System and method for rate selection and resource unit allocation in a wireless local area network (WLAN)

Abstract

A method for allocating a plurality of resource units between a plurality of client stations in a wireless local area network is disclosed herein. An access point (AP) evaluates a channel quality indicator for each of the corresponding channels between the AP and the plurality of client stations, obtains queue information corresponding to each of the plurality of client stations, and calculates a utility function of each of the plurality of client stations based on the channel quality indicator and the obtained queue information. The AP then allocates each resource unit to a client station with the highest value output by the corresponding utility function among the plurality of client stations.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 720,794, filed on August 21, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to techniques and devices for resource unit allocation in a wireless data transmission system. For example, the system may include a wireless local area network (WLAN) implementing the IEEE 802.11 standard, which may be used to provide wireless transmission of data in outdoor deployments, outdoor to indoor communications, and device to device (P2P) networks. Background Art

[0004] The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. The work of the inventor of the present invention (the scope of which is described in this background section) and various aspects of the description by the inventor that may not have qualified as prior art at the time of application are not explicitly or implicitly admitted to be prior art against the present disclosure.

[0005] When operating in infrastructure mode that requires a central access point (AP) connected to several client stations (STAs), a wireless local area network (WLAN) typically operates in unicast mode or multicast mode. In unicast mode, the AP transmits information to one client station at a time. In multicast mode, the same information is transmitted to a group of client stations at the same time. The development of WLAN standards such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, and 802.11ax standards has increased data throughput by allowing transmission across frequency bandwidths. In such an implementation, a group of client stations can share the same bandwidth for data transmission. For example, the 802.11ax standard adopts orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) to support multiple users in the same bandwidth, and schedules a resource unit (RU) for each user, which occupies several subcarriers in frequency.

[0006] A resource allocation mechanism is needed to allocate available RUs to each client for transmitting data frames to the AP. For example, the AP and / or the client station need to know how much bandwidth in the channel is allocated to a specific user. Specifically, when a large number of client stations share a transmission channel for transmission through a low-cost AP (e.g., home use), existing resource allocation signaling mechanisms may be inefficient in terms of bandwidth utilization. For example, existing resource unit allocation systems cannot maximize efficiency at the system level - that is, cannot determine which time-frequency bandwidth to allocate to selected users and which transmission power to use. Summary of the invention

[0007] The embodiments described herein provide a method for allocating multiple resource units between multiple client stations in a wireless local area network. The method includes: to allocate each resource unit, at an access point (AP), evaluating a channel quality indicator for each of the corresponding channels between the AP and multiple client stations; at the AP, obtaining queue information indicating data to be transmitted from each of the multiple client stations to the AP; at the AP, calculating a utility function based on the channel quality indicator and the obtained queue information, the utility function indicating the utility of transmitting data from the corresponding client station; and allocating the resource unit to the client station with the highest value output by the corresponding utility function among the multiple client stations.

[0008] In some implementations, the AP is configured to store a rate adaptation table. The rate adaptation table includes: a set of uplink receiver sensitivity measurement values, an uplink transmission rate corresponding to each of the uplink receiver sensitivity measurement values, a plurality of spatial streams corresponding to each of the uplink receiver sensitivity measurement values, and a modulation and coding scheme corresponding to each of the uplink receiver sensitivity measurement values.

[0009] In some implementations, the AP evaluates a channel quality indicator for each of the corresponding channels between the AP and a plurality of client stations by: selecting, at the AP, a single-user transmission rate across the entire bandwidth as a basic rate, the single-user transmission rate indicating a bit rate used to transmit data to a single client station communicating with the AP; identifying an uplink receiver sensitivity measurement corresponding to the single-user transmission rate from a rate adaptation table; calculating a delta value based on a channel state measurement, a size of the bandwidth, and a size of a resource unit to be allocated, the delta value indicating a difference between the single-user transmission rate and an actual transmission rate; calculating an updated uplink receiver sensitivity for each resource unit based on the obtained uplink receiver sensitivity measurement and the calculated delta value; and adjusting the basic rate by mapping the updated uplink receiver sensitivity to a corresponding uplink transmission rate identified from the rate adaptation table.

[0010] In some implementations, the AP obtains queue information corresponding to each of a plurality of client stations by obtaining, at a wireless receiver of the AP, a data management packet from each of the client stations communicating with the AP, the data management packet including information regarding a total required transmission duration required to empty a corresponding queue corresponding to the corresponding client station.

