Packet repetition for data frames in wireless local area networks

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods, components, devices, and systems for packet repetition of data frames in a wireless local area network (WLAN). Some aspects are more particularly directed to decoding duplicate packets including data frames. An access point (AP) may transmit two or more physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) that are duplicated with each other while operating in a duplicated data packet mode. A station (STA) may include one or more decoders configured to accumulatively or individually decode a duplicate PPDU based on a decoding mode. The AP and STA may exchange frames to dynamically enable or disable a duplicate data packet mode. The duplicate PPDU may include one or more bits configured to indicate that the PPDU is duplicate. The STA may decode at least one of the repeated PPDUs, and transmit a feedback message responsive to at least a portion of the one of the repeated PPDUs.

Description

Cross-references

[0001] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 315,369, filed May 10, 2023, entitled “PACKETDUPLICATION FOR DATA FRAMES IN A WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK”, which is assigned to the assignee of this application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically, to packet repetition for data frames in a wireless local area network (WLAN).

[0003] Related technical descriptions A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) can be formed by one or more wireless access points (APs) that provide a shared wireless communication medium for use by multiple client devices (also known as wireless stations (STAs)). The basic building block of a WLAN conforming to the IEEE 802.11 family of standards is the Basic Service Set (BSS) managed by the AP. Each BSS is identified by a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) advertised by the AP. The AP periodically broadcasts beacon frames to enable any STA within the AP's wireless range to establish or maintain a communication link with the WLAN. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The systems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein each have several innovative aspects, and no single aspect is solely responsible for the desired properties disclosed herein.

[0005] A method for wireless communication at a station is described. The method may include: activating a repeating data packet mode; receiving a first data frame and a second data frame, the second data frame including a repeat of the first data frame when the repeating data packet mode is activated; decoding the first data frame and the second data frame using at least one decoder from a set of multiple decoders of the station according to the repeating data packet mode; and transmitting a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both, at least in part in association with the decoding.

[0006] In some embodiments, a station may include at least one memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one processor being operable to cause the station to: activate a repeating data packet mode; receive a first data frame and a second data frame, the second data frame including a repeat of the first data frame when the repeating data packet mode is activated; decode the first data frame and the second data frame according to the repeating data packet mode using at least one decoder from a set of a plurality of decoders of the station; and transmit a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both, at least in part in association with the decoding.

[0007] In some embodiments, an apparatus for wireless communication at a station may include: components for activating a repeating data packet mode; components for receiving a first data frame and a second data frame, the second data frame including a repeat of the first data frame when the repeating data packet mode is activated; components for decoding the first data frame and the second data frame according to the repeating data packet mode using at least one decoder from a set of a plurality of decoders of the station; and components for transmitting a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both, at least in connection with the decoding.

[0008] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store code for wireless communication at a station, and the code may include instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: activating a repeating data packet mode; receiving a first data frame and a second data frame, the second data frame including a repeat of the first data frame when the repeating data packet mode is activated; decoding the first data frame and the second data frame using at least one decoder from a set of multiple decoders of the station according to the repeating data packet mode; and transmitting a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both, at least in part in association with the decoding.

[0009] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, activating a repeating data packet mode may include operations, features, components or instructions for: activating a non-high throughput (non-HT) repeating data packet mode, wherein the first data frame and the second data frame include non-HT physical layer (PHY) protocol data units (PPDUs) according to the non-HT repeating data packet mode.

[0010] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, activating a duplicate data packet mode may include operations, features, components, or instructions for activating an ultra-high reliability (UHR) duplicate data packet mode, wherein the first and second data frames include UHR PPDUs according to the duplicate data packet mode.

[0011] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for: exchanging one or more frames that can be configured to enable or disable a repeat data packet mode according to a repeat mode negotiation process, the one or more frames including control frames or management frames; and activating a repeat data packet mode that is at least partially associated with one or more frames.

[0012] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for receiving, via a second data frame, an indication that the second data frame may be a repeat of one or more bits of a first data frame according to a repeating data grouping pattern.

[0013] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a first data frame and a second data frame may include operations, features, components, or instructions for: receiving via the first data frame a first set of a plurality of aggregated media access control (MAC) service data units (A-MSDUs) and a first set of a plurality of check sequences, each check sequence in the first set of check sequences being appended to a corresponding A-MSDU in the first set of the plurality of A-MSDUs; and receiving via the second data frame a second set of a plurality of A-MSDUs and a second set of a plurality of check sequences, each check sequence in the second set of check sequences being appended to a corresponding A-MSDU in the second set of the plurality of A-MSDUs.

[0014] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a first data frame and a second data frame may include operations, features, components, or instructions for: receiving via the first data frame a first set of a plurality of A-MSDU subframes including data and one or more first empty A-MSDU subframes interleaved with the first set of the plurality of A-MSDU subframes, wherein decoding of the first data frame is performed at least partially during the one or more first empty A-MSDU subframes; and receiving via the second data frame a second set of a plurality of A-MSDU subframes including data and one or more second empty A-MSDU subframes interleaved with the second set of the plurality of A-MSDU subframes, wherein decoding of the second data frame is performed at least partially during the one or more second empty A-MSDU subframes.

[0015] A method for wireless communication at an access point (AP) is described. The method may include: receiving a request to enable a repeating data packet mode; sending signaling to enable the repeating data packet mode, at least partially associated with the request; sending at least a first data frame, the first data frame including a repeat of a second data frame according to the repeating data packet mode; and receiving a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both.

[0016] In some embodiments, an AP may include at least one memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one processor being operable to cause the AP to: receive a request to enable a duplicate data packet mode; send signaling to enable the duplicate data packet mode in at least part of the request; send at least a first data frame, the first data frame including a repeat of a second data frame according to the duplicate data packet mode; and receive a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both.

[0017] In some embodiments, an apparatus for wireless communication at an access point (AP) may include: means for receiving a request to enable a repeating data packet mode; means for sending signaling to enable the repeating data packet mode, at least in part, associated with the request; means for sending at least a first data frame, the first data frame including a repeat of a second data frame according to the repeating data packet mode; and means for receiving a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both.

[0018] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store code for wireless communication at an access point (AP), and the code may include instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: receiving a request to enable a repeating data packet mode; sending signaling to enable the repeating data packet mode, at least in part in association with the request; sending at least a first data frame, the first data frame including a repeat of a second data frame according to the repeating data packet mode; and receiving a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both.

[0019] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting signaling may include operations, features, components, or instructions for: transmitting signaling to enable a non-HT repeating data packet mode, wherein the first data frame and the second data frame include a non-HT PPDU according to the non-HT repeating data packet mode.

[0020] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting signaling may include operations, features, components, or instructions for: transmitting signaling to enable a UHR repeat data packet mode, wherein the first data frame and the second data frame include a UHR PPDU according to the repeat data packet mode.

[0021] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, the UHR PPDU includes a PHY header containing one or more identifiers (IDs), the UHR PPDU supports MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) aggregation, and the UHR PPDU supports a first maximum payload size, which may be greater than a second maximum payload size supported by a non-HT PPDU.

[0022] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, signaling may include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending management or control frames that enable duplicate data packet mode.

[0023] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a first data frame may include operations, features, components or instructions for transmitting a first set of a plurality of A-MSDUs and a first set of a plurality of check sequences via the first data frame, each check sequence in the first set of check sequences being appended to a corresponding A-MSDU in the first set of the plurality of A-MSDUs.

[0024] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a first data frame may include operations, features, components or instructions for transmitting a first set of a plurality of A-MSDU subframes including data and one or more first empty A-MSDU subframes interleaved with the first set of the plurality of A-MSDU subframes via the first data frame.

[0025] Details of one or more specific embodiments of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. Note that the relative dimensions in the following drawings may not be drawn to scale. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network that supports packet repetition for data frames in a wireless local area network (WLAN) is shown.

[0027] Figure 2 An example physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) is shown that can be used for communication between a wireless access point and one or more wireless stations that support packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN.

[0028] Figure 3 Another example PPDU is shown that can be used for communication between a wireless access point (AP) and one or more wireless stations (STAs) that support packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN.

[0029] Figure 4 A hierarchical format of an example PPDU is shown, which can be used for communication between a wireless AP and one or more wireless STAs that support packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN.

[0030] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another example wireless communication network that supports packet repetition for data frames in WLAN is shown.

[0031] Figure 6 An example repeat PPDU configuration is shown that supports packet repeating for data frames in a WLAN.

[0032] Figure 7 An example of an aggregated media access control service data unit (A-MSDU) is shown to improve the robustness of data frames in a WLAN.

[0033] Figure 8 An example of a process flow that supports packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN is shown.

[0034] Figure 9 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device that supports packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN is shown.

[0035] Figure 10 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device that supports packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN is shown.

[0036] Figure 11 and Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating an example process for supporting packet repetition of data frames in a WLAN is shown.

