Aggregate control information for wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for signaling aggregated control information in a wireless communication network, including a computer program encoded on a computer-readable medium. The frame format may include an aggregated control (A-control) field. In one aspect, the A-control field may be of variable length to support signaling of multiple types of control information. In some implementations, an access point may manage multiple links (multi-link). The A-control field may be structured to include multi-link control information. The present disclosure includes multiple options for extending the A-control field. In addition, a receiving device may use various techniques disclosed herein to confirm the A-control field.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 803,579 filed on February 27, 2020 and Indian Provisional Patent Application No. 201941007902 filed on February 28, 2019, both entitled “AGGREGATED CONTROL INFORMATION FOR AWIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK” and both assigned to the assignee of this application. The disclosures of these prior applications are considered part of and incorporated by reference into this patent application. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to aggregated control information in a wireless local area network (WLAN).

[0004] Related technical description

[0005] A wireless local area network (WLAN) may be formed by one or more access points (APs) that provide a shared wireless communication medium for use by several client devices, also referred to as stations (STAs). The basic building block of a WLAN that complies with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards is a basic service set (BSS) managed by an AP. Each BSS is identified by a basic service set identifier (BSSID) announced by the AP. The AP periodically broadcasts beacon frames to enable any STA within the wireless range of the AP to establish or maintain one or more communication links with the WLAN.

[0006] Devices in a WLAN may share control information to maintain or share state. As WLAN communication protocols evolve, there have been efforts to maintain backward compatibility. Therefore, existing techniques for sharing control information may be constrained by earlier versions of the communication protocol. At the same time, more control information may be useful in some WLAN deployments.

[0007] Overview

[0008] The systems, methods, and devices of the disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.

[0009] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented as a method for wireless communication performed by a first wireless local area network (WLAN) device. The method may include determining a plurality of control parameters for transmission from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device. Each control parameter may include at least a control identifier (ID) and a control value. The method may include generating a first frame for transmission via a first wireless link. The first frame may include an aggregated control (A-control) field formatted with a plurality of control parameters. The method may include outputting the first frame for transmission from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device.

[0010] In some implementations, the A-Control field may be a variable length control field.

[0011] In some implementations, the length of the A-control field may be determined based on a negotiation between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device. The negotiation may occur during or after wireless association and before outputting the first frame.

[0012] In some implementations, the method may include determining a length of the A-Control field based at least in part on the plurality of control parameters.The method may include populating a first portion of the A-Control field with the length-based indication.

[0013] In some implementations, the first portion can be formatted as a first control parameter having a reserved value for the control ID and having a length as the control value of the first control parameter.

[0014] In some implementations, the reserved value may include a series of binary ones.

[0015] In some implementations, the first frame may have a frame format of a control frame.

[0016] In some implementations, the first frame may be a first medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU).

[0017] In some implementations, the first MPDU may be included in an aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU) transmission.

[0018] In some implementations, the MPDU delimiter in the A-MPDU transmission may include an indicator indicating that the first MPDU includes an A-Control field and that the A-Control field is a variable length A-Control field.

[0019] In some implementations, the first MPDU may contain only a variable length A-Control field. The indicator may be included in the length field of the MPDU delimiter. According to the technical standard, the indicator may have a value less than the minimum length of the MPDU, so that the value is reserved to divert the length field to indicate the presence of a variable length A-Control field in the first MPDU.

[0020] In some implementations, the plurality of control parameters may include a first subset of control parameters related to the first wireless link and a second subset of control parameters related to a second wireless link managed by the first wireless communication device.

[0021] In some implementations, the A-Control field may include a first subset of control parameters and a second subset of control parameters, and the A-Control field may be a multilink control field.

[0022] In some implementations, the method may include generating a second frame for transmission via a second wireless link. The second frame includes a redundant copy of the A-control field formatted with a plurality of control parameters. The method may include outputting the second frame for transmission from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device via the second wireless link.

[0023] In some implementations, the plurality of control parameters may include at least one control parameter for enabling or disabling at least one of the first wireless link or the second wireless link.

[0024] In some implementations, the plurality of control parameters may include timing information regarding when to enable or disable the first radio link or the second radio link.

[0025] In some implementations, the timing information may include a time offset relative to the beginning or end of the first frame.

[0026] In some implementations, the timing information may include a time value based on a timer synchronized between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.

[0027] In some implementations, the timer can be synchronized for the first wireless link, the second wireless link, or both the first and second wireless links.

[0028] In some implementations, the A-Control field may include a delimiter between the first subset of control parameters and the second subset of control parameters.

[0029] In some implementations, the delimiter may be formatted as a first control parameter.The first control parameter may have a reserved value for the control ID and a null control value.

[0030] In some implementations, the method may include receiving an acknowledgment from the second wireless communication device. The acknowledgment may indicate that the A-Control field has been successfully processed by the second wireless communication device.

[0031] In some implementations, the acknowledgment may be different from a medium access control (MAC) acknowledgment used to acknowledge the first frame.

[0032] In some implementations, the acknowledgment may be included in reserved bits of a frame control field or a block acknowledgment control field.

[0033] In some implementations, the acknowledgment may include signaling indicating that the acknowledgment is for a plurality of control parameters.

[0034] In some implementations, the acknowledgment may be included in a Multi-Station Block Acknowledgment (Multi-STA Block Ack) message.

[0035] In some implementations, the signaling may include predefined values ​​for the Acknowledgement Type field and the Traffic Identifier field of the Multi-STA Block Ack message.

[0036] In some implementations, the first frame may include an A-Control field in a payload portion of a NULL packet, a Quality of Service (QoS) NULL frame, or a Null Data Packet (NDP).

[0037] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform any of the methods described above.

[0038] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as an apparatus having an interface for communicating via a wireless local area network and a processor.The processor can be configured to perform any of the methods described above.

[0039] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a system that includes means for implementing any of the above-described methods.

[0040] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in the present disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. It should be noted that the relative sizes of the following drawings may not be drawn to scale. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1 Depicted is a system diagram of an example wireless local area network (WLAN) used to introduce the concepts of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 2A A diagram of an example physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) frame is shown.

[0044] Figure 2BA diagram of an example aggregated medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (A-PPDU) frame is shown.

[0045] Figure 3 A diagram of an example MAC frame with an Aggregated Control (A-Control) field is shown.

[0046] Figure 4 An example of using the first part to indicate the length of the field with aggregated control information is shown.

[0047] Figure 5A A first example of an A-Control field including control parameters for a plurality of radio links is shown.

[0048] Figure 5B A second example of an A-Control field including control parameters for a plurality of radio links is shown.

[0049] Figure 6 An example of an explicit indicator for a multi-link aggregated control parameter is shown.

[0050] Figure 7 Another example of an A-Control field with control parameters for multiple links is shown.

[0051] Figure 8 An example of an A-Control field having control parameters for multiple links without using delimiters is shown.

[0052] Fig. 9 A conceptual diagram of example configuration messages used in a WLAN is depicted.

[0053] Fig.10 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device is shown.

[0054] Fig.11A A block diagram of an example AP is shown.

[0055] Fig. 11B A block diagram of an example STA is shown.

[0056] Fig.12 An example operational flow diagram for a STA to send aggregated control information is depicted.

[0057] Fig.13 An example physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) that may be used for communications between a first device and a second device is shown.

[0058] Fig.14 Depicted is an example message flow diagram associated with acknowledging an MPDU that includes an A-Control field.

[0059] Fig.15A block diagram of an example electronic device is shown.

