U.S. patent application number 16/234217 was filed with the patent office on 2019-05-02 for enhanced trigger-based null data packet for channel sounding.
The applicant listed for this patent is XIAOGANG CHEN, FENG JIANG, QINGHUA LI, JONATHAN SEGEV, ROBERT STACEY. Invention is credited to XIAOGANG CHEN, FENG JIANG, QINGHUA LI, JONATHAN SEGEV, ROBERT STACEY.
Application Number | 20190132155 16/234217 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 66243329 |
Filed Date | 2019-05-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190132155 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
JIANG; FENG ; et
al. |
May 2, 2019 |
ENHANCED TRIGGER-BASED NULL DATA PACKET FOR CHANNEL SOUNDING
Abstract
This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices related
to a trigger-based null data packet (NDP) for channel sounding
system. A device may send a trigger frame to a group of station
devices, the group of station devices including a first station
device, the trigger frame indicating a high efficiency (HE) long
training field (HE-LTF) mode and a guard interval duration. The
device may identify a HE trigger-based (TB) null data packet (NDP)
received from the first station device, the HE TB NDP including a
first packet extension field, wherein the HE TB NDP is associated
with the HE-LTF mode and the guard interval duration indicated in
the trigger frame. The device may send a downlink NDP including a
second packet extension field, a second HE-LTF mode, and a second
guard interval duration. The device may determine channel state
information based on HE TB NDP received from the first station
device.
Inventors: |
JIANG; FENG; (SANTA CLARA,
CA) ; STACEY; ROBERT; (PORTLAND, OR) ; SEGEV;
JONATHAN; (TEL MOND, IL) ; LI; QINGHUA; (SAN
RAMON, CA) ; CHEN; XIAOGANG; (PORTLAND, OR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
JIANG; FENG
STACEY; ROBERT
SEGEV; JONATHAN
LI; QINGHUA
CHEN; XIAOGANG |
SANTA CLARA
PORTLAND
TEL MOND
SAN RAMON
PORTLAND |
CA
OR
CA
OR |
US
US
IL
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
66243329 |
Appl. No.: |
16/234217 |
Filed: |
December 27, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62629966 |
Feb 13, 2018 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 84/12 20130101;
H04L 25/0212 20130101; H04L 25/0258 20130101; H04L 25/023 20130101;
H04W 74/08 20130101; H04W 24/10 20130101; H04L 5/00 20130101; H04L
25/0228 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 25/02 20060101
H04L025/02; H04W 24/10 20060101 H04W024/10; H04W 74/08 20060101
H04W074/08 |
Claims
1. A device comprising storage coupled to processing circuitry, the
processing circuitry configured to: cause to send a trigger frame
to a group of station devices, the group of station devices
comprising a first station device, wherein the trigger frame
comprises a first indication of a high efficiency (HE) long
training field (HE-LTF) mode and a second indication of a guard
interval duration; identify a HE trigger-based (TB) null data
packet (NDP) received from the first station device, wherein the HE
TB NDP comprises a first packet extension field, wherein the HE TB
NDP is associated with the HE-LTF mode and the guard interval
duration; determine channel information based on the HE TB NDP; and
cause to send a downlink NDP, wherein the downlink NDP comprises a
second packet extension field and is associated with the HE-LTF
mode and the guard interval duration.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the HE-LTF mode is a 2.times.
HE-LTF mode.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the guard interval duration is
0.8 microseconds.
4. The device of claim 2, wherein the guard interval duration is
1.6 microseconds.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first packet extension field
is greater than zero.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first packet extension field
is 4 microseconds, wherein the HE TB NDP further comprises a first
HE short training field (HE-STF), wherein the first HE-STF has a
duration of 8 microseconds, wherein the downlink NDP comprises a
second HE-STF, and wherein the second HE-STF has a duration of 4
microseconds.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the HE TB NDP comprises a set of
fields, wherein the downlink NDP comprises the set of fields,
wherein the first packet extension field is the same as the second
packet extension field, wherein the set of fields comprises the
first packet extension field and a HE signal-A (HE-SIG-A) field,
wherein a first HE-SIG-A field of the HE TB NDP comprises first
parameters, wherein a second HE-SIG-A field of the downlink NDP
comprises second parameters, wherein the first parameters are
different from the second parameters.
8. The device of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver
configured to transmit and receive wireless signals, wherein the
wireless signals comprise the trigger frame, the HE TB NDP, or the
downlink NDP.
9. The device of claim 8, further comprising an antenna coupled to
the transceiver.
10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing
computer-executable instructions which when executed by one or more
processors result in performing operations comprising: identifying
a trigger frame received from a responding device; determining,
based on the trigger frame, a high efficiency (HE) long training
field (HE-LTF) mode and a guard interval duration; determining,
based on the HE-LTF mode and the guard interval duration, a HE
trigger-based (TB) null data packet (NDP), wherein the HE TB NDP
comprises a first packet extension field; causing to send the HE TB
NDP to the responding device; identifying a downlink NDP received
from the responding device, wherein the downlink NDP comprises a
second packet extension field; and determining, based on the
downlink NDP, channel state information.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10,
wherein the HE-LTF mode is a 2.times. HE-LTF mode.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10,
wherein the guard interval duration is 0.8 microseconds.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10,
wherein the guard interval duration is 1.6 microseconds.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10,
wherein the first packet extension field is greater than zero.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10,
wherein the first packet extension field has a duration of 4
microseconds, wherein the HE TB NDP further comprises a first HE
short training field (HE-STF), wherein the first HE-STF has a
duration of 8 microseconds, wherein the downlink NDP comprises a
second HE-STF, and wherein the second HE-STF has a duration of 4
microseconds.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10,
wherein the HE TB NDP comprises a set of fields, wherein the
downlink NDP is a HE sounding NDP, wherein the downlink HE sounding
NDP comprises the set of fields, wherein the first packet extension
field is the same as the second packet extension field, wherein the
set of fields comprises the first packet extension field and a HE
signal-A (HE-SIG-A) field, wherein a first HE-SIG-A field of the HE
TB NDP comprises first parameters, wherein a second HE-SIG-A field
of the downlink HE sounding NDP comprises second parameters,
wherein the first parameters are different from the second
parameters.
17. A method comprising: causing to send, by an initiator device, a
null data packet announcement (NDPA) frame to a responder device;
determining, by the initiator device, an uplink null data packet
(NDP), wherein the uplink NDP comprises a first indication of a
high efficiency (HE) long training field (HE-LTF) mode, a second
indication of a guard interval duration, and a first packet
extension field; causing to send, by the initiator device, the
uplink NDP to the responder device; identifying, by the initiator
device, an downlink NDP received from the responder device, wherein
the downlink NDP comprises a second packet extension field and a HE
signal-A1 (HE-SIG-A1) field, wherein the downlink NDP is associated
with the HE-LTF mode and the guard interval duration indicated in
the HE-SIG-A1 field; and determining, by the initiator device,
channel state information based on the downlink NDP received from
the responder device.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the uplink NDP is a first HE
sounding NDP frame, and wherein the downlink NDP is a second HE
sounding NDP frame.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the HE-LTF mode is a 2.times.
HE-LTF mode.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the guard interval duration is
0.8 microseconds or 1.6 microseconds, wherein the first packet
extension field has a duration of 4 microseconds, wherein the
second packet extension field has a duration of 4 microseconds, and
wherein a first bit of the HE-SIG-A1 field of the downlink NDP is
set to zero to indicate that the downlink NDP is a HE trigger-based
data unit.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/629,966, filed Feb. 13, 2018, the disclosure of
which is incorporated by reference as if set forth in full.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This disclosure generally relates to systems, methods, and
devices for wireless communications and, more particularly,
trigger-based null data packet (NDP) for channel sounding.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Wireless devices are becoming widely prevalent and are
increasingly requesting access to wireless channels. Wireless
devices may benefit from evaluating wireless channels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 depicts a diagram illustrating an example network
environment, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of
the present disclosure.
[0005] FIG. 2A depicts an illustrative multi-user measurement
sequence, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the
present disclosure.
