Method for transmitting data and wireless access point

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application group a plurality of wireless stations associated with an AP according to their estimated physical proximity to each other, which can greatly reduce or prevent intra- and inter-device interference (e.g., AACI). Transmissions to / from a plurality of STAs within a group can be coordinated such that wireless transmission does not interfere with wireless reception of another STA within the same group. In this way, not only is sensitivity degradation avoided, but wireless reception can be effectively performed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly, to systems and methods for mitigating or avoiding signal interference between multiple wireless stations (e.g., multiple devices in physical proximity) in a wireless network. BACKGROUND

[0002] Many modern electronic devices utilize Wi-Fi to wirelessly transmit and receive data with other devices, and some devices within the same physical location (e.g., a home, office, or library) can communicate on frequency-adjacent bands or channels. Often, these devices (including smartphones, tablets, and laptops) connect to the same wireless access point (AP). When two proximate devices associated with the same AP operate on frequency-adjacent bands, the transmitting wireless station (STA) can interfere with the other STA that is receiving data. Signal interference (e.g., alternative adjacent channel interference (AACI)) can degrade the RX (receive) sensitivity of the receiving device. This negative impact on sensitivity is referred to as “desense” and typically occurs in scenarios where two operating bands are frequency-adjacent and isolation and filtering are insufficient to prevent energy leakage from the sideband.

[0003] Unwanted desense can be caused by different wireless devices operating in close proximity to each other (inter-device desense) or by different wireless stations (STAs) of the same multi-band device (in-device desense). The desense problem is more severe when multiple STAs are in physical proximity to each other but far away from the AP. Generally, a higher ISR (= I / S) results in more significant desense. SUMMARY

[0004] The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In other words, the following summary is provided to introduce some concepts, highlights, benefits and advantages of the novel and non-obvious technology described herein. Embodiments selected further described in the following detailed description. Accordingly, the following summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for transmitting data is provided, the method being performed by a wireless access point (AP), and the method comprising: determining that a first wireless station (STA) and a second STA are associated with the AP; grouping the first STA and the second STA together to create a group of STAs (e.g., categorizing the first STA and the second STA into a same group); and coordinating transmissions of the first STA and the second STA (e.g., coordinating transmissions of multiple STAs within a same group) to avoid multiple STAs in the group of STAs transmitting and receiving at the same time.

[0006] In some embodiments, the method further comprises receiving transmission information from the first STA.

[0007] In some embodiments, the transmission information comprises a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

[0008] In some embodiments, the first STA transmits the transmission information in response to determining that the RSSI is above a predetermined threshold.

[0009] In some embodiments, the transmission information comprises at least one of a STA ID, a media access control (MAC) address, frequency band information, and an operating frequency.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method further comprises measuring a first received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a transmission received from the first STA; computing first path loss information from the first RSSI; measuring a second RSSI of a transmission received from the second STA; and computing second path loss information from the second RSSI, wherein grouping the first STA and the second STA together is performed in accordance with the first path loss information and the second path loss information.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method further comprises computing a first angle of arrival of a transmission received from the first STA; and computing a second angle of arrival of a transmission received from the second STA, wherein grouping the first STA and the second STA together is further performed in accordance with the first angle of arrival and the second angle of arrival.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first STA and the second STA operate on frequency bands that are close in frequency.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining that the first STA experienced a reception failure while the second STA was transmitting data, wherein grouping the first STA and the second STA together is performed in response to determining that the first STA experienced a reception failure while the second STA was transmitting data.

[0014] In some embodiments, the reception failure comprises: receiving a block acknowledgement (BA) from the first STA, wherein the BA indicates that a portion of, but not all, respective data transmitted by the AP to the first STA is successfully received; or not receiving an acknowledgement from the first STA for respective data transmitted by the AP to the first STA.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a wireless access point (AP), wherein the AP comprises a wireless transceiver and a processor, and the wireless transceiver and the processor are configured to: determine that a first wireless station (STA) and a second STA are associated with the AP; group the first STA and the second STA together to create a group of STAs; and coordinate transmissions of the first STA and the second STA to avoid multiple STAs in the group of STAs transmitting and receiving at the same time.

