Basic proxy sensing and sleep mode for IEEE 802.11 bf communications

Abstract

The invention relates to a basic agent sensing and sleep mode for IEEE 802.11 bf communication. A wireless station and an access point may perform a wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing operation using an SBP procedure driven by a base proxy sensing (SBP) responder or driven by an SBP initiator, where a sensing feature associated with the SBP procedure is determined by the SBP responder, where a sensing feature associated with the SBP procedure is determined by the SBP responder, and where a sensing feature associated with the SBP procedure is determined by the SBP initiator. The sensing feature is determined by the SBP initiator. For an SBP responder-driven SBP process, an SBP session may be requested with parameters that include a reduction in the number of responders and the number of maximum bandwidths. For an SBP initiator driven SBP process, a suitable sensing responder may be identified and indicated prior to receiving a sensing request. A WLAN sensing session may be suspended to enter a sleep mode during which no sensing frame exchange occurs between participating nodes, and the WLAN sensing session is not expired and not terminated, and may be resumed upon exiting the sleep mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to wireless communications, including wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing during wireless communications such as IEEE 802.11 communications (including IEEE 802.11 bf communications). Background Art

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smart phones and tablet computers have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices (i.e., user equipment devices or UEs) now also provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated applications that utilize these functions. In addition, there are many different wireless communication technologies and wireless communication standards.

[0003] A commonly used short-range / medium-range wireless communication standard is wireless local area network (WLAN). Most modern WLANs are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard (or 802.11 for short). WLANs are sold under the Wi-Fi brand name. A WLAN network links one or more devices to a wireless access point, which in turn provides a connection to the wider area Internet. In an 802.11 system, devices that are wirelessly connected to each other are called "stations," "mobile stations," "user equipment," or STAs or UEs for short. A wireless station can be a wireless access point or a wireless client (or mobile station). An access point (AP), also known as a wireless router, acts as a base station for a wireless network. The AP sends and receives radio frequency signals for communicating with wireless client devices. The AP is also typically coupled to the Internet in a wired manner. A wireless client operating on an 802.11 network can be any of a variety of devices, such as a laptop, tablet device, smart phone, or fixed device, such as a desktop computer. Wireless client devices are referred to herein as user equipment (or UE for short). Some wireless client devices are also collectively referred to herein as mobile devices or mobile stations (but as mentioned above, wireless client devices can also be stationary devices as a whole).

[0004] WLAN sensing, currently being developed by the IEEE 802.11 task group "BF" (IEEE 802.11 bf), covers the use of Wi-Fi signals to perform sensing tasks by leveraging existing Wi-Fi infrastructure and ubiquitous Wi-Fi signals in the surrounding environment.As WLAN sensing develops, there is a constant need for improvements. Summary of the invention

[0005] In particular, embodiments of methods and processes for basic proxy sensing (SBP) operation during wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing operation are presented herein, and embodiments of methods and processes for operating a sleep mode during which a WLAN sensing session is suspended without expiring or being terminated are also presented herein. Embodiments of a wireless communication system are also presented herein, the wireless communication system comprising at least a wireless communication device or user equipment device (UE) and / or an access point (AP) communicating with each other within the wireless communication system.

[0006] In some embodiments, wireless stations and access points may perform wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing operations using a basic proxy sensing (SBP) process driven by an SBP responder, in which case the sensing features associated with the SBP process are determined by the SBP responder, or driven by an SBP initiator, in which case the sensing features are determined by the SBP initiator. For an SBP responder-driven SBP process, an SBP session may be requested using parameters including a number of responders and a number of reductions in maximum bandwidth. For an SBP initiator-driven SBP process, an appropriate sensing responder may be identified and indicated prior to receiving a sensing request. A WLAN sensing session may be suspended to enter a sleep mode, during which no sensing frame exchange occurs between participating nodes, and the WLAN sensing session does not expire and is not terminated, and may be resumed upon exiting the sleep mode.

[0007] Note that the techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including, but not limited to, base stations, access points, cellular telephones, portable media players, tablet computers, wearable devices, and various other computing devices.

[0008] This disclosure is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the topics described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are only examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or essence of the topics described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the topics described herein will become apparent through the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 An example WLAN communication system is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments.

[0010] Figure 2 An example simplified block diagram of a WLAN access point (AP) is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 3A An example simplified block diagram of a mobile station (UE) according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0012] Figure 3B An example simplified block diagram of an Internet of Things (IoT) site is illustrated, according to some embodiments.

[0013] Figure 4 illustrates an example frame structure of a first action frame used during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 5 illustrates an example frame structure for a second action frame for use during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 6 shows an example table indicating an extended capabilities field according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 7 illustrates an example frame structure of a fourth action frame for use during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments;

[0017] Figure 8 illustrates an example frame structure of a sixth action frame used during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments;

[0018] Fig. 9 illustrates an example frame structure of a seventh action frame for use during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments;

[0019] Fig.10 illustrates an example frame structure of an eighth action frame for use during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments;

[0020] Fig.11 illustrates an example frame structure of a ninth action frame for use during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments;

[0021] Fig.12 illustrates an example frame structure for a tenth action frame for use during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments;

[0022] Fig.13 illustrates an example frame structure of an eleventh action frame for use during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments;

[0023] Fig.14 illustrates an example frame structure of a twelfth action frame for use during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments;

[0024] Fig.15 illustrates an example frame structure of a thirteenth action frame for use during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments;

[0025] Fig.16 shows an example frame structure of a fourteenth action frame used during WLAN sensing operations;

[0026] Fig.17 shows an example frame structure of a fifteenth action frame used during WLAN sensing operations according to some embodiments; and

[0027] Fig.18 is a communication flow diagram illustrating a method for performing a basic proxy sensing (SBP) process according to some embodiments.

[0028] Although the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to be limited to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Acronyms

[0030] Various acronyms are used throughout this patent application. The definitions of the most prominent acronyms used that may appear throughout this patent application are as follows:

[0031] UE: User Equipment

[0032] AP: Access Point

[0033] DL: Downlink (from AP to UE)

[0034] UL: Uplink (from UE to AP)

[0035] TX: Send / Transmit

[0036] RX: Receive

[0037] LAN: Local Area Network

[0038] WLAN: Wireless LAN

[0039] RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0040] STA: (wireless) station

[0041] PE: Privacy Enhancement

[0042] BSS: Basic Service Set

[0043] PLCP: Physical Layer Convergence Protocol

[0044] PSDU: PLCP service data unit (physical layer service data unit)

[0045] MPDU: Mac Protocol Data Unit

[0046] PPDU: Physical Protocol Data Unit

[0047] PHY: Physical (layer)

[0048] DST: Destination (station or terminal)

[0049] RA: Receiver Address

[0050] TA: sender address

[0051] BA: Block Acknowledgement

[0052] TID: service identifier

[0053] MGMT: Management

[0054] MU: Multi-User

[0055] AID: Association ID

[0056] EHT: Extremely high throughput

[0057] OMI: Operation Mode Indicator

[0058] UHR: Ultra High Reliability

[0059] STF: Short Training Field

[0060] LTF: Long Training Field

[0061] RU: Resource Unit

[0062] STF: Short Training Field

[0063] LTF: Long Training Field

[0064] U-SIG: Universal Signal

[0065] UHR-SIG: UHR signal

[0066] L-SIG: Legacy (non-high throughput) signal

[0067] RL-SIG: Repeating traditional (non-high throughput) signals

[0068] PE: Packet Extension

[0069] MUBAR: Multi-User Block Acknowledgement Request

[0070] QoS: Quality of Service

[0071] OFDMA: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access

[0072] the term

[0073] The following is a glossary of terms that may appear in this application:

[0074] Memory medium—any of various types of memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROM, floppy disk, or tape device; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, magnetic media, such as hard disk drive or optical storage device; registers, or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of memory or a combination thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system executing a program, or may be located in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer system for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media, which may reside in different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as a computer program) that may be executed by one or more processors.

