Apparatus and method for scheduled uplink multi-user access

Abstract

The present invention is entitled "Apparatus and Method for Scheduled Uplink Multi-User Access." Some embodiments include apparatus and methods for enabling concurrent peer-to-peer (P2P) communications via scheduled resource units (RUs) allocated by an access point (AP). For example, an AP can schedule uplink (UL) multi-user (MU) access for a first station in a plurality of stations using a trigger frame by allocating a RU to the first station. Instead of using the allocated RU for UL infrastructure communications with the AP, the first station can use the allocated RU for P2P communications with a second station. In some embodiments, the AP facilitates the use of the RU for P2P communications between stations. In some embodiments, the first station uses the allocated RU and the AP can be unaware of the P2P communications.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application is a divisional application of Chinese national patent application No. 201910477883.8, filed on June 3, 2019, entitled "Apparatus and Method for Scheduled Uplink Multi-User Access".

[0003] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 691,522, filed June 28, 2018, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Scheduled Uplink Multi-User Access with Concurrent Peer-to-Peer Communications,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] The implementation scheme described in this article generally involves channel access in wireless communication. Background Technology

[0005] Access points (APs) typically use higher priority access to the wireless local area network (WLAN) medium than WLAN sites. Consequently, the WLAN medium can be occupied by infrastructure communications transmitted and received by the AP for an extended period of time. In some cases, WLAN sites may have urgent peer-to-peer (P2P) communications to transmit to their peers, where P2P communications have higher priority than pending infrastructure communications. However, due to the AP's higher channel access priority or congested WLAN medium, the WLAN site may be unable to send the P2P communications to its peers in a timely manner. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Some implementations include apparatus and methods for enabling concurrent peer-to-peer (P2P) communication via scheduled resource units (RUs) allocated via an access point (AP). Resource units can be: frequency resources, such as frequency bands within the total bandwidth (BW) available to devices in the network; spatial resources, such as one or more spatial streams available to devices in the network; or a combination of both frequency and spatial resources, such as a combination of frequency bands and spatial streams within the total BW available to devices in the network. RU allocation can be used by sites to access wireless local area network (WLAN) media. For example, the AP can schedule uplink (UL) multi-user (MU) access for a first site by allocating an RU to a first site among a plurality of sites using a trigger frame. Instead of using the allocated RU for UL infrastructure communication with the AP, the first site can use the allocated RU for P2P communication with a second site. In some implementations, the AP facilitates the use of the allocated RU for P2P communication between sites. In some implementations, the first site uses the allocated RU for P2P communication instead of infrastructure communication, and the AP may be unaware of the P2P communication.

[0007] In some implementations, a site receives a trigger frame from an AP indicating that a RU has been allocated to the site for transmitting infrastructure communications to the AP, and the site determines whether to use the allocated RU to transmit P2P communications to a second electronic device based on an RU usage policy. The RU usage policy may include: infrastructure communication priority or P2P communication priority; the size of queued infrastructure communications or queued P2P communications; the maximum queuing time for infrastructure communications or P2P communications; and / or RU allocation details.

[0008] The station can receive indications of P2P concurrency capability from the AP and transmit indications that the station is capable of P2P operation using UL MU communication. The station can transmit a Buffer Status Report (BSR) to the AP for P2P communication (e.g., Nearby Aware Networking (NAN) communication), where the BSR indicates the presence of P2P communication. The AP can use the received BSR to create a second trigger frame, which can indicate that a second allocated RU can be used for P2P communication. In some implementations, the P2P communication is based on the NAN protocol, the Apple Wireless Direct (AWDL) protocol, or the WiFi Direct protocol. In some implementations, the station can use a Block Acknowledgment Request (BAR) to poll for acknowledgments of P2P communication using the allocated RU. Using BAR instead of immediate ACK avoids conflicts with immediate acknowledgments (ACK) that the AP may transmit. Attached Figure Description

[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the specification, illustrate the disclosed contents and, together with the specification, further serve to explain the principles of this disclosure and enable those skilled in the art to make and use the disclosure.

[0010] Figure 1 An exemplary system for scheduled uplink (UL) multi-user (MU) access employing concurrent peer-to-peer communication is shown in some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary wireless system supporting scheduled UL MU access using concurrent peer-to-peer (P2P) communication is shown according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3 An exemplary wireless system supporting scheduled UL MU access with concurrent P2P communication is shown according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 Exemplary methods for enabling access points to support scheduled UL MU access using concurrent P2P communication are shown according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5 Exemplary methods for enabling a site to support scheduled UL MU access using concurrent P2P communication are shown according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6 Another exemplary method is shown for enabling a site to support scheduled UL MU access using concurrent P2P communication, according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 7 Exemplary methods are shown according to some embodiments of this disclosure for enabling peer devices to support scheduled UL MU access with concurrent P2P communication without requiring a resource unit (RU) usage protocol.

[0017] Figure 8 Exemplary methods are shown for enabling peer devices to support scheduled UL MU access using concurrent P2P communication via RU usage protocols according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 9 An exemplary wireless system with an acknowledgment policy for scheduled uplink multi-user access supporting concurrent peer-to-peer communication, according to some elements of this disclosure, is shown.

[0019] Figure 10 It is an exemplary computer system for implementing some implementation scheme or part thereof.

[0020] Figure 11 An exemplary wireless system is shown that is unable to transmit peer-to-peer communications in a timely manner.