[0016] In some embodiments, the wireless transceiver is further configured to: receive transmission information from the first STA.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first STA and the second STA operate on frequency bands that are close in frequency.

[0018] In some embodiments, the transmission information comprises a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

[0019] In some embodiments, the first STA sends the transmission information in response to determining that the RSSI is higher than a predetermined threshold.

[0020] In some embodiments, the transmission information comprises at least one of: a STA ID, a media access control (MAC) address, frequency band information, and an operating frequency.

[0021] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: measure a first received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a transmission received from the first STA; calculate first path loss information based on the first RSSI; measure a second RSSI of a transmission received from the second STA; and calculate second path loss information based on the second RSSI; wherein the processor groups the first STA and the second STA together to create the group of STAs based on the first path loss information and the second path loss information.

[0022] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: calculate a first angle of arrival of a transmission received from the first STA; and calculate a second angle of arrival of a transmission received from the second STA; wherein the processor groups the first STA and the second STA together to create the group of STAs further based on the first angle of arrival and the second angle of arrival.

[0023] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to determine that the first STA experienced a reception failure while the second STA was transmitting data, wherein the processor groups the first STA and the second STA together to create the group of STAs in response to determining that the first STA experienced a reception failure while the second STA was transmitting data.

[0024] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a storage medium having program instructions embedded therein, which when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform a method for coordinating transmissions of a plurality of wireless stations in a group of wireless stations, and the method comprises: determining that a first wireless station (STA) and a second STA are associated with an AP; grouping the first STA and the second STA together to create a group of STAs; and coordinating transmissions of the first STA and the second STA to avoid multiple STAs in the group of STAs transmitting and receiving at the same time.

[0025] The present disclosure can reduce interference by grouping a plurality of STAs associated with an AP and coordinating transmissions of the plurality of STAs in the group of STAs.

[0026] These and other objects of the present disclosure will no doubt become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments that are shown in a number of the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings, where like numerals indicate like components, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure. The included drawings are used to provide further understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, as the dimensions of some components can be exaggerated for clarity of illustration in order to explain the concepts of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless network including a wireless access point (AP) and a plurality of STAs associated with the AP, which are in close proximity to each other, causing interference.

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless network including a wireless access point (AP) and a plurality of STAs associated with the AP, which are in close proximity to each other, causing interference.

[0030] Figure 3is a diagram of an exemplary wireless network performing a first step to coordinate transmissions among a plurality of wireless devices grouped based on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) threshold according to embodiments of the application.

[0031] Figure 4 is a diagram of an exemplary wireless network performing a second step to coordinate transmissions among a plurality of wireless devices grouped based on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) threshold according to embodiments of the application.

[0032] Figure 5 is a diagram of an exemplary wireless network for coordinating transmissions among a plurality of wireless devices grouped according to RSSI, path loss, and / or angle of arrival according to embodiments of the application.

[0033] Figure 6 is a diagram of an exemplary wireless network for coordinating transmissions among a plurality of wireless devices operating on multiple frequency bands in close proximity and directional opposite overlapping transmissions according to embodiments of the application.

[0034] Figure 7 is a diagram of an exemplary wireless network for coordinating transmissions among a plurality of wireless devices grouped according to a simultaneous presence of transmission and reception between the relevant STA (e.g., AP) and a presence of reception failure when both transmission and reception are present according to embodiments of the application.

[0035] Figure 8 is a diagram of an exemplary wireless network for coordinating transmissions among a plurality of wireless devices where a STA experiences reception failure while the relevant STA transmits according to embodiments of the application.