[0006] FIG. 2B depicts an illustrative high-efficiency sounding
null data packet, in accordance with one or more example
embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0007] FIG. 2C depicts an illustrative high-efficiency
trigger-based null data packet, in accordance with one or more
example embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 3A depicts an illustrative enhanced high-efficiency
trigger-based null data packet, in accordance with one or more
example embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0009] FIG. 3B depicts an illustrative single user measurement
sequence, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the
present disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 4A depicts a flow diagram of illustrative process for
channel sounding using a trigger-based NDP, in accordance with one
or more embodiments of the disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 4B depicts a flow diagram of illustrative process for
channel sounding using a trigger-based NDP, in accordance with one
or more embodiments of the disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 5 depicts a functional diagram of an example
communication station, in accordance with one or more example
embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0013] FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of an example machine upon
which any of one or more techniques (e.g., methods) may be
performed, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of
the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] Example embodiments described herein provide certain
systems, methods, and devices, for trigger-based null data packet
(NDP) for channel sounding.
[0015] The following description and the drawings sufficiently
illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art
to practice them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural,
logical, electrical, process, and other changes. Portions and
features of some embodiments may be included in, or substituted
for, those of other embodiments. Embodiments set forth in the
claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.
[0016] In wireless communications, devices may use a variety of
methods to determine a device's location/position. For example,
devices may exchange data transmissions using a null data packet
(NDP) with sequences of symbols. A portion of an NDP frame may
include one or more sounding symbols. Each sounding symbol may have
a set of subcarriers (e.g., tones) having non-zero energy, and some
guard subcarriers such as direct current (DC) subcarriers and edge
subcarriers. Based on the symbols in a sounding signal, devices may
perform time of arrival estimation (e.g., a time of arrival of a
sounding signal at a device), which may be used to determine
device's range respective to other devices.
[0017] Channel sounding may allow devices to determine the quality
and behavior of wireless communication mediums (e.g., channels
and/or frequency bands). In a basic channel sounding process, a
transmitter may send a sequence to a receiver. The receiver may
receive the sequence and, based on the transmitted sequence, may
determine an impulse response of a channel between the transmitter
and receiver. Due to the effect of an environment (e.g., an area
with many people, buildings, objects, etc.), wireless signals may
travel in multiple paths between a transmitter and receiver. The
paths may be affected by reflection, refraction, scattering, and
other factors, which may result in multiple versions of a signal
arriving at a receiver at different times. To perform channel
sounding, a frame format which uses an entire frequency band may be
defined.
[0018] In an MU measurement sequence, such as in the IEEE 802.11az
Wi-Fi communications standard, a responder (e.g., access point
device) may send a trigger frame to solicit uplink (UL)
transmissions of sounding frames (e.g., null data packets) from
initiators (e.g., station devices). However, the frame format of
the UL sounding null data packet (NDP) is not defined yet for MU
communications, so initiators in MU sounding operations may not be
able to respond to a trigger frame requesting an uplink
transmission for use in channel sounding.
[0019] Some existing NDP frame formats have been defined, such as a
high efficiency (HE) sounding NDP physical layer convergence
protocol data unit (PPDU) and a HE trigger-based (TB) NDP feedback
PPDU (e.g., as defined in the IEEE 802.11 standards for Wi-Fi
communications). The HE sounding NDP PPDU may be used for
beamforming purposes in which devices train their respective
antennas directionally. For example, after a beamformee device
receives a HE sounding NDP, the beamformee may estimate a channel
used to send the HE sounding NDP by analyzing the NDP. The analysis
may include determining channel state information (CSI). The
beamformee device may send the CSI information to a beamformer
which sent the HE sounding NDP. The HE NDP PPDU may support
multiple HE long training field (HE-LTF) modes and guard intervals.
The HE NDP PPDU may include a HE-LTF whose duration is based on an
LTF symbol of the HE NDP PPDU and the HE-LTF mode. The guard
interval durations supported by the HE NDP PPDU may include 0.8 us,
1.6 us, 3.2 us, and other durations. The HE NDP PPDU may indicate
combinations of HE-LTF modes and guard interval durations, for
example, using a HE signal-A (HE-SIG-A) field.
[0020] A trigger frame sent by an access point (AP) may cause a
station device (STA) to send one or more uplink transmissions to
the AP, such as a HE TB NDP feedback PPDU. A trigger frame may
indicate combinations of HE-LTF modes and guard interval durations.
A STA may transmit using assigned tone sets (e.g., frequency tones
associated with allocated resource units in a channel/band) to
indicate whether the STA has packet in a queue and requests a
resource for from an AP for uplink transmission.
[0021] However, neither of the above two types of NDPs may be used
for the uplink channel sounding because the HE TB NDP feedback PPDU
only uses some tones rather than the entire frequency band, and
because the HE sounding NDP PPDU is formatted for downlink
transmissions and does not provide a long enough HE short training
field (HE-STF) for uplink sounding operations.
[0022] In particular, if the existing HE sounding NDP PPDU were to
be used for MU UL sounding operations, the HE-STF may not allow for
proper channel sounding because the HE-STF of the HE sounding NDP
PPDU may be 4 us, and MU UL sounding operations may need a longer
time (e.g., 8 us) for the HE-STF so that, for example, an AP may
receive a UL PPDU and have sufficient information to determine
automatic gain control. In addition, the HE sounding NDP PPDU may
not have a way to indicate that it is being used for UL sounding.
The existing HE TB NDP feedback PPDU may not support a 2.times.LTF
(2.times. long training field) mode with a duration of 1.6 us, and
may be limited to a packet extension of zero when UL sounding may
benefit from using both 2.times.LTF modes, with guard interval
durations of 1.6 us, and from using other packet extension lengths.
Also, the HE TB NDP feedback PPDU may use an allocated tone set
within a frequency band, which may not include the entire band, and
therefore the channel sounding using this type of PPDU may not
allow for measurements of an entire channel/band.
[0023] Therefore, to ease implementation for sounding an entire
channel/band, parts of the HE sounding NDP PPDU and the HE TB NDP
feedback PPDU may be used to create a TB NDP PPDU for UL channel
sounding, with some modifications. By reusing portions of the
existing formats, the new frame format for UL sounding may be
compatible with existing and new devices.
[0024] Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to
systems, methods, and devices for trigger-based NDP for channel
sounding.
[0025] In one embodiment, a Trigger-based NDP for channel sounding
system may define an enhanced frame format for the UL NDP. The
enhanced frame format is compatible with the NDP frame format in
the current 802.11ax standard. In particular, the enhanced frame
format may use a portion of a HE sounding NDP PPDU, but the
parameter fields in the HE signature-A (HE-SIG-A) field of the HE
sounding NDP PPDU may be set according to a format of a HE-SIG-A
field of a HE TB PPDU. The enhanced frame format may use an entire
channel or band like the HE sounding NDP PPDU, but modified for an
uplink format partially based on the HE sounding NDP PPDU.
[0026] In one embodiment, when performing a single user (SU)
channel measurement sequence, an initiator device and a responder
device may send a HE sounding NDP PPDU to one another, but when the
responder sends a HE sounding NDP PPDU, the responder may set a bit
(e.g., bit B0) of a HE-SIG-A1 field to zero to indicate that the HE
sounding NDP PPDU is a HE TB PPDU.
[0027] The above descriptions are for purposes of illustration and
are not meant to be limiting. Numerous other examples,
configurations, processes, etc., may exist, some of which are
described in detail below. Example embodiments will now be
described with reference to the accompanying figures.
[0028] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example network
environment, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of
the present disclosure. Wireless network 100 may include one or
more user devices 120 and one or more access point(s) (AP) 102,
which may communicate in accordance with IEEE 802.11 communication
standards. The user device(s) 120 may be mobile devices that are
non-stationary (e.g., not having fixed locations) or may be
stationary devices.
[0029] In some embodiments, the user devices 120, and the AP(s) 102
may include one or more computer systems similar to that of the
functional diagram of FIG. 5 and/or the example machine/system of
FIG. 6.
