scheduling uplink traffic for the scheduling site

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to scheduling uplink traffic of a station. In implementations of the present disclosure, a method for scheduling uplink traffic of a station is provided. One method includes determining an uplink traffic type from a station (STA), where the uplink traffic type is associated with a traffic size and urgency. The method also includes determining uplink scheduling information for the STA based on the traffic size and urgency, where the uplink scheduling information indicates at least one of a UL-OFDMA scheduling manner or a UL-MU-MIMO scheduling manner. The method further includes transmitting the uplink scheduling information to the STA, and receiving the uplink traffic from the STA using the uplink scheduling information. Implementations of the present disclosure can help the AP to schedule the STAs more intelligently, effectively, and accurately, and thus, can enhance user experience and improve transmission performance.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] Prior to Wi-Fi 6, access points (APs) could not schedule and manage uplink (UL) services from stations (STAs), and STAs could contend for the air interface to transmit UL services based on random backoff mechanisms. Wi-Fi 6 introduced uplink multiple-user multiple-input multiple-output (UL-MU-MIMO) and uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (UL-OFDMA), and APs can now schedule and manage UL services from STAs.

[0002] The AP can know the queue size at the STA, such as the number of pending frames, and can schedule UL services for the STA based on the queue size. However, the AP does not know which scheduling method is more appropriate, and therefore the scheduling solution determined by the AP may be inaccurate. Attached Figure Description

[0003] The implementation of this disclosure can be understood from the following "Detailed Description" when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to industry standard practice, the various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, for clarity of discussion, the dimensions of the various features can be arbitrarily increased or decreased. Some examples of this disclosure are described with reference to the following drawings:

[0004] Figures 1A-1B Schematic diagrams of SU-MIMO and MU-MIMO are shown respectively;

[0005] Figures 2A-2B Schematic diagrams of OFDM and OFDMA are shown respectively;

[0006] Figure 3 An example scheduling procedure for UL-OFDMA is shown;

[0007] Figure 4 Example communication systems in which some implementations of this disclosure may be implemented are shown;

[0008] Figure 5 A signaling diagram illustrating a communication process according to some implementations of this disclosure is shown;

[0009] Figure 6 A flowchart is shown for an example method for determining uplink scheduling information according to some implementations of this disclosure;

[0010] Figure 7 A schematic diagram is shown illustrating the scheduling of UL services for four STAs based on site types according to some implementations of this disclosure;

[0011] Figure 8 A schematic diagram is shown illustrating how UL services of four STAs are scheduled based on service types according to some implementations of this disclosure;

[0012] Figure 9 A flowchart is shown as another example method for determining uplink scheduling information according to some implementations of this disclosure;

[0013] Figure 10 A schematic diagram illustrating the scheduling of UL services for four STAs based on historical information according to some implementations of this disclosure is shown;

[0014] Figure 11 Flowcharts of example methods for scheduling UL services for STAs according to some implementations of this disclosure are shown; and

[0015] Figure 12 Example APs based on some implementations of this disclosure are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0016] Wi-Fi 5 supports MU-MIMO, but only DL-MU-MIMO with up to four streams, and it is only specified for use on the 5GHz band, not on the 2.4GHz band. Wi-Fi 6 also supports MU-MIMO, and it can simultaneously support DL-MU-MIMO and UL-MU-MIMO with up to eight streams. Furthermore, Wi-Fi 6 can be used in the 2.4 / 5 / 6GHz bands.

[0017] Traditionally, an AP can schedule resources based on Buffer Status Reports (BSRs) from a STA. For example, an AP can simply obtain the number of pending frames at the STA and determine which scheduling method is best suited for uplink traffic. However, the AP does not anticipate any information from the STA regarding uplink services, and therefore, the AP cannot determine which scheduling method is more appropriate for uplink traffic.

[0018] Therefore, this disclosure proposes a method for scheduling uplink services from a STA. The AP can determine the type of uplink service from the STA, where the uplink service type is associated with the size and urgency of the uplink service from the STA. The AP can further determine uplink scheduling information based on the size and urgency. Thus, the STA can transmit uplink services based on the uplink scheduling information.

[0019] According to the implementation of this disclosure, the service size and urgency associated with the uplink service type can be used by the AP to determine uplink scheduling information for the STA. Therefore, the uplink scheduling information can be related to the uplink service type, and consequently, uplink service scheduling can be more intelligent, efficient, and accurate.

