Channel Transfer Frames for Inter-AP Sounding Coordination
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in performing channel sounding across multiple access points (APs) to prevent interference and enhance data transmission rates, particularly in intra-frequency deployments where APs share the same frequency band, leading to potential interference and limited network throughput.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for channel sounding across APs, involving the use of channel transfer command frames and sounding dialog tokens to identify and forward channel sounding results accurately between APs, allowing concurrent data transmission without interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple APs are deployed on the same frequency to improve network coverage and capacity, then network coverage and capacity are improved, but interference between APs occurs and data transmission reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs channel sounding before data transmission to obtain channel state information in advance. The controller AP initiates channel sounding procedures where member APs measure channels to STAs, and results are transferred across APs before actual data transmission occurs, enabling proactive interference management
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where channel sounding results are measured and reported back to the controller AP, which then uses this information to coordinate transmissions. The channel state information feedback enables the system to adjust transmissions based on actual channel conditions, preventing interference
2Productivity
If multiple APs transmit data concurrently to improve network throughput, then data transmission rate is improved, but interference between APs and STAs occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs channel sounding and obtains channel state information before allowing concurrent transmissions. The controller AP coordinates this preliminary channel measurement phase, ensuring that all necessary channel information is available before APs begin simultaneous data transmission, thus enabling interference-free concurrent operations
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses channel sounding feedback to determine which APs can transmit concurrently. The measured channel state information is fed back to the controller, which uses this information to make coordinated transmission decisions, allowing multiple APs to transmit simultaneously only when channel conditions permit without causing interference
3Productivity
If channel sounding is performed across APs to enable interference nulling mode, then data transmission rate is improved, but system complexity increases due to lack of existing solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a controller AP as an intermediary that coordinates channel sounding across multiple member APs. The controller AP receives channel sounding results from member APs, transfers necessary information between APs, and manages the overall channel sounding process, thereby reducing the complexity burden on individual APs while enabling cross-AP channel knowledge
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the channel sounding process into distinct phases and responsibilities: member APs perform local channel measurements to their associated STAs, the controller AP coordinates the process and manages information transfer between APs. This segmentation allows complex cross-AP channel sounding to be broken down into manageable tasks distributed across multiple APs
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
This application discloses a channel sounding method and a communication apparatus. The method includes: A first access point receives a channel transfer command frame from a controller or a central access point, and sends a channel transfer frame to a second access point based on the channel transfer command frame. The channel transfer command frame indicates the first access point to send a channel sounding result of at least one station to the second access point. The channel transfer command frame includes a first sounding dialog token number. The channel transfer frame carries a channel sounding result corresponding to a first sounding dialog token in channel sounding results of a plurality of stations. In the method, the at least one station is associated with the first access point. After receiving the channel transfer command frame, the first access point forwards the channel sounding result of the at least one station to the second access point. In this way, channel sounding is performed across access points, so that a plurality of intra-frequency deployed access points can concurrently send data, and a data transmission rate in an entire wireless network is improved.