[0075] Carrier Media—Memory media as described above, as well as physical transmission media such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission media that transport signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0076] Programmable hardware element - includes various hardware devices that include multiple programmable function blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), FPOA (Field Programmable Object Array), and CPLD (Complex PLD). Programmable function blocks can range from fine-grained (combinatorial logic or lookup table) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic unit or processor core). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units".

[0077] Computer system (or computer)—any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), a mainframe computer system, a workstation, a network appliance, an Internet appliance, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a television system, a grid computing system, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" may be broadly defined as any device (or combination of devices) that includes at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0078] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - any of various types of computer system devices that perform wireless communications. Also referred to as wireless communication devices, many of which may be mobile and / or portable. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smart phones (e.g., iPhone TM , based on Android TM phones) and tablets such as iPads TM 、Samsung Galaxy TM etc., gaming devices (such as Sony PlayStation TM , Microsoft XBox TM etc.), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPod TM ), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices or other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (e.g., drones) and drone controllers, etc. Various other types of devices that include Wi-Fi communication capabilities or both cellular and Wi-Fi communication capabilities and / or other wireless communication capabilities (e.g., via short-range radio access technologies (SRAT) such as BLUETOOTH TM In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic, computing and / or telecommunication device (or combination of devices) capable of wireless communication and which may also be portable / mobile.

[0079] Wireless device (or wireless communication device) - any of various types of computer system devices that perform wireless communication using WLAN communication, SRAT communication, Wi-Fi communication, etc. As used herein, the term "wireless device" may refer to a UE device as defined above or a fixed device such as a fixed wireless client or a wireless base station. For example, a wireless device may be a wireless station of any type of 802.11 system, such as an access point (AP) or a client station (UE), or a wireless station of any type of cellular communication system that communicates according to a cellular radio access technology (e.g., 5G NR, LTE, CDMA, GSM), such as a base station or a cellular phone.

[0080] Communication device - any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, where the communication may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile), or may be stationary or fixed at a particular location. A wireless device is an example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0081] Processor—refers to various elements (e.g., circuits) or combinations of elements that are capable of performing functions in a device (e.g., in a user equipment device or in a cellular network device). Processors may include, for example: general purpose processors and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores or processing circuit cores, processing circuit arrays or processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any various combinations of the foregoing.

[0082] Channel - a medium used to convey information from a transmitter (sender) to a receiver. It should be noted that, since the characteristics of the term "channel" may vary according to different wireless protocols, the term "channel" as used herein may be considered to be used in a manner consistent with the standards of the type of device to which the term is used. In some standards, the channel width may be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths of 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, a WLAN channel may be 22 MHz wide, while a Bluetooth channel may be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. In addition, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, such as different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0083] Band (or frequency band)—The term "band" has the full range of its usual meaning and includes at least a section of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose. In addition, "band" is used to refer to any interval in the frequency domain defined by a lower frequency and a higher frequency. The term may refer to a radio frequency band or an interval of some other spectrum. A radio communication signal may occupy a frequency range that carries the signal (or the signal is carried within this frequency range). Such a frequency range is also referred to as the bandwidth of the signal. Therefore, bandwidth refers to the difference between the upper and lower frequencies in a continuous frequency band. A band may represent a communication channel, or it may be subdivided into multiple communication channels. The allocation of radio frequency ranges for different purposes is the main function of radio spectrum allocation. For example, in 5G NR, the operating bands are classified into two groups. More specifically, according to 3GPP Release 15, bands are designated for different frequency ranges (FRs) and are defined as FR1 and FR2, where FR1 covers the 410MHz-7125MHz range and FR2 covers the 24250MHz-52600MHz range.

[0084] Wi-Fi—The term "Wi-Fi" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication network or RAT that is served by wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and provides connectivity to the Internet through these access points. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name "Wi-Fi". Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are distinct from cellular networks.

[0085] WLAN—The term "WLAN" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication network or RAT, a Wireless LAN (WLAN) served by WLAN access points and providing connectivity to the Internet through these access points. Most modern WLANs are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name "Wi-Fi". WLAN networks are distinct from cellular networks.

[0086] Station (STA)—The term “station” herein refers to any device that has the ability to communicate wirelessly (e.g., by using the 802.11 protocol). A station may be a laptop, desktop PC, PDA, access point, or Wi-Fi phone, or any type of device similar to a UE. A STA may be fixed, mobile, portable, or wearable. Generally speaking, in wireless networking terminology, a station (STA) broadly encompasses any device that has wireless communication capabilities, and the terms station (STA), wireless client (UE), and node (BS) are therefore often used interchangeably.

[0087] Transmission scheduling—refers to the scheduling of transmissions (such as wireless transmissions). In some specific implementations of cellular radio communications, signal transmissions and data transmissions may be organized according to specified time units of a specific duration during which the transmission occurs. As used herein, the term "time slot" has the full range of its usual meaning and refers at least to the minimum (or shortest) scheduled time unit in wireless communications. For example, in 3GPP LTE, transmissions are divided into radio frames, each of which has an equal (time) duration (e.g., 10ms). Radio frames in 3GPP LTE can be further divided into a specified number (e.g., ten) of subframes, each of which has an equal duration, and subframes are designated as the minimum (shortest) scheduling unit, or a specified time unit for transmission. Therefore, in the 3GPP LTE example, a "subframe" can be regarded as an example of a "time slot" as defined above. Similarly, the minimum (or shortest) scheduling time unit for 5G NR (or simply NR) transmissions is called a "time slot". In different communication protocols, the minimum (or shortest) scheduling time unit may also be named differently.