[0021] This disclosure is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals generally denote the same or similarly functional elements. Additionally, the leftmost numeral of the reference numerals generally appears first in the drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Sites such as wireless local area network (WLAN) sites can transmit infrastructure communications via access points (APs) and peer-to-peer (P2P) communications with other sites. However, due to the AP's higher channel access priority than the WLAN site or congested WLAN media, a site may not be able to send P2P communications in a timely manner, even if the P2P communications queued at the site have a higher priority than the infrastructure communications queued at that site.

[0023] Some implementations enable concurrent P2P communication via scheduled resource units (RUs) allocated by the AP. For example, the AP can schedule uplink (UL) multi-user (MU) access for a first site by allocating an RU to a first site among multiple sites using a trigger frame. Instead of using the allocated RU for UL infrastructure communication with the AP, the first site can use the allocated RU for P2P communication with a second site. In some implementations, the AP facilitates the use of the RU for P2P communication between sites. In some implementations, the first site uses the allocated RU without facilitation (e.g., the AP may be unaware of the P2P communication). Examples of P2P protocols include, but are not limited to, Nearby Aware Networking (NAN), Apple Wireless Direct (AWDL), and WiFi Direct. The NAN protocol is used throughout this disclosure as a non-limiting example.

[0024] Figure 1An exemplary system 100 employing scheduled UL MU access with concurrent peer-to-peer communication is illustrated according to some embodiments of this disclosure. The exemplary system 100 is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the disclosed embodiments. System 100 may include, but is not limited to, site 120, access point (AP) 110, and network 130. Sites 120a-120c may include, but are not limited to, WLAN sites, such as wireless communication devices, smartphones, laptops, desktop computers, tablets, personal assistants, monitors, and televisions. Site 120 may support latency-sensitive applications (e.g., video and / or audio streaming). AP 110 may include, but is not limited to, WLAN electronic devices, such as wireless routers, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches), wireless communication devices (e.g., smartphones), or combinations thereof. Network 130 may be the Internet and / or WLAN. Communication at site 120 is shown as wireless communication 140.

[0025] Figure 11 An exemplary wireless system 1100 is shown that cannot transmit peer-to-peer communication in a timely manner. For convenience, and not limitation, please contact [contact information missing]. Figure 1 Element description Figure 11 For example, AP 1110 can be used with... Figure 1 Similar to AP 110, and stations 1120a-1120c can be similar to stations 120a-120c. In the exemplary wireless system 1100, AP 1110 can transmit a trigger frame 1130, and after a short inter-frame interval (SIFS), stations 1120a and 1120b can transmit their respective UL packets 1150 and 1160 according to the information in the trigger frame 1130, wherein packets 1150 and 1160 include infrastructure communications directed to AP 1110. AP 1110 then transmits an acknowledgment (ACK) 1140.

[0026] Site 1120b can establish a P2P connection with site 1120c and can have time-critical P2P communications queued for transmission to site 1120c, where queued P2P communications have higher priority than any infrastructure communications queued for transmission to AP 1110. However, when AP 1110 transmits trigger frame 1135, sites 1120a and 1120b respond accordingly to include UL packets 1155 and 1165 for infrastructure communications to AP 1110. When site 1120b finally gets a transmission opportunity (e.g., due to a decrease in the contention window count), site 1120b can transmit P2P packets (e.g., NAN packet 1170) to site 1120c. The problem is that NAN packet 1170 may be transmitted too late. Delayed transmission of NAN packet 1170 can lead to a poor user experience for users of sites 1120c and / or 1120b.

[0027] Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary wireless system 200 supporting scheduled uplink multi-user access with concurrent peer-to-peer communication is shown according to some embodiments of this disclosure. System 200 may be any electronic device in the electronic devices of system 100 (e.g., station 110, access point 120). System 200 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 210, a transceiver 220, a communication interface 225, a communication infrastructure 230, a memory 235, and an antenna 250. Memory 235 may include random access memory (RAM) and / or cache, and may include control logic components (e.g., computer software) and / or data. CPU 210, together with instructions stored in memory 235, performs operations that enable scheduled uplink multi-user access with concurrent peer-to-peer communication. In some embodiments, CPU 210 and instructions in memory 235 together perform operations that enable scheduled uplink multi-user access with concurrent peer-to-peer communication. Transceiver 220 transmits and receives communication signals supporting scheduled uplink multi-user access using concurrent peer-to-peer communication, and can be coupled to antenna 250. Communication interface 225 allows system 200 to communicate with other devices, which may be wired and / or wireless. Communication infrastructure 230 may be a bus. Antenna 250 may include one or more antennas, which may be the same or different types.

[0028] Figure 3 An exemplary wireless system 300 supporting scheduled UL MU access with concurrent peer-to-peer communication according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. For convenience, and not limitation, please contact Figure 1 Element description Figure 3 For example, AP 310 can be used with... Figure 1 Similar to AP 110, sites 320a-320c can be similar to sites 120a-120c. In the exemplary wireless system 300, AP 310 schedules UL MU access to the WLAN medium by assigning RUs to multiple associated sites 320 (e.g., sites 320a and 320b) in the frequency and time domains. When an RU is assigned to a site 320, the site 320 can transmit infrastructure communication UL in its RU allocation. An example of an RU is an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA) RU. In wireless system 300, AP 310 informs sites 320a and 320b of the following via trigger frame 330: their RU allocation, the decoding parameters used by a particular site 320 to decode its RU allocation, and their UL MU transmission parameters. Examples of UL MU transmission parameters include, but are not limited to, transmission (Tx) duration, modulation and coding scheme (MCS), number of spatial streams (N). SS), Tx power, and other parameters described in IEEE 802.11ax.

