Reporting mechanism for wireless communication

Abstract

A reporting mechanism for wireless communication. This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer readable medium, for reporting Quality of Service (QoS) feedback information. A method of wireless communication at an apparatus may include selecting one or more control fields from a variable number of control fields for inclusion in a frame, each control field including a control identifier field and a control information field. The control identifier field may include an indicator indicating that the type of information for communication is QoS feedback information. The control information field may include one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information. The method may further include generating a frame including the selected number of control fields, and outputting the frame for transmission.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of a patent application with an international application date of September 4, 2020, an international application number of PCT / US2020 / 049423, a Chinese application number of 202080061335.8, and an invention name of “Reporting Mechanism for Wireless Communication”.

[0002] Priority claim

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 17 / 011,299, filed on September 3, 2020, entitled “REPORTING MECHANISMS FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 896,766, filed on September 6, 2019, entitled “REPORTING MECHANISMS FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS,” the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and, more particularly, to a reporting mechanism for wireless communications in a wireless local area network (WLAN). background

[0006] A wireless local area network (WLAN) may be formed by two or more WLAN devices (which may be referred to as stations (STAs)) that share a wireless communication medium using a common service setting. One or more of the WLAN devices (which may be referred to as access points (APs)) may establish a common service setting. An AP is a STA that performs a distributed system access function in a WLAN. The basic building block of a WLAN that complies with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards is a basic service set (BSS) managed by an AP. Each BSS is identified by a service set identifier (SSID) announced by an AP. The AP periodically broadcasts beacon frames to enable other STAs within the wireless range of the AP to establish or maintain a communication link with the WLAN. The AP and the STA may exchange various types of frames (such as management frames, control frames, and data frames).

[0007] Overview

[0008] The systems, methods, and devices of the disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.

[0009] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented as a method for wireless communication at an apparatus. The method may include: selecting one or more control fields from a variable number of control fields for inclusion in a frame, each control field including a control identifier field and a control information field. The control identifier field may include an indicator indicating that the type of information used for communication is QoS feedback information. The control information field may include one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information. The method may further include generating a frame including the selected number of control fields, and outputting the frame for transmission.

[0010] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented as a method of wireless communication at an apparatus. The method may include obtaining a frame from a first wireless node, the frame including one or more control fields, each control field including a control identifier field and a control information field, the control identifier field including an indicator indicating that the type of information for communication is QoS feedback information, the control information field including one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information. The method may further include adjusting a schedule for transmission based on the QoS feedback information.

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented as a method for wireless communication at an apparatus. The method may include generating a BA frame including a BA information field, the BA information field including one or more per-AID TID information fields, the one or more per-AID TID information fields including an indicator indicating the presence of QoS feedback information, the BA information field further including one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information. The method may further include outputting the BA frame for transmission.

[0012] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented as a method of wireless communication at an apparatus. The method may include obtaining a BA frame including a BA information field from a first wireless node, the BA information field including one or more per-AID TID information fields, the one or more per-AID TID information fields including an indicator indicating the presence of QoS feedback information, the BA information field further including one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information. The method may further include adjusting a schedule for transmission based on the QoS feedback information.

[0013]

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a method of wireless communications at an apparatus.

[0014] The method may include obtaining a first frame including a request for QoS feedback information. The method may further include generating a second frame in response to obtaining the first frame, the second frame including a report including the QoS feedback information. The method may further include outputting the second frame for transmission.

[0015] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented as a method of wireless communication at an apparatus. The method may include generating a first frame including a request for QoS feedback information. The method may further include outputting the first frame for transmission. The method may further include obtaining a second frame from a first wireless node in response to outputting the first frame, the second frame including a report including the QoS feedback information. The method may further include adjusting a schedule for transmission based on the QoS feedback information.

[0016] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in the present disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. It should be noted that the relative sizes of the following drawings may not be drawn to scale. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network supporting a reporting mechanism in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0019] Figure 2

[0013] Examples of various components that may be utilized in a wireless node supporting a reporting mechanism in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0020] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example PPDU frame that may be used to report quality of service (QoS) feedback information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating example control fields that may be used to include QoS feedback information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 5 is a chart illustrating example values ​​for a Control ID field in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example block acknowledgment (BA) frame that may be used to report QoS feedback information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 7 is a chart illustrating example values ​​for the TID per AID information field in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 8An example of a process flow that supports communication of QoS feedback information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0026] Fig. 9 A flow chart illustrating an example method of supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Fig.10 A flow chart illustrating an example method of supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Fig.11 A flow chart illustrating an example method supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] Fig.12 A flow chart illustrating an example method of supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0030] Fig.13 A flow chart illustrating an example method supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0031] Fig.14 A flow chart illustrating an example method supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0032] Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. Detailed Description

[0034] The described features generally relate to reporting mechanisms for wireless communications, such as mechanisms for low latency stations (STAs) to report quality of service (QoS) metrics. STAs, including APs, may generate frames that include an indication of at least one low latency parameter or QoS metric. STAs may transmit these frames to other STAs and APs, which may then adjust their schedulers and scheduled transmissions based on the low latency parameter(s) or QoS metric(s) indicated in these frames. By doing so, receiving STAs and APs may meet the low latency or QoS requirements of transmitting STAs and APs.

[0035] Low latency parameters or QoS metrics can include, but are not limited to, low latency metrics, timing metrics, buffer metrics, end-to-end latency, delay, jitter, packet loss, user-experienced data rate, target transmission time, target reception time, periodicity of packet arrival times, buffer cell aging timer, buffer overflow flag, buffer increase rate, etc. The low latency parameters or QoS metrics can be included in the MAC header of a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (MPDU), in a Block Ack (BA) frame, and / or in a response to a QoS feedback request. Such mechanisms can be used not only as part of the initial negotiation between STAs or between an STA and an AP, but also to enable flexible, dynamic, and proactive reporting of low latency parameters or QoS metrics on a per-MPDU basis. By doing so, STAs and APs can obtain an up-to-date snapshot of the internal queues of other STAs or APs in order to better manage time-sensitive traffic.

[0036] The following description is directed to certain implementations to describe innovative aspects of the present disclosure. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. The examples in the present disclosure are based on Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communication according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless standard. However, the described implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to one or more of the following: the IEEE 802.11 standard, (Bluetooth) standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Revision A, EV-DO Revision B, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolution High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), AMPS, or other known signals for communicating within a wireless network, a cellular network, or an Internet of Things (IoT) network (such as a system utilizing 3G, 4G, 5G, or 6G or further implemented technologies).

