Transparent implicit beamforming in a communication system
AssigneeMarvell International Ltd.
InventorsHongyuan Zhang, Rohit U. Nabar, Srinivasa H. Garlapati
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Abstract
A first communication device receives a non-sounding data unit from a second communication device that does not support beamforming training procedures. The first communication device develops an estimate of a reverse channel via which the non-sounding data unit traveled based on the non-sounding data unit. The first communication device develops a transmit beamforming matrix based on the estimate of the reverse channel, the transmit beamforming matrix for the first communication device to utilize when transmitting via a forward channel.
Claims28
A method for performing an implicit transmit beamforming procedure, the method comprising:
- determining, at a first communication device, that a second communication device does not support implicit transmit beamforming based on capability information advertised by the second communication device;
- responsive to determining that the second communication device does not support implicit transmit beamforming, determining, at the first communication device, that a non-sounding data unit transmitted by the second communication device is to be used in the implicit transmit beamforming procedure to determine a transmit beamforming matrix for the first communication device to utilize when the first communication device transmits to the second communication device via a forward channel;
- receiving, at the first communication device, the non-sounding data unit, which was transmitted from the second communication device via a reverse channel;
- developing, at the first communication device, an estimate of the reverse channel based on the non-sounding data unit that was transmitted from the second communication device via the reverse channel;
- and
- developing, at the first communication device, based on the estimate of the reverse channel, the transmit beamforming matrix for the first communication device to utilize when the first communication device transmits to the second communication device via the forward channel.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a first communication device having one or more integrated circuit devices configured to
- determine that a second communication device does not support implicit transmit beamforming based on capability information advertised by the second communication device,
- responsive to determining that the second communication device does not support implicit transmit beamforming, determine that a non-sounding data unit transmitted by the second communication device is to be used in an implicit transmit beamforming procedure to determine a transmit beamforming matrix for the first communication device to utilize when the first communication device transmits to the second communication device via a forward channel,
- receive the non-sounding data unit, which was transmitted from the second communication device via a reverse channel,
- develop an estimate of the reverse channel based on the non-sounding data unit that was transmitted from the second communication device via the reverse channel, and
- develop, based on the estimate of the reverse channel, the transmit beamforming matrix for the first communication device to utilize when the first communication device transmits to the second communication device via the forward channel.
A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium, or media, storing machine readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a first communication device, cause the one or more processors to:
- determine that a second communication device does not support an implicit transmit beamforming based on capability information advertised by the second communication device,
- responsive to determining that the second communication device does not support implicit transmit beamforming, determine that a non-sounding data unit transmitted by the second communication device is to be used in an implicit transmit beamforming procedure to determine a transmit beamforming matrix for the first communication device to utilize when the first communication device transmits to the second communication device via a forward channel,
- develop an estimate of a reverse channel based on the non-sounding data unit that was transmitted from the second communication device via the reverse channel, and
- develop, based on the estimate of the reverse channel, the transmit beamforming matrix for the first communication device to utilize when transmitting to the second communication device via the forward channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.