[0011] In some implementations, the AP temporarily allocates resource units to client stations corresponding to the highest utility values; updates channel quality indicators and queue information after allocation of each resource unit and before allocation of the next resource unit; determines whether even-numbered resource units among a plurality of resource units are allocated to a client station different from a client station assigned to a previous resource unit; and in response to determining that the even-numbered resource units are allocated to a client station different from a client station assigned to a previous resource unit, when subsequently allocating additional resource units, no longer considers the client station assigned to the previous resource unit.

[0012] In some implementations, the AP determines whether an odd-numbered resource unit is allocated to a client station different from a client station assigned to a preceding resource unit; and in response to determining that the odd-numbered resource unit is allocated to a client station different from a client station assigned to the preceding resource unit, when allocating additional resource units, the client station assigned to the odd-numbered resource unit and the client station assigned to the preceding resource unit are no longer considered.

[0013] In some implementations, when the AP allocates an even-numbered resource unit and the two immediately preceding resource units to the same client station, the AP allocates the next resource unit to the same client station.

[0014] In some implementations, when the AP allocates an even-numbered resource unit and two preceding resource units to the same client station, the AP changes the allocation of the even-numbered resource units to be assigned to a different client station.

[0015] In some implementations, when the AP allocates consecutively numbered resource units starting from the first resource unit to the same client station, the AP determines whether the total number of resource units allocated to the client station occupies at least half of the entire bandwidth. In response to determining that the total number of resource units allocated to the client station occupies at least half of the entire bandwidth available to the AP, the AP allocates all available resource units to the client station.

[0016] In some implementations, when the AP allocates consecutively numbered resource units starting with the first resource unit, the method further includes determining whether the total number of resource units allocated to the client station occupies at least half of the entire bandwidth. In response to determining that the total number of resource units allocated to the client station occupies less than half of the entire bandwidth, the AP no longer considers the client station when subsequently allocating additional resource units.

[0017] Also described herein are embodiments of a wireless access point system for allocating a plurality of resource units among a plurality of client stations in a wireless local area network, the wireless access point system comprising: to allocate each resource unit, an access point (AP) configured to evaluate a channel quality indicator for each of corresponding channels between the AP and a plurality of client stations; obtain queue information indicating data to be transmitted to the AP from each of the plurality of client stations; calculate a utility function indicating a utility of transmitting data from the corresponding client station based on the channel quality indicator and the obtained queue information; and allocate the resource unit to a client station among the plurality of client stations having a highest value output by the corresponding utility function. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Other features of the present disclosure, its nature and various advantages will become apparent when the following detailed description is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

[0019] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example wireless WLAN 100 in which resource units may be allocated according to some embodiments described herein;

[0020] Figure 2 An example block diagram illustrating an example of resource allocation according to some embodiments described herein is provided;

[0021] Figure 3 Another example block diagram illustrating an example of resource allocation according to some embodiments described herein is provided;

[0022] Figure 4 Another example block diagram illustrating an example of resource allocation according to some embodiments described herein is provided;

[0023] Figure 5 Another example block diagram illustrating an example of resource allocation according to some embodiments described herein is provided; and

[0024] Figure 6 An example flow chart illustrating an example method for allocating resource units among a plurality of station units according to some embodiments described herein is provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The present disclosure describes methods and systems for allocating resource units (RUs) within an 802.11 (e.g., 802.11ax) wireless network. When allocating resource units, the methods and systems disclosed herein take into account the respective link capacities of different channels (i.e., channel awareness) and the unpredictability of different types of traffic that may be transmitted to the respective stations (i.e., queue awareness). By using quality of service determination for each of the client stations measured, for example, based on one or more data rates, delays, losses, and fairness between different client stations, the system efficiency, as measured by the total amount of traffic supported by the SP, can be improved.

[0026] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example wireless WLAN 100 within which a resource unit allocation mechanism may operate according to some embodiments described herein. A wireless AP 110 (access point) includes a host processor 105 (host control circuitry) that may be configured to process or assist in data operations such as modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, encryption / decryption, etc. For example, according to one implementation, the host processor 105 of the AP is configured to allocate resource units among a plurality of client stations, such as Figures 2 to 5 As shown.