[0037] A wireless local area network (WLAN) in a home, apartment, enterprise, or other area may include one or more WLAN devices. Each WLAN device may have a station (STA) interface, which is an addressable entity that shares a wireless communication medium with other STAs. An access point (AP) is a WLAN device that includes a STA interface and a distribution system access function. For the simplicity of the present disclosure, a WLAN device may be referred to as a STA, regardless of whether the WLAN device is an AP or a non-AP STA. A wireless node or wireless device may refer to a WLAN device (AP or non-AP STA), or may refer to a wireless chipset of a WLAN device that manages and implements wireless communication. A first WLAN device (acting as a sender STA) may communicate data to a second WLAN device (acting as a receiver STA) via a wireless channel. For example, a first WLAN device may transmit a physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to a second WLAN device. A PPDU may include one or more PLCP service data units (PSDUs). A PSDU is a MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) that has been provided from a media access control (MAC) layer to a PHY layer to form a PPDU. In some aspects of the present disclosure, a PPDU may also be referred to as a frame, and a PSDU and an MPDU may also be referred to as a packet.

[0038] The AP and STA may function and communicate in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, such as those defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its revisions, including, but not limited to, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ah, 802.11aq, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11az, 802.11ba, 802.11ax, and 802.11be. The IEEE standards body working on the IEEE 802.11be protocol, which may also be referred to as an Extremely High Throughput (EHT) protocol, is planning to improve the management of low-latency WLAN communications in both managed networks, such as enterprise and industrial networks, and unmanaged networks, such as home networks. Many emerging real-time applications, such as virtual reality (VR) applications, augmented reality (AR) applications, and mobile games, have low latency and delay jitter requirements for optimal performance and user experience.

[0039] Figure 1An example wireless communication network 100 supporting a reporting mechanism according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. According to some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a 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 family of standards defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its amendments (such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ah, 802.11aq, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11az, 802.11ba, 802.11ax, 802.11be, etc.). The WLAN 100 may include a number of wireless communication devices, such as an AP 105 having a wireless association with the AP 105 and a plurality of STAs 104. The IEEE 802.11-2016 specification defines a STA as an addressable unit. An AP is an entity that contains at least one STA and provides access to a distribution service (such as another network 130) for associated STAs via a wireless medium (WM). Therefore, an AP includes a STA and a distribution system access function (DSAF). Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , the AP 105 may be connected to a gateway device (not shown) that provides connectivity to another network 140. The DSAF of the AP 105 may provide access between the STA 115 and the other network 140. Although the AP 105 is described as an access point using an infrastructure mode, in some implementations, the AP 105 may be a traditional STA operating as an AP. For example, the AP 105 may be a STA capable of operating in a peer-to-peer mode or an independent mode. In some other examples, the AP 105 may be a software AP (SAP) operating on a computer system.

[0040] Each STA 115 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, etc. The STA 104 may represent a variety of devices, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, netbook computers, tablet computers, laptops, display devices (e.g., TVs, computer monitors, navigation systems, etc.), wearable devices, music or other audio or stereo equipment, remote control devices (“remote controls”), printers, kitchen or other home appliances, key fobs (e.g., for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems), etc.

[0041] The AP 105 and associated STAs 115 may be referred to as a BSS, which is managed by the AP 105. A BSS refers to a STA (such as an AP) that has established service settings and one or more STAs that have successfully synchronized service settings. Alternatively, a BSS may describe a set of STAs that have synchronized matching mesh service profiles. Figure 1 In the example architecture of 100, the BSS may be identified by a service set identifier (SSID) announced by the AP 105. The AP 105 may periodically broadcast a beacon frame ("beacon") to enable any STA 104 within the wireless range of the AP 105 to establish or maintain a corresponding communication link 110 (also referred to as a "Wi-Fi link" or "wireless link") with the AP. "Non-associated STAs" (not shown) may not be considered part of the BSS because they do not have a wireless session established at the AP 105. Various STAs 115 in the WLAN 100 may be able to communicate with external networks and each other via the AP 105 and the corresponding communication links 110.

[0042] To establish a communication link 110 with an AP 105, each STA 115 is configured to perform passive or active scanning operations ("scans") on frequency 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 listens to beacons transmitted by the corresponding AP 102 at periodic time intervals (referred to as target beacon transmission times (TBTTs) measured in time units (TUs), where one TU is equal to 1024 microseconds (μs)). To perform an active scan, the STA 115 generates probe requests and sequentially transmits these probe requests on each channel to be scanned, and listens for probe responses from the AP 105. Each STA 115 may be configured to identify or select an AP 105 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 with the selected AP 105.

[0043] Figure 1 Additionally shown is an example coverage area 120 of the AP 105, which may represent a basic service area (BSA) of the WLAN 100. Figure 1 105 is shown, WLAN 100 may include multiple APs. Figure 1105, but STA 115 may be located at the intersection of more than one coverage area 120 and may be associated with more than one AP 105. A single AP 105 and an associated group of STA 115, or multiple APs 105 and an associated group of STA 115 may be referred to as a basic service set (BSS). As wireless networks become more and more common, STA 115 may have the opportunity to select one of many BSSs within the range of the STA 115 or to select among multiple APs 102 that together form an extended service set (ESS) (including multiple connected BSSs). An ESS is a collection of connected BSSs. An extended network station associated with WLAN 100 may be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system (not shown). A distribution system may allow multiple APs to be connected in such an ESS. In this way, STA 115 may be covered by more than one AP 105 and may be associated with different APs at different times for different transmissions.

[0044] In some cases, the coverage area 120 of the AP 105 may be divided into sectors (not shown). The WLAN 100 may include APs 105 of different types (e.g., urban areas, home networks, etc.) with different and overlapping coverage areas 120. Two or more STAs 115 may also communicate directly via a direct wireless link 125, regardless of whether the two STAs 115 are in the same coverage area 120. Examples of direct wireless links 125 may include Wi-Fi direct connections, Wi-Fi tunneling direct link setup (TDLS) links, and other group connections. For example, a peer-to-peer connection or an adhoc network may be implemented within the WLAN 100.

[0045] The AP 105 and the STA 115 may function and communicate (via corresponding communication links 110 and 125) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 family of standards (such as those defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its revisions, including but not limited to 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ah, 802.11aq, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11az, 802.11ba, 802.11ax, 802.11be, etc.). These standards define WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the PHY and MAC layers. The AP 105 and the STA 115 transmit and receive frames to and from each other in the form of PPDUs (which may also be referred to as transmissions, communications, or wireless communications). Each PPDU is a composite frame including a PLCP preamble and header (which may also be referred to as a PHY preamble and header) and one or more PSDUs each including a MAC header (which may be derived from the MPDU in the MAC layer).