[0036] Figure 9 is a diagram of an exemplary wireless network including an AP using a trigger frame to request UL transmission to avoid multiple wireless devices in the same group to simultaneously transmit DL (downlink) and UL (uplink) transmissions according to embodiments of the application.

[0037] Figure 10 is a diagram of an exemplary wireless network including a plurality of STAs in close proximity to each other that do not know trigger frames (e.g., legacy devices) according to embodiments of the application.

[0038] Figure 11is a flowchart of an exemplary process 1100 (e.g., the exemplary process can be computer- implementable steps) for automatically scheduling transmissions between a wireless access point and a plurality of wireless devices (STAs) associated therewith to prevent interference between the plurality of wireless devices due to their simultaneous transmission and reception in accordance with embodiments of the present application.

[0039] Figure 12 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system platform upon which embodiments of the present application can be implemented in accordance with embodiments of the present application.

[0040] In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present application. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and functions have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the understanding of this description. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments of the present application as defined herein below. The following description provides one or more specific embodiments of the present application as examples. Such are intended to be illustrative only since the scope of the present application is intended to be limited solely by the appended claims.

[0042] The terms "substantially" and "approximately" used herein are used to describe an acceptable range of variability of a value, a parameter, or a characteristic that is expected, within a given context, to be within the scope of what is claimed. For example, "substantially equal" means that a value, a parameter, or a characteristic is within a range of error acceptable to a person of skill in the art, such that the value, parameter, or characteristic is considered to be "equal" for the purposes of the present application.

[0043] The portions of the detailed description that follow are presented and discussed in the general context of method steps. Although the method steps of the present embodiments are generally set forth in the present description, the method steps can be implemented in many different ways. For example, the method steps can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. Further, the method steps can be implemented as part of an operating system, a separate application, or a combination thereof. Also, the method steps can be implemented as part of an application program running on a web server that can be used by a client to access the web server. The method steps can be implemented by a dedicated server, a server farm, or a combination thereof. Further, the method steps can be implemented as part of a routine, a separate application, or a combination thereof. The method steps can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For purposes of illustration, the present embodiments are presented in the general context of method steps. However, the present embodiments can also be implemented as part of a program that runs on a computer or a server, for example. Figure 11The steps and order thereof are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8, 1 1 1, 1 1 1, but these steps and order are exemplary. Embodiments are also adapted to perform various other steps or variations of the steps recited in the flowcharts herein, and in other orders than those depicted and described herein.

[0044] Some portions of the detailed description are presented in terms of procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations of operations on data bits that can be performed on computer memory. These descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. A procedure, computer executed step, logic block, process, etc., is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps or instructions leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in a computer system. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

[0045] It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as "accessing," "writing," "including," "storing," "sending," "associating," "identifying," "encoding," or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system memories or registers into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.

[0046] The following description is of the best implementing mode contemplated to practice the application. The implementation example is only used to illustrate the technical features of the application and is not intended to limit the scope of the application. In the entire description and claims, some terms are used to refer to specific components. Those with ordinary skill in the art should understand that manufacturers can use different names to refer to the same components. The description and claims of the specification do not take the name difference as a way to distinguish components, but take the functional difference of the components as the basis for distinguishing. The scope of the application should be determined with reference to the appended claims. In the following description and claims, the terms "comprising" and "including" are open terms, which should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to...". In addition, the term "coupled" means indirect or direct electrical connection. Therefore, if a device is described as being coupled to another device, it means that the device can be directly electrically connected to the other device, or indirectly electrically connected to the other device through other devices or connection means. The terms "substantially" or "approximately" used in the text refer to an acceptable range, and those with ordinary skill in the art can solve the technical problems to be solved and substantially achieve the technical effects to be achieved. For example, "approximately equal" means that within an acceptable range, those with ordinary skill in the art can accept a certain error from "exactly equal" without affecting the correctness of the results.

