Method and apparatus of transmitting a spatial stream for MU-MIMO in a wireless local area network system

• US 8,891,666 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2011
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Dae Won, Seok, Yong Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Bocure, Tesfaldet
• Application Number:
  US13/016,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20110188598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 375/259, 375/267, 375/295, 375/299, 375/316, 375/347, 375/377, 455/91, 455/101, 455/130, 455/132
• US Class Current: 375/295
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method of transmitting a spatial stream for multi user (MU)-multiple input multiple output (MIMO) in a wireless local area network system, performed by a transmitter is provided. the method includes transmitting, to a receiver, a management frame including group information to assign or change a position of a plurality of spatial streams corresponding to each of a plurality of groups, and transmitting, to the receiver, a frame including at least one spatial stream, wherein the group information includes a plurality of group indicators and a plurality of spatial stream (SS) indicators, each of the plurality of group indicators indicating whether or not the receiver is a member of each of the plurality of groups, each of the plurality of SS indicators indicating a position of the plurality of spatial streams corresponding to each of the plurality of groups.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data to a receiver in a wireless local area network, the method comprising;

transmitting, by a transmitter supporting a multi user (MU)—

multiple input multiple output (MIMO) scheme and a single user (SU)—

MIMO scheme, a management frame including group information to assign or change a position of at least one spatial stream of the receiver to at least one of a plurality of groups; and

transmitting, by the transmitter, a data packet including a header that includes a group ID indication field, the group ID indication field indicating one of the plurality of groups and whether the data packet is transmitted based on the SU-MIMO scheme,

wherein the group information includes a group indicator and a plurality of spatial stream (SS) indicators;

wherein the group indicator indicates whether the receiver is a member of a corresponding group; and

wherein each of the plurality of SS indicators indicates a position of the at least one spatial stream of the corresponding group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of SS indicators indicates the position of the at least one spatial stream within four spatial streams.

3. The method of claim 1, the transmitter is an access point (AP).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the header further includes a long training field used to estimate a channel for decoding the at least one spatial stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a base station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the group ID indication field is an n-bit field that indicates a plurality of states, the plurality of states including first states and second states;

each of the first states indicates one of the plurality of groups; and

each of the second states indicates whether the data packet is transmitted based on the SU-MIMO scheme.

7. A wireless apparatus in a wireless local area network, the wireless apparatus comprising:

a transmitter supporting a multi user (MU)—

multiple input multiple output (MIMO) scheme and a single user (SU)—

MIMO scheme and configured to transmit and receive radio signals; and

a processor operably coupled to the transceiver and configured to;

transmit a management frame including group information to a receiver in order to assign or change a position of a spatial stream of the receiver to at least one of a plurality of groups; and

transmit a data packet including a header that includes a group ID indication field, the group ID indication field indicating one of the plurality of groups and whether the data packet is transmitted based on the SU-MIMO scheme,

wherein the group information includes a group indicator and a plurality of spatial stream (SS) indicators;

wherein the group indicator indicates whether the receiver is a member of the corresponding group; and

wherein each of the plurality of SS indicators indicates a position of a spatial stream of the corresponding group.

8. The wireless apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the group ID indication field is an n-bit field that indicates a plurality of states, the plurality of states including first states and second states;

each of the first states indicates one of the plurality of groups; and

each of the second states indicates whether the data packet is transmitted based on the SU-MIMO scheme.

9. The wireless apparatus of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of SS indicators indicates the position of the at least one spatial stream within four spatial streams.

10. The wireless apparatus of claim 7, wherein the header further includes a long training field used to estimate a channel for decoding the at least one spatial stream.

11. The wireless apparatus of claim 7, wherein the wireless apparatus is an access point (AP).

12. The wireless apparatus of claim 7, wherein the wireless apparatus is a base station.