[0060] Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

[0061] Detailed Description

[0062] The following description is directed to certain implementations in order to describe the innovative aspects of the present disclosure. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. The examples in the present disclosure are based on wireless local area network (WLAN) communications according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless standards. However, the described implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to one or more of the following: IEEE 802.11 standards, (Bluetooth) standard, code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), GSM / general packet radio service (GPRS), enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE), terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA), wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), evolution data optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Revision A, EV-DO Revision B, high speed packet access (HSPA), high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), high speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), evolved high speed packet access (HSPA+), long term evolution (LTE), AMPS, or other known signals for communication within a wireless network, a cellular network, or an Internet of Things (IoT) network (such as, a system utilizing 3G, 4G, 5G or 6G or further implementations thereof).

[0063] A wireless local area network (WLAN) in a home, apartment, enterprise, or other area may include one or more WLAN devices. Each WLAN device may have a station (STA) interface, which is an addressable entity that shares a wireless communication medium with other STAs. An access point (AP) is a WLAN device that includes a STA interface and a distribution system access function. For the simplicity of the present disclosure, a WLAN device may be referred to as a STA, regardless of whether the WLAN device is an AP or a non-AP STA. A first wireless communication device (acting as a sender STA) may communicate data to a second wireless communication device (acting as a receiver STA) via a wireless channel. A technical standard may define a format for communication. For example, a first wireless communication device may prepare and transmit a media access control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU) according to a standardized format. In some aspects of the present disclosure, an MPDU may also be referred to as a frame or a packet. A physical convergence layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) may include one or more MPDUs. For example, a type of PPDU (referred to as an aggregated MPDU or A-MPDU) may include multiple MPDUs in the payload of an AMPDU.

[0064] In legacy technical standards, control information may be structured according to fixed length fields and bit positions defined for different control parameters. Recently, the number and types of control parameters have increased, making the legacy control format insufficient. In addition, the fixed length of the legacy control format limits the type and number of control parameters that can be included in a frame. To provide greater flexibility, an Aggregate Control (A-Control) field may include multiple control parameters. Each control parameter (sometimes also referred to as a control field or control subfield) may include a control identifier (Control ID) and a control value.

[0065] According to the present disclosure, the A-control field may be a dynamic A-control field (also referred to as an enhanced A-control field). For example, the A-control field may be a variable length field in an MPDU. In some implementations, the length of the A-control field may be negotiated between two wireless communication devices, such as when wirelessly associated. In some implementations, the first part of the A-control field may indicate the length of the A-control field. For example, the first part may be formatted as a control header (sometimes also referred to as a control delimiter or delimiter). The control header may have a format that mimics a control parameter in the A-control field. For example, the control header may be structured similarly to a control parameter and may have a specific value (such as a series of binary 1s) for a control ID. The specific value indicates that the control header is a control parameter type that includes the length of the A-control field. The control header may be included as the first control parameter of the A-control field to indicate the length of the A-control field. Alternatively, the control header may be located anywhere within the A-control field and may indicate the length of the entire A-control field or the length of the remaining portion of the A-control field (after the control header). Thus, the A-Control field may be variable length to support signaling of multiple types of control information. For example, the length of the A-Control field may vary between 4 bytes (baseline) and 64 bytes (as an example maximum). The length of the A-Control field may be indicated by a length value, and the length value may represent an octet group (e.g., 1, 2, or 4 octets for each integer length value).

[0066] In some implementations, the specific control ID may be all 1s (in this case, assuming the control ID is 4 bits long, the all 1s binary value will have a decimal value of 15). Although the all 1s example is used in the present disclosure, the specific value may be any value supported by the recipient and not used for other purposes as a control ID. After the specific control ID, the control information in the control header may indicate a length value as a zero length value, a non-zero value, or an all 1s length value. For example, a control parameter called "ONES-NZL" (all 1s for the control ID followed by a non-zero length value less than a maximum value) may indicate that the A-Control field is a variable length A-Control field having a length indicated by the non-zero length value. In some implementations, a control parameter called "ONES-EOF" (all 1s for the control ID followed by all 1s for the control value) may indicate the end of the A-Control field. A control parameter called "ONES-ZL" (all 1s for the control ID followed by a zero length value) may be used as a delimiter between different control parameter subsets included in the A-Control field.

[0067] In some implementations, a device may operate using multiple links (multi-link, multi-channel, or multi-band) simultaneously or at different times. The A-control field may be structured to include multi-link control information. For example, the A-control field may include a first subset of control parameters for a first radio link and a second subset of control parameters for a second radio link. For example, the A-control field may include signaling for indicating control information for management or assistance link functionality. As an example, the signaling may include signaling for dynamically enabling or disabling each radio link.

[0068] The present disclosure includes a variety of techniques for signaling multi-link control information. For example, explicit signaling or implicitly based on the structure of the A-control field, certain bit settings in the frame carrying the A-control field, or one or more of the links (such as channels or frequency bands) where the exchange frame is located can be used to identify each link. Therefore, the identifier of the link of interest can be determined from the A-control field or the frame carrying the A-control field. For example, the link can be identified by certain bits before each control parameter set. In another example, the link can be identified by certain bits contained in the frame carrying the A-control field. In some implementations, the A-control field may include a link identifier or delimiter to signal the beginning or end of a subset of control parameters for each link. In some implementations, the MPDU may be a management frame containing an information element (IE) identifying the link of interest. In some implementations, the link identifier may be included in the QoS control field or any other field in the MAC header before the field containing the A-control field. For example, the most significant bit (MSB) of the traffic indicator (TID) field of the QoS control field is currently reserved and set to 0. In some implementations, setting the MSB of the TID field to 1 may be used to indicate that the control information provided by the A-Control field following in the same MPDU is relative to a secondary link (different from the primary link on which the MPDU is transmitted). The primary link is the link where the frame is transmitted, and the secondary link is the link where the frame is not transmitted. Using only one bit (such as the MSB of the TID field), the transmitting device can distinguish up to two links. If the transmitting device wants to signal different control information for two different links, the transmitting device may include MPDUs with different values ​​of the MSB bit of the TID for QoS control. For example, a first MPDU (with the MSB of the TID set to 0) may include an A-Control field with aggregated control information for the primary link. A second MPDU (with the MSB of the TID set to 1) may include an A-Control field with control information for the secondary link.

[0069] In some implementations, ONES-NZL may be the first control parameter in the A-Control field and may indicate the total length of the dynamic A-Control (with control parameters for multiple links). After the first subset of control parameters (such as for the first wireless link), a delimiter may indicate whether control parameters for the next link are included. If no control information is available for a link, ONES-ZL may be used. Alternatively, ONES-ZL may be located before the control information for each additional link. In some implementations, ONES-EOF or padding may be used to fill the remainder of the dynamic A-Control field.

[0070] The A-Control field described in the present disclosure may be included in any type of frame, including a management frame, a data frame, or a control frame. The A-Control field may also be included in a PPDU that does not contain a data field. For example, the A-Control field may be included as a field of a PHY header of a PPDU that does not have a data field. In some implementations, the A-Control field may be included in an MPDU that is part of an A-MPDU having multiple frames. In some implementations, the A-Control field may be included in the payload of a null frame, such as a quality of service, QoS, null frame, or null data packet (NDP).

[0071] Specific implementations of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. The A-Control field may be of variable length to support an increase in the number of control parameters that may be signaled. In addition, the A-Control field may be used to include control parameters for multiple links. Multi-link communications provide opportunities for APs and STAs to concurrently coexist on multiple channels that can be enabled or disabled as needed (based on bandwidth requirements or to avoid interference with other systems), reduce power consumption by selectively shutting down unused links, providing fast feedback to different links via other links to quickly adapt to medium conditions or system requirements, and the like.

