Multi-User (MU) Communication in a Wireless Mesh Network

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for implementing multi-user (MU) communication in a wireless mesh network. A first mesh node or a network management unit may collect information from various mesh nodes and form an MU association group based on the information. The MU association group may include an MU group leader, who coordinates MU group communication to and from member mesh nodes in the MU association group. For example, the MU group leader may coordinate orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) resource unit allocation or MU multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) spatial stream configuration, among other examples. Different MU association groups may be formed for uplink or downlink traffic. The creation of MU association groups may enable a wireless mesh network to realize the benefits of MU group communication within a flexible topology of a mesh environment.

Description

Claim of Priority

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0001] This patent application claims priority to Indian Provisional Patent Application No. 202021028332, filed on July 3, 2020, entitled "MULTI - USER (MU) COMMUNICATION IN A WIRELESS MESH NETWORK", which is assigned to the assignee of this application. The disclosure of the prior application is considered to be a part of this application and is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

[0002]

[0002] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication, including multi - user (MU) communication in a wireless mesh network.

Background Art

[0003]

[0003] A wireless local area network (WLAN) can be formed by one or more wireless access points (APs) that provide a shared wireless communication medium for use by a plurality of client devices, also called wireless stations (STAs). The basic building block of a WLAN compliant with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard family is the basic service set (BSS). An infrastructure BSS (IBSS) is managed by an AP that provides distribution and access functions for the associated STAs. The AP periodically broadcasts beacon frames to enable any STA within the wireless range of the AP to establish or maintain a communication link with the WLAN. Multiple APs can form an extended service set (ESS), which is a collection of infrastructure BSSs managed by multiple APs.

[0004]

[0004] The IEEE 802.11 standard group also supports the creation of wireless mesh networks. Wireless mesh networks can have advantageous characteristics with respect to quality of service, robustness, range extension, and density. A wireless mesh network consists of mesh nodes that form a mesh BSS (MBSS). The MBSS differs from an IBSS in that each mesh node provides a distribution and access function for other associated mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network. Each mesh node may include a mesh STA, which is a logical architectural component that implements a mesh protocol for communicating with other mesh STAs in the MBSS. For example, a mesh STA establishes a wireless link with neighboring mesh STAs that forms a mesh network topology in which the mesh STAs can communicate with each other via a wireless communication medium.

Summary of the Invention

[0005]

[0005] The systems, methods, and devices of the present disclosure each have several innovative aspects, none of which alone causes the desirable characteristics disclosed herein.

[0006]

[0006] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented as a method for wireless communication. The method can include communicating in a wireless mesh network that includes a plurality of mesh nodes. The method can include establishing at least a first multi-user (MU) association group that includes a first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes of the plurality of mesh nodes. The first MU association group can enable the first mesh node, as the MU group head, to allocate wireless channel resources for MU communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes that form the first MU association group.

[0007]

[0007] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a method for wireless communication by a first mesh node of a wireless mesh network. The method can include the first mesh node operating as the MU group length of a first MU association group that includes the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes within the wireless mesh network. The method can include the first mesh node allocating wireless channel resources for MU group communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes that form the first MU association group.

[0008]

[0008] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a method executed by a first mesh node of a wireless mesh network. The method can include communicating in a wireless mesh network with a plurality of mesh nodes. The method can include receiving a configuration for at least a first MU association group that includes a second mesh node and at least the first mesh node as the MU group length. The method can include transmitting a portion of the first MU group communication to the second mesh node using wireless channel resources managed by the second mesh node. The first MU group communication can include transmissions from one or more mesh nodes.

[0009] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a first mesh node. The first mesh node can include at least one modem configured to communicate in a wireless mesh network that includes a plurality of mesh nodes. The first mesh node can include a processing system configured to establish at least a first MU association group that includes the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes of the plurality of mesh nodes. The first MU association group can enable the first mesh node, as the MU group length, to allocate wireless channel resources for MU communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes that form the first MU association group.

[0010] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a first mesh node. The first mesh node can include at least one modem configured to operate as the MU group length of a first MU association group that includes the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes within a wireless mesh network. The first mesh node can include a processing system configured to allocate wireless channel resources for MU group communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes that form the first MU association group.

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a first mesh node. The first mesh node can include at least one modem configured to communicate in a wireless mesh network with a plurality of mesh nodes. The at least one modem can be configured to obtain a configuration for at least a first MU association group including a second mesh node as a MU group length and at least the first mesh node. The first mesh node can include a processing system configured to manage first MU group communication by the at least one modem according to the configuration. The at least one modem can be configured to output a part of the first MU group communication for transmission to the second mesh node using wireless channel resources managed by the second mesh node. The first MU group communication can include transmissions from one or more mesh nodes.

[0012] Details of one or more aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. However, the accompanying drawings show only some exemplary aspects of this disclosure and thus should not be considered as limiting the scope of this disclosure. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

[0013] System diagram of an exemplary wireless mesh network.

Figure 2

[0014] System diagram of a mesh node of an exemplary wireless mesh network that can enable connection to a non-mesh network.

Figure 3A

[0015] Exemplary conceptual diagram of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).

Figure 3B

[0016] Exemplary conceptual diagram of multi-user (MU) orthogonal frequency division multiple access (MU-OFDMA).

Figure 3C

[0017] Exemplary conceptual diagram of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO).

Figure 4

[0018] Diagram showing exemplary roles of MUs that a mesh node may have in a wireless mesh network.

Figure 5

[0019] Diagram showing an exemplary wireless mesh network and an exemplary MU association group.

Figure 6

[0020] Diagram showing an overview of an exemplary process for forming an MU association group.

Figure 7

[0021] Diagram showing a detailed exemplary process by which a mesh node or network management unit may form different MU association groups.

Figure 8

[0022] Diagram showing exemplary traffic conditions in an exemplary wireless mesh network and used to explain various considerations when forming an MU association group.

Figure 9

[0023] Diagram showing an exemplary wireless mesh network in which an MU association group may be associated with the hop count to a mesh gateway.

Figure 10

[0024] Diagram showing another exemplary wireless mesh network and an exemplary MU association group associated with the hop count to a mesh gateway.

Figure 11

[0025] Conceptual diagram of an exemplary MU association group setup or configuration message.

Figure 12

[0026] Block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device.

Figure 13

[0027] Block diagram of an exemplary mesh node.

Figure 14

[0028] A flowchart showing an exemplary process for a network management unit enabling MU communication in a wireless mesh network.

Figure 15

[0029] A flowchart showing an exemplary process for a mesh node supporting MU communication in a wireless mesh network.

Figure 16

[0030] A flowchart showing another exemplary process for a mesh node supporting MU communication in a wireless mesh network.

Figure 17

[0031] A block diagram of an exemplary electronic device for implementing aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014]

[0032] Like reference numerals and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

[0015]

[0033] The following description is directed to several specific examples for the purpose of explaining innovative aspects of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. Some or all of the examples described can be implemented, inter alia, in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in accordance with one or more of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards, IEEE 802.15 standards, Bluetooth® standards defined by the Bluetooth® Special Interest Group (SIG), or Long Term Evolution (LTE®), 3G, 4G, or 5G (New Radio (NR)) standards released by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®). The described implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals in accordance with one or more of the following techniques or methodologies, namely, code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), single user (SU) multiple input multiple output (MIMO), and multi-user (MU)-MIMO. The described implementations can also be implemented using other wireless communication protocols or RF signals suitable for use in one or more of a wireless personal area network (WPAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless wide area network (WWAN), or internet of things (IOT) network.

[0016]

[0034] Some examples in this disclosure may be based on mesh nodes that implement a wireless mesh network protocol (such as that defined in the IEEE 802.11s amendment incorporated into the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification). However, this disclosure is not limited to a particular wireless mesh network protocol. Further, the description of a mesh node may refer, among other examples, to any type of device that operates a mesh station (STA) including, but not limited to, a high efficiency (HE) mesh STA, an extremely high throughput (EHT) mesh STA, or a next generation mesh STA. An HE mesh STA is a type of mesh node that can implement the IEEE 802.11ax amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard family. An EHT mesh STA is a type of mesh node that can implement the IEEE 802.11be amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard family. For simplicity, examples in this disclosure may simply refer to a mesh node as including all such devices and may be applicable to all such standards. A mesh node may include a mesh STA configured to participate in a wireless mesh network such as a mesh basic service set (MBSS). In some cases, a mesh node may also include an access point (AP) for providing an infrastructure basic service set (IBSS) for non-mesh STAs, a mesh gateway for converting traffic between an MBSS and an IBSS, a mesh portal for converting traffic between an MBSS and a non-802.11 network, or any combination thereof, and other logical architecture components. In accordance with the wireless mesh network protocol, a mesh node may perform routing and forwarding in the mesh network topology in accordance with the wireless mesh network protocol.

[0017]

[0035] The present disclosure provides a system, method, and apparatus that includes a computer program encoded on a computer-readable medium to enable multi-user (MU) group communication within a wireless mesh network. MU group communication enables simultaneous transmission of different data (such as separate data for each recipient device) from one device to each of a plurality of devices (e.g., multiple simultaneous downlink (DL) communications from an AP to corresponding STAs), or simultaneous transmission of different data from a plurality of devices to a single device (e.g., multiple simultaneous uplink (UL) transmissions from corresponding STAs to an AP). MU group communication is different from conventional multicast communication where the data transmitted to all recipients is the same. MU group communication from a source (such as an MU group leader) to a plurality of recipients (such as selected MU group members) can include separate data for each recipient that is grouped as a simultaneous transmission. To support MU group communication, an AP and STAs can utilize multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) and multi-user orthogonal frequency division multiple access (MU-OFDMA, or more generally abbreviated as "OFDMA") techniques. OFDMA enables MU group communication by re-dividing the wireless channel into resource units (RUs) that can be allocated to different devices. MU-MIMO enables MU communication by allocating different spatial streams to different devices. The use of MU group communication provides greater flexibility in managing resource allocation within a wireless network. IEEE 802.11ax and IEEE 802.11be amendments to the IEEE 802.11 standard family provide technical specifications for MU communication in an IBSS. There can be advantages to implementing MU group communication capabilities in a wireless mesh network, such as improved utilization of the wireless channel, higher quality of service, and efficiency in managing wireless channel resources.

[0018]

[0036] In some aspects, a mesh node or a network management unit may form one or more MU association groups for various mesh nodes in a wireless mesh network. An MU association group may refer to a group of mesh nodes that may be included in MU group communication managed by an MU group length. The MU group length may manage wireless channel resources by allocating a portion of the wireless channel resources to each mesh node participating in the MU group communication. The MU group length may act as a moderator of the MU association group and may determine which mesh nodes (among the mesh nodes in the MU association group) to include in the MU group communication. For example, the MU group length may transmit DL MU group communication to one or more mesh nodes within the MU association group, or may trigger UL MU group communication from one or more mesh nodes within the MU association group. Each MU group communication may include all or a subset of the mesh nodes in the MU association group as directed by the MU group length.

[0019]

[0037] In some aspects, a group of mesh nodes within a MU association group can be assigned the same association ID (AID) based on the MU group length. The MU group length can operate as a multi-user access point (MU-AP) within the MU association group. Other mesh nodes within the MU association group can operate as multi-user stations (MU-STAs) within the MU association group. Some aspects further particularly relate to determining the MU group length and selecting a type of MU group communication (such as OFDMA or MU-MIMO) for the MU association group. Additionally, some aspects particularly relate to determining the MU association group based on the routing topology of the wireless mesh network, hop count, type of traffic, direction of traffic, link capacity, weighting based on the routing topology, operating constraints of the mesh nodes, or any combination thereof.

[0020]

[0038] Mesh nodes can form peer relationships such that one mesh node can temporarily act as an AP for another mesh node acting as a STA and vice versa. In some implementations, two mesh nodes can periodically alternate between the role of AP and the role of STA for a peer relationship. A wireless mesh network having several mesh nodes organized by peer relationships can be called a multi-hop network because communication can cross several "hops" (several mesh nodes) in the path from a source device to a destination device. Each hop can point in a particular direction (from a source mesh node to the next mesh node) and can have a particular traffic pattern (such as traffic load, traffic type, or airtime utilization). By observing the traffic flow and collecting information from multiple mesh nodes, a network management unit or a mesh node can determine several MU association groups so as to optimize the wireless channel utilization for a particular hop.

[0021]

[0039] A mesh node or a network management unit may form one or more MU association groups so as to more efficiently handle the traffic flow among the mesh nodes belonging to an MU association group. The MU association groups may be different based on the incoming traffic and the outgoing traffic. For example, a mesh node that transmits a large amount of outgoing traffic may serve as an MU group length (assuming the role of an MU-AP) so that it can simultaneously transmit the outgoing traffic to a plurality of mesh nodes in the MU group communication (as DL MU group communication). Similarly, a mesh node that receives a large amount of traffic from a plurality of mesh nodes may be assigned as an MU group length (assuming the role of an MU-AP) so that it can schedule trigger-based (TB) UL MU group communication from the plurality of mesh nodes. This disclosure includes an explanation of various roles (such as MU-AP or MU-STA) that a mesh node may assume within an MU association group.

[0022]

[0040] In some implementations, the formation of the MU association group may be based on MU participation constraints. The MU participation constraints may limit the amount of MU association groups that a mesh node can be a member of. The MU participation constraints may limit the amount of MU association groups in the wireless mesh network and may prioritize the formation of MU association groups such that MU group communication is effective when utilizing channel resources.

[0023]

[0041] Certain implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. Wireless mesh network technology may be improved to support newer ways of efficient sharing of communication and channel resources. The MU association group may improve the utilization rate of the wireless channel. The MU group length may manage MU group communication for UL or DL traffic so that multiple mesh nodes can be served simultaneously using OFDMA or MU-MIMO. The use of MU group communication may enhance the overall performance and capacity of the wireless mesh network. The techniques of this disclosure may be used to form MU association groups on those mesh nodes such that the impact on the performance of MU group communication is maximized. This may be useful, for example, when the mesh nodes can join a limited number of MU association groups.

[0024]

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a system diagram of an exemplary wireless mesh network. A wireless mesh network may also be referred to as an ad hoc network, a wireless ad hoc network, or a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. A wireless mesh network can be a network that implements at least one of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standards (such as those defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its amendments including, but not limited to, 802.11s). In some cases, a mesh STA can form a network without an AP or other devices other than the mesh STA itself. For the sake of brevity, the terms mesh node and mesh STA can be used interchangeably when referring to devices participating in a wireless mesh network. A mesh STA can participate in a wireless mesh network by establishing a new wireless mesh network and approving other mesh STAs to join the wireless mesh network. Additionally or alternatively, a mesh STA can participate in a wireless mesh network by joining an existing wireless mesh network established by another mesh STA. In some implementations, each mesh STA in a wireless mesh network can have the ability to approve other mesh STAs to join the wireless mesh network.

[0025]

[0043] The exemplary wireless mesh network 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes several exemplary mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 122 that collectively participate in the wireless mesh network. The wireless mesh network 100 may also be associated with a mesh basic service set (MBSS) 150 that includes all of the mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 122 that participate in the wireless mesh network 100. The MBSS 150 is formed as a result of a collection of peer relationships between peer mesh STAs that share a compatible configuration for the wireless mesh network. The MBSS 150 may be associated with MBSS identification information such as a mesh ID, which differentiates the MBSS 150 from other wireless mesh networks (not shown) that may be in the vicinity. The formation of peer relationships may involve several messages (such as setting up a group key for each peer relationship, a unique association ID, etc.). In FIG. 1, the first mesh STA 110 has a peer relationship 130 with the second mesh STA 112. A wireless link 132 exists between the first mesh STA 110 and the second mesh STA 112. The wireless link 132 is shown as a single link, but in some respects, it can be considered a combination of two one-way relationships. For example, the first mesh STA 110 may act as an AP and may have an association ID (AID) representing the wireless link 132 to the second mesh STA 112 (acting as a STA). At the same time, the second mesh STA 112 may act as an AP for the first mesh STA 110 (acting as a STA in this case) and may have a unique AID for representing the wireless link 132 to the first mesh STA 110. Thus, the wireless link 132 represents a bidirectional combination of the peer relationships that the first mesh STA 110 and the second mesh STA 112 have with each other (shown as peer relationship 130). For the sake of brevity, the peer relationships for other pairs of mesh STAs are not shown.However, wireless links 138, 134, 136, 142, 144, 146, and 148 are shown to illustrate the topology of wireless mesh network 100.

