Civil broadcast radio spectrum (CBRS) operation

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods, devices and systems for transmitting and receiving within a 3.5 GHz bandwidth between an access point (AP) and one or more stations (STAs) in a basic service set (BSS). In some examples, an AP may output a request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the request including an indication of one or more channel resources within a spectrum. In another example, the AP may obtain a response to the request from the network node, the response providing access to the device to the one or more channel resources indicated within the spectrum.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. non-provisional patent application No. 17 / 938,039, filed on October 4, 2022, entitled “CITZEN BROADCAST RADIO SPECTRUM (CBRS) OPERATIONS,” the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for wireless communications over semi-licensed and / or prioritized spectrum. Background Art

[0004] The radio frequency (RF) spectrum is the basis for many wireless communication systems in use today, including wireless local area networks (WLANs), radar, and cellular communication systems. Designated frequency ranges in the RF spectrum (sometimes identified as bands or channels) can be allocated for use by different entities, for different purposes, or in different geographic locations. As used in this disclosure, "spectrum" refers to any frequency, frequency band, and channel in the RF spectrum that can be used or allocated for wireless communications.

[0005] Because the available RF spectrum is limited, the allocation of frequencies in the spectrum is highly valued and often highly regulated. For example, in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) regulate and manage spectrum allocation, assignments, and assignments. Frequency allocation is the process of dividing the entire RF spectrum into frequency bands established for specific types of services. These frequency allocations are then further subdivided into channels designated for specific services or "assignments." Assignments refer to the final subdivision of the spectrum, where a party obtains one or more frequency assignments in the form of a license to operate a radio transmitter on a specific frequency within a specific geographic location.

[0006] Spectrum allocation, assignment and assignment systems have not kept pace with the growing demand for spectrum. Therefore, in the face of growing demand, there is a need to improve how to efficiently allocate and use available and future spectrum. Unless otherwise specified, "allocation" as used in this disclosure generally refers to the process of allocating, assigning and assigning spectrum to licensed users. Summary of the invention

[0007] A brief summary of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects, nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later.

[0008] Aspects are directed to an apparatus configured for wireless communication. In some examples, the apparatus includes a memory containing instructions and one or more processors. In some examples, the one or more processors are configured to run the instructions and cause the apparatus to output a request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the request including an indication of one or more channel resources within a spectrum. In some examples, the one or more processors are configured to run the instructions and cause the apparatus to obtain a response to the request from the network node, the response providing the apparatus with access to the one or more channel resources indicated within the spectrum.

[0009] Aspects are directed to a method of wireless communication by an apparatus. In some examples, the method includes outputting a request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the request including an indication of one or more channel resources within a spectrum. In some examples, the method includes obtaining a response to the request from the network node, the response providing the apparatus with access to the one or more channel resources indicated within the spectrum.

[0010] Aspects are directed to an apparatus for wireless communication. In some examples, the apparatus includes means for outputting a request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the channel resource request including an indication of one or more channel resources within a spectrum. In some examples, the apparatus includes means for obtaining a response to the request from the network node, the response providing the apparatus with access to the one or more channel resources indicated within the spectrum.

[0011] Aspects are directed to a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform a method. In some examples, the method includes outputting a request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the request including an indication of one or more channel resources within a spectrum. In some examples, the method includes obtaining a response to the request from the network node, the response providing the apparatus with access to the one or more channel resources indicated within the spectrum.

[0012] To accomplish the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects include the features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are indicative of only some of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example wireless communication network.

[0014] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the hardware aspects of an access point (AP) and two stations (STAs).

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a new operating band and a three-tier organization of an example basic service set (BSS).

[0016] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example Citizens Band Radio Spectrum (CBRS) spectrum.

[0017] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example frequency spectrum.

[0018] Figure 6 is a diagram showing another example frequency spectrum.

[0019] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating example structures of a dedicated service period (D-SP) and an opportunistic service period (O-SP).

[0020] Figure 8 is another block diagram illustrating example structures of a dedicated service period (D-SP) and an opportunistic service period (O-SP).

[0021] Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of wireless communication.

[0022] Fig.10 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0023] Fig.11 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0024] Fig.12 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0025] Fig.13 is shown as Fig. 9A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0026] Fig.14 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0027] Fig.15 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0028] Fig.16 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0029] Fig.17 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0030] Fig.18 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0031] Fig.19 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0032] Fig. 20 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0033] Fig.21 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0034] Fig. 22 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0035] Fig.23 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0036] Fig.24 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0037] Fig.25 is shown as Fig. 9 A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0038] Fig.26 is shown as Fig. 9A flow chart of an alternative wireless communication method of the method.

[0039] Fig. 27 Depicted are example communications devices that include various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform operations of the techniques disclosed herein, such as with respect to Fig. 9 - Drag 26 to depict and describe operations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] For the purpose of describing the innovative aspects of the present disclosure, the following description is directed to some specific examples. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. Some or all of the described examples may be implemented in a manner that can be implemented in accordance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, the IEEE 802.15 standard, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) defined by the Bluetooth SIG, or the like. Or by the third generation partnership project (3GPP) issued by one or more of the long-term evolution (LTE), 3G, 4G or 5G (new radio (NR)) standards to send and receive radio frequency (RF) signals in any device, system or network. The described implementation can be implemented in any device, system or network capable of sending and receiving RF signals according to one or more of the following technologies: code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), single user (SU) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and multi-user (MU)-MIMO. The described implementation can also be implemented using other wireless communication protocols or RF signals suitable for one or more of wireless personal area networks (WPAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wireless wide area networks (WWAN) or Internet of Things (IOT) networks. As used herein, the term "communicating" or "communication" may involve wireless communication (e.g., transmission and / or reception of data and / or control channels) on one or more operating frequency bands.

[0041] In some aspects, the present disclosure relates to rules for enabling Wi-Fi operation on new spectrum available in different parts of the world. In some examples, a portion of the new spectrum can be leased for a certain amount of time (also referred to as priority spectrum). Leasing a portion of the spectrum provides limited ownership of the spectrum under certain conditions. In some examples, non-priority portions of the new spectrum are available for anyone to use. Both non-priority and priority portions of the new spectrum can be shared with non-Wi-Fi users. In some other cases, Wi-Fi devices need to vacate the spectrum if an incumbent arrives.

[0042] As discussed herein, for example, the Civil Broadband Radio Spectrum (CBRS) is a 150MHz band in the 3.55-3.7GHz range. CBRS is specific to the United States, and other regions may have different sizes and locations of the new spectrum, and may refer to it by different names. CBRS operates with a three-tier user model, which has a first-tier user with a given priority called "incumbent", a second-tier user using a priority access license (PAL), and a third-tier user with the lowest priority called General Approved Access (GAA). Incumbent users are typically users belonging to government or military agencies and are given the highest priority to use CBRS. Users of the PAL layer are typically users who have paid to lease a portion of CBRS for a period of time. PAL users have pseudo-ownership of the portion of the spectrum they have paid for, but will have to vacate the spectrum if an incumbent user arrives. GAA users typically have the lowest priority, and if an incumbent or PAL user occupies the spectrum / channel, the spectrum / channel needs to be vacated. Therefore, the total available spectrum for CBRS is 150MHz, of which all 150MHz is available to incumbents, a 70MHz portion is available to PAL, and the remaining 80MHz portion is available to GAA.

[0043] Currently, it is being considered whether the CBRS spectrum can be used for Wi-Fi operations. That is, Wi-Fi devices such as access points (APs) and stations (STAs) can use the CBRS spectrum for 802.11 communications. However, without any guidance, such devices may occupy the 3.5 GHz band, causing mutual interference. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a communication method with the goal of reducing or eliminating potential interference between Wi-Fi devices.

[0044] In a first example, the first AP may be configured to establish its primary 20 MHz band within the PAL spectrum for Wi-Fi communications. Because PAL users have protection against GAA users, the primary band may experience reduced interference relative to the example where the primary band is in GAA.

[0045] In some examples, a first AP may be configured to request a minimum of 40 MHz of spectrum in PAL to establish its BSS. Here, because the remaining PAL spectrum will be 30 MHz, a similarly configured second AP will be blocked from requesting any PAL spectrum. This configuration can provide a virtual monopoly on the PAL spectrum for a single AP or multiple APs of a multi-link entity. In the absence of any other devices communicating over the PAL spectrum, interference can be reduced.

[0046] In some examples, a second AP can establish a BSS using a punctured CBRS spectrum (e.g., multiple channels that are adjacent or non-adjacent in the frequency domain within the CBRS spectrum). Here, the second AP can request the remaining 30 MHz of the PAL spectrum and one or more GAA channels, thereby creating a puncturing pattern of the CBRS spectrum. Additionally, if there are any changes (e.g., an incumbent begins using a portion of the remaining 30 MHz of the PAL spectrum or a punctured portion of the GAA), the second AP can update its puncturing pattern. In this example, the spectrum access system (SAS) can notify the second AP that it can no longer use one or more portions of the CBRS spectrum, but can provide the second AP with information about other unoccupied portions of the CBRS.

[0047] In some examples, a STA or client device (such as a mobile phone) capable of communicating with a SAS can establish Wi-Fi operation on the CBRS band by operating as a mobile AP. In some examples, the device can communicate with the SAS via a cellular backhaul (such as LTE, 5G, 6G, etc.).

[0048] In some examples, multiple APs can establish a 160MHz perforated BSS, reusing the primary channel. Here, an enterprise or organization (e.g., multiple APs working together) can own 40MHz in the PAL spectrum. In this example, multiple APs can use the same 20MHz subchannel as the primary channel. Therefore, multiple APs can communicate via the perforated CBRS spectrum. In some examples, the APs can perform a coordinated AP (CAP) to coordinate and schedule their transmissions (e.g., C-TDMA, C-OFDMA, C-SR) and reduce or eliminate interference.

[0049] Typically, Wi-Fi systems operate on 20MHz sub-channels (i.e., the minimum size of a typical Wi-Fi channel is 20MHz). In some systems, Wi-Fi devices can be configured to operate on 10MHz channels. In this case, the Wi-Fi chip that normally operates on a 20MHz channel will be down-clocked to operate on a 10MHz channel.

[0050] In some aspects, multiple APs can share the PAL spectrum if each of the multiple APs is configured to request only 10 or 20 MHz of bandwidth within the PAL. In this example, the PAL can allow up to six or three BSSs (e.g., six or three different APs). Each of the multiple APs can establish a punctured 160 MHz of shared bandwidth between them. In some examples, the APs can perform a coordinated AP (CAP) to coordinate and schedule their transmissions (e.g., C-TDMA, C-OFDMA, C-SR) and reduce or eliminate interference.

[0051] In some examples, an AP can set its primary channel to a 10 MHz channel within the CBRS band. In some examples, multiple APs can share the CBRS spectrum by establishing a shared primary channel on a 10 MHz channel. The primary channel can be within the PAL spectrum, or within PAL or GAA.

