Wireless communication system with coordinated multipoint operation and methods for use therewith
View Patent ↗A wireless access point includes a wireless transceiver configured to provide coordinated multipoint communications with at least one non-legacy device of a plurality of remote devices via a wireless local area network protocol. The coordinated multipoint communications are coordinated with at least one other wireless access point in accordance with coordination data.
1. A wireless access point, comprising:
a processing module configured to operate in conjunction with a memory; and
a wireless transceiver, coupled to the processing module, configured to provide coordinated multipoint communications with at least one non-legacy device of a plurality of remote devices via a wireless local area network protocol, wherein the coordinated multipoint communications are coordinated with at least one other wireless access point in accordance with coordination data, wherein the coordinated multipoint communications include beamforming transmissions by the wireless transceiver, and wherein the beamforming transmissions are generated in response to distress sounding transmissions generated by at least one of the plurality of remote devices.
2. The wireless access point of claim 1 wherein the wireless transceiver contemporaneously provides single point communications with at least one legacy device of the plurality of remote devices.
3. The wireless access point of claim 1 wherein the coordinated multipoint communications are coordinated with the at least one other wireless access point to include transmission of a plurality of simultaneous data frames by the wireless transceiver at the at least one other wireless access point, wherein the simultaneous data frames are synchronized to include at least one non-beamformed transmission during a non-beamformed portion and a plurality of simultaneous beamformed transmission during a beamformed portion.
4. The wireless access point of claim 1 wherein the coordinated multipoint communications include simultaneous transmission of a first communication by the wireless transceiver to the at least one non-legacy device and by the at least one other wireless access point to the at least one non-legacy device of the plurality of remote devices.
5. The wireless access point of claim 1 wherein the coordination data is received from an access point controller to synchronize the coordinated multipoint communications.
6. The wireless access point of claim 1 further comprising:
an access point controller, coupled to the wireless transceiver, configured to generate the coordination data, wherein the coordination data is transmitted to the at least one other wireless access point to synchronize the coordinated multipoint communications.
7. The wireless access point of claim 1 wherein the coordinated multipoint communications include at least one of: a downlink communication, a sounding communication, an acknowledgement transmission and an acknowledgement reception.
8. The wireless access point of claim 1 wherein the coordination data synchronizes beamforming transmissions by the wireless transceiver and the at least one other wireless access point.
9. The wireless access point of claim 1 wherein the at least one non-legacy device includes a plurality of non-legacy devices; and
wherein the coordination data triggers a sequence of acknowledgement polling transmissions to successive ones of the plurality of non-legacy devices.
10. A method comprising:
receiving coordination data at a wireless access point from an access point controller; and
generating, via a wireless transceiver of the wireless access point, coordinated multipoint communications with at least one non-legacy device of a plurality of remote devices via a wireless local area network protocol, wherein the coordinated multipoint communications are coordinated with at least one other wireless access point in accordance with coordination data, wherein the coordinated multipoint communications are coordinated with the at least one other wireless access point to include transmission of a plurality of simultaneous data frames by the wireless transceiver at the at least one other wireless access point, and wherein the simultaneous data frames are synchronized to include at least one non-beamformed transmission during a non-beamformed portion and a plurality of simultaneous beamformed transmissions during a beamformed portion.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the coordinated multipoint communications include beamforming transmissions by the wireless transceiver, wherein the beamformed transmissions are generated in response to distress sounding transmissions generated by at least one of the plurality of remote devices.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein the wireless transceiver contemporaneously generates single point communications with at least one legacy device of the plurality of remote devices.
13. The method of claim 10 wherein the at least one non-legacy device includes a plurality of non-legacy devices; and
wherein the coordination data triggers the wireless transceiver to generate a sequence of acknowledgement polling transmissions to successive ones of the plurality of non-legacy devices.
14. The method of claim 10 wherein the coordinated multipoint communications include simultaneous transmission of a first communication by the wireless transceiver to the at least one non-legacy device and by the at least one other wireless access point to the at least one non-legacy device of the plurality of remote devices.
15. The method of claim 10 wherein the coordinated multipoint communications include at least one of: a downlink communication, a sounding communication, an acknowledgement transmission and an acknowledgement reception.
16. An access point controller, comprising:
a processing module configured to operate in conjunction with a memory; and
a communication interface, coupled to the processing module, configured to provide coordination data to a plurality of access points, wherein the coordination data facilitates coordinated multipoint communications of the plurality of access points with at least one non-legacy device of a plurality of remote devices via a wireless local area network protocol,
wherein at least one of the plurality of access points contemporaneously provides single point communications with at least one legacy device of the plurality of remote devices;
wherein the at least one non-legacy device includes a plurality of non-legacy devices; and
wherein the coordination data triggers a sequence of acknowledgement polling transmissions to successive ones of the plurality of non-legacy devices.
17. The access point controller of claim 16 wherein at least one of the plurality of access points contemporaneously provides single point communications with at least one legacy device of the plurality of remote devices.
18. The access point controller of claim 16 wherein the coordinated multipoint communications include simultaneous transmission of a first to the at least one non-legacy device and by the at least one of the plurality of access points to the at least one non-legacy device of the plurality of remote devices.
19. The access point controller of claim 16 wherein the coordinated multipoint communications include at least one of: a downlink communication, a sounding communication, an acknowledgement transmission and an acknowledgement reception.
20. The access point controller of claim 16 wherein the coordinated multipoint communications include simultaneous transmission of a first communication by a first access point of the plurality of access points to a first non-legacy device of the plurality of remote devices and a second communication by a second access point of the plurality of access points to a second non-legacy device of the plurality of remote devices.