Uplink flow control

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. In some wireless communication systems, a wireless device can buffer uplink communications. However, such methods may be improved. An access point (AP) can receive uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station for forwarding to a backhaul network via a backhaul link. The AP can monitor a buffer of the AP to determine that buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based on a traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow. The AP may modify an uplink communication scheme to reduce the uplink traffic from the station based on the buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota. The AP can communicate with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. patent application No. 17 / 944,978, entitled “UPLINK FLOWCONTROL,” filed by Huang et al. on September 14, 2022, which is assigned to the assignee of this application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] The following relates to wireless communications, including uplink flow control.

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and the like. These systems can be multiple access systems that can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless network (e.g., a WLAN, such as a Wi-Fi (i.e., an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11) network) may include an AP that can communicate with one or more stations (STAs) or mobile devices. The AP may be coupled to a network such as the Internet, and may enable mobile devices to communicate via the network (or communicate with other devices coupled to an access point). A wireless device may communicate bidirectionally with a network device. For example, in a WLAN, a STA may communicate with an associated AP via a DL and a UL. A DL (or forward link) may refer to a communication link from an AP to a station, and a UL (or reverse link) may refer to a communication link from a station to an AP.

[0005] In some wireless communication systems, a wireless device (eg, access point) may buffer uplink traffic. However, such methods may be improved. Summary of the invention

[0006] The described technology relates to improved methods, systems, devices or apparatuses for supporting uplink flow control. For example, an access point (AP) may receive uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station to be forwarded to a backhaul network via a backhaul link. The AP may monitor a buffer of the AP to determine that the buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, and the buffer quota set for the traffic flow is based on the traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and the throughput parameters for the traffic flow. The AP may modify an uplink communication scheme based on the buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota to reduce the uplink traffic from the station. The AP may communicate with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0007] A method for wireless communication at an access point is described. The method may include: receiving uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station to be forwarded to a backhaul network via a backhaul link; monitoring a buffer of the access point to determine that a buffered uplink traffic volume received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based on a traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow; modifying an uplink communication scheme based on the buffered uplink traffic volume exceeding the buffer quota to reduce the uplink traffic volume from the station; and communicating with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0008] An apparatus for wireless communication at an access point is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station to be forwarded to a backhaul network via a backhaul link; monitor a buffer of the access point to determine that the amount of buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based on a traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow; modify an uplink communication scheme based on the amount of buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota to reduce the amount of uplink traffic from the station; and communicate with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0009] Another apparatus for wireless communication at an access point is described. The apparatus may include: means for receiving uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station to forward to a backhaul network via a backhaul link; means for monitoring a buffer of the access point to determine that a buffered uplink traffic volume received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based on a traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow; means for modifying an uplink communication scheme to reduce the amount of the uplink traffic from the station based on the buffered uplink traffic volume exceeding the buffer quota; and means for communicating with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0010] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at an access point is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: receiving uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station to be forwarded to a backhaul network via a backhaul link; monitoring a buffer of the access point to determine that the amount of buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based on a traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow; modifying an uplink communication scheme based on the amount of buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota to reduce the amount of uplink traffic from the station; and communicating with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0011] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, modifying the uplink communication scheme may include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending an indication that the station may want to suspend uplink transmissions.

[0012] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the indication that the station may want to suspend uplink transmissions includes an indication of a defined uplink data rate, a defined number of bits for an uplink burst, or both.

[0013] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, modifying the uplink communication scheme may include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending an indication that the station may want to resume uplink transmissions.

[0014] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, modifying the uplink communication scheme may include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending an uplink transmission trigger message to trigger uplink transmission by the station according to a trigger frequency that may be reduced by the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0015] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, modifying the uplink communication scheme may include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending an indication of a change from a first transmit opportunity duration to a second transmit opportunity duration, which second transmit opportunity duration may have a shorter duration than the first transmit opportunity duration, wherein communication with the station occurs during the second transmit opportunity duration.

[0016] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, modifying the uplink communication scheme may include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending a negative acknowledgement message indicating that one or more successfully received uplink traffic packets were not successfully received.

[0017] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, modifying an uplink communication scheme may include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending acknowledgments for only a subset of a set of multiple medium access control protocol data units associated with a physical layer protocol data unit.

[0018] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, modifying an uplink communication scheme may include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending an indication of a change from a first block acknowledgment window to a second block acknowledgment window, the second block acknowledgment window may have a shorter duration than the first block acknowledgment window.

[0019] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, modifying an uplink communication scheme may include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending a command indicating that a station may be disassociated from a first basic service set, wherein communicating with the station includes conveying a context of the station to a second access point based on sending the command.

[0020] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, modifying the uplink communication scheme may include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending an indication of a change from a first modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions to a second modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions, the second modulation and coding rate may have a modulation and coding rate that is less than the first modulation and coding rate, wherein communication with the station may be performed according to the second modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions.

[0021] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, modifying the uplink communication scheme may include operations, features, components, or instructions for refraining from sending one or more confirmation messages.

[0022] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, modifying the uplink communication scheme may include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending a feedback message including a congestion notification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system supporting uplink flow control according to examples as disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0025] Figure 3An example of a process flow to support uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0026] Figure 4 and Figure 5 A block diagram of a device supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is shown.

[0027] Figure 6 A block diagram of a communications manager supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is shown.

[0028] Figure 7 A diagram of a system including a device supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is shown.

[0029] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 A flow chart illustrating a method of supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In a wireless communication network, various stations (STAs) can send uplink data to an access point (AP) for further transmission through a backhaul network. However, such data may be buffered by the AP before being sent through the backhaul network. In some cases, uplink data may accumulate and flood the buffer of the AP, resulting in buffer overflow and packet drops of the AP. Such buffer overflows and packet drops may cause various problems in network operation, such as abrupt actions on the transmit control protocol (TCP) window, "unfair" packet drops that affect stations that do not overload the buffer, and waste of air resources consumed on undeliverable traffic.

[0031] In order to reduce or eliminate this negative impact on network operation, the AP can reduce the uplink data traffic from one or more of the source STAs by establishing a buffer quota for the STA and modifying the uplink communication scheme to reduce the uplink traffic when the uplink traffic from the STA exceeds the quota. The AP can adopt one or more different techniques that can reduce the traffic originating from the STA. For example, the AP can reduce the trigger frequency for delegating a transmit opportunity (TXOP) to the STA, and can adjust the duration of the TXOP. Additionally or alternatively, the AP can manipulate or modify the layer 2 (L2) behavior of the STA (for example, by sending an error message even when the message is successfully received). Additionally or alternatively, the AP can force the STA to associate with a different basic service set (BSS), thereby redirecting the STA's uplink traffic to other places.