[0037] The same reference numerals and names in different figures denote the same elements. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The following description refers to certain specific examples in order to illustrate the innovative aspects of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. Some or all of the examples described can be applied in Bluetooth systems that meet the requirements of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.15, or Bluetooth as defined by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). ®The described examples can be implemented in any device, system, or network that transmits and receives radio frequency (RF) signals according to one or more of the following standards, or those published by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP): Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3G, 4G, or 5G (New Radio (NR)). The examples described can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals according to one or more of the following technologies or techniques: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA), Rate Split Multiple Access (RSMA), Multi-User Shared Access (MUSA), Single-User (SU) Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), and Multi-User (MU) MIMO. The examples described can also be implemented using other wireless communication protocols or RF signals suitable for use in one or more of the following wireless personal area networks (WPAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wireless wide area networks (WWAN), wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), or Internet of Things (IoT) networks.

[0039] Various aspects relate to wireless communication as a whole, and more specifically to data packet repetition. Some aspects more specifically relate to supporting the repetition of packets including data frames. In some implementations, a transmitter, such as an access point (AP) or other transmitting device, may transmit two or more Physical Layer Protocol Data Units (PPDUs) as repetitions of each other when operating in a repetitive data packet mode. A receiver, such as a station (STA) or other receiving device, may include one or more decoders configured to cumulatively or individually decode repetitive PPDUs based on a decoding mode. The repetitive data packet mode may be dynamically enabled or disabled based on frames exchanged between the transmitter and receiver. In some implementations, the receiver may keep one or more auxiliary decoders disabled until the repetitive data packet mode is enabled to reduce power consumption. The repetitive PPDU may include indications, such as one or more bits or fields configured to indicate, for example, that the PPDU is a repetition. The receiver may decode at least one of the repetitive PPDUs and send a feedback message to the transmitter in response to at least a portion of one of the repetitive PPDUs.

[0040] The PPDU repetition described herein can be applied to PPDUs that include data frames or other types of frames. Repeated PPDUs may additionally or alternatively be non-high-throughput (non-HT) PPDUs, ultra-high-reliability (UHR) PPDUs, or some other type of PPDU. Among other characteristics, different types of PPDUs may be associated with different formats, headers, and supported payload sizes. For example, a UHR PPDU may include an extended preamble and may transmit more data relative to a non-HT PPDU. In some implementations, two or more repeated PPDUs may each be transmitted via a corresponding portion (such as a corresponding frequency range) within a single communication link. In some other examples, repeated PPDUs may each be transmitted via a corresponding communication link. Additionally or alternatively, two or more transmitting devices may each transmit a corresponding repeated PPDU.

[0041] Specific aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some embodiments, by repeating data packets, the described techniques can be used to transmit two or more data frames as repeats of each other in a single transmission, which can increase throughput and reduce retransmission attempts. By utilizing one or more decoders to decode the repeated PPDU transmission, the receiver can increase the probability that at least one repeated PPDU in the repeated PPDUs is correctly decoded, thereby supporting improved throughput and reliability of communication. In some embodiments, the devices can exchange signaling for enabling or disabling repeating data packet modes. Signaling for enabling or disabling repeating data packet modes can cause the receiver to activate or deactivate auxiliary decoders for reducing processing complexity and power consumption. By supporting repeating of multiple PPDU types, the devices can support various benefits associated with each PPDU type, such as reduced overhead, increased payload size, etc. In some embodiments, repeated PPDU transmission across multiple communication links or from multiple devices can provide frequency diversity or spatial diversity, thereby increasing communication reliability.

[0042] Figure 1A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network 100 supporting packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN is shown. According to some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 can be an example of a wireless local area network (WLAN) (such as a Wi-Fi network) (and will be referred to as WLAN 100 below). For example, WLAN 100 can be a network implementing at least one of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard families (such as standards defined by the IEEE 802.11-2020 specification or its revisions, including but not limited to 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, 802.11bd, 802.11be, 802.11bf, and the 802.11 revision associated with Wi-Fi 8). WLAN 100 may include numerous wireless communication devices, such as a wireless AP 102 and multiple wireless STAs 1. Although Figure 1 Only one AP 102 is shown, but the WLAN network 100 may also include multiple APs 102. Figure 1 The AP 102 shown can represent various types of APs, including but not limited to enterprise-grade APs, single-band APs, dual-band APs, standalone APs, software-enabled APs (soft APs), and multi-link APs. The coverage and capacity of cellular networks (such as LTE, 5G NR, etc.) can be further improved using small cells supported by AP 102 as a micro base station. Furthermore, small cells can also be used to establish dedicated cellular networks via radio area networks.

[0043] Each STA 104 can also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), mobile device, mobile phone, wireless phone, access terminal (AT), user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), or subscriber unit, etc. STA 104 can represent various devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, laptops, tablets, computers, color books, extended reality (XR) headsets, wearable devices, display devices (such as TVs (including smart TVs), computer monitors, navigation systems, etc.), music or other audio or stereo devices, remote control devices (“remote controllers”), printers, kitchen appliances (including smart refrigerators) or other home appliances, remote keys (such as those used for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and vehicles, etc. Various STA 104s in the network can communicate with each other via AP 102.

[0044] A single AP 102 and its associated set of STA 104s may be referred to as a Basic Service Set (BSS), which is managed by the respective AP 102. Figure 1Additionally, an example coverage area 108 of AP 102 is shown, which may represent the Basic Service Area (BSA) of WLAN 100. The BSA can be identified or indicated to users via a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and to other devices via a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), which may be the Media Access Control (MAC) address of AP 102. AP 102 may periodically broadcast beacon frames (“beacons”) including the BSSID to enable any STA 104 within the wireless range of AP 102 to “associate” or reassociate with AP 102 to establish or maintain a corresponding communication link 106 (also referred to hereinafter as a “Wi-Fi link”) with AP 102. For example, the beacon may include an identifier or indication of the primary channel used by the corresponding AP 102 and a timing synchronization function for establishing or maintaining timing synchronization with AP 102. AP 102 can provide access to external networks to various STAs 104 in the WLAN via the corresponding communication link 106.

[0045] In order to establish a communication link 106 with AP 102, each STA in STA 104 is configured to perform a passive or active scanning operation (“scan”) on a frequency channel in one or more frequency bands (such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz or 60 GHz bands). To perform a passive scan, STA 104 listens for beacons transmitted by the corresponding AP 102 at periodic time intervals (referred to as Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT) – measured in units of time (TU), where one TU can be equal to 1024 microseconds (µs)). To perform an active scan, STA 104 generates probe requests and transmits these requests sequentially on each channel to be scanned, and listens for probe responses from AP 102. Each STA 104 can identify, determine, detect, or select an AP 102 to associate with based on the scan information obtained through passive or active scanning, and performs authentication and association operations to establish a communication link 106 with the selected AP 102. At the end of the association operation, AP 102 assigns an Association Identifier (AID) to STA 104, which AP 102 uses to track STA 104.

[0046] As wireless networks become increasingly prevalent, STA 104 has the opportunity to choose from one of many BSSs within its range or from multiple APs 102 that together form an Extended Service Set (ESS) (comprising multiple connected BSSs). The extended network station associated with WLAN 100 can connect to a wired or wireless distribution system that allows multiple APs 102 to be connected in such an ESS. Therefore, STA 104 can be covered by more than one AP 102 and can be associated with different APs 102 at different times for different transmissions. Additionally, after associating with an AP 102, STA 104 can periodically scan its surroundings to find a more suitable AP 102 to associate with. For example, a STA 104 moving relative to its associated AP 102 can perform a "roaming" scan to find another AP 102 with more desirable network characteristics, such as a larger Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) or reduced traffic load.

[0047] In some implementations, STA 104 may form a network without AP 102 or other equipment besides STA 104 itself. An example of such a network is a self-organizing network (or wireless self-organizing network). Self-organizing networks may also be referred to as mesh networks or peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. In some implementations, self-organizing networks may be implemented within a larger wireless network, such as WLAN 100. In such examples, while STA 104 may be able to communicate with each other via communication link 106 through AP 102, STA 104 may also communicate directly with each other via direct wireless communication link 110. Additionally, two STA 104 may communicate via direct communication link 110 regardless of whether the two STA 104 are associated with and served by the same AP 102. In such a self-organizing system, one or more STAs among STA 104 may assume the role played by AP 102 in the BSS. Such STA 104 may be referred to as the group owner (GO) and may coordinate transmissions within the self-organizing network. Examples of direct wireless communication links 110 include Wi-Fi direct connections, connections established by using Wi-Fi Tunneling Direct Link Establishment (TDLS) links, and other P2P group connections.

[0048] AP 102 and STA 104 can operate and communicate (via the corresponding communication link 106) according to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards. These standards define WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the PHY and MAC layers. AP 102 and STA 104 send and receive wireless communications to and from each other in the form of PHY Protocol Data Units (PPDUs) (also referred to below as “Wi-Fi communication” or “wireless packets”). AP 102 and STA 104 in WLAN 100 can transmit PPDUs on unlicensed spectrum, which can be a portion of the spectrum including bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technology such as the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 60 GHz band, 3.6 GHz band, and 900 MHz band. Some examples of AP 102 and STA 104 described herein can also communicate in other bands that can support both licensed and unlicensed communications, such as the 5.9 GHz band and the 6 GHz band. AP 102 and STA 104 can also communicate on other frequency bands, such as shared licensed bands, where multiple operators may have licenses to operate in one or more of the same or overlapping frequency bands.

