US 9,793,965 B1 · Frequency orthogonalized MIMO channel sounding and feedback in a wireless home network

Abstract

A WAP including: a spatial mapper component, a partial sounding feedback expander circuit and a beamforming matrix calculator. The spatial mapper component spatially maps the transmission of a single MIMO sounding packet with either a single full spatial mapping matrix (SMM) or a set of “N” partial SMM responsive respectively to a full or composite sounding mode designation. The partial sounding feedback expander circuit in the composite sounding mode, expands partial sounding feedback received from a targeted station in response to the single MIMO sounding packet into a full sounding feedback. The beamforming matrix calculator calculates a full beamforming matrix for transmitting downlink communications to the targeted station from the full sounding feedback provided by either the partial sounding feedback expander circuit in the composite sounding mode, or the full sounding feedback received directly from the targeted station in the full sounding mode.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A wireless access point (WAP) supporting wireless communications with associated stations on a selected orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) communication channel;

and the WAP comprising:
a plurality of antennas;
a plurality of components coupled to one another to form a plurality of transmit and receive paths each coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications on OFDM tones of the selected communication channel;
a sounding mode circuit designates one of a full sounding mode and a composite sounding mode for sounding at least one of the associated stations;
a spatial mapper component spatially mapping a wireless transmission of a sounding field of a single MIMO sounding packet with one of a full spatial mapping matrix and a set of an integer “N” partial spatial mapping matrices each spatially mapping corresponding neighboring ones of the OFDM tones responsive respectively to the full and composite sounding mode designations by the sounding mode circuit;
a partial sounding feedback expander circuit coupled to the plurality of components forming the receive path and in the composite sounding mode, expanding partial sounding feedback received from the at least one station in response to the single MIMO sounding packet, into a full sounding feedback;
and
a beamforming matrix calculator coupled to the plurality of components forming the receive path and to the partial sounding feedback expander circuit and calculating a full beamforming matrix for transmitting downlink communications to the at least one station from the full sounding feedback provided by one of the partial sounding feedback expander circuit in the composite sounding mode, and full sounding feedback received directly from the at least one station in the full sounding mode.

5 more elements

A method for operating a wireless access point (WAP) having a plurality of antennas and supporting multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communications with associated stations on a selected orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) communication channel;

and the method comprising the acts of:
designating one of a full sounding mode and a composite sounding mode for sounding at least one of the associated stations;
spatially mapping the wireless transmission of a sounding field of a single MIMO sounding packet with a full spatial mapping matrix responsive to full sounding mode designation and with a set of an integer “N” partial spatial mapping matrices each spatially mapping corresponding neighboring ones of OFDM tones of the communication channel responsive to the composite sounding mode designations;
receiving sounding feedback from the at least one of the associated stations;
expanding partial sounding feedback received in the receiving act into a full sounding feedback, responsive to the composite sounding mode designation in the designating act;
and
calculating a full beamforming matrix for transmitting downlink communications to the at least one station from the full sounding feedback provided in one of the receiving and expanding acts responsive respectively to the full and composite sounding mode designations in the designating act.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Frequency orthogonalized MIMO channel sounding and feedback in a wireless home network

Life of this patent

Frequency orthogonalized MIMO channel sounding and feedback in a wireless home network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25