[0029] Following a short interframe interval, stations 320a and 320b may transmit corresponding UL packets 350 and 360 according to the RU allocation in trigger frame 330, wherein UL packets 350 and 360 include infrastructure communications to be routed to AP 310. Subsequently, AP 310 transmits an acknowledgment (ACK 340).

[0030] Site 320b may establish a P2P connection with site 320c and may have time-critical P2P communications (e.g., P2P packets) queued for transmission to site 320c, wherein the queued P2P communications have a higher priority than any infrastructure communications queued for transmission to AP310. Examples of P2P communications may include video and / or audio data being transmitted between site 320b and site 320c.

[0031] Peer devices can establish RU usage policies that enable the first peer device to determine whether to use a scheduled UL MU access for concurrent P2P communication with the second peer device or for infrastructure communication with the AP. RU usage policies can be based on any / all of the following: pending infrastructure communication priority, pending P2P communication priority, infrastructure communication queue size, P2P communication queue size, maximum queuing time for current infrastructure communication, maximum queuing time for current P2P communication, RU allocation details, and / or RU usage agreements reached with peer devices. Examples of RU allocation details include MCS and / or the duration of RU allocation. For example, if P2P communication priority is higher than infrastructure communication priority and / or P2P communication queuing time has met a predetermined threshold, then the peer device (e.g., a WLAN site) can choose to use an RU allocated by the AP to transmit P2P communication to the peer.

[0032] In the exemplary wireless system 300, station 320 may use its OFDMA RU allocated from AP 310 to transmit P2P communication to a peer device, instead of using its OFDMA RU allocation to transmit UL infrastructure communication to AP 310. For example, AP 310 transmits a trigger frame 335, which includes a station identifier, RU allocation and corresponding decoding parameters, and transmission parameters for each of stations 320a and 320b. Station 320a uses the RU allocated to station 320a to transmit infrastructure communication within UL packet 355 to AP 310. In some embodiments, station 320b uses the RU allocated to station 320b to transmit P2P communication (e.g., NAN packet 370) to a peer device, i.e., station 320c. In other words, station 320b transmits P2P communication within a UL OFDMA packet, where the P2P communication is addressed to station 320c. Subsequently, station 320b may transmit UL infrastructure communications as shown in UL packet 365 at a later time via regular channel access (e.g., contention-based access) or after another trigger frame (not shown).

[0033] In some implementations, peer devices in P2P communication establish their own acknowledgment policies to avoid transmitting acknowledgments that may conflict with acknowledgments transmitted by the access point (AP). An ACK policy prevents the receiving peer device from transmitting an immediate ACK in response to receiving a P2P packet transmitted in the scheduled UL MU access. Peer devices may establish an acknowledgment policy that uses delayed acknowledgments (e.g., block acknowledgment requests (BARs)) to poll for acknowledgments of P2P packets transmitted in the scheduled UL MU access. Figure 9 An exemplary wireless system 900 is shown that supports a scheduled UL MU access employing an acknowledgment policy for concurrent peer-to-peer communication according to some elements of this disclosure. For convenience, and not limitation, please contact Figure 3 Element description Figure 9 .

[0034] As shown in the exemplary wireless system 900, after station 320c receives P2P communication (e.g., NAN 370) from station 320b, station 320c does not send an immediate ACK 985, which may conflict with ACK 345 sent by AP 310, to acknowledge infrastructure packets (e.g., UL packets 355) received by AP 310 in the UL MU transmission. Peer devices 320b and 320c may establish an ACK policy to use BAR to obtain acknowledgments of P2P packets transmitted in the UL MU. For example, after station 320b transmits P2P communication (e.g., NAN 370) to station 320c, station 320b may subsequently transmit BAR 980 to poll for acknowledgments corresponding to NAN 370. Station 320c may transmit ACK 990 in response.

[0035] In some implementations, the AP facilitates the use of the allocated RUs for P2P communication between sites. Figure 4 An exemplary method 400 for enabling an AP to support scheduled UL MU access using concurrent peer-to-peer communication, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, is shown. For convenience and not limitation, please contact Figures 1-3 Element description Figure 4 Method 400 can be derived from, for example... Figure 1 AP 110, Figure 3 AP 310 AP, Figure 2 System 200 or Figure 10 The computer system 1000 is used to execute and facilitate the use of the allocated RU for P2P communication.

[0036] In 410, system 200 transmits an indication of its ability to perform concurrent (P2P) communication transmissions in the UL MU. For example, AP 110 may transmit a capability field called "P2P Operation Facilitator Capability," and this capability field may be transmitted in a beacon. When the value of "P2P Operation Facilitator Capability" is set to "1," a receiving station (e.g., station 120b) may use the RUs allocated by AP 110 either for infrastructure communication intended to be sent to the AP or for P2P communication intended to be sent to another station.

