Method and apparatus for allocating wireless resources according to resource allocation setting in WLAN

• US 9,974,053 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Choi, Jinsoo, Cho, Hangyu, Lee, Wookbong
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH TRANG T
• Application Number:
  US15/517,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20170303242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for allocating wireless resource according to a resource allocation setting in a WLAN. The method for allocating wireless resources according to the resource allocation setting, in a WLAN, may comprise the steps of: an AP transmitting, to a plurality of STAs, resource allocation setting information; the AP allocating, to each of the plurality of STAs, each of the plurality of wireless resources in first resource units or second resource units, based on the resource allocation setting information; the AP transmitting to each of the plurality of STAs, through each of the plurality of wireless resources, each of a plurality of items of downlink data; and the AP receiving, from each of the plurality of STAs, channel feedback information for each of the plurality of wireless resources.

Claims

1. A method of allocating a plurality of radio resources for downlink multi-user (DL MU) transmission in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

transmitting, by an access point (AP), resource allocation setup information to a plurality of stations (STAs), wherein the resource allocation setup information indicates whether the plurality of radio resources corresponding to an entire bandwidth for the plurality of STAs are allocated based on first resource units or second resource units, and wherein the second resource units have a size larger than that of the first resource units;

allocating, by the AP, the plurality of radio resources for the plurality of STAs individually according to the resource allocation setup information;

transmitting, by the AP, a downlink physical (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) including a plurality of downlink data to the plurality of STAs,

wherein the downlink PPDU includes resource allocation information to indicate the plurality of radio resources individually allocated for the plurality of STAs,

wherein the resource allocation information is included in a PHY header of the downlink PPDU, and

wherein the plurality of downlink data are individually transmitted through the plurality of radio resources; and

receiving, by the AP, channel feedback information related to the plurality of radio resources from the plurality of STAs respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the AP, feedback setup information to the plurality of STAs,

wherein the feedback setup information instructs whether to perform the channel feedback information based on the first resource units or the second resource units, and

wherein the channel feedback information includes channel feedback information corresponding to the first resource units or channel feedback information corresponding to the second resource units according to the feedback setup information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first resource units has a size of 26 tones,

wherein each of the second resource units has a size of 242 tones, and

wherein each of the second resource units corresponds to 9 first resource units and 8 leftover tones.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first resource units has a size of 26 tones,

wherein the plurality of radio resources are allocated on 9 first resource units, when the plurality of radio resources are allocated on a bandwidth 20 MHz,

wherein the plurality of radio resources are allocated on 18 first resource units, when the plurality of radio resources each are allocated on a bandwidth 40 MHz, and

wherein the plurality of radio resources are allocated on 37 first resource units, when the plurality of radio resources are allocated on a bandwidth 80 MHz.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the second resource units has a size of 242 tones,

wherein the plurality of radio resources are allocated on 2 second resource units, when the plurality of radio resources are allocated on a bandwidth 40 MHz, and

wherein the plurality of radio resources are allocated on 4 second resource units, when the plurality of radio resources are allocated on a bandwidth 80 MHz.

6. An access point (AP) that allocates a plurality of radio resources for downlink multi-user (DL MU) transmission in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the AP comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) unit that transmits and receives a wireless signal; and

a processor operatively connected to the RF unit and configured to;

transmit resource allocation setup information to a plurality of stations (STAs),

wherein the resource allocation setup information indicates whether the plurality of radio resources corresponding to an entire bandwidth for the plurality of STAs are allocated based on first resource units or second resource units, and

wherein the second resource units have a size larger than that of the first resource units;

allocate the plurality of radio resources for the plurality of STAs, individually according to the resource allocation setup information;

transmit a downlink physical (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) including a plurality of downlink data to the plurality of STAs,

wherein the downlink PPDU includes resource allocation information to indicate the plurality of radio resources individually allocated for the plurality of STAs,

wherein the resource allocation information is included in a PHY header of the downlink PPDU, and

wherein the plurality of downlink data are individually transmitted through the plurality of radio resources; and

receive channel feedback information related to the plurality of radio resources from the plurality of STAs respectively.

7. The AP of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit feedback setup information to the plurality of STAs,

wherein the feedback setup information instructs whether to perform the channel feedback information based on the first resource units or the second resource units, and

wherein the channel feedback information includes channel feedback information corresponding to the first resource units or channel feedback information corresponding to the second resource units according to the feedback setup information.

8. The AP of claim 6, wherein each of the first resource units has a size of 26 tones,

wherein each of the second resource units has a size of 242 tones, and

wherein each of the second resource units corresponds to 9 first resource units and 8 leftover tones.

9. The AP of claim 6, wherein each of the first resource units has a size of 26 tones, and

wherein the plurality of radio resources are allocated on 9 first resource units, when the plurality of radio resources are allocated on a bandwidth 20 MHz,

wherein the plurality of radio resources are allocated on 18 first resource units, when the plurality of radio resources are allocated on a bandwidth 40 MHz, and

wherein the plurality of radio resources are allocated on 37 first resource units, when the plurality of radio resources are allocated on a bandwidth 80 MHz.

10. The AP of claim 6, wherein each of the second resource units has a size of 242 tones,

wherein the plurality of radio resources are allocated on 2 second resource units, when the plurality of radio resources each are allocated on a bandwidth 40 MHz, and

wherein the plurality of radio resources each are allocated on 4 second resource units, when the plurality of radio resources each are allocated on a bandwidth 80 MHz.