[0088] Resource - The term "resource" has the full range of its usual meaning and may refer to frequency resources and time resources used during wireless communication. As used herein, a resource element (RE) refers to a specific amount or number of resources. For example, in the context of time resources, a resource element may be a time period of a specific length. In the context of frequency resources, a resource element may be a specific frequency bandwidth centered on a specific frequency or a specific amount of frequency bandwidth. As a specific example, a resource element may refer to a resource unit having 1 symbol (referenced to time resources, such as a time period of a specific length) per 1 subcarrier (referenced to frequency resources, such as a specific frequency bandwidth, which may be centered on a specific frequency). A resource element group (REG) has the full range of its usual meaning and refers to at least a specified number of consecutive resource elements. In some implementations, a resource element group may not include resource elements reserved for reference signals. A control channel element (CCE) refers to a group of a specified number of consecutive REGs. A resource block (RB) refers to a specified number of resource elements consisting of a specified number of subcarriers per a specified number of symbols. Each RB may include a specified number of subcarriers. A resource block group (RBG) refers to a unit including multiple RBs. The number of RBs within one RBG may vary according to the system bandwidth.

[0089] Personal Area Network—The term "personal area network" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least any of the various types of computer networks used for data transmission between devices such as computers, phones, tablets, and input / output devices. Bluetooth is an example of a personal area network. A PAN is an example of a short-range wireless communication technology.

[0090] Bloom Filters — Bloom filters are space-efficient probabilistic data structures that can be used to determine whether an element is a member of a set. False positive matches are possible, but false negatives are not. Therefore, queries return either "possibly in the set" or "definitely not in the set" results. Elements can be added to a set but not removed from it, which can be addressed using counting Bloom filter variants; the more items that are added, the greater the false positives.

[0091] TLV type-length-value or tag-length-value) is an encoding scheme used for optional information elements in a particular protocol. A TLV-encoded data stream contains codes related to the record type, the length of the record value, and finally the record value itself.

[0092] RU—Resource Unit is a unit in OFDMA terminology used, for example, in 802.11ax WLAN to represent a set of 78.125kHz bandwidth subcarriers (tones) used in downlink (DL) transmissions and uplink (UL) transmissions. With OFDMA, different transmit powers can be applied to different RUs. There can be up to 9 RUs for 20MHz bandwidth, 18 RUs in the case of 40MHz, and more RUs in the case of 80MHz or 160MHz bandwidth. RUs enable access point (AP) stations to be accessed by WLAN stations simultaneously and efficiently.

[0093] Automatic—refers to an action or operation being performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without the action or operation being directly specified or performed by a user input. Thus, the term "automatic" is contrasted with a user manually performing or specifying an action, wherein the user provides input to directly perform the action. An automatic process may be initiated by input provided by a user, but subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed "manually," wherein the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing in information, selecting checkboxes, radio selections, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user action. The form may be automatically filled out by a computer system, wherein the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, a user may invoke automatic filling out of a form, but not participate in the actual filling out of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields but rather they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions that a user has taken.

[0094] Configured to—Various components may be described as being “configured to” perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broad statement that generally means “having a structure” that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component may be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently performing the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” may be a broad statement that generally means “having a circuit” that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component may be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently turned on. Generally speaking, circuits that form a structure corresponding to “configured to” may include hardware circuits.

[0095] Approximately - refers to a value that is close to a correct or exact value. For example, approximately can refer to a value that is within 1% to 10% of an exact (or desired) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold value (or tolerance) may be application dependent. For example, in some embodiments, "approximately" may mean within 0.1% of some specified or desired value, while in various other embodiments, the threshold value may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or requirements of a particular application.

[0096] Concurrency - refers to parallel execution or implementation, where tasks, processes, or programs are executed in an at least partially overlapping manner. For example, concurrency can be implemented using "strong" or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed (at least partially) in parallel on respective computing elements, or using "weak parallelism", where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0097] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted to include the phrase "configured to". The statement that a component is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 U.S.C. § 112 (sixth) for that component.

[0098] The titles used herein are only for organizational purposes and are not intended to be used to limit the scope of the specification. As used throughout this application, the word "may" is used in an allowed sense (e.g., meaning that there is a possibility) rather than a mandatory sense (e.g., meaning that there must be). The word "including" represents an open relationship, and therefore indicates including but not limited to. Similarly, the word "having" also indicates an open relationship, and therefore indicates having but not limited to. The terms "first", "second", "third", etc. as used herein are used as labels for the nouns after them, and unless otherwise clearly indicated, do not imply any type of ordering (e.g., space, time, logic, etc.). For example, unless otherwise specified, "a third component electrically connected to a module substrate" does not exclude the situation where "a fourth component electrically connected to a module substrate" is connected before the third component. Similarly, unless otherwise specified, the "second" feature portion does not require the "first" feature portion to be implemented before the "second" feature portion.

[0099] Figure 1 —WLAN / WPAN system

[0100] Figure 1 An example WLAN / WPAN system according to some embodiments is illustrated. As shown, the exemplary WLAN / WPAN system includes multiple wireless client sites or devices, or user equipment (UE) 106, that can communicate with access point (AP) 112 via wireless communication channel 142. AP 112 can be a Wi-Fi access point. AP 112 can communicate with one or more other electronic devices (not shown) and / or another network 152 (such as the Internet) via wired and / or wireless communication channel 150. Additional electronic devices, such as remote devices 154, can communicate with components of the WLAN / WPAN system via network 152. For example, remote device 154 can be another wireless client site. The WLAN / WPAN system can operate according to any of various communication standards, such as various IEEE 802.11 standards and IEEE 802.15 standards. Therefore, in addition to communicating via AP112, wireless device 106 can communicate directly with one or more adjacent mobile devices (e.g., via direct communication channel 140) without using access point 112.

[0101] In some embodiments, the operational features of the wireless device 106 may include a basic proxy sensing (SBP) feature and may also include an operational sleep mode with its associated indication as disclosed herein.

[0102] Figure 2 —Access Point Block Diagram

[0103] Figure 2 An exemplary block diagram of an access point (AP) 112 is illustrated. Note that Figure 2The block diagram of the AP 112 is only one example of a possible system. As shown, the AP 112 may include a processor 204 that may execute program instructions for the AP 112. The processor 204 may also be coupled (directly or indirectly) to a memory management unit (MMU) 240 or other circuit or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 204 and convert these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250).

[0104] AP 112 may include at least one network port 270. Network port 270 may be configured to couple to a wired network and provide access to the Internet for multiple devices such as mobile device 106. For example, network port 270 (or an additional network port) may be configured to couple to a local network, such as a home network or an enterprise network. For example, port 270 may be an Ethernet port. The local network may provide a connection to an additional network such as the Internet.

[0105] The AP 112 may include at least one antenna 234 that may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the mobile device 106 via the wireless communication circuit 230. The antenna 234 communicates with the wireless communication circuit 230 via a communication chain 232. The communication chain 232 may include one or more receive chains, one or more transmit chains, or both. The wireless communication circuit 230 may communicate via Wi-Fi or WLAN (e.g., 802.11). For example, when the AP is co-located with a base station in the case of a small cell, or in other cases where it may be desirable for the AP 112 to communicate via a variety of different wireless communication technologies, the wireless communication circuit 230 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate via various other wireless communication technologies, including, but not limited to, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Global System for Mobile (GSM), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), CDMA2000, etc. In some embodiments, the operational features of the AP 112 may include a sensing by basic proxy (SBP) feature, and may also include an operational sleep mode with its associated indication as disclosed herein.