[0046] The AP 105 and STA 115 in the WLAN 100 can transmit 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 105 and STA 115 described herein can also communicate in other frequency bands, such as the 6 GHz band, that can support both licensed and unlicensed communications. The AP 105 and STA 115 can also be configured to communicate on other frequency bands, such as shared licensed frequency bands, where multiple operators may have licenses to operate in one or more of the same or overlapping frequency bands.

[0047] Each frequency band may include multiple sub-bands or frequency channels. For example, PPDUs that comply with IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and 802.11be (which may also be referred to as extremely high throughput (EHT)) standard revisions may be transmitted on 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands, each of which is divided into multiple 20 MHz channels. In this way, these PPDUs may be transmitted on a physical channel with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz. But larger channels may be formed by channel bonding. For example, PPDUs that comply with IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and 802.11be standard revisions may be transmitted on a physical channel with a bandwidth of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz by bonding two or more 20 MHz channels together. For example, IEEE 802.11n describes the use of up to 2 channels (for a combined 40 MHz bandwidth) and defines a high throughput (HT) transmission format. IEEE 802.11ac describes the use of up to 8 channels (for a maximum combined 160 MHz bandwidth) and defines a very high throughput (VHT) transmission format. IEEE 802.11ax also supports up to a combined 160 MHz bandwidth (which can be a combination of 8 channels each with a width of 20 MHz). IEEE 802.11be can support up to a combined 320 MHz bandwidth (which is a combination of 16 channels each with a width of 20 MHz).

[0048] Figure 2 Examples of various components that may be utilized in a wireless node or wireless device 200 that supports a reporting mechanism according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. In some examples, the wireless device 200 may implement aspects of the wireless communication network 100. The wireless device 200 is an example of a device that may be configured to implement the various methods described herein. The wireless device 200 may implement the AP 105 and / or the STA 115.

[0049] The wireless device 200 may include a processor 205 that controls the operation of the wireless device 200. The processor 205 may also be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU). The memory 210, which may include both read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM), provides instructions and data to the processor 205. A portion of the memory 210 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). The processor 205 may perform logical and arithmetic operations based on program instructions stored in the memory 210. The instructions in the memory 210 may be executed to implement the methods described herein.

[0050] Processor 205 may include or be a component of a processing system implemented with one or more processors. The one or more processors may be implemented with any combination of general purpose microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware components, dedicated hardware finite state machines, or any other suitable entity capable of performing calculations or other manipulations on information.

[0051] The processing system may also include a machine-readable medium for storing software. Software should be broadly interpreted to mean any type of instructions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Instructions may include code (e.g., in source code format, binary code format, executable code format, or any other suitable code format). These instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the processing system to perform the various functions described herein.

[0052] The wireless device 200 may also include a housing 215, which may include a transmitter 220 and a receiver 225 to allow transmission and reception of data between the wireless device 200 and a remote node. The transmitter 220 and the receiver 225 may be combined into a transceiver 230. A single or multiple transceiver antennas 235 may be attached to the housing 215 and electrically coupled to the transceiver 230. The wireless device 200 may also include (not shown) multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, and multiple transceivers.

[0053] The wireless device 200 may also include a signal detector 240, which may be used in an effort to detect and quantify the signal level received by the transceiver 230. The signal detector 240 may detect signals such as total energy, energy per symbol per subcarrier, power spectral density, and other signals. The wireless device 200 may also include a digital signal processor (DSP) 245 for processing signals.

[0054] The various components of the wireless device 200 may be coupled together by a bus system 250, which may include a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus in addition to a data bus.

[0055] although Figure 2 Although several separate components are illustrated in FIG. 2 , those skilled in the art will recognize that one or more of these components may be combined or implemented together. For example, processor 205 may be used to implement not only the functionality described above with respect to processor 205, but also the functionality described above with respect to signal detector 240 and / or DSP 245. In addition, Figure 2 Each component described in the embodiment may be implemented using multiple separate components. Figure 2 Additional components not illustrated in the figure may be included in the wireless device 200. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that Figure 2 One or more components illustrated in FIG. 200 may not be included in the wireless device 200 .

[0056] Certain aspects of the present disclosure support transmission and reception of uplink (UL) signals, downlink (DL) signals, or peer link signals between one or more STAs and / or APs (such as between a STA and an AP, between an AP and a STA, between a STA and another STA, and / or between an AP and another AP). In some examples, these signals may be transmitted in a multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) system. Alternatively, these signals may be transmitted in a multi-user orthogonal frequency division multiple access (MU-FDMA) or other FDMA systems. In some aspects, these signals may be transmitted using one or more of a transmitter 220 or a transceiver 230. The wireless device 200 may include an AP 105 and / or a STA 115, and may be used to transmit and / or receive communications. That is, the AP 105 and / or the STA 115 may be used as a transmitting device and / or a receiving device.

[0057] In some aspects, metrics for low latency and time-sensitive traffic may be exchanged between STAs and / or APs using 802.11 protocols to achieve traffic coordination to meet low latency quality of service (QoS) requirements of STAs and / or APs. For example, STAs and / or APs may exchange QoS feedback information (including low latency metrics) on a per-MPDU or per-packet basis. In addition or in lieu of providing QoS metrics during negotiation, STAs and / or APs may provide QoS feedback information in a flexible and dynamic reporting mechanism to provide up-to-date information of internal data buffer queues of STAs and / or APs. By including QoS feedback information on a per-packet basis, any changes in such parameters may be frequently reported to receiving STA(s) and / or AP(s) to dynamically manage their traffic in an efficient manner and meet low latency QoS requirements. As used herein, a transmitting STA or AP may refer to a STA or AP that transmits QoS feedback information, and a receiving STA or AP may refer to a STA or AP that receives QoS feedback information.

[0058] According to some aspects, QoS feedback information may include various types of QoS metrics (such as low latency metrics, timing metrics, buffer metrics, etc.). For example, low latency metrics may include delay, delay jitter, end-to-end latency, packet loss rate, data rate, and any factors that contribute to latency. Delay may be 802.11 link transmission delay, non-802.11 link transmission delay, signal processing delay, delay caused by synchronization, etc. Delay jitter may reflect the fluctuation of latency over time and may be calculated as the standard deviation during a period of time. Delay jitter may be evaluated by the time difference between two adjacent ping values ​​(such as in games or other real-time mobile applications). End-to-end latency may be the system-level round-trip time between devices in a feedback loop system involving an 802.11 link that transmits data between devices. Packet loss may be an MSDU delivery failure observed at the MAC-SAP of a STA. Packet loss may not include frame errors recovered by MAC layer retransmission. The data rate may be the data rate experienced by the user or the minimum data rate required to achieve a sufficient quality experience.

