Multi-user parallel channel access in WLAN systems

• US 9,681,462 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2016
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Xiaofei, Lou, Hanqing, Ghosh, Monisha, Shah, Nirav B, Murias, Ronald, Zhang, Guodong
• Primary Examiner(s): SHIVERS, ASHLEY L
• Application Number:
  US15/097,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20160227569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/007 Unequal error protection for format H04L1/0078; for codes per se H03M13/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1664 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with payload signals; piggybacking
• 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 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/121 for groups of terminals or users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 in the uplink, i.e. towards network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Method and apparatuses may provide multi-user parallel channel access (MU-PCA). For example, a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) is provided that belongs to a MU-PCA group of a plurality of WTRUs that are configured to simultaneously communicate via a plurality of channels managed by an access point (AP). The WTRU may include a receiver configured to receive a data message, from the AP, over a channel associated with the WTRU of the plurality of channels, wherein the data message is one of a group of multiple data messages transmitted simultaneously by the AP over the plurality of channels; and a transmitter configured to transmit a message to the AP over the channel associated with the WTRU, wherein the message includes an indication bit for notifying the AP whether the WTRU has uplink (UL) data to transmit to the AP.

Claims

1. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) that belongs to a multi-user parallel channel access (MU-PCA) group of a plurality of WTRUs, the MU-PCA group of the plurality of WTRUs is configured to simultaneously communicate via a plurality of channels managed by an access point (AP), the WTRU comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, from the access point (AP), over at least one channel of the plurality of channels that is associated with the WTRU, a group request-to-send (G-RTS) message that includes a resource allocation for the WTRU;

a transmitter configured to transmit a clear-to-send (CTS) message, to the AP, over at least one assigned channel of the plurality of channels, wherein the resource allocation indicates the at least one assigned channel; and

the receiver configured to receive a data message, from the AP, over the at least one assigned channel, wherein the data message is one of a group of multiple data messages transmitted by the AP over the plurality of channels.

2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the CTS message is a group CTS (G-CTS) message.

3. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the at least one assigned channel includes two or more of the plurality of channels.

4. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the at least one assigned channel includes all of the plurality of channels.

5. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the G-RTS message includes resource allocations for the plurality of WTRUs of the MU-PCA group.

6. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the G-RTS is provided by the AP simultaneously over the plurality of channels to each of the plurality of WTRUs in the MU-PCA group.

7. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the CTS message indicates that the WTRU is ready to receive on the at least one assigned channel.

8. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the data message is one of a group of multiple data messages transmitted simultaneously by the AP over the plurality of channels.

9. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit a message to the AP over the at least one assigned channel, wherein the message includes an indication bit for notifying the AP whether the WTRU has uplink (UL) data to transmit to the AP.

10. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein on a condition that the indication bit indicates that the WTRU has UL data to transmit to the AP:

the receiver is further configured to receive, from the AP, another CTS message over the at least one assigned channel.

11. The WTRU of claim 10, wherein the transmitter, in response to the receiver receiving the other CTS message, is further configured to transmit the UL data, to the AP, over the at least one assigned channel.

12. The WTRU of claim 10, wherein the other CTS message is a group CTS (G-CTS) message configured for WTRUs participating in UL MU-PCA.

13. The WTRU of claim 12, wherein the WTRUs participating in the UL MU-PCA are based on a plurality of messages simultaneously received by the AP from the plurality of WTRUs, wherein each of the plurality of messages includes an indication bit for notifying the AP whether a corresponding WTRU has UL data to transmit to the AP.

14. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the message while others of the plurality of WTRUs transmit other messages that include an indication bit.

15. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the message is one of an acknowledgement (ACK) packet, a block ACK packet, or a group ACK packet.

16. A method for use in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) that belongs to a multi-user parallel channel access (MU-PCA) group of a plurality of WTRUs, the MU-PCA group of the plurality of WTRUs is configured to simultaneously communicate via a plurality of channels managed by an access point (AP), the method comprising:

receiving, from the access point (AP), over at least one channel of the plurality of channels that is associated with the WTRU, a group request-to-send (G-RTS) message that includes a resource allocation for the WTRU;

transmitting a clear-to-send (CTS) message, to the AP, over at least one assigned channel of the plurality of channels, wherein the resource allocation indicates the at least one assigned channel;

receiving a data message, from the AP, over the at least one assigned channel, wherein the data message is one of a group of multiple data messages transmitted by the AP over the plurality of channels.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the data message is one of a group of multiple data messages transmitted simultaneously by the AP over the plurality of channels.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting a message to the AP over the at least one assigned channel, wherein the message includes an indication bit for notifying the AP whether the WTRU has uplink (UL) data to transmit to the AP.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

on a condition that the indication bit indicates that the WTRU has UL data to transmit to the AP;

receiving, from the AP, another CTS message over the at least one assigned channel.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting, in response to receiving the other CTS message, the UL data, to the AP, over the at least one assigned channel.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the other CTS message is a group CTS (G-CTS) message configured for stations participating in UL MU-PCA.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the WRTUs participating in the UL MU-PCA are based on a plurality of messages simultaneously received by the AP from the plurality of WTRUs, wherein each of the plurality of messages includes an indication bit for notifying the AP whether a corresponding WTRU has UL data to transmit to the AP.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the message is one of an acknowledgement (ACK) packet, a block ACK packet, or a group ACK packet.

24. An access point (AP) configured to manage a plurality of channels within a multi-user parallel channel access (MU-PCA) group of a plurality of wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs), the AP comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit, to a WTRU of the MU-PCA group, over at least one channel of the plurality of channels that is associated with the WTRU, a group request-to-send (G-RTS) message that includes a resource allocation for the WTRU;

a receiver configured to receive a clear-to-send (CTS) message, from the WTRU, over at least one assigned channel of the plurality of channels, wherein the resource allocation indicates the at least one assigned channel; and

the transmitter configured to transmit a data message, to the WTRU, over the at least one assigned channel, wherein the data message is one of a group of multiple data messages transmitted by the AP over the plurality of channels.

25. The AP of claim 24, wherein the data message is one of a group of multiple data messages transmitted simultaneously by the AP over the plurality of channels.

26. The AP of claim 24, wherein the receiver is configured to receive a message, from the WTRU, over the at least one assigned channel, wherein the message includes an indication bit for notifying the AP whether the WTRU has uplink (UL) data to transmit to the AP.

27. The AP of claim 26, wherein, on a condition that the indication bit indicates that the WTRU has UL data to transmit to the AP, the transmitter is further configured to transmit, to the WTRU.

28. The AP of claim 27, wherein the receiver, in response to the transmitter transmitting the other CTS message, is further configured to receive the UL data, from the WTRU, over the at least one assigned channel.

29. The AP of claim 27, wherein the other CTS message is a group CTS (G-CTS) message configured for WRTUs participating in UL MU-PCA.

30. The AP of claim 29, wherein the AP is configured to determine the WRTUs participating in the UL MU-PCA based on processing indication bits of a plurality of messages received by the AP from the plurality of WTRUs, wherein the indication bits notify the AP whether a corresponding WTRU has UL data to transmit to the AP.

31. The AP of claim 26, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the message while receiving other messages including indication bits from others of the plurality of WTRUs.

32. The AP of claim 26, wherein the message is one of an acknowledgement (ACK) packet, a block ACK packet, or a group ACK packet.