[0106] Figure 3A —Client site diagram

[0107] Figure 3A An example simplified block diagram of a client station 106 is illustrated. Note that Figure 3AThe block diagram of the client site 106 is merely one example of a possible client site. According to various embodiments, the client site 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, and / or a wireless device or wireless station. As shown, the client site 106 may include a system on a chip (SOC) 300, which may include parts for various purposes. The SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of the client site 106. For example, the client site 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), a connector interface (I / F) (or dock) 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, a docking station, a charging station, etc.), a display 360, a cellular communication circuit 330 (such as for LTE, GSM, etc.), and a medium- and short-range wireless communication circuit 329 (e.g., Bluetooth TM The client site 106 may also include one or more smart cards 310 incorporating SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) cards 345. The cellular communication circuitry 330 may be coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336 as shown. The short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may also be coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338 as shown. Alternatively, the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may be coupled to antennas 335 and 336 in addition to or in lieu of being coupled to antennas 337 and 338. The short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams in a configuration such as a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO).

[0108] As shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 that may execute program instructions for the client station 106 and a display circuit 304 that may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to a display 360. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 and / or other circuits or devices (such as the display circuit 304, the cellular communication circuit 330, the short-range wireless communication circuit 329, the connector interface (I / F) 320, and / or the display 360), and the memory management unit (MMU) may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in a memory (e.g., the memory 306, the read-only memory (ROM) 350, the NAND flash memory 310). The MMU 340 may perform memory protection and page table translation or creation. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0109] As described above, the client station 106 may communicate directly with one or more neighboring client stations in wireless communication. The client station 106 may be configured to communicate according to a WLAN RAT for communicating in a WLAN network, such as Figure 1 In addition, in some embodiments, as further described below, the client station 106 may perform a method for time sharing for multiple STAs on a single RU for a given transmission (eg, in a DL OFDMA transmission).

[0110] As described herein, the client site 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described herein. For example, the processor 302 of the client site 106 may implement some or all of the features described herein, for example by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 330, 335, 340, 345, 350, 360, the processor 302 of the UE 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0111] In addition, as described herein, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that perform the functions of processor 302. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 204.

[0112] In addition, as described herein, each of the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 330 and may also be included in the short-range wireless communication circuit 329. Therefore, each of the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329, respectively. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) that perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329.

[0113] Figure 3B :Internet of Things (IoT) Site

[0114] Figure 3BAn example simplified block diagram of an IoT station 107 according to some embodiments is illustrated. According to an embodiment, the IoT station 107 may include a system on a chip (SOC) 400, which may include one or more parts for performing one or more purposes (or functions or operations). The SOC 400 may be coupled to one or more other circuits of the IoT station 107. For example, the IoT station 107 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 410), a connector interface (I / F) 420 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, a docking station, a charging station, a light (e.g., for visual output), a speaker (e.g., for auditory output), etc.), a power supply 425 (which may be non-removable, removable and replaceable, and / or rechargeable), and a communication circuit (radio component) 451 (e.g., BT / BLE and / or WLAN).

[0115] The IoT site 107 may include at least one antenna, and in some embodiments, may include multiple antennas 457 and 458 for wireless communication with companion devices (e.g., client site 106, AP 112, etc.) and other wireless devices (e.g., client site 106, AP 112, other IoT sites 107, etc.). In some embodiments, one or more antennas may be dedicated for use with a single radio component and / or radio protocol. In some other embodiments, one or more antennas may be shared between two or more radio components and / or radio protocols. For example, the wireless communication circuit 451 may include a WLAN logic component and / or a WPAN logic component, such as a BT / BLE logic component. In some embodiments, the wireless communication circuit 451 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0116] As shown, SOC 400 may include a processor 402 that may execute program instructions for IoT station 107. Processor 402 may also be coupled (directly or indirectly) to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 and / or other circuits or devices (such as wireless communication circuit 451), which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 402 and translate these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 416, read-only memory (ROM) 450, NAND flash memory 410). MMU 440 may perform memory protection and page table translation or creation. In some embodiments, MMU 440 may be included as part of processor 402.

[0117] As described above, the IoT station 107 can be configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more neighboring wireless devices. In some embodiments, the operational features of the IoT station 107 can include a sensing by basic proxy (SBP) feature, and can also include an operational sleep mode with its associated indication as disclosed herein.

[0118] Wireless LAN (WLAN) / Wi-Fi sensing

[0119] Due to the significant and growing interest in WLAN sensing (also known as Wi-Fi sensing), a task group IEEE 802.11bf was formed to develop modifications to the IEEE 802.11 standard to enhance support for WLAN / Wi-Fi sensing and applications such as user presence detection, environmental monitoring in smart buildings, and remote health monitoring. Various sensing measurements performed as part of Wi-Fi sensing can be used to estimate characteristics of objects in a region of interest. Characteristics can include range, speed, angle, motion, etc. Objects can include people, animals, large inanimate objects, etc. Regions of interest can include homes, businesses, vehicles, etc.

[0120] Generally speaking, WLAN sensing or Wi-Fi sensing is a technology in which Wi-Fi signals are used to perform sensing tasks by leveraging the Wi-Fi infrastructure and Wi-Fi signals in the surrounding environment. Since Wi-Fi radio waves bounce, penetrate, and / or bend on the surface of objects during propagation, through appropriate signal processing, these received Wi-Fi signals can be used to sense the surrounding environment, detect potential obstacles, and target movement. WLAN / Wi-Fi sensing has been used in various environments, including gesture control, motion tracking, fall detection, activity recognition, imaging, monitoring of vital signs, etc.

[0121] Wi-Fi sensing identifies three different processes for sub-7 GHz operation / sensing: trigger-based (TB) sensing, non-trigger-based (non-TB) sensing, and proxy sensing (SBP).

[0122] Proxy Sensing (SPB) for Wi-Fi Sensing

[0123] SBP allows non-AP wireless stations (STA; SBP initiator) to request AP STA (SBP responder) to create a TB sensing session on its behalf, and if requested, provide reports to the SBP initiator. Therefore, SBP is a valuable feature that allows efficient and privacy-preserving implementation of STA-side use cases. However, SBP is currently defined as an optional feature, and due to the high complexity encountered in negotiation overhead (SBP responder must follow the parameters provided by the SBP initiator and establish a TB sensing session with the appropriate responder) and reporting overhead (SBP responder must process and / or combine multiple reports and forward to the SBP initiator), it is questionable whether SBP will be implemented. In other words, although SBP is considered to be a necessary feature to enable STA-side use cases, SBP causes specific implementation overhead, which is related to negotiation during session establishment and also related to reporting.