[0052] In some examples, because the CBRS spectrum contains 150 MHz spectrum, one or more APs communicating within the spectrum can treat the 10 MHz channel at the end of the CBRS spectrum and / or any (multiple) other remaining channels in the PAL spectrum as (multiple) separate links. For example, the 10 MHz channel can be used as a control channel for feedback between APs (e.g., AP-to-AP coordination between APs that communicate using CBRS resources) and / or AP-to-STA signaling / feedback. Because the channel is a 10 MHz channel, the traditional 20 MHz format (e.g., 20 MHz preamble and physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU)) may not be applicable. Therefore, the AP and STA can use other formats that allow 10 MHz operation (e.g., 11a (non-HT) half-rate PPDU or 11p PPDU).

[0053] In certain aspects, to meet regulatory requirements, an AP communicating within the CBRS spectrum may reduce its transmit power and / or adjust other transmit parameters to reduce the likelihood that its signal will interfere with the communications of other nearby devices. The AP may also adjust its spectrum mask to avoid interfering with adjusted channels within the PAL spectrum that it does not lease. In some examples, the AP may advertise its maximum transmit power in its beacon / probe response frame to control the transmit power of the client. Operators that have leased PAL spectrum resources (e.g., operators of multiple APs) may also use power control to establish multiple non-overlapping BSSs in a given area. As described above, operators can reduce transmit power to keep BSS coverage small and prevent BSS overlap, thereby reducing / eliminating interference between friendly BSSs.

[0054] In some aspects, an AP may operate using one of two operating modes. In a first operating mode, a first AP may be configured to communicate using a 3.5 GHz radio while a second AP is configured for non-3.5 GHz. The first AP and the second AP may be collocated with at least one other AP, and they may form part of a multi-link framework (e.g., attached to an APMLD). The second operating mode involves APs configured as standalone 3.5 GHz radios. In some examples, a 3.5 GHz channel becomes unavailable when an incumbent occupies the 3.5 GHz channel. In the event that an AP is removed or suspended from a 3.5 GHz channel to accommodate an incumbent, an indication of a lack of an AP's trigger frame (TF) and / or in a beacon / probe on a non-3.5 GHz link may serve as an indication that a 3.5 GHz channel or portion of the 3.5 GHz spectrum is unavailable to one or more clients.

[0055] In certain aspects, the AP MLD may be configured to remove or disable an AP communicating on the 3.5 GHz band. For example, the APMLD may use a TID to link mapping procedure to disable an AP. Here, an AP configured for ML reconfiguration may initiate a removal procedure by sending a frame including a timer indicating when the AP should be removed from the 3.5 GHz band. In some examples, the AP MLD may provide a no-transmission (or link disable) indication to the AP via a Reduce Neighbor Report (RNR) element.

[0056] In some cases, the SAS may provide the AP with an alternative channel within the PAL and / or GAA that is removed or prohibited from communicating on a specific channel in the 3.5 GHz band. In this case, the AP may use the Channel Switch Announcement (CSA) or Extended Channel Switch Announcement (ECSA) process to move its BSS to a different channel suggested by the SAS on 3.5 GHz via the MLO framework. For example, the AP may advertise a CSA or ECSA via a per-STA profile for 3.5 GHz advertised on a non-3.5 GHz link.

[0057] Certain aspects may involve dedicated service periods (D-SPs). For example, an AP and a STA may negotiate and establish one or more service periods on a 3.5 GHz link for frame exchange, where at least one service period is a D-SP. Scheduling of service periods on a 3.5 GHz link may be negotiated on a non-3.5 GHz link (e.g., where 3.5 GHz is part of an AP MLD w / multiple links). In some examples, a D-SP is a scheduled time reserved for serving non-APs (e.g., STAs), and the same D-SP may be shared with one or more STAs. In some examples, negotiations and updates for establishing a D-SP are performed on a non-3.5 GHz band. Here, a target wake time (TWT) establishment frame transmitted on a non-3.5 GHz band may carry a link ID for 3.5 GHz.

[0058] In certain aspects, an AP communicating over one or more channels in the CBRS spectrum may be configured to frequently check-in with the SAS to confirm the availability of one or more 3.5 GHz CBRS channels. If the SAS indicates that the AP is no longer able to communicate over one or more CBRS channels, the AP may be configured to notify its clients of the change. In one example, if the CBRS channel is still available for communication, the AP may send a trigger frame (TF) at the beginning of a service period. The TF may be a buffer status report poll (BSRP) trigger frame, a multi-user request to send (MU-RTS) or clear to send (CTS) frame, or any suitable frame configured to poll one or more clients. Here, the TF is configured to indicate that 3.5 GHz is still available for communication between the AP and one or more clients.

[0059] A service period (e.g., a D-SP, an opportunistic service period (O-SP), and / or an enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) based service period (E-SP)) may be shared by multiple clients, and the AP may indicate via the TF which client(s) it intends to serve during the SP.

[0060] In some examples, the AP MLD may establish an O-SP during the "gap" between D-SPs. The O-SP may be announced to the client via a non-3.5 GHz link. The O-SP may be a supplemental service period to the D-SP(s) and may provide additional time (e.g., an opportunity) for the AP and one or more clients to complete communication of any pending frames that could not be served during the D-SP. For example, at the end of the D-SP, if the AP has remaining downlink buffer units (BUs) for the STA or has received an indication of a pending uplink BU at the STA (e.g., via a buffer status report (BSR) or any other suitable communication), the AP may identify the O-SP within the current beacon interval (BI) in a transmission to the STA, and the AP and the STA may resume communication using the O-SP.

[0061] In addition to the above-mentioned D-SP and O-SP, the AP may also establish one or more E-SPs for channel access. For example, during a D-SP or O-SP, the AP may send a TF to one or more STAs, where the TF is configured to indicate whether the 3.5 GHz channel is available. However, since any device can access the medium during the E-SP, the AP may also indicate whether the 3.5 GHz channel is available for communication during the E-SP. In one example, the AP MLD may send a beacon / probe response frame on a non-3.5 GHz channel, indicating whether the 3.5 GHz link is available for communication through any one of the D-SP, O-SP, and / or E-SP. Here, the beacon / probe response frame may indicate whether the channel access is authorized, and if authorized, how long it lasts (e.g., the channel is available for another 15 BI). Whenever the AP checks the SAS and receives a response, the channel availability of the 3.5 GHz channel may be refreshed. Even for a fully scheduled system, such signaling may be included so that if the channel is not currently available, the client device can save power by not waking up on the 3.5 GHz link.

[0062] Certain aspects are directed to single radio or standalone mode devices. For example, Internet of Things (IoT) devices or always associated devices. In some examples, the communication of management frames on the 3.5 GHz channel can be reduced or eliminated by using out-of-band onboard communication management frames. For example, AP discovery, authentication, and association can occur during onboard (one-time), while periodic keep-alive communications for extended associations can be communicated on the 3.5 GHz channel. In some examples, if necessary, (re)discovery and (re)association communications can be performed on the 3.5 GHz channel, but such communications can be limited to certain service periods to avoid false access.

[0063] In some examples, communications between the AP and clients over the 3.5 GHz radio may be performed in a fully scheduled uplink transmission mode. For example, single user (SU) uplink access or EDCA uplink access may be limited to certain pre-announced durations / service periods for BSR and other signaling on the 3.5 GHz band, while only trigger-based access is allowed during the remaining time.

[0064] In some examples, communications on the 3.5 GHz band may be configured to reduce beacon transmissions. Beacon frames may be used for maintenance reasons, including timing synchronization function (TSF) updates. However, since BU delivery is implemented using scheduled transmissions, beacons may be sent less frequently.

[0065] In some examples, the client may wake up at a pre-assigned / dedicated (e.g., TWT) service period. For example, the AP and STA may utilize dynamic, on-demand (e.g., configured via TWT) service periods (e.g., O-SP) to handle traffic overflowing from dedicated service periods. In some examples, periodic service periods may be reserved for UL SU / EDCA access.

[0066] In some examples, standalone mode may be susceptible to the arrival of an incumbent on the 3.5 GHz channel disrupting BSS communications. Such disruptions can be minimized by switching from the 3.5 GHz band to the 2.4 / 5 / 6 GHz band.

[0067] Certain aspects are directed to a scheduling scheme for standalone mode that allows for minimal or controlled EDCA in addition to trigger-based scheduling. For example, the AP may be configured to assign TWT service periods to clients to use EDCA for SU PPDU transmission and EDCA-SP (E-SP) in addition to D-SP and O-SP. Clients may be configured to use E-SP to send unscheduled traffic, management frames, etc.

[0068] Certain aspects are directed to scenarios where a 3.5 GHz AP is part of an AP MLD that has other APs operating on non-3.5 GHz bands. In such a scenario, certain criteria may first need to be met before the 3.5 GHz link becomes part of a multi-link (ML) association with the AP MLD. For example, a Reduce Neighbor Report (RNR) element may be configured to indicate such restrictions, and the multi-link probe response may be configured to provide conditions or criteria to be met. When the indicated conditions are met, the 3.5 GHz link may be added to the existing ML association via a (1:1) ML reconfiguration "add" operation. Similarly, when the conditions are no longer met, the 3.5 GHz link may be removed from the existing ML setup via a (1:1) ML reconfiguration "delete" operation. For example, a monetary payment may be a condition for accessing the 3.5 GHz link within a specific time.

[0069] As described above, TWT is given as an example signaling for establishing a service period. However, other signaling representing the service period of a 3.5 GHz channel may be used instead of TWT. For example, a BSS transmission may be fully scheduled to notify the client that a 3.5 GHz channel is available and that the AP intends to serve the client during the scheduled SP period. Therefore, TWT may not be applicable or required for scheduled 3.5 GHz communications. By eliminating or reducing the transmission of TWT in the 3.5 GHz channel, overhead may be significantly reduced.

[0070] In some examples, the BI can be divided into X equal-sized time blocks (TBs), each of which is BI / X in size. For example, a 100 millisecond BI can be divided into 80 equal-sized TBs (e.g., each TB is 1.25 milliseconds in size). Each TB can be identified by a corresponding single bit of an 80-bit bitmap (e.g., 80 bits = 10 octets). Therefore, the AP and the client can negotiate and represent their schedules based on a 10-octet bitmap. Depending on the size of each TB and the size of the BI, bitmaps of different sizes can be used.

[0071] The scheduling in the BI can be expressed in TBs. For example, 2TB is used for the target beacon transmission time (TBTT) (e.g., beacon transmission). The remaining time in the BI can be allocated to clients based on the client's business needs (e.g., D-SP and O-SP). In some examples, beacon frames in non-3.5GHz links can carry a bitmap indicating which TBs are available or in use (e.g., via 0 or 1 values ​​of bits). STAs can negotiate (1:1) on non-3.5GHz bands to add or remove TBs, and if the indicated bit position is 0, the STA can request the AP to add a block. The AP can accept or reject the request, or can propose an alternative. The AP can provide scheduling for one or more clients by transmitting on other links, where each bit is set to 1 for the allocated time slot.

[0072] As used herein, "legacy frequency band" may refer to an operating frequency band used by most modern electronic devices for wireless communications. Whereas "new operating frequency band" may refer to an operating frequency band newly permitted for wireless communications. Therefore, many wireless communication devices may not be configured to communicate on the new operating frequency band.