[0020] Figures 1A-1BSchematic diagrams of SU-MIMO and MU-MIMO are shown respectively. Figure 1A AP 112 and Figure 1B Each of AP 122 in the dataset is a 2×2 AP, and Figures 1A-1B Each of STA1 and STA2 in the diagram is a 1×1 STA. For example... Figure 1A As shown, AP 112 can, for example, schedule and manage only one STA (STA1) at a certain time. That is, only one STA can send data to AP 112 at a time. Figure 1B As shown, AP 122 can simultaneously schedule and manage at least two STAs, including STA1 and STA2. In other words, STA1 and STA2 can concurrently send data to AP 122.

[0021] Wi-Fi 6 also supports OFDMA, a more efficient technology than OFDM. In OFDMA, the Wi-Fi channel can be divided into a set of subcarriers, and 26 subcarriers can form a minimum resource unit (RU), i.e., a 26-tone RU. A STA's UL (Ultra-Low) traffic can be carried on one or more RUs instead of occupying the entire channel, allowing multiple STAs to transmit simultaneously without queuing or contention. This improves efficiency and reduces latency.

[0022] Figures 2A-2B Schematic diagrams of OFDM and OFDMA are shown respectively. For example... Figure 2A As shown, the STA's service occupies the entire channel at once. For example... Figure 2B As shown, multiple STAs can transmit in parallel at the same time; for example, STA3 and STA1 can transmit data concurrently at the first transmission point.

[0023] Based on the above discussion, it can be seen that Wi-Fi 6 supports both UL-MU-MIMO and UL-OFDMA to schedule UL services for STAs. Table 1 below shows the advantages of these two different technologies.

[0024] Table 1

[0025]

[0026] Figure 3 An example scheduling procedure 300 for UL-OFDMA is shown. It is assumed that there are three STAs: STA1, STA2, and STA3. The AP can transmit a Buffer Status Report Polling (BSRP) frame 310 to query whether the STAs have buffered frames to send to the AP. Each STA can transmit a BSR to the AP, and the BSR can be used to report the number of pending frames at the STA. Figure 3As shown, the BSR is carried in a High-Efficiency (HE) Trigger-Based (TB) Physical Protocol Data Unit (PPDU). The AP can further transmit a trigger frame 320 to schedule UL services from the STA; the trigger frame 320 is used to allocate RU resources to the STA. Therefore, the STA can transmit pending frames to the AP, which can be carried in another HE TB PPDU.

[0027] Specifically, it is assumed that there are pending frames at STA1 with AID 1 and STA2 with AID 2, and the AP can obtain the number of pending frames at STA1 and STA2 respectively. The trigger frame 320 transmitted by the AP may include four RUs: RU1 for AID 0, RU2 for AID 2045, RU3 for AID 1, and RU4 for AID 2. The AP can also receive HE TB PPDU from STA1 through RU3 and HE TB PPDU from STA2 through RU4. The AP may further transmit a response, for example, which may be implemented as a multi-STA BlockAck 330.

[0028] based on Figure 3 As shown in the process, the AP can obtain the queue size (number of pending frames) at the STA, and the AP can schedule UL services based on the queue size. As shown in Table 1 above, UL-OFDMA and UL-MU-MIMO each have their advantages. The AP cannot determine which scheduling method is more suitable based solely on the queue size, and therefore, the scheduling scheme determined by the AP may be inaccurate.

[0029] Therefore, this disclosure proposes a scheme for scheduling uplink services of one or more STAs. In this implementation, the AP can determine the service size and urgency of the uplink services of the STAs, and can further determine the scheduling method based at least on the service size and urgency. Therefore, the scheduling performed by the AP can be more intelligent, efficient, and accurate. For example, the allocated RUs can be more rational, and thus, the user experience can be enhanced and transmission performance can be improved.

[0030] Other advantages of the implementation of this disclosure will be described with reference to the example implementation described below. (See below for reference.) Figures 4 to 12 This document will explain the basic principles and several example implementations of the disclosure herein.

[0031] Figure 4 An example communication system 400 in which some implementations of this disclosure may be implemented is shown. The communication system 400 includes an AP 410 and four STAs 420-1 to 420-4, which may be collectively referred to or individually as STA 420.

[0032] In system 400, it is assumed that STA 420 is within the coverage area of ​​AP 410. In some examples, the link from STA 420 to AP 410 is referred to as UL, while the link from AP 410 to STA 420 is referred to as DL.

[0033] It should be understood that Figure 4 The number, connection relationships, and types of the devices shown (i.e., AP 410 and STA 420) are for illustrative purposes only and no limitations are imposed. System 400 may include any suitable number of devices suitable for implementing the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0034] Now for reference Figure 5 , Figure 5 Signaling diagrams of communication process 500 according to some implementations of this disclosure are shown. Reference will be made to these diagrams for discussion purposes only. Figure 4 Let's describe process 500. Process 500 may involve AP 410 and STA 420.