[0026]

[0044] Wireless mesh network 100 may be able to route traffic from one peer mesh STA to another peer mesh STA through a multi-hop network. For example, second mesh STA 112 may communicate with another network 180 by communicating via wireless link 132 to first mesh STA 110, which may relay communication to third mesh STA 114 via wireless link 134. Routing of data frames may be coordinated using a routing protocol used by mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 122. For example, the routing protocol may be a Hybrid Wireless Mesh Protocol (HWMP). HWMP is defined in IEEE 802.11-2016 and is inspired by a combination of on-demand ad hoc routing and tree-based routing. As can be seen in FIG. 1, communication in a multi-hop wireless mesh network may involve coordination of the airtime used by mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 122. Mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 122 may implement a Mesh Coordination Function (MCF) Controlled Channel Access (MCCA) protocol to manage congestion and medium access.

[0027]

[0045] Figure 2 shows a system diagram in which a mesh node of an exemplary wireless mesh network can enable connection to a non-mesh network. The MBSS 250 in Figure 2 can be similar to the MBSS 150 described with reference to Figure 1. The MBSS 250 can include a plurality of mesh nodes 210, 212, and 218. Each of the mesh nodes 210, 212, and 218 can include a mesh STA (such as the mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 122 described with reference to Figure 1). The mesh nodes 210, 212, and 218 can function (via their respective peer relationships) and communicate in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard group (such as those defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its amendments including, but not limited to, 802.11s).

[0028]

[0046] Figure 2 shows some examples where a mesh node can also include a mesh gate or a mesh portal. One exemplary mesh node 218 in Figure 2 includes a mesh STA 214 and a mesh portal 282. For example, the mesh portal 282 may be at the same location as the mesh node 218, integrated therewith, or communicatively coupled thereto. The mesh portal 282 can provide a connection 284 for traffic between the MBSS 250 and another network 280 (such as, among other examples, a non-IEEE 802.11 network, a local area network, a home network, or the Internet). The mesh portal 282 may be a logical architecture component of the mesh node 218 and may also convert packets between the MBSS 250 and the other network 280. Although Figure 2 shows only one mesh node 218 with a mesh portal 282, it is possible for multiple mesh nodes to have mesh portals (not shown) to other networks.

[0029]

[0047] The exemplary mesh node 210 of FIG. 2 includes a mesh STA 214, a mesh gate 242, and an AP 202. The AP 202 may be in the same position as the mesh node 210, integrated therewith, or communicatively coupled thereto. The mesh gate 242 may provide a connection between the MBSS 250 and the infrastructure BSS (IBSS) 230. The mesh gate 242 may be a logical architecture component of the mesh node 210 and may convert packets between the MBSS 250 and the IBSS 230. FIG. 2 shows only one mesh node 210 with a mesh gate 242, but it is possible for multiple mesh nodes to have mesh gates and APs (not shown). The mesh node 210 may also be referred to as a mesh AP or a mesh point (MP), because the mesh node 210 includes the mesh STA 214 for communication with the AP 202 and the MBSS 250 that operates the IBSS 230.

[0030]

[0048] The AP 202 manages the IBSS 230 such that a plurality of non-mesh STAs (referred to as STA 204 for simplicity) can communicate with each other or with the mesh gate 242 via the AP 202. Each of the STAs 204 may also be referred to as, among other things in the example, a mobile station (MS), a mobile device, a mobile handset, a wireless handset, an access terminal (AT), a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), or a subscriber unit. The STA 204 may represent various devices such as, among other things in the example, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), other handheld devices, a netbook, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a laptop, a display device (e.g., especially a TV, a computer monitor, a navigation system), a music or other audio or stereo device, a remote control device (“remote”), a printer, a kitchen or other household appliance, a key fob (e.g., for a passive keyless entry and start (PKES) system), etc.

[0031]

[0049] A set of an associated single AP202 and STA204 may be referred to as an infrastructure basic service set (IBSS) (or a basic service set (BSS) when not referring to a wireless mesh network), which is managed by each AP202. The IBSS230 can be identified to users by a service set identifier (SSID), and to other devices by a basic service set identifier (BSSID) which can be the media access control (MAC) address of the AP202. The AP202 enables any STA204 within the wireless range of the AP202 to "associate" or re-associate with the AP202 in order to establish or maintain each communication link 208 (hereinafter also referred to as a "Wi-Fi (registered trademark) link") with the AP202, by periodically broadcasting a beacon frame ("beacon") containing the BSSID. For example, the beacon may include identification information of the primary channel used by each AP202, as well as a timing synchronization function for establishing or maintaining timing synchronization with the AP202.

[0032]

[0050] To establish a communication link 208 with an AP202, each of the STAs 204 is configured to perform a passive or active scan operation ("scan") on a frequency channel in one or more frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, or 60 GHz band). To perform a passive scan, the STA 204 listens for beacons, which are transmitted by respective AP202s at regular time intervals called target beacon transmission times (TBTTs), measured in time units (TUs), where one TU may be equal to 2024 microseconds (μs). To perform an active scan, the STA 204 generates probe requests and sequentially transmits them on each channel to be scanned, and listens for probe responses from the AP202s. Each STA 204 may be configured to identify or select an AP202 to associate with based on scan information obtained through passive or active scanning, and to perform authentication and association operations to establish a communication link 208 with the selected AP202. The AP202 assigns an association identifier (AID) to the STA 204 at the end of the association operation, and the AP202 uses the AID to track the STA 204.

[0033]

[0051] As a result of the increasing pervasiveness of wireless networks, STA204 may have the opportunity to select one of a number of BSSs within the range of the STA, or to select from among multiple APs (which may in some cases be co-located with or integrated with one or more of the mesh nodes 212). STA204 can be covered by more than one AP and can associate with different APs at different times for different transmissions. Additionally, after association with AP202, STA204 can also be configured to periodically scan its surroundings to find a more suitable AP202 to associate with. For example, STA204 moving relative to the associated AP202 can perform a "roaming" scan to find another AP202 with more desirable network characteristics such as a higher received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a lower traffic load.

[0034]

[0052] AP202 and STA204 can function and communicate (via their respective communication links 208) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standards group (defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its amendments including, but not limited to, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, 802.11be, etc.). These standards define the WLAN wireless and baseband protocols for the PHY layer and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. AP202 and STA204 transmit and receive wireless communication (hereinafter also referred to as "Wi-Fi communication") with each other in the form of a PHY Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) (or Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) PDU). AP202 and STA204 in WLAN200 may transmit PPDUs via unlicensed spectrum, which may be a portion of the spectrum including frequency bands conventionally used by Wi-Fi technologies such as the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 60 GHz band, 3.6 GHz band, and 1100 MHz band. Some implementations of AP202 and STA204 described herein may also communicate in other frequency bands, such as the 6 GHz band, that can support both licensed and unlicensed communication. AP202 and STA204 may also be configured to communicate via other frequency bands, such as shared licensed frequency bands, where multiple operators may have licenses to operate in the same or overlapping one or more frequency bands. Each PPDU is a composite structure that includes a PHY preamble and a payload in the form of a PHY Service Data Unit (PSDU). The information provided in the preamble can be used by the receiving device to decode subsequent data in the PSDU.

[0035]

[0053] In conventional WLAN deployments, the single-user (SU) access mode was based on contention-based access where a station, upon winning contention, obtains the right to use the entire channel in the form of a transmission opportunity (TxOP). To implement traffic prioritization, different priorities and access classes can be used by the WLAN. More recently, the IEEE draft 802.11ax technical standard implemented MU communications (such as OFDMA and MU-MIMO) to support more efficient use of the wireless channel using either a scheduled access mode or a MU EDCA access mode. Using OFDMA and the scheduled access mode, the AP202 can schedule the airtime availability for different stations.

[0036]

[0054] FIG. 3A shows an exemplary conceptual diagram of OFDM301. The OFDM channel width can include a plurality of subcarriers. A WLAN packet (also called a PPDU) includes data encoded using subcarriers of the channel bandwidth. For example, a first STA can transmit a first PPDU310 in a first time period. During a second time period, a second STA can transmit a second PPDU320. PPDUs 310 and 320 can be of different lengths of time. Typically, the first STA and the second STA (and any other STA in the BSS) compete for access to the channel. When a STA wins contention, the STA can use the channel for transmission of the PPDU. As shown in FIG. 3A, the different shadings of the PPDUs indicate that different STAs can sequentially utilize the wireless channel, one at a time. However, this communication structure can be inefficient if the STA does not have sufficient data to justify using the entire channel width.

[0037]

[0055] Figure 3B shows an exemplary conceptual diagram of MU-OFDMA 302. Using OFDMA, an AP can allocate portions of the channel bandwidth to different users. A portion of the channel bandwidth can be referred to as a resource unit (RU). Each RU can include a different amount of subcarriers (also referred to as "tones"). Different RUs can be allocated or assigned by the AP to different STAs at a particular time. The size and distribution of the RUs can be referred to as RU allocation. In some implementations, RUs can be allocated at 2 MHz intervals, so the smallest RU can include 26 tones consisting of 24 data tones and 2 pilot tones. As a result, in a 20 MHz channel, up to 9 RUs (such as 2 MHz, 26-tone RUs) can be allocated (since some tones are reserved for other purposes). Similarly, in a 160 MHz channel, up to 74 RUs can be allocated. Larger 52-tone, 106-tone, 242-tone, 484-tone, and 996-tone RUs can also be allocated. For example, adjacent RUs can be separated by null subcarriers (such as DC subcarriers) to reduce interference between adjacent RUs, reduce receiver DC offset, and avoid transmission center frequency leakage.

[0038]

[0056] Using OFDMA, the AP can simultaneously transmit downlink (DL) data to different STAs. The DL data can be allocated to different STAs and signaled in different RUs, as indicated in the header of the DL OFDMA PPDU. For example, the DL OFDMA PPDU 350 can include different RUs allocated for the first STA, the second STA, the third STA, and the fourth STA. A certain RU 340 is allocated to a certain STA in the PPDU 350 for downlink data, while other RUs are allocated for different STAs.

[0039]

[0057] RU slicing can also be used to schedule uplink (UL) channel access. For example, an AP can send a trigger frame to initiate and synchronize UL OFDMA transmissions from multiple STAs to the AP. Thus, such a trigger frame may enable multiple STAs to send UL traffic to the AP simultaneously within a time period. The trigger frame may address one or more STAs through their respective association identifiers (AIDs), and one or more RUs used to send UL traffic to the AP may be allocated to each AID (and thus each STA). A UL trigger-based (TB) PPDU can be an aggregation of UL transmissions of different data (which may also be referred to as distinct data or node-specific data). In MU group communication, UL transmissions can be signaled simultaneously by multiple STAs that transmit UL data in their respective RU slicings.

[0040]

[0058] Figure 3C shows an exemplary conceptual diagram of multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) (MU-MIMO). An AP and STAs including multiple antennas can support beamforming and spatial multiplexing. Beamforming refers to concentrating the energy of a transmission in the direction of a target receiver. Beamforming can be used, for example, in both single-user situations to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and in multi-user (MU) situations to enable, for example, MU-MIMO transmissions (also referred to as space-division multiple access (SDMA)). To perform spatial multiplexing, a transmitting device divides a data stream into a number N SS of separate independent spatial streams. The spatial streams are separately encoded and transmitted in parallel via multiple transmitting antennas. A WLAN device 303 (such as an AP with multiple transmitting antennas) can allocate different spatial streams to different receiver devices 362, 364, and 366.

[0041]

[0059] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary role of a MU that a mesh node 410 may have in a wireless mesh network. The OFDMA and MU-MIMO techniques for MU group communication, described with reference to FIGS. 3B and 3C respectively, are implemented in an infrastructure BSS formed by an AP and a plurality of STAs. However, in a wireless mesh network, a mesh node can alternately switch its role between that of an AP and that of an STA. Thus, a mesh node may have the flexibility to assume different types of roles for MU group communication in a wireless mesh network. In a wireless mesh network, any given mesh node may assume the role of an AP or an STA for peer mesh nodes and may alternately switch its role based on traffic conditions and the wireless mesh network configuration, so the concepts of uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) directivity are fluid. Nevertheless, it is useful to use the concepts of UL directivity and DL directivity to characterize the traffic going into and out of a mesh node. In the example of FIG. 4, mesh node 410 and mesh node 420 are referred to as peer mesh nodes based on their peer relationship for direct communication with each other. Similarly, mesh node 410 and mesh node 440 are peer mesh nodes.

[0042]

[0060] As described with reference to FIG. 4, the concepts of UL directivity and DL directivity can each refer to the direction of traffic to or from a mesh node operating as a MU-AP for another mesh node operating as a MU-STA. For example, DL directivity may refer to the direction of traffic transmitted from mesh node 410 to one or more mesh nodes 440 assuming the role of a MU-STA, or may refer to the direction of traffic received by mesh node 410 from one or more mesh nodes 420 assuming the role of a MU-AP. The left side of FIG. 4 shows the roles that mesh node 410 may assume for DL traffic. For DL traffic, the wireless mesh node 410 may assume the role of a MU-AP when transmitting a DL MU transmission to one or more mesh nodes 440 assuming the role of a MU-STA. The wireless mesh node 410 may assume the role of a MU-STA when receiving a DL MU transmission from one or more mesh nodes 420 assuming the role of a MU-AP. UL directivity may refer to the direction of traffic transmitted from mesh node 410 to one or more mesh nodes 420 assuming the role of a MU-AP, or may refer to the direction of traffic received by mesh node 410 from one or more mesh nodes 440 assuming the role of a MU-STA. The right side of FIG. 4 shows the roles that mesh node 410 may assume for UL traffic. For UL traffic, the wireless mesh node 410 may assume the role of a MU-STA when transmitting a UL MU transmission to one or more mesh nodes 420 assuming the role of a MU-AP. The wireless mesh node 410 may assume the role of a MU-AP to trigger and receive a UL MU transmission from one or more mesh nodes 440 assuming the role of a MU-STA.

[0043]

[0061] It may be apparent that a mesh node 410 can have different roles in receiving MU transmissions from multiple mesh nodes. For example, the mesh node 410 may receive an MU transmission (left side) coming in as DL traffic as an MU-STA, or may receive an MU transmission (right side) coming in as UL traffic as an MU-AP. Although the roles of both the MU-AP and the MU-STA may enable the mesh node 410 to receive incoming MU transmissions, there may be scenarios where it is preferable for the mesh node 410 to operate as an MU-AP or an MU-STA. The present disclosure includes various considerations that affect which role is preferable for a particular mesh code.

[0044]

[0062] Each mesh node (such as mesh node 410) may have an MU participation constraint that limits how many MU relationships (which may be referred to as peer MU relationships) it can have for UL traffic or DL traffic. Examples of MU participation constraints include the maximum number of other mesh nodes with which the mesh node 410 can operate as an MU-AP or an MU-STA. The MU participation constraints may vary for each mesh node based on manufacturer configuration, user configuration, or system configuration. Further, the MU participation constraints may vary for UL traffic and DL traffic. As an example, the mesh node 410 may support up to 8 MU connections as an MU-STA for DL MU traffic from one or more mesh nodes 420. That same mesh node 410 may support up to 2 MU connections as an MU-STA for UL MU traffic to one or more mesh nodes 420. In some implementations, the MU participation constraints may be based on the amount of intermediate hops in the mesh node or the size of the wireless mesh network. For example, the MU participation constraint for a particular mesh node may be a percentage of the total amount of mesh nodes with which that particular mesh node has established a peer relationship.