[0027] The network interface circuit system 107 is coupled to the host processor 105 and is configured to interface with multiple client stations. The network interface circuit system 107 includes a media access control (MAC) processing unit 108 and a physical layer (PHY) processing unit 109. The PHY processing unit 109 includes multiple transceivers 111, and the transceivers 111 are coupled to multiple antennas 112 (for simplicity, only one antenna is shown).

[0028] WLAN 100 includes a plurality of client stations 120a-c. Figure 1 1, three client stations 120a-c are illustrated, but in various scenarios and embodiments, WLAN 100 may include different numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, etc.) of client stations 120a-c. The structure of each client station (e.g., 120a-c) may be similar to the structure of AP 110 (access point). For example, Figure 1 The client station 120c shown in FIG. 1 includes a host processor 125 (host control circuit system) coupled to a network interface circuit system 127. The network interface circuit system 127 includes a MAC processing unit 128 and a PHY processing unit 129. The processing unit 129 includes a plurality of transceivers 131, and the transceivers 131 are coupled to a plurality of antennas 132 (only one antenna is shown for simplicity) to receive data from or transmit data to a wireless communication channel.

[0029] Two or more of the client stations 120a-c may be configured to receive data, such as including 802.11 data frames 130, which may be simultaneously transmitted by the AP 110 (access point). Additionally, two or more of the client stations 120a-c may be configured to transmit data to the AP 110 (access point) so that the AP 110 receives the data.

[0030] Since in various implementations, the wireless AP 110 is not equipped to explicitly determine the channel quality indicator (CQI) of the channel between the AP 110 and the corresponding client stations 120a-c, the wireless AP 110 uses the single-user (SU) rate adaptation option and the channel state information (CSI) to evaluate the CQI of the channel. Specifically, the AP 110 uses the adaptive SU rate over the full bandwidth as the selected basic rate for each possible RU based on the CQI. In some embodiments, the rate used in multi-user (MU) transmissions is included in the SU rate adaptation statistics logging for further RU allocation decisions. The wireless AP 110 considers the channel quality on each RU and adjusts the basic rate to the selected final rate.

[0031] Additionally, the AP 110 maintains queue awareness for each client station 120a-c. Specifically, the AP 110 maintains up to 8 queues for each associated client station 120a-c (per traffic identifier (TID)). In some embodiments, the AP 110 maintains a total required transmission duration required to clear each queue, the first m queues, or all queues. The total required transmission duration is dynamically updated. In some implementations, the AP 110 maintains a classified list of such transmission times. For example, the AP 110 finds the first k longest transmission times to determine the duration of a physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) service data unit (PSDU). Additionally, in some embodiments, the AP 110 maintains a queuing delay for line header packets.

[0032] When allocating RUs among the client stations 120a-c with which it communicates, AP 110 calculates the utility function for client station i using the following equation (1):

[0033]

[0034] where q i is a configurable constant that depends on the TID or access category information obtained from each of the client stations 120a-c; i (t) is the delay function for each service ID (i.e., how long a particular data packet has been waiting in the corresponding queue); and T i(t) is the average throughput of client station i achieved before time t. In some implementations, the average throughput of client station i at time t+1 is determined by the following equation (2):

[0035] T i (t+1)=α i T i (t)+(1-α i )r i (t), (2)

[0036] where α i is a moving average that gives more weight to the currently assigned client station. i The rate adaptation algorithm of (t) is a function of the previous rate CSI and possibly the corresponding RU quality. Thus, when calculating the utility function, the AP 110 combines channel awareness and queue awareness for RU allocation.

[0037] To achieve the above purpose, AP 110 needs to obtain an evaluation of CQI to have a better RU allocation. Known methods for evaluating CQI include: i) obtaining received signal strength information (RSSI) across all frequency bands where possible RUs to be allocated are located; ii) obtaining CSI for each tone block of a sampled channel; or iii) relying on the current SU rate through a SU rate adaptation algorithm. However, the method and system disclosed herein have improvements in CQI evaluation.

[0038] Specifically, the AP adjusts the rate adaptation output. The AP 110 maps the current SU rate to the uplink receiver sensitivity according to the rate adaptation table. An example of the rate adaptation table is shown in the following table (1), where the AP has a maximum of 4 transmitters and the client station supports a maximum of 3 spatial streams:

[0039] Table (1)

[0040]

[0041]

[0042] The AP 110 calculates the delta value for each block using the following equation (3).