[0035] AP 410 determines the type of uplink traffic from STA 420. The type of uplink traffic can be associated with the size and urgency of the uplink traffic from STA 420.

[0036] In some implementations, the type of uplink service can be predicted by AP 410 for future services from STA 420. In this disclosure, the type of uplink service can be one or more of video, voice, gaming, text, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) acknowledgment (ACK), etc. It should be understood that the type of uplink service in this disclosure can also be referred to as the type of UL service, the type of service, uplink service type, UL service type, and service type, etc., and this disclosure is not limited in this respect. For ease of description, the term "service type" will be used in the following disclosure.

[0037] In some implementations, AP 410 can determine the site type of STA 420, and can further determine the service type based on the site type of STA 420. It should be understood that the site type in this disclosure may also be referred to as device type, equipment type, STA type, etc., and this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0038] In some example implementations, STA 420 can be an online STA, and AP 410 can obtain the site type of STA 420. In some examples, AP 410 can obtain the site type from device insights or from other device analytics engines. The site type of STA 420 can be any of the following types: conferencing terminal, camera device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, augmented reality (AR) device, virtual reality (VR) device, mobile phone, laptop computer, etc. It should be understood that the listed site types are for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not impose any limitation on the scope of this disclosure.

[0039] AP 410 can determine whether the site type of STA 420 is included in a predefined set. The predefined set includes multiple predefined types, each associated with a specific service type. In some examples, the predefined set of site types can be predefined based on the association between site types and service types. For a specific site type, the service is relatively simple; for example, the service type for a specific site type is fixed, and the specific site type can be added to the predefined set. For example, the predefined set may include: conferencing terminals, camera devices, IoT devices, AR devices, and VR devices. It should be understood that the predefined sets described in this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and do not impose any limitations; for example, the predefined set may include more site types.

[0040] In some examples, if the site type of STA 420 is included in a predetermined set, AP 410 can determine the service type of STA 420. In some examples, AP 410 can determine the service type based on the association between the site type and the service type. For example, if the site type is a conferencing terminal, AP 410 can determine that the service type is a voice service type, or for simplicity, voice. As another example, if the site type is a camera device, AR device, or VR device, AP 410 can determine that the service type is a video service type, or for simplicity, video. As another example, if the site type is an IoT device, AP 410 can determine that the service type is a text service type, or for simplicity, text. As a specific example, this association can be shown in Table 2 below.

[0041] Table 2

[0042]

[0043]

[0044] In some other examples, if the site type of STA 420 is not included in a predetermined set, AP 410 can determine the service type of STA 420 from multiple types of uplink services of STA 420. For example, the site type could be a mobile device or a laptop computer. A mobile device or laptop computer can be associated with multiple types of uplink services; for example, multiple applications may be running on a mobile device or a laptop computer.

[0045] In some examples, the AP can determine the primary service from multiple types of uplink services and use the type of the primary service as the determined service type. Specifically, the AP 410 can use the Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) method to determine the primary service. In some examples, the AP 410 can use other methods to determine the primary service, which will not be listed herein.

[0046] As mentioned above, the type of uplink service (i.e., service type) can be associated with the size and urgency of the uplink service. Alternatively or additionally, AP 410 can determine the size and urgency of the service based on the service type.

[0047] For example, if the service type is video, AP 410 can determine that the service size is greater than a threshold size and the urgency is higher than a threshold level. For example, if the service type is voice, AP 410 can determine that the service size is less than a threshold size and the urgency is higher than a threshold level. For example, if the service type is text, AP 410 can determine that the service size is less than a threshold size and the urgency is lower than a threshold level.

[0048] In this disclosure, the size of a service that is larger than a threshold can be referred to as a large size, a large frame, or a large-size frame, while the size of a service that is smaller than a threshold can be referred to as a small size, a small frame, or a small-size frame, etc. In this disclosure, urgency that is higher than a threshold level can be referred to as high urgency, high priority, or low latency, while urgency that is lower than a threshold level can be referred to as low urgency, low priority, or high latency, etc.

[0049] Therefore, the AP can obtain the STA's site type and determine whether the site type is included in a predetermined set. The AP can further determine the type of uplink service from the STA, where if the site type is included in the predetermined set, the type of uplink service is associated with the site type; or if the site type is not included in the predetermined set, the type of uplink service is the primary service type among the STA's multiple uplink service types. Furthermore, the AP can determine the service size and urgency of the STA's uplink service based on its type.

[0050] Continue to refer to Figure 5AP 410 determines uplink scheduling information for STA 420 based on the service size and urgency associated with the type of uplink service. The uplink scheduling information can indicate the scheduling mode, which can be one of UL-OFDMA scheduling, UL-MU-MIMO scheduling, or uplink OFDMA random access (UORA) scheduling.

