Explicit feedback format within single user, multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications

Abstract

Explicit feedback format within single user, multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications. A beamformer provides a first communication to a beamformee, and based thereon, the beamformee may ascertain certain characteristics associated with the type and format of feedback to be provided to the beamformee via a second communication from the beamformee to the beamformer. For example, the first communication may include indication of a current operational mode, such as whether it is in accordance with single-user multiple input multiple output (SU-MIMO) or multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO). Also, the first communication may indicate a requested steering matrix's rank to be employed in accordance with subsequent beamforming by the beamformer. Also, additional information such as that pertaining to per-tone SNR values for each respective space-time stream, per-tone or per-sub-band eigen-values, the particular channel width being employed (e.g., 20, 40, 80, or 160 MHz), etc. may be included within the second communication.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wireless communication device comprising:
 a communication interface; and   a processing circuitry coupled to the communication interface, at least one of the processing circuitry or the communication interface configured to:
 generate a non-data packet announcement (NDP-A) that includes information that requests single-user multiple-input-multiple-output (SU-MIMO) feedback or multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) feedback from another wireless communication device; 
 transmit the NDP-A to the another wireless communication device; 
 when the information within the NDP-A requests SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receive a first beamforming feedback frame that includes the SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device; and 
 when the information within the NDP-A requests MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receive a second beamforming feedback frame that includes the MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device. 
   
     
     
         2 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the processing circuitry or the communication interface is further configured to:
 set a bit of the information within the NDP-A to a first value to request the SU-MIMO feedback from another wireless communication device; and   set the bit of the information within the NDP-A to a second value to request the MU-MIMO feedback from another wireless communication device.   
     
     
         3 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the processing circuitry or the communication interface is further configured to:
 after receiving the first beamforming feedback frame that includes the SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, generate a beamformed frame based on the first beamforming feedback frame and transmit the beamformed frame to the another wireless communication device.   
     
     
         4 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the processing circuitry or the communication interface is further configured to:
 after receiving the second beamforming feedback frame that includes the MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, generate a beamformed frame based on the second beamforming feedback frame and transmit the beamformed frame to the another wireless communication device.   
     
     
         5 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the processing circuitry or the communication interface is further configured to:
 when the information within the NDP-A requests MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receive the second beamforming feedback frame that includes the MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device and also receive at least one other beamforming feedback frame that includes at least one other MU-MIMO feedback at least one other wireless communication device; and   after receiving the second beamforming feedback frame that includes the MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device and after receiving the at least one other beamforming feedback frame that includes the at least one other MU-MIMO feedback the at least one other wireless communication device, generate a beamformed frame based on at least one of the second beamforming feedback frame or the at least one other MU-MIMO feedback and transmit the beamformed frame to at least one of the another wireless communication device and the at least one other wireless communication device.   
     
     
         6 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the processing circuitry or the communication interface is further configured to:
 when the information within the NDP-A requests SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receive the first beamforming feedback frame that includes the SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, wherein the first beamforming feedback frame is in compressed format that includes a codebook information field that indicates a first plurality of angle resolution values associated with SU-MIMO operation; and   when the information within the NDP-A requests MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receive the second beamforming feedback frame that includes the MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, wherein second beamforming feedback frame is in compressed format that includes a codebook information field that indicates a second plurality of angle resolution values associated with MU-MIMO operation.   
     
     
         7 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the processing circuitry or the communication interface is further configured to:
 when the information within the NDP-A requests SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receive the first beamforming feedback frame that includes beamforming information for up to eight antennae; and   when the information within the NDP-A requests MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receive the second beamforming feedback frame that includes beamforming information for a plurality of per-tone or per-sub-band eigen-values and a channel bandwidth selected from least three different channel bandwidth values.   
     
     
         8 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1  further comprising:
 an access point (AP), wherein the another wireless communication device includes a wireless station (STA). 
 
     
     
         9 . A wireless communication device comprising:
 a communication interface; and   a processing circuitry coupled to the communication interface, at least one of the processing circuitry or the communication interface configured to:
 generate a non-data packet announcement (NDP-A) that includes a bit set to a first value to request single-user multiple-input-multiple-output (SU-MIMO) feedback or that includes the bit set to a second value to request multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) feedback from another wireless communication device; 
 transmit the NDP-A to the another wireless communication device; 
 when the bit within the NDP-A is set to the first value, receive a first beamforming feedback frame that includes the SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device and generate a first beamformed frame based on the first beamforming feedback frame; and 
 when the bit within the NDP-A is set to the second value, receive a second beamforming feedback frame that includes the MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device and generate a second beamformed frame based on the second beamforming feedback frame. 
   