[0049] Each frequency band can include multiple sub-bands or frequency channels. For example, PPDUs conforming to revisions of the IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and 802.11be standards can be transmitted in 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz bands, where each band is divided into multiple 20 MHz channels. Therefore, these PPDUs are transmitted on physical channels with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, but larger channels can be formed through channel bonding. For example, PPDUs can be transmitted on physical channels with bandwidths of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz by bonding multiple 20 MHz channels together.

[0050] Each PPDU is a composite structure comprising a PHY preamble and a payload in the form of a PHY Service Data Unit (PSDU). The information provided in the preamble can be used by the receiving device to decode subsequent data in the PSDU. In instances where the PPDU is transmitted on a bound channel, the preamble field may be repeated and transmitted in each of the multiple component channels. The PHY preamble may include both a legacy portion (or "legacy preamble") and a non-legacy portion (or "non-legacy preamble"). The legacy preamble can be used for other purposes such as packet detection, automatic gain control, and channel estimation. The legacy preamble is also typically used to maintain compatibility with legacy equipment. The format, decoding, and information provided in the non-legacy portion of the preamble are associated with the specific IEEE 802.11 protocol to be used to transmit the payload.

[0051] Some APs 102 and STAs 104 implement spatial reuse techniques involving coordinated communication schemes. According to such techniques, AP 102 may contend for access to a radio medium to gain control of that medium for use in the TXOP. The AP 102 that wins the contention (also referred to hereinafter as the “sharing AP”) may select one or more other APs 102 (also referred to hereinafter as the “shared AP”) to share the TXOP resources. The sharing AP 102 and the shared AP 102 may be located close to each other such that at least some of their radio coverage areas at least partially overlap. Some examples may specifically involve coordinated AP TDMA or OFDMA techniques for sharing time or frequency resources of the TXOP. To share its time or frequency resources, the sharing AP 102 may divide the TXOP into multiple time segments or frequency segments, each time segment or frequency segment including a corresponding time or frequency resource representing a portion of the TXOP. The sharing AP 102 may allocate a time or frequency segment to itself or to one or more of the shared APs 102. For example, each shared AP 102 can utilize a portion of the TXOP assigned by the shared AP 102 to perform uplink or downlink communication with its associated STA 104.

[0052] In some examples of such TDMA technologies, each of the multiple sections of the TXOP includes a set of time resources that do not overlap with any time resources of any other section. In such examples, scheduling information may include indications of the time resources associated with each section of the TXOP among the multiple time resources. For example, scheduling information may include indications of time segments of the TXOP (such as indications of one or more time slots or sets of symbol periods associated with each section of the TXOP), such as for use in multi-user TDMA.

[0053] In some other examples of OFDMA technology, each of the multiple sections of the TXOP includes a set of frequency resources that do not overlap with any frequency resources of any other section. In such specific implementations, scheduling information may include indications of the frequency resources associated with each section of the TXOP. For example, scheduling information may include indications of bandwidth portions of a radio channel (such as indications of one or more subchannels or resource elements (RUs) associated with each section of the TXOP), such as for use in multi-user OFDMA.

[0054] In this way, the acquisition of TXOPs by a shared AP enables communication between one or more additional shared APs 102 and their respective BSSs with appropriate power control and link adaptation. For example, the shared AP 102 can limit the transmit power of a selected shared AP 102 so that interference from the selected AP 102 does not prevent the STA 104 associated with the TXOP owner from successfully decoding packets transmitted by the shared AP 102. Such techniques can be used to reduce latency because other APs 102 may be able to send and receive data according to conventional CSMA / CA or EDCA techniques without waiting to win contention for the TXOP. Additionally, by enabling a group of APs 102 associated with different BSSs to participate in a coordinated AP transmission session, during which the group of APs 102 can share at least a portion of a single TXOP acquired by any participating AP among the participating APs 102, such techniques can increase throughput across BSSs associated with the participating APs 102 and also improve throughput fairness. Furthermore, by appropriately selecting the shared AP 102 and scheduling its corresponding time or frequency resources, media utilization can be maximized or otherwise increased, while packet loss caused by OBSS interference is minimized or otherwise reduced. Various specific implementations can achieve these and other advantages without requiring the sharing AP 102 or the shared AP 102 to know about STA 104 associated with other BSSs, without requiring pre-assigned or dedicated primary AP 102 or pre-assigned AP 102 groups, and without requiring backhaul coordination between APs 102 participating in TXOP.

[0055] In some examples where the signal strength or interference level associated with the selected AP 102 is relatively low (e.g., less than a given value), or when the decoding error rate of the selected AP 102 is relatively low (e.g., less than a threshold), the start time of communication between different BSSs can be synchronized. Conversely, when the signal strength or interference level associated with the selected AP 102 is relatively high (e.g., greater than a given value), or when the decoding error rate of the selected AP 102 is relatively high (e.g., greater than a threshold), the start time can be offset from each other by a time period associated with decoding the preamble of the radio packet and determining whether the radio packet is an intra-BSS packet or an OBSS packet based on the decoded preamble. For example, the time period between the transmission of an intra-BSS packet and the transmission of an OBSS packet can allow the corresponding AP 102 (or its associated STA 104) to decode the preamble of the radio packet and obtain the BSS color value carried in the radio packet to determine whether the radio packet is an intra-BSS packet or an OBSS packet. In this way, each of the AP 102 and its associated STA 104 can receive and decode packets within the BSS even in the presence of OBSS interference.

[0056] In some implementations, the shared AP 102 may perform polling of a set of unmanaged or non-co-managed APs 102 that support coordinated reuse to identify candidates for future space reuse opportunities. For example, the shared AP 102 may send one or more space reuse polling frames to determine one or more space reuse criteria and select one or more other APs 102 as part of the shared APs 102. Based on the polling, the shared AP 102 may receive responses from one or more of the polled APs 102. In some specific examples, the shared AP 102 may send a Coordinated AP TXOP Indication (CTI) frame to other APs 102, indicating the time and frequency of resources for a shared TXOP. The shared AP 102 may select one or more candidate APs 102 upon receiving a Coordinated AP TXOP Request (CTR) frame from the corresponding candidate AP 102 indicating that the corresponding AP 102 wishes to participate in the TXOP. The polling response or CTR frame may include power indications, such as RX power or RSSI measured by the corresponding AP 102. In some other examples, the shared AP 102 can directly measure the potential interference of services (such as UL transmissions) supported at one or more APs 102, and select the shared AP 102 based on the measured potential interference. The shared AP 102 typically selects AP 102 to participate in coordinated space reuse, allowing it to still protect its own outgoing traffic and transmissions from STA 104 in its BSS (these transmissions may be referred to as primary transmissions). Resources can then be allocated to the selected AP 102 during TXOP, as described above.

[0057] Retransmission protocols such as Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) can also provide performance gains. HARQ protocols can support various HARQ signaling between transmitting and receiving wireless communication devices, as well as signaling between the PHY and MAC layers, to improve retransmission operations in WLANs. HARQ uses a combination of error detection and correction. For example, HARQ transmission may include adding error detection (ED) codes (such as Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)) to error detection bits in the data to be transmitted. These error detection bits can be used by the receiving device to determine whether it has correctly decoded the received HARQ transmission. In some implementations, forward error correction (FEC) codes (such as Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) decoding schemes that systematically encode information bits to produce parity bits) can be used to encode the raw data (information bits) to be transmitted. The transmitting device can send both the raw information bits and the parity bits to the receiving device in a HARQ transmission. The receiving device can then use the parity bits to correct errors in the information bits, thereby avoiding retransmissions.

[0058] Implementing the HARQ protocol in a WLAN improves the reliability of data transmitted from a transmitting device to a receiving device. The HARQ protocol supports the establishment of a HARQ session between two devices. Once a HARQ session is established, if the receiving device cannot correctly decode a first HARQ transmission received from the transmitting device (and cannot correct errors), the receiving device can send a HARQ feedback message (such as a negative acknowledgment (NACK)) to the transmitting device, indicating that at least a portion of the first HARQ transmission was not correctly decoded. This type of HARQ feedback message may differ from the traditional block ACK feedback message type associated with regular ARQ. In response to receiving a HARQ feedback message, the transmitting device can send a second HARQ transmission to the receiving device to convey at least a portion that further assists the receiving device in decoding the first HARQ transmission. For example, the transmitting device may include some or all of the original information bits, some or all of the original parity bits, and other different parity bits in the second HARQ transmission. The combined HARQ transmissions can be processed for decoding and error correction, making it possible to obtain the complete signal associated with the HARQ transmission.

[0059] In some implementations, the receiving device can control whether to continue the HARQ process or revert to a non-HARQ retransmission scheme (such as ARQ). By allowing the device to dynamically switch between ARQ and HARQ protocols during frame switching, such switching reduces feedback overhead and increases retransmission flexibility. Some implementations also allow the multiplexing of ARQ-based and HARQ-based communications.

[0060] The operating bandwidth can also accommodate concurrent operation on other unlicensed frequency bands (such as the 6 GHz band) and portions of the spectrum including bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technologies. In discontinuous examples, the operating bandwidth can span one or more completely different sets of sub-channels. For example, a 320 MHz bandwidth can be continuous and located within the same 6 GHz band, or it can be discontinuous and located in different frequency bands (such as partially located in the 5 GHz band and partially located in the 6 GHz band).