[0059] For example, the timing metrics may include target transmission time (uplink and / or downlink), target reception time (uplink and / or downlink), periodicity of packet inter-arrival time, and any factors contributing to the timing for scheduling uplink and / or downlink transmission / reception. For example, the buffer metrics may include a buffer unit aging timer, a buffer overflow flag, a buffer increase rate, and any buffer unit related metrics. For the receiving STA and / or AP, it would be beneficial to receive an indication of the amount of data buffered at the transmitting STA and / or AP, the age of the data, or how long the data has been in the queue, the capacity of the buffer unit, and / or the rate at which the buffer unit is filled. The data remaining in the queue may eventually time out and be discarded if it exceeds a predetermined threshold, and a buffer overflow may occur when the incoming data rate is greater than the outgoing data rate. By receiving latency, timing, and buffer metrics, the receiving STA(s) and / or AP(s) can adjust their schedulers to achieve efficient data communication. Other metrics other than those listed above may be included in the QoS feedback information.

[0060] In some aspects, the transmitting STA and / or AP may measure or determine the actual value of each metric included in the QoS feedback information. In some aspects, the transmitting STA and / or AP may measure or determine the instantaneous value of each metric included in the QoS feedback information. In some aspects, the transmitting STA and / or AP may determine the average value for each metric included in the QoS feedback information. The average value may be an average value over multiple transmission opportunities, an average value over multiple beacon intervals, or any other value averaged over a time period for each QoS metric. A combination of instantaneous values ​​and average values ​​may also be used for QoS metrics in the QoS feedback information.

[0061] In some aspects, the transmitting STA and / or AP may provide limited QoS feedback information. For example, the limited QoS feedback information may include parameters indicating delay, scheduling, buffer overflow, packet loss, or a combination thereof, although other QoS metrics (e.g., the above-mentioned waiting time, timing, and buffer metrics) may also be used. The transmitting STA and / or AP may determine whether the actual value for each parameter reaches or exceeds the predetermined threshold for each parameter. The QoS feedback information may include one or more indicators indicating whether each actual value reaches or exceeds its associated predetermined threshold. For example, the one or more indicators may include a first indicator indicating whether the actual value for delay reaches or exceeds a predetermined delay threshold, a second indicator indicating whether the scheduling of the transmitting STA and / or AP is met, a third indicator indicating whether a buffer overflow event has occurred, a fourth indicator indicating whether the actual value for packet loss reaches or exceeds a predetermined packet loss threshold, or a combination thereof. Other indicators may be used for other parameters or QoS metrics. Each indicator may include a bit indicating whether a predetermined threshold has been reached, for example, a value of "0" may indicate that the predetermined threshold has not been reached, and a value of "1" may indicate that the predetermined threshold has been reached. However, other configurations for limited QoS feedback information may be used.

[0062] According to some aspects, the QoS feedback information may be included in a QoS feedback report. In some aspects, a bitmap may contain the QoS feedback information. The QoS feedback report and / or the bitmap may include an actual value or a restricted value for each QoS metric (as described above). According to some aspects, the type of QoS metric(s) to be included in the QoS feedback information (e.g., the above-mentioned waiting time, timing, and buffer metrics) may be negotiated and agreed upon between the STA and / or AP. The transmitting STA / AP or the receiving STA / AP may indicate one or more metric types for inclusion in the QoS feedback information before transmitting the QoS feedback information. Based on the indicated metric type for inclusion, the transmitting STA / AP may include values ​​only for the indicated metric type in the QoS feedback information.

[0063] In some aspects, a transmitting STA / AP or a receiving STA / AP may use a counter to represent a value for a QoS metric on a normalized scale. In other words, the transmitting STA / AP may normalize the value for inclusion in the QoS feedback information, or the receiving STA / AP may normalize the value of the received QoS feedback information based on a predetermined range standardized by the 802.11 protocol. Normalization of the value for the QoS feedback information adjusts the values ​​measured over different ranges from various transmitting STAs and / or APs to a common range to be determined by the 802.11 protocol. By doing so, the receiving STA and / or AP can accurately compare different QoS feedback information from various transmitting STAs and / or APs on a common scale.

[0064] According to some aspects, one or more reporting mechanisms may enable a transmitting STA / AP to signal low latency or time-sensitive traffic to a receiving STA / AP. The reporting mechanism may allow QoS feedback information to be shared from a STA to an AP, from an AP to a STA, from a STA to another STA, and / or from an AP to another AP. The QoS feedback information may be signaled within the exchanged frames and included in various containers (e.g., frames, elements, fields, etc.). The transmitting STA and / or AP may each generate a frame including QoS feedback information (including an indication of one or more QoS metrics). The transmitting STA and / or AP may transmit a frame to the receiving STA and / or AP. Based on the QoS feedback information from each transmitting STA and / or AP, the receiving STA and / or AP may then determine a transmission schedule or adjust the transmission schedule to accommodate the QoS requirements of each transmitting STA and / or AP, as indicated in the QoS feedback information.

[0065] For example, the receiving STA / AP may receive a first frame including QoS feedback information associated with the first STA / AP from the first STA / AP. The receiving STA / AP may also receive a second frame including QoS feedback information associated with the second STA / AP from the second STA / AP. The receiving STA / AP may compare the QoS feedback information from the first STA / AP with the QoS feedback information from the second STA / AP. Based on the comparison of the QoS feedback information received from the first STA / AP and the second STA / AP, the receiving STA / AP may adjust its scheduling for transmission so that transmission to the first STA / AP or reception from the first STA / AP is prioritized over transmission to the second STA / AP or reception from the second STA / AP. For example, the receiving STA / AP may use a transmission opportunity previously scheduled for the second STA / AP for transmission to the first STA / AP or reception from the first STA / AP. Alternatively, based on the comparison of the QoS feedback information, the receiving STA / AP may adjust its scheduling for transmission so that transmission to the second STA / AP or reception from the second STA / AP is prioritized over transmission to the first STA / AP or reception from the first STA / AP. Similarly, the receiving STA / AP may use the transmit opportunity previously scheduled for the first STA / AP for transmission to or reception from the second STA / AP.

[0066] Figure 3 3 is a diagram illustrating an example PPDU frame 300 that may be used to report QoS feedback information according to aspects of the present disclosure. The PPDU frame 300 may include a physical layer (PHY) header 305 and a PSDU 310. The PSDU 310 may include a MAC header 315, payload data 320, and a frame check sequence (FCS) field 325. The PSDU 310 may also be referred to as a payload portion of the PPDU frame 300. The PHY header 305 may be used to acquire an incoming OFDM signal to train and synchronize a demodulator, and may assist in demodulation and delivery of the payload portion or PSDU 310. The PSDU 310 is an MPDU that has been provided from the MAC layer to the PHY layer to form the PPDU frame 300. A transmitting STA and / or a transmitting AP may generate and transmit the PPDU frame 300.