[0072] Figure 1 Depicted is a system diagram of an example WLAN for introducing the concepts of the present disclosure. Figure 1A block diagram of an example wireless communication network 100 is included. According to some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a WLAN (such as a Wi-Fi network) (and will be referred to as WLAN 100 hereinafter). For example, the WLAN 100 may be a network that implements at least one of the IEEE 802.11 series of standards (such as the standards defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or an amendment thereof). The WLAN 100 may include many wireless communication devices, such as an AP 102 and a plurality of STAs 104 having a wireless association with the AP 102. The IEEE 802.11-2016 specification defines a STA as an addressable unit. An AP is an entity that includes at least one STA and provides access to associated STAs via a wireless medium (WM) to access a distribution service (such as, another network 140). Therefore, the AP includes the STA and a distribution system access function (DSAF). In Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , the AP 102 may be connected to a gateway device (not shown) that provides connectivity to another network 140. The DSAF of the AP 102 may provide access between the STA 104 and the other network 140. Although the AP 102 is described as an access point using an infrastructure mode, in some implementations, the AP 102 may be a traditional STA operating as an AP. For example, the AP 102 may be a STA capable of operating in a peer-to-peer mode or an independent mode. In some other examples, the AP 102 may be a software AP (SoftAP) operating on a computer system.

[0073] Each STA 104 may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a mobile device, a mobile handset, a wireless handset, an access terminal (AT), a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), or a subscriber unit, etc. STA 104 may represent a variety of devices, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, netbook computers, tablet computers, laptops, display devices (e.g., TVs, computer monitors, navigation systems, etc.), wearable devices, music or other audio or stereo equipment, remote control devices (“remote controls”), printers, kitchen or other home appliances, key fobs (e.g., for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems), etc.

[0074] The AP 102 and associated STAs 104 may be referred to as a basic service set (BSS), which is managed by the corresponding AP 102. A BSS refers to one STA (such as an AP) that has established service settings and one or more STAs that have successfully synchronized service settings. Alternatively, a BSS may describe a set of STAs that have synchronized matching mesh service profiles. Figure 1In the example architecture of FIG. 1 , a BSS may be identified by a service set identifier (SSID) announced by an AP 102. The AP 102 may periodically broadcast a beacon frame (“beacon”) to enable any STA 104 within the wireless range of the AP 102 to establish or maintain a corresponding communication link 106 (also referred to as a “Wi-Fi link” or “wireless association”) with the AP. “Non-associated STAs” (not shown) may not be considered part of the BSS because they do not have a wireless session established at the AP 102. The various STAs 104 in the WLAN may be able to communicate with external networks and each other via the AP 102 and the corresponding communication links 106. In order to establish a communication link 106 with the AP 102, each STA is configured to perform a passive or active scanning operation (“scan”) on a frequency channel in one or more frequency bands (e.g., the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, or 60 GHz bands). To perform passive scanning, the STA listens to beacons transmitted by the corresponding AP 102 at periodic time intervals, referred to as target beacon transmission times (TBTTs), measured in time units (TUs), where one TU is equal to 1024 microseconds (μs). To perform active scanning, the STA 104 generates probe requests and sequentially transmits these probe requests on each channel to be scanned and listens for probe responses from the AP 102. Each STA 104 can be configured to identify or select an AP 102 to associate with based on the scanning information obtained through passive or active scanning, and perform authentication and association operations to establish a communication link with the selected AP.

[0075] Figure 1 Additionally shown is an example coverage area 108 of the AP 102, which may represent a basic service area (BSA) of the WLAN 100. Figure 1102, but the WLAN 100 may include multiple APs 102. As wireless networks become more and more common, the STA 104 may have the opportunity to select one of many BSSs within the range of the STA 104 or to select among multiple APs 102 that together form an extended service set (ESS) (including multiple connected BSSs). The extended network station associated with the WLAN 100 may be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system that allows multiple APs 102 to be connected in such an ESS. In this way, the STA 104 can be covered by more than one AP 102 and can be associated with different APs 102 for different transmissions at various times. Additionally, after associating with the AP 102, the STA 104 may also be configured to periodically scan its periodic environment to find a more suitable AP to associate with. For example, a STA 104 that is moving relative to its associated AP 102 may perform a "roaming" scan to find another AP with a more desirable network characteristic (such as a larger received signal strength indicator (RSSI)).

[0076] The AP 102 and the STA 104 may function and communicate (via corresponding communication links 106) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, such as those defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its amendments, including but not limited to 802.11aa, 802.11ah, 802.11aq, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11be (802.11-EHT), 802.11az, and 802.11ba. These standards define WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the physical (PHY) and media access control (MAC) layers. The AP 102 and the STA 104 transmit and receive frames to and from each other (hereinafter also referred to as wireless communications) in the form of physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data units (PPDUs). Each PPDU is a composite frame that includes a PLCP preamble and header and one or more MAC protocol data units (MPDUs).

[0077] The AP 102 and STA 104 in the WLAN 100 may transmit PPDUs on an unlicensed spectrum, which may be a portion of a spectrum that includes frequency bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technology, such as the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, the 60 GHz band, the 3.6 GHz band, and the 900 MHz band. Some implementations of the AP 102 and STA 104 described herein may also communicate in other frequency bands, such as the 6 GHz band, that may support both licensed and unlicensed communications. The AP 102 and STA 104 may also be configured to communicate on other frequency bands, such as shared licensed frequency bands, where multiple operators may have licenses to operate in one or more of the same or overlapping frequency bands.

[0078] Each frequency band may include multiple sub-bands or frequency channels. For example, PPDUs that comply with IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and 802.11 Extremely High Throughput (EHT) standard amendments may be transmitted on 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, where each band is divided into multiple 20 MHz channels. Therefore, these PPDUs are transmitted on a physical channel with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz. But larger channels can be formed by channel bonding. For example, PPDUs that comply with IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and 802.11be (802.11-EHT) standard amendments may be transmitted on a physical channel with a bandwidth of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz by bonding two or more 20 MHz channels together. For example, IEEE 802.11n describes the use of 2 channels (for a combined 40 MHz bandwidth) and defines a high throughput (HT) transmission format. IEEE 802.11ac describes the use of 8 channels (for a combined 160 MHz bandwidth) and defines a very high throughput (VHT) transmission format. IEEE 802.11ax also supports a combined 160 MHz bandwidth (which is a combination of 8 channels each with a width of 20 MHz). For brevity, this disclosure includes a description of an IEEE 802.11ax device as an example. In IEEE 802.11ax, the transmission format may spread high efficiency (HE) modulation symbols throughout the combined channel group.

[0079] AP 102 may be an example of a first wireless communication device 110. Regardless of whether the first wireless communication device 110 is an AP or a traditional STA, it may be referred to as a "sender STA" in examples of the present disclosure. STA 104 may be an example of a second wireless communication device 120 and may be referred to as a "receiver STA" in examples of the present disclosure. To be clear, in other examples, the designations of the sender STA and the receiver STA may be reversed. The first wireless communication device 110 may send an MPDU transmission 116 to the second wireless communication device 120.

[0080] The first wireless communication device 110 (as a sending device) may include an A-control field generation unit 112 and a transmission unit 114. The A-control field generation unit 112 may implement an A-control field structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. The transmission unit 114 may prepare and communicate an MPDU transmission 116. The second wireless communication device 120 (as a receiving device) may include an A-control field processing unit 122 and a receiving unit 124. The A-control field processing unit 122 may implement an A-control field structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. In some instances, the first wireless communication device 110 and the second wireless communication device 120 may exchange service discovery frames or other management frames to determine whether the two devices support the extended A-control field or specific features of the A-control field as described herein.