[0073] Figure 1 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example wireless communication network 100. According to some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a Wi-Fi network (and will be referred to as WLAN 100 hereinafter). For example, the WLAN 100 may be a network implementing at least one of the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication protocol standards (e.g., standards defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or amendments thereof (including, but not limited to, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be)). The WLAN 100 may include many wireless communication devices, such as an access point (AP) 102 and a plurality of stations (STAs) 104. Although only one AP 102 is shown, the WLAN network 100 may also include a plurality of APs 102 (e.g., MLD APs).

[0074] Each STA 104 may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a mobile device, a mobile handset, a wireless handset, an access terminal (AT), a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), or a subscriber unit, among other examples. The STA 104 may represent a variety of devices, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, notebook computers, tablet computers, laptop computers, display devices (e.g., televisions, computer monitors, navigation systems, etc.), music or other audio or stereo equipment, remote control devices (“remote controls”), printers, kitchen or other home appliances, key cards (e.g., for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems), etc.

[0075] A single AP 102 and an associated set of STAs 104 may be referred to as a basic service set (BSS), which is managed by the corresponding AP 102 . Figure 1 Also shown is an example coverage area 106 of the AP 102, which may represent a basic service area (BSA) of the WLAN 100. The BSS may be identified to users by a service set identifier (SSID) and to other devices by a basic service set identifier (BSSID), which may be a media access control (MAC) address of the AP 102. The AP 102 periodically broadcasts a beacon frame including the BSSID to enable any STA 104 within the wireless range of the AP 102 to "associate" or re-associate with the AP 102 to establish a communication link 108 (hereinafter also referred to as a "Wi-Fi link") corresponding to the AP 102, or to maintain the communication link 108. For example, the beacon may include an identification of a primary channel used by the corresponding AP 102 and a timing synchronization function for establishing or maintaining timing synchronization with the AP 102. The AP 102 may provide access to external networks to the respective STAs 104 in the WLAN via respective communication links 108.

[0076] To establish a communication link 108 with an AP 102, each STA 104 is configured to perform passive or active scanning operations ("scans") on channels in one or more frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, or 60 GHz bands). To perform a passive scan, the STA 104 listens for beacons that are sent by each AP 102 at periodic time intervals called target beacon transmission times (TBTTs) (measured in time units (TUs), where one TU may be equal to 1024 microseconds (μs)). To perform an active scan, the STA 104 generates and sequentially sends a probe request on each channel to be scanned, and listens for probe responses from the AP 102. Each STA 104 may be configured to identify or select an AP 102 to associate with based on the scan information obtained through the passive or active scan, and perform authentication and association operations to establish a communication link 108 with the selected AP 102. At the apex of the association operation, the AP 102 assigns the STA 104 an association identifier (AID), which the AP 102 uses to track the STA 104 .

[0077] As wireless networks become increasingly popular, a STA 104 may have the opportunity to select one of many BSSs within the range of the STA, or to select from multiple APs 102 that together form an extended service set (ESS) including multiple connected BSSs. An extended network station associated with a WLAN 100 may be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system that allows multiple APs 102 to be connected in such an ESS. In this way, a STA 104 may be covered by more than one AP 102 and may be associated with different APs 102 for different transmissions at different times. In addition, after associating with an AP 102, the STA 104 may also be configured to periodically scan its surroundings to find a more suitable AP 102 to associate with. For example, a STA 104 that moves relative to its associated AP 102 may perform a "roaming" scan to find another AP 102 with more desirable network characteristics, such as a greater received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a reduced traffic load.

[0078] In some cases, in addition to STA104 itself, STA104 can form a network without AP 102 or other devices. An example of such a network is an ad hoc network (or wireless ad hoc network). An ad hoc network may also be referred to as a mesh network or a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. In some cases, an ad hoc network may be implemented in a larger wireless network such as WLAN 100. In such an implementation, although STA104 may be able to communicate with each other through AP 102 using communication link 108, STA104 may also communicate directly with each other via direct wireless link 110. In addition, two STA104 may communicate via direct communication link 110, regardless of whether the two STA104 are associated with the same AP 102 and served by the same AP 102. In such an ad hoc system, one or more STA104 may assume the role played by AP 102 in the BSS. Such STA104 may be referred to as a group owner (GO), and may coordinate transmission within the ad hoc network. Examples of direct wireless link 110 include a Wi-Fi direct connection, a connection established by using a Wi-Fi Tunnel Direct Link Setup (TDLS) link, and other P2P group connections.

[0079] The AP 102 and the STA 104 may operate and communicate (via respective communication links 108) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication protocol standards (e.g., standards defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its amendments (including but not limited to 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be)). These standards define WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the PHY and media access control (MAC) layers. The AP 102 and the STA 104 send and receive wireless communications (hereinafter also referred to as "Wi-Fi communications") to each other in the form of PHY protocol data units (PPDUs) (or physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) PDUs). The AP 102 and STA 104 in the WLAN 100 can send PPDUs on an unlicensed spectrum, which can be a portion of a spectrum that includes frequency bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technology, such as the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, the 60 GHz band, the 3.6 GHz band, and the 900 MHz band. Some implementations of the AP 102 and STA 104 described herein can also communicate in other frequency bands, such as the 6 GHz band, which can support licensed and unlicensed communications. The AP 102 and STA 104 can also be configured to communicate over other frequency bands, such as shared licensed bands, where multiple operators can have licenses to operate in the same or overlapping frequency band or bands.

[0080] Each frequency band may include multiple sub-channels or frequency channels. For example, PPDUs compliant with the IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and 802.11be standard amendments may be transmitted on 2.4, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz frequency bands, where each frequency band is divided into multiple 20 MHz channels. In this way, these PPDUs are transmitted over physical channels with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, but larger channels can be formed through channel bonding. For example, a PPDU may be transmitted on a physical channel with a bandwidth of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160, or 320 MHz by bonding multiple 20 MHz channels together.

[0081] Each PPDU is a composite structure that includes a PHY preamble and a payload in the form of a PHY service data unit (PSDU). The receiving device can use the information provided in the preamble to decode subsequent data in the PSDU. In the case where the PPDU is transmitted over a bonded channel, the preamble field can be replicated and transmitted in each of multiple component channels. The PHY preamble may include a traditional part (or "traditional preamble") and a non-traditional part (or "non-traditional preamble"). Traditional preambles can be used for purposes such as packet detection, automatic gain control, and channel estimation. Traditional preambles can also typically be used to maintain compatibility with legacy devices. The format, decoding, and information provided in the non-traditional part of the preamble are based on the specific IEEE 802.11 protocol used to transmit the payload.

[0082] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an AP 102 and two STAs 104a and 104x in a BSS. The AP 102 is equipped with N t STA 120m is equipped with N antennas 224a to 224t. ut,m 252ma to 252mu antennas, STA 120x is equipped with N ut,x The AP 102 is a transmitting entity for the downlink and a receiving entity for the uplink. Each STA 104 is a transmitting entity for the uplink and a receiving entity for the downlink. As used herein, a "transmitting entity" is an independently operated device or equipment capable of transmitting data via a wireless channel, and a "receiving entity" is an independently operated device or equipment capable of receiving data via a wireless channel. In the following description, the subscript "dn" indicates a downlink, the subscript "up" indicates an uplink, and N up user terminals are selected for simultaneous transmission on the uplink, N dn user terminals are selected for simultaneous transmission on the downlink, N up Can be equal to or not equal to N dn , and N up and Ndn It may be a static value or may change for each scheduling interval.Beam steering or some other spatial processing technique may be used at the access point and user terminal.

[0083] On the uplink, at each STA 104 selected for uplink transmission, a transmit (TX) data processor 288 receives traffic data from a data source 286 and control data from a controller 280. The TX data processor 288 processes (e.g., encodes, interleaves, and modulates) the traffic data for the user terminal based on a coding and modulation scheme associated with the rate selected for the user terminal and provides a data symbol stream. A TX spatial processor 290 performs spatial processing on the data symbol stream and generates a TX symbol stream for N ut,m The antennas provide N ut,m Each transmitter unit (TMTR) 254 receives and processes (eg, converts to analog, amplifies, filters, and frequency upconverts) a respective transmit symbol stream to generate an uplink signal. ut,m The transmitter unit 254 is provided for receiving the N ut,m The antennas 252 transmit to the AP 102. ut,m uplink signal.

[0084] N up STAs may be scheduled for simultaneous transmission on the uplink. Each of these STAs performs spatial processing on its data symbol stream and sends its set of transmit symbol streams to the AP 102 on the uplink.

[0085] At AP 102, N ap The antennas 224a through 224ap transmit from all N up Each STA receives an uplink signal. Each antenna 224 provides a received signal to a corresponding receiver unit (RCVR) 222. Each receiver unit 222 performs processing complementary to that performed by transmitter unit 254 and provides a received symbol stream. RX spatial processor 240 processes the N STAs. ap N of the receiver units 222 ap The receiver performs spatial processing on the received symbol streams and provides N upThe RX data processor 242 processes (e.g., demodulates, deinterleaves, and decodes) each recovered uplink data symbol stream according to the rate used for the stream to obtain decoded data. The decoded data of each user terminal can be provided to the data sink 244 for storage and / or the controller 230 for further processing.

[0086] On the downlink, at AP 102, TX data processor 210 receives N scheduled for downlink transmission from data source 208. dn The TX data processor 210 processes (e.g., encodes, interleaves, and modulates) the traffic data of each STA based on the rate selected for each STA. The TX data processor 210 processes (e.g., encodes, interleaves, and modulates) the traffic data of each STA based on the rate selected for each STA. dn STA provides N dn TX spatial processor 220 processes N dn The spatial processing (e.g., precoding or beamforming as described in the present disclosure) is performed on the N downlink data symbol streams and ap The antennas provide N ap Each transmitter unit 222 receives and processes a corresponding transmit symbol stream to generate a downlink signal. ap The transmitter unit 222 is provided for receiving the N ap The antennas 224 transmit to the STA's N ap Downlink signal.

[0087] At each STA 120, N ut,m The antenna 252 receives N signals from the AP 102. ap Each receiver unit 254 processes the received signal from an associated antenna 252 and provides a received symbol stream. RX spatial processor 260 processes the received signal from N ut,m N of the receiver units 254 ut,m The RX data processor 270 performs receiver spatial processing on each received symbol stream and provides a recovered downlink data symbol stream for the STA. The receiver spatial processing is performed according to CCMI, MMSE, or some other techniques. The RX data processor 270 processes (e.g., demodulates, deinterleaves, and decodes) the recovered downlink data symbol stream to obtain decoded data for the STA.

[0088] At each STA 120, a channel estimator 278 estimates the downlink channel response and provides a downlink channel estimate, which may include a channel gain estimate, an SNR estimate, a noise variance, etc. Similarly, a channel estimator 228 estimates the uplink channel response and provides an uplink channel estimate. The controller 280 of each STA is typically based on the downlink channel response matrix H of the user terminal. dn,m The controller 230 derives the spatial filter matrix of the user terminal based on the effective uplink channel response matrix H up,eff The spatial filter matrix of the access point is derived. The controller 280 of each STA can send feedback information (e.g., downlink and / or uplink eigenvectors, eigenvalues, SNR estimates, etc.) to the access point. The controllers 230 and 280 also control the operation of various processing units at the AP 102 and STA 104, respectively.