[0045]

[0063] In some implementations, the selection of the role (MU-AP or MU-STA) for UL traffic or DL traffic may depend on the amount of traffic to or from the mesh node. For example, when the majority of the traffic (in terms of amount) is coming from a plurality of other mesh nodes, it may be preferable for mesh node 410 to operate as a MU-AP so that the transmissions coming into mesh node 410 can be more efficiently scheduled and triggered. Alternatively, when mesh node 410 is one of a number of mesh nodes that direct a large amount of traffic towards a destination mesh node, it may be preferable for mesh node 410 to operate as a MU-STA so that the destination mesh node can operate as a MU-AP to manage the incoming traffic. A mesh node operating as a MU-AP may allocate wireless channel resources for MU group communication to or from a MU-STA. In some implementations, the term "allocating" or "allocates" may also refer to managing wireless channel resources for MU group communication.

[0046]

[0064] In some implementations, the selection of the role (MU-AP or MU-STA) for UL traffic or DL traffic may depend on the amount of incoming or outgoing peer MU relationships in the routing topology for the wireless mesh network. When mesh node 410 has a plurality of incoming peer MU relationships, it may be preferable for that mesh node 410 to operate as a MU-AP. Conversely, when mesh node 410 is one of a number of mesh nodes that transmit traffic to the same destination mesh node, it may be preferable for mesh node 410 to operate as a MU-STA. The amount of incoming and outgoing peer MU relationships may be discoverable based on the routing protocol or logical topology of the wireless mesh network.

[0047]

[0065] In some implementations, the selection of the role (MU-AP or MU-STA) for UL traffic or DL traffic may depend on the effective link capacity or bottleneck in the path from one mesh node to another or from another mesh node. In addition to the different possible roles for mesh node 410, various roles may be used along with different MU communication types such as OFDMA or MU-MIMO. The selection of the MU communication type may depend on the type of traffic to or from the mesh node. For example, it may be preferable for mesh node 410 to utilize OFDMA (as either an MU-AP or an MU-STA) for latency-sensitive traffic. It may be preferable for mesh node 410 to utilize MU-MIMO (as either an MU-AP or an MU-STA) for capacity-sensitive traffic.

[0048]

[0066] In some implementations, the selection of the role (MU-AP or MU-STA) for UL traffic or DL traffic may depend on the number of hops from the mesh node to a mesh gate or mesh portal that connects the wireless mesh network to another network. When mesh node 410 has fewer hops compared to multiple peer mesh nodes, it may be preferable for that mesh node 410 to operate as an MU-AP. A mesh node having more hops compared to an MU-AP may preferably operate as an MU-STA.

[0049]

[0067] Furthermore, each mesh node can operate as a MU-STA for some peer mesh nodes and as a MU-AP for other peer mesh nodes. The present disclosure introduces the concept of a MU association group that defines a set of mesh nodes including mesh nodes operating as MU-APs and a plurality of mesh nodes operating as MU-STAs. The MU association group can be determined by a network management unit based on traffic patterns, traffic types, and MU constraints of the mesh nodes. A mesh node can operate within multiple MU association groups. The MU association group does not restrict a mesh node from transmitting or receiving single-user (SU) communication with its peer mesh nodes in any way. However, by optimizing the MU association group, a wireless mesh network can benefit from the advantages of MU group communication, including, among other things, spectral efficiency, fair distribution of channel resources, and coordinated scheduling of simultaneous transmissions.

[0050]

[0068] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary wireless mesh network 500 and an exemplary MU association group. The exemplary wireless mesh network 500 includes six mesh nodes named mesh node A, mesh node B, mesh node C, mesh node D, mesh node E, and mesh node F. Mesh node D has a mesh portal for enabling communication with another network 581. Mesh node F has a mesh portal for enabling communication with another network 582.

[0051]

[0069] As described previously, a wireless mesh network may use routing protocol messages to determine, obtain, or generate a routing topology. The routing protocol may also be referred to as a routing protocol in some implementations. Although it may be called a routing protocol or a routing topology, the routes / paths in a wireless mesh network may be determined based on MAC layer (layer 2) forwarding rather than Internet Protocol (IP) layer (layer 3) routing. The routing protocol may determine the paths in a wireless mesh network for various destinations, including the mesh portals at mesh nodes D and F. IEEE 802.11-2016 describes the Hybrid Wireless Mesh Protocol (HWMP), an essential routing protocol based on on-demand ad-hoc routing and tree-based routing methods. In some implementations, the routing topology may be obtained, selected, or determined by a network management unit or by a mesh node that can use the routing topology to form a MU association group. In some implementations, the network management unit or the mesh node may transfer the routing topology to another mesh node to assist other mesh nodes in forming a MU association group.

[0052]

[0070] Referring to exemplary wireless mesh network 500 of FIG. 5, the arrows between mesh nodes A - F indicate the next hop paths determined by the routing protocol. For example, mesh node A can send traffic to mesh nodes B and F. Mesh node B can send traffic to mesh nodes A, C, and E. Mesh node C can send traffic to mesh nodes B and D. Mesh node D can send traffic to mesh nodes C, E, and other network 581. Mesh node E can send traffic to mesh nodes A, D, and F. And mesh node F can send traffic to mesh nodes A, E, and other network 582. Using the next hop paths, mesh nodes can "route" traffic from themselves to any other mesh node within wireless mesh network 500 or other networks 581 and 582. The next hop can be referred to as an intermediate hop in the routing topology for the wireless mesh network. In some implementations, each mesh node may be a mesh point, and may include a mesh gateway and an AP so as to be able to provide an IBSS for a conventional STA (not shown) where the mesh gateway and the AP are in the vicinity of wireless mesh network 500. The mesh path may refer to the path between a mesh node and a mesh gateway, and may consist of a certain number of hops through the wireless mesh network based on the routing topology.

[0053]

[0071] As a mere example, consider a conventional STA (not shown) connected to an IBSS operated by the AP of mesh node A. The STA may have a session for transmitting or receiving transmissions to a host (not shown) in another network 581. The STA may communicate traffic to mesh node A, and mesh node A may select from among its available next-hop destinations (mesh node F or mesh node B). And those mesh nodes may forward the traffic to the next hop, continuing in the same manner until the traffic traverses the path from mesh node A to mesh node D, where at mesh node D, the traffic may be translated and forwarded to another network 581.

[0054]

[0072] FIG. 5 also shows an exemplary MU association group that can facilitate MU group communication between mesh nodes. For example, the first MU association group 510 may include mesh node D, mesh node C, and mesh node E. Mesh node D may be designated as the MU group length of the first MU association group 510, and mesh nodes C and E may be members of the first MU association group 510. Thus, mesh node D may assume the role of the MU-AP, and mesh nodes C and E may assume the role of the MU-STA. In the example shown in FIG. 5, mesh node D may operate as the MU-AP for downlink transmission of different data (such as separate data or node-specific data) in MU DL group communication to other mesh nodes C and E within the first MU association group 510. Thus, mesh node D can efficiently manage wireless channel resources to simultaneously transmit "downlink" traffic to mesh nodes C and E. In one scenario, since mesh node D may receive a large amount of "uplink" traffic from mesh nodes C and E, it may also operate as the MU-AP to allocate wireless channel resources for uplink transmission of different data (such as separate data or node-specific data) in MU UL group communication. It should be apparent that a device may operate as the MU-AP for one direction (such as UL or DL) and as the MU-STA for traffic in the other direction. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the formation of the first MU association group 510 may be performed based on traffic information between mesh node D and mesh nodes C and E, link information regarding the links between mesh nodes, or a combination thereof. For example, traffic information (which may also be referred to as traffic flow information) may include, among other things, one or more of the direction of traffic, the type of traffic (such as whether the traffic is latency-sensitive or capacity-sensitive), or the amount of traffic.Link information can include, among other things in the example, the amount of incoming and outgoing links from each mesh node, or one or more of the effective capacities of the various links. In some implementations, traffic information or link information can be obtained, selected, or determined by a network management unit or by a mesh node that can use that information during the formation of a MU association group. In some implementations, the network management unit or mesh node can transfer traffic information or link information to another mesh node to assist the other mesh node in forming a MU association group.

[0055]

[0073] A second MU association group 520 is shown in FIG. 5. The second MU association group 520 can include mesh nodes A, B, E, and F. The second MU association group 520 is shown to illustrate another exemplary factor that can be considered in the formation of a MU association group. Mesh node A receives data from several mesh nodes B, E, and F, while the other mesh nodes in the second MU association group 520 receive data from fewer other mesh nodes. Thus, one potential factor in the formation of a MU association group can be the amount of mesh nodes supplying traffic to a destination mesh node, or the amount of destination mesh nodes to which a source mesh node transmits traffic. In the example of FIG. 5, mesh node A could be the MU group length for the second MU association group 520 and could operate as a MU-AP to manage UL MU group communication for traffic coming from peer mesh nodes B, E, and F.

[0056]

[0074] As shown in the example of FIG. 5, a certain mesh node may be in a plurality of MU association groups at the same time. For example, mesh node E can be a member of both the first MU association group 510 and the second MU association group 520 as an MU-STA. A certain mesh node can also serve simultaneously as the MU group length (MU-AP) of one or more MU association groups and as a member (MU-STA) of one or more other MU association groups. For the sake of brevity, two MU association groups are shown in FIG. 5, but there can be more MU association groups (not shown) depending on the traffic conditions and topology of the wireless mesh network.

[0057]

[0075] When forming an MU association group for a wireless mesh network, there are several factors that can be considered. For example, the MU association group can be formed based on, among other things in the example, the network topology (such as the location of the mesh portal providing the ingress and egress links), the hop count, the traffic direction, the traffic type (such as whether the traffic is latency-sensitive or capacity-sensitive), the amount of incoming and outgoing links from each mesh node, the amount of traffic, or the effective capacity of various links. The network management unit 590 (or a mesh node operating as a network management unit) can form an MU association group for the wireless mesh network. The network management unit 590 can collect information from the mesh nodes before forming the MU association group.

[0058]

[0076] The network management unit 590 may be located outside the mesh nodes or may be included in one of the mesh nodes. In some implementations, each mesh node may be capable of performing the functions of the network management unit 590. One of the mesh nodes may be selected as the root mesh node. In some implementations, the wireless mesh protocol may include messaging for the selection of the root mesh node, and that mesh node may activate its network management unit to control various settings of the wireless mesh network, including the determination of the MU association group. In some implementations, the network management unit 590 may be a centralized resource external to the mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network 500.

[0059]

[0077] FIG. 6 shows an overview of an exemplary process 600 for forming an MU association group. The operations of process 600 may be performed by a network management unit, a mesh node, a centralized resource, or any of their components as described herein. For example, process 600 may be executed by a network management unit such as network management unit 590 described with reference to FIG. 5. In some implementations, process 600 (or a portion thereof) may be executed by a mesh node, such as one of mesh nodes 210, 212, 218, 410, mesh nodes A - F, mesh node 1300, or mesh node 1700, each described with reference to FIGS. 2, 4, 5, 8, 13, and 17, respectively. In some implementations, process 600 may be executed by a component of a mesh node, such as one of mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 122 described with reference to FIG. 1. For simplicity, the exemplary process 600 is described as being executed by a device that may be any of the network management unit, mesh node, mesh STA, or any of their components shown above.

[0060]

[0078] In block 610, the device may determine the traffic types and patterns among the mesh nodes. For example, the device may send requests or queries to the mesh nodes to request traffic information from the perspective of each mesh node. In some implementations, the mesh nodes may be configured to communicate traffic information to other mesh nodes or a network management unit either periodically or in response to a request. In some implementations, the device may query a mesh node that serves as a traffic ingress point to the wireless mesh network. The traffic information may indicate the sources and destinations of traffic traversing intermediate hops based on the routing topology of the wireless mesh network. The traffic information may also indicate whether the traffic on a particular intermediate hop is latency-sensitive traffic or capacity-sensitive traffic. In some implementations, the device may inform the mesh nodes of the traffic information it collects or aggregates. In some implementations, the operations in block 610 may be omitted when the network management unit is configured to ignore the traffic information as a factor in creating the MU association group.

[0061]

[0079] In block 620, the apparatus may determine MU association group candidates proposed by the mesh nodes. For example, each mesh node capable of operating as an MU-AP may determine, based on one or more criteria, the MU technology type (OFDMA or MU-MIMO) and potential MU-STAs for its DL traffic and UL traffic. The criteria may be based on the type and amount of traffic. For example, a first MU association group candidate may include MU-STA mesh nodes with throughput-sensitive traffic and high traffic load from or to a common MU-AP mesh node. The MU technology for the first MU association group candidate may be designated as MU-MIMO. A second MU association group candidate may include a group of MU-STA mesh nodes with latency-sensitive traffic and low traffic load from or to a common MU-AP mesh node. The MU technology for the second MU association group candidate may be designated as OFDMA. The thresholds for high traffic load and low traffic load may be based on the amount of the threshold, the average traffic load of all hops in the wireless mesh network, the average traffic load at the ingress and egress points, or the average traffic load for intermediate hops. In some implementations, the threshold may be an offset or range of any of the aforementioned averages. To obtain the MU association group candidates proposed by the mesh nodes, the apparatus may query the mesh nodes, or the mesh nodes may be configured to report the MU association group candidates periodically, or after being triggered by a network change event, or after being triggered by a query from the apparatus.

[0062]

[0080] In block 630, the apparatus may determine the MU participation constraints of the mesh nodes. For example, the apparatus may query the mesh nodes to determine the MU participation constraints, or the mesh nodes may be configured to report the MU participation constraints.

[0063]

[0081] In block 640, the device may determine a MU association group based on one or more possible factors. The factors may include, among other examples, traffic type, MU participation constraints, the topology of the wireless mesh network, or criteria based on the routing topology. For example, the device may determine the MU technology type as OFDMA for latency-sensitive traffic or MU-MIMO for capacity-sensitive traffic. The device may select a mesh node having a greater number of outgoing intermediate hops to a target mesh node and target those mesh nodes to manage DL MU group communication to one or more mesh nodes within the MU association group, and may specify them as the MU group length of the MU association group (as the MU-AP). The device may select a mesh node having a greater number of incoming intermediate hops to a source mesh node and target those mesh nodes to manage UL MU group communication from one or more mesh nodes within the MU association group, and may specify them as the MU group length of the MU association group (as the MU-AP). The device may select a mesh node having a greater amount of outgoing traffic to a target mesh node and target those mesh nodes to manage DL MU group communication to one or more mesh nodes within the MU association group, and may specify them as the MU group length of the MU association group (as the MU-AP). The device may select a mesh node having a greater amount of incoming traffic from a source mesh node and target those mesh nodes to manage UL MU group communication from one or more mesh nodes within the MU association group, and may specify them as the MU group length of the MU association group (as the MU-AP). In some implementations, the selection of the MU group length and the MU association group may be based on capacity.For example, the apparatus may select mesh nodes with a traffic amount that is greater overall compared to the available capacity and designate those mesh nodes as the MU group length of the MU association group for UL traffic or DL traffic (as the MU-AP). After selecting the MU group length of the MU association group, the apparatus may designate member mesh nodes for each MU association group (as the MU-STA). The designation of the member mesh nodes may be restricted based on the MU participation constraints of each mesh node. FIG. 7 shows an exemplary process 700 that utilizes possible factors described at block 640 to determine the MU association group.

[0064]

[0082] At block 650, the apparatus may notify the mesh nodes of the assignment of the MU association group. For example, the apparatus may send a message indicating the MU group length determined at block 640 and a list of members for a particular MU association group.

[0065]

[0083] Figure 7 shows a detailed exemplary process by which a mesh node or network management unit may form different MU association groups. The operations of process 700 may be performed by a network management unit, a mesh node, a centralized resource, or any of their components as described herein. For example, process 700 may be executed by a network management unit such as network management unit 590 described with reference to FIG. 5. In some implementations, process 700 (or a portion thereof) may be executed by a mesh node such as one of mesh nodes 210, 212, 218, 410, mesh nodes A - F, mesh node 1300, or mesh node 1700, each described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 13, and 17 respectively. In some implementations, process 700 may be executed by a component of a mesh node such as one of mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 122 described with reference to FIG. 1. For simplicity, exemplary process 700 is described as being executed by a device that may be any of the network management unit, mesh node, mesh STA, or any of their components shown above.