[0124] For example, many challenges are encountered during the setup. The AP must identify the responder. There are many options and features that the SBP initiator can request from the sensing session. The AP must negotiate with the sensing for the parameters requested by the SBP initiator. Depending on the number of responders required and the set of parameters requested, a lot of time and resources may be required on the AP's part to establish the relevant sensing session for the SBP.

[0125] This is also a challenge associated with SBP reporting. The AP must be able to collect and combine multiple reports from sensing responders in a TB sensing session created based on an SBP request. Depending on the number of responders, an appropriate amount of data may be created, and such data needs to be processed by the AP, possibly at a higher layer and fed back to the physical layer (PHY). It may be difficult to implement these features and provide information back to the SBP initiator while also providing normal communication operations.

[0126] In order to reliably enable client use cases, a basic SBP feature set may be defined. This basic SBP feature set may have limited complexity and place minimal demands on the AP through minimal negotiation overhead and minimal reporting overhead for sensing session establishment. It may be advantageous to include such a feature set as a mandatory capability for an AP to sense a STA (i.e., a STA senses one or more APs).

[0127] In some embodiments, the proxy sensing feature can be divided into a mandatory "basic SBP" feature and an optional "advanced SBP" feature. The basic SBP feature can provide two variants. In the first variant, in some embodiments, an "opportunistic" SBP (SBP responder driven) can be implemented, where the sensing feature is determined (or defined) by the SBP responder. In the second variant, in some embodiments, an "initiator driven" SBP (SBP initiator driven) can be implemented, where the sensing feature is determined (or defined) by the SBP initiator.

[0128] "Advanced SBP" corresponds to the fully-fledged SBP defined in the current IEEE 802.11 specification and is not covered in more detail.

[0129] Basic SBP - Opportunistic variant

[0130] The SBP initiator may only request an "SBP session" with a minimum set of parameters (eg (maximum) number of responders, maximum bandwidth). There is no preferred and / or mandatory list of preferred responders and their roles.

[0131] In order to limit the reporting overhead, the maximum refresh rate indicated in the availability window element can be limited, and the maximum sensing bandwidth can also be limited. Other parameters / features can be limited in a similar manner, such as the number of streams, Ng, Nb. The SBP responder can decide the reporting details. All other parameters and / or operation options can be implemented in the SBP responder and / or the SPB sensing initiator. This basic variant can be called "opportunistic" because the SBP initiator has only minimal influence on the content it receives from the SBP responder.

[0132] Basic SBP - Initiator-driven variant

[0133] The initiator driven variant may be based on various assumptions as follows. The SBP initiator may have appropriate mechanisms to determine / identify appropriate sensing responders and instruct them accordingly before the responders receive 11bf sensing requests from the sensing initiator. This may be implemented using any communication protocol (which may be proprietary, such as licensed) and network, for example, device-to-device communication. All responders may participate in the initiated TB sensing session. Sharing of results may occur on the cloud and / or according to an appropriate protocol, such as a proprietary protocol.

[0134] For the initiator driven variant, the SBP initiator may provide a complete set of parameters as defined in the SBP parameter element and the sensing measurement parameter element, e.g., a list of responders (e.g., mandatory preferred responders), bandwidth and / or availability windows. The requested parameters may be a subset of the AP capabilities. Reporting may not be mandatory to support / implement (but not prohibited). If the SBP responder cannot create a session with these settings, e.g., if a sensing responder rejects the sensing request, the SBP responder may reject the SBP request.

[0135] It is useful to simplify the SBP using a mandatory set of two basic SBP features that meet most of the needs of different use cases, but with much reduced implementation complexity.

[0136] Basic SBP - Specific implementation details according to some embodiments

[0137] A new field "SBP Type" field may be included in the SBP Parameters element, or may be added as part of one of the fields in the SBP Parameters element to signal the type of the SBP. The "SBP Type" field / parameter may include 2 bits defined as follows:

[0138] 00: Reserved

[0139] 01: Standard SBP

[0140] 10: Waiting for SBP

[0141] 11: Initiator-driven SBP

[0142] However, different SBP types may match different bit combinations than those shown above. For example, the following may also be assigned:

[0143] 00: Reserved

[0144] 01: Waiting for an opportunity SBP

[0145] 10: Initiator-driven SBP

[0146] 11: Standard SBP

[0147] Generally speaking, bit values ​​may be simply assigned to indicate the 3 different SBP types discussed above. In some embodiments, a single bit may be created to indicate a standard SBP or a basic SPB.

[0148] Alternatively, a new element (which may have a variable field length) may be added to the SBP Parameters element. The presence of this field may be indicated in the SBP Parameters Control field. An additional "Reject Reason" code may also be added to the SBP so that the SBP responder may indicate possible reasons for the rejection. Reasons may include AP source limitations (cannot satisfy a particular request) and / or no matching responder found.

[0149] Figure 4 An example diagram illustrating the format of the SBP parameter control field is shown, which indicates that a 2-bit SBP type indication flag is added in the reserved field spanning bits 19-23.

[0150] Figure 5 An example diagram illustrating the SBP parameter element format is shown, which indicates that a 2-bit SBP type field is added after the sensing responder role bitmap field of the end point.

[0151] A variant option

[0152] Depending on how the "basic SBP feature" is incorporated into the existing signaling standard, only one of the variants may be incorporated and used. This can be done, for example, by describing the XOR behavior (i.e., the mandatory list

[0153] XOR report). Then, this feature can be implemented without "Basic

[0154] SBP” is implemented in the case of explicit signaling. In this case, Figure 6 It may be advantageous to signal "Advanced / Full SBP Implementation" in the illustrated Extended Capabilities field. Figure 6 An example diagram illustrating an extended capability field is shown, where bit 91 (SBP) may then refer to "Advanced SBP".

[0155] Sleep mode for Wi-Fi sensing

[0156] In the current IEEE 802.11 bf draft 2.0, the measurement periodicity is defined via an availability window exchanged during session establishment. Therefore, the periodicity cannot be modified after the sensing session is established. Changing the periodicity will require terminating and re-establishing the sensing session. However, the initiator has some flexibility to change the periodicity by omitting the transmission of the sensing frame during the availability window. This is acceptable for "normal" trigger-based (TB) and non-trigger-based (Non-TB) sensing sessions, where the application usually resides in the initiator that controls the session. In contrast, for a proxy sensing (SBP) session, the application resides in the SBP initiator, and the SBP responder controls the corresponding TB sensing session.

[0157] In other words, during session establishment, the parameters of the sensing session are defined, for example, via the periodicity of the availability window. This is particularly problematic for SBP sessions, where applications reside on an SBP initiator that is completely separated from the sensing initiator (i.e., the SBP responder). Therefore, for the SBP initiator, there is no appropriate method to influence the polling / triggering of the sensing responder by the SBP responder / sensing responder. As a result, due to lack of flexibility, the SBP initiator must request a maximum performance that may be much higher than the performance required by the SBP initiator. Alternatively, the SBP initiator can frequently terminate and re-initiate the SBP session. This should be avoided because it causes a moderate burden on the AP.