[0047] Grouping multiple wireless devices to coordinate operation

[0048] Embodiments of the application advantageously group multiple wireless stations associated with an AP based on their estimated physical proximity to each other, which can significantly mitigate or prevent in-device and inter-device signal interference (e.g., AACI). The multiple STAs within a group can be coordinated such that wireless transmissions do not interfere with wireless reception by another STA within the same group. In this way, not only is the impact of unwanted sensitivity degradation avoided, but wireless reception can be effectively performed.

[0049] Figure 1is a diagram of an exemplary wireless network 100 including a wireless access point 105 and wireless devices STA1 (110) and STA2 (115) associated therewith. STA1 and STA2 transmit signals on different wireless frequency bands that are close in frequency (e.g., adjacent frequency bands), and STA1 and STA2 are relatively close in location to each other (e.g., the distance between STA1 and STA2 is within a predetermined distance, such as within 5 meters). It should be noted that close in frequency and relatively close in location are clear descriptions. For example, each can mean less than a predetermined value, which is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, when one of the STAs (e.g., STA1 and STA2) is wirelessly transmitting (TX) data while the other is wirelessly receiving (RX) data, or it is beginning to wirelessly transmit data while the other is already wirelessly receiving data, significant signal interference (e.g., AACI) between the STAs can cause signal degradation. In particular, the STA that is receiving data will experience signal degradation (sensitivity degradation), and thus, transmission efficiency will be reduced. In Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1, the depicted AACI between frequency bands bandl and band2 is inter-device interference caused by different wireless devices.

[0050] Figure 2 is a diagram of an exemplary wireless network 200 including a wireless device 210 that will suffer in-device interference when simultaneously transmitting and receiving data. The wireless device 210 can be any of a number of well-known components, such as, but not limited to, a wireless smartphone, a laptop computer, or a tablet computer, and the wireless device 210 includes a first wireless station 215 and a second wireless station 220, where the first wireless station 215 and the second wireless station 220 are capable of operating on different wireless frequency bands.

[0051] The STAs 215 and 220 can be configured to operate on wireless frequency bands that are close or similar in frequency. Thus, when one of the STAs is wirelessly transmitting data while the other is wirelessly receiving data, or when one of the STAs begins wirelessly transmitting data while the other is already wirelessly receiving data, significant signal interference (e.g., AACI) between the STAs can result in signal degradation. In particular, the STA that is receiving data will receive a degraded signal, and thus, transmission efficiency will be reduced. In Figure 2 the example, the depicted AACI between the frequency bands bandl and band2 is intra-device interference caused by different wireless stations of the same wireless device (e.g., a dual-band or multi-band wireless device).

[0052] Figure 3 and Figure 4 is a diagram of an exemplary wireless network 300 for coordinating transmissions between a plurality of wireless devices grouped based on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) threshold (TH) in accordance with embodiments of the present application. In Figure 3 the example, the AP 305 is associated with wireless devices STA1 (310) and STA2 (315), and STA2 can experience sensitivity degradation when STA1 begins transmitting data to the AP 305 while STA2 is receiving data from the wireless AP 305. For example, STA2 can experience more severe AACI when STA1 and STA2 are physically close and / or use frequency bands that are close in frequency. Thus, to prevent interference between STA1 and STA2, the plurality of STAs associated with the AP 305 can detect RSSI and report the detected RSSI to the AP 305 to identify potential interference between the plurality of STAs.

[0053] An example is now described. As Figure 3 depicted in Figure 3 , STA1 transmits data to the AP 305 causing interference detected by STA2 (e.g., STA2 receives RSSI from STA1). STA2 determines whether the received interference is from a STA (e.g., STA1) that is associated with the same AP (AP 305) as STA2. If the STA is not associated with the same AP (AP 305) as STA2, the process ends. If STA2 determines that the STA is associated with the AP 305 (e.g., the STA is STA1 in Figure 4As shown, if the RSSI received from STA1 is greater than the RSSI threshold, STA2 reports information associated with STA1 (e.g., "transmission information") to AP 305. The information reported by STA2 can include the source of interference (e.g., STA ID, MAC address, etc.), band information (e.g., operating frequency), received RSSI, etc. Since STA1 and STA2 are associated with AP 305 and the received RSSI is above the threshold, AP 305 advantageously classifies STA1 and STA2 into the same group to coordinate wireless operations and advantageously avoid interference between multiple devices.