[0089] Figure 3 3. is a schematic diagram of a three-tier organization 300 for a new operating band (e.g., a 3.5 GHz operating band), including a spectrum access system (SAS) 308 that can be used in accordance with the disclosed embodiments, an AP 102 operating as a Citizens Band Service Device (CBSD), an incumbent system 302, a Priority Access License (PAL) system 304, and a Common Approved Access system 306. CBSD and PAL spectrum are examples of semi-licensed and preferred spectrum. That is, a portion of the spectrum can be leased, while other portions are unlicensed and available for anyone to use. If an incumbent arrives, Wi-Fi devices may need to vacate the spectrum. In 2016, the FCC made the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum available in the 3550-3700 MHz (3.5 GHz) band, providing 150 MHz of spectrum for mobile broadband and other commercial users. CBRS is unique in that it provides a relatively large amount of spectrum (frequency bandwidth) without the need for expensive auctions and without being tied to a specific operator or service provider. It should be noted that while CBRS is specific to the United States, other regions may have different sizes and locations of the new spectrum and may refer to it by different names. Features of the present disclosure apply equally to these spectrums.

[0090] Incumbent access (existing Department of Defense (DOD) and satellite) includes approved federal and unrestricted fixed satellite service (FSS) users that currently operate in the 3.5 GHz band. These users can be protected from harmful interference from PAL system 304 and GAA system 306.

[0091] Typically, Wi-Fi systems operate on 20 MHz subchannels (i.e., the minimum size of a typical Wi-Fi channel is 20 MHz). In some systems, Wi-Fi devices may be configured to operate on 10 MHz channels. In this case, a Wi-Fi chip that normally operates on a 20 MHz channel will be down-clocked to operate on a 10 MHz channel. The PAL system 304 may operate on a priority access license, which is assigned using competitive bidding within the 3550-3650 MHz portion of the band. Each PAL is defined as a non-renewable approval to use a 10 MHz channel in a single census tract for a number of years. In any given census tract, any suitable number of PALs may be assigned, and any single applicant may be able to obtain multiple PALs. In one example, up to 7 PALs may be allowed within a census tract, with no more than 4 PALs assigned to a single applicant. However, any suitable number of assignments and / or licenses may be used.

[0092] GAA systems 306 may be permitted by regulation (for any user with an approved 3.5 GHz device) to grant open, flexible access to the band for the largest possible group of potential users. GAA systems 306 may be permitted to use any portion of the 3550-3700 MHz band not assigned to higher tier users, and may also operate opportunistically on unused PAL channels.

[0093] The PAL system 304 and the GAA system 306 may be regulated under the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). A CBSD (e.g., access point (AP) 102) may operate only under the approval of the SAS 308. For example, a CBSD / AP may operate as a PAL or GAA user. The regulations are optimized for small cell use, but also apply to point-to-point and point-to-multipoint, especially in rural areas.

[0094] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example CBRS spectrum 400. As shown, the CBRS spectrum is a 150 MHz band in the 3.55-3.7 GHz range. Entities (e.g., APs) operating on the CBRS band can register with the SAS 308 and periodically "check in." Private entities can purchase PALs, each of which is a 10 MHz channel in the 3500-3650 MHz band. For example, in some countries, a license can aggregate up to four PAL channels, but in some cases, a PAL entity cannot lease more than 40 MHz of PAL spectrum.

[0095] In some examples, a network entity may include multiple APs. Multiple APs may coordinate communication scheduling with each other. Each of the multiple access points may form a BSS that overlaps with another BSS. Once the PAL channels are leased, the entity and its multiple APs may obtain exclusive rights to the licensed spectrum based on existing occupancy. GAA may occupy any remaining portion of the PAL spectrum, as well as the remaining 80 MHz of the CBRS spectrum.

[0096] In view of the unique regulations and characteristics associated with the 3.5 GHz frequency band, aspects of the present disclosure are directed to methods and techniques for operating on this frequency band.

[0097] Examples of Wi-Fi Operation in the CBRS Spectrum

[0098] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example spectrum 500, including a 160 MHz BSS spectrum 504, a CBRS spectrum 502 (e.g., 150 MHz), a PAL spectrum 506 (e.g., 70 MHz - it should be noted that although the PAL spectrum can be wider (e.g., 100 MHz), regulations may limit the use of the PAL spectrum to no more than 70 MHz), a GAA spectrum 516 (e.g., 80 MHz), and a first 20 MHz channel 512 and a second 20 MHz channel 514, which form a 40 MHz reserved by an AP or network entity. It should be noted that the values ​​discussed above are examples and any suitable values ​​may be used. For example, the frequency bands associated with the first channel 512 and the second channel 514 can be different (e.g., the first channel 512 can be 10 MHz and the second channel 514 can be 15 MHz), or the frequency bands can be the same and less than 20 MHz. The spectrum sizes may also be different.

[0099] In some aspects, an AP communicating within the CBRS spectrum 502 can be configured to establish its primary channel within the PAL spectrum 506. Here, the AP can reserve the first channel 512 and the second channel 514 and use either as the primary channel. In this example, the PAL spectrum 506 is 70 MHz, of which 40 MHz is reserved for communications between the AP and its clients. Because the AP's primary channel is within the PAL spectrum 506, there is little or no interference from signals transmitted through the GAA spectrum 516, which may include relatively high traffic.

[0100] In some aspects, the AP can be configured to request (e.g., from the SAS) no less than 40 MHz of PAL spectrum 506 to establish its BSS. In this example, the AP requests the first channel 512 and the second channel 514, for a total of 40 MHz. Therefore, only 30 MHz is available for communication in the PAL spectrum 506. Here, because the AP can use no less than 40 MHz, no other AP can request access to the same PAL spectrum 506.

[0101] In some aspects, another AP may request and access the punched 160 MHz BSS 504. For example, a first AP may request and obtain access to a 40 MHz channel (e.g., 40 MHz 508) in the PAL spectrum 506, while a second AP requests one or more channels in the remaining 30 MHz of the PAL spectrum 506 and one or more channels of the GAA spectrum 516. That is, the second AP may communicate on the punched area (e.g., non-contiguous channels) of the 160 MHz BSS 504. If any of the remaining 30 MHz in the PAL is occupied by other devices (e.g., non-WiFi devices), additional punching of the GAA spectrum 516 may be required.

[0102] In some examples, if there are any changes (e.g., one or more channels used by the AP become unavailable due to an incumbent or other reason), the first AP or the second AP can update its punching pattern. The SAS can provide information about whether the other 30 are occupied (see here). In the case where the AP is configured to establish a 20MHz primary channel within the PAL spectrum 506 and request no less than 40MHz from the SAS within the PAL for its BSS, only one AP can access the CBRS spectrum within the PAL spectrum 506. In the case where the AP is configured to utilize channels within the entire 160MHz BSS 504, the AP can access the entire CBRS spectrum 502. As shown, the last 20MHz band 520 of the 160MHz BSS 504 includes a 10MHz channel 518 within the CBRS spectrum 502 and a punched 10MHz channel 510 adjacent to the CBRS spectrum 502. The AP can be configured to use the last 20MHz band and / or only the 10MHz channel 518 within the CBRS spectrum 502.

[0103] In some aspects, multiple APs may be configured to establish a punched BSS within the 160 MHz BSS 504. In some examples, multiple APs may be part of the same organization or entity. In such an example, an entity may take ownership of 40 MHz 508 in the PAL spectrum 506, and multiple APs may share the same 20 MHz primary channel (e.g., the first channel 512 or the second channel 514). Thus, the BSS associated with each AP may have overlapping 20 MHz primary. The APs may also have other channels punched within the 160 MHz BSS 504. The APs may be managed by a separate server or an AP that is configured to coordinate communications of multiple other APs over the 20 MHz primary. Such coordination may be performed via communications in C-TDMA, C-OFDMA, or C-SR formats.

[0104] Figure 6 600, including a 160 MHz BSS spectrum 604, a CBRS spectrum 602 (e.g., 150 MHz), a PAL spectrum 606 (e.g., 70 MHz - it should be noted that although the PAL spectrum can be wider (e.g., 100 MHz), regulations may limit the use of the PAL spectrum to no more than 70 MHz), a GAA spectrum 616 (e.g., 80 MHz), and a first 20 MHz channel 612 for communication with a first AP, a second 20 MHz channel 614 for communication with a second AP 614, and a third 20 MHz channel 618 for communication with a third AP. Thus, the first 20 MHz channel 612 can form all or part of the BSS of the first AP, the second 20 MHz channel 614 can form all or part of the BSS of the second AP 614, and the third 20 MHz channel 618 can form all or part of the BSS of the third AP. It should be noted that the values ​​discussed above are examples, and any suitable values ​​can be used. For example, the frequency bands associated with one or more of the first / second / third channels may be of different bandwidths, or the channels may be the same and smaller than 20 MHz. The spectrum sizes may also be different.

[0105] In this example, multiple APs can establish corresponding BSSs within the PAL spectrum 606 and request only 20MHz within the PAL. In this way, the PAL spectrum 606 can support up to three BSSs. Each of the multiple APs can also be configured to establish an additional frequency band outside the PAL spectrum 606, which punches holes in the 160MHz BSS 604. In some examples, multiple APs can perform coordinated AP (CAP) communication and scheduling to coordinate their transmissions (e.g., C-TDMA, C-OFDMA, C-SR, etc.). One or more of the multiple APs can be independent of each other. In this case, one of the APs can be a coordinated AP configured to schedule and manage communications on a frequency band shared by multiple APs. Similarly, multiple APs can all be part of an enterprise or organization. In this example, a server or other centralized entity can manage such communications.

[0106] In some aspects, the AP may use PAL and non-PAL channels for separate communications. That is, the AP may utilize multiple channels of the CBRS spectrum 602 as separate links. In some examples, the AP may use 20 MHz, 15 MHz, or 10 MHz channels for AP-to-AP coordinated communications and AP-to-STA communications. 10 MHZ communications may be performed using a suitable format, including 802.11a (e.g., non-HT) half-rate PPDUs or 802.11p PPDUs.

[0107] In some aspects, the AP may perform power control operations to maintain the transmission power within the range required by regulations. In one example, the AP may reduce its transmission power to prevent inter-BSS interference and / or maintain an appropriate transmit power level. The AP may notify one or more STAs of the maximum allowed transmit power level in its beacon frame or probe response frame to control the STA transmit power level. In some examples, power control may be performed by an operator of a channel that leases a PAL spectrum to establish multiple overlapping or non-overlapping BSSs in a given area and prevent interference between multiple BSSs. In some examples, multiple APs may be located close to each other. Therefore, operators and / or APs may reduce their transmit power to reduce the geographic size and coverage of the corresponding BSSs to prevent interference. The AP may also adjust its spectrum mask to avoid interference with adjustment channels within its unleased PAL spectrum.