[0037] In step 420, system 200 receives an indication of whether a particular site is capable of P2P operation using UL MU communication. For example, AP 110 may receive a capability field called "P2P Operation in UL MU" from site 120b, which may be received in a (re)association response. When "P2P Operation in UL MU" is set to "1", site 120b is capable of using the RU assigned by AP 110 to transmit P2P communication (e.g., transmitting P2P communication to site 120c), and method 400 proceeds to step 430. Otherwise, method 400 proceeds to step 460.

[0038] In step 430, system 200 receives a buffer status report (BSR) for P2P communication (e.g., NAN communication), which may indicate the presence of P2P communication. For example, if AP 110 receives a BSR for P2P communication from site 120b, where the P2P communication is separate from infrastructure communication, or where the P2P communication can be aggregated with infrastructure communication into an aggregated BSR, then method 400 proceeds to 440. Some implementations include using an IEEE 802.11ax BSR to indicate the presence of P2P communication (e.g., P2P link communication). Otherwise, the BSR may indicate the presence of only infrastructure communication, and method 400 proceeds to 460.

[0039] In 440, system 200 schedules UL MU access based at least in part on the received BSR to support P2P communication. For example, AP 110 may determine RU allocation, decoding parameters, and / or transmission parameters based at least in part on the BSR received from site 120b.

[0040] In 450, system 200 transmits a trigger frame indicating that the allocated resource unit (RU) will be used for P2P communication. For example, AP 110 may transmit a trigger frame that includes an "allocation policy" field. When the "allocation policy" field is set to "1", station 120b may use the allocated RU to transmit P2P communication (e.g., transmit P2P communication to station 120c).

[0041] In 460, system 200 schedules UL MU access based at least in part on a received BSR that includes information about infrastructure communications. For example, AP 110 may determine RU allocation, decoding parameters, and / or transmission parameters based at least in part on a BSR received from site 120b. System 200 transmits a trigger frame indicating that the allocated RU will be used for UL infrastructure communications for system 200. For example, AP 110 may transmit a trigger frame to site 120b in which the “allocation policy” field is set to “0”. Site 120b then uses the allocated RU to transmit UL infrastructure communications to AP 110.

[0042] Figure 5 An exemplary method 500 for enabling a site to support scheduled UL MU access using concurrent peer-to-peer communication, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, is shown. For convenience and not limitation, please contact Figures 1-4 Element description Figure 5 Method 500 can be derived from, for example... Figure 1 Site 120 Figure 3 Site 320 Figure 2 System 200 or Figure 10 The computer system 1000 is used to execute and facilitate the use of the allocated RU for P2P communication.

[0043] In 510, system 200 can receive an indication of P2P concurrency capability, which indicates that the AP (e.g., Figure 1 AP 110 or Figure 3 Whether AP 310 can implement P2P communication transmission in UL MU transmission. For example, station 120b can receive a capability field called "P2P Operation Facilitator," and the capability field can be received from a beacon from AP 110. When the value of "P2P Operation Facilitator" is set to "1," AP 110 notifies station 120b that AP 110 can allocate RUs for infrastructure communications intended to be sent to AP 110 or for P2P communications intended to be sent to another station 120c, and method 500 proceeds to 520. When the value of "P2P Operation Facilitator" is set to "0," AP 110 notifies station 120b that AP 110 only allocates RUs for UL infrastructure communications, and method 500 proceeds to 520. Figure 6 610 shown.

[0044] In step 520, system 200 transmits an indication of whether system 200 is capable of P2P operation using uplink (UL) multi-user (MU) communication. For example, site 120b may transmit a capability field referred to as "P2P Operation in UL MU" to AP 110, and this capability field may be transmitted in a (re)association response. When "P2P Operation in UL MU" is set to "1", site 120b informs AP 110 that it can use the RU allocated by AP 110 for P2P communication to transmit P2P communication (e.g., transmit P2P packets to site 120c), and method 500 proceeds to step 530. When "P2P Operation in UL MU" is set to "0", site 120b indicates that it only uses the RU allocated by AP 110 to transmit infrastructure communication, and method 500 proceeds to step 560.

[0045] In step 530, system 200 transmits a buffer status report (BSR) to the AP indicating the presence of P2P communication (e.g., NAN communication). For example, when station 120b transmits a BSR for P2P communication to AP 110, where the P2P communication can be separate from infrastructure communication, or the P2P communication can be aggregated with infrastructure communication into an aggregated BSR, then method 500 proceeds to step 540. Some implementations include using IEEE 802.11ax BSRs to indicate the presence of P2P communication (e.g., P2P link communication).

[0046] In 540, system 200 receives a trigger frame from the AP based at least in part on the BSR transmitted in 530, indicating that the allocated resource unit (RU) can be used for P2P communication. For example, station 120b receives a trigger frame from AP 110 including an "allocation policy" field, where AP 110 can determine the value of the "allocation policy" at least in part based on the value of "P2P operation in UL MU" (from 520) and / or the BSR transmitted from station 120b (from 530). The "allocation policy" field is set to "1", and station 120b can utilize the allocated RU to transmit P2P communication (e.g., transmit P2P communication to station 120c).

[0047] In 550, system 200 utilizes the allocated RU to transmit P2P communication. For example, site 120b (or site 320b) can utilize the RU allocated to site 120b (or site 320b) by AP 110 (or AP 310) to transmit P2P communication (e.g., NAN packet 370) to the peer device, i.e., site 120c (or site 320c).

[0048] In 560, system 200 can transmit BSRs that are only for UL infrastructure communications (e.g., system 200 does not have P2P communications to send).