[0030] One or more illustrative user device(s) 120 and/or AP(s) 102
may be operable by one or more user(s) 110. It should be noted that
any addressable unit may be a station (STA). An STA may take on
multiple distinct characteristics, each of which shape its
function. For example, a single addressable unit might
simultaneously be a portable STA, a quality-of-service (QoS) STA, a
dependent STA, and a hidden STA. The one or more illustrative user
device(s) 120 and the AP(s) 102 may be STAs. The one or more
illustrative user device(s) 120 and/or AP(s) 102 may operate as a
personal basic service set (PBSS) control point/access point
(PCP/AP). The user device(s) 120 (e.g., 124, 126, or 128) and/or
AP(s) 102 may include any suitable processor-driven device
including, but not limited to, a mobile device or a non-mobile,
e.g., a static, device. For example, user device(s) 120 and/or
AP(s) 102 may include, a user equipment (UE), a station (STA), an
access point (AP), a software enabled AP (SoftAP), a personal
computer (PC), a wearable wireless device (e.g., bracelet, watch,
glasses, ring, etc.), a desktop computer, a mobile computer, a
laptop computer, an Ultrabook.TM. computer, a notebook computer, a
tablet computer, a server computer, a handheld computer, a handheld
device, an internet of things (IoT) device, a sensor device, a PDA
device, a handheld PDA device, an on-board device, an off-board
device, a hybrid device (e.g., combining cellular phone
functionalities with PDA device functionalities), a consumer
device, a vehicular device, a non-vehicular device, a mobile or
portable device, a non-mobile or non-portable device, a mobile
phone, a cellular telephone, a PCS device, a PDA device which
incorporates a wireless communication device, a mobile or portable
GPS device, a DVB device, a relatively small computing device, a
non-desktop computer, a "carry small live large" (CSLL) device, an
ultra mobile device (UMD), an ultra mobile PC (UMPC), a mobile
internet device (MID), an "origami" device or computing device, a
device that supports dynamically composable computing (DCC), a
context-aware device, a video device, an audio device, an A/V
device, a set-top-box (STB), a blu-ray disc (BD) player, a BD
recorder, a digital video disc (DVD) player, a high definition (HD)
DVD player, a DVD recorder, a HD DVD recorder, a personal video
recorder (PVR), a broadcast HD receiver, a video source, an audio
source, a video sink, an audio sink, a stereo tuner, a broadcast
radio receiver, a flat panel display, a personal media player
(PMP), a digital video camera (DVC), a digital audio player, a
speaker, an audio receiver, an audio amplifier, a gaming device, a
data source, a data sink, a digital still camera (DSC), a media
player, a smartphone, a television, a music player, or the like.
Other devices, including smart devices such as lamps, climate
control, car components, household components, appliances, etc. may
also be included in this list.
[0031] As used herein, the term "Internet of Things (IoT) device"
is used to refer to any object (e.g., an appliance, a sensor, etc.)
that has an addressable interface (e.g., an Internet protocol (IP)
address, a Bluetooth identifier (ID), a near-field communication
(NFC) ID, etc.) and can transmit information to one or more other
devices over a wired or wireless connection. An IoT device may have
a passive communication interface, such as a quick response (QR)
code, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, an NFC tag, or
the like, or an active communication interface, such as a modem, a
transceiver, a transmitter-receiver, or the like. An IoT device can
have a particular set of attributes (e.g., a device state or
status, such as whether the IoT device is on or off, open or
closed, idle or active, available for task execution or busy, and
so on, a cooling or heating function, an environmental monitoring
or recording function, a light-emitting function, a sound-emitting
function, etc.) that can be embedded in and/or controlled/monitored
by a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, ASIC, or the
like, and configured for connection to an IoT network such as a
local ad-hoc network or the Internet. For example, IoT devices may
include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, toasters, ovens,
microwaves, freezers, dishwashers, dishes, hand tools, clothes
washers, clothes dryers, furnaces, air conditioners, thermostats,
televisions, light fixtures, vacuum cleaners, sprinklers,
electricity meters, gas meters, etc., so long as the devices are
equipped with an addressable communications interface for
communicating with the IoT network. IoT devices may also include
cell phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers,
personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. Accordingly, the IoT
network may be comprised of a combination of "legacy"
Internet-accessible devices (e.g., laptop or desktop computers,
cell phones, etc.) in addition to devices that do not typically
have Internet-connectivity (e.g., dishwashers, etc.).
[0032] The user device(s) 120 and/or AP(s) 102 may also include
mesh stations in, for example, a mesh network, in accordance with
one or more IEEE 802.11 standards and/or 3GPP standards.
[0033] Any of the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126,
128), and AP(s) 102 may be configured to communicate with each
other via one or more communications networks 130 and/or 135
wirelessly or wired. The user device(s) 120 may also communicate
peer-to-peer or directly with each other with or without the AP(s)
102. Any of the communications networks 130 and/or 135 may include,
but not limited to, any one of a combination of different types of
suitable communications networks such as, for example, broadcasting
networks, cable networks, public networks (e.g., the Internet),
private networks, wireless networks, cellular networks, or any
other suitable private and/or public networks. Further, any of the
communications networks 130 and/or 135 may have any suitable
communication range associated therewith and may include, for
example, global networks (e.g., the Internet), metropolitan area
networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), local area networks
(LANs), or personal area networks (PANs). In addition, any of the
communications networks 130 and/or 135 may include any type of
medium over which network traffic may be carried including, but not
limited to, coaxial cable, twisted-pair wire, optical fiber, a
hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) medium, microwave terrestrial
transceivers, radio frequency communication mediums, white space
communication mediums, ultra-high frequency communication mediums,
satellite communication mediums, or any combination thereof.
[0034] Any of the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126,
128) and AP(s) 102 may include one or more communications antennas.
The one or more communications antennas may be any suitable type of
antennas corresponding to the communications protocols used by the
user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126 and 128), and AP(s)
102. Some non-limiting examples of suitable communications antennas
include Wi-Fi antennas, Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards compatible antennas,
directional antennas, non-directional antennas, dipole antennas,
folded dipole antennas, patch antennas, multiple-input
multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, omnidirectional antennas,
quasi-omnidirectional antennas, or the like. The one or more
communications antennas may be communicatively coupled to a radio
component to transmit and/or receive signals, such as
communications signals to and/or from the user devices 120 and/or
AP(s) 102.
[0035] Any of the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126,
128), and AP(s) 102 may be configured to perform directional
transmission and/or directional reception in conjunction with
wirelessly communicating in a wireless network. Any of the user
device(s) 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128), and AP(s) 102 may
be configured to perform such directional transmission and/or
reception using a set of multiple antenna arrays (e.g., DMG antenna
arrays or the like). Each of the multiple antenna arrays may be
used for transmission and/or reception in a particular respective
direction or range of directions. Any of the user device(s) 120
(e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128), and AP(s) 102 may be configured
to perform any given directional transmission towards one or more
defined transmit sectors. Any of the user device(s) 120 (e.g., user
devices 124, 126, 128), and AP(s) 102 may be configured to perform
any given directional reception from one or more defined receive
sectors.
[0036] MIMO beamforming in a wireless network may be accomplished
using RF beamforming and/or digital beamforming. In some
embodiments, in performing a given MIMO transmission, user devices
120 and/or AP(s) 102 may be configured to use all or a subset of
its one or more communications antennas to perform MIMO
beamforming.
[0037] Any of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126,
128), and AP(s) 102 may include any suitable radio and/or
transceiver for transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency (RF)
signals in the bandwidth and/or channels corresponding to the
communications protocols utilized by any of the user device(s) 120
and AP(s) 102 to communicate with each other. The radio components
may include hardware and/or software to modulate and/or demodulate
communications signals according to pre-established transmission
protocols. The radio components may further have hardware and/or
software instructions to communicate via one or more Wi-Fi and/or
Wi-Fi direct protocols, as standardized by the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards.