[0067] According to some aspects, QoS feedback information may be included in the MAC header 315 of the MPDU. For example, QoS feedback information may be provided in the MAC header 315 on a per-MPDU or per-packet basis. In some aspects, QoS feedback information may be included in one or more control fields of the MAC header 315. For example, QoS feedback information may be included in the QoS control field (such as the QoS feedback control field) of the MAC header 315. In another example, QoS feedback information may be included in the high throughput (HT) control field of the MAC header 315. For example, QoS feedback information may be included in the HT control field, HE control field, EHT control field, HT variant control field, very high throughput (VHT) variant HT control field, high efficiency (HE) variant HT control field, EHT variant HT control field, etc. of the MAC header 315. For example, QoS feedback information may be included in the A-Control subfield of the HE variant HT control field. However, QoS feedback information may be included in other fields and / or other control fields of the MAC header 315.

[0068] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example control field 400 that can be used to include QoS feedback information according to aspects of the present disclosure. The control field 400 may be included in the MAC header 315 (in Figure 3 ). The control field 400 may be backward compatible because it is a flexible variant of an existing control field according to the 802.11 protocol, and may also be forward compatible because it can be extended for future modifications. The control field 400 may include a sequence of one or more control subfields 405 and padding 410. The number of control subfields 405 may be variable depending on the control information to be included in the control field 400. Below the control field 400 is an expanded view of an example format 415 of the control subfield 405. Each control subfield 405 may include a control identifier (ID) field 420 and a control information field 425. The control ID field 420 may include an indication of the content, type, and / or length of the information included in the control information field 425. For example, the control ID field 420 may include 4 bits or any position or any number of bits between 1 and 6 bits. The control field 400 may include a variable length depending on the number of control subfields 405 present and / or the type and / or amount of information included in the control information field 425 of each control subfield 405.

[0069] In some aspects, the control ID field 420 may include an indicator indicating that the type of information used for communication in the control information field 425 is QoS feedback information, and the control information field 425 may include one or more subfields containing QoS feedback information. Although shown and described as a control ID field 420 and a control information field 425, any ID field and any information field may be used to convey the same information. More specifically, an indicator indicating that the type of information used for communication is QoS feedback information may be included in any ID field, and one or more subfields containing QoS feedback information may be included in any information field.

[0070] Figure 5 is an illustration of the control ID field 420 ( Figure 4 ) and these values ​​indicate the example values ​​of the control information field 425 ( Figure 4 420 ). Column 505 illustrates various values ​​for the control ID field 420, column 510 illustrates various descriptions for the type of control information included in the control information field 425 associated with the various values ​​in the control ID field 420, column 515 illustrates various lengths of the control information field 425 in bits, and column 520 illustrates various contents of the control information field 425. However, more columns, fewer columns, and / or other configurations may be used to illustrate example values ​​for the control ID field 420 and what those values ​​indicate about the control information field 425.

[0071] For example, as illustrated in row 525, a value of "0" in the control ID field 420 may indicate that the control information field 425 contains triggered response scheduling (TRS) information for requesting a HE triggered-based (TB) PPDU (HETB); as illustrated in row 530, a value of "1" in the control ID field 420 may indicate that the control information field 425 contains information related to an operation mode (OM) change of the STA transmitting the frame containing the information; as illustrated in row 535, a value of "2" in the control ID field 420 may indicate that the control information field 425 contains information related to the HE link adaptation (HLA) procedure; as illustrated in row 540, a value of "3" in the control ID field 420 may indicate that the control information field 425 contains buffer status information for uplink (UL) MU operation; as illustrated in row 545, a value of "4" in the control ID field 420 may indicate that the control information field 425 contains UL power headroom (UPH) for power precorrection; as illustrated in row 550, a value of "5" in the control ID field 420 may indicate that the control information field 425 includes a bandwidth query report (BQR) for BQR operation to assist HEMU transmission; as illustrated in row 555, a value of "6" in the control ID field 420 may indicate that the control information field 425 includes a command and status (CAS) control; as illustrated in row 560, a value of "7" in the control ID field 420 may indicate that the control information field 425 includes a QoS feedback report (QFR) including QoS feedback information about one or more QoS metrics; as illustrated in row 565, values ​​"8" to "14" in the control ID field 420 may be reserved for future indications; and as illustrated in row 570, a value "15" in the control ID field 420 may indicate that the receiving STA / AP should ignore the rest of the control field 400.

[0072] The values ​​and descriptions provided in chart 500 are for example purposes only, and other descriptions, lengths, and contents of the various values ​​of control ID field 420 are possible. For example, any value from "8" to "14" may indicate in control ID field 420 that control information field 425 contains a QFR including QoS feedback information about one or more QoS metrics. Various other information in control information field 425 may be associated with the values ​​"1" to "15" in control ID field 420, and are not listed in chart 500. In addition, although referred to as QFR, other labels may also be used for QoS feedback information or other parameters related to low latency or time-sensitive traffic.

[0073] Figure 66 is a diagram illustrating an example block acknowledgement (BA) frame 600 that may be used to report QoS feedback information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. According to some aspects, the QoS information may be included in one or more fields of the BA frame 600. The BA frame 600 may include a frame control field 605, a duration / ID field 610, a receiver address (RA) field 615, a transmitter address (TA) field 620, a BA control field 625, a BA information field 630, and a frame check sequence (FCS) field 635. The BA information field 630 may include one or more per-association identifier (AID) traffic identifier (TID) information fields 640. Each of the one or more per-AID TID information fields 640 may include an indicator indicating the presence of QoS feedback information, and the BA information field 630 may include one or more subfields containing QoS feedback information. However, the indicator indicating the presence of QoS feedback information may be included in other fields of the BA information field 630 and / or in other fields of the BA frame 600 (such as the BA control field 625). In some aspects, the BA frame 600 may include a multi-STA BA frame. The transmitting STA and / or the transmitting AP may generate and transmit the BA frame 600 .

[0074] Each of the per-AID TID information fields 640 may include an AID TID information subfield 645, a BA start sequence control subfield 650, and a BA bitmap subfield 655. The AID TID information subfield 645 may include an AID11 subfield 660, an acknowledgment type subfield 665, and a TID subfield 670. The AID11 subfield 660 may carry the 11 least significant bits (or other indication) of the AID of the STA to which the per-AID TID information field 640 is intended. If the per-AID TID information field 640 is intended for the AP, the value of the AID11 subfield 660 may be "0", although other indications may be used. The acknowledgment type subfield 665 may indicate whether the acknowledgment is sent as a BA. The TID subfield 670 may contain the TID to which the acknowledgment or BA included in the per-AID TID information field 640 applies.