[0051] In some implementations, uplink scheduling information can indicate the uplink transmission resources that STA 420 can use, where the uplink transmission resources may include scheduling methods and multiple RUs. In some examples, AP 410 can further determine the number of RUs for STA 420. Furthermore, the uplink scheduling information can further indicate the number of RUs that STA 420 will use for uplink transmission.

[0052] For example, if the service size is large and the urgency is high, AP 410 can determine the scheduling mode for STA 420 as UL-OFDMA, and AP 410 can allocate more RUs to STA 420. Conversely, if the service size is small and the urgency is low, AP 410 can determine the scheduling mode for STA 420 as UL-OFDMA, and AP 410 can allocate fewer RUs to STA 420.

[0053] In some implementations, the AP 410 can further consider the number of STAs when determining uplink scheduling information. In some examples, if there are multiple STAs with the same traffic size and the same urgency, the AP 410 can allocate transmission resources (such as RUs) to the multiple STAs based on the same traffic size, the same urgency, and the number of STAs.

[0054] For example, if multiple STAs each have large service sizes and high urgency, AP 410 can determine the scheduling method as UL-MU-MIMO for these multiple STAs, and AP 410 can allocate more RUs to each of the multiple STAs. Conversely, if multiple STAs each have small service sizes and low urgency, and if RUs are in short supply, AP 410 can determine the scheduling method as UORA, and AP 410 can allocate fewer RUs to each of the multiple STAs.

[0055] Continue to refer to Figure 5 AP 410 sends uplink scheduling information 532 to STA 420. Therefore, STA 420 receives uplink scheduling information 532 from AP 410.

[0056] STA 420 transmits uplink service 542 based on uplink scheduling information 532. Therefore, AP 410 receives uplink service 542 from STA 420.

[0057] Now for further reference Figure 6 , Figure 6 A flowchart of an example method 600 for determining uplink scheduling information according to some implementations of this disclosure is shown. Method 600 can be provided by, for example... Figure 4 The AP 410 and other APs shown are used to execute this.

[0058] In 610, AP 410 acquires STA (such as Figure 4 In step 620, AP 410 determines whether the site type is included in a predetermined set. In step 625, if the site type is not included in the predetermined set, AP 410 determines the type of the primary uplink service from multiple uplink service types of the STA. In step 630, AP 410 determines the service size and urgency of the STA's uplink service. In step 640, AP 410 determines scheduling information based on the STA's service size and urgency.

[0059] In some implementations, if AP 410 determines at 620 that a site type is included in a predetermined set, then AP 410 can determine the service size and urgency at 630 based on the site type.

[0060] In some examples, there can be a correlation between the site type in the predefined set and the service size and urgency. For example, if the site type is a camera device (or AR device or VR device) in the predefined set, AP 410 can determine that the service size is greater than a threshold size and the urgency is higher than a threshold level. Similarly, if the site type is a conferencing terminal in the predefined set, AP 410 can determine that the service size is less than a threshold size and the urgency is higher than a threshold level. And if the site type is an IoT device in the predefined set, AP 410 can determine that the service size is less than a threshold size and the urgency is lower than a threshold level. As an example, this correlation can be illustrated in Table 3 below.

[0061] Table 3

[0062]

[0063]

[0064] In some examples, if the site type is included in a predetermined set, the AP 410 can further determine uplink scheduling information based on the number of STAs with the same site type, where the uplink scheduling information can indicate the scheduling mode and the number of RUs.

[0065] For example, if only one STA is a camera (in a predetermined set), AP 410 can determine the scheduling method as UL-OFDMA scheduling for that STA, and AP 410 can allocate more RUs to that STA. Alternatively, if multiple STAs are cameras (in a predetermined set), AP 410 can determine the scheduling method as UL-MU-MIMO scheduling for all STAs, and AP 410 can allocate more RUs to each STA.

[0066] For example, if only one STA is an IoT device (in a predetermined set), AP 410 can determine the scheduling method as UL-OFDMA for that STA, and AP 410 can allocate fewer RUs to that STA. For example, if multiple STAs are IoT devices (in a predetermined set) and there is a shortage of RUs, AP 410 can determine the scheduling method as UORA, and can allocate fewer RUs to each STA.

[0067] Therefore, since the site types included in the predetermined set are associated with simple services, the size and urgency of uplink services can be determined based on site type. Thus, the scheduling method can be determined for STAs at AP 410.

[0068] In some implementations, if AP 410 determines at 620 that the site type is not included in the predetermined set, AP 410 can determine the type of the primary uplink service at 625, and further determine the service size and urgency based on the type of the primary uplink service at 630.