[0061] In some specific implementations, operational enhancements associated with EHT and newer generations of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family, and particularly operation under increased bandwidth, may include refinements to carrier sense and signal reporting mechanisms. Such techniques may include modifications to existing rules, structures, or signaling implemented for legacy systems.

[0062] Access to a shared wireless medium is typically managed by a Distributed Coordination Function (DCF). With DCF, there is generally no centralized master device allocating time and frequency resources for the shared wireless medium. Instead, a wireless communication device (such as an AP102 or STA 104) can wait for a specific time before being granted permission to transmit data and subsequently contend for access to the wireless medium. DCF is implemented using time intervals, including time slot times (or “time slot intervals”) and inter-frame gaps (IFS). IFS provides priority access for control frames used for appropriate network operation. Transmission can begin at time slot boundaries. Different variations of IFS exist, including Short IFS (SIFS), Distributed IFS (DIFS), Extended IFS (EIFS), and Arbitrated IFS (AIFS). Values ​​for time slot times and IFS can be provided by appropriate standard specifications, such as one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family.

[0063] In some implementations, wireless communication devices can achieve DCF using Carrier-Sensed Multiple Access (CSMA) with Collision Avoidance (CA) (CSMA / CA) technology. According to this technology, before transmitting data, the wireless communication device can perform an idle channel assessment (CCA) and determine (such as identifying, detecting, identifying, calculating, or operating) whether the relevant wireless channel is idle. CCA includes both physical (PHY-level) carrier sensing and virtual (MAC-level) carrier sensing. Physical carrier sensing is accomplished by measuring the received signal strength of a valid frame, which is then compared to a threshold to determine (such as identifying, detecting, identifying, calculating, or operating) whether the channel is busy. For example, if the received signal strength of the detected preamble is higher than a threshold, the medium is considered busy. Physical carrier sensing also includes energy detection. Energy detection involves measuring the total energy received by the wireless communication device, regardless of whether the received signal represents a valid frame. If the detected total energy is higher than a threshold, the medium is considered busy.

[0064] Virtual carrier sensing is implemented using a Network Allocation Vector (NAV), which effectively serves as the elapsed time before a wireless communication device can contend for access, even in the absence of detected symbols or even when the detected energy is below a relevant threshold. The NAV is reset each time a valid frame not addressed to the wireless communication device is received. When the NAV reaches 0, the wireless communication device performs physical carrier sensing. If the channel remains idle for an appropriate IFS (Initial Frequency Segmentation), the wireless communication device initiates a backoff timer, which represents the duration during which the device senses the medium is idle before being allowed to transmit. If the channel remains idle until the backoff timer expires, the wireless communication device becomes the owner (or "owner") of the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) and can begin transmitting. The TXOP is the duration during which the wireless communication device can transmit frames on the channel after it has "won" contention for the wireless medium. The TXOP duration can be indicated in the U-SIG field of the PPDU. Conversely, if one or more carrier sensing mechanisms in the carrier sensing apparatus indicate that the channel is busy, the MAC controller within the wireless communication device will deny transmission.

[0065] In some systems, wireless communication devices can use Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) to compete for access to the wireless medium. If a wireless device wins a TXOP, it can transmit one or more frames within that TXOP. To improve or maximize throughput, in some examples, a wireless device may aim to transmit frames at the highest bandwidth (BW), modulation and decoding scheme (MCS), or number of spatial (temporal) streams (NSS) to meet one or more key performance indicators (KPIs) (such as reliability, latency, etc.) affected by wireless channel conditions.

[0066] In some implementations, the conditions of the wireless channel can change dynamically based on various factors, including noise, interference, the distance between the two devices, other factors, or any combination thereof. Changing channel conditions may cause partial or complete loss of transmissions via the channel. Therefore, the transmitter may retransmit frames one or more times, which may result in throughput degradation, increased latency due to increased delay, reduced throughput, and reduced reliability. The impact on latency and throughput may increase with the number of retransmissions. In some implementations, the transmitter may retransmit frames until a certain limit or threshold number of retransmissions is reached, at which point the transmitter may discard the frames entirely.

[0067] Some wireless communication devices (including both AP 102 and STA 104) are capable of multi-link operation (MLO), which can reduce the impact of changing channel conditions. In some implementations, MLO supports the establishment of multiple different communication links between STA 104 and AP 102 (such as a first link on the 2.4 GHz band, a second link on the 5 GHz band, and a third link on the 6 GHz band). Each communication link may support one or more sets of channels or logical entities. In some implementations, each communication link associated with a given wireless communication device may be associated with a corresponding radio component of the wireless communication device, which may include one or more transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) chains, including or coupled to one or more physical antennas, or including other components such as signal processing components. Devices with MLO capability may be referred to as multi-link devices (MLDs). For example, an AP MLD may include multiple APs 102, each configured to communicate on a corresponding communication link with a corresponding STA among multiple STAs 104 that are not AP MLDs (also referred to as "STA MLDs"). STA MLD can communicate with AP MLD through one or more of multiple communication links at a given time.

[0068] One type of MLO is Multi-Link Aggregation (MLA), where traffic associated with a single STA 104 is transmitted simultaneously and in parallel across multiple communication links to maximize the utilization of available resources, thereby achieving higher throughput. That is, during at least some time durations, transmissions or portions of transmissions can occur simultaneously and in parallel through two or more links. In some implementations, the parallel wireless communication links may support synchronous transmissions. In some other examples, or during some other time durations, transmissions via links may be parallel, but not synchronous or concurrent. In some examples or time durations, two or more of these links may be used for communication between wireless communication devices in the same direction (such as all uplinks or all downlinks). In some other examples or time durations, two or more of these links may be used for communication in different directions. For example, one or more links may support uplink communication, and one or more links may support downlink communication. In such examples, at least one of the wireless communication devices operates in full-duplex mode. Generally, full-duplex operation enables bidirectional communication, where at least one of the wireless communication devices can transmit and receive simultaneously.

[0069] MLA can be implemented in several ways. In some implementations, MLA can be packet-based. For packet-based aggregation, frames of a single service stream (such as all services associated with a given service identifier (TID)) can be transmitted concurrently across multiple communication links. In some other examples, MLA can be stream-based. For stream-based aggregation, a single available communication link from among multiple available communication links can be used to transmit each service stream (such as all services associated with a given TID). As an example, a single STA MLD can access a web browser while streaming video in parallel. Services associated with web browser access can be conveyed via a first communication link, while services associated with the video stream can be conveyed in parallel via a second communication link (such that at least some of the data can be transmitted concurrently on the first channel with the data transmitted on the second channel).

[0070] In some other examples, MLA can be implemented as a hybrid of flow-based and packet-based aggregation. For example, MLD can employ flow-based aggregation when multiple traffic flows are created, and packet-based aggregation in other cases. The determination of switching between MLA techniques or modes may additionally or alternatively be correlated with other metrics, such as time of day, network traffic load, or battery level of wireless communication devices, and other factors or considerations.

[0071] To support MLO technology, the AP MLD and STA MLD can exchange information about supported MLO capabilities (such as supported aggregation types or supported frequency bands, etc.). In some implementations, this exchange can occur via beacon signals, probe requests or responses, association request or response frames, dedicated action frames or Operation Mode Indicators (OMIs), and other examples. In some implementations, the AP MLD can designate a given channel in a given frequency band as an anchor channel (such as a channel on which the AP MLD transmits beacons and other management frames). In such examples, the AP MLD may also transmit beacons (such as beacons containing less information) on other channels for discovery purposes.

[0072] MLO technology offers several benefits to WLANs. For example, MLO can improve user-aware throughput (UPT) (e.g., by rapidly refreshing the per-user transmit queue). Similarly, MLO can improve throughput by improving the utilization of available channels and can increase spectrum utilization (e.g., by increasing the bandwidth-time product). Furthermore, MLO can enable smooth transitions between multi-band radio components (e.g., where each radio component can be associated with a given RF band) or implement a framework for separating control and data channels. Other benefits of MLO include reduced modem power-on time, which can benefit wireless communication devices in terms of power consumption. Another benefit of MLO is increased multiplexing opportunities in the case of a single BSS. For example, multi-link aggregation can increase the number of users transmitting per multiplexed segment served by a multi-link AP MLD. In some examples, MLO can reduce the impact of changing channel conditions. For example, a transmitter can transmit frames on multiple links, and redundant transmission on multiple links can reduce the likelihood of each link experiencing loss simultaneously.

[0073] MLO can thus reduce latency and increase throughput in wireless communication. However, transmissions across multiple links can occur and be processed independently, meaning wireless devices may not benefit from duplicate information transmitted over multiple links. For example, if one or more parts of a PPDU are corrupted, not knowing that this is duplicate information may not be beneficial. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, wireless devices may utilize multiple MAC and PHY layer entities to perform MLO, which can increase complexity and cost.

[0074] In some specific implementations, the wireless communication network 100 may support packet repetition (such as PPDU repetition in Wi-Fi). Such repetition may include non-HT repetitive PPDUs containing control frames, beacon frames, and / or probe response frames. Repetitive PPDUs can enable control response transmission over a wide bandwidth, extending the range of the BSS in frequency bands (such as the 6 GHz band) and in domains associated with relatively low power spectral density (PSD). Additionally or alternatively, some EHT or UHR repetitive PPDUs may be supported by, for example, repetition across one or more frequency ranges (such as repetition of each 80 MHz portion of the 6 GHz band or some other portion).

