AP Coordinated P2P Wi-Fi Resource Allocation

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Solution Overview

Problem

In dense Wi-Fi deployments, simultaneous P2P communications among many devices lead to frequent packet collisions, causing back-off, delay, or retransmission due to the lack of effective resource management and coordination.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of AP-coordinated P2P communications using OFDMA mechanisms, where the AP manages virtual P2P connections and allocates resource units through trigger frames like MU_BSRP and MU_P2P, ensuring efficient data transmission and reception among STAs based on buffer status and Quality of Service policies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If devices work in Wi-Fi P2P mode simultaneously in dense deployments, then communication efficiency is improved, but packet collisions increase frequently

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication efficiencyVSAvoidpacket collision rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The access point acts as an intermediary to coordinate P2P communications between stations. The AP receives buffer status reports from stations, allocates resource units based on the reports, and sends trigger frames to schedule P2P data transmissions, thereby mediating resource allocation and reducing collisions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary buffer status reporting before actual data transmission. Stations send buffer status reports to the AP in advance, allowing the AP to pre-allocate resource units and schedule transmissions before collisions can occur

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If resource allocation is optimized through AP coordination, then packet collisions are reduced, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepacket collision rateVSAvoidcoordination system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The access point utilizes existing multi-functional Wi-Fi protocols for buffer status reporting, resource allocation, and trigger frame transmission. These protocols serve multiple purposes including QoS management, resource scheduling, and coordination, reducing the need for separate dedicated mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

Stations autonomously generate and send buffer status reports to the AP based on their own buffer conditions. The AP automatically processes these reports and generates appropriate trigger frames, with each device serving itself in generating status information while the coordination overhead is centralized at the AP

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12108497B2Access point (AP) coordinated peer-to-peer (P2P) communications in wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network

Publication Date: 2024.10.01 INTEL CORP

AI summary

Provided herein are techniques for AP coordinated P2P communications in a Wi-Fi network. Embodiments describe an apparatus for an AP including processing circuitry to: encode a first trigger frame, to be transmitted to a plurality of STAs associated with the AP, to query a buffer status of each STA; receive one or more response frames from one or more of the plurality of STAs, each having data to be transmitted to a target receiver STA in the plurality of STAs; allocate one or more RUs for each of a group of STAs selected from the one or more STAs, based on the one or more response frames, and using OFDMA; and encode a second trigger frame, to be transmitted to the selected group of STAs and the target receiver STA for each of the group of STAs, to indicate the allocation of RUs.