[0049] In 570, system 200 may receive a trigger frame from the AP based at least in part on the BSR transmitted in 560, which indicates that the allocated RU can be used for infrastructure communications. For example, site 120b receives a trigger frame from AP 110 including an "allocation policy" field, where AP 110 may determine the value of the "allocation policy" based at least in part on the value of "P2P operation in UL MU" (from 520) and / or the BSR transmitted from site 120b (from 530). The "allocation policy" field is set to "0", and site 120b may transmit UL infrastructure communications to AP 110 using only the allocated RU.

[0050] In 580, system 200 utilizes the allocated RUs to transmit infrastructure communications. For example, site 120b (or site 320b) can transmit UL infrastructure communications to AP 110 (or AP 310) using only the RUs allocated to site 120b (or site 320b) by AP 110 (or AP 310).

[0051] In some implementations, the site does not exchange P2P concurrency capabilities (e.g., "P2P operation facilitation capabilities" and / or "P2P operation in UL MU") or BSRs with the AP. Instead, the site uses the allocated RUs for P2P communication, and the AP may be unaware of the P2P communication. Figure 6 Another exemplary method 600 for enabling a site to support scheduled UL MU access using concurrent peer-to-peer communication, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, is shown. For convenience and not limitation, please contact Figures 1-5 Element description Figure 6 Method 600 can be obtained from sites such as... Figure 1 Site 120 Figure 3 Site 320 Figure 2 System 200 or Figure 10 The computer system 1000 is used to execute and facilitate the use of the allocated RU for P2P communication.

[0052] In 610, system 200 receives a trigger frame from the AP, the trigger frame including the allocated RU intended to be used for transmitting infrastructure communications to the AP. For example, site 120b receives a trigger frame from AP 110 identifying the RU allocated to site 120b for transmitting infrastructure communications. System 200 can receive trigger frames from AP 110 as... Figure 5 The trigger frame is the result of a "no" decision by AP 110, where AP 110 may be an older version AP that does not support P2P concurrency. AP 110 may be unaware of any P2P communication by site 120b. In another example, system 200 may receive trigger frames from AP 110, such as in Figure 5 Of the 570, AP 110 has P2P concurrency capability and is assigned RUs for UL infrastructure communication.

[0053] In 620, system 200 determines whether to utilize the allocated RU for P2P communication or infrastructure communication based on the RU usage policy. Even if AP 110 allocates RUs for UL infrastructure communication (e.g., in...), Figure 5 In section 570), site 120b can also decide how to use RUs. In other words, site 120b can use RUs allocated to UL infrastructure communication for P2P communication based on RU policies, and AP 110 can be unaware that the allocated RUs are being used for P2P communication.

[0054] When system 200 decides to use the assigned RU to transmit P2P communication, method 600 proceeds to 640. When system 200 decides to transmit UL infrastructure communication to the AP, method 600 proceeds to 640.

[0055] In 630, system 200 utilizes the allocated RU to transmit P2P communication. For example, station 120b can use the allocated RU to transmit P2P communication to station 120c.

[0056] In 640, system 200 utilizes the assigned RU to transmit UL infrastructure communications. For example, site 120b can transmit infrastructure communications uplink to AP110.

[0057] Using a P2P RU mapping table enables peer devices (e.g., Figure 3 Site 320c can receive transmissions from its peer (e.g., site 320b) via an RU assigned to it by an AP (e.g., AP 110). The site transmitting UL packets does not transmit transmission parameters in the UL packet header because the AP receiving the UL packets has access to the transmission parameters, which include the parameters required to decode the transmission sent in the UL RU allocation. Therefore, in order to obtain the decoding parameters required for decoding the RU allocation, the peer creates and populates a P2P RU mapping table based on information in the received trigger frames.

[0058] Peer devices can process more than one RU at a time, and processing can be performed in parallel. Peer devices can exchange RU usage protocols to control how many RU allocations they can receive at a time. Alternatively, without exchanging RU usage protocols, peer devices can choose which RU allocations they will process and which they will ignore.

[0059] Figure 7 An exemplary method 700 is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, for enabling peer devices to support scheduled UL MU access using concurrent P2P communication without requiring a RU usage protocol. For convenience, and not limitation, please contact Figures 1-6 Element description Figure 7 Method 700 can be derived from, for example... Figure 1 Sites 120b and 120c Figure 3 The peering equipment of site 320b and site 320c Figure 2 System 200 or Figure 10 The computer system 1000 is used to execute and facilitate the use of the allocated RU for P2P communication. When the AP facilitates the use of the RU for P2P communication between sites (see reference...) Figure 4 and Figure 5 Or when a site uses the allocated RU for P2P communication and the AP does not need to know (see reference). Figure 6 Method 700 can be executed.

[0060] In 710, system 200 establishes one or more P2P connections and constructs a P2P RU mapping table. The P2P RU mapping table may include the identifier of each peer device with which system 200 has established a P2P connection. System 200 may be a site 320c. For example, site 320c may establish P2P connections with site 320b and five other sites 320 (not shown).

[0061] In 720, system 200 monitors the WLAN for trigger frames.

[0062] In 730, system 200 receives a trigger frame including one or more identifiers of one or more peer devices, wherein the peer devices are associated with a P2P connection in one or more established P2P connections. For example, station 320c may receive a trigger frame including identifiers of station 320b and four of the five other stations 320 (e.g., Figure 3 Trigger frame 335).