[0043] Delta_i=10log10 Tr(HiHi*)-10log10(NTones(RU(i))-(10log10Tr(HH*)-10log10(NTones(entire bandwidth))), (3)

[0044] The delta value is a function of the CSI per RU, the bandwidth size, and the size of the RU (ie, the number of tones per RU). Specifically, the delta value represents the difference between the selected basic rate and the actual observed rate.

[0045] AP 110 then maps the evaluated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (where SNR = delta + uplink RX sensitivity) to the new rate for the block according to the rate adaptation table. For example, in a system where the SU adaptation rate is determined to be 263.25 mbps, AP 110 maps the current SU rate to the corresponding uplink RX sensitivity based on the values ​​in the rate adaptation table (1) shown above. In an example system where the rate is determined to be approximately 263.25 mbps, AP 110 determines the uplink RX sensitivity to be -67 dB by mapping the rate to the corresponding uplink RX sensitivity value in the rate adaptation table (1) shown above. Next, the delta value for each block is calculated using equation (3) above.

[0046] Once the delta value is calculated, AP 110 maps the newly evaluated SNR (delta + uplink RX sensitivity) to a new rate. For example, in an instance where the delta value is calculated to be -3 db, AP 110 determines the new rate to correspond to the uplink RX sensitivity (i.e., (-64) + (-3) = -67 db) and is set to 292.50 mbps.

[0047] In some implementations, the SNR margin is based on an observed packet error rate (PER). For example, a predefined rate adaptation table may not be accurate. In this case, it is desirable to have a configurable parameter to adjust the estimated SNR input to the rate adaptation table so that a more accurate rate can be selected. For example, the SNR margin may be determined as a function of the PER (i.e., SNR margin = f(PER)). Thus, the rate is calculated using the following equation: Rate = RateDropTable(estimated SNR - SNR margin).

[0048] As discussed above, AP 110 also includes queue awareness when allocating RUs among client stations. Specifically, as indicated in equation (1), the utility function calculated by AP 110 includes the delay function D i (t). AP 110 assumes a line header delay D for client station i (per TID) HOL，I and the delay threshold d i AP 110 then applies one of the following two strategies: (i) earliest deadline first based on equation (4) below; or (ii) maximum weighted deadline first according to equation (5) below.

[0049]

[0050]

[0051] Among them, Pr i represents the acceptable probability that client station i will drop a data packet due to timeout expiration. In some implementations, when the two flows have exactly the same line header delay, α i The metrics are weighted so that users with the strongest requirements in terms of acceptable loss rate and time limit expiration are allocated first.

[0052] During implementation, the RU scheduler at the AP 110 starts by determining the granularity of the unit RU size (i.e., the entire bandwidth divided by an equal-sized RU block (e.g., it can be 26 blocks, 52 blocks, 104 blocks, etc.), and the next DL bandwidth has a total of k blocks. The unit RU size is determined based on the number of actively associated client stations whose buffered traffic size meets a threshold B. For each RU block and a predetermined PSDU duration T, the AP 110 selects the station Where Q i (t) is the queue size considered, and the audio block k is allocated to the client station i * , and update the client station i * That is, once the first tone block is allocated, the AP 110 recalculates the utility function for all client stations. The predetermined PSDU duration T is related to the buffer size profile and the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to be selected.

[0053] In some implementations, if multiple consecutive blocks are assigned to one client station, the AP 110 adjusts the RU size to match the sum of the assigned blocks (eg, if 2 consecutive 26-tone blocks are assigned to the same client station, the RU size is adjusted to a single 52-tone block).

[0054] Additionally, there are several RU allocation constraints in various embodiments to increase overall system efficiency. In some embodiments, assuming that the allocation starts from the leftmost RU, AP 110 performs the current continuous allocation (i, j). In some implementations, the effective final allocation (i, j) requires i to be an even number and j to be an odd number.

[0055] Figures 2 to 5 An example resource allocation scenario is shown to further illustrate various constraints on resource allocation. For example, Figure 2 1 illustrates a scenario in which client station j is assigned RU 0 and RU 1 (ie, the utility function returns the highest value for station j) while client station k is temporarily assigned RU 2. Figure 2In the illustrated implementation, where station k is a newly selected client station (ie, different from the previous client station j) and the temporarily allocated RU is an even number, the AP 110 will never consider client station j for RU allocation.

[0056] Figure 3 Another example of a constraint on resource allocation is shown in FIG. Figure 3 As illustrated, when client station k is a newly selected client station (ie, different from the previous client station j) and is selected from an odd RU (eg, Figure 3 At the beginning of RU 1) shown, the AP 110 never considers client stations j and k for RU allocation.