[0108] As previously described, when the incumbent occupies the 3.5 GHz channel, the 3.5 GHz link becomes unavailable to Wi-Fi devices such as APs and STAs. For example, the SAS may indicate to the AP that the 3.5 GHz spectrum or channel will be unavailable. Therefore, if the 3.5 GHz channel becomes unavailable to the AP and STA, the AP may be limited to communicating the unavailability to the STA via non-3.5 GHz channels (e.g., 2.4 / 5 / 6 GHz channels). In one example, the AP may limit the sending of trigger frames to the STA via the 3.5 GHz channel. This restriction may be configured to indicate to the STA that the 3.5 GHz channel is no longer available. In another example, the AP may send a beacon frame or probe to the STA, which is configured to indicate that the 3.5 GHz channel is no longer available.

[0109] In some examples, the AP MLD may remove or disable an AP communicating on a 3.5 GHz channel. Here, the AP MLD may send a frame indicating a timer configured to identify a future time when a 3.5 GHz channel or spectrum will no longer be available (e.g., a time when a 3.5 GHz AP will be disabled). Optionally, the frame may include a multi-link reconfiguration configured to disable the 3.5 GHz AP after the timer expires. In another example, the AP MLD may send a no-transmit or link disable indication to the 3.5 GHz AP via an RNR element.

[0110] In some examples, the SAS may send an indication of an alternative channel on the 3.5 GHz band to an operator or AP communicating within the PAL spectrum. For example, if the current channel will be used by the incumbent, the AP may receive signaling indicating an alternative 3.5 GHz channel. In this example, the AP may move its BSS to the alternative channel via multi-link operation (MLO) and / or channel switch announcement (CSA) / extended CSA (ECSA). Here, the AP may announce the CSA / ECSA via each STA profile of the 3.5 GHz channel on a non-3.5 GHz channel. The AP may announce the channel switch for a period of time based on, for example, a delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) or a listening interval to ensure that all STAs operating on the 3.5 GHz channel receive it.

[0111] In some aspects, rules and regulations for Wi-Fi communications on 3.5 GHz channels may be used to prevent interference and ensure efficient use of the channel. In one example, all Wi-Fi devices capable of accessing a 3.5 GHz channel may be required to be 802.11bx or higher devices (e.g., greenfield mode devices). 3.5 GHz channel access rules may be implemented, such as rules for target wake time (TWT) and trigger-based (TB) access. In another example, an operator may be configured to deploy multiple APs (e.g., AP MLDs) so that the BSSs corresponding to each AP do not overlap or interfere with each other.

[0112] In some aspects, APs and STAs operating on the 3.5 GHz spectrum may be configured to operate in at least one of a plurality of communication modes. In one example, the device may communicate using a fully scheduled mode, while in another example, the device may communicate using a semi-scheduled mode. Figure 7 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example structure 700 of a dedicated service period (D-SP) and an opportunistic service period (O-SP) for communicating over a 3.5 GHz channel in a fully scheduled mode. Here, the AP may send a poll (e.g., TF) to one or more STAs to confirm that the 3.5 GHz channel is available for communication. The one or more STAs may respond to the poll, and the AP and the one or more STAs may communicate in a frame exchange. If the frame exchange cannot be completed within the D-SP / O-SP, the AP may send an indication of a future O-SP in which the frame exchange may continue.

[0113] 3.5 GHz channel access can utilize D-SP and O-SP. For example, the AP and STA can negotiate and establish one or more D-SPs on the 3.5 GHz channel for communication. It should be noted that the schedule of service periods (SPs) can be negotiated on non-3.5 GHz channels (for example, in the case where 3.5 GHz is part of an MLD with multiple links). Non-APs (such as STAs) can negotiate more than one SP in the same beacon interval (BI) or time window depending on their traffic profile. In some examples, beacons can be used in the 3.5 GHz spectrum. Therefore, a time window (e.g., 100 ms) can be used instead.

[0114] The AP may periodically report or query the SAS to confirm the availability of the 3.5 GHz channel. If the 3.5 GHz channel is available for communication, the AP may send a TF at the beginning of the D-SP. The TF may be a buffer status report poll (BSRP) or a multi-user request to send (MU-RTS) or any other suitable frame configured to poll one or more STAs. The TF may be configured to notify one or more STAs that 3.5 GHz is available for communication. It should be noted that a service period (SP) may be shared by multiple STAs; therefore, the AP may configure a TF to indicate which STA(s) it intends to serve during a particular SP.

[0115] In some examples, the AP may establish one or more O-SPs during the "gap" between scheduled D-SPs. The O-SP may be announced by the AP to one or more STAs via a non-3.5 GHz channel to help reduce signaling on the 3.5 GHz channel. O-SP is a complement to D-SP and can provide additional time to complete frame exchanges that cannot be completed during D-SP. At the end of the D-SP, if the AP has a DL buffer unit (BU) for the STA, or has received an indication of a pending ULBU at the STA in response to the TF, the AP may indicate the pair of O-SPs that can be used to resume frame exchanges within the current beacon interval (BI) or time window. The AP may assign the same O-SP to more than one client, and the TF at the start of the O-SP may indicate which clients it intends to serve during the O-SP / D-SP.

[0116] Figure 8 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example structure 800 of a dedicated service period (D-SP) and an opportunistic service period (O-SP) for communicating on a 3.5 GHz channel in a semi-scheduled mode. In addition to the D-SP and O-SP described above, the AP may also establish and schedule one or more EDCA-based service periods (E-SPs) for channel access. During the D-SP and O-SP, the AP's TF may indicate whether the 3.5 GHz channel is available. However, since any device may access the medium during the E-SP, the AP may use signaling to indicate whether the 3.5 GHz channel is available.

[0117] In one example, the AP may use a beacon frame or a probe frame on a non-3.5 GHz link to indicate the status of the 3.5 GHz channel. For example, the frame may indicate whether the 3.5 GHz channel access is authorized, and if so, how long it is authorized for (e.g., the 3.5 GHz channel is available for another 15 BI or time window). The AP may check the SAS, update the information based on the response from the SAS, and send an updated frame to the STA. For semi-scheduled mode or full-scheduled mode, such signaling may be included so that the STA can enter sleep mode and will not wake up on the 3.5 GHz channel if the channel is not available.

[0118] Certain aspects of the present disclosure are directed to 3.5 GHz communications between single radio or standalone mode devices. For example, Wi-Fi devices with static locations (e.g., Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), always-associated devices, etc.). In one example, the AP and STA may communicate using rules and techniques to minimize management frames communicated on the 3.5 GHz channel and instead use non-3.5 GHz channels for onboarding. Here, AP discovery, authentication, and association communications may be performed on a non-3.5 GHz band during onboarding. The AP and STA may periodically transmit keep-alive signals via the 3.5 GHz band to extend the association. Rediscovery and reassociation may be allowed in a limited number of SPs on the 3.5 GHz channel to avoid false access.

[0119] In some examples, a 3.5 GHz STA may operate in a fully scheduled mode, where the majority of its communications are uplink transmissions. In such examples, single user (SU) or EDCA uplink access to the 3.5 GHz channel is limited to certain pre-announced durations / service periods. During any remaining time, trigger-based access may be allowed.

[0120] In some examples, beacon frames may be sent infrequently (relative to communications on the 2.4 / 5 / 6 GHz spectrum). Here, the AP may send beacon frames for maintenance reasons (e.g., timing synchronization function (TSF) updates). However, since BU delivery is performed using scheduled transmissions, beacons may not be transmitted often.

[0121] In some examples, the STA may wake up at a pre-assigned / dedicated (e.g., TWT) service period. For example, the AP may add a dynamic, on-demand (e.g., TWT) service period to handle any traffic overflowing from the D-SP (e.g., Figure 7 The AP may also reserve a periodic service period for uplink SU / EDCA access.

[0122] In some examples, standalone mode may be vulnerable to the arrival of an incumbent during BSS operation and communications. Here, interference can be minimized by switching to the 2.4 / 5 / 6 GHz band. Therefore, the SAS can notify the AP of the incumbent operating on the 3.5 GHz channel that the AP was previously using. In response, the AP can switch to a non-3.5 GHz channel to resume BSS operation and communications.

[0123] For SA mode operation, in addition to D-SP and O-SP, the AP can also allocate TWT service periods for clients to use EDCA for SU PPDU transmission (e.g., E-SP). In this way, STAs can use E-SP to send unscheduled traffic, management frames, etc.

[0124] As described above, the AP may use TWT to establish a service period SP for communication between the AP and one or more STAs. However, in some examples, the AP may use a different type of signal to set the SP in the 3.5 GHz spectrum. In the first example of replacing TWT, the BI or time window (e.g., Figure 7 and Figure 8 The BI or time window shown in (or time window) can be divided into X equal-sized time blocks (TBs), each TB being BI / X in size. For example, a BI of 100ms can be divided into 80 equal-sized TBs, such that each TB is 1.25ms in size. Each TB can be identified by a corresponding single bit of an 80-bit bitmap (e.g., 80 bits = 10 octets). Therefore, the AP / STA can negotiate and represent their schedules based on a 10-octet bitmap. It should be noted that the bitmap size may depend on the size of each TB (e.g., each bit represents one TB) and the size of the BI. Therefore, the values ​​given above are examples, and any suitable values ​​may be used.

[0125] Partitioning the BI or time windows in the 3.5 GHz channel for channel access may be advantageous over TWT because interference from the OBSS may be minimal or undesirable (e.g., because the spectrum (in a given area) will be "leased" by the Wi-Fi operator). In addition, intra-BSS transmissions may be fully scheduled to notify that the 3.5 GHz channel is still available and that the AP intends to serve the STA during the scheduled SP. Thus, partitioning the BI or time windows may reduce the overhead corresponding to TWT transmissions, and in addition, aspects of TWT may be irrelevant to scheduled access on the 3.5 GHz channel.

[0126] In some examples, the functions in the BI are represented by TBs. For example: 2TB are used for TBTT (e.g., beacon transmission), where the remaining time in the BI is allocated to the STA based on the STA's business needs (D-SP and O-SP). The AP can send a beacon frame in a non-3.5GHz link, where the beacon frame is configured to carry a bitmap (e.g., 0 or 1) indicating which TBs are available or in use. The STA can negotiate to add or remove TBs on the non-3.5GHz link, and if the bit position indicates 0, the STA can request to add a block. The STA can send the request to the AP, which can accept / reject the request, and / or propose an alternative. Therefore, the communication schedule can be announced in the non-3.5GHz link, and each bit is set to 1 for the allocated time slot.

[0127] In some examples, the 3.5 GHz AP is part of an AP MLD that includes multiple APs operating on a non-3.5 GHz band. Here, as part of a multi-link association with the AP MLD, each AP of the AP MLD may need to meet certain criteria before being allowed to communicate over a 3.5 GHz channel. Here, the RNR element may be configured to indicate such a requirement (e.g., an X amount of time on the 3.5 GHz band can be purchased with a specific amount of currency) and / or the multi-link probe response may provide conditions or criteria to be met. When the AP meets the necessary conditions, the 3.5 GHz channel can be added to the existing multi-link association via an ML reconfiguration "add" operation. Similarly, when the criteria are no longer met (e.g., paid access to the 3.5 GHz link for a specific amount of time (e.g., a game arcade) and the time has expired), the 3.5 GHz channel can be removed from the existing multi-link setup via a multi-link reconfiguration "delete" operation.

