Beamforming feedback frame formats within multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications

摘要

Beamforming feedback frame formats within multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications. A transmitting wireless communication device (TX) transmits a sounding frame to one or more receiving wireless communication devices (RXs) using one or more antennae and one or more clusters. Any antenna/cluster combination may be employed in communications between TXs and RXs. The one or more RXs receive/process the sounding frame to determine a type of beamforming feedback frame to be provided to the TX. Any one of a variety of beamforming feedback frame types and a types of information may be contained within a respective beamforming feedback frame including various characteristics of the respective communication channel between the TX and each of the various RXs. A common beamforming feedback frame format may be supported and employed by all such wireless communication devices (e.g., TX and RXs) when performing MU-MIMO operation such as in accordance with IEEE 802.11ac/VHT.

主权项

1. A wireless communication device comprising:
a communication interface; and a processor configured to:
receive, via the communication interface, a beamforming feedback frame from a first other wireless communication device;generate a multiple user (MU) beamformed frame based on information included within the beamforming feedback frame that characterizes a communication pathway between the wireless communication device and the first other wireless communication device, wherein the MU beamformed frame includes data for both the first other wireless communication device and a second other wireless communication device and includes no beamforming based on another communication pathway between the wireless communication device and the second other wireless communication device; andtransmit, via the communication interface, the MU beamformed frame to the first other wireless communication device and the second other wireless communication device.