[0057] Figure 4 FIG. 4 illustrates another example of a constraint on resource allocation. Figure 4 As shown, when client station k was selected in the previous assignment (i.e., the same client station was selected), the temporary block range is (i, j), where j is an even number. Therefore, j+1 is an even number and it is temporarily assigned to the new client station. In response, in one implementation, AP 110 expands the block range (i, j) to (i, j+1). In an alternative implementation, AP 100 reduces the block range (i, j) to (i, j-1). In both implementations, AP 110 does not consider client station k when allocating the remaining available blocks. In some implementations, AP 110 makes a decision between expanding or reducing the block range based on comparing the value of the utility function with a threshold. For example, AP 110 relies on the following equation (5): UtilityFunctionV(2x) / UtilityFunctionV(x)>I_threshold, where UtilityFunctionV(x) returns the value of the utility function.

[0058] Figure 5Another example of resource allocation constraints is provided. Specifically, when client station k is selected in the previous assignment (i.e., the same client station is selected), where the temporary block range is set to (i, j), AP 110 determines that the temporary RU assignment (0, j) of client station k is half of the bandwidth to determine whether to extend the bandwidth to 20 MHz or 40 MHz. If the bandwidth is extended (i.e., the temporary RU assignment (0, j) of client station k is half of the bandwidth), client station k is still considered for allocation of remaining blocks. On the other hand, if the bandwidth is not extended (i.e., the temporary RU assignment (0, j) of client station k is less than half of the bandwidth), client station k is no longer considered when allocating remaining blocks. Moreover, AP 110 determines whether the intermediate 26-block range will be allocated. As discussed above, once the RU allocation is completed, many consecutive blocks are mapped to a single RU (i.e., 2 consecutive 26 blocks assigned to the same client station are mapped to a single 52-block RU).

[0059] Figure 6 A flow chart illustrating aspects of allocating resource units according to example embodiments described herein is provided. At 601, the AP evaluates a channel quality indicator for each of the respective channels between the AP and a plurality of client stations. Specifically, the AP evaluates a CQI for each of the channels between the AP and each of the plurality of client stations based on a single-user rate and an uplink receiver sensitivity measurement.

[0060] At 602, the AP obtains queue information corresponding to each of a plurality of client stations. For example, the AP receives a data management packet containing information about a queue at each of the client stations.

[0061] At 603, the AP calculates a utility function for each of the plurality of client stations based on the channel quality indicator and the obtained queue information. Specifically, the AP calculates the utility function based on equation (1) described in more detail above.

[0062] At 604, the AP allocates the resource unit to the client station of the plurality of client stations having the highest value output by the corresponding utility function.Once a particular resource unit is allocated, the AP updates the queue information and the channel quality indicator when allocating the next resource unit.

[0063] While this specification contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of what is claimed, but rather as descriptions of particular implementations of the subject matter.

