Cooperative Beamforming Protocol for OBSS Interference Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless local area networks (WLANs), the increasing complexity of the environment leads to degraded transmission efficiency in overlapped basic service sets (OBSS) due to interference between access points (APs) and stations (STAs) using the same frequency channel, resulting in increased busy states and reduced transmission efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A cooperative beamforming communication method is introduced, where access points negotiate and perform cooperative transmit beamforming, including cooperative sounding to acquire precoding matrices, resetting network allocation vectors (NAV), and transmitting beamformed data frames during a determined cooperative transmit beamforming duration, thereby minimizing interference and enhancing transmission efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If access points transmit data using the same frequency channel in OBSS environment, then data transmission can be performed, but transmission efficiency is degraded due to interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful interference between access points in OBSS environment into a beneficial cooperative beamforming mechanism. By having APs negotiate and coordinate their transmissions using precoding matrices, the interference that would normally degrade transmission efficiency is transformed into controlled, coordinated multi-AP transmissions that improve overall system productivity while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If access points perform cooperative transmit beamforming negotiation and coordination, then transmission efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having access points perform cooperative sounding and negotiate precoding matrices before actual data transmission. This pre-coordination phase establishes the beamforming parameters in advance, allowing the actual data transmission to proceed efficiently without real-time negotiation overhead, thus improving transmission efficiency while managing protocol complexity.
3Productivity
If access points concurrently transmit beamformed data frames, then productivity is improved, but interference management becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses precoding matrices as an intermediary mechanism to manage concurrent transmissions from multiple access points. These precoding matrices act as mathematical intermediaries that shape and direct the transmitted signals, enabling concurrent data transmission from multiple APs while automatically managing interference through coordinated beamforming rather than requiring complex real-time interference control protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a protocol for transmitting data through cooperation between access points in an overlapped basic service set (OBSS) environment. A cooperative beamforming communication method may include negotiating, by a first access point, a cooperative transmit beamforming with a second access point having an OBSS area with the first access point; transmitting, by the first access point, a clear-to-send (CTS) to the second access point; and performing, by the first access point, the cooperative transmit beamforming with the second access point during a cooperative transmit beamforming duration determined through the negotiation after a predetermined time interval is elapsed, when transmission of the CTS is completed.