[0069] For example, if the primary uplink service is video or gaming, AP 410 can determine that the service size is greater than a threshold size and its urgency is higher than a threshold level. Similarly, if the primary uplink service is voice, AP 410 can determine that the service size is less than a threshold size and its urgency is higher than a threshold level. And if the primary uplink service is TCP ACK, AP 410 can determine that the service size is less than a threshold size and its urgency is lower than a threshold level.

[0070] In some examples, uplink scheduling information can indicate the scheduling method and the number of RUs. If the site type is not included in a predetermined set, AP 410 can analyze to determine the type of primary service of STA 420, allocate a certain number of RUs to STA 420, and schedule it according to the scheduling method. In some examples, if the site type is not included in a predetermined set, AP 410 can further determine uplink scheduling information based on the number of STAs with the same type of primary uplink service.

[0071] Therefore, since the site type is not included in the predetermined set, the type of primary uplink service can be determined by analyzing the data using the DPI method; and the service size and urgency of the uplink service can be determined based on the type of primary uplink service. Thus, uplink scheduling information can be determined for the STA at the AP.

[0072] For example, if the primary uplink service is video, with a large service size and high urgency, the AP410 can determine the scheduling method as UL-MU-MIMO scheduling for the STA, and the AP410 can allocate more RUs to the STA. Conversely, if the primary uplink service is voice, with a small service size and high urgency, the AP410 can determine the scheduling method as UL-OFDMA scheduling for the STA, and the AP410 can allocate fewer RUs to the STA. Finally, if the primary uplink service is TCP ACK, with a small service size and low urgency, the AP410 can determine the scheduling method as UORA scheduling for the STA, and the AP410 can allocate fewer RUs to the STA.

[0073] According to the reference Figure 6 The described implementation allows for the determination of service size and urgency based on site type, which can be used by the AP to schedule uplink transmissions for STAs. For STAs with a specific site type, the service is simple, and its size and urgency can be determined based on the STA's site type. For STAs with multiple types of uplink services, the primary service type can be determined, and its size and urgency can be predicted accordingly. By considering site type, the predicted service size and urgency can be more accurate, and therefore, the scheduling of uplink services can be more intelligent, efficient, and accurate.

[0074] Figure 7 A schematic diagram 700 illustrates how UL services for four STAs are scheduled based on site types, according to some implementations of this disclosure. For example... Figure 7As shown, there are STA 420-1 to STA 420-4, and it is assumed that STA 420-1 is a camera, STA 420-2 is a camera, STA 420-3 is an IoT device, and STA 420-4 is a conference terminal.

[0075] AP 410 can assign RU1 (106-tone) to STA 420-1 and STA 420-2 and schedule it using UL-MU-MIMO. AP 410 can assign RU2 (26-tone) to STA 420-3 and schedule it using UL-OFDMA. AP 410 can assign RU3 (106-tone) to STA 420-4 and schedule it using UL-MU-MIMO.

[0076] Figure 8 A schematic diagram 800 illustrates the scheduling of UL services for four STAs based on the types of uplink services according to some implementations of this disclosure. For example... Figure 8 As shown, there are STA 420-1 to STA 420-4, and it is assumed that STA 420-1, 420-2 and 420-4 are mobile phones, and STA 420-3 is a laptop computer.

[0077] AP 410 can determine that the primary uplink service type for STA 420-1 is video, the primary uplink service type for STA 420-2 is gaming, the primary uplink service type for STA 420-3 is TCP ACK, and the primary uplink service type for STA 420-4 is voice. AP 410 can allocate RU1 (106-tone) to STA 420-1 and STA 420-2 and schedule it using UL-MU-MIMO. AP 410 can allocate RU2 (26-tone) to STA 420-3 and schedule it using UL-OFDMA. AP 410 can allocate RU3 (106-tone) to STA 420-4 and schedule it using UL-MU-MIMO.

[0078] Now for further reference Figure 9 , Figure 9 A flowchart of another example method 900 for determining uplink scheduling information according to some implementations of this disclosure is shown. Method 900 can be provided by, for example... Figure 4 The AP 410 and other APs shown are used to execute this.

[0079] In 910, AP 410 acquires such as Figure 4The AP 410 stores historical information about STAs such as STA 420. At 920, the AP 410 determines the traffic size and / or frame size of the next packet from the STA. At 930, the AP 410 determines uplink scheduling information based on the traffic size and / or frame size.

[0080] Alternatively, AP 410 can transmit uplink scheduling information to STA, and STA can transmit its next packet to AP 410 based on the uplink scheduling information. For example, the uplink scheduling information can indicate the scheduling mode and the number of RUs.