[0081] Figure 2A 2 is a diagram illustrating an example physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) frame 200. Figure 2A As shown, the PPDU frame 200 includes a physical layer (PHY) header 215 and one or more PLCP service data units (such as PSDU 280). Each PSDU can be addressed to a receiver (individual addressing), a group of receivers (group addressing), or all receivers (broadcast addressing). Similarly, it can be sent by a transmitter, a group of transmitters, or all transmitters, or a combination of the two. PDSU 280 includes zero or more MPDUs. Figure 2A In the embodiment of the present invention, the PSDU 280 includes one MPDU. Each MPDU may include one or more of the following fields: a MAC header field 250, a payload / data field 260, and a frame check sequence (FCS) field 270. The PSDU 280 may also be referred to as the payload portion 280 of the PPDU frame 200. The PHY header 215 may be used to obtain an incoming signal (such as an OFDMA signal) to train and synchronize the demodulator, and may assist in the demodulation and transmission of the payload portion 280.

[0082] In some implementations, the MPDU may be included in the PSDU 280 as part of an aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU), such as Figure 2B and 13 shown.

[0083] Figure 2B A diagram of an example aggregated media access control (MAC) protocol data unit (A-PPDU) frame is shown. For simplicity, the PHY header 215 is omitted. After the PHY header, a series of MPDUs may be organized into A-MPDU subframes. Each A-MPDU subframe, such as A-MPDU subframe 240, may include an MPDU delimiter 290, an MPDU 292, and padding 298. The MPDU 292 may have a plurality of MPDUs, each of which ... Figure 2A For example, the MPDU 292 may include one or more of the following fields: a MAC header field 250 , a payload / data field 260 , and a frame check sequence (FCS) field 270 .

[0084] Figure 3 A diagram of an example media access control (MAC) frame with an aggregated control (A-Control) field is shown. In some implementations, a MAC frame 300 may include a media access control protocol data unit (MPDU) frame. In some implementations, the MAC frame 300 may correspond to the payload portion 280, as previously described in FIG. 2. As shown, the MAC frame 300 includes one or more of the following several different fields: a frame control (FC) field 310, a duration / identification field 325, a recipient address (A1) field 330, a transmitter address (A2) field 335, a destination address (A3) field 340, a sequence control (SC) field 345, a fourth address (A4) field 350, a quality of service (QoS) control (QC) field 355, a high throughput (HT) / very high throughput (VHT) control field 360, a frame body 368, and a frame check sequence (FCS) field 270. Some or all of the fields 310-365 may constitute the MAC header 250 of FIG. 2. In some implementations, the protocol version field of the frame control field 310 of the MAC frame 300 may be 0, 1, or greater than 1.

[0085] The A-Control field 362 may be included in the high throughput (HT) control field 360. Alternatively, the A-Control field may be included after the HT control field or immediately after the CCMP header (in the latter case, the information may be encrypted). The Counter Mode Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol (Counter Mode CBC-MAC Protocol) or CCM Mode Protocol (CCMP) is an encryption protocol designed for WLAN devices implementing the IEEE 802.11i standard. In the example of the present disclosure, the A-Control field is included in the HT control field 360. However, other locations for the A-Control field 362 are also possible.

[0086] Figure 3 A-Control field 362 is also shown as a series of control parameters (Control 1, Control 2, etc.). Each control parameter, such as first control parameter 370, may be identified by a control identifier (ID) 374 used as the head control parameter in the control parameter sequence. Following control ID 374, control information 378 may have a different length depending on the value of control ID 374. Table 1 shows examples of various control IDs and their associated information.

[0087]

[0088]

[0089] Table 1

[0090] In legacy systems, the length of the A-Control field is limited to 30 bits. A container of an A-Control field, such as the HT Control field, may have a total length of 32 bits, including 2 preamble indicators and 30 bits for control parameters. However, the limited size of the A-Control field limits the number of control parameters that may be included. For example, the A-Control field may be limited to only one or two control parameters, depending on which control parameters are included.

[0091] According to the present disclosure, the A-control field may have a longer length and may be resized to accommodate more control parameters. In the following description, the length of the A-control field may be described in the control header of the A-control field. The control header may indicate the length of the container (such as the HT control field) of the A-control field or the A-control field itself. Because the lengths of the A-control field and the HT-control field are related, in the present disclosure, references to the length of the A-control field may be used interchangeably with references to the length of the container (such as the HT-control field) carrying the A-control field. In some implementations, in order to indicate the length of the A-control field, one of the control parameters may be used to include a length value as control information. For example, a specific value of a control ID that is currently at least partially reserved may be used to indicate the length of the A-control field or to provide a delimiter for multiple control parameters. In the following implementation, we describe a situation in which the control ID value is equal to 15. Although the examples in this disclosure use a value of 1 (Control ID 15), one of the reserved values ​​(Control IDs 7 to 14) may also be used to indicate the length of the A-Control field, or to indicate the presence of another field after the Control ID field that indicates the length of the A-Control field. In some implementations, the length may indicate the length of the remainder of the A-Control field, or the length of a sub-portion of the A-Control field, as described in more detail in some of the examples below. In some implementations, the length of the A-Control field may be negotiated in advance. For example, when a wireless communication device creates a wireless association with another wireless communication device, the wireless communication device may negotiate the length (or size limit) of the A-Control field.

[0092] Figure 4 An example of using the first part to indicate the length of a field with aggregated control information is shown. For example, the first part may indicate the length of an A-control field or a container (such as an HT control field) including an A-control field. In some implementations, the length value may include the header (VHT / HE bit) and the first part (control 0) and the remaining control parameters in the A-control field. In some other implementations, the length value may include only the size of the remaining control parameters in the A-control field. For example, the first control parameter 470 (control 0) may be used to indicate the length of the remaining portion 450 of the A-control field. As previously described, the first control parameter may have a value of 1 (control ID = 15) followed by a value of a non-zero length 478. The non-zero length 478 may indicate the length of the remaining portion 450 based on the number of octets (or octet groups). In the present disclosure, the control ID 474 and the non-zero length 478 together may be referred to as ONES-NZL delimiters. The ONES-NZL delimiter may be used to indicate the length of the A-control field. Although examples in this disclosure involve ONES-NZL type delimiters, other types of delimiters or control values ​​may be used in other examples.

[0093] Figure 5A and 5B Various options for the A-Control field including control parameters for multiple radio links are shown. Figure 5A 5. In the A-Control field, each radio link has separate control parameters. The first part of the A-Control field is ONES-NZL 510 indicating the total length of the A-Control field. The ONES-NZL 510 field may be followed by control parameters 520 for the first radio link 1 (such as control parameters A1 and A2). A delimiter (ONES-ZL field 530) may then signal that the control parameters for the first radio link are complete and that the next control parameters are for the next radio link 2. Control parameters 540 for radio link 2 (control parameters B1 and B2) may follow the ONES-ZL field 530.

[0094] like Figure 5B As shown, if one of the links (such as Link 2) has no control parameters that need to be sent, then the ONES-ZL field 530 may be followed by another ONES-ZL field 550 to begin the next link (Link 3) portion of the control parameters 560 (with control parameters C1 and C2).

[0095] Figure 6 An example of an explicit indicator for multi-link aggregated control parameters is shown. For example, each control parameter may have an explicit indicator (such as a link identifier, link ID 676) included in control parameter 670. Link ID 676 may be included between control ID 674 and control information 678. In some implementations, link ID 676 may be included in a control ID used as a delimiter (such as the examples of ONES-NZL and ONES-ZL in the present disclosure).