[0066]

[0084] In block 710, the device may collect information from the mesh node. For example, the device may perform operations such as those described with reference to blocks 610, 620, and 630 of FIG. 6.

[0067]

[0085] In block 720, the device may select mesh nodes that should operate as the MU group length (MU-AP) for the MU association group using MU-MIMO. These mesh nodes may be referred to as MU-APs suitable for MU-MIMO. The device may select a first MU group length based on the routing topology, traffic pattern, or capacity bottleneck as described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. In an example of the routing topology, the device may select a first mesh node with the fewest number of hops to a mesh gateway that should operate as the MU-AP for the MU association group associated with UL traffic. In an example of the traffic load, the device may select a first mesh node with a high traffic load that should operate as the MU-AP for the MU association group using MU-MIMO. In an example of the capacity bottleneck, the device may select a first mesh node that applies the largest amount of traffic backpressure that should operate as the MU-AP for the MU association group using MU-MIMO.

[0068]

[0086] In block 730, the device may assign mesh nodes to the MU association group based on the peer relationship with the first mesh node in block 720. An ideal MU-STA mesh node is one that can use MU-MIMO with the MU-AP selected in block 720. Note that if the assignment exceeds the MU participation constraint, the device may refrain from assigning the mesh node to the MU association group.

[0069]

[0087] In block 740, the device may determine whether there is another MU-AP suitable for MU-MIMO that does not exceed the MU participation constraint. If so, process 700 may return to block 710 to start an assignment for another MU association group. If there are no other MU-APs suitable for MU-MIMO, or if they each exceed their respective MU participation constraints, process 700 may continue to block 750.

[0070]

[0088] In block 750, the apparatus may select mesh nodes that should operate as the MU group length (MU-AP) for the MU association group using OFDMA. These mesh nodes may be referred to as MU-APs suitable for OFDMA. The apparatus may select as the first MU group length a first mesh node with the maximum number of intermediate hops to the MU-STA mesh node.

[0071]

[0089] In block 760, the apparatus may assign mesh nodes to the MU association group based on the peer relationship with the first mesh node in block 750. An ideal MU-STA mesh node is one that can use OFDMA with the MU-AP selected in block 750. Note that if the assignment exceeds the MU participation constraint, the apparatus may refrain from assigning the mesh node to the MU association group.

[0072]

[0090] In block 770, the apparatus may determine whether there is another OFDMA-suitable MU-AP that does not exceed the MU participation constraint. If so, process 700 may return to block 750 to start an assignment for another MU association group. If there is no other OFDMA-suitable MU-AP, or if they each exceed their respective MU participation constraints, process 700 may proceed to block 780.

[0073]

[0091] In block 780, the apparatus may inform the mesh nodes of the MU association group and the roles assigned to the mesh nodes in the MU association group.

[0074]

[0092] FIG. 8 shows exemplary traffic conditions in an exemplary wireless mesh network and is used to explain various considerations when forming a MU association group. The topology of the wireless mesh network 800 is the same as that described with reference to the wireless mesh network 500 of FIG. 5. FIG. 8 includes exemplary traffic information (such as traffic flow information) for each intermediate hop. For example, mesh node A may send traffic going out at intermediate hop 814 to mesh node B. The traffic at intermediate hop 814 may be represented as a metric "50". In some examples of FIG. 8, this metric may represent an amount of traffic such as 50 Mbps. However, the metric may be based on a weighting or other representation that can describe the traffic on intermediate hop 814 in comparison to other intermediate hops 812, 816, 818, 820, 822, 824, 826, 828, 830, 832, 834, 836, and 838. For the sake of brevity, the source and destination of each intermediate hop and their respective metrics representing the traffic load are summarized in Table 1 below.

[0075]

Table 1

[0076]

[0093] As described with reference to FIG. 5, the wireless mesh network 800 of FIG. 8 includes mesh nodes D and F as ingress / egress points that connect to other networks 581 and 582, respectively. The exemplary traffic load of FIG. 8 suggests that those nodes have a greater amount of outgoing traffic going out from mesh nodes D and F to their respective peer mesh nodes A, E, and C. The chart 801 of FIG. 8 (which is also reproduced below as Table 2) includes an overview of the traffic load metrics as a matrix. Each row represents the view of traffic from each mesh node to its peer mesh node from the outgoing (transmit) side. Each column represents the view of traffic that each mesh node receives from its peer mesh node from the incoming (receive) side.

[0077]

Table 2

[0078]

[0094] Although exemplary traffic in an exemplary wireless mesh network 800 has been described, the exemplary traffic is used to illustrate some exemplary techniques for determining MU association groups. Traffic Load Based Example

[0095] Devices such as a network management unit or a mesh node may observe the network or collect traffic information to determine traffic load metrics such as those described in Table 2. In some implementations, the traffic may be observed during times when MU association groups are not in use, such as during the initialization of the MU mesh network configuration, during a configured measurement period, or as part of a reconfiguration time period. In some implementations, the traffic may be observed after the initial assignment of MU association groups. The device may determine MU groups for UL traffic and DL traffic based on the collected traffic information.

[0079]

[0096] As an example of forming a MU association group for DL traffic, the apparatus may group mesh nodes that transmit a large amount of (or above average or above threshold) traffic, starting from the one with the highest weight, with mesh nodes in the receiver's list. For example, mesh nodes D and F both have the highest traffic metric (250) in the table, so they may be specified as the MU group length. The specification of the MU group length may be based on the fact that the amount of outgoing traffic is the largest or the number of packets is the largest. Using the examples of FIG. 8 and Table 2, mesh nodes D and F may be selected as the MU group length of the MU association group that supports DL MU-MIMO. In the first MU association group (for DL MU-MIMO), mesh node D may be the MU group length, and mesh nodes C and E may be members. In the second MU association group (for DL MU-MIMO), mesh node F may be the MU group length, and mesh nodes A and E may be members.

[0080]

[0097] As an example of forming a MU association group for UL traffic, the apparatus may group mesh nodes that receive a large amount (or above average or above a threshold) of traffic, starting with the one having the highest weight, with mesh nodes in the list of sources. For example, mesh nodes A and E both have the highest incoming traffic metric in the table (245 for mesh node E and 195 for mesh node A), and thus may be designated as the MU group length. Thus, in the example of FIG. 8 and Table 2, mesh nodes A and E may be selected as the MU group length to manage UL MU group communication from one or more mesh nodes within the MU association group that supports UL MU-MIMO. Thus, in a third MU association group (for UL MU-MIMO), mesh node A may be the MU group length, and mesh nodes B, E, and F may be members as they send traffic to mesh node A. In a fourth MU association group (for UL MU-MIMO), mesh node E may be the MU group length, and mesh nodes B, D, and F may be members.

[0081]

[0098] Alternatively or in addition, the formation of the MU association group may be based on the amount of incoming or outgoing hops. For example, mesh node B sends traffic to three target mesh nodes, which is more than some other mesh nodes that send traffic to two target mesh nodes. Thus, the device may form a fifth MU association group (for DL traffic) with mesh node B as the MU group length and including mesh nodes A, C, and E as members. Mesh nodes A and E each receive traffic from three source mesh nodes. Since mesh nodes A and E are already designated as the MU group length for UL traffic (the third MU association group and the fourth MU association group described in the previous paragraph), the device may not need to create an additional MU association group that would be redundant with what has already been created. However, if they are not yet designated as the MU group length for UL traffic, the device may create a new MU association group.

[0082]

[0099] As described herein, the formation of the MU association group may be based on the amount of traffic, or the amount of incoming or outgoing links. Other criteria based on traffic conditions may be used to select the MU group length and designate the members of the MU association group. Capacity bottleneck-based example

[0100] Another technique for forming the MU association group may be based on detecting mesh nodes operating at full capacity and assigning them as the MU group length of the MU association group that supports MU-MIMO. For example, the device may compare the total traffic handled by the mesh node with the wireless channel capacity. The capacity may be related to the physical layer (PHY) transmission rate of the wireless channel between the mesh node and the peer mesh node. Equation (1) shows an exemplary calculation for determining the effective capacity. In Equation (1),

[0083]

Number

[0084] where PHYRate represents the physical layer transmission rate of the wireless channel, airTimeOccupied represents the amount of air time occupied during the totalTimeofMeasurement time period, and overheadDiscount may be derived from empirical data and may be used as an adjustment factor in Equation (1).

[0085]

[0101] The device may select a mesh node that should serve as the MU group length based on the comparison of each effective capacity and the actual utilization rate. Equation (2) shows an exemplary comparison. In Equation (2),

[0086]

Number

[0087] where ActualServicedRate may be based on the measured actual UL traffic or DL traffic, and since i represents an index, the equation can be calculated for i mesh nodes.

[0088]

[0102] In addition to Equation (2), other criteria may be used to select the MU group length. For example, Equation (3) includes another criterion that may be used in combination with Equation (1). In Equation (3),

[0089]

Number

[0090] where ChannelIdleTime indicates the amount of time the wireless channel is in an idle state, and ThresholdPercentageOfTotalTime can be a threshold parameter. In some implementations, ThresholdPercentageOfTotalTime can be based on an experiment (e.g., 2%) after subtracting the average expected contention backoff time. ChannelIdleTime can serve as an indicator of the activity level (such as loading) in the mesh network. If ChannelIdleTime is large (such as 5% of the entire observation interval) and one of the mesh nodes has a capacity bottleneck, the high ChannelIdleTime can be due to bursty traffic limited by capacity. Bursty traffic may not typically indicate a capacity bottleneck using Equation (2). By optionally using Equation (3), potential capacity bottlenecks can be discovered. The combination of Equations (2) and (3) can indicate the mesh node creating the capacity bottleneck and benefit from using the MU association group to more efficiently use the limited wireless channel resources.

[0091]

[0103] In some implementations, in addition to the capacity comparison shown in Equations (1)-(3), the device can use the number of mesh nodes being served. For example, the device can select that mesh node as the MU group length when ActualServicedRate(i)*NumberOfNodesServiced(i) of a certain mesh node is the largest among the competing nodes (referred to as Condition 1). NumberofNodesServiced(i) can represent the amount of mesh nodes receiving traffic from the i-th mesh node.

[0092]

[0104] In some implementations, the apparatus may select the MU group length when equations (2) and (3) are true and condition 1 is satisfied. The designation of members to the MU association group may be based on each peer relationship to the mesh node selected as the MU group length. Weight-based example

[0105] Another technique for forming the MU association group may be based on weighting to determine the mesh node that benefits most from using MU group communication. For example, the parameters of the mesh network may be used to identify mesh nodes that may be bottlenecks or points of high traffic load. In some implementations, the identification of mesh node candidates may be performed without ongoing active traffic in the mesh network. Exemplary parameters that may be used to identify such mesh nodes may be based on proximity to the mesh portal or on the routing topology.

[0093]

[0106] Higher weight values may be given to mesh nodes that are at the same location as or connected to the mesh portal (such as a WAN interface). Similarly, mesh nodes adjacent to a mesh node with a WAN interface may be given a higher weight compared to mesh nodes not adjacent to the mesh portal. Referring to the example of FIG. 8, mesh nodes D and F may be given the highest weight values since they are connected to other networks 581 and 582. Mesh nodes A, C, and E are one hop away from mesh nodes D and F and may be given a weight value lower than that of mesh nodes D and F but higher than that of mesh node B. Thus, in some implementations, the weight value may be based on the number of hops to the mesh portal such that the highest weight is given to the one with the lowest number of hops.

[0094]

[0107] The weight value can be obtained based on the routing topology. A mesh node that forms a traffic routing point for a larger number of mesh nodes can be given a larger weight compared to other mesh nodes that provide traffic routing for a smaller number of mesh nodes. The weight value for a mesh node can increase in proportion to how many routes are directed to or come from that mesh node. In some implementations, mesh nodes can exchange a count of routing tables or routing entries to determine which mesh nodes provide a higher degree of routing within the mesh network.

[0095]

[0108] Exemplary weighting considerations are described herein, but other parameters can be used to determine the weight value. For example, the weight value can be based on, among other things, routing topology, resource utilization, congestion, processor speed, or the number of client STAs served. After determining the weight value for a mesh node in a mesh network, the network management unit can select the mesh nodes with higher weight values as MU group length candidates.

[0096]

[0109] FIG. 9 shows an exemplary wireless mesh network 900 in which an MU association group can be associated with a hop count to a mesh gate. The wireless mesh network 900 includes three mesh nodes named mesh node A, mesh node B, and mesh node C. All of the mesh nodes A, B, and C are peers to each other and can communicate directly with any of the other mesh nodes A, B, and C. Mesh node A has a mesh portal (or mesh gate) to enable communication with another network 980. The wireless mesh network 900 can be called a single-hop (or 1-hop) network because each mesh node can reach the mesh portal at mesh node A in at most 1 hop.

[0097]

[0110] When forming the MU association group, the mesh node (or network management unit) can determine the routing topology, such as the hop count from each of the mesh nodes A, B, and C to the mesh portal. Since the number of hops for mesh node A to reach the mesh portal is the least (0), that mesh node A can be selected as the MU group length of the MU association group 910 for UL traffic from peer mesh nodes B and C (as UL MU-AP). This enables mesh node A to trigger and receive MU UL group communication from mesh nodes B and C.

[0098]

[0111] In addition to the MU association group 910 (for UL traffic), there may be one or more other MU association groups (not shown) to support MU DL communication. In some implementations, each of the mesh nodes A, B, and C can be the MU group length of the MU association group for DL traffic. For example, mesh node A can also be the MU group length (as MU-AP) for MU DL communication to send data to either mesh node B or mesh node C (operating as DL MU-STA). Mesh node B can be the MU group length (as MU-AP) for MU DL communication to send data to either mesh node A or mesh node C (operating as DL MU-STA). Mesh node C can be the MU group length (as MU-AP) for MU DL communication to send data to either mesh node A or mesh node B (operating as DL MU-STA).

[0099]

[0112] In some implementations, the formation of the MU association group can be restricted to avoid conflicting MU association groups for DL MU communication and UL MU communication. For example, a mesh node can include peer mesh nodes with a smaller hop count to the mesh portal in DL MU communication when certain preconditions are met. Consider the example of FIG. 9 where a transmission from mesh node B to mesh node A can be sent as UL MU communication (triggered by mesh node A in MU association group 910) or as DL MU communication (scheduled by mesh node B in a different MU association group). Since mesh node A serves as a mesh portal for a plurality of mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network 900, it is preferable to utilize UL MU communication. Thus, mesh node B can restrict the use of DL MU communication based on conditions. Exemplary conditions can include when mesh node A rarely triggers UL MU communication (or not frequently enough to meet the traffic load), when mesh node B has sufficient traffic for both mesh node A and mesh node C, or a combination of both of these conditions.

[0100]

[0113] Furthermore, as described elsewhere, some communications can proceed independently of the MU association group. For example, acknowledgments of UL OFDMA blocks or other control frames can be communicated between peer mesh nodes independently of the MU association group. Single-user acknowledgments or single-user type data frames can be transmitted or triggered by peer mesh nodes separately from MU group communication.

[0101]

[0114] FIG. 10 shows an exemplary wireless mesh network 1000 and an exemplary MU association group associated with hop counts to a mesh gate. The wireless mesh network 1000 includes seven mesh nodes named mesh node A, mesh node B, mesh node C, mesh node D, mesh node E, mesh node F, and mesh node G. Mesh nodes A, B, and C are peers with each other and can communicate directly with any of the other mesh nodes A, B, and C. Mesh nodes B, D, and E are peers with each other and can communicate directly with any of the other mesh nodes B, D, and E. Mesh nodes C, G, and F are peers with each other and can communicate directly with any of the other mesh nodes C, G, and F. Mesh node A has a mesh portal (or mesh gate) to enable communication with another network 1080. The wireless mesh network 1000 can be called a multi-hop network because some of the mesh nodes D, E, F, and G may have more than one hop to reach the mesh portal at mesh node A.