[0064] Although operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0065] The subject matter of this specification has been described with respect to certain aspects, but other aspects may be implemented and fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the actions recited in the claims may be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired results. As an example, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the specific order or sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Other variations fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for allocating a plurality of resource units among a plurality of client stations in a wireless local area network, the method comprising: To allocate each resource unit: At an access point AP, a channel quality indicator for each of the respective channels between the AP and the plurality of client stations is evaluated, the AP being configured to store a rate adaptation table, the rate adaptation table comprising: a collection of uplink receiver sensitivity measurements; an uplink transmission rate corresponding to each of the uplink receiver sensitivity measurements; a plurality of spatial streams corresponding to each of the uplink receiver sensitivity measurements; and a modulation and coding scheme corresponding to each of the uplink receiver sensitivity measurements; obtaining, at the AP, queue information indicating data to be transmitted from each of the plurality of client stations to the AP; calculating, at the AP, a utility function based on the channel quality indicator and the obtained queue information, the utility function indicating a utility of transmitting data from a corresponding client station; and The resource unit is allocated to a client station among the plurality of client stations having a highest value output by a corresponding utility function.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein evaluating the channel quality indicator for each of the respective channels between the AP and the plurality of client stations comprises: At the AP, selecting a single-user transmission rate across the entire bandwidth as a base rate, the single-user transmission rate indicating a bit rate for transmitting data to a single client station in communication with the AP; identifying, from the rate adaptation table, an uplink receiver sensitivity measurement corresponding to the single-user transmission rate; calculating an incremental value based on a channel state measurement, a size of the bandwidth, and a size of the resource unit to be allocated, the incremental value indicating a difference between the single-user transmission rate and an actual transmission rate, and calculating an updated uplink receiver sensitivity for each resource unit based on the obtained uplink receiver sensitivity measurement and the calculated delta value; as well as The base rate is adjusted by mapping the updated uplink receiver sensitivity to a corresponding uplink transmission rate identified from the rate adaptation table.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining, at the AP, queue information corresponding to each of the plurality of client stations comprises: A data management packet is obtained, at a wireless receiver of the AP, from each of the client stations communicating with the AP, the data management packet including information regarding a total required transmission duration required to empty a respective queue corresponding to the respective client station.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: temporarily allocating, by the AP, resource units to client stations corresponding to the highest utility values; updating the channel quality indicator and the queue information after allocation of each resource unit and before allocation of the next resource unit; determining whether an even-numbered resource unit of the plurality of resource units is allocated to a different client station than the client station assigned to a preceding resource unit; as well as In response to determining that an even-numbered resource unit is allocated to a different client station than the client station assigned to the preceding resource unit, the client station assigned to the preceding resource unit is no longer considered when subsequently allocating additional resource units.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: temporarily allocating, by the AP, resource units to client stations corresponding to the highest utility values; updating the channel quality indicator and the queue information after allocation of each resource unit and before allocation of the next resource unit; determining whether an odd-numbered resource unit is allocated to a different client station than the client station assigned to a preceding resource unit, In response to determining that an odd-numbered resource unit is allocated to a client station different from the client station assigned to the preceding resource unit, both the client station assigned to the odd-numbered resource unit and the client station assigned to the preceding resource unit are no longer considered when allocating additional resource units.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: temporarily allocating, by the AP, resource units to client stations corresponding to the highest utility values; updating the channel quality indicator and the queue information after allocation of each resource unit and before allocation of the next resource unit; determining whether the even-numbered resource unit and the two immediately preceding resource units are allocated to the same client station; In response to determining that the even-numbered resource unit and the two immediately preceding resource units are allocated to the same client station, the next resource unit is allocated to the same client station.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: temporarily allocating, by the AP, resource units to client stations corresponding to the highest utility values; updating the channel quality indicator and the queue information after allocation of each resource unit and before allocation of the next resource unit; determining whether the even-numbered resource unit and the two immediately preceding resource units are allocated to the same client station; as well as In response to determining that the even-numbered resource unit and two immediately preceding resource units are allocated to the same client station, the allocation of the even-numbered resource units to be assigned to a different client station is changed.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: temporarily allocating, by the AP, resource units to client stations corresponding to the highest utility values; updating the channel quality indicator and the queue information after allocation of each resource unit and before allocation of the next resource unit; when consecutively numbered resource units starting with a first resource unit are allocated to a client station, determining whether a total number of resource units allocated to the client station is at least half of an entire bandwidth used by the AP; as well as In response to determining that the total number of resource units allocated to the client station occupies at least half of the entire bandwidth: All available resource units in the bandwidth are allocated to the client station.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: temporarily allocating, by the AP, resource units to client stations corresponding to the highest utility values; updating the channel quality indicator and the queue information after allocation of each resource unit and before allocation of the next resource unit; when consecutively numbered resource units starting with a first resource unit are allocated to a client station, determining whether a total number of resource units allocated to the client station is at least half of an entire bandwidth used by the AP; as well as In response to determining that the total number of resource units allocated to the client station occupies less than half of the entire bandwidth: When additional resource units are subsequently allocated, the client stations allocated to odd-numbered resource units are no longer considered.

10. A wireless access point system for allocating a plurality of resource units among a plurality of client stations in a wireless local area network, the system comprising: To allocate each resource unit: Access point AP, configured as: evaluating a channel quality indicator for each of respective channels between the AP and the plurality of client stations; obtaining queue information from each of the plurality of client stations, the queue information indicating data to be transmitted to the AP; calculating a utility function based on the channel quality indicator and the obtained queue information, the utility function indicating a utility of transmitting data from a corresponding client station; allocating the resource unit to a client station among the plurality of client stations having a highest value output by a corresponding utility function; as well as A rate adaptation table is stored, wherein the rate adaptation table includes: a collection of uplink receiver sensitivity measurements; an uplink transmission rate corresponding to each of the uplink receiver sensitivity measurements; a plurality of spatial streams corresponding to each of the uplink receiver sensitivity measurements; and A modulation and coding scheme corresponding to each of the uplink receiver sensitivity measurements.

