ANTENNA WEIGHT VECTOR GROUP IDENTIFICATION FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION
Wireless communication networks may use various techniques, including those that use multiple-access techniques such as multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) techniques. In some embodiments, the use of a MU-MIMO setup frame may give a destination STA a chance to select a best antenna weight vector (AWV) based on previous antenna training. In particular, the use of an AWVgroupID may be used to identify a group of one or more STAs that can be the destination STAs of the MU-MIMO setup frame.
1 . A wireless communications device having a processor and a memory, the processor and memory adapted to:
encode a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) setup frame that includes multiple group identifiers, each group identifier associated with multiple station (STA) address identifiers, each of the multiple STA address identifiers associated with an antenna weight vector (AWV) for directional reception; and
transmit the MIMO setup frame to multiple STAs associated with the multiple STA address identifiers.
2 . The wireless communications device of claim 1 , further adapted to append a bitmap to each group identifier to indicate which of the multiple STA address identifiers to associate with each group identifier.
3 . The wireless communications device of claim 1 , further adapted to enable determination of the AWVs by performing beamforming training with the STAs prior to said encoding and transmitting.
4 . The wireless communications device of claim 1 , further adapted to transmit a MIMO frame to the multiple STAs subsequent to said transmitting the MIMO setup frame.
5 . The wireless communications device of claim 1 , further comprising an antenna array.
6 . A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium that contains instructions, which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising:
encoding a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) setup frame that includes multiple group identifiers, each group identifier associated with multiple station (STA) address identifiers, each of the multiple STA address identifiers associated with an antenna weight vector (AWV); and
transmitting the MIMO setup frame to multiple STAs associated with the multiple STA address identifiers.
7 . The medium of claim 6 , wherein the operations further comprise appending a bitmap to each group identifier to indicate which of the multiple STA address identifiers to associate with each group identifier.
8 . The medium of claim 6 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a MIMO frame to the multiple STAs subsequent to said transmitting the MIMO setup frame.
9 . The medium of claim 6 , wherein the operations further comprise enabling determination the AWVs by performing beamforming training with the STAs prior to said encoding and transmitting.
10 . A wireless communications device comprising a processor and a memory, the processor and memory adapted to:
encode a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) setup frame that includes multiple station (STA) address identifiers;
encode the MIMO setup frame with multiple antenna weight vectors (AWV), each AWV associated with one of the STA address identifiers; and
transmit the MIMO setup frame to multiple STAs associated with the multiple STA address identifiers;
wherein each AWV represents directional receive parameters for the associated STA to use during communication of a subsequent MIMO frame.
11 . The wireless communications device of claim 10 , further adapted to transmit, subsequent to said transmitting the MIMO setup frame, the MIMO frame to the STAs identified by the STA address identifiers.
12 . The wireless communications device of claim 10 , further adapted to:
perform beamforming training with the multiple STAs prior to said encoding the MIMO setup frame to permit deriving the AWVs.
13 . The wireless communications device of claim 10 , further comprising an antenna array.
14 . A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium that contains instructions, which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising:
encoding a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) setup frame that includes multiple station (STA) address identifiers;
encoding the MIMO setup frame with multiple antenna weight vectors (AWV), each AWV associated with one of the STA address identifiers; and
transmitting the MIMO setup frame to multiple STAs associated with the multiple STA address identifiers;
wherein each AWV represents directional receive parameters for the associated STA during the MIMO frame.
15 . The medium of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting, subsequent to transmitting the MIMO setup frame, a MIMO frame to the STAs identified by the STA address identifiers.
16 . The medium of claim 14 , further comprising performing beamforming training with the multiple STAs prior to said encoding the MIMO setup frame to permit deriving the AWVs.
17 . A wireless communications device having a processor and a memory, the processor and memory adapted to:
receive a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) setup frame that includes multiple station (STA) address identifiers and multiple antenna weight vectors (AWVs), each of the STA address identifiers being associated with one of the AWVs;
determine that one of the STA address identifiers is a particular STA address identifier that identifies the wireless communications device; and
receive, subsequent to said receiving the MIMO setup frame, a MIMO frame using an AWV associated with the particular STAs address identifier;
wherein the AWV associated with the particular STA address identifier represents directional receive parameters for the wireless communications device.
18 . The wireless communications device of claim 17 , further comprising an antenna array.
19 . A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium that contains instructions, which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising:
receiving a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) setup frame that includes multiple station (STA) address identifiers and multiple antenna weight vectors (AWVs), each of the STA address identifiers being associated with one of the AWVs;
determining that one of the STA address identifiers is a particular STA address identifier that identifies the wireless communications device; and
receiving, subsequent to said receiving the MIMO setup frame, a MIMO frame using an AWV associated with the particular STAs address identifier;
wherein the AWV associated with the particular STA address identifier represents directional receive parameters for the wireless communications device.
20 . The medium of claim 19 , wherein the operations further comprise performing beamforming training to derive the AWV associated with the wireless communications device, prior to said receiving the MIMO setup frame.