[0075] The techniques, systems, and devices described herein provide wireless devices to support packet repetition within a single communication link or band, across multiple communication links or bands, or across multiple wireless devices (such as AP 102). The described packet repetition techniques can support the repetition of PPDUs containing any type of PPDU, including non-HT PPDUs containing data frames. Additionally or alternatively, some UHR repetition PPDUs may be defined herein, which may contain any type of frame, such as, for example, data frames, control frames, and / or management frames.

[0076] Figure 2 An example PPDU 200 is shown, capable of wireless communication between a wireless AP 102 and one or more wireless STAs 104 supporting packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN. For example, the PPDU 200 can be configured as a PPDU and / or a Protocol Data Unit (PDU). As shown, the PPDU 200 includes a PHY preamble 202 and a PHY payload 204. For example, the preamble 202 may include a legacy portion, which itself includes a legacy short training field (L-STF) 206 consisting of two symbols, a legacy long training field (L-LTF) 208 consisting of two symbols, and a legacy signal field (L-SIG) 210 consisting of two symbols. The legacy portion of the preamble 202 may be configured according to the IEEE 802.11a wireless communication protocol standard. The preamble 202 may also include a non-legacy portion, which includes one or more non-legacy fields 212, for example, conforming to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard family.

[0077] L-STF 206 generally enables the receiving device to perform coarse timing and frequency tracking, as well as automatic gain control (AGC). L-LTF 208 generally enables the receiving device to perform fine timing and frequency tracking, and also to perform initial estimation of the radio channel. L-SIG 210 generally enables the receiving device to determine (such as acquire, select, identify, detect, identify, calculate, or operate) the duration of the PDU and use the determined duration to avoid transmission over the PDU. The legacy portion of the preamble can be modulated according to binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation schemes, including L-STF 206, L-LTF 208, and L-SIG 210. The payload 204 can be modulated according to a BPSK modulation scheme, a quadrature BPSK (Q-BPSK) modulation scheme, a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation scheme, or another suitable modulation scheme. Payload 204 may include a PSDU containing a data field (DATA) 214, which in turn may carry higher-level data in the form of, for example, MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) or Aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU).

[0078] The techniques, systems, and devices described herein provide wireless devices to support the repetition of one or more PPDUs within a single communication link or frequency band, across multiple communication links or frequency bands, or across multiple wireless devices (such as AP 102). The described packet repetition techniques can support the repetition of any type of PPDU, including non-HT PPDUs containing data frames. Additionally or alternatively, some UHR repetition PPDUs may be defined herein, which may contain any type of frame, such as, for example, data frames, control frames, and / or management frames. Example PPDU formats are described elsewhere herein (including references). Figure 3 (This is described in further detail.)

[0079] Figure 3Another example PPDU 350 is shown, capable of being used for wireless communication between a wireless AP 102 and one or more wireless STAs 104 supporting packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN. The PPDU 350 can be used for SU, OFDMA, or MU-MIMO transmission. The PPDU 350 can be formatted as an Extremely High Throughput (EHT) WLAN PPDU according to the IEEE 802.11be revision of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard family, or it can be formatted as a PPDU of any later (post-EHT) version conforming to a new wireless communication protocol (conforming to future IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standards such as the 802.11 revision associated with Wi-Fi 8, or another wireless communication standard). The PPDU 350 includes a PHY preamble comprising a legacy portion 352 and a non-legacy portion 354. The PPDU 350 may also include a PHY payload 356 after the preamble (e.g., in the form of a PSDU including a data field 374).

[0080] The legacy portion 352 of the preamble includes L-STF 358, L-LTF 360, and L-SIG 362. The non-legacy portion 354 of the preamble includes a repetition of L-SIG (RL-SIG) 364, as well as multiple wireless communication protocol version-related signal fields following RL-SIG 364. For example, the non-legacy portion 354 may include a general signal field 366 (referred to herein as "U-SIG 366") and an EHT signal field 368 (referred to herein as "EHT-SIG 368"). The presence of RL-SIG 364 and U-SIG 366 indicates to EHT or later versions that PPDU 350 is an EHT PPDU or any later (post-EHT) version PPDU conforming to a new wireless communication protocol (conforming to future IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standards). One or both of U-SIG 366 and EHT-SIG 368 can be configured as other wireless communication protocol versions above EHT that are associated with a revision of the IEEE standards family and carry version-related information. For example, U-SIG 366 can be used by a receiving device to decode bits in one or more of EHT-SIG 368 or data field 374. Similar to L-STF 358, L-LTF 360, and L-SIG 362, in instances involving the use of bound channels, the information in U-SIG 366 and EHT-SIG 368 can be repeated and transmitted in each of the component 20MHz channels.

[0081] The non-legacy portion 354 also includes an additional short training field 370 (referred to herein as "EHT-STF 370," though it can also be constructed for other wireless communication protocol versions above EHT and carry version-related information) and one or more additional long training fields 372 (referred to herein as "EHT-LTF 372," though they can also be constructed for other wireless communication protocol versions above EHT and carry version-related information). EHT-STF 370 can be used for timing and frequency tracking as well as AGC, while EHT-LTF 372 can be used for more refined channel estimation.

[0082] EHT-SIG 368 can be used by AP 102 to identify one or more STAs 104 and notify those STAs that AP 102 has scheduled UL or DL ​​resources for them. EHT-SIG 368 can be decoded by each compatible STA 104 served by AP 102. EHT-SIG 368 can generally be used by the receiving device to interpret the bits in data field 374. For example, EHT-SIG 368 may include RU allocation information, spatial flow configuration information, and per-user (such as STA-specific) signaling information. Each EHT-SIG 368 may include a common field and at least one user-specific field. In the context of OFDMA, the common field may indicate the RU distribution across multiple STAs 104, indicate RU assignment in the frequency domain, indicate which RUs are allocated for MU-MIMO transmission and which RUs correspond to OFDMA transmission, and the number of users in the allocation, etc. The user-specific field is assigned to a specific STA 104 and carries STA-specific scheduling information, such as user-specific MCS values ​​and user-specific RU allocation information. This information enables the corresponding STA 104 to identify and decode the corresponding RU in the associated data field 374.

[0083] The packet repetition technique described herein can support repetition of any type of PPDU 350, including non-HT PPDUs containing data frames. Additionally or alternatively, some UHR repetition PPDU 350s may be defined herein, which may contain frames of any type. UHR PPDU 350s may include one or more fields or bits in the PHY preamble to transmit the destination device ID, the source device ID, one or more other IDs, or any combination thereof. In some examples, such fields may not be included in the PHY preamble of non-HT PPDU 350s, and support for early PPDU discarding by the STA may be provided.

[0084] Figure 4A layered format of an example PPDU is shown, enabling communication between a wireless AP 102 and one or more STAs 104 supporting packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN. As described, each PPDU 400 includes a PHY preamble 402 and a PSDU 404. Each PSDU 404 may represent (or “carry”) one or more MAC Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) 416. For example, each PSDU 404 may carry an aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU) 406, which includes an aggregation of multiple A-MPDU subframes 408. Each A-MPDU subframe 406 may include an MPDU frame 410, which includes a MAC delimiter 412 and a MAC header 414 preceding the accompanying MPDU 416, which includes the data portion (“payload” or “frame body”) of the MPDU frame 410. Each MPDU frame 410 may also include a Frame Check Sequence (FCS) field 418 for error detection (such as a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) field) and padding bits 420. MPDU 416 may carry one or more MAC Service Data Units (MSDUs) 416. For example, MPDU 416 may carry an aggregated MSDU (A-MSDU) 422, which comprises multiple A-MSDU subframes 424. Each A-MSDU subframe 424 may carry one or more MSDU frames 426 containing a corresponding MSDU 430, preceded by a subframe header 428 and, in some cases, followed by padding bits 432.

[0085] Returning to reference MPDU frame 410, MAC delimiter 412 can be used as a marker to indicate the start of associated MPDU 416 and the length of associated MPDU 416. MAC header 414 may include multiple fields containing information defining or indicating the characteristics or attributes of the data encapsulated within frame body 416. MAC header 414 includes a duration field indicating the duration from the end of the PPDU to at least the end of the acknowledgment (ACK) or block ACK (BA) to be sent by the receiving wireless communication device for that PPDU. The use of the duration field is to preserve the wireless medium until the indicated duration and to enable the receiving device to establish its Network Allocation Vector (NAV). MAC header 414 also includes one or more fields indicating the address of the data encapsulated within frame body 416. For example, MAC header 414 may include a combination of source address, transmitter address, receiver address, or destination address. MAC header 414 may also include a frame control field containing control information. The frame control field may specify the frame type, such as a data frame, control frame, or management frame.