[0032] In this way, the AP can reduce the amount of uplink traffic to meet the buffer quota, and the AP can reduce or avoid adverse effects on network operation, such as buffer overflows, dropped packets, "unfair" data being dropped (e.g., when packets from a first device are dropped due to overload or other adverse effects caused by a second device). By reducing the amount of uplink traffic to meet or satisfy the buffer quota, the AP can reduce the burden or backup on traffic directed to the backhaul network, thereby allowing uplink transmissions from the STA to the AP and subsequently to the backhaul network to be successfully sent without excessive buffering, data loss, wasted air resources, and other negative effects that may occur.

[0033] Various aspects of the disclosure are first described in the context of a wireless communication system. Various aspects of the disclosure are then described with reference to wireless communication systems and process flows. Various aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated and described by and with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flow charts related to uplink flow control.

[0034] Figure 1 A wireless local area network (WLAN) 100 (also referred to as a Wi-Fi network) configured according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The WLAN 100 may include an AP 105 and a plurality of associated STAs 115, which may represent devices such as mobile stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, notebook computers, tablet computers, laptop computers, display devices (e.g., TVs, computer monitors, etc.), printers, etc. The AP 105 and associated STAs 115 may represent a BSS or ESS. The various STAs 115 in the network are able to communicate with each other through the AP 105. Also shown is a coverage area 110 of the AP 105, which may represent a BSA of the WLAN 100. An extended network station (not shown) associated with the WLAN 100 may be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system that may allow multiple APs 105 to be connected in an ESS.

[0035] For example, the AP 105 may receive uplink traffic from one or more STAs 115, and the AP 105 may track the amount of uplink traffic buffered from the STAs 115 individually, collectively, or individually and collectively. During operation, the AP 105 may buffer traffic from one or more STAs 115. For example, if the amount of buffered uplink traffic from one STA 115 exceeds a threshold amount, the AP 105 may perform one or more operations to adjust the arrival of uplink data from the client, or may otherwise adjust the amount of uplink traffic arriving from the STA 115 to the AP 105. In some examples, the threshold amount may also be referred to as a quota, and such a threshold amount or quota may be associated with or based on one or more parameters, measurements, characteristics, metrics, or other information associated with the wireless communication network. In this way, the AP 105 may manage uplink traffic from one or more STAs 115 when the buffered data cannot all be delivered (e.g., from the AP 105 to the backhaul network to the backhaul network link) and the buffered data accumulates at the AP 105.

[0036] Despite Figure 1 105. Although not shown in the figure, a STA 115 may be located at the intersection of more than one coverage area 110 and may be associated with more than one AP 105. A single AP 105 and an associated set of STAs 115 may be referred to as a BSS. An ESS is a set of connected BSSs. A distribution system (not shown) may be used to connect the APs 105 in an ESS. In some cases, the coverage area 110 of an AP 105 may be divided into sectors (also not shown). The WLAN 100 may include APs 105 of different types (e.g., urban areas, home networks, etc.) with different and overlapping coverage areas 110. Two STAs 115 may also communicate directly via a direct wireless link 125, regardless of whether the two STAs 115 are in the same coverage area 110. Examples of direct wireless links 120 may include Wi-Fi direct connections, Wi-Fi tunneling direct link setup (TDLS) links, and other group connections. The STA 115 and the AP 105 may communicate according to WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the physical layer and the MAC layer from IEEE 802.11 and versions including, but not limited to, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11a, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11ah, 802.11ax, etc. In other specific implementations, peer-to-peer connections or ad hoc networks may be implemented within the WLAN 100.

[0037] In some cases, a STA 115 (or AP 105) may be detected by the central AP 105, but not by other STAs 115 in the coverage area 110 of the central AP 105. For example, one STA 115 may be located at one end of the coverage area 110 of the central AP 105, while another STA 115 may be located at the other end. Therefore, the two STAs 115 may communicate with the AP 105, but may not receive each other's transmissions. This may cause transmission conflicts between the two STAs 115 in a contention-based environment (e.g., CSMA / CA) because the STAs 115 may not suppress transmissions over each other. STAs 115 whose transmissions cannot be identified but are within the same coverage area 110 may be referred to as hidden nodes. CSMA / CA may be supplemented by the exchange of RTS packets sent by the transmitting STA 115 (or AP 105) and CTS packets sent by the receiving STA 115 (or AP 105). This can alert other devices within range of the transmitter and receiver that they are not transmitting for the duration of the primary transmission. RTS / CTS can therefore help mitigate the hidden node problem.

[0038] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system 200 supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is illustrated. The wireless communication system 200 may include an AP 105-a and one or more STAs 115-a. In some examples, the STAs 115-a may be located in a geographic coverage area 110-a that may be associated with the AP 105-a. The AP 105-a and the STAs 115-a may communicate via one or more downlink communication links 205-a and one or more uplink communication links 205-b.

[0039] During operation, the AP 105-a and one or more STAs 115-a may operate using an uplink communication scheme 235, which may define or regulate one or more operations for uplink communication. In some examples, during the course of operation in the uplink communication scheme 235, the uplink capacity of the basic service set (BSS) associated with the AP 105-a may be higher than the uplink capacity of the associated backhaul network, which may occur regardless of whether the backhaul network is wired or wireless. In this case, data received by the AP 105-a may flood the uplink buffer 225, which may result in buffer overflow, packet drops, abrupt actions on the TCP window, "unfair" packet drops (e.g., where packets from STA 115-a are dropped even though another STA 115-a may have flooded the buffer), wasted air resources occupied by undeliverable transmissions, one or more other problems, or any combination thereof. Therefore, it may be advantageous to address such issues at a point closer to the source or sources of uplink data generation, such as at the individual STAs 115 - a rather than at the AP 105 - a .