[0081] In some implementations, historical information may indicate at least one of historical packet size distribution, historical RU usage, historical transmission time, or historical scheduling methods. In some implementations, service size may refer to the size of uplink service, and frame size may refer to the size of data packets within a frame. In some examples, service size may be larger than frame size.

[0082] In some examples, AP 410 can determine the latest information of the latest transmission based on historical information, and AP 410 can further determine one or more of the traffic size or frame size of the next packet based on the latest information. For example, if the latest information indicates that the latest transmission was performed at the first moment, and the time length from the first moment to the current time is less than a predefined duration threshold, then AP 410 can predict that the next packet may have the same traffic size or the same frame size as the latest transmission.

[0083] In some examples, if historical information indicates that the historical packet size distribution is regular, AP 410 can determine the traffic size and / or frame size of STA 420 based on the historical information of STA 420. For example, if historical information indicates that the recent traffic size and the recent frame size are both large, AP 410 can predict that the next packet from STA 420 will also be large. For example, AP 410 can use a Markov model or a machine learning model to determine the traffic size and / or frame size of subsequent packets from STA 420.

[0084] In this disclosure, a large service size can mean a service size greater than a first threshold size, and a large frame size can mean a frame size greater than a second threshold size. In this disclosure, a small service size can mean a service size less than the first threshold size, and a small frame size can mean a frame size less than the second threshold size.

[0085] AP 410 can further determine the scheduling method based on the service size and / or frame size of STA 420. Alternatively, AP 410 can further determine the number of RUs for STA 420.

[0086] In some other implementations, AP 410 can obtain historical information from STA 420 and further determine uplink scheduling information based on this historical information. In some examples, if the historical information indicates that the historical packet size distribution is random, AP 410 can determine that the scheduling method for STA 420 is UORA scheduling. Because the historical packet size distribution is random, AP 410 may not be able to predict the size of the next packet. In this case, UORA scheduling can be used. For example, AP 410 can mark multiple consecutive RUs as random access in the trigger frame, and therefore, STA 420 can determine how many RUs it will use from the multiple consecutive RUs in the trigger frame.

[0087] In some example implementations, if AP 410 cannot determine the site type of STA 420, or if AP 410 cannot determine the type of uplink service from STA 420, AP 410 can determine uplink scheduling information based on the historical information of STA 420.

[0088] Figure 10 A schematic diagram 1000 illustrates a method for scheduling UL services of four STAs based on historical information, according to some implementations of this disclosure. (See diagram 1000.) Figure 10 As shown, there are STA 420-1 to STA420-4, and it is assumed that AP 410 cannot determine the site type or the type of uplink service for these STAs.

[0089] In some examples, AP 410 can predict the traffic size and frame size of each of STAs 420-1 to 420-4 based on historical information of each of them. For example, suppose AP 410 predicts that STA 420-1 will have a large traffic size and a large frame size, STA 420-2 will have a large traffic size and a large frame size, STA 420-3 will have a small traffic size and a small frame size, and STA 420-4 will have a large traffic size and a small frame size. AP 410 can allocate RU1 (106-tone) to STA 420-1 and STA 420-2 and schedule it using UL-MU-MIMO. AP 410 can allocate RU2 (26-tone) to STA 420-3 and schedule it using UL-OFDMA. AP 410 can allocate RU3 (106-tone) to STA 420-4 and schedule it using UL-MU-MIMO.

[0090] Figure 11A flowchart of an example method 1100 for scheduling UL services for a STA, according to some implementations of this disclosure, is shown. Method 1100 can be implemented by, for example... Figure 4 The AP 410 and other APs shown are used to execute this.

[0091] At 1110, AP 410 determines the type of uplink service from the STA, where the type of uplink service is associated with service size and urgency. At 1120, AP determines uplink scheduling information for the STA based on service size and urgency, where the uplink scheduling information indicates one or more of UL-OFDMA or UL-MU-MIMO scheduling methods. At 1130, AP 410 sends the uplink scheduling information to the STA. At 1140, AP 410 uses the uplink scheduling information to receive uplink services from the STA.

[0092] In some implementations, AP 410 can obtain the STA's site type and then determine the type of uplink service based on that site type. For example, AP 410 obtains the STA's site type from Device Insights or from a Device Analytics Engine. Since the type of uplink service is associated with service size and urgency, AP 410 can further determine the service size and urgency.

[0093] Specifically, AP 410 can determine whether a site type is included in a predetermined set. In some examples, if a site type is included in the predetermined set, AP 410 can determine the type of uplink service based on the association between the site type and the type of uplink service. In some examples, the predetermined set may include one or more of conferencing terminals, camera devices, IoT devices, AR devices, and VR devices.