[0086] The techniques, systems, and apparatus described herein provide wireless devices to support the repetition of one or more PPDUs within a single communication link or frequency band, across multiple communication links or frequency bands, or across multiple wireless devices (such as AP 102). The described packet repetition techniques can support the repetition of any type of PPDU and may include non-HT PPDUs containing data frames. Additionally or alternatively, some UHR repetition PPDUs may be defined herein and may contain frames of any type, such as, for example, data frames, control frames, and / or management frames. In some specific implementations, repetition of non-HT PPDUs may support aggregation at the MSDU layer. For example, repetition of non-HT PPDUs may include one or more A-MSDU subframes 424. Each A-MSDU subframe 424 may include additional padding or null resources to support such aggregation, as elsewhere herein (including references). Figure 7 (This is described in further detail.)

[0087] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another example wireless communication network 500 supporting packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN is shown. Wireless communication network 500 may implement, or be implemented by, one or more aspects of wireless communication network 100. For example, wireless communication network 500 may include a first wireless device 504 (which may be an example of STA 104 as described herein), a second wireless device 502-a, and a third wireless device 502-b (which may be an example of AP 102 as described herein). Wireless device 504 may communicate with wireless device 502-a via one or more communication links, which may represent examples of communication link 106 described herein.

[0088] In some implementations, wireless communication network 500 may represent communication between wireless device 504 and wireless device 502-a over a single wireless link (such as communication link 506). In some implementations, wireless device 502-a and wireless device 504 may be MLDs; for example, wireless device 502-a and wireless device 504 may communicate via multiple wireless links (such as communication link 506 and communication link 516). Wireless device 504 may similarly communicate via communication link 526 or via two or more communication links (…). Figure 5 (Not shown in the diagram) communicates with wireless device 502-b.

[0089] Wireless device 504, as well as wireless devices 502-a and 502-b, can operate and communicate via a wireless link according to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards. Wireless device 504, as well as wireless devices 502-a and 502-b, can transmit and receive wireless communications from each other in the form of PPDU 510 or other packets or transmission frames. PPDU 510 can represent a reference... Figures 1 to 4 An example of a PPDU is described. In some specific implementations, wireless communication may include activation message 508, PPDU 510, and feedback message 512.

[0090] In some specific implementations, the wireless communication network 500 may support PPDU repetition for control frames, beacon frames, or probe response frames. For example, wireless devices may exchange repetitive control frames to enable control response transmission over a relatively wide bandwidth, or to extend the range of the BSS in some domains where the PSD may be limited, such as the 6 GHz band. The supported repetition may be applied to non-HT PPDUs including control frames, beacon frames, or probe response frames, or to EHT or UHR PPDUs (such as repeating each 80 MHz segment in 6 GHz).

[0091] The techniques, systems, and devices described herein provide improved throughput and reliability for communication in a wireless communication network 500 (such as a WLAN system) by supporting the transmission of repeated PPDUs 510 containing any type of frame (including data frame 518), while maintaining relatively low complexity, power consumption, and cost. Additionally or alternatively, some of the techniques described herein can provide the repetition of other types of PPDUs 510 (such as UHR PPDUs).

[0092] As described herein, a wireless device may transmit a repeating PPDU 510 including a data frame 518. For example, wireless device 502-a may transmit a first PPDU 510 and a second PPDU 510 to wireless device 504 via communication link 506. The first PPDU and the second PPDU 510 may be transmitted via a corresponding frequency range or band within the operating bandwidth associated with communication link 506. The first PPDU and the second PPDU 510 may each include a data frame 518, and the second PPDU 510 may include a repeat of the first PPDU 510. That is, the second PPDU 510 may be a copy or duplicate of the first PPDU 510, or vice versa. For example, the PHY header and PSDU within the first PPDU and the second PPDU 510 may be copies of each other, as elsewhere herein (including references). Figure 6 (This is described in further detail.) The PHY header may contain an indication that the PPDUs are copies of each other (e.g., duplicates). In some implementations, the PSDUs may be duplicated, but the scrambler used for each PSDU (contained in the service field of the PSDU's data field) may be different.

[0093] The wireless device 504 may be configured with one or more decoders 514 for decoding the repetitive PPDU 510, such as Figure 5Decoders 514-a and 514-b are illustrated in the diagram. The first decoder 514-a may be associated with a first channel or a primary channel (such as a primary 20MHz channel within the operating bandwidth or some other channel) (e.g., in or configured to decode that channel). The second decoder 514-b may be associated with a second channel or a secondary channel (such as a secondary 20MHz channel within the operating bandwidth) (e.g., in or configured to decode that channel). That is, the first decoder 514-a can decode the PHY header and PSDU received via PPDU 510 in the primary channel, and the second decoder 514-b can decode the PHY header and PSDU received via PPDU 510 in the secondary channel. If the wireless device 504 includes more than two decoders 514, the remaining decoders 514 may each be associated with a corresponding channel or frequency range and can accordingly decode the PPDU 510 received via the corresponding channel.

[0094] Wireless device 504 may support one or more different decoding modes for decoding repetitive PPDU 510. In a first decoding mode, wireless device 504 may activate or include a single decoder 514. The single decoder 514 of wireless device 504 may be associated with a main channel and may decode the PHY header and PDSU of PPDU 510 received in the main channel. As described herein, if wireless device 504 supports the first decoding mode (referred to herein as single decoder mode) when receiving repetitive PPDU 510, wireless device 504 may determine which part of PPDU 510 to decode based on one or more parameters or metrics. In some specific implementations, wireless device 504 may measure the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) (or some other channel quality metric) associated with each part of the communication link (such as each 20MHz channel or some other part). Wireless device 504 may select the part associated with the best or highest RSSI measurement to decode. Therefore, the wireless device 504 can change the association between the decoder 514 and the selected portion, and can use the decoder 514 to decode the PHY header and PDSU of the repeated PPDU 510 received in the selected portion.

[0095] In some other examples, the wireless device (such as an enhanced multi-link single radio (eMLSR) device) may support a second decoding mode (also referred to herein as an independent decoding mode). The independent decoding mode may be associated with independent decoding using one or more decoders 514 of the wireless device 504. For example, the wireless device 504 may configure a primary radio component or decoder 514 (such as decoder 514-a) in a primary channel of operating bandwidth, and an auxiliary radio component or decoder 514 (such as decoder 514-b) in a secondary channel of operating bandwidth. The radio components may independently process the PSDUs included in the repetitive PPDU 510. For example, the decoders 514 may operate independently and may not assist each other in decoding. Therefore, the wireless device 504 may suppress the performance of log-likelihood ratio (LLR) combinations, which may require additional processing and thus increase complexity and memory consumption. In this mode, the primary radio component may transmit and receive signals for the wireless device 504, and the auxiliary radio component may receive but not transmit.

[0096] In some other examples, wireless device 504 may support a third decoding mode (also referred to herein as cumulative or combined decoding mode). The cumulative decoding mode can be associated with combined decoding using two or more decoders 514. For example, wireless device 504 (such as an eMLSR device with optimized decoder 514) may perform LLR combination while decoding different portions of a repeating PPDU 510 using two or more decoders 514. In this mode, decoder 514-a of wireless device 504 may decode a first repeating PPDU 510 or a portion of a repeating PPDU 510, and decoder 514-b may decode a second repeating PPDU 510 or a portion of a repeating PPDU 510. An auxiliary radio component at wireless device 504 may exchange information with the primary radio component for joint LLR combination. In some respects, decoder 514-b may exchange information with decoder 514-a to support LLR combination, which can improve decoding reliability and accuracy. LLR combination may include decoding each symbol at once and using soft decoding to determine which bits of the PPDU 510 are correct. The decoder 514 can perform multiple tests and combinations until the end of the frame check sequence (FCS) check is successful.

[0097] Wireless device 504 can be configured or deployed to operate according to one or more decoding modes. For example, decoder 514 of wireless device 504 may be able to operate to support any of the decoding modes. Additionally or alternatively, wireless device 504 may support multiple decoding modes and may select which decoding mode to operate in at a given time based on one or more communication metrics, based on whether the repeated PPDU mode is enabled, or both. Cumulative decoding modes can support improved decoding reliability compared to independent decoding modes, but can consume more power and / or memory compared to independent decoding modes. Therefore, there may be trade-offs between decoding modes. In some implementations, the wireless device may indicate to the peer wireless device which decoding mode is being used.

[0098] Wireless device 504 may send a feedback message 512 in response to at least a portion of one or more repeated PPDUs 510. Feedback message 512 may indicate whether wireless device 504 has successfully decoded the repeated PPDU 510. Successful decoding may vary depending on the decoding mode. For example, in single-decoder mode, decoding may be considered successful if decoder 514 of wireless device 504 successfully decodes a selected portion of the repeated PPDU 510.

[0099] In independent decoding mode, reception by wireless device 504 is considered successful if any decoder 514 correctly decodes the corresponding portion of PPDU 510. For example, if decoder 514-a incorrectly decodes a duplicate PPDU 510 or a portion of a duplicate PPDU 510 in the primary channel of communication link 506 (such as a failed decoding attempt), but decoder 514-b correctly decodes a duplicate PPDU 510 or a portion of a duplicate PPDU 510 in the secondary channel of communication link 506, wireless device 504 can determine that decoding of the duplicate PPDU 510 was successful based on the successful decoding of at least a portion of the duplicate PPDU 510. Wireless device 504 can then send a feedback message 512 indicating a positive ACK. However, if both decoders 514-a and 514-b fail to decode the corresponding portion of the duplicate PPDU 510, wireless device 504 can determine that decoding failed and can send a NACK via feedback message 512.