[0054] Figure 5 According to embodiments of the present application, an exemplary wireless network 500 is shown for coordinating transmissions among multiple wireless devices, where the multiple wireless devices are grouped according to RSSI, path loss (PL), and / or angle of arrival (AOA). In Figure 5 In an example, AP 505 groups the associated multiple STAs according to metrics measured at the AP side. For example, AP 505 can measure RSSI when receiving data from STA1 (510), STA2 (515), and STA3 (520), and calculate path loss, e.g., according to the transmission power (TxPwr) of the STAs indicated in the triggered UL packets. AP 505 can also calculate the angle of arrival (AOA) between AP 505 and each STA, and estimate the physical proximity of the multiple devices relative to each other according to the PL and AOA (e.g., PL and AOA corresponding to each STA). For example, AOA can be determined according to channel state information (CSI) of the frequency band and the antenna pattern of AP 505.

[0055] AP 505 is able to group the multiple STAs according to the metrics measured at the AP side to coordinate transmissions of the multiple STAs, thereby preventing or mitigating signal interference among multiple STAs within the same group. For example, if it is determined that STA1 and STA2 are physically close (e.g., within 3 meters) according to the calculated PL and AOA (e.g., both approximately equal to PI and Al, respectively), STA1 and STA2 are grouped together (i.e., STA1 and STA2 are classified / labeled as the same group) by AP 505 to coordinate transmissions among the multiple devices (e.g., STA1 and STA2). Figure 5 As shown, if the RSSI received from STA1 is greater than the RSSI threshold, STA2 reports information associated with STA1 (e.g., "transmission information") to AP 305. The information reported by STA2 can include the source of interference (e.g., STA ID, MAC address, etc.), band information (e.g., operating frequency), received RSSI, etc. Since STA1 and STA2 are associated with AP 305 and the received RSSI is above the threshold, AP 305 advantageously classifies STA1 and STA2 into the same group to coordinate wireless operations and advantageously avoid interference between multiple devices.Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 5, AP 505 also computes the PL and AOA associated with STA3 (as shown by P2 and A2, which are substantially different from PI and Al), but does not group STA3 with STA1 and STA2 (i.e., STA3 is categorized / labeled as a different group from STA1 and STA2) because the information for STA3 is substantially different (e.g., substantially different from) the corresponding information for STA1 and STA2. For example, the difference in PL and the difference in AOA computed for different STAs can be considered to be physically close if both are small (e.g., less than a certain value). For example, two STAs that are far apart (e.g., one on the left and one on the right of the AP) can observe a small difference in PL (close to zero) but a large difference in AOA (e.g., 180 degrees). Figure 5

[0056] Figures 6 to 8 FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example wireless network 600 for coordinating transmissions among multiple wireless devices that are grouped (e.g., categorized into the same group) based on causing receiving failures when simultaneous transmissions and receptions occur with respect to an associated STA (e.g., AP 605), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. AP 605 can listen on a neighboring / nearby frequency band (e.g., frequency band 2) while transmitting data to wireless stations on frequency band 1 to determine whether the nearby frequency band is busy. As shown in FIG. 6, STA1 (615) is receiving a transmission (DL) from AP 605 on frequency band 1, while STA2 (610) is transmitting UL data (UL) to AP 605 on frequency band 2. Thus, if the transmissions of the multiple devices overlap in different directions (e.g., uplink and downlink), AP 605 identifies STA2 as a potential source of interference for STA1. Figure 6