[0040] In some examples, as part of the uplink communication scheme 235, the AP 105-a can employ one or more buffers 225. In some examples, the AP 105-a can employ the buffer 225 to receive and store the uplink traffic 220 until the uplink traffic 220 can be sent (e.g., via a backhaul network). In some examples, the buffer 225 can be established on a per-STA basis or on a per-stream basis, and in other examples, traffic from multiple STAs 115-a can be stored in a single buffer 225. For example, the AP 105-a can store the uplink traffic 220 in the buffer 225, and a buffer quota 230 associated with the buffer 225 can be established (e.g., according to the uplink communication scheme 235). The buffer quota 230 can indicate an amount of uplink traffic 220, above which the AP 105-a can perform one or more operations to manage or regulate the uplink traffic 220. In addition, the AP 105-a can establish the buffer quota 230 based on one or more factors. For example, the buffer quota 230 may be based on or proportional to an uplink throughput rate (e.g., a physical layer (PHY) rate), a minimum throughput, a transmit time fairness (ATF) value or percentage, a system delay value, one or more other parameters or values ​​that a flow or its packets may experience, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the AP 105-a may determine whether the amount of uplink traffic 220 satisfies the buffer quota 230 or other threshold. As used herein, "satisfying a threshold" (e.g., satisfying the buffer quota 230) may refer to a value being greater than a threshold, greater than or equal to a threshold, less than a threshold, less than or equal to a threshold, equal to a threshold, not equal to a threshold, etc., depending on the context.

[0041] In the event that the amount of buffered uplink traffic 220 meets or exceeds the buffer quota 230 (e.g., at the ingress of the uplink backhaul network uplink link), the AP 105-a may perform one or more operations to regulate or manage the delivery of the uplink traffic 220 to the AP 105-a, which may include one or more modifications, changes, additions, deletions, or other operations performed on or in the uplink communication scheme 235. In some examples, as part of one or more such operations, the AP 105-a may send an uplink communication scheme modification message 240. The uplink communication scheme modification message 240 may include one or more commands, instructions, or information associated with one or more operations for managing or reducing the delivery of the uplink traffic 220 to the AP 105-a. Different methods or techniques are described herein, and these techniques may be used alone or in any combination. In addition, the AP 105-a may adopt different techniques based on network conditions, characteristics of the STA 115-a, or one or more other factors.

[0042] In some examples, the AP 105-a may modify the uplink communication scheme 235 and perform one or more operations that may reduce the trigger frequency for uplink transmissions or may suspend one or more uplink basic triggers. In some examples, such operations may include sending an associated indication or command (e.g., in an uplink communication scheme modification message 240) to the STA 115-a to reduce the uplink trigger frequency or suspend the uplink basic trigger. For example, the AP 105-a may reduce the frequency with which the AP 105-a transmits a trigger to the STA 115-a for triggering the STA 115-a to transmit uplink data, thereby causing the STA 115-a to transmit less uplink data to the AP 105-a.

[0043] In some examples, the AP 105-a may modify the uplink communication scheme 235 and send (e.g., in one or more uplink communication scheme modification messages 240) explicit pause signaling to the STA 115-a (e.g., in accordance with one or more wireless communication standards or other procedures), which may command the STA 115-a to suspend uplink transmissions (e.g., for a specified period of time or until a resume command is received), which may be associated with uplink single-user (SU) transmissions. In some examples, the AP 105-a may also send explicit resume signaling, which may command the STA 115-a to resume uplink transmissions (e.g., once the amount of uplink traffic 220 stored in the buffer 225 has dropped below the buffer quota 230). In some examples, the pause signaling, the resume signaling, or both may include one or more parameters according to which the STA 115-a is to operate, the one or more parameters including a maximum uplink data rate, a maximum number of bytes for an uplink burst or repetition, or any combination thereof.

[0044] In some examples, the AP 105-a may modify the uplink communication scheme 235 and perform one or more operations that may manipulate block acknowledgement (BA) behavior (e.g., level 2 (L2) BA behavior) that may enhance the UL transmission of the STA. For example, the AP 105-a may introduce an artificial packet error rate (PER) to one or more STAs (e.g., using an identifier of the STA) for one or more specific PHY data rates by sending a BA failure or block acknowledgement (BACK) to force the STA to reduce its uplink SU PHY rate. Additionally or alternatively, the AP 105-a may acknowledge one or more medium access control (MAC) protocol data units (MPDUs) (e.g., by sending an acknowledgement (ACK) message for one or more of the MPDUs to the STA 115-a) up to a portion of a physical protocol data unit (PPDU), and may not acknowledge all MPDUs of the PPDU. By acknowledging only a subset of the MPDUs (e.g., instead of the full set of MPDUs for the PPDU), the STA 115-a may determine that the AP 105-a did not successfully receive the unacknowledged MPDUs or that one or more errors occurred, and the STA 115-a may reduce the uplink transmission rate (e.g., in an attempt to compensate for the artificially created errors or lack of acknowledgment). Additionally or alternatively, the AP 105-a may renegotiate with the STA 115-a using a smaller BA window. By changing from a larger BA window to a smaller BA window, the AP 105-a may force the STA 115-a to send a smaller number of MPDUs to the AP 105-a, thereby reducing the amount of uplink traffic 220 received by the AP 105-a from the STA 115-a. In some examples, such operations may include sending an associated indication or command to the STA 115-a for modifying or manipulating BA behavior (e.g., in an uplink communication scheme modification message 240), as described herein.

[0045] In some examples, the AP 105-a may modify the uplink communication scheme 235 and perform one or more operations that may force or command the STA 115-a to move to a different BSS. For example, the AP 105-a may employ one or more forced roaming commands or multi-link operation (MLO) traffic identifier (TID) to link mapping (T2LM or TLM) to force the STA 115-a to associate with a different BSS. By forcing the STA 115-a to associate with a different BSS, the amount of buffered uplink traffic 220 may be reduced because the uplink traffic 220 that may have been sent to the AP 105-a and may have continued to fill the buffer 225 is now sent elsewhere, thereby reducing the load of the uplink traffic 220 on the buffer 225 in an effort to meet or satisfy the buffer quota 230 (e.g., the level of the uplink traffic 220 is below the buffer quota 230). In some examples, such operations may include sending an association indication or command to STA 115-a (e.g., in an uplink communication scheme modification message 240) to force STA 115-a to associate with another BSS.

[0046] In some examples, the AP 105-a may perform one or more operations that may reduce the downlink transmit power of the AP 105-a (optionally, below the transmit power level indicated or advertised in the beacon transmission). The STA 115-a may interpret or determine that the difference between the actual received downlink transmit power and the indicated or advertised downlink transmit power indicates that the corresponding uplink link will experience a similar difference, and may adjust one or more uplink transmit parameters (e.g., reduce the uplink data transmit rate, reduce the amount of data being transmitted, or other reduction in uplink transmission) to compensate for the perceived weak uplink link.

