Trigger frame response with network allocation vector

• US 9,942,920 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Huang, Po-Kai, Stacey, Robert J., Li, Qinghua
• Primary Examiner(s): KAMARA, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US14/977,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20170006635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Computer readable media, methods, and apparatuses to determine whether to respond to a frame based on a network allocation vector. An apparatus of a station comprising memory and processing circuitry coupled to the memory is disclosed. The processing circuitry is configured to: decode a frame comprising a first duration and a first transmitter address, if the frame is a trigger frame or a multi-user request-to-send (MU-RTS) frame from a master station of a basic service set (BSS), respond to the trigger frame or the MU-RTS frame if the trigger frame or MU-RTS frame comprises a NAV indicator that indicates not to consider a network allocation vector (NAV). The indication may be an indication in a physical header or an indication in a media access control header.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a station comprising:

memory; and

, processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to;

decode a first frame of a wireless transmission, the first frame comprising a first duration;

if the first frame is a trigger frame or a multi-user request-to-send (MU-RTS) frame from an access point of a same basic service set (BSS) as the station, respond to the trigger frame or the MU-RTS frame if a network allocation vector (NAV) of the station is not set, or respond to the trigger frame or the MU-RTS frame if the NAV of the station is set and the trigger frame or MU-RTS frame comprises an indicator that indicates not to consider the NAV;

decode a second frame comprising a second duration; and

in response to a determination that the NAV is to be set based on the second frame, set the NAV to the second duration, and if a physical (PHY) header or a media access control (MAC) header of the second frame indicates a bandwidth of the NAV, then set the bandwidth of the NAV to the bandwidth of the NAV indicated by the PHY header or the MAC header otherwise set the bandwidth to an entire bandwidth occupied by the second frame.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication is one from the following group:

an indication in a PHY header and an indication in a MAC header.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first frame is the trigger frame or the MU-RTS frame and wherein the first frame comprises a resource allocation with a second duration and second bandwidth for the station, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

determine a first throughput by multiplying the second duration with the second bandwidth and determine a second throughput by multiplying the bandwidth of the NAV with a duration of the NAV; and

encode a third packet for the resource allocation if the second throughput is less than the first throughput by a threshold value.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

respond to the trigger frame if the resource allocation of the trigger frame indicates a subchannel that does not overlap with the NAV bandwidth.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first frame is the trigger frame or the MU-RTS frame and comprises a resource allocation with a second duration for the station, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

determine an overlapping duration of the NAV with the second duration; and

encode a third packet for the resource allocation if the overlapping duration is less than a threshold.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

receive the threshold from the access point.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

decode the first frame, decode a second frame, wherein the second frame is the MU-RTS;

cause to be transmitted a multi-user clear-to-send (MU-CTS) comprising a duration for other wireless devices to defer in accordance with the MU-RTS; and

if the first frame is the trigger frame and the trigger frame comprises a resource allocation within the duration, then respond to the trigger frame if the NAV is set or if the NAV is not set.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first frame further comprises an indication for the station to respond with an acknowledgement (ACK) or block ACK (BA), and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

respond with the ACK or BA if the NAV is set or if the NAV is not set.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

respond with the ACK or BA if a duration of the ACK or BA is below a threshold.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the station is one from the following group:

an access point, an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 ax access point, an IEEE 802.11 ax station, an IEEE station, and an IEEE access point.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:

decode the first frame and respond to the first frame in accordance with one or both of orthogonal frequency division multiple-access (OFDMA) or multiple-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO).

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more antennas coupled to the processing circuitry.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors of an apparatus of a station, the instructions to configure the one or more processors to:

decode a first frame of a wireless transmission, the first frame comprising a first duration;

if the first frame is a trigger frame or a multi-user request-to-send (MU-RTS) frame from an access point of a same basic service set (BSS) as the station, respond to the trigger frame or the MU-RTS frame if a network allocation vector (NAV) of the station is not set, or respond to the trigger frame or the MU-RTS if the NAV of the station is set and the trigger frame or MU-RTS frame comprises an indicator that indicates not to consider the NAV;

decode a second frame comprising a second duration; and

in response to a determination that the NAV is to be set based on the second frame, set the NAV to the second duration, and if a physical (PHY) header or a media access control (MAC) header of the second frame indicates a bandwidth of the NAV, then set the bandwidth of the NAV to the bandwidth of the NAV indicated by the PHY header or the MAC header otherwise set the bandwidth to an entire bandwidth occupied by the second frame.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the indication is one from the following group:

an indication in a PHY header and an indication in a MAC header.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first frame is the trigger frame or the MU-RTS frame and wherein the first frame comprises a resource allocation with a second duration and second bandwidth for the station, and wherein the instructions configure the one or more processors to:

determine a first throughput by multiplying the second duration with the second bandwidth and determine a second throughput by multiplying the bandwidth of the NAV with a duration of the NAV; and

encode a third packet for the resource allocation if the second throughput is less than the first throughput by a threshold value.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions configure the one or more processors to:

decode the first frame, decode a second frame, wherein the second frame is the MU-RTS;

cause to be transmitted a multi-user clear-to-send (MU-CTS) comprising a duration for other wireless devices to defer in accordance with the MU-RTS; and

if the first frame is the trigger frame and the trigger frame comprises a resource allocation within the duration, then respond to the trigger frame if the NAV is set or if the NAV is not set.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first frame further comprises an indication for the station to respond with an acknowledgement (ACK) or block ACK (BA), and wherein the instructions configure the one or more processors to cause the station to:

respond with the ACK or BA if the NAV is set or if the NAV is not set.

18. An apparatus of an access point, the apparatus comprising memory;

and, processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to;

encode a trigger frame or a multi-user request-to-send (MU-RTS) frame comprising a first duration field and a network allocation vector (NAV) indicator that indicates that one or more stations are not to consider a NAV of the one or more stations;

configure the apparatus to transmit the trigger frame to the one or more stations; and

encode a second frame comprising a second duration field and a bandwidth field, wherein the bandwidth indicates the one or more stations are to set their respective NAVs with the second duration associated with the bandwidth.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the bandwidth field is in a physical header or a media access control header.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising one or more antennas coupled to the processing circuitry.

21. A method performed by an apparatus of a station, the method comprising:

decode a first frame of a wireless transmission, the first frame comprising a first duration;

if the first frame is a trigger frame or a multi-user request-to-send (MU-RTS) frame from an access point of a same basic service set (BSS) as the station, responding to the trigger frame or the MU-RTS frame if a network allocation vector (NAV) of the station is not set, or responding to the trigger frame or the MU-RTS frame if the NAV of the station is set and the trigger frame or MU-RTS frame comprises an indicator that indicates not to consider the NAV;

decode a second frame comprising a second duration; and

in response to a determination that the NAV is to be set based on the second frame, setting the NAV to the second duration, and if a physical (PHY) header or a media access control (MAC) header of the second frame indicates a bandwidth of the NAV, then setting the bandwidth of the NAV to the bandwidth of the NAV indicated by the PHY header or the MAC header otherwise setting the bandwidth to an entire bandwidth occupied by the second frame.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the indication is one from the following group:

an indication in a PHY header and an indication in a MAC header.