[0057] Continuing with the example of FIG. 6, AP 605 can determine that STA1 and STA2 are likely to be in close proximity to each other (e.g., within 3 meters) if AP 605 does not receive an acknowledgement (e.g., a block acknowledgement (BA) or an acknowledgement for a single data unit) from STA1. After detecting any number of receiving errors, AP 605 groups STA1 and STA2 together (i.e., categorizes STA1 and STA2 into the same group) to coordinate the transmissions of the multiple devices and prevent or mitigate interference (e.g., AACI) among the multiple devices. Figure 7

[0058] As shown in FIG. 7, STA1 (715) is receiving a transmission (DL) from AP 705 on frequency band 1, while STA2 (710) is transmitting UL data (UL) to AP 705 on frequency band 2. Thus, if the transmissions of the multiple devices overlap in different directions (e.g., uplink and downlink), AP 705 identifies STA2 as a potential source of interference for STA1. Figure 8 ​​​As shown, AP 605 detects overlapping transmissions (e.g., STA1 transmits data to AP 605 via band 1 while STA2 receives data from AP 605 via band 2). In some embodiments, when AP 605 subsequently fails to receive BA from STA2 while STA1 is transmitting (i.e., one example of "reception failure"), this is considered further evidence that STA1 and STA2 are physically close. In this case, the AP will assume that STA1 and STA2 are physically close, and therefore, AP 605 will typically group STA1 and STA2 together for coordinated transmission.

[0059] In other embodiments (such as) Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, AP 605 can receive a BA from either STA1 or STA2, indicating that a portion of the data transmitted by AP 605 has been successfully received, rather than all of it. For example, if the received BA indicates that two out of five MPDUs in an AMPDU have been successfully received, this is considered a partial transmission failure, one example of the "reception failure" described above. In the event of a partial transmission failure, AP 605 can determine from the BA that STA1 and STA2 are physically close and group multiple STAs together for coordinated transmission.

[0060] Coordinated wireless transmission among multiple wireless devices to prevent intra-group interference.

[0061] After the AP defines packets of multiple associated radio stations based on estimated physical proximity, the AP can coordinate subsequent transmissions to prevent multiple STAs in the same packet from transmitting and receiving simultaneously. For example, as Figure 9 As shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the AP 905 of the exemplary wireless network 900 can use a trigger frame (TR) 920 to request UL transmissions 925 from multiple STAs, advantageously avoiding simultaneous downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions within the same packet. When STA1 sends UL data in response to the trigger frame 920 (that is, when AP 905 receives the UL data sent by STA1 in response to the trigger frame 920), AP 905 will not schedule packets that should be sent to STA2. In this way, signal interference between STA1 and STA2 is advantageously avoided. Figure 9In example embodiments, multiple STAs within the same group are expected to transmit UL data to the AP 905, and are triggered by the AP 905 to do so, thereby effectively avoiding simultaneous transmission and reception by different STAs in the group, and thus avoiding interference between the different STAs.

[0062] Figure 10 An example wireless network 1000 is shown in accordance with embodiments of the application, including multiple STAs (e.g., legacy devices) that do not understand / recognize trigger frames but are in close proximity to each other. After the AP 1005 groups the associated STAs (a "STA group") based on information collected from the STAs (e.g., RSSI) or information computed by the AP (e.g., RSSI, PL, AOA), the AP 1005 coordinates transmissions between the STAs and the AP to prevent interference between the STAs. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the AP 1005 can schedule transmissions to STA2 (1015) while receiving UL data from STA1, thereby advantageously preventing interference between the STAs. Figure 10

[0063] Figure 11 A method for automatically scheduling transmissions between a wireless access point and multiple wireless devices (STAs) associated with the wireless access point to reduce and / or prevent signal interference between the multiple wireless devices during simultaneous transmission and reception by the multiple wireless devices.