[0047] In some examples, the AP 105-a may modify the uplink communication scheme 235 and perform one or more operations that may modify an existing modulation and coding scheme (MCS) or select a different MCS to reduce the uplink data rate. For example, by selecting a different MCS (e.g., which may be associated with a different or lower data rate), the amount of uplink traffic 220 that may be sent by the STA 115-a may be changed (e.g., reduced) because different MCSs may allow for different modulation and coding rates. If the AP 105-a selects an MCS with a lower data rate, the STA 115-a then sends uplink transmissions according to the newly selected MCS, which may include sending uplink transmissions using a different or reduced modulation and coding rate. In some examples, such operations may include sending an associated indication or command (e.g., in an uplink communication scheme modification message 240) to the STA 115-a for modifying the MCS or selecting a different MCS to reduce the UL data rate.

[0048] In some examples, the AP 105-a may modify the uplink communication scheme 235 and perform one or more operations that may discard one or more downlink TCP ACK messages to reduce uplink TCP data traffic. For example, the AP 105-a may otherwise respond with an ACK indicating that the AP 105-a has successfully received the transmission. However, in some cases where the uplink data 220 exceeds the buffer quota 230, the AP 105-a may not send one or more ACKs, even if the AP 105-a does successfully receive the ACK. The STA 115-a may interpret the lack of received ACK as an indication that the AP 105-a did not receive one or more uplink transmissions, and may adjust one or more uplink transmission parameters (e.g., uplink data rate) to attempt to compensate for the perceived transmission loss, thereby reducing the amount of uplink traffic 220 buffered at the AP 105-a. Additionally or alternatively, the AP 105-a may reduce the sending rate of downlink TCP ACK messages, which may similarly reduce the uplink data rate for reasons similar to those explained for dropping downlink TCP ACK messages.

[0049] In some examples, the AP 105-a may modify the uplink communication scheme 235 and perform one or more operations that may mark one or more downlink TCP ACK messages with an explicit congestion notification (ECN) code to reduce uplink TCP data traffic. For example, the AP 105-a may otherwise respond with an ACK indicating that the AP 105-a has successfully received the transmission, and may not indicate any congestion (e.g., because, for example, there may not be congestion). However, in some cases where the uplink data 220 exceeds the buffer quota 230, the AP 105-a may "artificially" mark one or more ACKs with an ECN code, even if one or more conditions for triggering the inclusion of the ECN code in other ways may not be met. The STA 115-a may interpret the ECN-marked ACK as an indication that the AP 105-a is experiencing a congestion condition, and may adjust one or more uplink transmission parameters (e.g., uplink data rate) to attempt to compensate for the congestion, thereby reducing the amount of uplink traffic 220 buffered at the AP 105-a.

[0050] In some examples, the AP 105-a may modify the uplink communication scheme 235 and perform one or more operations that may discard one or more uplink TCP ACK messages to reduce uplink TCP ACK messages from the STA 115-a that may cause the uplink traffic 220 to exceed the buffer quota 230. For example, by discarding uplink ACK messages received from the STA 115-a, the STA 115-a may reduce the sending rate of uplink TCP ACK messages, thereby reducing the amount of uplink traffic 220 received from the STA 115-a at the AP 105-a.

[0051] Similarly, the AP 105-a may modify the uplink communication scheme 235 and perform one or more operations that may mark one or more uplink TCP ACK messages with an ECN code to reduce the amount of uplink TCP ACK messages from the STA 115-a that may cause the uplink traffic 220 to exceed the buffer quota 230. For example, if the AP 105-a marks one or more uplink ACK messages received from the STA 115-a with an ECN code, the STA 115-a may determine that these uplink ACK messages are causing congestion at the AP 105-a and may reduce the sending rate of the uplink TCP ACK messages, thereby reducing the amount of uplink traffic 220 received at the AP 105-a.

[0052] Figure 3An example of a process flow 300 for supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is illustrated. The process flow 300 may implement various aspects of the present disclosure described herein. The elements described in the process flow 300 may be examples of similarly named elements described herein.

[0053] In the following description of process flow 300, operations between various entities or elements may be performed in different orders or at different times. Some operations may also be excluded from process flow 300, or other operations may be added. Although various entities or elements are shown as performing operations of process flow 300, some aspects of some operations may also be performed by other entities or elements of process flow 300 or by entities or elements not depicted in the process flow, or any combination thereof.

[0054] At 320, AP 105-b may receive uplink traffic of the traffic flow from the station to forward to the backhaul network via the backhaul link.

[0055] At 325, AP 105-b may monitor the buffer of the access point to determine that the amount of buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based on a traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow. The traffic throughput capacity may indicate an amount of data that AP 105-b may forward over a link to a backhaul network during a certain amount of time. The throughput parameter may include or indicate one or more characteristics or behaviors of AP 105-b related to a throughput of data flowing through AP 105-b. For example, such a parameter may be a PHY rate, and AP 105-a may set the buffer quota based at least in part on (e.g., proportional to) the PHY rate. Additional throughput parameters may include a minimum throughput of data from STA 115-b (e.g., to which AP 105-a has submitted), an ATF percentage for STA 115-b (e.g., to which AP 105-a has submitted), a system delay for STA 115-b (e.g., to which AP 105-a has submitted), one or more other throughput parameters, or any combination thereof. In some examples, AP 105-a may permit a service, a STA, or both to transmit uplink traffic flows at a certain transmission rate. In addition, a single STA may be permitted to have one or more traffic flows.

[0056] At 330, the AP 105-b may modify the uplink communication scheme to reduce the amount of uplink traffic from the station based on the buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota.

[0057] Steps 335 to 385 herein depict different options that the AP 105-b may apply to modify the uplink communication scheme to control the amount of uplink traffic provided by the STA 115-b and avoid overflowing the buffer of the AP 105-b. Such options, techniques, or methods may be used alone or in any combination and may be performed in any order.

[0058] At 335, the AP 105-b may send an indication that the station is to suspend uplink transmissions. In some examples, the indication that the station is to suspend uplink transmissions includes an indication of a defined uplink data rate, a defined number of bits for an uplink burst, or both.

