Access Point Selection Using Channel Orthogonality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless access point systems face reduced network throughput due to signal interference from non-orthogonal client channels, as they primarily rely on signal strength for client association, leading to channel correlation and interference issues.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses physical layer information, such as channel state information, to select access points for clients based on orthogonality, reducing channel correlation by considering spatial distribution and signal overlap, even before client association, using algorithms like MU-SIC for spatial distribution estimation and precoding to minimize interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If clients associate with access points based on signal strength, then connection reliability is improved, but channel correlation increases leading to reduced network throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the selection parameter from signal strength to channel orthogonality metric. The controller calculates orthogonality between client channels and selects access points that maximize this metric, thereby reducing channel correlation while maintaining connection reliability through systematic evaluation of channel characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by calculating channel state information and orthogonality metrics from physical layer feedback. The controller uses this feedback to dynamically select access points that optimize channel orthogonality, creating a closed-loop system that adapts to channel conditions.
2Productivity
If multiple clients are served concurrently using precoding, then network capacity is improved, but inter-client interference increases when channels are non-orthogonal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by calculating channel orthogonality metrics before client association. The controller evaluates potential access point assignments and selects configurations that ensure orthogonal channels for concurrent clients, preventing interference before it occurs rather than mitigating it afterward.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by ensuring that each client group served concurrently by an access point has locally orthogonal channels. This creates optimal channel conditions for each specific client group while allowing different access points to serve different client groups with different channel characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
In some examples, a system can include a processing resource and a memory resource. The memory resource can store machine readable instructions to cause the processing resource to: (1) collect feedback from a physical (PHY)-layer of a client at a plurality of access points, before the client is associated with any one of the plurality of access points and (2) select an access point using a client channel correlation value calculated from the PHY-layer feedback, wherein the selected access point serves the client and a client group concurrently using precoding.