[0158] Sleep mode characteristics

[0159] The above problems can be mitigated and / or solved by introducing a "sleep mode" feature for SBP and TB / non-TB sessions. This feature can enable pausing and resuming a sensing session, which can implicitly allow changing the periodicity by utilizing two SBP sessions that are paused in an alternating manner.

[0160] In some embodiments, a simple but efficient mechanism may be introduced to suspend and resume SBP and sensing sessions in order to efficiently use the spectrum and resources at participating nodes, avoid frequent termination and re-initiation of sensing sessions / SBP sessions, and allow applications (on the SBP initiator) to have better control over the sensing sessions. Potentially, this concept may allow changing the periodicity by using two SBP sessions with different corresponding periodicities and putting one of the SBP sessions to sleep (or suspending one of the SBP sessions).

[0161] When in sleep mode, no sensing frame exchange may occur between participating nodes, and the session may not expire or may not terminate. This concept may also be equally applicable to non-SBP sessions, allowing sensing responders to sleep during their availability windows. This feature may be particularly important for TB sensing sessions initiated to satisfy SBP requests.

[0162] To initiate / stop the sleep state, a sensing action frame with certain fields set is sent from the sensing / SBP initiator to the sensing / SBP responder. Sleep state signaling options may include:

[0163] Option 1: Indication with one bit: If the corresponding field is set, the responder may enter sleep mode until it receives any other sensing frame;

[0164] Option 1.1: Indication with one bit: If the corresponding field is set, the responder may enter sleep mode until it receives the same frame again with the corresponding field not set;

[0165] Option 2: Indication with one bit: if the corresponding field is set, the responder changes state upon reception ("Switch Mode"), and if the corresponding field is not set, there is no action ("Reserved").

[0166] - Option 3: Indication with two bits: the first bit indicates the purpose (set sleep state) and the second bit defines the state the receiver should enter (eg 1: sleep / 0: active).

[0167] The appropriate sensing action frame may depend on the session type.

[0168] TB / non-TB sensing session → sensing measurement request frame, sensing measurement response frame, sensing measurement termination frame

[0169] SBP session → SBP request frame, SBP response frame, SBP termination frame.

[0170] TB / non-TB sensing session

[0171] In some embodiments, the sensing measurement request frame can be used for non-TB and TB sensing. It can be sent by the sensing initiator and confirmed by the sensing responder. The parameters (or parameter values) can correspond to the suspended session so that the sensing responder can identify the correct session. The sensing measurement parameter element is not required for this frame exchange. To indicate "sleep mode", a specific sleep mode field (e.g., 1 bit or 2 bits) can be added, such as Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 exemplified in . Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 Each of the examples illustrates a possible option according to which a new "sleep mode" field can be implemented. Figure 7 As illustrated in FIG. 1 , a new “sleep mode” field may be added as a new “sleep mode” indication field within the sensing measurement request frame action field 702 (refer to IEEE 802.11bf Draft 2.0 specification). Figure 9-11 37a). The sleep mode indication field format is illustrated in 704 (for the sleep mode field added in 702). Figure 8 As illustrated in FIG. 1 , a new “sleep mode” field may be added to the measurement session ID indication field (refer to IEEE 802.11 bf draft 2.0 specification). Figure 9-11 37a; this field may be renamed as the Measurement Session Management field or a similar name to express extended functionality). Fig. 9 As illustrated, a new "sleep mode" field may be added to the sensing recovery information field (refer to IEEE 802.11 bf draft 2.0 specification). Figure 9-11 37b).

[0172] SBP Session

[0173] In some embodiments, the SBP request frame may be used for an SBP session. It may be sent by an SBP initiator and acknowledged by an SBP responder. The SBP responder may implicitly identify the correct SBP session by utilizing the AID / USID of the SBP initiator, or explicitly identify the correct SBP session by adding additional information to support session identification, such as by adding a measurement session ID indication field (which may be renamed as a measurement session management field or a similar name to indicate extended functionality, as described above). To indicate "sleep mode", a specific "sleep mode" field (e.g., 1 bit or 2 bits) may be added, such as Fig.10 and Fig.11 exemplified in . like Fig.10As illustrated, the "sleep mode" indication may be added as an SBP request frame action field 1002 (reference IEEE 802.11 bf Draft 2.0 specification). Figure 9-11 37j). The sleep mode indication field format is illustrated in 1104 (for the sleep mode indication added in 1102). Fig.11 As illustrated, the measurement session ID indication field 1104 (refer to IEEE 802.11 bf draft 2.0 specification) may be used. Figure 9-11 37c), which is itself added to the SBP request frame action field 1102 (reference IEEE 802.11 bf draft 2.0 specification). Figure 9-11 37j).

[0174] Additional options: Use of other frames

[0175] In addition to the frames discussed above, any other sensing / SBP action or management frame may be used to introduce a "sleep mode" where the modifications to these frames are similar to the changes as described above. For example, frames that may be used include, but are not limited to, a sensing measurement / SBP termination frame, a sensing query frame, a sensing measurement / SBP response frame, or a sensing measurement / SBP report frame. The following is a list of potential fields that may be used in various frames to introduce a "sleep mode" similar to that described above for TB / non-TB sensing sessions and SBP sessions. In Figures 12 to 15 The corresponding examples are shown in .

[0176] · Sensing measurement termination frame ( Fig.12 1202, refer to IEEE 802.11 bf draft 2.0 specification Figure 9-11 37g): The "sleep mode" indication may be part of the measurement session ID indication field or the measurement session termination control field and may include two bits. The measurement session termination control field format is shown in 1204 (reference IEEE 802.11 bf Draft 2.0 specification). Figure 9-11 37h), where the sleep mode is included / defined in the reserved part.

[0177] ·SBP termination frame ( Fig.13 1302 in the IEEE 802.11 bf draft 2.0 specification Figure 9-11 37i): The "sleep mode" indication may be part of the measurement session ID indication field or the SBP termination control field and may include two bits. The SBP termination control field format is shown in 1304 (refer to IEEE 802.11 bf Draft 2.0 specification Figure 9-11 37m), where the sleep mode is included / defined in the reserved part.

[0178] · Sensing measurement response frame (in Fig.14 In the IEEE 802.11 bf draft 2.0 specification, Figure 9-11 37d): The "sleep mode" indication may be part of the measurement session ID indication field, the rejection duration indication field, or as a new status code.

[0179] SBP response frame (in Fig.15 In the reference IEEE 802.11 bf draft 2.0 Figure 9-11 37k specification): The "sleep mode" indication can be part of the measurement session ID indication field, or as a new status code.

[0180] • Sensing Measurement Query Frame, SBP Report Frame, Sensing Measurement Report Frame: may require significant modifications (including any of the mentioned / modified fields).

[0181] New Action Frame

[0182] In some embodiments, for the purpose of sensing session management, a new action frame may be defined, e.g., a sensing session control frame / SBP session control frame. The new action frame may contain sufficient information to identify the corresponding sensing / SBP session, e.g., by including a modified measurement session ID indication field with a sleep mode bit.

