Device and method for multi-access point collaborative sounding in a wireless network

A method of collaborative sounding beamforming feedback in a multi-AP (MAP) wireless network, the method comprising:

• transmitting Beamforming Feedback Report (BFRP) trigger frames from a first wireless AP associated with a first Basic Service Set (BSS) for receipt by wireless stations (STAs) of the first BSS and wireless STAs of a second BSS;
• receiving first Beamforming Feedback (BF) reports at the first wireless AP from the wireless STAs of the first BSS, wherein the first BF reports are transmitted responsive to the BFRP trigger frames, and wherein the first BF reports comprise data channel BF of the wireless STAs of the first BSS;
• and
• receiving second BF reports at the first wireless AP from the wireless STAs of the second BSS, wherein the second BF reports are transmitted responsive to the BFRP trigger frames, and wherein the second BF reports comprise interference channel BF of the wireless STAs of the second BSS.

A wireless access point (AP) comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory coupled to the processor and comprising instructions that when executed by the processor perform a method of collaborative sounding beamforming feedback for a multi-AP (MAP) wireless network, the method comprising:
• transmitting a Beamforming Feedback Report (BFRP) trigger frame from a first wireless AP associated with a first basic service set (BSS) for receipt by wireless stations (STAs) of the first BSS;
• receiving a first Beamforming Feedback (BF) report and a second BF report from a first wireless STA and a second wireless STA of the first BSS, wherein the first and second BF Reports are transmitted responsive to the BFRP trigger frame, and wherein the first and second BF reports respectively comprise interference channel BF and data channel BF of the first wireless STA and the second wireless STA, respectively;
• generating a third BF Report comprising the interference channel BF and the data channel BF of the first wireless STA and the second wireless STA;
• and
• transmitting the third BF Report to a second wireless AP that services wireless STAs of a second BSS.