[0102]

[0115] The mesh node (or network management unit) can determine a routing topology such as the hop count from each of the mesh nodes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G to the mesh portal. Since the number of hops for the mesh node A to reach the mesh portal is the minimum (0), the mesh node A can be selected as the MU group length of the first MU association group 1010 for UL traffic from the peer mesh nodes B and C (as UL MU - STA). Continuing with the mesh nodes with the minimum number of hops to the mesh portal, the mesh nodes B and C can also be selected as the MU group lengths of the second MU association group 1020 and the third MU association group 1030, respectively. Exemplary MU association groups 1010, 1020, and 1030 are designated for UL MU communication such that each MU group length (for mesh nodes A, B, and C respectively) can trigger and receive UL MU communication from peer mesh nodes within their respective MU association groups 1010, 1020, and 1030.

[0103]

[0116] In addition to the MU association groups 1010, 1020, and 1030 (for UL traffic), there may be one or more other MU association groups (not shown) to support MU DL communication. In some implementations, each of the mesh nodes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G can be the MU group length of the MU association group for DL traffic to their respective peer mesh nodes. When two nodes are members of overlapping UL MU association groups and DL MU association groups, the same constraints as described with reference to FIG. 9 can be used to determine whether to use the DL MU association group or the UL MU association group.

[0104]

[0117] Sometimes, the routing topology of a wireless mesh network may change, such as when a new mesh node joins the wireless mesh network or when an existing mesh node leaves the wireless mesh network. Each mesh node may determine its own hop count to the mesh portal and the respective hop counts of each peer mesh node to the mesh portal. For example, each mesh node may use a discovery or advertisement message (such as those defined in the IEEE 1905 specification) to indicate its hop count. The mesh node may determine which of its peer mesh nodes has the fewest number of hops to the mesh portal and select that peer mesh node as the UL MU-AP. In some implementations, the mesh node may send a message to the selected UL MU-AP to request that the UL MU-AP join the UL MU association group of which the UL MU-AP is the MU group length. The selected UL MU-AP may grant the request to join the UL MU association group and send a confirmation message to the mesh node indicating that the mesh node is in the UL MU association group managed by the UL MU-AP. In some implementations, each mesh node may select a single peer mesh node as the UL MU-AP such that traffic through the UL MU association group can be optimized through the wireless mesh network.

[0105]

[0118] FIG. 11 shows a conceptual diagram of an exemplary MU association group setup or configuration message 1100. For example, the message can be an example of an MU association group setup or configuration message 1100 that is sent from one mesh node to another mesh node or a network management unit. The message can be an example of an MU association group setup or configuration message 1100 that is sent from a network management unit to a mesh node. The message format can depend on the sender and receiver of the message. In various stages of forming an MU association group, different fields or information elements can be included in the frame body 1110 of the MU association group setup or configuration message 1100.

[0106]

[0119] The MU association group setup or configuration message 1100 can be used to communicate parameters that can be used to determine an MU association group in a wireless mesh network. FIG. 11 includes an exemplary data frame 1120. The data frame 1120 can include a preamble 1122, a frame header 1124, a frame body 1110, and a frame check sequence (FCS) 1126. The preamble 1122 can include one or more bits for establishing synchronization. The frame header 1124 can include source and destination network addresses (such as the network addresses of mesh nodes or network management units), the length of the data frame, or other frame control information. The frame body 1110 may be formatted in a certain message format and may include various fields or information elements 1132, 1136, and 1138. In some implementations, among others, the data frame 1120 can be an IEEE 802.11s configuration frame, a management frame, an IEEE 1905 policy configuration message, or an IEEE 802.11k message.

[0107]

[0120] Exemplary information elements are shown in FIG. 11. Some exemplary information elements 1160 may be included in a report message from a mesh node to another mesh node or a network management unit. Exemplary information elements 1160 may include traffic information 1161, MU association group candidates 1162, current MU association group 1164, MU participation constraints 1166, topology or routing information 1168, or effective capacity 1172. For example, the effective capacity 1172 may be calculated by each mesh node according to exemplary formula (1) and reported to the network management unit.

[0108]

[0121] Some exemplary information elements 1180 may be included in a control message from a network management unit to a mesh node. Exemplary information elements 1180 may include aggregated traffic or topology information 1181 to assist a mesh node in determining MU association group candidates. Exemplary information elements 1180 may include MU group assignment 1182. The MU group assignment 1182 may be sent to all mesh nodes in a wireless mesh network or to mesh nodes assigned to the MU association groups in the MU group assignment 1182. The MU group assignment 1182 may indicate the MU technology type (OFDMA or MU-MIMO), the MU group length, or a list of members in each MU association group.

[0109]

[0122] FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device 1200. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1200 can be an example of a device for use in a mesh node, such as any of the mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 122, 210, 212, 218, and 410, each described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, or any of the mesh nodes A - F described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 8. The wireless communication device 1200 can transmit and receive wireless communication, for example, in the form of wireless packets. For example, the wireless communication device can be configured to transmit and receive packets in the form of a physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) and a media access control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU) compliant with an IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard, such as, but not limited to, those defined by the IEEE 802.11 - 2016 specification or its amendments, including 802.11s, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be.

[0110]

[0123] The wireless communication device 1200 may be a chip, a system-on-chip (SoC), a chipset, a package, or a device that includes one or more modems 1202, such as a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 compliant) modem, or may include them. In some implementations, the one or more modems (collectively "modem 1202") additionally include a WWAN modem (e.g., a 3GPP 4G LTE or 5G compliant modem). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1200 also includes a processing system. The processing system may also be referred to as a processor 1204 and may include one or more processors, processing blocks, or processing elements coupled to the modem 1202, as well as one or more memories, memory blocks, or memory elements. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1200 additionally includes one or more radios (collectively "radio 1206") coupled to the modem 1202. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1200 further includes one or more memory blocks or elements (collectively "memory 1208") coupled to the processor 1204 or the modem 1202.

[0111]

[0124] The modem 1202 may include intelligent hardware blocks or devices, such as, for example, and among others, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The modem 1202 is generally configured to implement the PHY layer and, in some implementations, also a portion of the MAC layer (e.g., the hardware portion of the MAC layer). For example, the modem 1202 is configured to modulate packets for transmission over a wireless medium and output the modulated packets to the radio 1206. The modem 1202 is similarly configured to obtain the modulated packets received by the radio 1206 and demodulate the packets to provide demodulated packets. In addition to modulators and demodulators, the modem 1202 may further include digital signal processing (DSP) circuits, automatic gain control (AGC) circuits, coders, decoders, multiplexers, and demultiplexers. For example, during the transmit mode, the data obtained from the processor 1204 may be provided to an encoder, which encodes the data to provide coded bits. The coded bits may be mapped to N SS spatial streams for spatial multiplexing, or N STS spatial-time streams for space-time block coding (STBC). The coded bits in the streams may be mapped (using the selected MCS) to points in a modulation constellation to provide modulated symbols. The modulated symbols in each spatial or spatial-time stream are multiplexed, converted through an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block, and subsequently provided to the DSP circuit (e.g., for Tx windowing and filtering). The digital signal may be provided to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The resulting analog signal may be provided to a frequency upconverter and ultimately to the radio 1206. In implementations involving beamforming, the modulated symbols in each spatial stream are precoded through a steering matrix prior to being provided to the IFFT block.

[0112]

[0125] While in the receive mode, the DSP circuit is configured to obtain a signal including modulated symbols received from radio 1206, for example, by detecting the presence of the signal and estimating an initial timing and a frequency offset. The DSP circuit is further configured to condition the signal digitally, for example, by using channel (narrowband) filtering and analog impairment conditions (such as correcting I / O imbalance), and by applying digital gain to finally obtain a narrowband signal. The output of the DSP circuit may be supplied to an AGC, which is configured to use information extracted from the digital signal, for example, in one or more received training fields, to determine an appropriate gain. The output of the DSP circuit is also coupled to a demultiplexer that demultiplexes the modulated symbols when multiple spatial streams or space-time streams are received. The demultiplexed symbols may be provided to a demodulator, which is configured to extract symbols from the signal and calculate a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) for each bit position of each subcarrier in each spatial stream, for example. The demodulator is coupled to a decoder, which may be configured to process the LLRs to provide decoded bits. The decoded bits may be descrambled and provided to the MAC layer (processor 1204) for processing, evaluation, or interpretation.

[0113]

[0126] Wireless 1206 generally includes at least one radio frequency (RF) transmitter (or "transmitter chain") and at least one RF receiver (or "receiver chain"), which can be combined into one or more transceivers. For example, each of the RF transmitter and receiver can include various analog circuits each including at least one power amplifier (PA) and at least one low noise amplifier (LNA). And the RF transmitter and receiver can be coupled to one or more antennas. For example, in some implementations, the wireless communication device 1200 can include or be coupled to a plurality of transmit antennas (each with a corresponding transmit chain) and a plurality of receive antennas (each with a corresponding receive chain). The symbols output from the modem 1202 are provided to the wireless 1206, and the wireless 1206 transmits the symbols via the coupled antennas. Similarly, the symbols received from the antennas are acquired by the wireless 1206, and the wireless 1206 provides the symbols to the modem 1202.

[0114]

[0127] Processor 1204 may include intelligent hardware blocks or devices such as, for example, processing cores, processing blocks, central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and other programmable logic devices (PLDs), discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Processor 1204 processes information received through wireless 1206 and modem 1202 and processes information to be output through modem 1202 and wireless 1206 for transmission through the wireless medium. For example, processor 1204 may implement at least a portion of a control plane and the MAC layer configured to perform various operations related to the generation, transmission, reception, and processing of MPDUs, frames, or packets. In some implementations, the MAC layer is configured to generate MPDUs for provision to the PHY layer for coding and to receive information bits decoded from the PHY layer for processing as MPDUs. The MAC layer may further be configured to allocate time and frequency resources, for example, for OFDMA among other operations or techniques. In some implementations, processor 1204 may generally control modem 1202 to cause the modem to perform the various operations described above.

[0115]

[0128] Memory 1208 may include a tangible storage medium, such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. Memory 1208 may also store non-transitory processor or computer-executable software (SW) code that, when executed by processor 1204, causes the processor to perform various operations described herein for wireless communication, including generation, transmission, reception, and interpretation of MPDUs, frames, or packets. For example, the various functions of the components disclosed herein, or the various blocks or steps of the methods, operations, processes, or algorithms disclosed herein, may be implemented as one or more modules of one or more computer programs.

[0116]

[0129] FIG. 13 shows a block diagram of an exemplary mesh node 1300. In some implementations, the exemplary mesh node 1300 can be an example of a mesh node, such as any of the mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 122, and 214, or any of the mesh nodes 210, 212, 218, 410, 420, and 440, or any of the mesh nodes A - F described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 8, each described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, respectively. The mesh node 1300 includes a wireless communication device (WCD) 1310 (however, the mesh node 1300 itself can also generally be referred to as a wireless communication device as used herein). For example, the wireless communication device 1310 can be an exemplary implementation of the wireless communication device 1200 described with reference to FIG. 12. The mesh node 1300 may also include a plurality of antennas 1320 coupled to the wireless communication device 1310 for transmitting and receiving wireless communication. In some implementations, the mesh node 1300 additionally includes an application processor 1330 coupled to the wireless communication device 1310, and a memory 1340 coupled to the application processor 1330.

[0117]

[0130] In some implementations, the mesh node 1300 may include an external network interface (not shown) that enables the mesh node 1300 to communicate with a core network or a backhaul network to obtain access to an external network, including the Internet. For example, the external network interface may include one or both of a wired (e.g., Ethernet (R)) network interface and a wireless network interface (such as a WWAN interface). Some of the aforementioned components can communicate directly or indirectly with other components among the components via at least one bus. The mesh node 1300 further includes a housing that includes at least a part of the wireless communication device 1310, the application processor 1330, the memory 1340, and the antenna 1320.

[0118]

[0131] FIG. 14 shows a flowchart of an exemplary process 1400 for a network management unit that enables MU group communication in a wireless mesh network. The operations of process 1400 may be performed by a network management unit, a mesh node, a centralized resource, or any of those components as described herein. For example, process 1400 may be executed by a network management unit such as network management unit 590 described with reference to FIG. 5. In some implementations, process 1400 (or a portion thereof) may be executed by a mesh node such as one of mesh nodes 210, 212, 218, 410, mesh nodes A - F, mesh node 1300, or mesh node 1700, each described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 13, and 17, respectively. In some implementations, process 1400 may be executed by a component of a mesh node such as one of mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 122 described with reference to FIG. 1. For simplicity, exemplary process 1400 is described as being executed by a device that may be any of the network management unit, mesh node, mesh STA, or any of these components shown above.

[0119]

[0132] In block 1410, the device may communicate in a wireless mesh network that includes a plurality of mesh nodes. In block 1420, the device may establish at least a first multi - user (MU) association group that includes a first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes of the plurality of mesh nodes. The first MU association group may enable the first mesh node, as the MU group length, to allocate wireless channel resources for MU communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes that form the first MU association group.

[0120]

[0133] FIG. 15 shows a flowchart depicting another exemplary process 1500 for a mesh node that supports MU group communication in a wireless mesh network. The operations of process 1500 may be performed by a mesh node or any of its components as described herein. For example, process 1500 may be executed by any of mesh nodes 210, 212, 218, 410, mesh nodes A - F, mesh node 1300, or mesh node 1700, respectively described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 13, and 17. In some implementations, process 1500 may be executed by a component of a mesh node, such as one of mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 122 described with reference to FIG. 1. For brevity, exemplary process 1500 is described as being executed by a device that may be any of the mesh nodes, mesh STAs, or components thereof shown above.

[0121]

[0134] In block 1510, the device may operate as a multi - user (MU) group length of a first MU association group that includes the device (the first mesh node) and one or more peer mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network. In block 1520, the device may allocate wireless channel resources for MU group communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes that form the first MU association group.

[0122]

[0135] FIG. 16 shows a flowchart of another exemplary process 1600 for a mesh node that supports MU group communication in a wireless mesh network. The operations of process 1600 may be performed by a mesh node or any of its components as described herein. For example, process 1600 may be performed by any of mesh nodes 210, 212, 218, 410, mesh nodes A - F, mesh node 1300, or mesh node 1700, respectively described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 13, and 17. In some implementations, process 1600 may be performed by a component of a mesh node, such as one of mesh STAs 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 122 described with reference to FIG. 1. For simplicity, exemplary process 1600 is described as being performed by a device that may be any of the mesh nodes, mesh STAs, or components thereof shown above.

[0123]

[0136] In block 1610, the device may communicate in a wireless mesh network with a plurality of mesh nodes. In block 1620, the device may receive a configuration for at least a first MU association group that includes a second mesh node and at least a first mesh node as a multi - user (MU) group length. In block 1630, the device may transmit a portion of a first MU group communication to the second mesh node using wireless channel resources managed by the second mesh node, where the first MU group communication includes transmissions from one or more mesh nodes.

[0124]

[0137] FIG. 17 shows a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device for implementing aspects of the present disclosure. In some implementations, electronic device 1700 can be a WLAN device that includes any of the WLAN devices described herein. Electronic device 1700 can include a processing system 1702 (which may include, in some cases, a single processor, multiple processors, multiple cores, multiple nodes, or implement multithreading, etc.). Electronic device 1700 can also include a memory 1706. Memory 1706 can be system memory or any one or more of the possible realizations of the computer-readable media described herein. In some implementations, processing system 1702 can include memory 1706. Electronic device 1700 can also include a bus 1710 (such as PCI, ISA, PCI-Express, HyperTransport®, InfiniBand®, NuBus®, AHB, AXI, etc.) and a network interface 1704 that can include at least one of a wireless network interface (such as a WLAN interface, Bluetooth interface, WiMAX® interface, ZigBee® interface, Wireless USB interface, etc.) and a wired network interface (such as an Ethernet interface, a power line communication interface, etc.). In some embodiments, electronic device 1700 can support multiple network interfaces, and each of those interfaces is configured to couple electronic device 1700 to a different communication network.

