Dynamic transmit chain availability signaling in wireless devices
A wireless devices communicates a transmission capability by determining a number of active transmits chains of the wireless device, determining a maximum number of space-time streams according to the number of active transmit chains, providing a frame with an indication of the maximum number of space-time streams, and transmitting the frame. The wireless devices may provide the indication of the maximum number of space-time streams in an Operating Mode field of High Efficiency Aggregate Control field of the frame. The maximum number of space-time streams may be a maximum number of space-time streams that may be used by the wireless device to respond to a Trigger frame.
1. A method for communicating a transmission capability of a wireless device, the method comprising:
determining, by the wireless device, a number of active transmits chains of the wireless device;
determining, by the wireless device using the determined number of active transmit chains, a maximum number of space-time streams, the maximum number of space-time streams being a maximum number of space-time streams that the wireless device can transmit;
providing, by the wireless device in a frame, an indication of the maximum number of space-time streams; and
transmitting, by the wireless device, the frame,
wherein the wireless device is a non-Access Point station (non-AP STA).
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the indication of the maximum number of space-time streams includes providing the indication of the maximum number of space-time streams in an High Efficiency (HE) Aggregated Control (A-Control field) of a High Throughput (HT) Control field of the frame.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the indication of the maximum number of space-time streams is provided in an Operating Mode field included in the HE A-Control field.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the frame is a Control Wrapper frame or a Quality of Service (QoS) data or management frame.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication of the maximum number of space-time streams is equal to the maximum number of space-time streams minus one.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the maximum number of space-time streams is a maximum number of space-time streams useable by the wireless device for transmitting a response to a future Trigger frame received by the wireless device.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device comprises a plurality of transmit chains.
8. A wireless device, comprising:
a plurality of transmit chains; and
a processor operable to control the plurality of transmit chains,
wherein the wireless device is a non-Access Point station (non-AP STA), and
wherein the wireless device is to:
determine a number of active transmits chains of the plurality of transmit chains;
determine, using the determined number of active transmits chains, a maximum number of space-time streams, the maximum number of space-time streams being a maximum number of space-time streams that the wireless device can transmit;
provide an indication of the maximum number of space-time streams in a frame; and
transmit the frame using at least one of the plurality of transmit chains.
9. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the indication of the maximum number of space-time streams is provided in an High Efficiency (HE) Aggregated Control (A-Control field) of a High Throughput (HT) Control field of the frame.
10. The wireless device of claim 9 , wherein the indication of the maximum number of space-time streams is provided in an Operating Mode field included in the HE A-Control field.
11. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the frame is a Control Wrapper frame or a Quality of Service (QoS) data or management frame.
12. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the indication of the maximum number of space-time streams is equal to the maximum number of space-time streams minus one.
13. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the maximum number of space-time streams is a maximum number of space-time streams useable by the wireless device for transmitting a response frame to a future Trigger frame received by the wireless device.
14. The wireless device of claim 10 , wherein the indication of the maximum number of space-time streams is provided in bits 6 through 8 of the Operating Mode field.
15. The method of claim 3 , wherein the indication of the maximum number of space-time streams is provided in bits 6 through 8 of the Operating Mode field.
16. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the maximum number of space-time streams is a maximum number of space-time streams that the wireless device can transmit using only the determined number of active transmits chains.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the maximum number of space-time streams is a maximum number of space-time streams that the wireless device can transmit using only the determined number of active transmits chains.