[0038] Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with devices
and/or networks operating in accordance with existing. Wireless
Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Alliance (WFA) Specifications, including Wi-Fi
Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) Technical Specification (e.g.,
NAN and NAN2) and/or future versions and/or derivatives thereof,
devices and/or networks operating in accordance with existing WFA
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) specifications and/or future versions and/or
derivatives thereof, devices and/or networks operating in
accordance with existing Wireless-Gigabit-Alliance (WGA)
specifications (Wireless Gigabit Alliance, Inc. WiGig MAC and PHY
Specification) and/or future versions and/or derivatives thereof,
devices and/or networks operating in accordance with existing IEEE
802.11 standards and/or amendments (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g,
802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11az,
etc.).
[0039] In certain example embodiments, the radio component, in
cooperation with the communications antennas, may be configured to
communicate via 2.4 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n,
802.11ax), 5 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax), or
60 GHZ channels (e.g., 802.11ad). In some embodiments, non-Wi-Fi
protocols may be used for communications between devices, such as
Bluetooth, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), Ultra-High
Frequency (UHF) (e.g., IEEE 802.11af, IEEE 802.22), white band
frequency (e.g., white spaces), or other packetized radio
communications. The radio component may include any known receiver
and baseband suitable for communicating via the communications
protocols. The radio component may further include a low noise
amplifier (LNA), additional signal amplifiers, an analog-to-digital
(A/D) converter, one or more buffers, and digital baseband.
[0040] In one embodiment, and with reference to FIG. 1, a user
device 120 may be in communication with one or more APs 102.
[0041] For example, one or more APs 102 may perform MU channel
sounding or SU channel sounding with the user device(s) 120. The
one or more APs 102 and the user device(s) 120 may exchange packets
140. The packets 140 may include trigger frames, HE NDP PPDUs, HE
trigger-based NDP feedback PPDUs, enhanced HE trigger-based PPDUs,
NDP announcement (NDPA) frames, channel information/measurement
feedback frames, and other frames which may facilitate channel
sounding operations.
[0042] FIG. 2A depicts an illustrative multi-user measurement
sequence 200, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of
the present disclosure.
[0043] Referring to FIG. 2A, the sequence 200 may include a MU
measurement sequence such as defined by the IEEE 802.11az
communication standard. A responder AP 202 may perform sounding
operations with a first group of initiators (e.g., initiator 204,
initiator 206) and a second group of initiators (e.g., initiator
208, initiator 210). The responder AP may send a trigger frame 212
to solicit UL sounding NDPs from the first group of initiators. For
example, the trigger frame 212 may identify the first group of
initiators. The initiator 204 may send a UL NDP 214 to the
responder AP 202. The initiator 206 may send a UL NDP 216 to the
responder AP 202. The responder AP 202 may send a trigger frame 218
addressed to the second group of initiators. The initiator 208 may
send a UL NDP 220 to the responder AP 202. The initiator 210 may
send a UL NDP 222 to the responder AP 202. The responder AP 202 may
send additional trigger frames to other groups of initiators and
may receive respective UL NDPs in response. After the initiators
have sent UL NDPs triggered by trigger frames sent by the responder
AP 202, the responder AP 202 may send an NDPA 224 indicating a
subsequent transmission, and subsequently may send a NDP 226.
[0044] The trigger frames sent by the responder AP 202 may indicate
that they are trigger frames for UL NDPs so that the initiators
provide the UL NDPs to the responder AP 202. The NDP 226 may use a
frame format for a HE NDP PPDU, however, the frame format for the
UL NDPs may need to be defined and enhanced to allow a longer
HE-STF field for sounding, and to support multiple HE-LTF modes and
guard interval durations.
[0045] The MU measurement sequence 200 may be completed within a
single transmission opportunity (TXOP). For example, after any
frame is sent, the AP 202 and any of the user devices may wait a
time, such as a short inter-frame space (SIFS) 230, before sending
a subsequent frame.
[0046] FIG. 2B depicts an illustrative HE sounding NDP 240, in
accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0047] Referring to FIG. 2B, the HE sounding NDP 240 may include
one or more fields, such as a legacy short training field (L-STF)
242, a legacy long training field (L-LTF) 244, a legacy signal
field (L-SIG) 246, a repeated legacy signal field (RL-SIG) 248, a
HE-SIG-A field 250, a HE short training field (HE-STF) 252, a HE
long training field (HE-LTF) 254, and a packet extension (PE) field
256. The L-STF field 242 may have a length of 8 us. The L-LTF field
244 may have a duration of 8 us. The L-SIG field 246 may have a
duration of 4 us. The RL-SIG field 248 may have a duration of 4 us.
The HE-SIG-A field 250 may have a duration of 8 us. The HE-STF
field 252 may have a duration of 4 us. The HE-LTF field 254 may
have a duration of 7.2 us or 8 us per HE-LTF symbol when using a
2.times. HE-LTF mode, and may have a duration of 16 us per HE-LTF
symbol when using a 4.times. HE-LTF mode. The PE field 256 may have
a duration of 4 us.
[0048] NDP may be a HE sounding format. The number of HE-LTF
symbols in the HE sounding NDP 240 may be determined by a sub-field
of the HE-SIG-A field 250 indicating a number of spatial streams
(e.g., allocated to one or more users). The HE sounding NDP 240 may
use a HE SU PPDU format, but without a data field, and may use the
PE field 256 of 4 us. The HE sounding NDP 240 may support a
2.times. HE-LTF mode with a guard interval of 0.8 us, a 2.times.
HE-LTF mode with a guard interval of 1.6 us, and a 4.times. HE-LTF
mode with a guard interval of 3.2 us.
[0049] FIG. 2C depicts an illustrative HE trigger-based NDP 260, in
accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 2C, the HE trigger-based NDP 260 may
include one or more fields, such as a legacy short training field
(L-STF) 262, a legacy long training field (L-LTF) 264, a legacy
signal field (L-SIG) 266, a repeated legacy signal field (RL-SIG)
268, a HE-SIG-A field 270, a HE short training field (HE-STF) 272,
and a HE long training field (HE-LTF) 274. The L-STF field 262 may
have a length of 8 us. The L-LTF field 264 may have a duration of 8
us. The L-SIG field 266 may have a duration of 4 us. The RL-SIG
field 268 may have a duration of 4 us. The HE-SIG-A field 270 may
have a duration of 8 us. The HE-STF field 272 may have a duration
of 8 us. The HE-LTF field 274 may have a duration based on two
HE-LTF symbols with 16 us per symbol using the 4.times. HE-LTF
mode.
[0051] The HE trigger-based NDP 260 may include NDP feedback report
information. The HE trigger-based NDP 260 may use a HE
trigger-based PPDU format without a data field and with a PE
duration of zero (e.g., no PE field). The HE trigger-based NDP 260
may have two 4.times. HE-LTF mode symbols, and may support only the
4.times. HE-LTF mode and guard interval duration.
[0052] FIG. 3A depicts an illustrative enhanced HE trigger-based
NDP 300, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the
present disclosure.
[0053] Referring to FIG. 3A, the enhanced HE trigger-based NDP 300
may include one or more fields, such as a legacy short training
field (L-STF) 302, a legacy long training field (L-LTF) 304, a
legacy signal field (L-SIG) 306, a repeated legacy signal field
(RL-SIG) 308, a HE-SIG-A field 310, a HE short training field
(HE-STF) 312, a HE long training field (HE-LTF) 314, and a packet
extension (PE) field 316. The L-STF field 302 may have a length of
8 us. The L-LTF field 323040 may have a duration of 8 us. The L-SIG
field 306 may have a duration of 4 us. The RL-SIG field 308 may
have a duration of 4 us. The HE-SIG-A field 310 may have a duration
of 8 us. The HE-STF field 312 may have a duration of 8 us. The
HE-LTF field 314 may have a duration of 7.2 us or 8 us per HE-LTF
symbol when using a 2.times. HE-LTF mode, and may have a duration
of 16 us per HE-LTF symbol when using a 4.times. HE-LTF mode. The
PE field 256 may have a duration of 0, 4, 8, 12, or 16 us, or
another duration.