[0128] Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 900 of wireless communication, for example, by performing Fig. 27 Components shown (including processor 2720 and / or memory 2730).

[0129] At block 902, method 900 includes outputting a request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the request including an indication of one or more channel resources within a spectrum. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuitry for transmitting 2721, and / or code for transmitting 2731 may be configured to output a request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the request including an indication of one or more channel resources within a spectrum or may include means for outputting a request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the request including an indication of one or more channel resources within a spectrum.

[0130] At block 904, the method includes obtaining a response to the request from the network node, the response providing the device with access to one or more channel resources indicated within the spectrum. For example, in one aspect, the processing system 2702, the processor 2720, the memory 2730, the circuitry 2722 for receiving, and / or the code 2732 for receiving may be configured to obtain a response to the request from the network node, the response providing the device with access to one or more channel resources indicated within the spectrum or may include components for obtaining a response to the request from the network node, the response providing the device with access to one or more channel resources indicated within the spectrum.

[0131] Fig.10 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 for wireless communication, for example, by executing Fig. 27 Components shown (including processor 2720 and / or memory 2730). At block 1002, method 900 includes outputting at least one first frame for transmission to at least one of a wireless node or a client via a primary subchannel. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuitry for transmitting 2721, and / or code for transmitting 2731 may be configured to output at least one first frame for transmission to at least one of a wireless node or a client via a primary subchannel or may include components for outputting at least one first frame for transmission to at least one of a wireless node or a client via a primary subchannel.

[0132] At block 1004, the method includes obtaining at least one second frame from at least one of the wireless node or the client via the primary sub-channel. For example, in one aspect, the processing system 2702, the processor 2720, the memory 2730, the circuitry for receiving 2722, and / or the code for receiving 2732 may be configured to obtain at least one second frame from at least one of the wireless node or the client via the primary sub-channel or may include components for obtaining at least one second frame from at least one of the wireless node or the client via the primary sub-channel.

[0133] Fig.11 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27Components shown (including processor 2720 and / or memory 2730). At block 1102, method 900 includes transmitting coordination signaling with a wireless node, wherein the coordination signaling includes transmission scheduling information. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuitry for transmitting 2721, circuitry for receiving 2722, code for receiving 2732, and / or code for transmitting 2731 may be configured to transmit coordination signaling with a wireless node, wherein the coordination signaling includes transmission scheduling information or may include components for transmitting coordination signaling with a wireless node, wherein the coordination signaling includes transmission scheduling information.

[0134] Fig.12 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27 The components shown (including the processor 2720 and / or the memory 2730). At box 1202, the method 900 includes obtaining or outputting for transmitting at least one frame via a control channel of a CBRS, wherein the bandwidth of the control channel is less than 20 MHz and is located adjacent to an end of the CBRS. For example, in one aspect, the processing system 2702, the processor 2720, the memory 2730, the circuit for receiving 2722 and / or the code for receiving 2732 can be configured to obtain or output for transmitting at least one frame via a control channel of a CBRS, wherein the bandwidth of the control channel is less than 20 MHz and is located adjacent to an end of the CBRS or can include components for obtaining or outputting for transmitting at least one frame via a control channel of a CBRS, wherein the bandwidth of the control channel is less than 20 MHz and is located adjacent to an end of the CBRS.

[0135] Fig.13 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27 Components shown (including processor 2720 and / or memory 2730). At block 1302, method 900 includes obtaining signaling from a network node, the signaling including an indication that access to CBRS has been suspended or terminated. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuitry for receiving 2722, and / or code for receiving 2732 may be configured to obtain signaling from a network node, the signaling including an indication that access to CBRS has been suspended or terminated or may include components for obtaining signaling from a network node, the signaling including an indication that access to CBRS has been suspended or terminated.

[0136] Fig.14 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27The components shown (including processor 2720 and / or memory 2730). At block 1402, method 900 includes outputting another request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the other request including an indication of channel resources available to the device. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuit 2721 for sending, and / or code 2731 for sending may be configured to output another request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the other request including an indication of channel resources available to the device or may include a component for outputting another request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the other request for channel resources including an indication of channel resources available to the device.

[0137] At block 1404, method 900 includes obtaining access to the indicated channel resources available to the apparatus from the network node. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuitry for receiving 2722, and / or code for receiving 2732 may be configured to obtain access to the indicated channel resources available to the apparatus from the network node or may include components for obtaining access to the indicated channel resources available to the apparatus from the network node.

[0138] Fig.15 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27 Components shown (including processor 2720 and / or memory 2730). At block 1502, method 900 includes modifying a puncture pattern of a CBRS to reflect channel resources available to a device. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuitry 2723 for modifying, and / or code 2733 for modifying may be configured to modify a puncture pattern of a CBRS to reflect channel resources available to a device or may include components for modifying a puncture pattern of a CBRS to reflect channel resources available to a device.

[0139] Fig.16 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27The components shown (including the processor 2720 and / or the memory 2730). At block 1602, the method 900 includes obtaining signaling from a network node, the signaling including an indication that access to at least one of the channel resources within the GAA spectrum or the channel resources within the PAL spectrum has been suspended or terminated. For example, in one aspect, the processing system 2702, the processor 2720, the memory 2730, the circuit 2722 for receiving, and / or the code 2732 for receiving can be configured to obtain signaling from a network node, the signaling including an indication that access to at least one of the channel resources within the GAA spectrum or the channel resources within the PAL spectrum has been suspended or terminated or can include components for obtaining signaling from a network node, the signaling including an indication that access to at least one of the channel resources within the GAA spectrum or the channel resources within the PAL spectrum has been suspended or terminated.

[0140] Fig.17 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27 The components shown (including the processor 2720 and / or the memory 2730). At box 1702, the method 900 includes obtaining an indication that access to another channel resource of at least one of the channel resources within the GAA spectrum or the channel resources within the PAL spectrum is available for the device. For example, in one aspect, the processing system 2702, the processor 2720, the memory 2730, the circuit 2722 for receiving, and / or the code 2732 for receiving can be configured to obtain an indication that access to another channel resource of at least one of the channel resources within the GAA spectrum or the channel resources within the PAL spectrum is available for the device or can include components for obtaining an indication that access to another channel resource of at least one of the channel resources within the GAA spectrum or the channel resources within the PAL spectrum is available for the device.

[0141] Fig.18 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27 Components shown (including processor 2720 and / or memory 2730). At block 1802, method 900 includes generating a puncturing pattern for one or more channel resources within a spectrum based on the response. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuitry for generating 2724, and / or code for generating 2734 may be configured to generate a puncturing pattern for one or more channel resources within a spectrum based on the response or may include components for generating a puncturing pattern for one or more channel resources within a spectrum based on the response.

[0142] Fig.19is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27 The components shown (including processor 2720 and / or memory 2730). At block 1902, method 900 includes outputting an indication of a maximum transmit power for transmission to a client, the maximum transmit power for transmission of signaling via one or more channel resources. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuitry for transmitting 2721, and / or code for transmitting 2731 may be configured to output an indication of a maximum transmit power for transmission to a client, the maximum transmit power for transmission of signaling via one or more channel resources or may include a component for outputting an instruction for a maximum transmit power for transmission to a client, the maximum transmit power for transmission of signaling via one or more channel resources.

[0143] Fig. 20 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27 The components shown (including the processor 2720 and / or the memory 2730). At block 2002, the method 900 includes obtaining instructions for reducing the maximum transmit power for transmission of signaling via one or more channel resources. For example, in one aspect, the processing system 2702, the processor 2720, the memory 2730, the circuit 2722 for receiving, and / or the code 2732 for receiving may be configured to obtain instructions for reducing the maximum transmit power for transmission of signaling via one or more channel resources or may include components for obtaining instructions for reducing the maximum transmit power for transmission of signaling via one or more channel resources.

[0144] At block 2004, the method 900 includes reducing the maximum transmit power based on the instructions. For example, in one aspect, the processing system 2702, the processor 2720, the memory 2730, the circuit for reducing 2727, and / or the code for reducing 2737 may be configured to or may include components for reducing the maximum transmit power based on the instructions.

[0145] Fig.21 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27The components shown include the processor 2720 and / or the memory 2730. At block 2102, the method 900 includes scheduling dedicated service periods (D-SPs) and opportunistic service periods (O-SPs) for communication with one or more clients, wherein the D-SPs are reserved for communication with one of the one or more clients, and wherein the O-SPs are dynamically scheduled for communication with one of the one or more clients. For example, in one aspect, the processing system 2702, the processor 2720, the memory 2730, the circuitry 2725 for scheduling, and / or the code 2735 for scheduling may be configured to schedule dedicated service periods (D-SPs) and opportunistic service periods (O-SPs) for communication with one or more clients, wherein the D-SPs are reserved for communication with one of the one or more clients, and wherein the O-SPs are dynamically scheduled for communication with one of the one or more clients or may include components for scheduling dedicated service periods (D-SPs) and opportunistic service periods (O-SPs) for communication with one or more clients, wherein the D-SPs are reserved for communication with one of the one or more clients, and wherein the O-SPs are dynamically scheduled for communication with one of the one or more clients.

[0146] At block 2104, the method 900 includes communicating with one or more clients via the D-SP and the O-SP. For example, in one aspect, the processing system 2702, the processor 2720, the memory 2730, the circuit for transmitting 2721, the code for transmitting 2731, the circuit for receiving 2722, and / or the code for receiving 2732 may be configured to communicate with one or more clients via the D-SP and the O-SP or may include components for communicating with one or more clients via the D-SP and the O-SP.

[0147] Fig. 22 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication, such as by performing Fig. 27 Components shown (including processor 2720 and / or memory 2730). At block 2202, method 900 includes advertising an O-SP independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuitry 2726 for advertising, and / or code 2736 for advertising may be configured to advertise an O-SP independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band or may include components for advertising an O-SP independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

[0148] Fig.23 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27The components shown include the processor 2720 and / or the memory 2730. At block 2302, the method 900 includes outputting a polling message for transmission to one or more clients, the polling message being configured to do at least one of the following: (i) indicate to the one or more clients that one or more channel resources are still available for communication, (ii) request whether any of the one or more clients has buffered data, or (iii) notify one or more clients to be served by the device. For example, in one aspect, the processing system 2702, the processor 2720, the memory 2730, the circuit for sending 2721 and / or the code for sending 2731 can be configured to output a polling message for transmission to one or more clients, the polling message being configured to perform at least one of the following: (i) indicating to one or more clients that one or more channel resources are still available for communication, (ii) requesting whether any of the one or more clients has buffered data, or (iii) notifying one or more clients to be served by the device or can include a component for outputting a polling message for transmission to one or more clients, the polling message being configured to perform at least one of the following operations: (i) indicating to one or more clients that one or more channel resources are still available for communication, (ii) requesting whether any of the one or more clients has buffered data, or (iii) notifying one or more clients to be served by the device.

