System and method for coordinated beamforming for overlapping basic service set in WLAN

1. A method by a first access point (AP) enabling coordinated beamforming (CB) for overlapping basic service sets (OBSSs) in wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

sending by the first AP a Feedback Request (FBR) frame to each one of a plurality of stations (STAs), wherein the OBSSs comprise the STAs and a plurality of APs including the first AP and other APs;

receiving a feedback frame from each STA of the STAs that participate in CB transmission for the OBSSs, wherein the feedback frame includes channel state information (CSI) of the STA, and wherein at least one of the STAs that participate in the CB transmission for the OBSSs is associated with one of the other APs and not with the first AP, the CSI enabling the first AP to perform CB on downlink;

sending an initiate CB frame to each one of the other APs in the OBSSs;

receiving an acknowledgement (ACK) frame from each one of the other APs intending to participate in the CB transmission;

starting the CB transmission with each one of the other APs that participate in the CB transmission; and

sending an end of service period (EOSP) frame terminating the CB transmission.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the EOSP frame is sent to each one of the other APs participating in the CB transmission.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising discarding in the CB transmission each one of the other APs of which no ACK frame was received.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

upon starting the CB transmission, gaining access to a wireless medium for sending frames in the OBSSs;

sending, with the other APs participating in the CB transmission, data on downlink to the STAs participating in the CB transmission, wherein the data is sent using CB with the other APs participating in the CB transmission;

sending a Block ACK Request (BAR) frame to each STA associated with the first AP; and

receiving a Block ACK (BA) frame from each STA associated with the first AP.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the BAR frame is sent to each STA associated with the first AP consecutively in sequence.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the BAR frame is sent to each STA associated with the first AP concurrently using CB on downlink, and wherein the BA frame is received from each STA associated with the first AP concurrently via CB on uplink.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising discarding in the CB transmission each one of other STAs from which no feedback frame was received.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the FBR frame to each one of the STAs indicates Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of the first AP and a target STA.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the FBR frame is sent to each one of the STAs consecutively in sequence.

10. A first access point (AP) enabling coordinated beamforming (CB) for overlapping basic service sets (OBSSs) in wireless local area network (WLAN), the first AP comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to:

send a Feedback Request (FBR) frame to each one of a plurality of statins (STAs), wherein the OBSSs comprise the STAs and a plurality of APs including the first AP and other APs;

receive a feedback frame from each STA of the STAs that participate in CB transmission for the OBSSs, wherein the feedback frame includes channel state information (CSI) of the STA, and wherein at least one of the STAs that participate in the CB transmission for the OBSSs is associated with one of the other APs and not with the first AP, the CSI enabling the first AP to perform CB on downlink;

send an initiate CB frame to each one of the other APs in the OBSSs;

receive an acknowledgement (ACK) frame from each one of the other APs that participate in the CB transmission;

start the CB transmission with each one of the other APs that participate in the CB transmission; and

send, to the other APs participating in the CB transmission, an end of service period (EOSP) frame terminating the CB transmission.

11. The first AP of claim 10 , wherein the programming includes further instructions to:

upon starting the CB transmission, gain access to a wireless medium for sending frames in the OBSSs;

send, with the other APs participating in the CB transmission, data on downlink to the STAs participating in the CB transmission, wherein the data is sent using CB with the other APs participating in the CB transmission;

send a Block ACK Request (BAR) frame to each STA associated with the first AP; and

receive a Block ACK (BA) frame from each STA associated with the first AP.

12. The first AP of claim 10 , wherein the FBR frame to each one of the STAs indicates Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of the first AP and a target STA.

13. A method by a first access point (AP) enabling coordinated beamforming (CB) for overlapping basic service sets (OBSSs) in wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

receiving by the first AP an initiate CB frame from a second AP initiating CB transmission for OBSSs, wherein the OBSSs comprise a plurality of APs and a plurality of stations (STAs) associated with the APs, and wherein the plurality of APs includes the first AP, the second AP and other APs;

sending an acknowledgement (ACK) frame to the second AP, wherein the first AP participates in the CB transmission with the second AP;

sending a Feedback Request (FBR) frame to each one of the STAs;

receiving a feedback frame from each STA of the STAs that participate in the CB transmission, wherein the feedback frame includes channel state information (CSI) of the STA, and wherein at least one of the STAs that participate in the CB transmission is associated with the second AP or one of the other APs, and not with the first AP, the CSI enabling the first AP to perform CB on downlink;

starting the CB transmission with each one of the other APs participating in the CB transmission; and

receiving, from the second AP, an end of service period (EOSP) frame terminating the CB transmission.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

sending, with the other APs participating in the CB transmission, data on downlink to the STAs participating in the CB transmission, wherein the data is sent using CB with the other APs participating in the CB transmission;

sending a Block ACK Request (BAR) frame to each STA associated with the first AP; and

receiving a Block ACK (BA) frame from each STA associated with the first AP.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the FBR frame to each one of the STAs indicates Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of the first AP and a target STA.