[0064] At step 1105, the AP receives or determines transmission information associated with the multiple STAs, either directly or indirectly. Direct transmission information can include an interfering source (e.g., STA ID, MAC address, etc.), frequency band information (e.g., operating frequency), and / or a received RSSI. Direct transmission information can also be received from a STA associated with the AP and can include information about another associated STA suspected to be physically adjacent to the reporting STA (e.g., based on RSSI). Indirect transmission information can include reception quality (e.g., information indicated in or derived from a BA) and network traffic patterns (e.g., an indication of overlapping transmission and reception). Step 1105 can also include receiving an acknowledgment (e.g., a BA or bitmap) to determine whether the multiple devices are in close physical proximity / adjacency based on successful / unsuccessful transmissions indicated in the acknowledgment.

[0065] ​At step 1110, the AP categorizes multiple associated STAs that are likely to cause signal interference with each other into the same group based on the transmission information. For example, the multiple associated STAs can be grouped according to the physical proximity estimated by the multiple associated STAs to each other. In some embodiments, multiple STAs that are estimated to be within approximately 3 meters are grouped together. For example, step 1110 can include grouping the multiple STAs according to direct information received from the multiple STAs or indicators (e.g., PL, AOA, and / or RSSI) computed by the AP and indirect information.

[0066] At step 1115, the AP schedules transmissions with the multiple STAs such that the multiple STAs within the group do not simultaneously transmit and receive on multiple frequency bands that are close in frequency. According to some embodiments, step 1115 includes sending a trigger frame requesting uplink transmissions from the STAs. Thus, signal interference between the multiple STAs within the group is avoided, and transmissions between the AP and the multiple STAs are efficiently performed without reception errors due to sensitivity degradation / worsening.

[0067] Example computer control system

[0068] Figure 12 An example wireless device 1200 upon which embodiments of the application can be implemented is depicted. Embodiments of the application automatically transmit and / or schedule transmissions to transmit data between a wireless access point and a group of associated wireless devices (STAs) in a manner that advantageously prevents interference (AACI) caused by multiple devices simultaneously transmitting and receiving on multiple frequency bands that are close in frequency. The following discussion describes one such example electronic or computer system that can serve as a platform for implementing embodiments of the application. For example, the example computer system can be a wireless access point or a wireless station (or wireless device).

[0069] The wireless device 1200 includes a processor 1205 for running software applications and an optional operating system. Memory 1210 can include read-only memory and / or random access memory, for example, for storing applications and data (e.g., tables of index values) for use by the processor 1205 and data received or transmitted by the transceivers 1220, 1225, and 1230 over different wireless links. According to some embodiments, the wireless device 1200 can include fewer or more transceivers, for example, 1, and the application is not limited in this regard. The transceivers 1220, 1225, 1230 communicate with other electronic devices over a wireless network (e.g., a WLAN) and typically operate according to IEEE standards (e.g., IEEE 802.11ax, IEEE 802.11ay, IEEE 802.11be, etc.).

[0070] In one or more example embodiments, the methods described above can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, one or more program instructions or code can be stored in a storage medium to cause a device to perform the methods described above to coordinate transmissions of a plurality of wireless stations in a group of wireless stations. The storage medium can be any available medium accessible by the computer. For example, the storage medium can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of the above, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in an information carrying capacity for a computer readable medium.

[0071] The use of ordinal terms such as "first", "second", "third", etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another, or of an execution of one method action over another, but rather the use of ordinal terminology is made merely for the purpose of distinguishing between two or more claim elements or method actions that otherwise would have been identical in the absence of using ordinal terminology.