[0149] Fig.24 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27 The components shown (including processor 2720 and / or memory 2730). At block 2402, method 900 includes outputting a notification of a service period of the 3.5 GHz band for transmission independent of the 3.5 GHz band. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuitry 2721 for sending, and / or code 2731 for sending may be configured to output a notification of a service period of the 3.5 GHz band for transmission independent of the 3.5 GHz band or may include components for outputting a notification of a service period of the 3.5 GHz band for transmission independent of the 3.5 GHz band.

[0150] Fig.25 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27Components shown (including processor 2720 and / or memory 2730). At block 2502, method 900 includes outputting a management frame for transmission independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band. For example, in one aspect, processing system 2702, processor 2720, memory 2730, circuitry for transmission 2721, and / or code for transmission 2731 may be configured to output a management frame for transmission independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band or may include components for outputting a management frame for transmission independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

[0151] Fig.26 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment of an example method 900 of wireless communication with additional aspects, such as by performing Fig. 27 The components shown (including the processor 2720 and / or the memory 2730). At block 2602, the method 900 includes negotiating a schedule of the D-SP with one or more clients independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band. For example, in one aspect, the processing system 2702, the processor 2720, the memory 2730, the circuit 2728 for negotiation, and / or the code 2738 for negotiation may be configured to negotiate a schedule of the D-SP with one or more clients independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band or may include components for negotiating a schedule of the D-SP with one or more clients independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

[0152] refer to Figure 9-Figure 26 In certain aspects, the indicated one or more channel resources include a primary sub-channel.

[0153] In certain aspects, one or more channel resources are associated with a bandwidth of 40 MHz or greater, and wherein the frequency spectrum is a 70 MHz band.

[0154] In some aspects, the spectrum is 70 MHz Priority Access Licensed (PAL) spectrum, wherein the Citizens Broadband Radio Spectrum (CBRS) includes the PAL spectrum and the General Granted Access (GAA) spectrum, wherein the request for channel resources also includes an indication of channel resources within the GAA spectrum, and wherein the response to the request also provides the device with access to one or more indicated channel resources within the GAA spectrum.

[0155] In certain aspects, a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) of at least one frame is formatted using an 802.11a half-rate PPDU or an 802.11p PPDU.

[0156] In certain aspects, the one or more channel resources indicated within the PAL spectrum and the channel resources indicated within the GAA spectrum form an operating bandwidth of a basic service set (BSS) of the device.

[0157] In certain aspects, the granularity of the puncturing pattern is given in chunks of 5 MHz, 10 MHZ, or 15 MHz.

[0158] In certain aspects, at least one of a Reduce Neighbor Report (RNR) or a multi-link probe response includes the indication.

[0159] In certain aspects, the response further provides the apparatus with access to one or more channel resources within a General Granted Access (GAA) spectrum, and wherein the puncturing pattern is further generated for the one or more channel resources within the GAA spectrum.

[0160] In certain aspects, one or more channel resources are associated with a bandwidth of 20 MHz or greater.

[0161] In certain aspects, the one or more channel resources are within a 3.5 GHz frequency band, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: negotiate scheduling of the D-SP with one or more clients independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

[0162] In certain aspects, the one or more channel resources are in the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

[0163] In certain aspects, one or more of the D-SP and the O-SP are indicated via a target wake time (TWT).

[0164] In certain aspects, one or more of the D-SP and the O-SP are indicated via a bitmap.

[0165] In certain aspects, each bit in the bitmap is configured to identify a time block corresponding to a D-SP or an O-SP, and wherein the bitmap is further configured to one or more of announce, request, and grant the one or more time blocks.

[0166] In certain aspects, the one or more channel resources are within a 3.5 GHz frequency band, wherein the management frame is configured for at least one of discovery, authentication, or association with the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

[0167] Fig. 27 A communication device 2700 is shown, which may include various components (eg, corresponding to means-plus-function components) configured to perform operations of the techniques disclosed herein, such as Figure 9-Figure 26 The communication device 2700 includes a processing system 2702 coupled to a transceiver 2708 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). The transceiver 2708 is configured to transmit and receive signals, such as the various signals described herein, for the communication device 2700 via an antenna 2710. The processing system 2702 may be configured to perform processing functions for the communication device 2700, including processing signals received and / or transmitted by the communication device 2700.

[0168] The processing system 2702 includes a processor 2704 coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 2712 via a bus 2706. In some aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 2712 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the processor 2704, cause the processor 2704 to perform Figure 9-Figure 26 The operations shown in , or other operations for performing the various techniques discussed in this article.

[0169] The means for transmitting, the means for communicating, or the means for receiving may include Figure 2 The transceiver (e.g., receive processor 242, transmit processor 220, modulator 222, and / or antenna 224) and / or antenna 320 of AP 102 are shown.

[0170] The component for modifying and the component for determining may include Figure 2 A processor of the AP 102 is shown (eg, a transmit data processor 210, a receive data processor 242, a controller 230, and / or a scheduler 234).

[0171] Components for notification may include Figure 2 1. The transceiver (e.g., receive processor 242, transmit processor 220, modulator 222, and / or antenna 224) and / or antenna 320 of AP 102 are shown in FIG.

[0172] In some cases, a device may have an interface to output frames for transmission (an output means) rather than actually transmitting frames. For example, a processor may output frames to a radio frequency (RF) front end for transmission via a bus interface. Similarly, rather than actually receiving frames, a device may have an interface to obtain frames received from another device (a means for obtaining). For example, a processor may obtain (or receive) frames from an RF front end for reception via a bus interface.

[0173] Example aspects

[0174] Example 1 is a method for wireless communication at a device, comprising: outputting a request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the request including an indication of one or more channel resources within a spectrum; and obtaining a response to the request from the network node, the response providing the device with access to the one or more channel resources indicated within the spectrum.

[0175] Example 2 is the method of Example 1, wherein the indicated one or more channel resources include a primary subchannel, and wherein the method further includes: outputting at least one first frame via the primary subchannel for transmission to at least one of the wireless nodes or clients; and obtaining at least one second frame from at least one of the wireless nodes or clients via the primary subchannel.

[0176] Example 3 is the method of Example 2, wherein the method further comprises: transmitting coordination signaling with the wireless node, wherein the coordination signaling includes transmission scheduling information.

[0177] Example 4 is the method of any of Examples 1-3, wherein the one or more channel resources are associated with a bandwidth of 40 MHz or higher, and wherein the frequency spectrum is a 70 MHz band.

[0178] Example 5 is a method of any of Examples 1-4, wherein the spectrum is a 70 MHz priority access licensed (PAL) spectrum, wherein the Citizens Broadband Radio Spectrum (CBRS) includes the PAL spectrum and the General Granted Access (GAA) spectrum, wherein the request for channel resources further includes an indication of channel resources within the GAA spectrum, and wherein the response to the request also provides the device with access to one or more of the indicated channel resources within the GAA spectrum.

[0179] Example 6 is the method of Example 5, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining or outputting at least one frame for transmission via a control channel of the CBRS, wherein a bandwidth of the control channel is less than 20 MHz and is located adjacent to an end of the CBRS.

[0180] Example 7 is the method of Example 6, wherein a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) of at least one frame is formatted by using an 802.11a half-rate PPDU or an 802.11p PPDU.

[0181] Example 8 is the method of Example 5, wherein the indicated one or more channel resources within the PAL spectrum and the indicated channel resources within the GAA spectrum form an operating bandwidth of a basic service set (BSS) of the device.

[0182] Example 9 is the method of Example 5, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining signaling from a network node, the signaling comprising an indication that access to the CBRS has been suspended or terminated.

[0183] Example 10 is the method of Example 9, wherein the method further includes: outputting another request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the other request including an indication of channel resources available for the device; and obtaining access to the indicated channel resources available for the device from the network node.

[0184] Example 11 is the method of Example 10, wherein the method further comprises: modifying a puncturing pattern of the CBRS to reflect channel resources available to the device.

[0185] Example 12 is the method of Example 11, wherein the granularity of the puncturing pattern is given in blocks of 5 MHz, 10 MHZ, or 15 MHz.

[0186] Example 13 is the method of Example 5, wherein the method further includes: obtaining signaling from a network node, the signaling including an indication that access to at least one of channel resources within the GAA spectrum or channel resources within the PAL spectrum has been suspended or terminated.

[0187] Example 14 is the method of Example 13, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining an indication that access to at least one of the other of the channel resources within the GAA spectrum or the channel resources within the PAL spectrum is available for the device.

[0188] Example 15 is the method of Example 14, wherein at least one of a Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR) or a multi-link probe response includes the indication.

[0189] Example 16 is the method of any of Examples 1-15, wherein the method further comprises: generating a puncturing pattern based on the response to one or more channel resources within the spectrum.

[0190] Example 17 is the apparatus of Example 16, wherein the response further provides the apparatus with access to one or more channel resources within a general granted access (GAA) spectrum, and wherein the puncturing pattern is also generated for the one or more channel resources within the GAA spectrum.

[0191] Example 18 is the method of any of Example 17, wherein the one or more channel resources are associated with a bandwidth of 20 MHz or greater.

[0192] Example 19 is a method of any one of Examples 1-19, wherein the method further comprises: outputting an indication of a maximum transmit power for transmission to a client, the maximum transmit power being used for transmission of signaling via the one or more channel resources.

[0193] Example 20 is a method of any one of Examples 1-19, wherein the method further includes: obtaining an instruction for reducing a maximum transmit power for transmission of signaling via the one or more channel resources; and reducing the maximum transmit power based on the instruction.

[0194] Example 21 is a method of any one of Examples 1-20, wherein the method further includes: scheduling dedicated service periods (D-SPs) and opportunistic service periods (O-SPs) for communication with one or more clients, wherein the D-SP is reserved for communication with one of the one or more clients, and wherein the O-SP is dynamically scheduled for communication with one of the one or more clients; and communicating with the one or more clients via the D-SP and the O-SP.

[0195] Example 22 is the method of Example 21, wherein the one or more channel resources are within a 3.5 GHz frequency band, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the device to: negotiate scheduling of the D-SP with one or more clients independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

[0196] Example 23 is the method of Example 21, wherein the one or more channel resources are in a 3.5 GHz frequency band, and wherein the method further comprises: advertising the O-SP independently of the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

[0197] Example 24 is the method of Example 21, wherein one or more of the D-SP and the O-SP are indicated via a target wake time (TWT).

[0198] Example 25 is the method of Example 21, wherein one or more of the D-SP and the O-SP are indicated via a bitmap.

[0199] Example 26 is the method of Example 25, wherein each bit in the bitmap is configured to identify a time block corresponding to a D-SP or an O-SP, and wherein the bitmap is further configured to announce, request, and authorize one or more of the one or more time blocks.

[0200] Example 27 is a method of any one of Examples 1-26, wherein the method further includes: outputting a polling message for transmission to one or more clients, the polling message being configured to at least one of: (i) indicate to the one or more clients that the one or more channel resources are still available for communication, (ii) request whether any of the one or more clients has buffered data, or (iii) notify one or more clients to be served by the device.