[0094] For example, if the site type is a camera device (or AR or VR device), the uplink service type can be video, and AP 410 can determine that the service size is greater than a threshold size and the urgency is higher than a threshold level. For example, if the site type is a conferencing terminal, the uplink service type can be voice, and AP 410 can determine that the service size is less than a threshold size and the urgency is higher than a threshold level. For example, if the site type is an IoT device, the uplink service type can be text, and AP 410 can determine that the service size is less than a threshold size and the urgency is lower than a threshold level.

[0095] In some other examples, if the site type is not included in a predetermined set, AP 410 can determine the type of uplink service from multiple types of uplink services of the STA. For example, AP 410 can use deep packet inspection to determine the primary service of the STA, and therefore, the type of the primary service can be determined. AP 410 can then use the type of the primary service as the type of uplink service.

[0096] In some implementations, if the service size is greater than the threshold size and the urgency is higher than the threshold level, AP 410 can determine the scheduling method as UL-MU-MIMO scheduling. In some other implementations, if the service size is less than the threshold size and the urgency is higher than the threshold level, AP 410 can determine the scheduling method as UL-OFDMA scheduling. In some other implementations, if the urgency is lower than the threshold level, AP 410 can determine the scheduling method as UORA scheduling.

[0097] In some examples, AP 410 may further consider the number of STAs when determining the scheduling method. In some examples, uplink scheduling information may further indicate the number of RUs, and AP 410 may further determine the number of RUs for STA 420.

[0098] In some example implementations, AP 410 determines additional uplink scheduling information for another STA based on the historical information of that other STA, wherein the additional uplink scheduling information indicates at least one of UL-OFDMA scheduling mode, UL-MU-MIMO scheduling mode, or UORA scheduling mode.

[0099] In some implementations, if AP 410 fails to determine the type of uplink service from another STA, AP 410 can determine the service size and / or frame size based on the historical information of that other STA. Furthermore, AP 410 can determine additional uplink scheduling information based on the service size and / or frame size.

[0100] In some examples, historical information can indicate historical packet distribution, and AP 410 can determine traffic size and / or frame size based on this distribution. For instance, if historical information indicates a regular packet distribution, AP 410 can determine the traffic size and / or frame size of subsequent packets from the STA (i.e., the next packet from the STA). In other examples, if historical information indicates a random packet distribution, AP 410 can determine additional uplink scheduling information indicating the UORA scheduling method.

[0101] Figure 12 An example AP 1200 implementing this disclosure is shown. (e.g.) Figure 12 As shown, AP 1200 includes at least one processor 1210 and a memory 1220 coupled to the processor 1210. The memory 1220 stores instructions 1222, 1224, 1226, and 1228 for causing the processor 1210 to perform actions according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0102] like Figure 12 As shown, memory 1220 stores instructions 1222 for determining the type of uplink service from the STA, wherein the type of uplink service is associated with service size and urgency. Memory 1220 also stores instructions 1224 for determining uplink scheduling information for the STA based on service size and urgency, wherein the uplink scheduling information indicates one or more of UL-OFDMA or UL-MU-MIMO scheduling methods. Memory 1220 also stores instructions 1226 for sending uplink scheduling information to the STA. Memory 1220 also stores instructions 1228 for receiving uplink service from the STA using the uplink scheduling information.

[0103] Program code or instructions for performing the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code or instructions may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code or instructions may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote computer or server.

[0104] In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium can be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0105] Furthermore, while the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or sequentially, or requiring all shown operations to be performed to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Certain features described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in combination within a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination within multiple implementations.