[0183] exist Fig.16 Examples of the proposed sensing session control frame 1602 and the proposed SBP session control frame 1604 are provided in . For both cases, the measurement session ID indication field format is illustrated in 1606, including the sleep mode indication / field (1 bit or 2 bits).

[0184] Alternatively, if Fig.17 As shown, in addition to the measurement session ID indication field, a separate field for session control may also be included, wherein the session control field includes a sleep mode indication. Therefore, the proposed sensing session control frame 1702 and the proposed SBP session control frame 1704 may also include a session control field (1 octet) at the end. For both cases, the session control field format is illustrated in 1706, including a sleep mode indication / field (1 bit or 2 bits).

[0185] Fig.18 -Communication flow for basic SBP process

[0186] Fig.18 is a communication flow diagram illustrating a method for performing a basic proxy sensing (SBP) process according to some embodiments. Fig.18 Aspects of the method may be performed by a wireless device (such as, Figure 1 3 and described with respect to these figures) to implement, or more generally, can be implemented in conjunction with any of the computer circuit systems, systems, devices, elements or components shown in the figures as needed. For example, the processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device can be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the illustrated method elements and / or other method elements.

[0187] Note that although the present invention is described in a manner that relates to the use of communication techniques and / or features associated with IEEE 802.11 specification documents, Fig.18 but this description is not intended to limit the present disclosure, and Fig.18 Aspects of the method may be used in any suitable wireless communication system as desired.

[0188] In various embodiments, some of the elements of the method shown may be performed simultaneously in an order different from the order shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as required. As shown, the method may be performed as follows.

[0189] At least two wireless devices (which may also be referred to herein as "wireless stations," "stations," or "STAs") may establish a wireless association. According to various embodiments, the wireless association may be established using Wi-Fi, wireless communication technologies based at least in part on Wi-Fi, and / or any of various other wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, an access point (AP) wireless device may provide a beacon transmission that includes information for associating with an AP wireless device, and one or more other wireless devices (e.g., non-AP wireless devices) may request to associate with the AP wireless device using the information provided in the beacon transmission. Variations and / or other techniques for establishing an association are also possible.

[0190] At 1802, a non-AP wireless station sends a request to an AP to perform a wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing operation using a basic proxy sensing (SBP) procedure. In the basic SBP procedure, the AP may obtain sensing measurements on a channel between the AP and one or more non-AP STAs on behalf of the non-AP STA requesting the SBP procedure. In some embodiments, the requesting non-AP STA may also participate in the SBP procedure as a sensing responder to expand the sensing area.

[0191] In various embodiments, the basic SBP process may be driven by an SBP responder (e.g., an AP that is responding to an SBP request) or an SBP initiator (e.g., a non-AP STA that requests an SBP process). The sensing features associated with the SBP process may be determined by the SBP responder for the SBP process driven by the SBP responder, and the sensing features associated with the SBP process may be determined by the SBP initiator for the SBP process driven by the SBP initiator.

[0192] In some embodiments, for the SBP process driven by the SBP responder, the SBP session is requested using parameters including the number of responders and the maximum sensing bandwidth. In some embodiments, for the SBP process driven by the SBP responder, the refresh rate of the SBP process can be indicated in the availability window element of the SBP request, and the refresh rate can be limited to a pre-configured refresh rate range. In some embodiments, the sensing bandwidth can be limited within a pre-configured range and can be indicated in the SBP request in the same manner. In some embodiments, limiting the maximum allowed refresh rate and / or sensing bandwidth can limit the reporting overhead caused by the AP during the SBP process, and the restrictions for these parameters can be determined based on the technical capabilities of the AP.

[0193] In some embodiments, in the case of an SBP initiator driven SBP process, a suitable sensing responder is identified and indicated before the sensing request is received by the appropriate sensing responder.

[0194] In some embodiments, the SBP type of the SBP process is indicated by a bit field. The bit field may indicate whether the SBP process is a standard SBP, an SBP responder driven SBP process, or an SBP initiator driven SBP process.

[0195] In some embodiments, the AP may send a message to one or more non-AP STAs to request them to participate in the SBP process as reporting STAs. The request may include one or more parameters for the SBP process indicated by the SBP requester (for the SBP initiator-driven SBP process) or the SBP responder (for the SBP responder-driven process). In some embodiments, if one or more of the non-AP STAs reject the SBP request, the AP may respond to the SBP initiator and reject (NACK) the SBP request.

[0196] In response to receiving the request, the AP sends an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) message to the non-AP wireless station at 1804. The AP may send a positive ACK message if all participating non-AP STAs indicate that they are able to participate in the SBP process, and may send a NACK message when one of the participating non-AP STAs and / or the AP is unable to participate.

[0197] The AP performs WLAN sensing operations to determine SBP results at 1806. WLAN sensing operations may involve participating non-AP STAs (also referred to as SBP responders) performing sensing measurements to obtain information about their surroundings and providing that information (ie, SBP results) to the AP.

[0198] In some embodiments, the AP may suspend WLAN sensing operations to enter sleep mode. During sleep mode, no sensing frame exchange occurs between participating nodes. During sleep mode, the WLAN sensing session may not expire and may not be terminated. In response to a request received from a non-AP STA, the AP may suspend sensing operations and enter sleep mode.

[0199] In some embodiments, during sleep mode, the AP may receive from a non-AP wireless station a second request to perform a second WLAN sensing operation using a basic SBP process. The first WLAN sensing operation may utilize a first periodicity different from the second periodicity of the second WLAN sensing operation. As used herein, the "periodicity" of the SBP process refers to the time period between subsequent sensing measurements in the WLAN sensing operation. For example, for an SBP process with a first periodicity P1, the SBP responder will periodically perform sensing measurements with a period P1. In response to receiving the second request, the AP may perform a second WLAN sensing operation according to the second periodicity to generate a second SBP result. Advantageously, pausing the first WLAN sensing operation and performing the second WLAN sensing operation with a different periodicity may provide a non-AP STA with an efficient, low-overhead method for modifying the periodicity of WLAN sensing without spending overhead to stop the first sensing operation and restart a new sensing operation with a different periodicity. In contrast, a non-APSTA may alternately suspend and resume WLAN sensing operations with different periodicities depending on its current sensing requirements, and may modify the periodicity using a single "suspend" and "resume" message (e.g., without exchanging request and ACK messages to start a new sensing operation and without consuming overhead to negotiate parameters for a new SBP process).

[0200] In some embodiments, the AP may exit sleep mode to resume WLAN sensing operations. This may be performed after a specific duration, which may be preconfigured or alternatively may be indicated by the non-AP STA in a suspend request. Alternatively, the AP may exit sleep mode in response to an explicit resume request received from a non-AP STA.