[0201] Example 28 is the method of Example 27, wherein at least one of: the polling message is output for transmission at the beginning of a service period; or the polling message is a trigger frame.

[0202] Example 29 is the method of any of Examples 1-28, wherein the one or more channel resources are within a 3.5 GHz frequency band, and wherein the method further comprises: outputting an announcement of a service period of the 3.5 GHz frequency band for transmission independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

[0203] Example 30 is a method of any one of Examples 1-29, wherein the one or more channel resources are within the 3.5 GHz frequency band, wherein the management frame is configured for at least one of discovery, authentication, or association with the 3.5 GHz frequency band, and wherein the method further includes: outputting the management frame for transmission independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

[0204] Example 31 is an apparatus for wireless communication, comprising components for performing a method according to any of Examples 1-30.

[0205] Example 32 is a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of Examples 1-30.

[0206] Example 33 is an access point (AP) comprising: a transceiver; a memory comprising instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions so that the AP performs a method according to any one of Examples 1-30, wherein the transceiver is configured to: send a request for channel resources; and receive a response to the request.

[0207] Other considerations

[0208] As used herein, the terms "negotiate," "schedule," "reduce," "announce," "modify," "generate," and / or "determine" (or any variation thereof, such as "announce," "modify," "generate," and "determine") encompass a wide variety of actions. For example, "schedule," "negotiate," "reduce," "modify," "generate," and / or "determine" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, a database, or another data structure), determining, and the like. Furthermore, "negotiating" and "announce" may include accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), transmitting (e.g., broadcasting) data, and the like. Furthermore, "modify," "generate," and / or "determine" may include parsing, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[0209] The foregoing description provides an example of a technology for increasing the privacy of local area network (LAN) devices in a communication system. The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The examples discussed herein do not limit the scope, applicability, or aspects set forth in the claims. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications to these aspects are to be made, and the general principles defined herein may be applicable to other aspects. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the functions and arrangements of the elements discussed may be changed. Various examples may appropriately omit, replace, or add various processes or components. For example, the described method may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, the features described with respect to some examples may be combined in some other examples. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein may be used to implement a device or practice method. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such a device or method that is practiced using other structures, functions, or structures and functions in addition to or different from the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

[0210] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the present disclosure may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors with a DSP core, a system on a chip (SoC), or any other such configuration.

[0211] If implemented in hardware, an example hardware configuration may include a processing system in a wireless node. The processing system may be implemented using a bus architecture. Depending on the specific application of the processing system and the overall design constraints, the bus may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges. The bus may link various circuits together, including a processor, a machine-readable medium, and a bus interface. The bus interface may be used to connect a network adapter, etc., to the processing system via the bus. The network adapter may be used to implement the signal processing functions of the PHY layer. In the case of user equipment (see Figure 1), a user interface (e.g., keyboard, display, mouse, joystick, touch screen, biosensor, proximity sensor, light emitting element, etc.) may also be connected to the bus. The bus may also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, etc., which are well known in the art and are not described further. The processor may be implemented using one or more general and / or special purpose processors. Examples include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSP processors, and other circuits that can run software. Those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the described functions of the processing system based on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the entire system.

[0212] If implemented in software, these functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Software should be broadly interpreted as instructions, data, or any combination thereof, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, including any media that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. The processor may be responsible for managing the bus and general processing, including executing software modules stored on a machine-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. For example, a machine-readable medium may include a transmission line, a carrier modulated by data, and / or a computer-readable storage medium on which instructions separated from a wireless node are stored, all of which may be accessed by a processor through a bus interface. Alternatively or additionally, a machine-readable medium or any portion thereof may be integrated into a processor, such as in the case of a cache and / or a general register file. For example, examples of machine-readable storage media may include RAM (random access memory), flash memory, ROM (read-only memory), PROM (programmable read-only memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage media, or any combination thereof. Machine-readable media may be included in a computer program product.

[0213] A software module may include a single instruction or multiple instructions and may be distributed over several different code segments, distributed in different programs, and across multiple storage media. A computer-readable medium may include multiple software modules. A software module includes instructions that, when run by a device such as a processor, cause a processing system to perform various functions. A software module may include a transmission module and a reception module. Each software module may reside in a single storage device or be distributed across multiple storage devices. For example, when a triggering event occurs, a software module may be loaded from a hard disk into a RAM. During the execution of a software module, a processor may load some instructions into a cache to increase access speed. Then, one or more cache lines may be loaded into a general register file for execution by the processor. When the functions of a software module are mentioned below, it will be understood that such functions are implemented by the processor when executing instructions from the software module.

[0214] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. For example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination of multiples of the same element (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc or any other order of a, b, and c).

[0215] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determine" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, a database, or another data structure), ascertaining, etc. In addition, "determine" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc. In addition, "determine" may include parsing, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0216] The method disclosed herein includes one or more steps or actions for implementing the method. Without departing from the scope of the claims, the method steps and / or actions can be interchangeable with each other. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific steps and / or actions can be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. In addition, the various operations of the above-mentioned method can be performed by any suitable device capable of performing the corresponding function. The device may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or processors. Typically, where operations are shown in the figure, those operations may have corresponding corresponding device-plus-function components with similar numbers.

[0217] The following claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but to conform to the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. In the claims, unless otherwise stated, an element referred to in the singular does not mean "one and only one", but "one or more" unless otherwise specified. The term "some" refers to one or more. According to 35 U.S.C. 112 (f), no claim element shall be interpreted unless the phrase "module of..." is used to expressly describe the element, or in the case of a method claim, the phrase "step of..." is used to describe the element. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described in this disclosure that are known or will be known to ordinary technicians in the field are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be included in the claims. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly stated in the claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, comprising: memory, including instructions; and One or more processors configured to execute the instructions and cause the device to: outputting a request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the request comprising an indication of one or more channel resources within a frequency spectrum; and A response to the request is obtained from the network node, the response providing a device with access to one or more channel resources indicated within the spectrum.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The indicated one or more channel resources include a primary sub-channel, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: outputting at least one first frame via the primary subchannel for transmission to at least one of a wireless node or a client; and At least one second frame is obtained from at least one of the wireless node or the client via the primary subchannel.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more processors of the device are further configured to cause the device to: Coordination signaling is communicated with the wireless node, wherein the coordination signaling includes transmission scheduling information.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more channel resources are associated with a bandwidth of 40 MHz or higher, and wherein the frequency spectrum is a 70 MHz band.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spectrum is a 70 MHz Priority Access Licensed (PAL) spectrum, wherein the Citizens Broadband Radio Spectrum (CBRS) includes the PAL spectrum and the General Granted Access (GAA) spectrum, wherein the request for channel resources also includes an indication of channel resources within the GAA spectrum, and wherein the response to the request also provides the apparatus with access to one or more of the indicated channel resources within the GAA spectrum.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to perform at least one of the following operations: At least one frame is obtained or outputted via a control channel of the CBRS for transmission, wherein the bandwidth of the control channel is less than 20 MHz and is located adjacent to an end of the CBRS.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein: A physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) of the at least one frame is formatted by using an 802.11a half-rate PPDU or an 802.11p PPDU.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the indicated one or more channel resources within the PAL spectrum and the indicated channel resources within the GAA spectrum form an operating bandwidth of a basic service set (BSS) of the apparatus.

9. The device according to claim 5, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: Signaling is obtained from the network node, the signaling including an indication that access to the CBRS has been suspended or terminated.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: outputting another request for channel resources for transmission to a network node, the another request comprising an indication of channel resources available for the apparatus; and Access is obtained from the network node to the indicated channel resources available to the device.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: The puncturing pattern of the CBRS is modified to reflect the channel resources available to the device.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein The granularity of the puncturing pattern is given in blocks of 5 MHz, 10 MHz or 15 MHz.

13. The device according to claim 5, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: Signaling is obtained from the network node, the signaling including an indication that access to at least one of channel resources within the GAA spectrum or channel resources within the PAL spectrum has been suspended or terminated.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: Obtaining access to another of at least one of channel resources within the GAA spectrum or channel resources within the PAL spectrum may be available for an indication of the apparatus.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein: At least one of a Reduce Neighbor Report (RNR) or a multi-link probe response includes the indication.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein The one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: A puncturing pattern for the one or more channel resources within the spectrum is generated based on the response.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein: The response further provides the apparatus with access to one or more channel resources within a General Granted Access (GAA) spectrum, and wherein the puncturing pattern is further generated for the one or more channel resources within the GAA spectrum.

18. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more channel resources are associated with a bandwidth of 20 MHz or higher.

19. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: An indication of a maximum transmit power is output for transmission to a client, the maximum transmit power being used for transmission of signaling via the one or more channel resources.

20. The device according to claim 1, wherein The one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: obtaining instructions for reducing a maximum transmit power for transmission of signaling via the one or more channel resources; and The maximum transmit power is reduced based on the instruction.

21. The device according to claim 1, wherein The one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: scheduling dedicated service periods (D-SPs) and opportunistic service periods (O-SPs) for communication with one or more clients, wherein the D-SPs are reserved for communication with one of the one or more clients, and wherein the O-SPs are dynamically scheduled for communication with one of the one or more clients; and Communicate with the one or more clients via the D-SP and the O-SP.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the one or more channel resources are within a 3.5 GHz frequency band, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: The scheduling of the D-SP is negotiated with the one or more clients independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the one or more channel resources are within a 3.5 GHz frequency band, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: The O-SP is announced independently of the 3.5 GHz band.

24. The device according to claim 21, wherein One or more of the D-SP and the O-SP is indicated via a target wake time (TWT).

25. The device according to claim 21, wherein One or more of the D-SP and the O-SP are indicated via a bitmap.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein each bit in the bitmap is configured to identify a time block corresponding to the D-SP or the O-SP, and wherein the bitmap is further configured to at least one of: announcing one or more time blocks; Request one or more time blocks; or Authorize one or more time blocks.

27. The device according to claim 1, wherein The one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: An output polling message is used for transmission to one or more clients, and the polling message is configured to at least one of the following: (i) indicate to the one or more clients that the one or more channel resources are still available for communication, (ii) request whether any of the one or more clients has buffered data, or (iii) notify the one or more clients to be served by the device.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein at least one of the following: The polling message is output for transmission at the beginning of a service period; or The polling message is a trigger frame.

29. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more channel resources are within a 3.5 GHz frequency band, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: The announcement of the service period for outputting the 3.5 GHz band is used for transmissions independent of the 3.5 GHz band.

30. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more channel resources are within a 3.5 GHz frequency band, wherein the management frame is configured for at least one of discovery, authentication, or association with the 3.5 GHz frequency band, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: The management frame is output for transmission independent of the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

31. An access point (AP) configured for wireless communication, comprising: Transceiver; memory, including instructions; and One or more processors configured to execute the instructions and cause the AP to: sending, via the transceiver, a request for channel resources, the request comprising an indication of one or more channel resources within a frequency spectrum; and A response to the request is received via the transceiver, the response providing an apparatus with access to one or more channel resources indicated within the spectrum.

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