[0063] In 740, system 200, based at least on the received trigger frame, fills a P2P RU mapping table with one or more identifiers of one or more peer devices, corresponding RU allocations, and corresponding decoding parameters (e.g., modulation and coding scheme (MCS), forward error correction (FEC), dual-carrier modulation (DCM)). In this example, trigger frame 335 includes RU allocations for station 320b and four other stations 320. Therefore, station 320c can create a P2P RU mapping table including the identifiers of peer device station 320b and four other stations 320, the corresponding RU allocations of the peer devices (e.g., station 320b and four other stations 320), and the corresponding RU allocation decoding parameters.

[0064] In 750, system 200 selects a subset of corresponding RU allocations based at least on its parallel processing capabilities, ignoring the remaining RU allocations. For example, if system 200 can process N RU allocations at a time (where N is an integer), then system 200 selects N RU allocations from the P2P RU mapping table based on the information received in trigger frame 335. In this example, N = 2, and station 320c can select RU allocations from station 320b and one of the four other stations 320 from the P2P RU mapping table. The allocations from the remaining three stations 320 are ignored.

[0065] In 770, system 200 decodes frames for a subset of the selected corresponding RU allocations (e.g., N corresponding RU allocations). For example, station 320c decodes two (e.g., N=2) RU allocations corresponding to station 320b and one of the four other stations 320, which are populated in the P2P RU mapping table, using decoding parameters from the P2P RU mapping table.

[0066] In step 780, system 200 determines whether the decoded frame is addressed to system 200. When the decoded frame is addressed to system 200 (e.g., site 320c, i.e., a peer device), method 700 proceeds to step 790. When the decoded frame is not addressed to system 200 (e.g., the decoded frame could be addressed to AP 310 for infrastructure communication or addressed to a different peer device), method 700 returns to step 720, thereby monitoring the WLAN for another trigger frame.

[0067] In 790, since the decoded frame is addressed to system 200, system 200 processes the decoded frame accordingly. For example, when the decoded frame is addressed to station 320c, station 320c can process the P2P communication based on the P2P communication established with station 320b.

[0068] In some implementations, peer devices can establish RU usage protocols with peer devices with which they have already established P2P connections. RU usage protocols allow peer devices to determine in advance from which peer devices they will receive P2P communication in the ULMU RU allocation.

[0069] Figure 8 An exemplary method 800 is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, for enabling peer devices to support scheduled UL MU access using concurrent P2P communication via the RU usage protocol. For convenience, and not limitation, please contact Figures 1-7 Element description Figure 8 Method 800 can be derived from, for example... Figure 1 Sites 120b and 120c Figure 3 The peering equipment of site 320b and site 320c Figure 2 System 200 or Figure 10 The computer system 1000 is used to execute and facilitate the use of the allocated RU for P2P communication. When the AP facilitates the use of the RU for P2P communication between sites (see reference...) Figure 4 and Figure 5 Or when a site uses the allocated RU for P2P communication and the AP does not need to know (see reference). Figure 6 Method 800 can be executed.

[0070] In 803, system 200 establishes one or more P2P connections. For example, system 200 may be station 320c that establishes P2P connections with station 320b and five other stations 320 (not shown).

[0071] In 805, system 200 determines that it can process N resource units (RUs) in parallel at a time, where N is an integer. In this example, N = 2, so system 200 can process 2 resource unit allocations at a time (e.g., in parallel).

[0072] In 810, system 200 exchanges RU usage protocols with each of N peer devices, where the N peer devices correspond to N P2P connections in the established P2P connections. System 200 also constructs a P2PRU mapping table identifying the N peer devices. The RU usage protocol ensures that system 200 will process a maximum of N RUs at a time, even if system 200 has P2P connections with more than N peer devices. In this example, site 320c exchanges RU usage protocols with site 320b and one of the other four sites 320. For example, the RU usage protocol enables the RU allocated by AP 310 to site 320b to be used for P2P communication from site 320b to site 320c. The RU usage protocol also enables the RU allocated by AP 310 to site 320c to be used for P2P communication from site 320c to site 320b.

[0073] In some implementations, a peer device (e.g., site 320c) exchanges two management frames with each peer device (e.g., site 320b and a site 320): an RU usage protocol request frame including an RU usage protocol information element (IE); and an RU usage protocol response frame including the status of the request. The status can be acceptance or rejection. For example, the RU usage protocol IE exchanged between peer devices 320c and 320b may include one or more of the following: an indication that site 320c can use the RU allocated by AP 310 for site 320b to receive P2P communication; an indication that site 320c can use the RU allocated by AP 310 for site 320c to transmit P2P communication to site 320b; a specific frequency band that can be used for RU allocation; and / or a specific Basic Service Set ID (BSSID) that can be used for RU allocation.

[0074] In the 820, system 200 monitors the WLAN for trigger frames.

[0075] In 830, system 200 receives a trigger frame that includes one or more identifiers corresponding to one or more of N peer devices. For example, a 320c station could receive... Figure 3The trigger frame 335 includes the identifiers of station 320b and four other stations 320.

[0076] In step 840, based on the received trigger frame, system 200 fills the P2P RU mapping table with one or more identifiers corresponding to one or more of the N peer devices, the corresponding RU allocation, and the corresponding decoding parameters. System 200 fills the P2P RU mapping table based on the received trigger frame 335. Although trigger frame 335 may include RU allocations for more than N peer devices, station 320c only fills in the information of the N peer devices with which it has established an RU usage agreement (i.e., station 320b and one station 320).