[0096] Figure 7 Another example of an A-Control field with control parameters for multiple links is shown. Figure 7In the A-Control field, each radio link has separate control parameters. The first part of the A-Control field is ONES-NZL 710, which indicates the total length of the A-Control field. The ONES-NZL 710 field may be followed by control parameters 720 for the first radio link 1 (such as control parameters A1 and A2). Another delimiter (ONES-NZL field 730) may then signal that the control parameters for the first radio link are complete and the next control parameters are for the next radio link 2. Control parameters 740 for radio link 2 (control parameters B1 and B2) may follow the ONES-NZL field 730. The ONES-EOF field 780 may be used to signal the end of the A-Control field with control parameters for multiple links. For example, the ONES-EOF may include all 1s (control ID = 15) followed by an all 1 length value.

[0097] Figure 8 An example of an A control field with control parameters for multiple links without using delimiters is shown. For example, if each control parameter includes an explicit link ID (such as Figure 6 ), the delimiter may be omitted. Alternatively, the order and occurrence of control parameters may implicitly indicate that they are for different links. For example, the A-Control field for a single link will not include more than one control parameter with the same Control ID. Therefore, if the same Control ID is present in the A-Control field, the second occurrence of the Control ID may implicitly signal a change to the next link. Using Figure 8 In the example in FIG. 1 , the first control parameter set 820 is related to the first radio link 1, and the second control parameter set 840 is related to the second radio link 2. Control parameter A1 and control parameter B1 have the same control ID. When the receiving end processes the A-control field and detects control parameter B1 having the same control ID as control parameter A1, the receiving end can determine that control parameter B1 can be related to the second radio link.

[0098] As mentioned above about Figure 5A , 5B, 6, 7, and 8, there may be several methods to include control parameters for multiple links. These techniques or variations thereof can be used to enable and disable different links. For example, the OM control parameter may set a specific bit (such as a UL MU disable or UL MU data disable bit) to a first value (such as 1) to indicate the disablement of the link. In some implementations, a new control ID (such as one of the reserved values) may be defined to include information related to link disablement. For example, the control parameter may include a target switching time for a state (enabled or disabled) change. In some implementations, enabling and disabling can be used to force a receiver to move from a first wireless link to a second wireless link. For example, a first wireless link may be indicated to be disabled at a target switching time, and a second wireless link may be indicated to be enabled at a target switching time.

[0099] In some implementations, the time value may be relatively based on the start or end time of the frame carrying the control parameter. For example, the time value may be a time offset relative to the frame. In some implementations, the timing information may include a timestamp or other time based on the synchronization time. A timing synchronization function (TSF) timer may be maintained in both the sender device and the receiver device. The timing information for link enablement or link disablement may be a complete or partial timestamp based on a TSF timer. In some implementations, the sender device and the receiver device may maintain separate TSF timers for the first link and the second link. The timing information for enabling or disabling may be specific to the TSF timer for a specific link.

[0100] Fig. 9 A conceptual diagram of an example configuration message for use in a WLAN is depicted. For example, an example message 900 may be sent from a first communication device to a second communication device, or vice versa. The example message 900 may include a preamble 922, a header 924, a payload 910, and a frame check sequence (FCS) 926. The preamble 922 may include one or more bits to establish synchronization. For example, when a dedicated discovery channel uses listen-before-talk, contention-based access, or carrier sensing access, the preamble 922 may be used. In some implementations, if the dedicated discovery channel uses a scheduled time slot for transmission, the preamble 922 may be omitted. The header 924 may include source and destination network addresses (such as the network addresses of the sender AP and the receiver AP, respectively), the length of the data frame, or other frame control information. In some implementations, the header 924 may also indicate the technology type associated with the technology-specific payload (if the payload 910 is specific to one or more specific technology types). The payload 910 may be used to convey configuration information. The configuration information may be organized or formatted in a variety of ways. Payload 910 may be organized in a message format and may include information elements 932 , 936 , and 938 . Fig. 9 Several examples of information elements are illustrated in .

[0101] The example information element 960 may be sent as part of a configuration or setup message.The example information element 960 may include an A-control extension capability field 962, a multi-link control aggregation capability field 964, an A-control acknowledgement setup field 966, or any combination thereof.

[0102] Fig.10 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device 1000 is shown. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1000 may be an example of a device used in a STA, such as described above with reference to Figure 1 One of the various STAs 104 described. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1000 may be an example of a device used in an AP, such as described above with reference to Figure 1 The described AP 102. The wireless communication device 1000 is capable of outputting and receiving wireless communications (e.g., in the form of wireless packets). For example, the wireless communication device can be configured to: output and receive packets in the form of physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data units (PPDUs) and media access control (MAC) protocol data units (MPDUs) that comply with the IEEE 802.11 standard (such as the standards defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its amendments, including but not limited to 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be).

[0103] The wireless communication device 1000 may be or may include a chip, system on chip (SoC), chipset, package, or device including one or more modems 1002 (e.g., Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 compliant) modems). In some implementations, one or more modems 1002 (collectively, “modems 1002”) additionally include a WWAN modem (e.g., a 3GPP 4G LTE or 5G compatible modem). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1000 also includes one or more radios 1004 (collectively, “radios 1004”). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1000 further includes one or more processors, processing blocks, or processing elements 1006 (collectively, “processors 1006”) and one or more memory blocks or elements 1008 (collectively, “memory 1008”).

[0104] The modem 1002 may include intelligent hardware blocks or devices, such as, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The modem 1002 may be configured to implement the PHY layer. For example, the modem 1002 is configured to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the radio 1004 for transmission over the wireless medium. The modem 1002 is similarly configured to obtain the modulated packets received by the radio 1004 and demodulate the packets to provide demodulated packets. In addition to the modulator and demodulator, the modem 1002 may further include a digital signal processing (DSP) circuit system, an automatic gain control (AGC), an encoder, a decoder, a multiplexer, and a demultiplexer. For example, when in the transmission mode, the data obtained from the processor 1006 is provided to the encoder, which encodes the data to provide coded bits. The coded bits are then mapped to points in the modulation constellation (using the selected MCS) to provide modulated symbols. Subsequently, the modulated symbols may be mapped to a number (N SS ) spatial streams or several (N STS The modulated symbols in the corresponding spatial or space-time streams may then be multiplexed, transformed via an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block, and then provided to the DSP circuitry for Tx windowing and filtering. The digital signal may then be provided to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The resulting analog signal may then be provided to an upconverter and ultimately to the radio 1004. In an implementation involving beamforming, the modulated symbols in the corresponding spatial streams may be precoded via a steering matrix before being provided to the IFFT block.

[0105] When in receive mode, a digital signal received from the radio 1004 is provided to a DSP circuit system, which is configured to acquire the received signal, for example, by detecting the presence of the signal and estimating the initial timing and frequency offset. The DSP circuit system is further configured to digitally condition the digital signal, for example, using channel (narrowband) filtering, analog impairment conditioning (such as correcting I / Q imbalance), and applying digital gain to ultimately obtain a narrowband signal. The output of the DSP circuit system may then be fed to an AGC, which is configured to determine an appropriate gain using information extracted from the digital signal, for example, in one or more received training fields. The output of the DSP circuit system is also coupled to a demodulator, which is configured to extract modulated symbols from the signal and, for example, calculate a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) for each bit position of each subcarrier in each spatial stream. The demodulator is coupled to a decoder, which may be configured to process the LLRs to provide decoded bits. The decoded bits from the spatial streams are then fed to a demultiplexer for demultiplexing. The demultiplexed bits may then be descrambled and provided to the MAC layer (processor 1006) for processing, evaluation, or interpretation.