[0100] In cumulative decoding mode, the decoding of the repeated PPDU 510 can be considered successful if the combined decoding performed by all decoders 514 is successful. For example, if decoder 514-a fails to decode a portion of data frame 518 in PPDU 510, but decoder 514-b successfully decodes that portion of data frame 518, the decoding can be considered successful because decoders 514 can exchange information to decode the entire repeated PPDU 510.

[0101] Feedback message 512 may thus respond to or indicate successful decoding of any portion of the repeating PPDU 510. For example, if wireless device 504 receives three repeating data frames 518 as part of repeating PPDU 510, wireless device 504 may send feedback message 512 to indicate whether any of the repeating data frames 518, which may be part of repeating PPDU 510, has been successfully decoded. In some implementations, feedback message 512 may include block acknowledgments that acknowledge one or more PSDUs or data frames 518 within repeating PPDU 510.

[0102] In some implementations, wireless device 504 may send repeat feedback message 512, and wireless device 502 (such as AP 102) may include one or more decoders for decoding repeat feedback message 512, as elsewhere herein (including references). Figure 6 (This is described in further detail.)

[0103] To reduce power consumption, the wireless device 504 described herein can dynamically activate and deactivate the decoder 514 as needed. If the wireless device 504 continuously keeps all decoders 514 on or active, it may consume a relatively large amount of power. The techniques described herein define a repeating data packet mode (also referred to herein as a repeating PPDU mode) and signaling used to indicate the repeating data packet mode. The wireless device 504 can reduce power consumption by activating the auxiliary decoder 514 when the repeating data packet mode is enabled and keeping the auxiliary decoder 514 off or deactivated when the repeating data packet mode is disabled. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary decoder can be used for other purposes (such as discovering, scanning, or allocating wireless communications using other technologies, such as Bluetooth) when deactivated.

[0104] Signaling for dynamically enabling and disabling DDoS mode may include one or more activation messages 508, which may include management frames, control frames, frames within the TXOP of wireless device 504, or may be included in PPDU 510. Wireless devices 502 and 504 may exchange one or more activation messages 508 as part of a DDoS mode negotiation process, request, or notification. DDoS mode may be enabled at the request of wireless device 504 (which may be a receiver), at the request of wireless device 502-a or wireless device 502-b (which may be a transmitter), based on negotiation between the transmitter and receiver, or any combination thereof.

[0105] Wireless device 502-a or 502-b may request wireless device 504 to enable duplicate data mode and the corresponding decoder 514 before subsequently transmitting duplicate PPDU 510. In some implementations, if wireless device 502 has relatively high-priority data to transmit, it may enable duplicate data packet mode to improve throughput and reliability. Such services may include, for example, low-latency or high-reliability services. Other types of services may be transmitted without packet duplication, such as best-effort services.

[0106] In some implementations, if wireless device 502-a or 502-b requests wireless device 504 to enable DIP (Duplicate Data Packet Mode), but wireless device 504 cannot operate in DIP mode, the device can perform negotiation to determine whether to enable or disable DIP mode. For example, wireless device 504 may send a response message (such as a management frame, control frame, or a frame within a TXOP) to request a delay in enabling DIP mode or to reject the request to enable DIP mode. If, for example, one or more auxiliary decoders 514 at wireless device 504 are unavailable, wireless device 504 may be unable to operate in DIP mode.

[0107] In some implementations, duplicate data packet mode can be enabled or disabled via signaling exchanged at the management level. For example, wireless devices 502-a and 504 can exchange one or more activation messages 508 including management frames to enable or disable duplicate data packet mode. Using management frames to enable or disable duplicate data packet mode can be similar to the Enhanced Multilink Operation Mode Notification Frame Exchange used for MLO.

[0108] In some other examples, duplicate packet mode can be enabled or disabled via signaling exchanged at the control level, such as via A control. For example, a device can use signaling within the MAC header of one or more data frames or control frames to perform enable or disable, such as the aggregation control field in the MAC header. Signaling at the control level can be performed in hardware and can be relatively faster compared to the management level (e.g., on the order of milliseconds, within a TXOP, after the end of a TXOP, etc.). Using control-level signaling to enable or disable duplicate packet mode can be similar to AP Auxiliary Request (AAR) control exchange used for MLO. For example, control-level signaling can be used to dynamically enable or disable duplicate packet mode for one or more communication links.

[0109] In some other examples, duplicate packet mode can be enabled or disabled via signaling prior to the TXOP for duplicate PPDU 510. Frame switching via the main radio component of radio device 504 can occur prior to the TXOP allocated for subsequent switching. For example, if radio device 502-a is to transmit one or more duplicate PPDU 510s via TXOP, radio device 502-a can transmit a frame prior to the TXOP to enable duplicate packet mode. In some implementations, radio device 504 can suppress the enabling of duplicate packet mode if there is no such frame switching prior to the TXOP. In some implementations, the frame can indicate information about the type of duplicate packet mode, such as whether PPDU 510 is a non-HT PPDU, a UHRPPDU, or some other type of PPDU 510. The use of frame switching prior to the TXOP can be similar to MU Request Transmission (RTS) triggered, RTS, or Clear Transmission (CTS) frame switching prior to eMLSR transmission. For example, a transmitter (such as wireless device 502-a) may transmit an RTS including one or more bits indicating that duplicate data packet mode is enabled, and a receiver (such as wireless device 504) may respond with a CTS that permits or denies the request to enable duplicate data packet mode. The devices may utilize the described frame switching to dynamically enable and disable duplicate data mode between TXOPs based on the type and priority of the data traffic to be exchanged via each TXOP.

[0110] In some other examples, the duplicate data packet mode can be enabled or disabled via signaling within the duplicate PPDU 510. An early indication in the PHY header of the PPDU 510 can indicate that the PPDU 510 is a duplicate PPDU 510. For example, the L-SIG field length can be set to a specific value to indicate the duplicate data packet mode, or any reserved bits in the PHY header can be set to unused values ​​to indicate the duplicate data packet mode. The wireless device 504 can activate the auxiliary decoder 514 in response to detecting an early indication in the PHY header, causing the auxiliary decoder to be enabled in a timely manner for receiving and decoding data frames in the duplicate data packet mode. In such cases, the transmitter and receiver may not negotiate whether the mode is enabled before transmitting the duplicate PPDU 510.

[0111] The PPDU repetition described herein can be applied to repeated PPDU 510 transmitted in the same operating bandwidth with potential preamble puncturing, or repeated PPDU 510 transmitted across multiple communication links or frequency bands, or repeated PPDU 510 transmitted by multiple different devices, or any combination thereof. For example, wireless device 502-a can transmit repeated PPDU 510 to wireless device 504 via communication link 506, wherein each PPDU 510 is transmitted via a corresponding frequency range or channel in communication link 506.

[0112] Additionally or alternatively, wireless device 502-a may transmit repeated PPDU 510 to wireless device 504 via multiple links. For example, a first repeated PPDU 510 may be transmitted via at least a portion of the frequency resources of communication link 506, and a second repeated PPDU 510 may be transmitted via at least a portion of the frequency resources within communication link 516. Due to frequency band separation, PPDU repetition across multiple links or frequency bands can improve frequency diversity.

[0113] Wireless device 504 can apply different decoding modes to multi-link PPDU repetition. For example, if wireless device 504 supports a single decoder 514, it can select one of multiple communication links from which the repetitive PPDU 510 is transmitted based on the link's RSSI measurement or some other metric. Wireless device 504 can use a single decoder 514 to decode the repetitive PPDU 510 received on the selected link. If wireless device supports multiple decoders 514, each decoder can be associated with and decode the repetitive PPDU 510 received via the corresponding link. Decoders 514 can perform decoding of the repetitive PPDU 510 independently or jointly.

[0114] In some other examples, repeated PPDU 510 may be transmitted by multiple wireless devices 502 (APs), with each PPDU 510 transmitted by a separate wireless device 502. For example, wireless device 502-a may transmit a first PPDU 510 to wireless device 504 via communication link 506 or communication link 526, and wireless device 502-b may transmit a second PPDU 510 to wireless device 504 via communication link 516, wherein the second PPDU 510 is a repetition of the first PPDU 510, or vice versa. Although in Figure 5 Two wireless devices 502 are illustrated, but it should be understood that any number of wireless devices 502 can transmit duplicate PPDUs 510, each of which can be transmitted by the corresponding wireless device 502. Due to the spatial separation between PPDUs 510, PPDU repetition across multiple devices can improve spatial diversity.

[0115] Wireless device 504 can apply different decoding modes to multi-device PPDU repetition. For example, if wireless device 504 supports a single decoder 514, it can select one of the multiple devices 502 transmitting the repetitive PPDU 510 and its corresponding link based on the link's RSSI measurement or some other metric. Wireless device 504 can then use a single decoder 514 to decode the repetitive PPDU 510 received from the selected device 502. If the wireless device supports multiple decoders 514, each decoder can be associated with and decode the repetitive PPDU 510 received from the corresponding wireless device 502. Decoders 514 can perform decoding of the repetitive PPDU 510 independently or jointly. Multi-device repetitive PPDU transmission can improve reliability in scenarios where wireless device 504 communicates with multiple other non-co-located devices, such as multiple APs placed in different locations. If such a non-co-located device transmits PPDU 510 in repeat mode, then wireless device 504 can receive repeat PPDU 510 as long as at least one of the other devices is within range of wireless device 504.