[0077] In 870, system 200 decodes the frames corresponding to the N RU allocations. For example, station 320c uses the decoding parameters in the P2P RU mapping table to decode two RU allocations corresponding to station 320b and station 320.

[0078] In step 880, system 200 determines whether the decoded frame is addressed to system 200. When the decoded frame is addressed to system 200 (e.g., site 320c), method 800 proceeds to step 890. When the decoded frame is not addressed to system 200 (e.g., the decoded frame could be addressed to AP 310 for infrastructure communication or to a different peer device), method 800 returns to step 820, thereby monitoring the WLAN for another trigger frame.

[0079] In 890, system 200 processes the decoded frame accordingly. For example, station 320c processes the decoded frame and confirms that it meets the RU usage agreement IE. If, for example, the BSSID or frequency band of the allocated RU does not correspond to the BSSID or specific frequency band specified in the RU usage agreement IE, then station 320c will not process the decoded frame.

[0080] For example, one or more computer systems (such as Figure 10The computer system 1000 shown herein implements various embodiments. The computer system 1000 can be any known computer capable of performing the functions described herein. The computer system 1000 includes one or more processors (also referred to as a central processing unit or CPU), such as processor 1004. Processor 1004 is connected to communication infrastructure 1006 (e.g., a bus). The computer system 1000 also includes user input / output devices 1003, such as a monitor, keyboard, pointing device, etc., which communicate with communication infrastructure 1006 via user input / output interface 1002. The computer system 1000 also includes main memory or primary memory 1008, such as random access memory (RAM). Main memory 1008 may include one or more levels of cache. Control logic components (e.g., computer software) and / or data are stored in main memory 1008.

[0081] The computer system 1000 may also include one or more auxiliary storage devices or memories 1010. Auxiliary memory 1010 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 1012 and / or a removable storage device or drive 1014. The removable storage drive 1014 may be a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, an optical storage device, a magnetic tape backup device, and / or any other storage device / drive.

[0082] Removable storage drive 1014 can interact with removable storage unit 1018. Removable storage unit 1018 includes a computer-usable or readable storage device on which computer software (control logic components) and / or data are stored. Removable storage unit 1018 can be a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disc, DVD, optical storage disc, and / or any other computer data storage device. Removable storage drive 1014 reads from and / or writes to removable storage unit 1018 in a well-known manner.

[0083] According to some embodiments, auxiliary storage 1010 may include other means, tools, or other methods for allowing computer programs and / or other instructions and / or data to be accessed by computer system 1000. Such means, tools, or other methods may include, for example, removable storage unit 1022 and interface 1020. Examples of removable storage unit 1022 and interface 1020 may include program boxes and box interfaces (such as those found in video game devices), removable memory chips (such as EPROM or PROM) and associated sockets, memory sticks and USB ports, memory cards and associated memory card slots, and / or any other removable storage units and associated interfaces.

[0084] Computer system 1000 may also include a communication or network interface 1024. Communication interface 1024 enables computer system 1000 to communicate and interact with any combination of remote devices, remote networks, remote entities, etc. (indicated individually and collectively by reference numeral 1028). For example, communication interface 1024 may allow computer system 1000 to communicate with remote device 1028 via communication path 1026, which may be wired and / or wireless, and may include any combination of LAN, WAN, Internet, etc. Control logic components and / or data may be transmitted to and from computer system 1000 via communication path 1026.

[0085] The operations described in the foregoing embodiments can be implemented with a wide variety of configurations and architectures. Therefore, some or all of the operations in the foregoing embodiments can be performed in hardware, software, or both. In some embodiments, tangible, non-transitory devices or articles of art include tangible, non-transitory computer-usable or readable media on which control logic components (software) are stored, also referred to herein as computer program products or program storage devices. This includes, but is not limited to, computer system 1000, main memory 1008, secondary memory 1010, and removable storage units 1018 and 1022, and tangible articles embodying any combination thereof. When executed by one or more data processing devices (such as computer system 1000), such control logic components cause such data processing devices to operate as described herein.

[0086] Based on the teachings contained in this disclosure, those skilled in the art will clearly understand how to use [the following methods]: Figure 10 The embodiments of this disclosure may be made and used with data processing apparatus, computer systems, and / or computer architectures other than those shown herein. In particular, the embodiments may operate with software, hardware, and / or operating system implementations other than those described herein.

[0087] It should be understood that the Detailed Description of Embodiments section, rather than the Summary and Abstract section, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract section may set forth one or more, but not all, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure as contemplated by the inventors, and therefore is not intended to limit this disclosure or the appended claims in any way.

[0088] Although this disclosure has been described herein with reference to exemplary embodiments in exemplary fields and applications, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited thereto. Other embodiments and modifications are possible and are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. For example, and without limiting the generality of this paragraph, embodiments are not limited to the software, hardware, firmware, and / or entities shown in the figures and / or described herein. Furthermore, embodiments (whether or not explicitly described herein) have significant utility for fields and applications beyond those described herein.

[0089] The implementation scheme has been described herein using functional building blocks that demonstrate the implementation of specific functions and their relationships. For ease of description, the boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein. Alternative boundaries may be defined as long as the specified functions and relationships (or their equivalents) are performed appropriately. Furthermore, alternative implementation schemes may use a different order of execution for functional blocks, steps, operations, methods, etc., than that described herein.