[0125]

[0138] The electronic device 1700 may include a mesh STA module 1760 configured to establish or join an MBSS with peer mesh nodes. The electronic device 1700 may include a mesh MU communication module 1770 configured to operate a network management function or communicate with another mesh node operating an external network management function. The mesh MU communication module 1770 may determine an MU association group or provide information to an external network management function to assist in the determination of the MU association group. In some implementations, the electronic device 1700 may include a mesh point module 1780. The mesh point module 1780 may be configured to establish an IBSS and operate as an access point for non-mesh STAs in the IBSS. The mesh point module 1780 may include a mesh gateway or other function to convert communication between the MBSS and the IBSS. Although shown as separate components, the mesh STA module 1760, the mesh MU communication module 1770, the mesh point module 1780, or any combination thereof may be implemented within the network interface 1704, the memory 1706, or the processing system 1702.

[0126]

[0139] Memory 1706 may contain computer instructions executed by processing system 1702 to implement the functions of the implementation forms described in FIGS. 1 to 16. Any of these functions may be implemented in hardware or partially (or fully) in processing system 1702. For example, the functions may be implemented, among other things, in application-specific integrated circuits, in logic circuits implemented in processing system 1702, or in coprocessors on peripheral devices or cards. Further, the implementation form may include fewer or additional components (such as video cards, audio cards, additional network interfaces, peripheral devices, etc.) not shown in FIG. 15. Processing system 1702, memory 1706, and network interface 1704 are coupled to bus 1710. Although shown as being coupled to bus 1710, memory 1706 may be coupled to processing system 1702.

[0127]

[0140] The operations described in FIGS. 1 to 17 and in this specification are examples intended to assist in understanding the exemplary implementation forms, and should not be used to limit the possible implementation forms or to limit the scope of the claims. Some implementation forms may perform additional operations, perform fewer operations, perform operations in parallel or in a different order, or perform some operations differently.

[0128]

[0141] The foregoing disclosure provides examples and explanations, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the exact form disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in view of the above disclosure, or obtained from the practice of the aspects. Although aspects of the present disclosure have been described with respect to various examples, any combination of aspects from any of the examples is within the scope of the present disclosure. The examples of the present disclosure are provided for educational purposes. Instead of, or in addition to, the other examples described herein, the examples include any combination of the following implementation form options (listed as items for clarity).

[0129]

[0142] Item 1. A method for wireless communication, comprising communicating in a wireless mesh network including a plurality of mesh nodes, and establishing at least a first multi-user (MU) association group including a first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes of the plurality of mesh nodes, wherein the first MU association group enables the first mesh node as the MU group length to allocate wireless channel resources for MU communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes forming the first MU association group.

[0130]

[0143] Item 2. The method of Item 1, wherein establishing at least a first MU association group includes transmitting an indication regarding a role as a member of the first MU association group to one or more peer mesh nodes.

[0131]

[0144] Item 3. The method of Item 1 or 2, wherein establishing at least a first MU association group includes selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on the routing topology of the wireless mesh network.

[0132]

[0145] Item 4. The method of Item 3, wherein establishing at least a first MU association group further includes selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length to manage the first MU association group based on the routing topology and traffic flow information, and selecting one or more peer mesh nodes as members of the first MU association group based on each peer relationship with the first mesh node.

[0133]

[0146] Item 5. The method of item 4 further includes obtaining a routing topology of a wireless mesh network based on a routing protocol message and obtaining traffic flow information regarding traffic between a first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes, and further establishing at least a first MU association group.

[0134]

[0147] Item 6. Obtaining traffic flow information includes sending a request for a traffic report message to each of one or more peer mesh nodes and receiving a traffic report message from each of the one or more peer mesh nodes in response to the request, the traffic report message including traffic flow information measured by each of the one or more peer mesh nodes, the method of item 5.

[0135]

[0148] Item 7. Selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length includes determining that the first mesh node has the highest traffic load among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, determining that the first mesh node creates the highest capacity bottleneck in the wireless mesh network among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, determining that the first mesh node receives traffic from the largest number of source mesh nodes among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, determining that the first mesh node has the highest weight value among weight values for a plurality of mesh nodes, and selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on at least one condition from a group consisting of any combination of these, the method of any one of items 3 to 6.

[0136]

[0149] Item 8. Selecting a first mesh node as the MU group length, wherein the first mesh node has the least amount of hops to the mesh portal as compared to the amount of hops between each of the plurality of mesh nodes and the mesh portal, the first mesh node has the largest amount of incoming or outgoing routes as compared to the amount of incoming or outgoing routes for each of the plurality of mesh nodes in the routing table for the wireless mesh network, and selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on at least one condition from a group consisting of these weighted combinations, the method according to any one of Items 3 to 6.

[0137]

[0150] Item 9. Further comprising receiving, from various mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network, MU association group candidates determined by the various mesh nodes, and selecting a first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on the MU association group candidates, the method according to any one of Items 1 to 8.

[0138]

[0151] Item 10. Further comprising determining a plurality of MU association groups based on the traffic flow information and routing topology of the wireless mesh network, each MU association group having its respective MU group length and one or more respective member mesh nodes, the method according to any one of Items 1 to 9.

[0139]

[0152] Item 11. Determining an MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, the MU participation constraint restricting the amount of mesh nodes that a mesh node can manage as the MU group length or restricting the amount of MU association groups that a mesh node can participate in as a member, and further comprising selecting a plurality of MU association groups based on the MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, the method according to any one of Items 1 to 10.

[0140]

[0153] Item 12. A method according to any one of Items 1 to 11, wherein the first mesh node operates as or is in the same location as a network management unit of a wireless mesh network.

[0141]

[0154] Item 13. A method for wireless communication by a first mesh node of a wireless mesh network, the method comprising operating as an MU group length of a first multi-user (MU) association group including the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network, and allocating wireless channel resources by the first mesh node for MU group communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes forming the first MU association group.

[0142]

[0155] Item 14. The method of Item 13, wherein managing wireless channel resources includes allocating wireless channel resources based on a multi-user communication technique different from a wireless mesh network protocol.

[0143]

[0156] Item 15. The method of Item 13 or 14, wherein managing wireless channel resources includes transmitting MU group communication from the first mesh node to at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes, the MU group communication including simultaneous downlink transmission of distinct data for each of at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes.

[0144]

[0157] Item 16. The method according to any one of Items 13 to 15, wherein managing wireless channel resources includes allocating wireless channel resources to at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes to simultaneously receive uplink transmissions of distinct data from each of at least the subset of one or more peer mesh nodes, and receiving MU group communication having distinct data via the allocated wireless channel resources corresponding to each of at least the subset of one or more peer mesh nodes.

[0145]

[0158] Item 17. The method according to any one of Items 13 to 16, further including formatting MU group communication between a first mesh node and a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes as MU multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmission or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) transmission.

[0146]

[0159] Item 18. The method of Item 17, wherein the MU group communication is MU-MIMO transmission when the traffic type of the first MU association group is sensitive to capacity, and the MU group communication is OFDMA transmission when the traffic type of the first MU association group is sensitive to latency.

[0147]

[0160] Item 19. A method performed by a first mesh node of a wireless mesh network, the method including communicating with a plurality of mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network, receiving a configuration for at least a first MU association group including at least the first mesh node and a second mesh node as a multi-user (MU) group length, and transmitting a part of the first MU group communication to the second mesh node using wireless channel resources managed by the second mesh node, wherein the first MU group communication includes transmissions from one or more mesh nodes.

[0148]

[0161] Item 20. The method of item 19 further includes receiving, from a network management unit, a request for a traffic report message and sending, in response to the request, a traffic report message to the network management unit, where the traffic report message includes traffic flow information measured by a first mesh node and is usable by the network management unit to assign the first mesh node to a first MU association group.

[0149]

[0162] Item 21. The method of item 19 or 20 further includes sending, from a first mesh node to a network management unit, one or more MU association group candidates based on traffic flow information and routing topology of a wireless mesh network, where a configuration for the first MU association group is based on the one or more MU association group candidates.

[0150]

[0163] Item 22. The method according to any one of items 19 to 21 further includes receiving a configuration for a second MU association group including the first mesh node, communicating traffic associated with the first MU association group via first MU group communication using wireless channel resources managed by a second mesh node, and communicating traffic associated with the second MU association group via second MU group communication using wireless channel resources managed by the MU group length of the second MU association group.

[0151]

[0164] Item 23. The first mesh node is the MU group length of the second MU association group, and the method further includes managing, as the MU group length of the second MU association group by the first mesh node, wireless channel resources associated with second MU group communication between the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes in the second MU association group.

[0152]

[0165] Item 24. At least one modem configured to communicate in a wireless mesh network including a plurality of mesh nodes, and a processing system configured to establish at least a first multi-user (MU) association group including a first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes of the plurality of mesh nodes, the first mesh node being a first mesh node, the first MU association group being such that the first mesh node as the MU group length allocates wireless channel resources for MU communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes forming the first MU association group.

[0153]

[0166] Item 25. The first mesh node of Item 24, wherein at least one modem is configured to output an indication regarding the role as a member of the first MU association group to one or more peer mesh nodes for transmission.

[0154]

[0167] Item 26. The mesh node of Item 24 or 25, wherein the processing system is configured to select the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on the routing topology of the wireless mesh network.

[0155]

[0168] Item 27. The first mesh node of Item 26, wherein the processing system is further configured to select the first mesh node as the MU group length to manage the first MU association group based on the routing topology and traffic flow information, and to select one or more peer mesh nodes as members of the first MU association group based on each peer relationship with the first mesh node.

[0156]

[0169] Item 28. The first mesh node of item 27, wherein the processing system is further configured to obtain a routing topology of a wireless mesh network based on a routing protocol message obtained by at least one modem, and to determine traffic flow information regarding traffic between the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes.

[0157]

[0170] Item 29. The first mesh node of item 28, wherein at least one modem is configured to output a request for a traffic report message to each of one or more peer mesh nodes, and to obtain a traffic report message from each of the one or more peer mesh nodes in response to the request, the traffic report message including traffic flow information measured by each of the one or more peer mesh nodes.

[0158]

[0171] Item 30. The first mesh node of any one of items 26 to 29, wherein the processing system is configured to select the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on at least one condition from a group consisting of a determination that the first mesh node has the highest traffic load among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, a determination that the first mesh node creates the highest capacity bottleneck in the wireless mesh network among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, a determination that the first mesh node receives the most traffic from the largest number of source mesh nodes among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, a determination that the first mesh node has the highest weight value among weight values for a plurality of mesh nodes, and any combination thereof.

[0159]

[0172] Clause 31. The first mesh node is selected as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on at least one condition from a group consisting of the amount of hops between each of a plurality of mesh nodes and a mesh portal, where the first mesh node has the least amount of hops to the mesh portal, the amount of incoming or outgoing routes for each of the plurality of mesh nodes in a routing table for a wireless mesh network, where the first mesh node has the largest amount of incoming or outgoing routes compared to the amount of incoming or outgoing routes for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, and these weighted combinations, the first mesh node of Clauses 26 to 29, which is configured to select the first mesh node.

[0160]

[0173] Clause 32. At least one modem is configured to obtain MU association group candidates determined by various mesh nodes from various mesh nodes of a wireless mesh network, and the processing system is configured to select the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on the MU association group candidates, the first mesh node of any one of Clauses 24 to 31.

[0161]

[0174] Clause 33. The processing system is configured to determine a plurality of MU association groups based on traffic flow information and routing topology of a wireless mesh network, and each MU association group has its respective MU group length and one or more respective member mesh nodes, the first mesh node of any one of Clauses 24 to 32.

[0162]

[0175] Item 34. The processing system determines MU participation constraints for each of a plurality of mesh nodes, where the MU participation constraints limit the amount of mesh nodes that a mesh node can manage as an MU group length, or limit the amount of MU association groups that a mesh node can participate in as a member, and is configured to select a plurality of MU association groups based on the MU participation constraints for each of the plurality of mesh nodes. The first mesh node according to any one of Items 24 to 33.

[0163]

[0176] Item 35. The first mesh node according to any one of Items 24 to 34, which operates as or is in the same location as the network management unit of the wireless mesh network.

[0164]

[0177] Item 36. The first mesh node according to any one of Items 24 to 35, further including at least one transceiver coupled to at least one modem, at least one antenna coupled to the at least one transceiver for wirelessly transmitting a signal output from the at least one transceiver and wirelessly receiving a signal for input to the at least one transceiver, and a housing including at least a portion of the at least processing system, at least one modem, at least one transceiver, and at least one antenna.

[0165]

[0178] Item 37. At least one modem configured to operate as the MU group length of a first multi-user (MU) association group including the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network, and a processing system configured to allocate wireless channel resources for MU group communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes forming the first MU association group. The first mesh node.

[0166]

[0179] Item 38. The first mesh node of item 37, wherein the processing system is configured to allocate wireless channel resources based on a multi-user communication technology different from the wireless mesh network protocol.

[0167]

[0180] Item 39. The first mesh node of item 37 or 38, wherein at least one modem is configured to output MU group communication to at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes from the first mesh node, and the MU group communication includes simultaneous downlink transmission of distinct data to each of at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes.

[0168]

[0181] Item 40. The first mesh node of any one of items 37 to 39, wherein the processing system is configured to allocate wireless channel resources to at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes to simultaneously receive uplink transmissions of distinct data from each of at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes, and at least one modem is configured to obtain MU group communication having distinct data via the allocated wireless channel resources corresponding to each of at least a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes.

[0169]

[0182] Item 41. The first mesh node of any one of items 37 to 40, wherein at least one modem is configured to format MU group communication between the first mesh node and a subset of one or more peer mesh nodes as MU multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmission or orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) transmission.

[0170]

[0183] Item 42. The first mesh node of item 41, wherein the MU group communication is MU-MIMO transmission when the traffic type of the first MU association group is sensitive to capacity, and the MU group communication is OFDMA transmission when the traffic type of the first MU association group is sensitive to latency.

[0171]

[0184] Item 43. At least one transceiver coupled to at least one modem, and at least one antenna coupled to the at least one transceiver for wirelessly transmitting a signal output from the at least one transceiver and wirelessly receiving a signal for input to the at least one transceiver, and further including a housing including at least a portion of at least a processing system, at least one modem, at least one transceiver, and at least one antenna, the first mesh node of any one of Items 37 to 42.

[0172]

[0185] Item 44. At least one modem configured to communicate with a plurality of mesh nodes in a wireless mesh network and obtain a configuration for at least a first MU association group including at least a second mesh node as a multi-user (MU) group length and at least a first mesh node, and a processing system configured to manage first MU group communication by the at least one modem according to the configuration, wherein the at least one modem is configured to output a part of the first MU group communication for transmission to the second mesh node using wireless channel resources managed by the second mesh node, and the first MU group communication includes transmissions from one or more mesh nodes, the first mesh node.

[0173]

[0186] Item 45. The first mesh node of Item 44, wherein at least one modem is configured to obtain a request for a traffic report message from a network management unit and output a traffic report message for transmission to the network management unit in response to the request, the traffic report message including traffic flow information measured by the first mesh node and being usable by the network management unit to assign the first mesh node to a first MU association group.

[0174]

[0187] Item 46. At least one modem is configured to output to a network management unit one or more MU association group candidates based on traffic flow information and routing topology of a wireless mesh network, and the configuration for a first MU association group is based on the one or more MU association group candidates, the first mesh node of item 44 or 45.

[0175]

[0188] Item 47. At least one modem configured to obtain a configuration for a second MU association group including a first mesh node, and at least one modem is configured to communicate traffic associated with a first MU association group via first MU group communication using wireless channel resources managed by a second mesh node operating as the MU group length of the first MU association group, and at least one modem is configured to communicate traffic associated with a second MU association group via second MU group communication using wireless channel resources managed by the MU group length of the second MU association group, the first mesh node of any one of items 44 to 46 further including a processing system.

[0176]

[0189] Item 48. The first mesh node is the MU group length of a second MU association group, and the processing system is configured to manage wireless channel resources associated with second MU group communication between the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes in the second MU association group as the MU group length of the second MU association group, the first mesh node of item 47.

[0177]

[0190] Item 49. A first mesh node according to any one of Items 44 to 48, further comprising at least one transceiver coupled to at least one modem, at least one antenna coupled to the at least one transceiver for wirelessly transmitting a signal output from the at least one transceiver and wirelessly receiving a signal for input to the at least one transceiver, and a housing including at least a portion of the at least one processing system, the at least one modem, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one antenna.