[0075] In some aspects, an indicator indicating the presence of QoS feedback information may be included in the AID TID information subfield 645 (such as in the acknowledgement type subfield 665 and / or the TID subfield 670). For example, a combination of values ​​for the acknowledgement type subfield 665 and the TID subfield 670 may include an indicator indicating the presence of QoS feedback information. Alternatively or additionally, an indicator indicating the presence of QoS feedback information may be included in other subfields of the AID TID information subfield 645 and / or other fields of the per-AID TID information field 640 (such as in the BA start sequence control subfield 650 and / or the BA bitmap subfield 655). Other configurations for including the indicator in the BA information field 630 or the per-AID TID information field 640 may be used. In some aspects, the BA bitmap subfield 655 may include QoS feedback information. For example, the BA bitmap subfield 655 may include a bitmap including QoS feedback information. Alternatively or additionally, other fields and / or subfields of the BA information field 630, such as the BA starting sequence control subfield 650 and / or the AID TID information subfield 645, may contain QoS feedback information.

[0076] Figure 7 is an illustration of the TID information field 640 ( Figure 6 ). Column 705 illustrates various values ​​for the acknowledgment type subfield 665, column 710 illustrates various values ​​for the TID subfield 670, column 715 illustrates whether the BA start sequence control subfield 650 and the BA bitmap subfield 655 are present based on associated combinations of values ​​in the acknowledgment type subfield 665 and the TID subfield 670, and column 720 illustrates various contexts for the per-AID TID information field 640 in the BA frame 600. However, more columns, fewer columns, and / or other configurations may be used to illustrate example values ​​for the per-AID TID information field 640.

[0077] For example, as illustrated in row 730 and row 755, a value of "1" in the ACK type subfield 665 and a value of less than "8" or equal to "15" in the TID subfield 670 may indicate that the BA start sequence control subfield 650 and the BA bit map subfield 655 are not present, and that the per-AID TID information field 640 acknowledges successful reception of a single MPDU indicated by the TID of the AID TID information subfield 645; as illustrated in row 745, a value of "1" in the ACK type subfield 665 and a value of "14" in the TID subfield 670 may indicate that the BA start sequence control subfield 650 and the BA bit map subfield 655 are not present, and that the per-AID TID information field 640 acknowledges successful reception of a single MPDU indicated by the TID of the AID TID information subfield 645. The TID information field 640 acknowledges the successful reception of all MPDUs carried in the outgoing aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU); as illustrated in row 725, a value of "0" in the acknowledgement type subfield 665 and a value less than "8" in the TID subfield 670 may indicate that the BA start sequence control subfield 650 and the BA bit map subfield 655 are present and that the per-AID TID information field 640 is a block acknowledgement (such as in response to a MU Block Acknowledgement Request (MU-BAR) trigger frame); as illustrated in row 740, a value of "0" in the acknowledgement type subfield 665 and a value of "14" in the TID subfield 670 may indicate that the BA start sequence control subfield 650 and the BA bit map subfield 655 are present and that the per-AID TID information field 640 is a block acknowledgement (such as in response to a MU Block Acknowledgement Request (MU-BAR) trigger frame). The TID information field 640 includes QoS feedback information (such as one or more subfields of the BA information field 630 include QoS feedback information about one or more QoS metrics); and as illustrated in rows 735 and 750, certain combinations of values ​​for the acknowledgment type subfield 665 (e.g., values ​​of “0” or “1”) and values ​​for the TID subfield 670 (e.g., values ​​of “8-12” or “15”) may be reserved for future indications.

[0078] The values ​​and descriptions provided in the diagram 700 are for example purposes only, and other descriptions and contexts are possible for various combinations of values ​​for the ACK type subfield 665 and the TID subfield 670. For example, any combination of values ​​for the ACK type subfield 665 and the TID subfield 670 in the reserved rows 735 and 750 may be used to indicate that the per-AID TID information field 640 contains QoS feedback information about one or more QoS metrics. Various other information in the per-AID TID information field 640 may be associated with the combination of ACK type subfield 665 and TID subfield 670 values ​​and is not listed in the diagram 700.

[0079] Figure 8An example of a process flow 800 for supporting communication of QoS feedback information according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The process flow 800 may include a first wireless device 805, a second wireless device 810, and an optional third wireless device 815. Each of the first wireless device 805, the second wireless device 810, and the third wireless device 815 may include a STA or an AP. In the process flow 800, communication with the third wireless device 815 is optional and is described herein only for exemplary purposes in order to illustrate multi-user communication. It should be understood that the process flow 800 may not include the third wireless device 815, and may not include communication with the third wireless device 815. The process flow 800 may include only the first wireless device 805 and the second wireless device 810 and the communication therebetween. Alternatively, the process flow 800 may include more than three wireless devices and the communication between more than three wireless devices.

[0080] At step 820, the first wireless device 805 may optionally generate a first frame including a request for QoS feedback information. According to some aspects, the first frame may include a trigger frame, such as a QoS Feedback Report Poll (QFRP) trigger frame, a Null Data Packet (NDP) Feedback Report Poll (NFRP) trigger frame, a Buffer Status Report Poll (BFRP) trigger frame, or any other type of trigger frame. In process flow 800, communication with the third wireless device 815 is optional and is described herein for exemplary purposes only, in order to illustrate multi-user communication.

[0081] At step 825 , the first wireless device 805 may transmit a first frame including a request for QoS feedback information to the second wireless device 810 and the third wireless device 815 .

[0082] At steps 830a and 830b, respectively, the second wireless device 810 may generate a second frame, and the third wireless device 815 may generate a third frame. Each of the second frame and the third frame may include QoS feedback information, such as a report and / or a bitmap containing the QoS feedback information. For example, the second frame may include QoS feedback information associated with the second wireless device 810, and the third frame may include QoS feedback information associated with the third wireless device 815. Each of the second frame and the third frame may be generated by the second wireless device 810 and the third wireless device 815, respectively, in response to each of the second wireless device 810 and the third wireless device 815 receiving the first frame.

[0083] Alternatively, each of the second frame and the third frame may be generated by the second wireless device 810 and the third wireless device 815, respectively, without receiving the first frame (such as on a per-MPDU basis or a per-packet basis). For example, each of the second frame and the third frame may be unsolicited (i.e., not based on a trigger). The QoS feedback information may be included in the control field of the MAC header of the MPDU, as part of a BA frame, or in any other signaling mechanism of the frame.