[0106] The radio 1004 includes at least one radio frequency (RF) transmitter (or "transmitter chain") and at least one radio frequency receiver (or "receiver chain"), which may be combined into one or more transceivers. For example, the RF transmitter and receiver may include various DSP circuit systems, including at least one power amplifier (PA) and at least one low noise amplifier (LNA), respectively. The RF transmitter and receiver are in turn coupled to one or more antennas. For example, in some implementations, the wireless communication device 1000 may include or be coupled to multiple transmit antennas (each with a corresponding transmit chain) and multiple receive antennas (each with a corresponding receive chain). The codewords output from the modem 1002 are provided to the radio 1004, which then transmits the codewords via the coupled antennas. Similarly, the codewords received via the antennas are obtained by the radio 1004, which then provides the codewords to the modem 1002.

[0107] The processor 1006 may include an intelligent hardware block or device, such as, for example, a processing core, a processing block, a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a programmable logic device (PLD) (such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA)). The processor 1006 processes information received through the radio 1004 and the modem 1002, and processes information to be output by the modem 1002 and the radio 1004 for transmission through the wireless medium. For example, the processor 1006 can implement a control plane and a MAC layer, which is configured to perform various operations related to the generation and transmission of MPDUs, frames or packets. The MAC layer is configured to perform or facilitate operations or techniques such as encoding and decoding of frames, spatial multiplexing, space-time block coding (STBC), beamforming, and OFDMA resource allocation. In some implementations, the processor 1006 can control the modem 1002 to cause the modem to perform the above-mentioned various operations.

[0108] The memory 1008 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 1008 may also store processor or computer executable software (SW) code containing instructions that, when executed by the processor 1006, cause the processor to perform various operations described herein for wireless communication, including generation, transmission, reception, and interpretation of MPDUs, frames, or packets.

[0109] Fig.11A 1 shows a block diagram of an example AP 1102. For example, the AP 1102 may be a reference Figure 1 An example implementation of the AP 102 is described. The AP 1102 includes a wireless communication device (WCD) 1110. For example, the wireless communication device 1110 may be a wireless communication device (WCD) 1110. Fig.10An example implementation of the wireless communication device 1110 described herein. The AP 1102 also includes a plurality of antennas 1120 coupled to the wireless communication device 1110 to transmit and receive wireless communications. In some implementations, the AP 1102 additionally includes an application processor 1130 coupled to the wireless communication device 1110, and a memory 1140 coupled to the application processor 1130. The AP 1102 further includes at least one external network interface 1150 that enables the AP 1102 to communicate with a core network or a backhaul network to obtain access to an external network including the Internet. For example, the external network interface 1150 may include one or both of a wired (e.g., Ethernet) network interface and a wireless network interface (such as a WWAN interface). One or more of the foregoing components may communicate directly or indirectly with other components on at least one bus.

[0110] Fig. 11B 1 shows a block diagram of an example STA 1104. For example, STA 1104 may be a reference Figure 1 104. STA 1104 includes a wireless communication device 1115. For example, the wireless communication device 1115 may be a reference Fig.10 An example implementation of the wireless communication device 1000 described herein. The STA 1104 also includes one or more antennas 1125 coupled to the wireless communication device 1115 to transmit and receive wireless communications. In some implementations, the STA 1104 additionally includes an application processor 1135 coupled to the wireless communication device 1115, and a memory 1145 coupled to the application processor 1135. In some implementations, the STA 1104 further includes a user interface (UI) 1155 (such as a touch screen or keyboard) and a display 1165, which can be integrated with the UI 1155 to form a touch screen display. In some implementations, the STA 1104 can further include one or more sensors 1175, such as, for example, one or more inertial sensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, or altitude sensors. One or more of the foregoing components can communicate directly or indirectly with other components on at least one bus.

[0111] Fig.12 An example operational flow diagram for a STA to send aggregated control information is depicted. The example operations may be performed by a first wireless communication device. Flowchart 1200 begins at block 1210.

[0112] At block 1210, the method may include determining a plurality of control parameters for transmissions from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device. Each control parameter may include at least a control identifier (ID) and a control value.

[0113] At block 1220, the method may include generating a first frame for transmission via a first wireless link. The first frame may include an Aggregate Control (A-Control) field formatted with a plurality of control parameters.

[0114] At block 1230, the method may include outputting the first frame for transmission from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device.

[0115] Fig.13 An example PPDU 1300 is shown that can be used for communication between a first device and a second device. For example, the PPDU 1300 can be used for communication from the AP 102 to the STA 104, or vice versa. In some implementations, the A-Control field can be located in an aggregated A-MPDU subframe. Fig.13 The basic organization of A-MPDU transmission and the options of A-control fields in one or more MPDUs are described. Each PPDU 1300 includes a PHY preamble 1302 and optionally one or more PSDUs (such as, PSDU 1304). Each PSDU can be addressed to a receiver (individual addressing), a group of receivers (group addressing), or all receivers (broadcast addressing). Similarly, each PDSU can be sent by a transmitter, a group of transmitters, or all transmitters, or a combination of the two. Each PSDU 1304 can carry one or more MAC protocol data units (MPDUs) 1306. For example, each PSDU 1304 can carry an aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU) 1308 including zero or more MPDU subframes 1306. Each MPDU subframe 1306 may include a MAC delimiter 1310 and a MAC header 1312, preceding an accompanying MPDU 1314, which may include a data portion ("payload" or "frame body") of the MPDU subframe 1306. The MPDU 1314 may carry one or more MAC service data unit (MSDU) subframes 1316. For example, the MPDU 1314 may carry an aggregated MSDU (A-MSDU) 1318 that includes multiple MSDU subframes 1316. Each MSDU subframe 1316 includes a corresponding MSDU 1320 preceded by a subframe header 1322.

[0116] Referring to the MPDU subframe 1306, the MAC header 1312 may include several fields that contain information that defines or indicates characteristics or attributes of the data encapsulated in the frame body of the MPDU 1314. The MAC header 1312 also includes multiple fields that indicate the address of the data encapsulated in the frame body of the MPDU 1314. For example, the MAC header 1312 may include a combination of a source address, a transmitter address, a receiver address, or a destination address. The MAC header 1312 may include a frame control field that contains control information. The frame control field specifies the frame type, such as a data frame, a control frame, or a management frame. The MAC header 1312 may further include a duration field that indicates the duration from the end of the PPDU until the end of the acknowledgment (ACK) of the last PPDU to be transmitted by the wireless communication device (e.g., a block ACK (BA) in the case of an A-MPDU). The use of the duration field is used to reserve the wireless medium for the indicated duration, thereby establishing a NAV. Each MPDU subframe 1306 may also include a frame check sequence (FCS) field 1324 for error detection. For example, the FCS field 1324 may include a cyclic redundancy check (CRC).

[0117] As described above, the A-control field may be included in the A-MPDU subframe. In some implementations, the A-control field (which may be referred to as a dynamic A-control field) may be included in the HT control field without being included in the MPDU or in an MPDU that does not include one or more fields of the above-mentioned MAC header. By reducing the MAC header (or payload portion), the MPDU may have reduced overhead and may provide more efficient use of radio resources. The HT control field or other containers including the dynamic A-control field may be referred to as dynamic HT control fields. In some implementations, the presence of the dynamic HT control field may be signaled using reserved bits in the MPDU delimiter. Alternatively, the length value in the MPDU length field may be a value less than a specific threshold. For example, the shortest MPDU frame supported is 14 bytes. Therefore, a length value less than 14 bytes may be used to indicate that the MPDU frame is a new type of frame carrying a dynamic HT control field.