[0054] The enhanced HE trigger-based NDP 300 may use the same frame
structure (e.g., the same fields) as the HE sounding NDP 240 of
FIG. 2B, however the duration of the HE-STF field 312 may have a
duration of 8 us, and parameters of the HE-SIG-A field 310 may be
different from parameters of the HE-SIG-A field 250 of FIG. 2B, and
may be based on the HE-SIG-A field 270 of the HE trigger-based NDP
260 of FIG. 2C. Unlike the HE trigger-based NDP 260 of FIG. 2C, the
enhanced HE trigger-based NDP 300 may include a PE field (e.g., PE
field 316), which may be longer than zero.
[0055] The enhanced HE trigger-based NDP 300 may support the
2.times. HE-LTF mode with a guard interval duration of 0.8 us, the
2.times. HE-LTF mode with a guard interval duration of 1.6 us, and
the 4.times. HE-LTF mode with a guard interval duration of 3.2 us.
Thus, the enhanced HE trigger-based NDP 300 may enhance the HE
trigger-based NDP 260 by supporting additional HE-LTF modes and
including a PE.
[0056] FIG. 3B depicts an illustrative SU measurement sequence 350,
in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0057] Referring to FIG. 3B, the SU measurement sequence 350 may
include an initiator STA 352 and a responder STA 354. The initiator
STA 352 may send an NDPA 356 to announce the transmission of a NDP
358, and after a SIFS 370 time of sending the NDPA 356, the
initiator STA 352 may send the NDP 358. The responder STA 354 may
send a NDP 360 after SIFS 370 time of receiving the NDP 358, and
after SIFS 370 time of sending the NDP 360, the responder STA 354
may send measurement feedback 362 to the initiator STA 352. The
measurement feedback 362 may include a time of arrival of the NDP
358 and a time of departure of the NDP 360 that the initiator STA
352 may use to measure a distance/range to the responder STA
354.
[0058] The NDP 358 may use the format of the HE sounding NDP 240 of
FIG. 2B. The NDP 360 may use the format of the HE sounding NDP 240
of FIG. 2B, and may include a first bit (e.g., bit B0) set by the
responder STA 354 to zero to indicate that the NDP 360 is a HE TB
PPDU.
[0059] The SU measurement sequence 350 may be completed within a
single TXOP. For example, after any frame is sent, a device may
wait a time, such as SIFS 370, before sending another frame.
[0060] FIG. 4A depicts a flow diagram of illustrative process 400
for channel sounding using a trigger-based NDP, in accordance with
one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0061] At block 402, a device (e.g., the AP 102 of FIG. 1) may send
a trigger frame to a group of station devices, the group of station
devices including a first station device, the trigger frame
including a first indication of a HE-LTF mode and a second
indication of a guard interval duration. The HE-LTF mode may be a
2.times. HE-LTF mode or a 4.times. HE-LTF mode. The guard interval
duration may be 0.8 microseconds, 1.6 microseconds, or 3.2
microseconds.
[0062] At block 404, the device may identify a HE TB NDP received
from the first station device, the HE TB NDP including a first
packet extension field, and the HE TB NDP being associated with the
HE-LTF mode and the guard interval duration. The packet extension
field may have a duration of 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, or another number of
microseconds. The HE TB NDP may support a 2.times. HE-LTF mode or a
4.times. HE-LTF mode.
[0063] At block 406, the device may determine channel state
information based on the HE TB NDP received from the first station
device. Channel state information may be determined by a receiving
device and sent to the transmitting device, and the devices may use
the channel state information to derive the time of arrival of the
corresponding HE TB NDP.
[0064] At block 408, the device may send a downlink NDPA frame. The
NDPA frame may indicate that the device may send a NDP frame after
a time, such as SIFS.
[0065] At block 410, the device may send a downlink NDP, wherein
the downlink NDP includes a second packet extension field. The
downlink NDP may be a HE sounding NDP, and may support a 2.times.
HE-LTF mode or a 4.times. HE-LTF mode. The packet extension field
of the downlink NDP may have a duration of 4 microseconds.
[0066] FIG. 4B depicts a flow diagram of illustrative process 450
for channel sounding using a trigger-based NDP, in accordance with
one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0067] At block 452, a device (e.g., the user device 120 of FIG. 1)
may identify a trigger frame received from an AP (e.g., a
responding device). The trigger frame may include a first
indication of a HE-LTF mode and a second indication of a guard
interval duration. The HE-LTF mode may be a 2.times. HE-LTF mode or
a 4.times. HE-LTF mode. The guard interval duration may be 0.8
microseconds, 1.6 microseconds, or 3.2 microseconds.
[0068] At block 454, the device may determine, based on the trigger
frame, a HE-LTF mode and a guard interval duration. For example,
the HE-LTF mode may be a 2.times. HE-LTF mode with a guard interval
duration of 0.8 microseconds or a guard interval duration of 1.6
microseconds. The HE-LTF mode may be a 4.times. HE-LTF mode with a
guard interval duration of 3.2 microseconds.
[0069] At block 456, the device may determine, based on the HE-LTF
mode and the guard interval duration, a HE TB NDP, the HE TB NDP
including a first packet extension field. The packet extension
field may have a duration of 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, or another number of
microseconds. The packet extension field may support a 2.times.
HE-LTF mode or a 4.times. HE-LTF mode.
[0070] At block 458, the device may send the HE TB NDP to the
AP.
[0071] At block 460, the device may identify a downlink NDPA frame
received from the AP. The NDPA frame may indicate that the AP may
send a subsequent NDP frame.
[0072] At block 462, the device may identify a downlink NDP
received from the AP, the downlink NDP including a second packet
extension field. The packet extension field may have a duration of
4 microseconds. The downlink NDP may be a HE sounding NDP, and may
support a 2.times. HE-LTF mode or a 4.times. HE-LTF mode.
[0073] At block 464, the device may determine, based on the
downlink NDP, channel state information.
[0074] It is understood that the above descriptions are for
purposes of illustration and are not meant to be limiting.
[0075] FIG. 5 shows a functional diagram of an exemplary
communication station 500 in accordance with some embodiments. In
one embodiment, FIG. 5 illustrates a functional block diagram of a
communication station that may be suitable for use as an AP 102
(FIG. 1) or user device 120 (FIG. 1) in accordance with some
embodiments. The communication station 500 may also be suitable for
use as a handheld device, a mobile device, a cellular telephone, a
smartphone, a tablet, a netbook, a wireless terminal, a laptop
computer, a wearable computer device, a femtocell, a high data rate
(HDR) subscriber station, an access point, an access terminal, or
other personal communication system (PCS) device.
[0076] The communication station 500 may include communications
circuitry 502 and a transceiver 510 for transmitting and receiving
signals to and from other communication stations using one or more
antennas 501. The transceiver 510 may be a device comprising both a
transmitter and a receiver that are combined and share common
circuitry (e.g., communication circuitry 502). The communication
circuitry 502 may include amplifiers, filters, mixers, analog to
digital and/or digital to analog converters. The transceiver 510
may transmit and receive analog or digital signals. The transceiver
510 may allow reception of signals during transmission periods.
This mode is known as full-duplex, and may require the transmitter
and receiver to operate on different frequencies to minimize
interference between the transmitted signal and the received
signal. The transceiver 510 may operate in a half-duplex mode,
where the transceiver 510 may transmit or receive signals in one
direction at a time.
[0077] The communications circuitry 502 may include circuitry that
can operate the physical layer (PHY) communications and/or media
access control (MAC) communications for controlling access to the
wireless medium, and/or any other communications layers for
transmitting and receiving signals. The communication station 500
may also include processing circuitry 506 and memory 508 arranged
to perform the operations described herein. In some embodiments,
the communications circuitry 502 and the processing circuitry 506
may be configured to perform operations detailed in detailed in
FIGS. 1-4.