11. The wireless access point system of claim 10, wherein when evaluating the channel quality indicator for each of the corresponding channels between the AP and the plurality of client stations, the AP is further configured to: At the AP, selecting a single-user transmission rate across the entire bandwidth as a base rate, the single-user transmission rate indicating a bit rate for transmitting data to a single client station in communication with the AP; identifying, from the rate adaptation table, an uplink receiver sensitivity measurement corresponding to the single-user transmission rate; Calculating an incremental value based on a channel state measurement, a size of the bandwidth, and a size of the resource unit to be allocated, the incremental value indicating a difference between the single-user transmission rate and an actual transmission rate; calculating an updated uplink receiver sensitivity for each resource unit based on the obtained uplink receiver sensitivity measurement and the calculated delta value; as well as The base rate is adjusted by mapping the updated uplink receiver sensitivity to a corresponding uplink transmission rate identified from the rate adaptation table.

12. The wireless access point system according to claim 10, wherein when obtaining queue information corresponding to each of the plurality of client stations at the AP, the AP is further configured to: A data management packet is obtained, at a wireless receiver of the AP, from each of the client stations communicating with the AP, the data management packet including information regarding a total required transmission duration required to empty a respective queue corresponding to the respective client station.

13. The wireless access point system according to claim 10, wherein the AP is further configured to: temporarily allocating resource units to client stations corresponding to highest utility values; updating the channel quality indicator and the queue information after allocation of each resource unit and before allocation of the next resource unit; determining whether an even-numbered resource unit of the plurality of resource units is allocated to a different client station than the client station assigned to a preceding resource unit; as well as In response to determining that an even-numbered resource unit is allocated to a different client station than the client station assigned to the preceding resource unit, the client station assigned to the preceding resource unit is no longer considered when subsequently allocating additional resource units.

14. The wireless access point system according to claim 10, wherein the AP is further configured to: temporarily allocating resource units to client stations corresponding to highest utility values; updating the channel quality indicator and the queue information after allocation of each resource unit and before allocation of the next resource unit; determining whether an odd-numbered resource unit is allocated to a different client station than the client station assigned to a preceding resource unit, In response to determining that an odd-numbered resource unit is allocated to a client station different from the client station assigned to the preceding resource unit, both the client station assigned to the odd-numbered resource unit and the client station assigned to the preceding resource unit are no longer considered when allocating additional resource units.

15. The wireless access point system according to claim 10, wherein the AP is further configured to: temporarily allocating, by the AP, resource units to client stations corresponding to the highest utility values; updating the channel quality indicator and the queue information after allocation of each resource unit and before allocation of the next resource unit; determining whether the even-numbered resource unit and the two immediately preceding resource units are allocated to the same client station; In response to determining that the even-numbered resource unit and the two immediately preceding resource units are allocated to the same client station, the next resource unit is allocated to the same client station.

16. The wireless access point system according to claim 10, wherein the AP is further configured to: temporarily allocating, by the AP, resource units to client stations corresponding to the highest utility values; updating the channel quality indicator and the queue information after allocation of each resource unit and before allocation of the next resource unit; determining whether the even-numbered resource unit and the two immediately preceding resource units are allocated to the same client station; as well as In response to determining that the even-numbered resource unit and two immediately preceding resource units are allocated to the same client station, the allocation of the even-numbered resource units to be assigned to a different client station is changed.

17. The wireless access point system according to claim 10, wherein the AP is further configured to: When consecutively numbered resource units starting from a first resource unit are allocated to a client station, determining whether a total number of resource units allocated to the client station is at least half of an entire bandwidth used by the AP; and In response to determining that the total number of resource units allocated to the client station occupies at least half of the entire bandwidth, all available resource units in the bandwidth are allocated to the client station.

18. The wireless access point system according to claim 10, wherein the AP is further configured to: When consecutively numbered resource units starting from a first resource unit are allocated to a client station, determining whether a total number of resource units allocated to the client station is at least half of an entire bandwidth used by the AP; and In response to determining that the total number of resource units allocated to the client station occupies less than half of the entire bandwidth, the client stations allocated to odd-numbered resource units are no longer considered when subsequently allocating additional resource units.

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