[0072] While the present application has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the application is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent structures (and functions) as would be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading this description. For example, the various features of the different embodiments described above can be combined in any combination. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data, characterized by, The method is performed by a wireless access point, AP, and includes: determining that a first wireless station, STA, and a second STA are associated with the AP; grouping the first STA and the second STA together to create a group of STAs; and coordinating transmissions of the first STA and the second STA to avoid simultaneous transmission and reception by multiple STAs in the group of STAs; wherein the method further includes: measuring a first received signal strength indicator, RSSI, of transmissions received from the first STA; computing first path loss information from the first RSSI; measuring a second RSSI of transmissions received from the second STA; and computing second path loss information from the second RSSI, wherein grouping the first STA and the second STA together is performed in accordance with the first path loss information and the second path loss information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes receiving transmission information from the first STA.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The transmission information includes a received signal strength indicator, RSSI.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first STA transmits the transmission information in response to determining that the RSSI is above a predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, The transmission information includes at least one of a STA ID, a media access control, MAC, address, frequency band information, and an operating frequency.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: computing a first angle of arrival of transmissions received from the first STA; and computing a second angle of arrival of transmissions received from the second STA, wherein grouping the first STA and the second STA together is further performed in accordance with the first angle of arrival and the second angle of arrival.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first STA and the second STA operate on frequency bands that are close in frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes determining that the first STA experienced a reception failure while the second STA was transmitting data, wherein grouping the first STA and the second STA together is performed in response to determining that the first STA experienced the reception failure while the second STA was transmitting data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The reception failure includes receiving a block acknowledgement, BA, from the first STA, wherein the BA indicates successful reception of a portion of, but not all, corresponding data transmitted by the AP to the first STA; or failing to receive an acknowledgement from the first STA for corresponding data transmitted by the AP to the first STA.

10. A wireless access point, AP, characterized by The AP includes a wireless transceiver and a processor, and the wireless transceiver and the processor are configured to: determine that a first wireless station, STA, and a second STA are associated with the AP; group the first STA and the second STA together to create a group of STAs; and coordinating transmissions of the first STA and the second STA to avoid simultaneous transmission and reception by multiple STAs in the group of STAs; wherein the processor is further configured to: measure a first received signal strength indicator, RSSI, of transmissions received from the first STA; compute first path loss information from the first RSSI; measure a second RSSI of transmissions received from the second STA; and compute second path loss information from the second RSSI. ​ wherein the processor groups the first STA and the second STA together to create the group of STAs based on the first path loss information and the second path loss information.

11. The wireless access point of claim 10, wherein, The wireless transceiver is further configured to receive transmission information from the first STA.

12. The wireless access point of claim 10, wherein, The first STA and the second STA operate on frequency bands that are close in frequency.

13. The wireless access point of claim 11, wherein, The transmission information includes a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

14. The wireless access point of claim 13, wherein, The first STA transmits the transmission information in response to determining that the RSSI is above a predetermined threshold.

15. The wireless access point of claim 11, wherein, The transmission information includes at least one of a STA ID, a media access control (MAC) address, frequency band information, and an operating frequency.

16. The wireless access point of claim 10, wherein, The processor is further configured to: calculate a first angle of arrival of a transmission received from the first STA; and calculate a second angle of arrival of a transmission received from the second STA; wherein the processor groups the first STA and the second STA together to create the group of STAs based on the first angle of arrival and the second angle of arrival.

17. The wireless access point of claim 10, wherein, The processor is further configured to determine that the first STA experienced a reception failure while the second STA was transmitting data, wherein the processor groups the first STA and the second STA together to create the group of STAs in response to determining that the first STA experienced a reception failure while the second STA was transmitting data.

18. A storage medium, characterized by The storage medium has program instructions embedded therein, which when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform a method for coordinating transmissions of a plurality of wireless stations in a group of wireless stations, and the method comprises: determining that a first wireless station (STA) and a second STA are associated with an AP; grouping the first STA and the second STA together to create a group of STAs; and coordinating transmissions of the first STA and the second STA to avoid simultaneous transmission and reception by a plurality of STAs in the group of STAs; wherein the method further comprises: measuring a first received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a transmission received from the first STA; calculating first path loss information based on the first RSSI; measuring a second RSSI of a transmission received from the second STA; and calculating second path loss information based on the second RSSI, wherein grouping the first STA and the second STA together is based on the first path loss information and the second path loss information.

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