Supporting high dimensional MU-MIMO beamforming by sounding multiple frames with different sets of antenna patterns

A system for performing channel estimation, the system comprising:

• circuitry of a beamformer, configured to determine a plurality of subsets of transmit spatial streams from a plurality of transmit spatial streams of the beamformer, wherein a first subset of the plurality of subsets has at least one transmit spatial stream from a same antenna of the beamformer as at least one transmit spatial stream in another subset from the plurality of subsets;
• and
• a plurality of antennas of the beamformer, configured to send a plurality of sounding frames to a beamformee for channel estimation based at least on the determined plurality of subsets of transmit spatial streams, each of the plurality of antennas corresponding to one of the plurality of transmit spatial streams.

A method for performing channel estimation, the method comprising:

• determining, between a first beamformer and a second beamformer, a plurality of subsets of transmit spatial streams from a first plurality of transmit spatial streams of the first beamformer and a second plurality of transmit spatial streams of the second beamformer, wherein a first subset of the plurality of subsets has at least one transmit spatial stream from a same antenna of the first or second beamformer as at least one transmit spatial stream in another subset from the plurality of subsets;
• and
• coordinating, between the first beamformer and the second beamformer, transmission of a plurality of sounding frames to a first beamformee for channel estimation based at least on the determined plurality of subsets of transmit spatial streams.