiver being further configured to receive, from at least one device in the second set of wireless devices, an indication that the at least one device is ready to send data.

33. An apparatus for high-efficiency wireless frequency division multiplexing, comprising:

means for determining a first set of wireless devices have a higher performance characteristic than a second set of wireless devices;

means for transmitting, from an access point, a message indicating the first set of wireless devices utilize a first set of wireless frequencies and the second set of wireless devices utilize a second set of wireless frequencies based on the determination, wherein the second set of wireless frequencies do not overlap with the first set of wireless frequencies;

means for transmitting, from the access point, a reference signal over the second set of wireless frequencies indicating that both the first and second sets of wireless devices may initiate transmission over the first and second sets of wireless frequencies respectively;

means for receiving, at the access point, communications from the first set of wireless devices on the first set of wireless frequencies; and

means for receiving communications from the second set of wireless devices on the second set of wireless frequencies.

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

determine a first set of wireless devices have a higher performance characteristic than a second set of wireless devices;

transmit, from an access point, a message indicating the first set of wireless devices utilize a first set of wireless frequencies and the second set of wireless devices utilize a second set of wireless frequencies based on the determination, wherein the second set of wireless frequencies do not overlap with the first set of wireless frequencies;

transmit, from the access point, a reference signal over the second set of wireless frequencies indicating that both the first and second sets of wireless devices may initiate transmission over the first and second sets of wireless frequencies respectively;

receive, by the access point, communications from the first set of wireless devices on the first set of wireless frequencies; and

receive, by the access point, communications from the second set of wireless devices on the second set of wireless frequencies.