16. A first access point (AP) enabling coordinated beamforming (CB) for overlapping basic service sets (OBSSs) in wireless local area network (WLAN), the first AP comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to:

receive an initiate CB frame from a second AP initiating in CB transmission for OBSSs, wherein the OBSSs comprise a plurality of APs and a plurality of stations (STAs) associated with the APs, and wherein the plurality of APs includes the first AP, the second AP and other APs;

send an acknowledgement (ACK) frame to the second AP, wherein the first AP participates in the CB transmission with the second AP;

send a Feedback Request (FBR) frame to each one of the STAs;

receive a feedback frame from each STA of the STAs that participate in the CB transmission, wherein the feedback frame includes channel state information (CSI) of the STA, and wherein at least one of the STAs that participate in the CB transmission is associated with the second AP or one of the other APs, and not with the first AP, the CSI enabling the first AP to perform CB on downlink;

start the CB transmission with each one of the other APs participating in the CB transmission; and

receive, from the second AP, an end of service period (EOSP) frame terminating the CB transmission.

17. The first AP of claim 16 , wherein the programming includes further instructions to:

send, with the other APs participating in the CB transmission, data on downlink to the STAs participating in the CB transmission, wherein the data is sent using CB with the other APs participating in the CB transmission;

send a Block ACK Request (BAR) frame to each STA associated with the first AP;

receive a Block ACK (BA) frame from each STA associated with the first AP; and

receiving, from the second AP, an end of service period (EOSP) frame terminating the CB transmission.

18. A method by a station (STA) in overlapping basic service sets (OBSSs) in wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

receiving from a first access point (AP) a Feedback Request (FBR) frame, wherein the OBSSs comprise a plurality of APs including the first AP and other APs, and further comprise a plurality of stations (STAs) including the STA;

sending a feedback frame to the first AP, wherein the STA participates in a coordinated beamforming (CB) transmission with the first AP, wherein the STA is associated with one of the other APs and not with the first AP, and wherein the feedback frame includes channel state information (CSI) of the STA, the CSI enabling the first AP to perform CB on downlink;

starting the CB transmission with the first AP and each one of the other APs participating in the CB transmission, after the first AP sends an initiate CB frame to each one of the other APs in the OBSSs, and after each one of the other APs intending to participate in the CB transmission sends an acknowledgement (ACK) frame; and

ending the CB transmission after the first AP sends an end of service period (EOSP) frame.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

receiving data from the first AP, wherein the data is sent by the first AP using CB with the other APs participating in the CB transmission;

receiving a Block Acknowledgment (ACK) Request (BAR) frame from the first AP; and

sending a Block ACK (BA) frame to the first AP.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the BA frame is sent to the first AP concurrently with other STAs associated with the first AP via CB on uplink.

21. A station (STA) in overlapping basic service sets (OBSSs) in wireless local area network (WLAN), the STA comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to:

receive from a first access point (AP) a Feedback Request (FBR) frame, wherein the OBSSs comprise a plurality of APs including the first AP and other APs, and further comprise a plurality of stations (STAs) including the STA;

send a feedback frame to the first AP, wherein the STA participates in a coordinated beamforming (CB) transmission with the first AP, wherein the STA is associated with one of the other APs and not with the first AP, and wherein the feedback frame includes channel state information (CSI) of the STA, the CSI enabling the first AP to perform CB on downlink;

start the CB transmission with the first AP and each one of the other APs participating in the CB transmission, after the first AP sends an initiate CB frame to each one of the other APs in the OBSSs, and after each one of the other APs intending to participate in the CB transmission sends an acknowledgement (ACK) frame; and

end the CB transmission after the first AP sends an end of service period (EOSP) frame.

22. The STA of claim 21 , wherein the programming includes further instructions to:

receive data from the first AP, wherein the data is sent by the first AP using CB with the other APs participating in the CB transmission;

receive a Block Acknowledgement (ACK) Request (BAR) frame from the first AP; and

send a Block ACK (BA) frame to the first AP.