[0059] At 340, the AP 105-b may send an uplink transmission trigger message to trigger uplink transmission by the station according to the triggering frequency reduced by the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0060] At 345, the AP 105-b may transmit an indication of a change from the first transmit opportunity duration to a second transmit opportunity duration having a shorter duration than the first transmit opportunity duration and during which communicating with the station occurs.

[0061] At 350, the AP 105-b may send a negative acknowledgement message indicating that one or more successfully received uplink traffic packets were not successfully received. The AP 105-b may do so even if the conditions for sending a negative acknowledgement were not otherwise met.

[0062] At 355, the AP 105-b may send an acknowledgment for only a subset of the plurality of media access control protocol data units associated with the physical layer protocol data unit. The AP 105-b may do so even if conditions for sending an acknowledgment for a larger subset or all of the plurality of media access control protocol data units are otherwise met.

[0063] At 360 , the AP 105 - b may send an indication of a change from the first block acknowledgment window to a second block acknowledgment window having a shorter duration than the first block acknowledgment window.

[0064] At 365, the AP 105-b may send a command indicating that the station is to disassociate from the first basic service set, and communicating with the station includes conveying a context of the station to the second access point based on sending the command.

[0065] At 370, AP 105-b may send an indication of a change from a first modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions to a second modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions, the second modulation and coding rate having a modulation and coding rate that is less than the first modulation and coding rate, and perform communication with the station according to the second modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions.

[0066] The AP 105-b may refrain from sending one or more confirmation messages at 375. For example, the AP 105-b may not send a confirmation message for one or more messages or transmissions even though the AP 105-b may have successfully received the one or more messages or transmissions.

[0067] The AP 105-b may send a feedback message including a congestion notification at 380. For example, the AP 105-b may send a congestion notification even if the communication conditions would not otherwise trigger the congestion notification.

[0068] At 385, the AP 105-b may send an indication that the station is to resume uplink transmissions. For example, if the amount of buffered uplink transmissions drops below a quota for the STA 115-b after having exceeded the quota, the AP 105-b may send the indication to suggest to the STA 115-b that the STA 115-b may resume uplink transmissions.

[0069] At 390, AP 105-b may communicate with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme. In some examples, such communication may include a reduced amount of uplink transmissions (e.g., where uplink transmissions from STA 115-b are being regulated or modified by AP 105-b using the techniques described herein).

[0070] Figure 4 A block diagram 400 of a device 405 supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is shown. The device 405 may be an example of aspects of an AP as described herein. The device 405 may include a receiver 410, a transmitter 415, and a communication manager 420. The device 405 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0071] The receiver 410 may provide means for receiving information (such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof) associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels related to uplink flow control, data channels, information channels). The information may be passed to other components of the device 405. The receiver 410 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of multiple antennas.

[0072] Transmitter 415 may provide means for transmitting signals generated by other components of device 405. Transmitter 415 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of multiple antennas.

[0073] The communication manager 420, the receiver 410, the transmitter 415, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of uplink flow control as described herein. For example, the communication manager 420, the receiver 410, the transmitter 415, or various combinations thereof or components thereof may support methods for performing one or more of the functions described herein.

[0074] In some examples, the communication manager 420, the receiver 410, the transmitter 415, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communication management circuit). The hardware may include a processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting components for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, a processor and a memory coupled to the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by executing instructions stored in the memory by the processor).

[0075] Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the communication manager 420, the receiver 410, the transmitter 415, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code executed by a processor (e.g., as communication management software or firmware). If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functionality of the communication manager 420, the receiver 410, the transmitter 415, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general purpose processor (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting components for performing the functions described in the present disclosure), a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices.

[0076] In some examples, communication manager 420 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receive, obtain, monitor, output, transmit) using or otherwise cooperating with receiver 410, transmitter 415, or both. For example, communication manager 420 may receive information from receiver 410, transmit information to transmitter 415, or be integrated in conjunction with receiver 410, transmitter 415, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0077] Additionally or alternatively, according to examples as disclosed herein, the communication manager 420 may support wireless communications at an access point. For example, the communication manager 420 may be configured to or otherwise support components for receiving uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station to forward to a backhaul network via a backhaul link. The communication manager 420 may be configured to or otherwise support components for monitoring a buffer of an access point to determine that the amount of buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based on the traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow. The communication manager 420 may be configured to or otherwise support components for modifying an uplink communication scheme based on the amount of buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota to reduce the amount of uplink traffic from the station. The communication manager 420 may be configured to or otherwise support components for communicating with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0078] By including or configuring a communications manager 420 according to examples as described herein, a device 405 (e.g., a processor controlling or otherwise coupled to a receiver 410, a transmitter 415, a communications manager 420, or a combination thereof) can support techniques for reducing processing, reducing power consumption, more efficiently utilizing communications resources, or any combination thereof.

[0079] Figure 5 A block diagram 500 of a device 505 supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is shown. The device 505 may be an example of aspects of the device 405 or AP 105 as described herein. The device 505 may include a receiver 510, a transmitter 515, and a communication manager 520. The device 505 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0080] The receiver 510 may provide means for receiving information (such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof) associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels related to uplink flow control, data channels, information channels). The information may be passed to other components of the device 505. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of multiple antennas.

[0081] Transmitter 515 may provide means for transmitting signals generated by other components of device 505. Transmitter 515 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of multiple antennas.