[0090] References to “an implementation,” “implementation,” “example implementation,” or similar phrases herein indicate that the described implementation may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic; however, each implementation need not necessarily include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such terminology need not refer to the same implementation. Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an implementation, whether or not it is explicitly mentioned or described herein, such feature, structure, or characteristic must be within the knowledge of a person skilled in the art to be incorporated into other implementations.

[0091] The breadth and scope of this disclosure should not be limited by any of the exemplary embodiments described above, but should be defined solely by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising: A transceiver configured to transmit and receive wireless communications; and One or more processors, which are communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to: Receive a first indication from an access point with peer-to-peer (P2P) concurrency capability, the first indication indicating whether P2P communication transmission can be achieved in uplink UL multi-user MU transmission; Receive from the access point a resource unit RU allocated to the electronic device for transmitting infrastructure communications to the access point; as well as The transceiver is used to transmit P2P communication to a second electronic device using the allocated RU.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: before receiving the RU allocated to the electronic device for transmitting infrastructure communications to the access point, transmit to the access point a second indication indicating that the electronic device is capable of P2P operation using uplink UL multi-user MU communication.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Before receiving the RU allocated to the electronic device for transmitting infrastructure communications to the access point, a buffer status report (BSR) indicating the presence of second P2P communication is transmitted to the access point; and The second RU is received from the access point, at least in part based on the BSR, wherein the second RU is allocated for the second P2P communication.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the P2P communication uses the Peripheral Aware Networking (NAN) protocol, the Apple Wireless Direct (AWDL) protocol, or the WiFi Direct protocol.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: use a Block Acknowledgment Request (BAR) to poll for acknowledgments of the P2P communication transmitted using the allocated RU.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: establish an RU usage policy with the second electronic device, wherein the RU usage policy is based at least on infrastructure communication priority or P2P communication priority, and wherein the transmission of P2P communication is performed in accordance with the RU usage policy.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: establish an RU usage policy with the second electronic device, wherein the RU usage policy is based at least on the size of queued P2P communications or queued infrastructure communications, and wherein the transmitted P2P communications are performed in accordance with the RU usage policy.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: establish an RU usage policy with the second electronic device, wherein the RU usage policy is based at least on the longest queuing time for infrastructure communication or P2P communication, and wherein the transmission P2P communication is performed in accordance with the RU usage policy.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: establish an RU usage policy with the second electronic device, wherein the RU usage policy is based at least on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of the RU allocation or the duration of the RU allocation, and wherein the transmission P2P communication is performed in accordance with the RU usage policy.

10. A method for P2P communication, comprising: Receive the first instruction from an access point with P2P concurrency capability; Receives from the access point a resource unit (RU) allocated to the electronic device for transmitting infrastructure communications to the access point, the first indication indicating whether P2P communication transmission is possible in uplink UL multi-user MU transmission; and The P2P communication is transmitted to the second electronic device using the allocated RU.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises: Before receiving the RU assigned to the electronic device for transmitting infrastructure communications to the access point, a second instruction is transmitted to the access point indicating that the electronic device is capable of P2P operation using uplink UL multi-user MU communication.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises: Before receiving the RU assigned to the electronic device for transmitting infrastructure communications to the access point, a buffer status report (BSR) indicating the presence of a second P2P communication is transmitted to the access point. as well as The second RU is received from the access point, at least in part based on the BSR, wherein the second RU is allocated for the second P2P communication.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the P2P communication uses the Peripheral Aware Networking (NAN) protocol, the Apple Wireless Direct (AWDL) protocol, or the WiFi Direct protocol.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: Use a Block Acknowledgment Request (BAR) to poll for acknowledgments of the P2P communication transmitted using the allocated RU.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising: An RU usage policy is established with the second electronic device, wherein the RU usage policy is based at least on infrastructure communication priority or P2P communication priority, and wherein the transmission P2P communication is performed according to the RU usage policy.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which, when executed by a processor of a first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to perform an operation, the operation comprising: Receive a first indication from an access point with peer-to-peer (P2P) concurrency capability, the first indication indicating whether P2P communication transmission can be achieved in uplink UL multi-user MU transmission; Receive from the access point a resource unit RU allocated to the electronic device for transmitting infrastructure communications to the access point; as well as The allocated RU is used to transmit P2P communication to the second electronic device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operation further comprises: Before receiving the RU assigned to the electronic device for transmitting infrastructure communications to the access point, a second instruction is transmitted to the access point indicating that the electronic device is capable of P2P operation using uplink UL multi-user MU communication.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operation further comprises: An RU usage policy is established with the second electronic device, wherein the RU usage policy is based at least on the size of queued P2P communications or queued infrastructure communications, and wherein the transmitted P2P communications are performed in accordance with the RU usage policy.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operation further comprises: An RU usage policy is established with the second electronic device, wherein the RU usage policy is based at least on the longest queuing time for infrastructure communication or P2P communication, and wherein the transmission of P2P communication is performed in accordance with the RU usage policy.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operation further comprises: An RU usage policy is established with the second electronic device, wherein the RU usage policy is based at least on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of the RU allocation or the duration of the RU allocation, and wherein the transmission P2P communication is performed in accordance with the RU usage policy.

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