     
     
         10 . The wireless communication device of  claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
 when the bit within the NDP-A is set to the second value, receive the second beamforming feedback frame that includes the MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device and also receive at least one other beamforming feedback frame that includes at least one other MU-MIMO feedback at least one other wireless communication device; and   after receiving the second beamforming feedback frame that includes the MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device and after receiving the at least one other beamforming feedback frame that includes the at least one other MU-MIMO feedback the at least one other wireless communication device, generate a beamformed frame based on at least one of the second beamforming feedback frame or the at least one other MU-MIMO feedback and transmit the beamformed frame to at least one of the another wireless communication device and the at least one other wireless communication device.   
     
     
         11 . The wireless communication device of  claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
 when the bit within the NDP-A is set to the first value, receive the first beamforming feedback frame that includes the SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, wherein the first beamforming feedback frame is in compressed format that includes a codebook information field that indicates a first plurality of angle resolution values associated with SU-MIMO operation; and   when the bit within the NDP-A is set to the second value, receive the second beamforming feedback frame that includes the MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, wherein second beamforming feedback frame is in compressed format that includes a codebook information field that indicates a second plurality of angle resolution values associated with MU-MIMO operation.   
     
     
         12 . The wireless communication device of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the processing circuitry or the communication interface is further configured to:
 when the bit within the NDP-A is set to the first value, receive the first beamforming feedback frame that includes beamforming information for up to eight antennae; and   when the bit within the NDP-A is set to the second value, receive the second beamforming feedback frame that includes beamforming information for a plurality of per-tone or per-sub-band eigen-values and a channel bandwidth selected from least three different channel bandwidth values.   
     
     
         13 . The wireless communication device of  claim 9  further comprising:
 an access point (AP), wherein the another wireless communication device includes a wireless station (STA). 
 
     
     
         14 . A method for execution by a wireless communication device, the method comprising:
 generating a non-data packet announcement (NDP-A) that includes information that requests single-user multiple-input-multiple-output (SU-MIMO) feedback or multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) feedback from another wireless communication device;   transmitting, via a communication interface of the wireless communication device, the NDP-A to the another wireless communication device;   when the information within the NDP-A requests SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receiving, via the communication interface of the wireless communication device, a first beamforming feedback frame that includes the SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device; and   when the information within the NDP-A requests MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receiving, via the communication interface of the wireless communication device, a second beamforming feedback frame that includes the MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 setting a bit of the information within the NDP-A to a first value to request the SU-MIMO feedback from another wireless communication device; and 
 setting the bit of the information within the NDP-A to a second value to request the MU-MIMO feedback from another wireless communication device. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 after receiving the first beamforming feedback frame that includes the SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, generating a beamformed frame based on the first beamforming feedback frame and transmit the beamformed frame to the another wireless communication device. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 after receiving the first beamforming feedback frame that includes the SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, generating a beamformed frame based on the first beamforming feedback frame and transmit the beamformed frame to the another wireless communication device. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 when the information within the NDP-A requests SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receiving, via the communication interface of the wireless communication device, the first beamforming feedback frame that includes the SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, wherein the first beamforming feedback frame is in compressed format that includes a codebook information field that indicates a first plurality of angle resolution values associated with SU-MIMO operation; and 
 when the information within the NDP-A requests MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receiving, via the communication interface of the wireless communication device, the second beamforming feedback frame that includes the MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, wherein second beamforming feedback frame is in compressed format that includes a codebook information field that indicates a second plurality of angle resolution values associated with MU-MIMO operation. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 when the information within the NDP-A requests SU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receiving, via the communication interface of the wireless communication device, the first beamforming feedback frame that includes beamforming information for up to eight antennae; and 
 when the information within the NDP-A requests MU-MIMO feedback from the another wireless communication device, receiving, via the communication interface of the wireless communication device, the second beamforming feedback frame that includes beamforming information for a plurality of per-tone or per-sub-band eigen-values and a channel bandwidth selected from least three different channel bandwidth values. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the wireless communication device includes an access point (AP), and the another wireless communication device includes a wireless station (STA).