[0082] Device 505 or its various components may be examples of components for performing various aspects of uplink flow control as described herein. For example, communication manager 520 may include uplink traffic receiving component 525, buffer monitoring component 530, uplink communication scheme modification component 535, station communication component 540, or any combination thereof. Communication manager 520 may be an example of various aspects of communication manager 420 as described herein. In some examples, communication manager 520 or its various components may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receive, obtain, monitor, output, send) using or otherwise cooperating with receiver 510, transmitter 515, or both. For example, communication manager 520 may receive information from receiver 510, transmit information to transmitter 515, or be integrated with receiver 510, transmitter 515, or both in combination to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0083] According to the examples disclosed herein, the communication manager 520 can support wireless communication at the access point. The uplink traffic receiving component 525 can be configured to or otherwise support components for receiving uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station to be forwarded to a backhaul network via a backhaul link. The buffer monitoring component 530 can be configured to or otherwise support components for monitoring the buffer of the access point to determine that the buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds the buffer quota, and the buffer quota set for the traffic flow is based on the traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and the throughput parameter for the traffic flow. The uplink communication scheme modification component 535 can be configured to or otherwise support components for modifying the uplink communication scheme based on the buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota to reduce the uplink traffic from the station. The station communication component 540 can be configured to or otherwise support components for communicating with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0084] Figure 6 A block diagram 600 of a communication manager 620 supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is shown. The communication manager 620 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 420, the communication manager 520, or both as described herein. The communication manager 620 or its various components may be examples of components for performing various aspects of uplink flow control as described herein. For example, the communication manager 620 may include an uplink traffic receiving component 625, a buffer monitoring component 630, an uplink communication scheme modification component 635, a station communication component 640, an uplink communication scheme message component 645, an uplink communication scheme parameter component 650, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0085] Additionally or alternatively, according to examples as disclosed herein, the communication manager 620 may support wireless communications at the access point. The uplink traffic receiving component 625 may be configured to or otherwise support components for receiving uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station to be forwarded to a backhaul network via a backhaul link. The buffer monitoring component 630 may be configured to or otherwise support components for monitoring the buffer of the access point to determine that the buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, and the buffer quota set for the traffic flow is based on the traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and the throughput parameter for the traffic flow. The uplink communication scheme modification component 635 may be configured to or otherwise support components for modifying the uplink communication scheme based on the buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota to reduce the uplink traffic from the station. The station communication component 640 may be configured to or otherwise support components for communicating with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0086] In some examples, to support modifying the uplink communication scheme, the uplink communication scheme message component 645 may be configured or otherwise support means for sending an indication that the station is to suspend uplink transmissions.

[0087] In some examples, the indication that the station is to suspend uplink transmissions includes an indication of a defined uplink data rate, a defined number of bits for an uplink burst, or both.

[0088] In some examples, to support modifying the uplink communication scheme, the uplink communication scheme message component 645 may be configured or otherwise support means for sending an indication that the station is to resume uplink transmissions.

[0089] In some examples, to support modification of an uplink communication scheme, the uplink communication scheme message component 645 may be configured as or otherwise support a component for sending an uplink transmission trigger message to trigger uplink transmission by the station according to a trigger frequency reduced by the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0090] In some examples, to support modifying an uplink communication scheme, the uplink communication scheme message component 645 may be configured as or otherwise support components for sending an indication of a change from a first transmit opportunity duration to a second transmit opportunity duration, the second transmit opportunity duration having a shorter duration than the first transmit opportunity duration, wherein communication with the station occurs during the second transmit opportunity duration.

[0091] In some examples, to support modification of an uplink communication scheme, the uplink communication scheme message component 645 may be configured or otherwise support components for sending a negative acknowledgement message indicating that one or more successfully received uplink traffic packets were not successfully received.

[0092] In some examples, to support modifying an uplink communication scheme, the uplink communication scheme message component 645 may be configured as or otherwise support components for sending acknowledgments for only a subset of a set of multiple medium access control protocol data units associated with a physical layer protocol data unit.

[0093] In some examples, to support modifying an uplink communication scheme, the uplink communication scheme message component 645 may be configured as or otherwise support components for sending an indication of a change from a first block confirmation window to a second block confirmation window having a shorter duration than the first block confirmation window.

[0094] In some examples, to support modifying an uplink communication scheme, the uplink communication scheme message component 645 may be configured as or otherwise support components for sending a command indicating that the station is to disassociate from the first basic service set, wherein communicating with the station includes conveying a context of the station to a second access point based on sending the command.

[0095] In some examples, to support modifying an uplink communication scheme, the uplink communication scheme parameters component 650 may be configured to or otherwise support means for sending an indication of a change from a first modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions to a second modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions, the second modulation and coding rate having a modulation and coding rate that is less than the first modulation and coding rate, wherein communication with the station is performed according to the second modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions.

[0096] In some examples, to support modifying an uplink communication scheme, the uplink communication scheme message component 645 may be configured or otherwise support components for refraining from sending one or more confirmation messages.

[0097] In some examples, to support modification of an uplink communication scheme, the uplink communication scheme message component 645 may be configured or otherwise support means for sending a feedback message including a congestion notification.

[0098] Figure 7A diagram of a system 700 including a device 705 supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is shown. The device 705 may be an example of a device 405, a device 505, or an AP as described herein or include components of these devices. The device 705 may include components for two-way voice and data communications, including components for sending and receiving communications, such as a communication manager 720, a network communication manager 710, a transceiver 715, an antenna 725, a memory 730, a code 735, a processor 740, and an inter-AP communication manager 745. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 750).

[0099] The network communication manager 710 may manage communications with the core network (eg, via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communication manager 710 may manage the delivery of data communications for client devices (such as one or more STAs 115).

[0100] In some cases, the device 705 may include a single antenna 725. However, in some other cases, the device 705 may have more than one antenna 725, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 715 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 725, wired or wireless links, as described herein. For example, the transceiver 715 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 715 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to one or more antennas 725 for transmission, and demodulating packets received from one or more antennas 725. The transceiver 715 or the transceiver 715 and one or more antennas 725 may be examples of transmitters 415, transmitters 515, receivers 410, receivers 510, or any combination thereof or components thereof as described herein.

[0101] Memory 730 may include RAM and ROM. Memory 730 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 735 including instructions that, when executed by processor 740, cause device 705 to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 730 may include, among other things, BIOS, which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0102] The processor 740 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor 740 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into the processor 740. The processor 740 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., a memory 730) to enable the device 705 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks that support uplink flow control). For example, the device 705 or a component of the device 705 may include a processor 740 and a memory 730 coupled to or coupled to the processor 740, and the processor 740 and the memory 730 are configured to perform the various functions described herein.

[0103] The inter-station communication manager 745 may manage communications with other APs 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with STAs 115 in coordination with other APs 105. For example, the inter-station communication manager 745 may coordinate the scheduling of transmissions to the APs 105 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmissions. In some examples, the inter-station communication manager 745 may provide an X2 interface within an LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to provide communications between APs 105.

[0104] Additionally or alternatively, according to examples as disclosed herein, the communication manager 720 may support wireless communications at an access point. For example, the communication manager 720 may be configured to or otherwise support components for receiving uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station to forward to a backhaul network via a backhaul link. The communication manager 720 may be configured to or otherwise support components for monitoring a buffer of an access point to determine that the amount of buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based on the traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow. The communication manager 720 may be configured to or otherwise support components for modifying an uplink communication scheme based on the amount of buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota to reduce the amount of uplink traffic from the station. The communication manager 720 may be configured to or otherwise support components for communicating with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0105] By including or configuring a communication manager 720 according to the examples described herein, the device 705 can support techniques for improving communication reliability, reducing latency, improving user experience related to reduced processing, reducing power consumption, more efficiently utilizing communication resources, improving coordination between devices, extending battery life, improving utilization of processing power, or any combination thereof.