[0084] At steps 835a and 835b, respectively, the second wireless device 810 may transmit the second frame to the first wireless device 805, and the third wireless device 815 may transmit the third frame to the first wireless device. The second frame and / or the third frame may be included in a trigger-based PPDU (TB PPDU) such as a HE TB PPDU, an NDP TB PPDU, an HE NDP TB PPDU, an MU PPDU, an HE MU PPDU, an UL MU PPDU, or any other type of PPDU. Optionally (not shown), at steps 835a and 835b, respectively, the second wireless device 810 may also transmit the second frame to the third wireless device 815, and the third wireless device 815 may also transmit the third frame to the second wireless device 810.

[0085] At step 840, the first wireless device 805 may determine a schedule for transmission or adjust its schedule for transmission based on the QoS feedback information. For example, the first wireless device 805 may accommodate the traffic of the second wireless device 810 based on the QoS feedback information received in the second frame. Alternatively or additionally, the first wireless device 805 may accommodate the traffic of the third wireless device 815 based on the QoS feedback information received in the third frame.

[0086] In some aspects, the first wireless device 805 may compare the QoS feedback information from the second wireless device 810 with the QoS feedback information from the third wireless device 815. The first wireless device 805 may determine a schedule for transmissions or adjust a schedule for transmissions based on the comparison of the QoS feedback information from the second wireless device 810 and the third wireless device 815. For example, the first wireless device 805 may prioritize transmissions to or receptions from the second wireless device 810 over transmissions to or receptions from the third wireless device 815 based on the comparison of the respective QoS feedback information of the second wireless device 810 and the third wireless device 815. For example, instead of communicating on a transmission opportunity reserved for the third wireless device 815 as may have been previously scheduled, the first wireless device 805 may communicate with the second wireless device 810 using the transmission opportunity reserved for the third wireless device 815. Thus, based on the comparison of the QoS feedback information, the first wireless device 805 may accommodate the prioritized QoS requirements of the second wireless device 810.

[0087] Alternatively, the first wireless device 805 may prioritize transmissions to or receptions from the third wireless device 815 over transmissions to or receptions from the second wireless device 810 based on a comparison of the respective QoS feedback information of the second wireless device 810 and the third wireless device 810. For example, instead of communicating on a transmission opportunity reserved for the second wireless device 810 as may have been previously scheduled, the first wireless device 805 may communicate with the third wireless device 815 using the transmission opportunity reserved for the second wireless device 810. Thus, based on the comparison of the QoS feedback information, the first wireless device 805 may accommodate the prioritized QoS requirements of the third wireless device 815. The first wireless device 805 may make other adjustments to its scheduler or transmission schedule based on the QoS feedback information and / or the comparison of the QoS feedback information from the second wireless device 810 and the third wireless device 815.

[0088] Fig. 9 A flow chart illustrating an example method 900 supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The method 900 may be implemented by a transmitting STA, a transmitting AP, a receiving STA, a receiving AP, a wireless device, a wireless node, an apparatus, a wireless modem, a chipset, a system, and any other suitable device. Although the method 900 is described herein with reference to a particular order, in various examples, the blocks herein may be performed in a different order, or omitted, and additional blocks may be added.

[0089] At box 905, the method includes selecting one or more control fields from a variable number of control fields for inclusion in a frame, each control field including a control identifier field and a control information field, the control identifier field including an indicator indicating that the type of information used for communication is QoS feedback information, and the control information field including one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information.

[0090] At block 910, the method includes generating a frame including a selected number of control fields. At block 915, the method includes outputting the frame for transmission.

[0091] Fig.10 A flow chart illustrating an example method 1000 supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The method 1000 may be implemented by a receiving STA, a receiving AP, a transmitting STA, a transmitting AP, a wireless device, a wireless node, an apparatus, a wireless modem, a chipset, a system, and any other suitable device. Although the method 1000 is described herein with reference to a particular order, in various examples, the blocks herein may be performed in a different order, or omitted, and additional blocks may be added.

[0092] In box 1005, the method includes obtaining a frame from a first wireless node, the frame including one or more control fields, each control field including a control identifier field and a control information field, the control identifier field including an indicator indicating that the type of information used for communication is QoS feedback information, and the control information field including one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information.

[0093] At block 1010, the method includes adjusting a schedule for transmission based on the QoS feedback information.

[0094] Fig.11 A flow chart illustrating an example method 1100 supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The method 1100 may be implemented by a transmitting STA, a transmitting AP, a receiving STA, a receiving AP, a wireless device, a wireless node, an apparatus, a wireless modem, a chipset, a system, and any other suitable device. Although the method 1100 is described herein with reference to a particular order, in various examples, the blocks herein may be performed in a different order, or omitted, and additional blocks may be added.

[0095] At block 1105, the method includes generating a BA frame including a BA information field including one or more per-AID TID information fields including an indicator indicating the presence of QoS feedback information, the BA information field further including one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information.

[0096] At block 1110, the method includes outputting the BA frame for transmission.

[0097] Fig.12 A flow chart illustrating an example method 1200 supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The method 1200 may be implemented by a receiving STA, a receiving AP, a transmitting STA, a transmitting AP, a wireless device, a wireless node, an apparatus, a wireless modem, a chipset, a system, and any other suitable device. Although the method 1200 is described herein with reference to a particular order, in various examples, the blocks herein may be performed in a different order, or omitted, and additional blocks may be added.

[0098] At block 1205, the method includes obtaining, from a first wireless node, a BA frame including a BA information field including one or more per-AID TID information fields including an indicator indicating the presence of QoS feedback information, the BA information field further including one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information.

[0099] At block 1210, the method includes adjusting a schedule for transmission based on the QoS feedback information.

[0100] Fig.13 A flow chart illustrating an example method 1300 supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The method 1300 may be implemented by a transmitting STA, a transmitting AP, a receiving STA, a receiving AP, a wireless device, a wireless node, an apparatus, a wireless modem, a chipset, a system, and any other suitable device. Although the method 1300 is described herein with reference to a particular order, in various examples, the blocks herein may be performed in a different order, or omitted, and additional blocks may be added.

[0101] At block 1305, the method includes obtaining a first frame including a request for QoS feedback information. At block 1310, the method includes generating a second frame in response to obtaining the first frame, the second frame including a report including the QoS feedback information. At block 1315, the method includes outputting the second frame for transmission.

[0102] Fig.14A flow chart illustrating an example method 1400 supporting a reporting mechanism for QoS feedback information according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The method 1400 may be implemented by a receiving STA, a receiving AP, a transmitting STA, a transmitting AP, a wireless device, a wireless node, an apparatus, a wireless modem, a chipset, a system, and any other suitable device. Although the method 1400 is described herein with reference to a particular order, in various examples, the blocks herein may be performed in a different order, or omitted, and additional blocks may be added.

