Triggered Transmission Opportunity Sharing in mmWave Networks

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently allocating transmission opportunities in mmWave bands, leading to increased error rates and reduced reliability due to the need for beamformed links, especially when stations lack pre-established beamformed connections.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves an access point (AP) using beamforming information shared by stations to determine allocation of transmission opportunities, allowing stations to perform beamforming training before transmitting, thereby improving communication reliability and reducing errors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If stations transmit data in mmWave bands without pre-established beamformed links, then transmission opportunity allocation is simplified, but error rate increases and reliability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission opportunity allocationVSAvoidcommunication reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by requiring stations to perform beamforming training and establish beamformed links before transmitting data in mmWave bands. The access point allocates specific time resources within transmission opportunities for beamforming training procedures, ensuring that reliable directional links are established in advance of actual data transmission, thereby preventing transmission errors without complicating the overall allocation process

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If beamforming training is performed before each transmission, then transmission reliability improves, but transmission time and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission reliabilityVSAvoidbeamforming training time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges beamforming training procedures with data transmission by allocating specific time resources within transmission opportunities for both purposes. Multiple stations can perform beamforming training simultaneously in different frequency resources or time slots, and the access point coordinates these training sessions with actual data transmissions, thereby reducing total training time while maintaining reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary action by establishing beamformed links in advance during dedicated training periods before actual data transmission begins. The access point schedules beamforming training to occur once per transmission opportunity rather than before each individual transmission, allowing stations to reuse established beams for multiple transmissions within the same opportunity, thereby reducing repeated training overhead

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If multiple stations share transmission opportunity simultaneously, then spectral efficiency improves, but interference and error rate increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespectral efficiencyVSAvoiderror rate
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by allocating specific frequency resources, time slots, and spatial beams to different stations within a transmission opportunity. Each station receives dedicated resources tailored to its channel conditions and beamforming capabilities, allowing simultaneous transmissions to occur with minimal interference. The access point assigns different resource allocations to different stations based on their specific requirements, enabling high spectral efficiency while maintaining low error rates through localized resource optimization

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4380290A1Triggered transmission opportunity sharing
Publication Date: 2024.06.05 COMCAST CABLE COMM LLC
  • EP4380290A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4380290A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4380290A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An access point may communicate with one or more computing devices such as wireless devices and/or stations. The access point may receive an indication of beamforming information from the one or more computing devices. Based on the beamforming information, the access point may send a message, such as a multi-user request-to-send trigger frame, comprising a field and/or a subfield for a triggered transmission opportunity sharing procedure.