[0106] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating a method 800 for supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is shown. The operations of the method 800 may be implemented by an AP or a component thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 800 may be implemented by an AP or a component thereof as described herein. Figures 1 to 7 The AP described herein may be used to perform. In some examples, the AP may execute instruction sets to control the functional elements of the AP to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the AP may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0107] At 805, the method may include receiving uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station to forward to a backhaul network via a backhaul link. The operations of 805 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 805 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 6 The described uplink traffic receiving component 625 is performed.

[0108] At 810, the method may include monitoring a buffer of the access point to determine that the amount of buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based on the traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow. The operations of 810 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 810 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 6 The described buffer monitoring component 630 is performed.

[0109] At 815, the method may include modifying the uplink communication scheme based on the buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota to reduce the uplink traffic from the station. The operations of 815 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 815 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 6 The described uplink communication scheme modification component 635 is performed.

[0110] At 820, the method may include communicating with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme. The operations of 820 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 820 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 6 The station communication component 640 described above is executed.

[0111] Fig. 9 A flowchart illustrating a method 900 for supporting uplink flow control according to one or more examples as disclosed herein is shown. The operations of the method 900 may be implemented by an AP or a component thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 900 may be implemented by an AP or a component thereof as described herein. Figures 1 to 7 The AP described herein may be used to perform. In some examples, the AP may execute instruction sets to control the functional elements of the AP to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the AP may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0112] At 905, the method may include receiving uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station to forward to a backhaul network via a backhaul link. The operations of 905 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 905 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 6 The described uplink traffic receiving component 625 is performed.

[0113] At 910, the method may include monitoring a buffer of the access point to determine that the amount of buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based on the traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow. The operations of 910 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 910 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 6 The described buffer monitoring component 630 is performed.

[0114] At 915, the method may include modifying the uplink communication scheme based on the buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota to reduce the uplink traffic from the station. The operations of 915 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 915 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 6 The described uplink communication scheme modification component 635 is performed.

[0115] At 920, the method may include sending an indication that the station is to suspend uplink transmissions. The operations of 920 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 920 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 6 The described uplink communication scheme message component 645 is performed.

[0116] At 925, the method may include communicating with the station based on the modified uplink communication scheme. The operations of 925 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 925 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 6 The station communication component 640 described above is executed.

[0117] The following provides an overview of various aspects of the disclosure:

[0118] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at an access point, the method comprising: receiving uplink traffic of a service flow from a station to forward to a backhaul network via a backhaul link; monitoring a buffer of the access point to determine that a buffered uplink traffic volume received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the service flow being based at least in part on a service throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the service flow; modifying an uplink communication scheme based at least in part on the buffered uplink traffic volume exceeding the buffer quota to reduce the uplink traffic volume from the station; and communicating with the station based at least in part on the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0119] Aspect 2: The method according to aspect 1, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme includes: sending an indication that the station is to suspend uplink transmission.

[0120] Aspect 3: The method according to aspect 2, wherein the indication that the station is to suspend uplink transmission includes an indication of a defined uplink data rate, a defined number of bits for an uplink burst, or both.

[0121] Aspect 4: The method according to any one of aspects 2 to 3, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme further comprises: sending an indication that the station is to resume uplink transmission.

[0122] Aspect 5: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: sending an uplink transmission trigger message to trigger uplink transmission by the station according to a trigger frequency reduced by the modified uplink communication scheme.

[0123] Aspect 6: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme includes: sending an indication of a change from a first transmission opportunity duration to a second transmission opportunity duration, the second transmission opportunity duration having a shorter duration than the first transmission opportunity duration, wherein communication with the station occurs during the second transmission opportunity duration.

[0124] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme includes: sending a negative confirmation message, the negative confirmation message indicating that one or more successfully received uplink service packets were not successfully received.

[0125] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme includes: sending an acknowledgement only for a subset of the plurality of medium access control protocol data units associated with the physical layer protocol data unit.

[0126] Aspect 9: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme includes: sending an indication of a change from a first block confirmation window to a second block confirmation window, the second block confirmation window having a shorter duration than the first block confirmation window.

[0127] Aspect 10: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 9, wherein the access point and the station are associated with a first basic service set, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme includes: sending a command indicating that the station wants to disassociate from the first basic service set, wherein communicating with the station includes conveying the context of the station to a second access point based at least in part on sending the command.

[0128] Aspect 11: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme includes: sending an indication of a change from a first modulation and coding rate used for uplink transmission to a second modulation and coding rate used for uplink transmission, the second modulation and coding rate having a modulation and decoding rate that is smaller than the first modulation and decoding rate, wherein communication with the station is performed according to the second modulation and decoding rate used for uplink transmission.

[0129] Aspect 12: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 11, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme includes: refraining from sending one or more confirmation messages.

[0130] Aspect 13: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 12, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: sending a feedback message including a congestion notification.

[0131] Aspect 14: An apparatus for wireless communication at an access point, the apparatus comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 13.

[0132] Aspect 15: An apparatus for wireless communication at an access point, the apparatus comprising at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 13.

[0133] Aspect 16: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at an access point, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 13.

[0134] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the various operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. In addition, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

[0135] The technology described herein can be used for various wireless communication systems, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. Code division multiple access (CDMA) systems can implement radio technologies such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA). CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 versions are commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is commonly referred to as CDMA20001xEV-DO, High Speed ​​Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes broadband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. Time division multiple access (TDMA) systems can implement radio technologies such as global system for mobile communications (GSM). An Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) system may implement radio technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and others.

[0136] One or more wireless communication systems described herein may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, each station may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different stations may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, each station may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different stations may not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for synchronous operation or asynchronous operation.

[0137] The downlink transmission described herein may also be referred to as forward link transmission, and the uplink transmission may also be referred to as reverse link transmission. Each communication link described herein (respectively including, for example, Figure 1 and Figure 2 The WLAN 100 and the wireless communication system 200 may include one or more carriers, wherein each carrier may be a signal composed of multiple subcarriers (eg, waveform signals of different frequencies).