[0118] In some implementations, a new MPDU delimiter may indicate that an A-MPDU subframe has a dynamic HT control field along with aggregated control information. Currently, an A-MPDU subframe uses the ASCII value of the character "n" for the delimiter signature field to identify the A-MPDU subframe. Different values ​​(other than "n") may be used to indicate an A-MPDU subframe with a dynamic HT control field so that the receiver can distinguish between an A-MPDU subframe carrying a legacy MPDU or a modified MPDU as described in this implementation. In some implementations, since the MPDU delimiter includes the MPDU length field, the A-control field may not require a length value (such as the NZL-ONES control field) to indicate the length of the A-control field. Instead, the length of the MPDU delimiter may indicate the length of the MPDU, the A-control field, or the container. Reduced signaling may also be used when the length of the MPDU can be obtained from information in the MPDU itself and when the only variable-length field is the A-control field (or the container carrying the field). As an example, a QoS Null Frame is identified by the Type / Subtype field of the Frame Control field, and the receiver can determine that the length of the frame is 30 bytes (assuming that the A4 field, HT Control field, and Frame Body are not present). However, if the length value included in the MPDU Delimiter indicates that the MPDU length is 42 bytes, the receiver can infer that the remaining 12 bytes are attributed to the A-Control field length.

[0119] Since the dynamic HT Control field is no longer protected by the FCS of the MPDU (when not carried in the legacy MPDU), the transmitting STA may append a CRC (such as 16 bits) to protect the dynamic HT Control field. Alternatively, the transmitting STA may use the CRC of the MPDU delimiter to protect the container carrying the dynamic HT Control field.

[0120] Fig.14 An example message flow diagram associated with acknowledging an MPDU including an A-Control field is depicted. The example message flow 1400 shows a first wireless communication device 110 (as a transmitting STA) and a second wireless communication device 120 (as a receiving STA). The first wireless communication device 110 and the second wireless communication device 120 may exchange configuration messages 1412 (such as, Fig. 9 examples) to verify that they all support the enhanced A-control field feature of the present disclosure.

[0121] In process 1414, the first wireless communication device 110 may prepare and send an MPDU including an A-control field as described herein. The MPDU transmission 1422 may include multiple MPDUs (such as, A-MPDUs). In process 1432, the second wireless communication device 120 may process the A-control field. The second wireless communication device 120 may determine to send an acknowledgment message. The acknowledgment message 1434 may include an indicator indicating whether the second wireless communication device 120 properly processed the A-control field included in the MPDU transmission 1422. In process 1442, the first wireless communication device 110 may process the acknowledgment message 1434 and determine whether to resend the A-control field in a subsequent transmission. In some implementations, the acknowledgment message may be a multi-STA block Ack frame, and the indicator that the A-control field was correctly received may include a field including an Ack type field set to 1 and a TID field set to 13 (this value is not currently used in the technical standard).

[0122] Fig.15 A block diagram of an example electronic device is shown. In some implementations, electronic device 1500 may be one of an access point (including any AP described herein), a range extender, or other electronic system. Electronic device 1500 may include processor 1502 (possibly including multiple processors, multiple cores, multiple nodes, or implementing multithreading, etc.). Electronic device 1500 may also include memory 1506. Memory 1506 may be system memory or any one or more of the possible implementations of computer-readable media described herein. Electronic device 1500 may also include bus 1510 (such as PCI, ISA, Express PCI, AHB, AXI, etc.) and network interface 1504, network interface 904 may include a wireless network interface (such as a WLAN interface, interface, interface, The electronic device 1500 may include at least one of a wireless network interface (such as a wireless USB interface, a wireless USB interface, etc.) and a wired network interface (such as an Ethernet interface, a power line communication interface, etc.). In some implementations, the electronic device 1500 may support multiple network interfaces, each of which is configured to couple the electronic device 1500 to a different communication network.

[0123] The electronic device 1500 may include an A-control generation unit 1560 and an A-control processing unit 1562. In some implementations, the A-control generation unit 1560 and the A-control processing unit 1562 may be distributed within the processor 1502, the memory 1506, and the bus 1510. The A-control generation unit 1560 and the A-control processing unit 1562 may perform some or all of the operations described herein.

[0124] Memory 1506 may include computer instructions that are executable by processor 1502 to implement Figure 1-12 1502. Any of these functionalities may be implemented partially (or completely) in hardware or on the processor 1502. For example, the functionality may be implemented in a dedicated integrated circuit, in logic implemented in the processor 1502, in a coprocessor on a peripheral device or card, etc. In addition, implementations may include fewer components or include Fig.15 The processor 1502, memory 1506, and network interface 1504 are coupled to a bus 1510. Although illustrated as being coupled to the bus 1510, the memory 1506 may also be coupled to the processor 1502.

[0125] Figure 1-15 The operations described herein are examples intended to aid in understanding example implementations and should not be used to limit potential implementations or to limit the scope of the claims. Some implementations may perform additional operations, perform fewer operations, perform operations in parallel or in a different order, and perform some operations differently.

[0126] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one" of a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc.

[0127] The various illustrative logics, logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been generally described in terms of their functionality and is illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described throughout this document. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0128] The hardware and data processing apparatus for implementing the various illustrative logics, logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed with a general purpose single-chip or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in cooperation with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some implementations, specific processes and methods may be performed by circuit systems dedicated to a given function.

[0129] In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware (including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents), or in any combination thereof. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may also be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by a data processing apparatus or for controlling the operation of a data processing apparatus.

[0130] If implemented in software, each function can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or transmitted by it. The process of the method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented in a processor executable software module that can reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that can be implemented to transfer a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. Any connection may also be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. Disks and discs as used herein include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. TM A disk may be a disk, where a disk often reproduces data magnetically, while a disc reproduces data optically with a laser. Combinations may also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one of code and instructions or any combination or set of code and instructions on a machine-readable medium and a computer-readable medium that may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0131] Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure may be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the universal principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the disclosure, the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0132] In addition, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the terms "upper" and "lower / lower" are sometimes used for convenience in describing the drawings and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the drawings on a correctly oriented page, and may not reflect the actual orientation of any device as implemented.

[0133] Certain features described in this specification in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, while features may be described as functioning in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be removed from the combination, and a claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination, or variations of a subcombination.