[0103] At block 1405, the method includes generating a first frame including a request for QoS feedback information. At block 1410, the method includes outputting the first frame for transmission. At block 1415, the method includes obtaining a second frame from a first wireless node in response to outputting the first frame, the second frame including a report including the QoS feedback information. At block 1420, the method includes adjusting a schedule for transmission based on the QoS feedback information.

[0104] The various operations of the methods described herein may be performed by any suitable device capable of performing the corresponding functions. These devices may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or processors. Generally, where there are operations illustrated in the accompanying drawings, these operations may have corresponding paired device-plus-function components with similar numbers.

[0105] In some cases, a device may not actually transmit a frame, but may have an interface (means for outputting) for outputting a frame for transmission. For example, a processor may output a frame to a radio frequency (RF) front end via a bus interface for transmission. Similarly, a device may not actually receive a frame, but may have an interface (means for obtaining) for obtaining a frame received from another device. For example, a processor may obtain (or receive) a frame from an RF front end via a bus interface for reception. In some cases, the interface for outputting a frame for transmission and the interface for obtaining a frame (which may be referred to herein as the first and second interfaces) may be the same interface.

[0106] Figure 1-14 The operations described herein are examples intended to aid in understanding example implementations and should not be used to limit potential implementations or to limit the scope of the claims. Some implementations may perform additional operations, perform fewer operations, perform operations in parallel or in a different order, and perform some operations differently.

[0107] 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. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc.

[0108] The various illustrative logics, logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been generally described in terms of their functionality and is illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described throughout this document. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0109] The hardware and data processing apparatus for implementing the various illustrative logics, logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed with a general purpose single-chip or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, 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, or any conventional 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, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in cooperation with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some implementations, specific processes and methods may be performed by circuit systems dedicated to a given function.

[0110] In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware (including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents), or in any combination thereof. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may also be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by a data processing apparatus or for controlling the operation of a data processing apparatus.

[0111] If implemented in software, each function can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or transmitted by it. The process of the method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented in a processor executable software module that can reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that can be implemented to transfer a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. Any connection may also be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. Disks and discs as used herein include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. TM A disk may be a disk, where a disk often reproduces data magnetically, while a disc reproduces data optically with a laser. Combinations may also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one of code and instructions or any combination or set of code and instructions on a machine-readable medium and a computer-readable medium that may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0112] Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure may be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the universal principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the disclosure, the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0113] In addition, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the terms "upper" and "lower / lower" are sometimes used for convenience in describing the drawings and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the drawings on a correctly oriented page, and may not reflect the actual orientation of any device as implemented.

[0114] Certain features described in this specification in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, while features may be described as functioning in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be removed from the combination, and a claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination, or variations of a subcombination.

[0115] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or to perform all the operations described in order to achieve the desired result. In addition, the accompanying drawings may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flow chart. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated example processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously or between any illustrated operations. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of various system components in the described implementation should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, other implementations also fall within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions described in the claims may be performed in different orders and still achieve the desired result.

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication, include: a memory including instructions; as well as one or more processors configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to: selecting one or more control fields from a variable number of control fields for inclusion in a frame, at least one control field comprising a control identifier field and a control information field, the control identifier field comprising an indicator indicating that the type of information for communication is quality of service (QoS) feedback information, the control information field comprising one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information; generating said frame including a selected number of control fields; as well as The frame is output for transmission.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the QoS feedback information comprises a low latency metric, a timing metric, a buffer metric, or a combination thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the low latency metric comprises delay, delay jitter, end-to-end latency, packet loss rate, data rate, or a combination thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the timing metric comprises a target transmission time, a target reception time, a periodicity of packet inter-arrival times, or a combination thereof.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the buffer metric comprises a buffer unit aging timer, a buffer overflow flag, a buffer increase rate, or a combination thereof.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more subfields comprise an instantaneous value for the QoS feedback information, an average value over multiple transmission opportunities for the QoS feedback information, an average value over multiple beacon intervals for the QoS feedback information, or a combination thereof.

7. An apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to: output a second frame for transmission to a wireless node or obtain a second frame from a wireless node, the second frame including one or more metric types for inclusion in the one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to: normalize one or more values ​​of the QoS feedback information based on a predetermined range for inclusion in the one or more subfields.

9. An apparatus for wireless communication, include: a memory including instructions; as well as one or more processors configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to: obtaining a frame from a first wireless node, the frame comprising one or more control fields, at least one of the control fields comprising a control identifier field and a control information field, the control identifier field comprising an indicator indicating that the type of information for communication is quality of service (QoS) feedback information, the control information field comprising one or more subfields containing the QoS feedback information; and A schedule for transmission is adjusted based on the QoS feedback information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to: obtaining a second frame from a second wireless node, the second frame comprising QoS feedback information; comparing the QoS feedback information from the first wireless node and the second wireless node; as well as The schedule for transmission is adjusted based on the comparison of the QoS feedback information.

11. An apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to: adjust the scheduling for transmission by giving priority to transmission to or reception from the first wireless node over transmission to or reception from the second wireless node.

12. An apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to: adjust the scheduling for transmission by giving priority to transmission to or reception from the second wireless node over transmission to or reception from the first wireless node.

13. An apparatus for wireless communication, include: a memory including instructions; as well as one or more processors configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to: obtaining a first frame, the first frame comprising a request for quality of service (QoS) feedback information; generating a second frame in response to obtaining the first frame, the second frame comprising a report including the QoS feedback information; as well as The second frame is output for transmission.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first frame comprises a trigger frame, wherein the trigger frame comprises a QoS Feedback Report Poll (QFRP) trigger frame, a Null Data Packet (NDP) Feedback Report Poll (NFRP) trigger frame, or a Buffer Status Report Poll (BFRP) trigger frame.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second frame is included in a trigger-based physical layer convergence protocol data unit (TB PPDU), and wherein the TB PPDU includes a high-efficiency TB PPDU (HE TB PPDU) or a null data packet TB PPDU (NDP TB PPDU).

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the report containing the QoS feedback information includes parameters indicating delay, scheduling, buffer overflow, packet loss, or a combination thereof.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the report comprises a bitmap containing the QoS feedback information.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the report containing the QoS feedback information includes one or more indicators indicating whether an actual value for each of the parameters reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold for each of the parameters.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the one or more indicators include at least one of: a first indicator indicating whether an actual value for the delay reaches or exceeds a predetermined delay threshold; a second indicator indicating whether the schedule of the device is satisfied; a third indicator indicating whether a buffer overflow event has occurred; or A fourth indicator indicates whether the actual value for the packet loss reaches or exceeds a predetermined packet loss threshold.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the report on the QoS feedback information includes actual values ​​for each of the parameters.

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