[0106] In the foregoing “Detailed Description” of this disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this disclosure, and examples of how this disclosure can be practiced are illustrated by way of illustration in the drawings. These examples have been described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the examples of this disclosure, and it should be understood that other examples may be used and process, electrical and / or structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for service scheduling, comprising: At the access point (AP), the uplink service type from the site (STA) is determined, wherein the uplink service type is associated with the service size and urgency. The AP determines uplink scheduling information for the STA based on the service size and the urgency, wherein determining the uplink scheduling information includes: If it is determined that the service size is greater than the threshold size and the urgency is higher than the threshold level, the scheduling method is determined to be uplink multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (UL-MU-MIMO) scheduling, or If it is determined that the service size is less than the threshold size and the urgency is higher than the threshold level, the scheduling mode is determined to be the uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (UL-OFDMA) scheduling mode. The uplink scheduling information is sent from the AP to the STA; and The AP uses the uplink scheduling information to receive uplink services from the STA.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Obtain the site type of the STA; as well as The uplink service type is determined based on the site type.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the uplink service type based on the site type includes: Determine whether the site type is included in the predetermined set; as well as If it is determined that the site type is included in the predetermined set, the uplink service type is determined based on the association between the site type and the uplink service type; or If it is determined that the site type is not included in the predetermined set, the uplink service type is determined from the multiple uplink service types of the STA.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined set comprises at least one of the following: Conference terminal, Camera equipment, Internet of Things (IoT) devices Augmented reality (AR) devices, or Virtual reality (VR) devices.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the uplink service type based on the association between the site type and the uplink service type comprises: If the site type is determined to be a conferencing terminal, and the uplink service type is determined to be voice, then... If the site type is determined to be one of a camera device, AR device, or VR device, and the uplink service type is determined to be video, or If the site type is determined to be an IoT device, then the uplink service type is determined to be text.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the uplink service type from a plurality of uplink service types of the STA comprises: Deep grouping inspection is used to determine the type of the primary service of the STA as the uplink service type.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining the site type of the STA comprises: Obtain the site type of the STA from Device Insights or from the Device Analytics Engine.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: If it is determined that the uplink service type is video, and the service size is greater than a threshold size and the urgency is higher than a threshold level, then... If it is determined that the uplink service type is voice, the service size is less than a threshold size, and the urgency is higher than a threshold level, or If it is determined that the uplink service type is text, the service size is less than a threshold size and the urgency is below a threshold level.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the uplink scheduling information further indicates an uplink OFDMA random access UORA scheduling mode, and wherein determining the uplink scheduling information includes: If the urgency is determined to be below a threshold level, the scheduling method is determined to be the UORA scheduling method.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink scheduling information further indicates the number of resource units.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Further uplink scheduling information for the other STA is determined based on the historical information of the other STA, wherein the further uplink scheduling information indicates at least one of UL-OFDMA scheduling mode, UL-MU-MIMO scheduling mode, or UORA scheduling mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining additional uplink scheduling information for the additional STA based on historical information comprises: If it is determined that the historical information indicates that the packet distribution is regular, determine at least one of the service size or frame size of the subsequent packets of the other STA; as well as The additional uplink scheduling information is determined based on at least one of the service size or the frame size, wherein the additional uplink scheduling information indicates at least one of the UL-OFDMA scheduling mode or the UL-MU-MIMO scheduling mode.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining additional uplink scheduling information for the additional STA based on historical information comprises: If it is determined that the historical information indicates that the group distribution is random, then the additional uplink scheduling information indicates the UORA scheduling mode.

14. An access point (AP), comprising: At least one processor; as well as A memory, coupled to the at least one processor, stores instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform the following: Determine the uplink service type from the site STA, wherein the uplink service type is associated with service size and urgency; The uplink scheduling information for the STA is determined based on the service size and the urgency, wherein determining the uplink scheduling information includes: If it is determined that the service size is greater than the threshold size and the urgency is higher than the threshold level, the scheduling method is determined to be uplink multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (UL-MU-MIMO) scheduling, or If it is determined that the service size is less than the threshold size and the urgency is higher than the threshold level, the scheduling mode is determined to be the uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (UL-OFDMA) scheduling mode. Send the uplink scheduling information to the STA; and The uplink scheduling information is used to receive uplink services from the STA.

15. The AP of claim 14, wherein the memory further stores instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform the following: Obtain the site type of the STA; and The uplink service type is determined based on the site type.

16. The AP of claim 15, wherein the instructions for determining the uplink service type based on the site type include instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform the following: Determine whether the site type is included in the predetermined set; as well as If it is determined that the site type is included in the predetermined set, the uplink service type is determined based on the association between the site type and the uplink service type; or If it is determined that the site type is not included in the predetermined set, the uplink service type is determined from the multiple uplink service types of the STA.

17. The AP of claim 14, further comprising instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform the following: Further uplink scheduling information for the other STA is determined based on the historical information of the other STA, wherein the further uplink scheduling information indicates at least one of UL-OFDMA scheduling mode, UL-MU-MIMO scheduling mode, or uplink OFDMA random access UORA scheduling mode.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions causing the AP to: Determine the uplink service type from the site STA, wherein the uplink service type is associated with service size and urgency; The uplink scheduling information for the STA is determined based on the service size and the urgency, wherein determining the uplink scheduling information includes: If it is determined that the service size is greater than the threshold size and the urgency is higher than the threshold level, the scheduling method is determined to be uplink multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (UL-MU-MIMO) scheduling, or If it is determined that the service size is less than the threshold size and the urgency is higher than the threshold level, the scheduling mode is determined to be the uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (UL-OFDMA) scheduling mode. Send the uplink scheduling information to the STA; and The uplink scheduling information is used to receive uplink services from the STA.

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