[0134] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or to perform all the operations described in order to achieve the desired result. In addition, the accompanying drawings may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flow chart. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated example processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously or between any illustrated operations. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of various system components in the described implementation should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, other implementations also fall within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions described in the claims may be performed in different orders and still achieve the desired result.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: determining a plurality of control parameters for transmission from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, each control parameter comprising at least a control identifier (ID) and a control value; generating an aggregated medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (A-MPDU) comprising a first MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) for transmission via a first wireless link, wherein the first MPDU comprises an aggregated control (A-Control) field formatted with the plurality of control parameters, and wherein the A-MPDU comprises an MPDU delimiter having an indicator indicating that the first MPDU comprises the A-Control field and that the A-Control field is a variable length A-Control field; and The A-MPDU including the first MPDU is output for transmission from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a length of the A-Control field based at least in part on the plurality of control parameters; as well as A first portion of the A-Control field is populated with an indication based on the length.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first portion is formatted as a first control parameter having a reserved value for the control ID and having the length as the control value of the first control parameter.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first MPDU contains only the variable length A-Control field, wherein the indicator is included in a length field of the MPDU delimiter, and wherein the indicator has a value less than a minimum length of an MPDU according to a technical standard, so that the value is reserved to divert the length field to indicate the presence of the variable length A-Control field in the first MPDU.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the A-control field is a multi-link control field and comprises a first subset of the plurality of control parameters related to the first wireless link and a second subset of the plurality of control parameters related to a second wireless link managed by the first wireless communication device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: generating a second frame for transmission via the second wireless link, wherein the second frame includes a redundant copy of the A-Control field formatted with the plurality of control parameters; as well as The second frame is output for transmission from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device via the second wireless link.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of control parameters include at least one control parameter for enabling or disabling at least one of the first wireless link or the second wireless link.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of control parameters comprises timing information regarding when to enable or disable the first radio link or the second radio link, the timing information comprising a time offset relative to a start or end of the first MPDU or a time value based on a timer.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the A-Control field comprises a delimiter between a first subset of the plurality of control parameters and a second subset of the plurality of control parameters.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the delimiter is formatted as a first control parameter having a reserved value for the control ID and having a null control value.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: An acknowledgment is received from the second wireless communication device, wherein the acknowledgment indicates that the A-Control field was successfully processed by the second wireless communication device, and wherein the acknowledgment is different from a MAC acknowledgment used to acknowledge the first MPDU.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the acknowledgment is included in a reserved bit of a frame control field or a block acknowledgement control field.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the acknowledgment includes signaling indicating that the acknowledgment is for the plurality of control parameters.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the acknowledgment is included in a Multi-Station Block Acknowledgment (Multi-STA Block Ack) message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the signaling includes predefined values ​​for an Acknowledgement Type field and a Traffic Identifier field of the Multi-STA Block Ack message.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first MPDU includes the A-Control field in a payload portion of a Null Packet, a Quality of Service (QoS) Null Frame, or a Null Data Packet (NDP).

17. A wireless communication device, comprising: at least one processor; at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code, the at least one processor configured to execute the processor-readable code and cause the apparatus to: determining a plurality of control parameters for transmission to the first wireless communication device, each control parameter comprising at least a control identifier (ID) and a control value; and generating an aggregated medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (A-MPDU) comprising a first MAC protocol data unit (MPDU), wherein the first MPDU comprises an aggregated control (A-Control) field formatted with the plurality of control parameters, and wherein the A-MPDU comprises an MPDU delimiter having an indicator indicating that the first MPDU comprises the A-Control field and that the A-Control field is a variable length A-Control field; as well as The interface is configured to output the A-MPDU including the first MPDU for transmission to the first wireless communication device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the processor readable code and cause the apparatus to: determining a length of the A-Control field based at least in part on the plurality of control parameters; and A first portion of the A-Control field is populated with an indication based on the length.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first portion is formatted as a first control parameter having a reserved value for the control ID and having the length as the control value of the first control parameter.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the indicator is included in a length field of the MPDU delimiter, and wherein the indicator has a value less than a minimum length of an MPDU according to a technical standard, such that the value is reserved to divert the length field to indicate the presence of the variable length A-Control field in the first MPDU.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the interface is further configured to receive an acknowledgment from the first wireless communication device, wherein the acknowledgment indicates that the A-Control field was successfully processed by the first wireless communication device, and wherein the acknowledgment is different from a MAC acknowledgment used to acknowledge the first MPDU.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit the A-MPDU to the first wireless communication device, wherein the apparatus is configured as a second wireless communication device.

23. A first wireless communication device for use in a wireless local area network, comprising: at least one processor; at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code, the at least one processor configured to execute the processor-readable code and cause the first wireless communication device to perform operations including: determining a plurality of control parameters for transmission from the first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, each control parameter comprising at least a control identifier (ID) and a control value; as well as generating an aggregated medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (A-MPDU) including a first MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) including an aggregated control (A-Control) field formatted with the plurality of control parameters, wherein the A-MPDU includes an MPDU delimiter having an indicator indicating that the first MPDU includes the A-Control field and that the A-Control field is a variable length A-Control field; one or more antennas; as well as One or more transceivers configured to transmit the A-MPDU including the first MPDU from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device via the one or more antennas.

24. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: determining a plurality of control parameters for transmission from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, each control parameter comprising at least a control identifier (ID) and a control value; generating an aggregated medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (A-MPDU) comprising a first MAC protocol data unit (MPDU), wherein the first MPDU comprises an aggregated control (A-Control) field formatted with the plurality of control parameters, and wherein the A-MPDU comprises an MPDU delimiter having an indicator indicating that the first MPDU comprises the A-Control field and that the A-Control field is a variable length A-Control field; and The A-MPDU including the first MPDU is output for transmission from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device.

25. A method for wireless communication, comprising: determining a plurality of control parameters for transmission to the first wireless communication device, each control parameter comprising at least a control identifier (ID) and a control value; as well as generating a first frame including an aggregated control (A-Control) field formatted with the plurality of control parameters, wherein the A-Control field is a multi-link control field and includes a first subset of the plurality of control parameters related to a first radio link and a second subset of the plurality of control parameters related to a second radio link, and wherein the plurality of control parameters include timing information indicating when to enable or disable the first radio link or the second radio link, the timing information including a time offset relative to a start or end of the first frame, or a time value based on a synchronized timer; as well as The first frame is output for transmission to the first wireless communication device.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising: The first frame is transmitted to the first wireless communication device.

27. A wireless communication device, comprising: at least one processor; at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code, the at least one processor configured to execute the processor-readable code and cause the apparatus to: determining a plurality of control parameters for transmission to the first wireless communication device, each control parameter comprising at least a control identifier (ID) and a control value; and generating a first frame including an aggregated control (A-Control) field formatted with the plurality of control parameters, wherein the first frame includes an aggregated control (A-Control) field formatted with the plurality of control parameters, wherein the A-Control field is a multi-link control field and includes a first subset of the plurality of control parameters related to a first radio link and a second subset of the plurality of control parameters related to a second radio link, and wherein the plurality of control parameters include timing information indicating when to enable or disable the first radio link or the second radio link, the timing information including a time offset relative to a start or end of the first frame, or a time value based on a synchronized timer; as well as The first frame is output for transmission to the first wireless communication device.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising: A transmitter is configured to transmit the first frame to the first wireless communication device, wherein the apparatus is configured as a second wireless communication device.

29. A first wireless communication device used in a wireless local area network, comprising: at least one processor; at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code, the at least one processor configured to execute the processor-readable code and cause the first wireless communication device to: determining a plurality of control parameters for transmission to the first wireless communication device, each control parameter comprising at least a control identifier (ID) and a control value; and generating a first frame including an aggregated control (A-Control) field formatted with a plurality of control parameters, wherein the first frame includes an aggregated control (A-Control) field formatted with the plurality of control parameters, wherein the A-Control field is a multilink control field and includes a first subset of the plurality of control parameters related to a first radio link and a second subset of the plurality of control parameters related to a second radio link, and wherein the plurality of control parameters include timing information indicating when to enable or disable the first radio link or the second radio link, the timing information including a time offset relative to a start or end of the first frame, or a time value based on a synchronized timer; as well as An interface is configured to output the first frame for transmission to the first wireless communication device.

30. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: determining a plurality of control parameters for transmission to the first wireless communication device, each control parameter comprising at least a control identifier (ID) and a control value; and generating a first frame including an aggregated control (A-Control) field formatted with the plurality of control parameters, wherein the first frame includes an aggregated control (A-Control) field formatted with the plurality of control parameters, wherein the A-Control field is a multi-link control field and includes a first subset of the plurality of control parameters related to a first radio link and a second subset of the plurality of control parameters related to a second radio link, and wherein the plurality of control parameters include timing information indicating when to enable or disable the first radio link or the second radio link, the timing information including a time offset relative to a start or end of the first frame, or a time value based on a synchronized timer; and The first frame is output for transmission to the first wireless communication device.

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