Apparatus, system and method of beamforming
Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, devices, systems and methods of beamforming. For example, a responder station may process a received Beam Refinement Protocol (BRP) request including a beam tracking request from an initiator station; and select whether or not to transmit a BRP response including beam tracking feedback, in response to the BRP request, based on a comparison between a time period and a BRP tracking time limit, the time period being based on a timing of the BRP request and a timing of the BRP response.
1. An apparatus comprising circuitry configured to cause a responder station to:
transmit a first capabilities element comprising a first Beam Refinement Protocol (BRP) tracking time limit value;
process a second capabilities element comprising a second BRP tracking time limit value from an initiator station;
determine a BRP tracking time limit based on the first and second BRP tracking time limit values;
process a received BRP request comprising a beam tracking request from the initiator station; and
select whether or not to transmit a BRP response comprising beam tracking feedback, in response to the BRP request, based on a comparison between a time period and the BRP tracking time limit, the time period being based on a timing of the BRP request and a timing of the BRP response.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the responder station to transmit the BRP response, when the time period is equal to or less than the BRP tracking time limit.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the responder station to select not to transmit the BRP response, when the time period is longer than the BRP tracking time limit.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the responder station to negotiate the BRP tracking time limit with the initiator station.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the responder station to determine the BRP tracking time limit based on a comparison between the first and second BRP tracking time limit values.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the timing of the BRP request is based on a Physical Layer (PHY) Receive (Rx) end (PHY-RXEND) indication primitive of the BRP request.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the timing of the BRP response is based on a Physical Layer (PHY) Transmit (Tx) end (PHY-TXEND) indication primitive of the BRP response.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the responder station is a Directional Multi-Gigabit (DMG) Station (STA).
9. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising one or more antennas, a memory and a processor.
10. An apparatus comprising circuitry configured to cause an initiator station to:
transmit a first capabilities element comprising a first Beam Refinement Protocol (BRP) tracking time limit value;
process a second capabilities element comprising a second BRP tracking time limit value from a responder station;
determine a BRP tracking time limit based on the first and second BRP tracking time limit values;
transmit a BRP request comprising a beam tracking request to the responder station; and
select whether or not beam tracking feedback in a BRP response from the responder station is to be processed as a response to the beam tracking request, based on a comparison between a time period and the BRP tracking time limit, the time period being based on a timing of the BRP request and a timing of the BRP response.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 configured to cause the initiator station to transmit the BRP request if at least one of the following conditions is met:
a time duration since transmission of a last BRP request to the responder station is greater than a sum of the BRP tracking time limit and a beam refinement protocol inter-frame space (BRPIFS); and
a previous BRP response was received from the responder station.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 configured to cause the initiator station to process the feedback in the BRP response, when the time period is less than the BRP tracking time limit.
13. The apparatus of claim 10 configured to cause the initiator station to select to ignore the feedback in the BRP response, when the time period is equal to or greater than the BRP tracking time limit.
14. The apparatus of claim 10 configured to cause the initiator station to determine a failure of the beam tracking request, when the BRP response is not received within the BRP tracking time limit.
15. The apparatus of claim 10 configured to cause the initiator station to determine the BRP tracking time limit based on a comparison between the first and second BRP tracking time limit values.
16. The apparatus of claim 10 comprising one or more antennas, a memory and a processor.
17. A product comprising one or more tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one computer processor, enable the at least one computer processor to cause a responder station to:
transmit a first capabilities element comprising a first Beam Refinement Protocol (BRP) tracking time limit value;
process a second capabilities element comprising a second BRP tracking time limit value from an initiator station;
determine a BRP tracking time limit based on the first and second BRP tracking time limit values;
process a received BRP request comprising a beam tracking request from the initiator station; and
select whether or not to transmit a BRP response comprising beam tracking feedback, in response to the BRP request, based on a comparison between a time period and the BRP, tracking time limit, the time period being based on a timing of the BRP request and a timing of the BRP response.
18. The product of claim 17 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the responder station to select not to transmit the BRP response, when the time period is longer than the BRP tracking time limit.
19. The product of claim 17 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the responder station to determine the BRP tracking time limit based on a comparison between the first and second BRP tracking time limit values.
20. A product comprising one or more tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one computer processor, enable the at least one computer processor to cause an initiator station to:
transmit a first capabilities element comprising a first Beam Refinement Protocol (BRP) tracking time limit value;
process a second capabilities element comprising a second BRP tracking time limit value from a responder station;
determine a BRP tracking time limit based on the first and second BRP tracking time limit values;
transmit a BRP request comprising a beam tracking request to the responder station; and
select whether or not beam tracking feedback in a BRP response from the responder station is to be processed as a response to the beam tracking request, based on a comparison between a time period and the BRP tracking time limit, the time period being based on a timing of the BRP request and a timing of the BRP response.
21. The product of claim 20 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the initiator station to transmit the BRP request if at least one of the following conditions is met:
a time duration since transmission of a last BRP request to the responder station is greater than a sum of the BRP tracking time limit and a beam refinement protocol inter-frame space (BRPIFS); and
a previous BRP response was received from the responder station.
22. The product of claim 20 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the initiator station to determine the BRP tracking time limit based on a comparison between the first and second BRP tracking time limit values.