[0178]

[0191] Item 50. A method executed by a network management unit of a wireless mesh network, the method comprising: determining a routing topology of the wireless mesh network; determining one or more characteristics of traffic between a plurality of mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network; selecting, by the network management unit, at least a first mesh node among the plurality of mesh nodes as a MU group length of a first multi-user (MU) association group based on the determined one or more characteristics of the traffic and the determined routing topology; and assigning, by the network management unit, one or more other mesh nodes to the first MU association group based on the determined one or more characteristics of the traffic, wherein the first MU association group is capable of managing MU group communication between the MU group length and the one or more other mesh nodes using MU multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) in the wireless mesh network.

[0179]

[0192] Item 51. The method of Item 50, further comprising notifying the first mesh node and the one or more other mesh nodes about their respective roles in the first MU association group.

[0180]

[0193] Item 52. The method of item 50 or 51, wherein determining one or more characteristics of traffic includes receiving traffic report messages from each of a plurality of mesh nodes.

[0181]

[0194] Item 53. The method of item 52, further including transmitting a request for traffic report messages to each of a plurality of mesh nodes from a network management unit.

[0182]

[0195] Item 54. The method according to any one of items 50 to 53, further including receiving, from at least a first mesh node, an indication of a first MU association group candidate whose MU group length is the first mesh node, and further selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group, based on the indication of the first MU association group candidate.

[0183]

[0196] Item 55. The method according to any one of items 50 to 54, further including determining a plurality of MU association groups based on one or more characteristics of traffic and a routing topology, each MU association group of the plurality of MU association groups having a MU group length and one or more member mesh nodes, and the plurality of MU association groups including a first MU association group having the first mesh node as the MU group length and at least a second MU association group having the second mesh node as the MU group length.

[0184]

[0197] Item 56. The method according to any one of items 50 to 55, further including determining an MU participation constraint for each of a plurality of mesh nodes, the MU participation constraint limiting the amount of mesh nodes that a mesh node can support as the MU group length or limiting the amount of MU association groups that a mesh node can join as a member, and determining that the plurality of MU association groups are based on the MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes.

[0185]

[0198] Item 57. Determining a plurality of MU association groups includes selecting a first mesh node as the MU group length of a first MU association group based on a determination that the first mesh node has the highest traffic load among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, or a determination that the first mesh node creates the highest capacity bottleneck in a wireless mesh network among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, and assigning one or more other nodes to the first MU association group based on their respective peer relationships with the first mesh node, the method of any one of Items 50 to 56.

[0186]

[0199] Item 58. Further includes determining an MU communication type for a first MU association group, where the MU communication type is MU-MIMO for the first MU association group based on the traffic capacity sensitivity for the first MU association group, the method of any one of Items 50 to 57.

[0187]

[0200] Item 59. Further includes selecting a second mesh node as the MU group length of a second MU association group based on a determination that the second mesh node receives the most traffic from source mesh nodes among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, or a determination that the second mesh node creates the highest capacity bottleneck in a wireless mesh network among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, and assigning source mesh nodes to the second MU association group based on their respective peer relationships with the second mesh node, the method of any one of Items 50 to 58.

[0188]

[0201] Item 60. The method according to any one of Items 50 to 59, further comprising determining an MU communication type for a second MU association group, wherein the MU communication type is OFDMA for the second MU association group based on the latency sensitivity of traffic for the second MU association group.

[0189]

[0202] Item 61. The method according to any one of Items 50 to 60, wherein determining a plurality of MU association groups includes selecting a first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on a determination that the first mesh node has the highest weight value among the weight values for a plurality of mesh nodes, and assigning one or more other nodes to the first MU association group based on each peer relationship with the first mesh node.

[0190]

[0203] Item 62. The method of Item 61, wherein the weight value is based on an inverse correlation with the amount of hops from each of a plurality of mesh nodes to a mesh portal, based on the amount of incoming or outgoing routes for each of a plurality of mesh nodes in a routing table for a wireless mesh network, or a combination thereof.

[0191]

[0204] Item 63. The method according to any one of Items 50 to 62, wherein the network management unit is located at the same position as the first mesh node or the root mesh node.

[0192]

[0205] Item 64. A method executed by a first mesh node in a wireless mesh network having a plurality of mesh nodes, comprising: providing to a network management unit one or more characteristics of traffic between the first mesh node and one or more other mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network; and receiving from the network management unit a configuration for a multi-user (MU) group length and at least a first MU association group including one or more other mesh nodes, wherein the first MU association group enables the MU group length to manage MU group communication between the MU group length and one or more other mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network using multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) in the wireless mesh network.

[0193]

[0206] Item 65. The method of Item 64, further comprising: receiving from the network management unit a request for a traffic report message; and in response to the request, transmitting to the network management unit in the traffic report message one or more characteristics of the traffic.

[0194]

[0207] Item 66. The method of Item 64 or 65, further comprising: determining, by the first mesh node, a first MU association group candidate that is the MU group length based on one or more characteristics of the traffic and the routing topology of the wireless mesh network; and transmitting an indication of the first MU association group candidate to the network management unit.

[0195]

[0208] Item 67. The method according to any one of Items 64 to 66, wherein the first mesh node is a member of the first MU association group.

[0196]

[0209] Item 68. The method according to any one of Items 64 to 67, wherein the first mesh node is the MU group length of the first MU association group.

[0197]

[0210] Item 69. An apparatus of a network management unit, comprising: an interface configured to communicate with one or more mesh nodes of a wireless mesh network; determining a routing topology of the wireless mesh network, determining one or more characteristics of traffic between a plurality of mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network, selecting at least a first mesh node of the plurality of mesh nodes as the MU group length of a first multi-user (MU) association group based on the determined one or more characteristics of the traffic and the determined routing topology, and a processing system configured to assign one or more other mesh nodes to the first MU association group based on the determined one or more characteristics of the traffic, wherein the first MU association group is capable of managing MU group communication between the MU group length and one or more other mesh nodes using MU multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) in the wireless mesh network.

[0198]

[0211] Item 70. The apparatus according to Item 69, wherein the processing system is further configured to notify the first mesh node and one or more other mesh nodes of their respective roles in the first MU association group via an output of the interface.

[0199]

[0212] Item 71. The apparatus according to Item 69 or 70, wherein the interface is configured to obtain a traffic report message from each of the plurality of mesh nodes, and the traffic report message includes one or more characteristics of the traffic.

[0200]

[0213] Item 72. The apparatus of Item 71, wherein the interface is configured to output a request for a traffic report message to each of a plurality of mesh nodes.

[0201]

[0214] Item 73. The apparatus according to any one of Items 69 to 72, wherein the interface is configured to obtain an indication of a first MU association group candidate, which is the MU group length of the first mesh node, from at least the first mesh node, and the processing system is configured to select the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on the indication of the first MU association group candidate.

[0202]

[0215] Item 74. The apparatus according to any one of Items 69 to 73, wherein the processing system is further configured to determine a plurality of MU association groups based on one or more characteristics of traffic and a routing topology, each MU association group of the plurality of MU association groups has a MU group length and one or more member mesh nodes, and the plurality of MU association groups includes a first MU association group having the first mesh node as the MU group length and at least a second MU association group having a second mesh node as the MU group length.

[0203]

[0216] Item 75. The apparatus according to any one of Items 69 to 74, wherein the processing system is further configured to determine an MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, the MU participation constraint limits the amount of mesh nodes that the mesh node can support as the MU group length, or limits the amount of MU association groups that the mesh node can join as a member, and to determine that the plurality of MU association groups is based on the MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes.

[0204]

[0217] Item 76. The processing system further selects, as the MU group length of the first MU association group, a first mesh node based on a determination that the first mesh node has the highest traffic load among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, or a determination that the first mesh node creates the highest capacity bottleneck in the wireless mesh network among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, and assigns one or more other nodes to the first MU association group based on their respective peer relationships with the first mesh node, the apparatus of any one of Items 69 to 75 configured to perform the above.

[0205]

[0218] Item 77. The processing system is further configured to determine an MU communication type for the first MU association group, and the MU communication type is MU-MIMO for the first MU association group based on the capacity sensitivity of the traffic for the first MU association group, the apparatus of any one of Items 69 to 76.

[0206]

[0219] Item 78. The processing system further selects, as the MU group length of the second MU association group, a second mesh node based on a determination that the second mesh node receives the most traffic from source mesh nodes among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, or a determination that the second mesh node creates the highest capacity bottleneck in the wireless mesh network among a plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, and assigns source mesh nodes to the second MU association group based on their respective peer relationships with the second mesh node, the apparatus of any one of Items 69 to 77 configured to perform the above.

[0207]

[0220] Item 79. The processing system is further configured to determine an MU communication type for a second MU association group, where the MU communication type is OFDMA for the second MU association group based on the latency sensitivity of the traffic for the second MU association group, for the apparatus of any one of Items 69 to 78.

[0208]

[0221] Item 80. The apparatus of any one of Items 69 to 79, wherein the network management unit is located at the same position as the first mesh node or the root mesh node.

[0209]

[0222] Item 81. An apparatus of a mesh node, which communicates with a network management unit of a wireless mesh network and outputs one or more characteristics of traffic between a first mesh node and one or more other mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network for transmission to the network management unit, and is configured to obtain a configuration for at least a first MU association group including a multi-user (MU) group length and one or more other mesh nodes, where the first MU association group enables managing MU group communication between the MU group length and one or more other mesh nodes using multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) in the wireless mesh network.

[0210]

[0223] Item 82. The apparatus of Item 81, wherein the interface is further configured to obtain a request for a traffic report message from the network management unit and, in response to the request, output one or more characteristics of the traffic to the network management unit in the traffic report message.

[0211]

[0224] Item 83. The apparatus according to item 81 or 82, wherein the interface is further configured to determine, based on one or more characteristics of traffic and a routing topology of the wireless mesh network, a first MU association group candidate in which the first mesh node is the MU group length, and output an indication of the first MU association group candidate to a network management unit.

[0212]

[0225] Item 84. The apparatus according to any one of items 81 to 83, wherein the first mesh node is a member of the first MU association group.

[0213]

[0226] Item 85. The apparatus according to any one of items 81 to 84, wherein the first mesh node is the MU group length of the first MU association group.

[0214]

[0227] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute any one of the above methods.

[0215]

[0228] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as an apparatus having a wireless local area network and an interface for communicating via a processor. The processor can be configured to execute any one of the above methods.

[0216]

[0229] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a system including means for performing any one of the above methods.

[0217]

[0230] The foregoing disclosure provides illustrations and descriptions, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the exact forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure, or obtained from practice of the aspects.

[0218]

[0231] As used herein, the term "component" is intended to be broadly construed as hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. As used herein, a processor is implemented in hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. As used herein, the phrase "based on" is intended to be broadly construed to mean "at least in part based on".

[0219]

[0232] Some aspects are described herein in connection with thresholds. As used herein, meeting a threshold can refer, depending on the particular situation, to a value being greater than, greater than or equal to, less than, less than or equal to, equal to, or not equal to a threshold.

[0220]

[0233] As used herein, the term "determine" or "determining" encompasses a wide variety of activities and thus, among other things, "determining" can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, database, or other data structure), or ascertaining. Also, "determining" can include, among other things, receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), or obtaining. Also, "determining" can include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and other such like activities.

[0221]

[0234] As used herein, the phrase referring to a list of items "at least one of" or "one or more of" refers to any combination of those items, including a single one of the items. For example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to encompass the possibilities of a only, b only, c only, a combination of a and b, a combination of a and c, a combination of b and c, and a combination of a, b, and c.

[0222]

[0235] The various components, logics, logical blocks, modules, circuits, operations, and algorithmic processes described in connection with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of hardware, firmware, or software, including the structures disclosed herein and their structural equivalents. The interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software has been generally described in terms of functionality and illustrated in the various components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application example and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0223]

[0236] Hardware and data processing devices used to implement components, logics, logic blocks, modules, and circuits for various explanations described in connection with the aspects disclosed in this specification can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose single-chip or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this specification. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in cooperation with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some implementations, certain processes, operations, and methods can be executed by circuitry specific to a given function.

[0224]

[0237] As described above, in some aspects, implementations of the subject matter described herein may be implemented as software. For example, the various functions of the components disclosed herein, or the various blocks or steps of the methods, operations, processes, or algorithms disclosed herein, may be implemented as one or more modules of one or more computer programs. Such computer programs may include non-transitory processor or computer-executable instructions encoded on one or more tangible processors or computer-readable storage media for execution by, or to control the operation of, a data processing apparatus including the components of the devices described herein. By way of non-limiting example, such storage media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM (registered trademark), CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to store program code in the form of instructions or data structures. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of storage media.

[0225]

[0238] Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure may become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the disclosure, the principles, and the novel features disclosed herein.

[0226]

[0239] In addition, the various features described herein in the context of another implementation may also be implemented in combination with a single implementation. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single implementation may be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple implementations. Thus, features may be described above as functioning in a particular combination and may even be initially claimed as such, but one or more features from the claimed combination may, in some cases, be deleted from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or a variation of a sub-combination.

[0227]