[0138] The descriptions set forth herein in conjunction with the accompanying drawings describe example configurations and do not represent all examples that may be implemented or within the scope of the claims. The term "exemplary" as used herein means "used as an example, instance, or illustration" and does not mean "better than" or "better than other examples". The specific implementation includes specific details to provide an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form.

[0139] In the drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference label. In addition, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a dash and a second label to distinguish between similar components. Where only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description applies to any of the similar components having the same first reference label, regardless of the second reference label.

[0140] The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips mentioned throughout the specification may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0141] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed using a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0142] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium, or sent via a computer-readable medium. Other examples and specific implementations are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or a combination of any of these items. The features that implement the functions may also be physically located at different locations, including being distributed so that the various parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations. In addition, as used herein (including in the claims), the "or" used in the enumeration of items (e.g., enumeration of items with phrases such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive enumeration, so that, for example, the enumeration of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Moreover, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, an exemplary step described as "based on condition A" may be based on both condition A and condition B. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on."

[0143] Computer-readable media include both non-transient computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another.Non-transient storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer.By way of example and not limitation, non-transient computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or can be used to carry or store instructions or data structure forms of desired program code components and can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer, or a general or special-purpose processor.In addition, any connection is appropriately referred to as computer-readable media.For example, if software is sent from a website, server or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0144] The description herein is provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but conforms to the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication at an access point, the apparatus comprising: processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receiving uplink traffic of the traffic flow from the station to forward to the backhaul network via the backhaul link; monitoring a buffer of the access point to determine that an amount of buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based at least in part on a traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow; modifying an uplink communication scheme to reduce the amount of uplink traffic from the station based at least in part on the amount of buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota; as well as Communicating with the station is performed based at least in part on the modified uplink communication scheme.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: An indication is sent that the station is to suspend uplink transmission.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the indication that the station is to suspend uplink transmissions comprises an indication of a defined uplink data rate, a defined number of bits for an uplink burst, or both.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: An indication is sent that the station is to resume uplink transmission.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: An uplink transmission trigger message is transmitted according to the triggering frequency reduced by the modified uplink communication scheme to trigger uplink transmission by the station.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmitting an indication of a change from a first transmit opportunity duration to a second transmit opportunity duration, the second transmit opportunity duration having a shorter duration than the first transmit opportunity duration; Wherein communicating with the station occurs during the second transmit opportunity duration.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: A negative acknowledgement message is sent, the negative acknowledgement message indicating that one or more successfully received uplink traffic packets were not successfully received.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: An acknowledgment is sent for only a subset of the plurality of medium access control protocol data units associated with the physical layer protocol data unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: An indication of a change from a first block acknowledgement window to a second block acknowledgement window is sent, the second block acknowledgement window having a shorter duration than the first block acknowledgement window.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the access point and the station are associated with a first basic service set, and the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: sending a command indicating that the station is to disassociate from the first basic service set; Wherein communicating with the station includes conveying a context of the station to a second access point based at least in part on sending the command.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmitting an indication of a change from a first modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions to a second modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions, the second modulation and coding rate having a modulation and coding rate less than the first modulation and coding rate; Wherein communicating with the station is performed according to the second modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Suppresses sending of one or more acknowledgement messages.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Send a feedback message including a congestion notification.

14. A method for wireless communication at an access point, the method comprising: receiving uplink traffic of the traffic flow from the station to forward to the backhaul network via the backhaul link; monitoring a buffer of the access point to determine that an amount of buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based at least in part on a traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow; modifying an uplink communication scheme to reduce the amount of uplink traffic from the station based at least in part on the amount of buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota; as well as Communicating with the station is performed based at least in part on the modified uplink communication scheme.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: An indication is sent that the station is to suspend uplink transmission.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication that the station is to suspend uplink transmissions comprises an indication of a defined uplink data rate, a defined number of bits for an uplink burst, or both.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme further comprises: An indication is sent that the station is to resume uplink transmission.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: An uplink transmission trigger message is transmitted according to the triggering frequency reduced by the modified uplink communication scheme to trigger uplink transmission by the station.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: An indication of a change from a first transmit opportunity duration to a second transmit opportunity duration having a shorter duration than the first transmit opportunity duration is transmitted, wherein communicating with the station occurs during the second transmit opportunity duration.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: A negative acknowledgement message is sent, the negative acknowledgement message indicating that one or more successfully received uplink traffic packets were not successfully received.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: An acknowledgment is sent for only a subset of the plurality of medium access control protocol data units associated with the physical layer protocol data unit.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: An indication of a change from a first block acknowledgement window to a second block acknowledgement window is sent, the second block acknowledgement window having a shorter duration than the first block acknowledgement window.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the access point and the station are associated with a first basic service set, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: sending a command indicating that the station is to disassociate from the first basic service set; Wherein communicating with the station includes conveying a context of the station to a second access point based at least in part on sending the command.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: transmitting an indication of a change from a first modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions to a second modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions, the second modulation and coding rate having a modulation and coding rate less than the first modulation and coding rate; Wherein communicating with the station is performed according to the second modulation and coding rate for uplink transmissions.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: Suppresses sending of one or more acknowledgement messages.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: Send a feedback message including a congestion notification.

27. An apparatus for wireless communication at an access point, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving uplink traffic of a traffic flow from a station for forwarding to a backhaul network via a backhaul link; means for monitoring a buffer of the access point to determine that an amount of buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based at least in part on a traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow; means for modifying an uplink communication scheme to reduce the amount of uplink traffic from the station based at least in part on the amount of buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota; and Means for communicating with the station based at least in part on the modified uplink communication scheme.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the means for modifying the uplink communication scheme comprises: Means for sending an indication that the station is to suspend uplink transmissions.

29. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing code for wireless communication at an access point, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to: receiving uplink traffic of the traffic flow from the station to forward to the backhaul network via the backhaul link; monitoring a buffer of the access point to determine that an amount of buffered uplink traffic received from the station exceeds a buffer quota, the buffer quota set for the traffic flow being based at least in part on a traffic throughput capacity of the backhaul link and a throughput parameter for the traffic flow; modifying an uplink communication scheme to reduce the amount of uplink traffic from the station based at least in part on the amount of buffered uplink traffic exceeding the buffer quota; as well as Communicating with the station is performed based at least in part on the modified uplink communication scheme.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions for modifying the uplink communication scheme are executable by the processor to: An indication is sent that the station is to suspend uplink transmission.

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