[0201] In various embodiments, a request to pause and / or resume a sleep mode for a specific SBP process may be sent in a sensing measurement request frame, an SBP request frame, a sensing measurement termination frame, an SBP termination frame, a sensing measurement response frame and an SBP response frame, a sensing measurement query frame, an SBP report frame, a sensing measurement report frame and / or a new dedicated message frame, as well as other possibilities. In some embodiments, after the SBP process is paused, receiving any subsequent message from the SBP initiator may cause the SBP responder to resume the SBP process. In some embodiments, the SBP process may be paused and resumed using two-bit indications. For example, the first bit may be used to indicate that the purpose of the message is to set a sleep state, and the second bit may be used to indicate whether the state should be sleep (pause) or active (restore).

[0202] At 1808, the AP sends the SBP results to the wireless station. The SBP results may include sensing measurements describing aspects of the environment surrounding the AP and responding non-AP STAs, and may provide information for detecting and tracking aspects and changes in the environment.

[0203] Various implementation plans

[0204] It should be noted that in various different options disclosed herein, an additional "Sleep Mode" field is added to the Measurement Session ID Indication field. However, this represents only one approach, and in different approaches, a new "Sleep Mode Indication" field may be added along with the Measurement Session ID field containing the "Sleep Mode" field. It should also be noted that in the event that the Measurement Session ID Indication field is modified, it may be beneficial to rename the field to the "Measurement Session Management" field or a similar indicative name. In general, all proposed names used herein are exemplary and may be replaced with other terms as desired.

[0205] The following paragraphs describe additional embodiments.

[0206] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a processor configured to cause the wireless station to perform WLAN sensing operations including a WLAN sensing session, suspend the WLAN sensing operations during a sleep mode, and resume the WLAN sensing operations upon exiting the sleep mode. In some embodiments, during the sleep mode, no sensing frame exchange occurs between participating nodes, and the WLAN sensing session does not expire and is not terminated.

[0207] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0208] Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, in some embodiments, the present invention may be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs may be used to implement the present invention. In other embodiments, one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs may be used to implement the present invention.

[0209] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory storage element) may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system is caused to perform a method, such as any method implementation of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementation of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0210] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium (or a memory element), wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute these program instructions from the memory medium, wherein these program instructions are executable to implement any method implementation in the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementation in the method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.

[0211] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to include all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A device, comprising: A processor, the processor being configured to: Enable the wireless station to perform a wireless local area network WLAN sensing operation using an SBP process driven by a basic proxy sensing SBP responder or an SBP initiator; Wherein the sensed characteristics associated with the SBP process are determined by the SBP responder for an SBP responder-driven SBP process, and wherein the sensed characteristics associated with the SBP process are determined by the SBP initiator for an SBP initiator-driven SBP process. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein for the SBP responder-driven SBP process, the processor sends an SBP request to the wireless station, the request having parameters including the number of responders and a maximum sensing bandwidth.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a maximum refresh rate indicated in the availability window element is limited. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the maximum sensing bandwidth is limited.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein for the SBP process driven by the SBP initiator, the processor is further configured to: determining one or more sensing responders before causing the wireless station to perform the WLAN sensing operation; and Wherein the wireless station is one of the determined one or more sensing responders, and wherein causing the wireless station to perform the WLAN sensing operation includes sending an SBP request to the wireless station.

6. The device according to claim 1, The processor is further configured to: suspending the WLAN sensing operation to enter a sleep mode, wherein during the sleep mode, no sensing frame exchange occurs between participating nodes; and The sleep mode is exited to resume the WLAN sensing operation.

7. The device according to claim 6, Wherein during the sleep mode, the WLAN sensing session does not expire and is not terminated.

8. The device according to claim 1, The SBP type of the SBP process is indicated by a bit field, wherein the bit field indicates whether the SBP process includes: Standard SBP; The SBP responder drives the SBP process; or The SBP initiator drives the SBP process.

9. A wireless access point AP, comprising: Radio components; a processor operatively coupled to the radio and configured to: receiving a request from a wireless station to perform a wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing operation using an SBP process driven by a basic proxy sensing SBP responder or an SBP initiator, wherein a sensing feature associated with the SBP process is determined by the SBP responder for the SBP responder-driven SBP process, and wherein the sensing feature associated with the SBP process is determined by the SBP initiator for the SBP initiator-driven SBP process; in response to receiving the request, sending a confirmation message to the wireless station; as well as performing the WLAN sensing operation to determine an SBP result; as well as The SBP result is sent to the wireless station. 10 . The wireless AP of claim 9 , wherein for the SBP responder-driven SBP process, an SBP session is requested using parameters including the number of responders and a maximum bandwidth.

11. The wireless AP of claim 10, wherein a maximum refresh rate indicated in the availability window element is limited. The wireless AP according to claim 10 , wherein a maximum sensing bandwidth is limited.

13. The wireless AP according to claim 9, wherein for the SBP initiator-driven SBP process, the sensing responder is identified and indicated before a suitable sensing responder receives a sensing request.

14. The wireless AP according to claim 9, The processor is further configured to: suspending the WLAN sensing operation to enter a sleep mode, wherein during the sleep mode, no sensing frame exchange occurs between participating nodes; and The sleep mode is exited to resume the WLAN sensing operation.

15. The wireless AP according to claim 14, Wherein during the sleep mode, the WLAN sensing session does not expire and is not terminated.

16. The wireless AP according to claim 14, During the sleep mode: receiving, from the wireless station, a second request to perform a second WLAN sensing operation using the basic SBP procedure, wherein the first WLAN sensing operation utilizes a first periodicity different from a second periodicity of the second WLAN sensing operation; and The second WLAN sensing operation is performed according to the second periodicity to generate a second SBP result.

17. The wireless AP according to claim 9, The SBP type of the SBP process is indicated by a bit field, wherein the bit field indicates whether the SBP process includes: Standard SBP; The SBP responder drives the SBP process; or The SBP initiator drives the SBP process.

18. A method comprising: By wireless station: Sending a proxy sensing SBP request message to a wireless access point AP to request the wireless AP to perform a wireless local area network WLAN sensing operation using a basic SBP process driven by an SBP responder or an SBP initiator, wherein a sensing feature associated with the SBP process is determined by the SBP responder for the SBP process driven by the SBP responder, and wherein the sensing feature associated with the SBP process is determined by the SBP initiator for the SBP process driven by the SBP initiator; receiving a confirmation message from the wireless AP, the confirmation message indicating whether the wireless AP will perform the basic SBP process; as well as An SBP result indicative of a sensing measurement result of the WLAN sensing operation is received from the wireless AP.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: Sending a pause request to the wireless AP to pause the WLAN sensing operation; After sending the pause request, sending a second SBP request message to the wireless AP to request the wireless AP to resume the second WLAN sensing operation; receiving, from the wireless AP, a second SBP result indicating a second sensing measurement result of the second WLAN sensing operation; as well as After receiving the second sensing measurement result, sending an instruction to the wireless AP to resume the WLAN sensing operation.

20. The method according to claim 19, Wherein the WLAN sensing operation utilizes a different periodicity than the second WLAN sensing operation.

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