[0240] Similarly, although operations are shown 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 a sequential order, or that all of the shown operations be performed. Further, the drawings may schematically show one or more exemplary processes in the form of a flowchart or a flow diagram. However, other operations not shown may be incorporated into the exemplary processes schematically shown. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any of the shown operations. In some situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of the various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems may generally be integrated with each other in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Further, other implementations fall within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the acts recited in the claims may be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. The invention described in the claims of the present application at the time of filing is appended below. [C1] A method for wireless communication, comprising: communicating in a wireless mesh network including a plurality of mesh nodes; establishing at least a first multi-user (MU) association group including a first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes of the plurality of mesh nodes; wherein the first MU association group enables the first mesh node as the MU group length to allocate wireless channel resources for MU communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes forming the first MU association group. [C2] The method according to C1, wherein establishing the at least one first MU association group includes transmitting an indication regarding a role as a member of the first MU association group to the one or more peer mesh nodes. [C3] The method according to C1 or 2, wherein establishing the at least first MU association group includes selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based at least in part on a routing topology of the wireless mesh network. [C4] Establishing the at least first MU association group further includes: selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length to manage the first MU association group based at least in part on the routing topology and traffic flow information; selecting the one or more peer mesh nodes as members of the first MU association group based on respective peer relationships with the first mesh node; The method according to C3, including. [C5] Establishing the at least first MU association group further includes: Obtaining the routing topology of the wireless mesh network based at least in part on the routing protocol message; Obtaining traffic flow information regarding traffic between the first mesh node and the one or more peer mesh nodes; The method according to C4, comprising: [C6] Obtaining the traffic flow information includes: Sending a request for a traffic report message to each of the one or more peer mesh nodes; Receiving the traffic report message from each of the one or more peer mesh nodes in response to the request, the traffic report message including the traffic flow information measured by each of the one or more peer mesh nodes; The method according to C5, comprising: [C7] Selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length includes: Determining that the first mesh node has the highest traffic load among the plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length; Determining that the first mesh node creates the highest capacity bottleneck in the wireless mesh network among the plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length; Determining that the first mesh node receives the most traffic from the largest number of source mesh nodes among the plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length; Determining that the first mesh node has the highest weight value among the weight values for the plurality of mesh nodes, and Any combination thereof, Selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on at least one condition from the group consisting of, the method according to any one of C3 to 6. [C8] Selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length includes: The first mesh node having the least amount of hops to the mesh portal compared to the amount of hops between each of the plurality of mesh nodes and the mesh portal; In the routing table for the wireless mesh network, the first mesh node has the largest number of incoming or outgoing routes as compared to the amount of incoming or outgoing routes for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, and these weighted combinations, selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on at least one condition from the group consisting of: the method according to any one of C3 to 6. [C9] receiving, from various mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network, MU association group candidates determined by the various mesh nodes; selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based at least in part on the MU association group candidates; The method according to any one of C1 to 8, further comprising: [C10] further comprising determining a plurality of MU association groups based on traffic flow information and routing topology of the wireless mesh network, each MU association group having a respective MU group length and one or more respective member mesh nodes; the method according to any one of C1 to 9. [C11] determining an MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, the MU participation constraint restricting the amount of mesh nodes that the mesh node can manage as the MU group length or restricting the amount of MU association groups that the mesh node can participate in as a member; selecting the plurality of MU association groups based at least in part on the MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes; The method according to any one of C1 to 10, further comprising: [C12] The method according to any one of C1 to 11, wherein the first mesh node operates as a network management unit of the wireless mesh network or is located at the same position as the network management unit. [C13] A method for wireless communication by a first mesh node of a wireless mesh network, comprising: Operating as an MU group length of a first multi-user (MU) association group including the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network, Allocating wireless channel resources for MU group communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes forming the first MU association group by the first mesh node, A method comprising: [C14] The method according to C13, wherein managing the wireless channel resources includes allocating the wireless channel resources based on a multi-user communication technology different from a wireless mesh network protocol. [C15] Managing the wireless channel resources includes Transmitting the MU group communication from the first mesh node to the at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes, the MU group communication including simultaneous downlink transmission of separate data for each of the at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes, according to the method described in C13 or 14. [C16] Managing the wireless channel resources includes Allocating the wireless channel resources to the at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes for simultaneously receiving uplink transmissions of separate data from each of the at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes, Receiving the MU group communication having the separate data via the allocated wireless channel resources corresponding to each of the at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes, The method according to any one of C13 to 15, including: [C17] The method according to any one of C13 to 16, further comprising formatting the MU group communication between the first mesh node and the subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes as MU multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) transmission or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) transmission. [C18] The method according to C17, wherein the MU group communication is the MU-MIMO transmission when the traffic type of the first MU association group is sensitive to capacity, and the MU group communication is the OFDMA transmission when the traffic type of the first MU association group is sensitive to latency. [C19] A method performed by a first mesh node of a wireless mesh network, comprising: communicating with a plurality of mesh nodes in the wireless mesh network; receiving a configuration for at least a first MU association group including at least the first mesh node and a second mesh node as a multi-user (MU) group length; transmitting a part of the first MU group communication to the second mesh node using wireless channel resources managed by the second mesh node, wherein the first MU group communication includes transmissions from one or more mesh nodes; The method comprising: [C20] receiving, from a network management unit, a request for a traffic report message; transmitting the traffic report message to the network management unit in response to the request, wherein the traffic report message includes traffic flow information measured by the first mesh node and is usable by the network management unit to assign the first mesh node to the first MU association group; The method further comprising, according to C19. [C21] The method further comprising transmitting, from the first mesh node to a network management unit, one or more MU association group candidates based on traffic flow information and routing topology of the wireless mesh network. The method according to C19 or 20, wherein the configuration for the first MU association group is based at least in part on the one or more MU association group candidates. [C22] receiving a configuration for a second MU association group including the first mesh node; Communicating traffic associated with the first MU association group via the first MU group communication using wireless channel resources managed by the second mesh node; Communicating traffic associated with the second MU association group via a second MU group communication using wireless channel resources managed by the MU group length of the second MU association group; The method according to any one of C19 to 21, further comprising. [C23] The first mesh node is the MU group length of the second MU association group, and the method further comprises The method according to C22, wherein the first mesh node manages wireless channel resources associated with the second MU group communication between the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes in the second MU association group as the MU group length of the second MU association group. [C24] A first mesh node, At least one modem configured to communicate in a wireless mesh network including a plurality of mesh nodes; A processing system configured to establish at least a first multi-user (MU) association group including the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes of the plurality of mesh nodes; The first MU association group enables the first mesh node as the MU group length to allocate wireless channel resources for MU communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes forming the first MU association group. [C25] The first mesh node according to C24, wherein the at least one modem is configured to output an indication regarding the role as a member of the first MU association group to the one or more peer mesh nodes for transmission. [C26] The first mesh node according to C24 or 25, wherein the processing system is configured to select the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based at least in part on the routing topology of the wireless mesh network. [C27] The processing system further selects the first mesh node as the MU group length to manage the first MU association group based at least in part on the routing topology and traffic flow information, The first mesh node according to C26, wherein the processing system is configured to select the one or more peer mesh nodes as members of the first MU association group based on each respective peer relationship with the first mesh node. [C28] The processing system further obtains the routing topology of the wireless mesh network based at least in part on routing protocol messages obtained by the at least one modem, The first mesh node according to C27, wherein the processing system is configured to obtain traffic flow information regarding traffic between the first mesh node and the one or more peer mesh nodes. [C29] The at least one modem outputs a request for a traffic report message to each of the one or more peer mesh nodes, is configured to obtain the traffic report message from each of the one or more peer mesh nodes in response to the request, wherein the traffic report message includes the traffic flow information measured by each of the one or more peer mesh nodes, The first mesh node according to C28. [C30] The processing system determines that the first mesh node has the highest traffic load among the plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, determines that the first mesh node creates the highest capacity bottleneck in the wireless mesh network among the plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length, Among the plurality of mesh nodes that have not yet been assigned as the MU group leader, the determination that the first mesh node receives the most traffic from the source mesh nodes, The determination that the first mesh node has the highest weight value among the weight values for the plurality of mesh nodes, and Any combination of these, Based on at least one condition from the group consisting of, the first mesh node is configured to be selected as the MU group leader of the first MU association group according to any one of C26 to 29. The first mesh node according to any one of claims 1 to 3. [C31] The processing system, Compared with the amount of hops between each of the plurality of mesh nodes and the mesh portal, the first mesh node has the least amount of hops to the mesh portal, Compared with the amount of incoming or outgoing routes for each of the plurality of mesh nodes in the routing table for the wireless mesh network, the first mesh node has the most incoming or outgoing routes, and These weighted combinations, Based on at least one condition from the group consisting of, the first mesh node is configured to be selected as the MU group leader of the first MU association group according to C26 to 29. The first mesh node according to any one of claims 1 to 3. [C32] The at least one modem is configured to obtain MU association group candidates determined by the various mesh nodes from various mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network, The processing system is configured to select the first mesh node as the MU group leader of the first MU association group based at least in part on the MU association group candidate, according to any one of C24 to 31. The first mesh node according to any one of claims 1 to 3. [C33] The processing system is configured to determine a plurality of MU association groups based on the traffic flow information and routing topology of the wireless mesh network, and each MU association group has its own MU group leader and one or more respective member mesh nodes. The first mesh node according to any one of claims 1 to 3. [C34] The processing system determines an MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, where the MU participation constraint limits the amount of mesh nodes that the mesh node can manage as an MU group length or limits the amount of MU association groups that the mesh node can participate in as a member, selects the plurality of MU association groups based at least in part on the MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, and is configured to perform the method according to any one of C24 to C33, the first mesh node according to any one of C24 to C33. [C35] The first mesh node operates as a network management unit of the wireless mesh network or is located at the same position as the network management unit, the first mesh node according to any one of C24 to C34. [C36] at least one transceiver coupled to the at least one modem, at least one antenna coupled to the at least one transceiver for wirelessly transmitting a signal output from the at least one transceiver and wirelessly receiving a signal for input to the at least one transceiver, a housing including at least a portion of at least the processing system, the at least one modem, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one antenna, and further includes the first mesh node according to any one of C24 to C35. [C37] A first mesh node, at least one modem configured to operate as an MU group length of a first multi-user (MU) association group including the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes in a wireless mesh network, a processing system configured to allocate wireless channel resources for MU group communication between the first mesh node and at least a subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes forming the first MU association group, and includes the first mesh node. [C38] The first mesh node according to C37, wherein the processing system is configured to allocate the wireless channel resources based on a multi-user communication technology different from the wireless mesh network protocol. [C39] The at least one modem is configured to output the MU group communication from the first mesh node to the at least subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes, the MU group communication including simultaneous downlink transmission of distinct data to each of the at least subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes, the first mesh node according to C37 or 38. [C40] The processing system is configured to allocate the wireless channel resources to the at least subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes to simultaneously receive uplink transmissions of distinct data from each of the at least subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes, The at least one modem is configured to obtain the MU group communication having the distinct data via the allocated wireless channel resources corresponding to each of the at least subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes, The first mesh node according to any one of C37 to 39. [C41] The at least one modem is configured to format the MU group communication between the first mesh node and the subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes as MU multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmission or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) transmission, the first mesh node according to any one of C37 to 40. [C42] The MU group communication is the MU-MIMO transmission when the traffic type of the first MU association group is sensitive to capacity, and the MU group communication is the OFDMA transmission when the traffic type of the first MU association group is sensitive to latency, the first mesh node according to C41. [C43] At least one transceiver coupled to the at least one modem, At least one antenna coupled to the at least one transceiver for wirelessly transmitting signals output from the at least one transceiver and wirelessly receiving signals for input to the at least one transceiver, A housing including at least a portion of the at least one processing system, the at least one modem, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one antenna; The first mesh node according to any one of C37 to 42, further comprising. [C44] A first mesh node, In a wireless mesh network, communicating with a plurality of mesh nodes; Obtaining a configuration for at least a first MU association group including at least the first mesh node and a second mesh node as a multi-user (MU) group length; At least one modem configured to perform; A processing system configured to manage first MU group communication by the at least one modem according to the configuration; Comprising The at least one modem is configured to output a part of the first MU group communication for transmission to the second mesh node using wireless channel resources managed by the second mesh node, and the first MU group communication includes transmissions from one or more mesh nodes, the first mesh node. [C45] The at least one modem is Obtaining a request for a traffic report message from a network management unit; Outputting the traffic report message for transmission to the network management unit in response to the request; The first mesh node according to C44, wherein the traffic report message includes traffic flow information measured by the first mesh node and is usable by the network management unit to assign the first mesh node to the first MU association group. [C46] The at least one modem is configured to output one or more MU association group candidates to a network management unit based on traffic flow information and routing topology of the wireless mesh network; The configuration for the first MU association group is based at least in part on the one or more MU association group candidates, the first mesh node according to C44 or 45. [C47] the at least one modem configured to obtain a configuration for a second MU association group including the first mesh node, causing the at least one modem to communicate traffic associated with the first MU association group via the first MU group communication using wireless channel resources managed by the second mesh node operating as the MU group length of the first MU association group, causing the at least one modem to communicate traffic associated with the second MU association group via a second MU group communication using wireless channel resources managed by the MU group length of the second MU association group, the processing system configured as such, The first mesh node according to any one of C44 to 46, further comprising. [C48] The first mesh node is the MU group length of the second MU association group, The processing system is configured to manage wireless channel resources associated with the second MU group communication between the first mesh node and one or more peer mesh nodes in the second MU association group as the MU group length of the second MU association group. The first mesh node according to C47. [C49] at least one transceiver coupled to the at least one modem, at least one antenna coupled to the at least one transceiver for wirelessly transmitting a signal output from the at least one transceiver and wirelessly receiving a signal for input to the at least one transceiver, a housing including at least a portion of at least the processing system, the at least one modem, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one antenna, The first mesh node according to any one of C44 to 48, further comprising.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: communicating in a wireless mesh network including a plurality of mesh nodes; establishing at least a first multi-user (MU) association group including a first mesh node among the plurality of mesh nodes and one or more peer mesh nodes; wherein the first MU association group enables the first mesh node as the MU group length to allocate wireless channel resources for MU communication between the first mesh node and at least one subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes forming the first MU association group; establishing the at least first MU association group includes: determining an MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, the MU participation constraint limiting the amount of mesh nodes that the mesh node can manage as the MU group length, or limiting the amount of MU association groups that the mesh node can participate in as a member; selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length to manage the first MU association group based at least in part on the routing topology and traffic flow information of the wireless mesh network; selecting the one or more peer mesh nodes as members of the first MU association group based on their respective peer relationships with the first mesh node and the MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes; A method.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein establishing the at least first MU association group includes transmitting an indication regarding the role as a member of the first MU association group to the one or more peer mesh nodes.

3. Establishing the at least first MU association group further includes: acquiring the routing topology of the wireless mesh network based at least in part on routing protocol messages. Obtaining traffic flow information regarding traffic between the first mesh node and the one or more peer mesh nodes The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising **Claim 4** Obtaining the traffic flow information comprises Sending a request for a traffic report message to each of the one or more peer mesh nodes Receiving the traffic report message from each of the one or more peer mesh nodes in response to the request, the traffic report message including the traffic flow information measured by each of the one or more peer mesh nodes The method according to claim 3, comprising **Claim 5** Selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length comprises Determining that the first mesh node has the highest traffic load among the plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length Determining that the first mesh node creates the highest capacity bottleneck in the wireless mesh network among the plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length Determining that the first mesh node receives traffic from the largest number of source mesh nodes among the plurality of mesh nodes not yet assigned as the MU group length Determining that the first mesh node has the highest weight value among the weight values for the plurality of mesh nodes, and Any combination thereof Selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on at least one condition from the group consisting of, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 **Claim 6** Selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length comprises The first mesh node having the least amount of hops to the mesh portal compared to the amount of hops between each of the plurality of mesh nodes and the mesh portal The first mesh node having the largest number of incoming or outgoing routes compared to the amount of incoming or outgoing routes for each of the plurality of mesh nodes in a routing table for the wireless mesh network, and These weighted combinations, selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on at least one condition from a group consisting of, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. receiving MU association group candidates determined by the various mesh nodes from the various mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network; selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based at least in part on the MU association group candidates; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising.

8. determining a plurality of MU association groups based on the routing topology and traffic flow information of the wireless mesh network, each MU association group having a respective MU group length and one or more respective member mesh nodes, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. Selecting the plurality of MU association groups based at least in part on the MU participation constraints for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, The method according to claim 8, further comprising.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first mesh node operates as a network management unit of the wireless mesh network or is located at the same position as the network management unit.

11. An apparatus for wireless communication, means for communicating in a wireless mesh network including a plurality of mesh nodes; means for establishing at least a first multi-user (MU) association group including the first mesh node among the plurality of mesh nodes and one or more peer mesh nodes; comprising In the first MU association group, the first mesh node as the MU group length enables allocation of wireless channel resources for MU communication between the first mesh node and at least one subset of the one or more peer mesh nodes forming the first MU association group. The means for establishing the at least first MU association group are determining a MU participation constraint for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, the MU participation constraint limiting the amount of mesh nodes that the mesh node can manage as a MU group length or limiting the amount of MU association groups that the mesh node can participate in as a member, means for selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length for managing the first MU association group based at least in part on the routing topology and traffic flow information of the wireless mesh network, means for selecting the one or more peer mesh nodes as members of the first MU association group based on their respective peer relationships with the first mesh node and the MU participation constraints for each of the plurality of mesh nodes, A device comprising.

12. The means for establishing the at least first MU association group further means for obtaining the routing topology of the wireless mesh network based at least in part on a routing protocol message, means for obtaining traffic flow information regarding traffic between the first mesh node and the one or more peer mesh nodes, The device according to claim 11, comprising.

13. The means for obtaining the traffic flow information means for transmitting a request for a traffic report message to each of the one or more peer mesh nodes, means for receiving the traffic report message from each of the one or more peer mesh nodes in response to the request, the traffic report message including the traffic flow information measured by each of the one or more peer mesh nodes, The device according to claim 12, comprising.

14. The means for selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length determining that the first mesh node has the highest traffic load among the plurality of mesh nodes that have not yet been assigned as the MU group length, Among the plurality of mesh nodes that have not yet been assigned as the MU group length, the determination that the first mesh node creates the highest capacity bottleneck in the wireless mesh network, Among the plurality of mesh nodes that have not yet been assigned as the MU group length, the determination that the first mesh node receives the most traffic from source mesh nodes, The determination that the first mesh node has the highest weight value among the weight values for the plurality of mesh nodes, and Any combination of these, Means for selecting the first mesh node as the MU group length of the first MU association group based on at least one condition from the group consisting of, the apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

15. A computer program comprising program instructions that, when the program is executed by a computer, perform all the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

Images