[0078] In accordance with some embodiments, the communications
circuitry 502 may be arranged to contend for a wireless medium and
configure frames or packets for communicating over the wireless
medium. The communications circuitry 502 may be arranged to
transmit and receive signals. The communications circuitry 502 may
also include circuitry for modulation/demodulation,
upconversion/downconversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some
embodiments, the processing circuitry 506 of the communication
station 500 may include one or more processors. In other
embodiments, two or more antennas 501 may be coupled to the
communications circuitry 502 arranged for sending and receiving
signals. The memory 508 may store information for configuring the
processing circuitry 506 to perform operations for configuring and
transmitting message frames and performing the various operations
described herein. The memory 508 may include any type of memory,
including non-transitory memory, for storing information in a form
readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, the memory
508 may include a computer-readable storage device, read-only
memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage
media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices and other
storage devices and media.
[0079] In some embodiments, the communication station 500 may be
part of a portable wireless communication device, such as a
personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer
with wireless communication capability, a web tablet, a wireless
telephone, a smartphone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant
messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, a television,
a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure
monitor, etc.), a wearable computer device, or another device that
may receive and/or transmit information wirelessly.
[0080] In some embodiments, the communication station 500 may
include one or more antennas 501. The antennas 501 may include one
or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for
example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop
antennas, microstrip antennas, or other types of antennas suitable
for transmission of RF signals. In some embodiments, instead of two
or more antennas, a single antenna with multiple apertures may be
used. In these embodiments, each aperture may be considered a
separate antenna. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)
embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated for spatial
diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result
between each of the antennas and the antennas of a transmitting
station.
[0081] In some embodiments, the communication station 500 may
include one or more of a keyboard, a display, a non-volatile memory
port, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, an application
processor, speakers, and other mobile device elements. The display
may be an LCD screen including a touch screen.
[0082] Although the communication station 500 is illustrated as
having several separate functional elements, two or more of the
functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by
combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing
elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or other
hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or
more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),
application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequency
integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware
and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described
herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements of the
communication station 500 may refer to one or more processes
operating on one or more processing elements.
[0083] Certain embodiments may be implemented in one or a
combination of hardware, firmware, and software. Other embodiments
may also be implemented as instructions stored on a
computer-readable storage device, which may be read and executed by
at least one processor to perform the operations described herein.
A computer-readable storage device may include any non-transitory
memory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a
machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer-readable
storage device may include read-only memory (ROM), random-access
memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media,
flash-memory devices, and other storage devices and media. In some
embodiments, the communication station 500 may include one or more
processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a
computer-readable storage device memory.
[0084] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a
machine 600 or system upon which any one or more of the techniques
(e.g., methodologies) discussed herein may be performed. In other
embodiments, the machine 600 may operate as a standalone device or
may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a
networked deployment, the machine 600 may operate in the capacity
of a server machine, a client machine, or both in server-client
network environments. In an example, the machine 600 may act as a
peer machine in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network
environments. The machine 600 may be a personal computer (PC), a
tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA),
a mobile telephone, a wearable computer device, a web appliance, a
network router, a switch or bridge, or any machine capable of
executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify
actions to be taken by that machine, such as a base station.
Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term
"machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines
that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of
instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies
discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service
(SaaS), or other computer cluster configurations.
[0085] Examples, as described herein, may include or may operate on
logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules
are tangible entities (e.g., hardware) capable of performing
specified operations when operating. A module includes hardware. In
an example, the hardware may be specifically configured to carry
out a specific operation (e.g., hardwired). In another example, the
hardware may include configurable execution units (e.g.,
transistors, circuits, etc.) and a computer readable medium
containing instructions where the instructions configure the
execution units to carry out a specific operation when in
operation. The configuring may occur under the direction of the
executions units or a loading mechanism. Accordingly, the execution
units are communicatively coupled to the computer-readable medium
when the device is operating. In this example, the execution units
may be a member of more than one module. For example, under
operation, the execution units may be configured by a first set of
instructions to implement a first module at one point in time and
reconfigured by a second set of instructions to implement a second
module at a second point in time.
[0086] The machine (e.g., computer system) 600 may include a
hardware processor 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a
graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any
combination thereof), a main memory 604 and a static memory 606,
some or all of which may communicate with each other via an
interlink (e.g., bus) 608. The machine 600 may further include a
power management device 632, a graphics display device 610, an
alphanumeric input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user
interface (UI) navigation device 614 (e.g., a mouse). In an
example, the graphics display device 610, alphanumeric input device
612, and UI navigation device 614 may be a touch screen display.
The machine 600 may additionally include a storage device (i.e.,
drive unit) 616, a signal generation device 618 (e.g., a speaker),
an enhanced channel sounding device 619, a network interface
device/transceiver 620 coupled to antenna(s) 630, and one or more
sensors 628, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a
compass, an accelerometer, or other sensor. The machine 600 may
include an output controller 634, such as a serial (e.g., universal
serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g.,
infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to
communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a
printer, a card reader, etc.)). The operations in accordance with
one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure may be
carried out by a baseband processor. The baseband processor may be
configured to generate corresponding baseband signals. The baseband
processor may further include physical layer (PHY) and medium
access control layer (MAC) circuitry, and may further interface
with the hardware processor 602 for generation and processing of
the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the main
memory 604, the storage device 616, and/or the enhanced channel
sounding device 619. The baseband processor may be provided on a
single radio card, a single chip, or an integrated circuit
(IC).
[0087] The storage device 616 may include a machine readable medium
622 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or
instructions 624 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one
or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The
instructions 624 may also reside, completely or at least partially,
within the main memory 604, within the static memory 606, or within
the hardware processor 602 during execution thereof by the machine
600. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware
processor 602, the main memory 604, the static memory 606, or the
storage device 616 may constitute machine-readable media.
[0088] The enhanced channel sounding device 619 may carry out or
perform any of the operations and processes (e.g., process 400 of
FIG. 4A, process 450 of FIG. 4B) described and shown above.
[0089] In one embodiment, the enhanced channel sounding device 619
may define an enhanced frame format for the UL NDP. The enhanced
frame format is compatible with the NDP frame format in the current
802.11ax standard. In particular, the enhanced frame format may use
a portion of a HE sounding NDP PPDU, but the parameter fields in
the HE signature-A (HE-SIG-A) field of the HE sounding NDP PPDU may
be set according to a format of a HE-SIG-A field of a HE TB PPDU.
The enhanced frame format may use an entire channel or band like
the HE sounding NDP PPDU, but modified for an uplink format
partially based on the HE sounding NDP PPDU. The enhanced channel
sounding device 619 may define a HE-LTF mode for a sounding NDP,
may determine a range from another device based on a sounding
frame, and may provide channel state information to another
device.
[0090] It is understood that the above are only a subset of what
the enhanced channel sounding device 619 may be configured to
perform and that other functions included throughout this
disclosure may also be performed by the enhanced channel sounding
device 619.
[0091] While the machine-readable medium 622 is illustrated as a
single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" may include a
single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed
database, and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store
the one or more instructions 624.
[0092] Various embodiments may be implemented fully or partially in
software and/or firmware. This software and/or firmware may take
the form of instructions contained in or on a non-transitory
computer-readable storage medium. Those instructions may then be
read and executed by one or more processors to enable performance
of the operations described herein. The instructions may be in any
suitable form, such as but not limited to source code, compiled
code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code,
and the like. Such a computer-readable medium may include any
tangible non-transitory medium for storing information in a form
readable by one or more computers, such as but not limited to read
only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk
storage media; optical storage media; a flash memory, etc.
[0093] The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium
that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for
execution by the machine 600 and that cause the machine 600 to
perform any one or more of the techniques of the present
disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying
data structures used by or associated with such instructions.
Non-limiting machine-readable medium examples may include
solid-state memories and optical and magnetic media. In an example,
a massed machine-readable medium includes a machine-readable medium
with a plurality of particles having resting mass. Specific
examples of massed machine-readable media may include non-volatile
memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically
programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices;
magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks;
magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.
[0094] The instructions 624 may further be transmitted or received
over a communications network 626 using a transmission medium via
the network interface device/transceiver 620 utilizing any one of a
number of transfer protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet protocol
(IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol
(UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example
communications networks may include a local area network (LAN), a
wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the
Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks),
plain old telephone (POTS) networks, wireless data networks (e.g.,
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11
family of standards known as Wi-Fi.RTM., IEEE 802.16 family of
standards known as WiMax.RTM.), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards,
and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others. In an example, the
network interface device/transceiver 620 may include one or more
physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or
more antennas to connect to the communications network 626. In an
example, the network interface device/transceiver 620 may include a
plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one
of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input
multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO)
techniques. The term "transmission medium" shall be taken to
include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding,
or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 600 and
includes digital or analog communications signals or other
intangible media to facilitate communication of such software. The
operations and processes described and shown above may be carried
out or performed in any suitable order as desired in various
implementations. Additionally, in certain implementations, at least
a portion of the operations may be carried out in parallel.
Furthermore, in certain implementations, less than or more than the
operations described may be performed.
[0095] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an
example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described
herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as
preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The terms
"computing device," "user device," "communication station,"
"station," "handheld device," "mobile device," "wireless device"
and "user equipment" (UE) as used herein refers to a wireless
communication device such as a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a
tablet, a netbook, a wireless terminal, a laptop computer, a
femtocell, a high data rate (HDR) subscriber station, an access
point, a printer, a point of sale device, an access terminal, or
other personal communication system (PCS) device. The device may be
either mobile or stationary.
[0096] As used within this document, the term "communicate" is
intended to include transmitting, or receiving, or both
transmitting and receiving. This may be particularly useful in
claims when describing the organization of data that is being
transmitted by one device and received by another, but only the
functionality of one of those devices is required to infringe the
claim. Similarly, the bidirectional exchange of data between two
devices (both devices transmit and receive during the exchange) may
be described as "communicating," when only the functionality of one
of those devices is being claimed. The term "communicating" as used
herein with respect to a wireless communication signal includes
transmitting the wireless communication signal and/or receiving the
wireless communication signal. For example, a wireless
communication unit, which is capable of communicating a wireless
communication signal, may include a wireless transmitter to
transmit the wireless communication signal to at least one other
wireless communication unit, and/or a wireless communication
receiver to receive the wireless communication signal from at least
one other wireless communication unit.
[0097] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of the
ordinal adjectives "first," "second," "third," etc., to describe a
common object, merely indicates that different instances of like
objects are being referred to and are not intended to imply that
the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either
temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.
[0098] The term "access point" (AP) as used herein may be a fixed
station. An access point may also be referred to as an access node,
a base station, an evolved node B (eNodeB), or some other similar
terminology known in the art. An access terminal may also be called
a mobile station, user equipment (UE), a wireless communication
device, or some other similar terminology known in the art.
Embodiments disclosed herein generally pertain to wireless
networks. Some embodiments may relate to wireless networks that
operate in accordance with one of the IEEE 802.11 standards.
[0099] Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with various
devices and systems, for example, a personal computer (PC), a
desktop computer, a mobile computer, a laptop computer, a notebook
computer, a tablet computer, a server computer, a handheld
computer, a handheld device, a personal digital assistant (PDA)
device, a handheld PDA device, an on-board device, an off-board
device, a hybrid device, a vehicular device, a non-vehicular
device, a mobile or portable device, a consumer device, a
non-mobile or non-portable device, a wireless communication
station, a wireless communication device, a wireless access point
(AP), a wired or wireless router, a wired or wireless modem, a
video device, an audio device, an audio-video (A/V) device, a wired
or wireless network, a wireless area network, a wireless video area
network (WVAN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN),
a personal area network (PAN), a wireless PAN (WPAN), and the
like.
[0100] Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with one way
and/or two-way radio communication systems, cellular
radio-telephone communication systems, a mobile phone, a cellular
telephone, a wireless telephone, a personal communication system
(PCS) device, a PDA device which incorporates a wireless
communication device, a mobile or portable global positioning
system (GPS) device, a device which incorporates a GPS receiver or
transceiver or chip, a device which incorporates an RFID element or
chip, a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transceiver or
device, a single input multiple output (SIMO) transceiver or
device, a multiple input single output (MISO) transceiver or
device, a device having one or more internal antennas and/or
external antennas, digital video broadcast (DVB) devices or
systems, multi-standard radio devices or systems, a wired or
wireless handheld device, e.g., a smartphone, a wireless
application protocol (WAP) device, or the like.
[0101] Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with one or more
types of wireless communication signals and/or systems following
one or more wireless communication protocols, for example, radio
frequency (RF), infrared (IR), frequency-division multiplexing
(FDM), orthogonal FDM (OFDM), time-division multiplexing (TDM),
time-division multiple access (TDMA), extended TDMA (E-TDMA),
general packet radio service (GPRS), extended GPRS, code-division
multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA 2000,
single-carrier CDMA, multi-carrier CDMA, multi-carrier modulation
(MDM), discrete multi-tone (DMT), Bluetooth.RTM., global
positioning system (GPS), Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, ZigBee, ultra-wideband
(UWB), global system for mobile communications (GSM), 2G, 2.5G, 3G,
3.5G, 4G, fifth generation (5G) mobile networks, 3GPP, long term
evolution (LTE), LTE advanced, enhanced data rates for GSM
Evolution (EDGE), or the like. Other embodiments may be used in
various other devices, systems, and/or networks.
[0102] Example 1 may be a device comprising memory and processing
circuitry configured to: cause to send a trigger frame to a group
of station devices, the group of station devices comprising a first
station device, wherein the trigger frame comprises a first
indication of a high efficiency (HE) long training field (HE-LTF)
mode and a second indication of a guard interval duration; identify
a HE trigger-based (TB) null data packet (NDP) received from the
first station device, wherein the HE TB NDP comprises a first
packet extension field, wherein the HE TB NDP is associated with
the HE-LTF mode and the guard interval duration; determine channel
information based on the HE TB NDP; and cause to send a downlink
NDP, wherein the downlink NDP comprises a second packet extension
field and is associated with the HE-LTF mode and the guard interval
duration.
[0103] Example 2 may include the device of example 1 and/or some
other example herein, wherein the HE-LTF mode is a 2.times. HE-LTF
mode.
[0104] Example 3 may include the device of example 2 and/or some
other example herein, wherein the guard interval duration is 0.8
microseconds.
[0105] Example 4 may include the device of example 2 and/or some
other example herein, wherein the guard interval duration is 1.6
microseconds.
[0106] Example 5 may include the device of example 1 and/or some
other example herein, wherein the first packet extension field is
greater than zero.
[0107] Example 6 may include the device of example 1 and/or some
other example herein, wherein the first packet extension field is 4
microseconds, wherein the HE TB NDP further comprises a first HE
short training field (HE-STF), wherein the first HE-STF has a
duration of 8 microseconds, wherein the downlink NDP comprises a
second HE-STF, and wherein the second HE-STF has a duration of 4
microseconds.
[0108] Example 7 may include the device of example 1 and/or some
other example herein, wherein the HE TB NDP comprises a set of
fields, wherein the downlink NDP comprises the set of fields,
wherein the first packet extension field is the same as the second
packet extension field, wherein the set of fields comprises the
first packet extension field and a HE signal-A (HE-SIG-A) field,
wherein a first HE-SIG-A field of the HE TB NDP comprises first
parameters, wherein a second HE-SIG-A field of the downlink NDP
comprises second parameters, wherein the first parameters are
different from the second parameters.
[0109] Example 8 may include the device of example 1 and/or some
other example herein, further comprising a transceiver configured
to transmit and receive wireless signals.
[0110] Example 9 may include the device of example 8 and/or some
other example herein, further comprising one or more antennas
coupled to the transceiver.
[0111] Example 10 may include a non-transitory computer-readable
medium storing computer-executable instructions which when executed
by one or more processors result in performing operations
comprising: identifying a trigger frame received from a responding
device; determining, based on the trigger frame, a high efficiency
(HE) long training field (HE-LTF) mode and a guard interval
duration; determining, based on the HE-LTF mode and the guard
interval duration, a HE trigger-based (TB) null data packet (NDP),
wherein the HE TB NDP comprises a first packet extension field;
causing to send the HE TB NDP to the responding device; identifying
a downlink NDP received from the responding device, wherein the
downlink NDP comprises a second packet extension field; and
determining, based on the downlink NDP, channel state
information.
[0112] Example 11 may include the non-transitory computer-readable
medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the
HE-LTF mode is a 2.times. HE-LTF mode.
[0113] Example 12 may include the non-transitory computer-readable
medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the
guard interval duration is 0.8 microseconds.
[0114] Example 13 may include the non-transitory computer-readable
medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the
guard interval duration is 1.6 microseconds.
[0115] Example 14 may include the non-transitory computer-readable
medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the
first packet extension field is greater than zero.
[0116] Example 15 may include the non-transitory computer-readable
medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the
first packet extension field has a duration of 4 microseconds,
wherein the HE TB NDP further comprises a first HE short training
field (HE-STF), wherein the first HE-STF has a duration of 8
microseconds, wherein the downlink NDP comprises a second HE-STF,
and wherein the second HE-STF has a duration of 4 microseconds.
[0117] Example 16 may include the non-transitory computer-readable
medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the
HE TB NDP comprises a set of fields, wherein the downlink NDP is a
HE sounding NDP, wherein the downlink HE sounding NDP comprises the
set of fields, wherein the first packet extension field is the same
as the second packet extension field, wherein the set of fields
comprises the first packet extension field and a HE signal-A
(HE-SIG-A) field, wherein a first HE-SIG-A field of the HE TB NDP
comprises first parameters, wherein a second HE-SIG-A field of the
downlink HE sounding NDP comprises second parameters, wherein the
first parameters are different from the second parameters.
[0118] Example 17 may include a method comprising: causing to send,
by an initiator device, a null data packet announcement (NDPA)
frame to a responder device; determining, by the initiator device,
an uplink null data packet (NDP), wherein the uplink NDP comprises
a first indication of a high efficiency (HE) long training field
(HE-LTF) mode, a second indication of a guard interval duration,
and a first packet extension field; causing to send, by the
initiator device, the uplink NDP to the responder device;
identifying, by the initiator device, an downlink NDP received from
the responder device, wherein the downlink NDP comprises a second
packet extension field and a HE signal-A1 (HE-SIG-A1) field,
wherein the downlink NDP is associated with the HE-LTF mode and the
guard interval duration indicated in the HE-SIG-A1 field; and
determining, by the initiator device, channel state information
based on the downlink NDP received from the responder device.
[0119] Example 18 may include the method of example 17 and/or some
other example herein, wherein the uplink NDP is a first HE sounding
NDP frame, and wherein the downlink NDP is a second HE sounding NDP
frame.
[0120] Example 19 may include the method of example 17 and/or some
other example herein, wherein the HE-LTF mode is a 2.times. HE-LTF
mode.
[0121] Example, 20 may include the method of example 17 and/or some
other example herein, wherein the guard interval duration is 0.8
microseconds or 1.6 microseconds, wherein the first packet
extension field has a duration of 4 microseconds, wherein the
second packet extension field has a duration of 4 microseconds, and
wherein a first bit of the HE-SIG-A1 field of the downlink NDP is
set to zero to indicate that the downlink NDP is a HE trigger-based
data unit.
[0122] Example 21 may include an apparatus comprising means for:
causing to send a null data packet announcement (NDPA) frame to a
responder device; determining an uplink null data packet (NDP),
wherein the uplink NDP comprises a first indication of a high
efficiency (HE) long training field (HE-LTF) mode, a second
indication of a guard interval duration, and a first packet
extension field; causing to send the uplink NDP to the responder
device; identifying an downlink NDP received from the responder
device, wherein the downlink NDP comprises a second packet
extension field and a HE signal-A1 (HE-SIG-A1) field, wherein the
downlink NDP is associated with the HE-LTF mode and the guard
interval duration indicated in the HE-SIG-A1 field; and determining
channel state information based on the downlink NDP received from
the responder device.
[0123] Example 22 may include one or more non-transitory
computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause an
electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or
more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more
elements of a method described in or related to any of examples
1-21, or any other method or process described herein
[0124] Example 23 may include an apparatus comprising logic,
modules, and/or circuitry to perform one or more elements of a
method described in or related to any of examples 1-21, or any
other method or process described herein.
[0125] Example 24 may include a method, technique, or process as
described in or related to any of examples 1-21 or portions or
parts thereof.
[0126] Example 25 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more
processors and one or more computer readable media comprising
instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors,
cause the one or more processors to perform the method, techniques,
or process as described in or related to any of examples 1-21, or
portions thereof.
[0127] Example 26 may include a method of communicating in a
wireless network as shown and described herein.
[0128] Example 27 may include a system for providing wireless
communication as shown and described herein.
[0129] Example 28 may include a device for providing wireless
communication as shown and described herein.
[0130] Embodiments according to the disclosure are in particular
disclosed in the attached claims directed to a method, a storage
medium, a device and a computer program product, wherein any
feature mentioned in one claim category, e.g., method, can be
claimed in another claim category, e.g., system, as well. The
dependencies or references back in the attached claims are chosen
for formal reasons only. However, any subject matter resulting from
a deliberate reference back to any previous claims (in particular
multiple dependencies) can be claimed as well, so that any
combination of claims and the features thereof are disclosed and
can be claimed regardless of the dependencies chosen in the
attached claims. The subject-matter which can be claimed comprises
not only the combinations of features as set out in the attached
claims but also any other combination of features in the claims,
wherein each feature mentioned in the claims can be combined with
any other feature or combination of other features in the claims.
Furthermore, any of the embodiments and features described or
depicted herein can be claimed in a separate claim and/or in any
combination with any embodiment or feature described or depicted
herein or with any of the features of the attached claims.
[0131] The foregoing description of one or more implementations
provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise form
disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of
the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various
embodiments.
[0132] Certain aspects of the disclosure are described above with
reference to block and flow diagrams of systems, methods,
apparatuses, and/or computer program products according to various
implementations. It will be understood that one or more blocks of
the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in
the block diagrams and the flow diagrams, respectively, may be
implemented by computer-executable program instructions. Likewise,
some blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams may not
necessarily need to be performed in the order presented, or may not
necessarily need to be performed at all, according to some
implementations.
[0133] These computer-executable program instructions may be loaded
onto a special-purpose computer or other particular machine, a
processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a particular machine, such that the instructions that
execute on the computer, processor, or other programmable data
processing apparatus create means for implementing one or more
functions specified in the flow diagram block or blocks. These
computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer-readable storage media or memory that may direct a
computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to
function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored
in the computer-readable storage media produce an article of
manufacture including instruction means that implement one or more
functions specified in the flow diagram block or blocks. As an
example, certain implementations may provide for a computer program
product, comprising a computer-readable storage medium having a
computer-readable program code or program instructions implemented
therein, said computer-readable program code adapted to be executed
to implement one or more functions specified in the flow diagram
block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus to cause a series of operational elements or steps to be
performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to
produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions
that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus
provide elements or steps for implementing the functions specified
in the flow diagram block or blocks.
[0134] Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams
support combinations of means for performing the specified
functions, combinations of elements or steps for performing the
specified functions and program instruction means for performing
the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block
of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks
in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, may be implemented by
special-purpose, hardware-based computer systems that perform the
specified functions, elements or steps, or combinations of
special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0135] Conditional language, such as, among others, "can," "could,"
"might," or "may," unless specifically stated otherwise, or
otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally
intended to convey that certain implementations could include,
while other implementations do not include, certain features,
elements, and/or operations. Thus, such conditional language is not
generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or
operations are in any way required for one or more implementations
or that one or more implementations necessarily include logic for
deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these
features, elements, and/or operations are included or are to be
performed in any particular implementation.
[0136] Many modifications and other implementations of the
disclosure set forth herein will be apparent having the benefit of
the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the
associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the
disclosure is not to be limited to the specific implementations
disclosed and that modifications and other implementations are
intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a
generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of
limitation.
* * * * *