[0116] PPDU 510s that are duplicates of each other and transmitted via different links or by different devices can be identified as part of the same duplicate PPDU based on one or more bits or fields in PPDU 510. For example, the duration indicated by a signal field (such as the L-SIG field) can be the same in each of the duplicate PPDU 510s. Wireless device 504 (receiver) can determine that the first PPDU 510 is part of the same duplicate PPDU 510 as the second PPDU 510 based on the fact that the L-SIG fields of both the first PPDU 510 received via communication link 506 and the second PPDU 510 received from wireless device 502-b via communication link 516 or communication link 526 indicate the same duration. In some specific implementations, wireless device 504 can monitor duplicate PPDU 510s across multiple links or from multiple devices based on the fact that wireless device 504 is in duplicate data packet mode.

[0117] The wireless communication network 500 can thus support repeating PPDU 510 including data frames. Repeating PPDU 510 including data frames can support improved throughput and reduced latency in data transmission.

[0118] Figure 6 An example of a repeating PPDU configuration 600 supporting packet repeating for data frames in a WLAN is shown. The repeating PPDU configuration 600 can implement the reference... Figures 1 to 5 The described wireless communication networks 100 and 500 or PPDUs 350 and 400 are aspects of, or implemented by, these aspects. For example, the repeated PPDU configuration 600 exemplifies repeated PPDUs 610-a and 610-b transmitted from AP 602 to STA 604, which can be represented as shown in reference. Figures 1 to 5 The example described is of the corresponding PPDU and device. In this example, STA 604 may include at least two decoders 614-a and 614-b for decoding the repeating PPDU 610, as referenced. Figure 5 As described.

[0119] For reference Figure 2 and Figure 3As described, PPDU 610 may include a PHY preamble and a PHY payload. The PHY preamble may include one or more training fields and signal fields, such as L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG, each of which may consist of a certain number of symbols (such as two symbols). In this example, PPDUs 610-a and 610-b may represent non-HT PPDUs, which may be PPDU formats supported and delayed by wireless devices (such as any STA 604 associated with the 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard). Therefore, the PHY headers of PPDUs 610-a and 610-b can be relatively short (such as 20 microseconds or some other duration). Such PPDUs 610 can be decoded by a relatively simple decoder 614. As the data rate decreases, the decoding complexity can be further reduced.

[0120] The PHY payload may include a PSDU, which includes a data field (DATA) carrying data for STA 604. Therefore, PPDUs 610-a and 610-b can transmit data frames and may differ from beacon PPDUs, control PPDUs, or other types of PPDUs. The techniques described herein provide wireless devices to support the repetition of PPDUs for transmitting data frames.

[0121] The repeated PPDU configuration 600 illustrates two repeated PPDUs, 610-a and 610-b. Repeated PPDU 610-a can be transmitted via a first frequency range or set of frequency resources, and the second repeated PPDU 610-b can be transmitted via a second frequency range or set of frequency resources. In this example, PPDUs 610-a and 610-b can be transmitted within the same operating bandwidth (such as the same communication link). Although in Figure 6 Not illustrated, but it should be understood that repeated PPDUs 610-a and 610-b can be transmitted via separate communication links or frequency bands (with gaps between them for frequency diversity), or by different APs 602, as referenced. Figure 5 As described.

[0122] As part of a PPDU repetition, the PHY preamble and PHY payload of PPDU 610-b may be the same as those of PPDU 610-a (e.g., a repetition, copy, or duplicate), or vice versa. That is, PPDU 610-a and 610-b may be identical and may include the same information, so that they may be referred to as a repeating PPDU 610.

[0123] STA 604 can receive and process repeated PPDU 610 during a short inter-frame gap (SIFS), which represents the amount of time (e.g., microseconds) that STA 604 can occupy to process the received frame. This processing may include decoding the PPDU 610 using one or more decoders 614 of STA 604. (See reference...) Figure 5 As described, decoder 614 can operate in one or more of a single decoder mode, an independent decoder mode, or a cumulative decoder mode. In single decoder mode, STA 604 may not include decoder 614-b, or decoder 614-b may be disabled. STA 604 can measure the RSSI of a first frequency range associated with PPDU 610-a and the RSSI of a second frequency range associated with PPDU 610-b. STA 604 can select the frequency range associated with the highest RSSI and can use decoder 614-a to decode PPDU 610 received via the selected portion. In independent decoder mode or cumulative decoder mode, STA 604 can use decoder 614-a to decode PPDU 610-a and can use decoder 614-b to decode PPDU 610-b. Decoder 614 can perform decoding independently or collaboratively (e.g., using LLR combination) based on the mode, as elsewhere herein (including references). Figure 5 (This is described in further detail.)

[0124] In some implementations, one or more bits or symbols of the data frame in PPDU 610 may be corrupted. For example, portion 616-a of the data in PPDU 610-a may be corrupted, and portion 616-b of the data in PPDU 610-b may be corrupted. Although PPDUs 610-a and 610-b are repetitive, different portions 616 (such as different symbols and bits) may be corrupted due to different channel conditions or other environmental factors. If a portion of the data frame is corrupted, decoding of the data frame may fail. Therefore, if STA 604 uses a single decoder 614 to decode the repetitive PPDU 610, decoding may fail regardless of which PPDU 610 is selected, because both PPDUs 610-a and 610-b include corrupted portions 616.

[0125] Therefore, increasing the number of decoders 614 at STA 604 can increase the probability of successful decoding. In some systems, the probability of successful decoding of a repeated PPDU 610 can be proportional to the frequency range on which the repeated PPDU 610 is transmitted. For example, if the spectrum increases, the number of repeated PPDU 610s that can be transmitted increases, which can further increase the likelihood that at least one of the repeated PPDU 610s is not corrupted and can be successfully decoded. Additionally or alternatively, if cumulative decoding is used (such as if decoders 614 cooperate to perform LLR combination), decoders 614 may be more likely to successfully decode all bits of the data frame.

[0126] The spectrum can be implemented in one or more different modes for repetition, such as dual modes (e.g., two repetitions within a 40MHz spectrum), triple modes (e.g., three repetitions within a 60MHz spectrum), quadruple modes (e.g., four repetitions within an 80MHz spectrum), and so on. In some examples, the spectrum can be up to 40MHz in 2G4, up to 160MHz in 5G, and up to 320MHz, 480MHz, or 640MHz in 6G. As an example, if the spectrum spans 320MHz, there can be 16 sections or channels, each comprising 20MHz and each section or channel transmitting a corresponding repetition PPDU 610. In some implementations, channel separation can be achieved by including preamble puncturing. Each repetition mode can be associated with a corresponding gain, and the gain can increase as the number of repetitions increases. For example, in some examples, dual modes can achieve a gain of up to 3 dB, triple modes can achieve a gain of up to 4.7 dB, and quadruple modes can achieve a gain of up to 6 dB. The gain achieved in each mode can be viewed in terms of range or reliability and latency. For example, if the domain is a regulated domain with a relatively limited PSD for transmission, the gain can be viewed based on the scope (such as link budget). Gains in reliability and latency can be achieved in any domain with relatively wide bandwidth. For example, by increasing bandwidth and supporting more repetitions, retransmissions can be reduced and frequency diversity can be increased, which provides gains in reliability and latency. In some specific implementations, packet repetition can provide a reduced packet error rate (PER) for a given transmission, or provide an increased MCS and a reduced packet length while maintaining PER due to reduced over-the-air transmissions.

[0127] STA 604 may send ACK 612 in response to successfully decoding duplicate PPDU 610. ACK 612 may indicate the cumulative decoding result of all duplicate PPDU 610. For example, if STA 604 is able to decode at least one duplicate PPDU in the duplicate PPDU 610, STA may send ACK 612. If STA 604 fails to successfully decode any of the duplicate PPDU 610, STA 604 may send NACK.

[0128] STA 604 may send ACK 612 via PPDU (such as a non-HT PPDU). In some implementations, STA 604 may send duplicate ACK 612. STA 604 may send ACK 612-a and ACK 612-b, where ACK 612-b may be a duplicate of ACK 612-a. STA 604 may send duplicate ACK 612 via multiple portions of the operating bandwidth, via multiple communication links, or to multiple devices. In some examples, AP 602 may include one or more decoders to decode duplicate ACK 612, which improves the reliability of ACK transmission. Compared to AP 602 receiving a single ACK 612, if AP 602 receives a duplicate, AP 602 is likely to successfully decode ACK 612, which improves reliability and reduces retransmission attempts by AP 602.

[0129] In some implementations, PPDUs 610-a and 610-b may not support PHY-based early PPDU discarding, MPDU-level data aggregation, or relatively large payload sizes. For example, if PPDUs 610-a and 610-b are non-HT PPDUs, some level of discarding can be supported by filtering incoming MPDUs (such as A1(RA) / A2(TA) filtering), but the PHY preamble may not include sufficient information for STA 604 to determine whether PPDU 610 is intended for STA 604 based solely on the PHY preamble. Therefore, STA 604 may not detect PPDU 610s that are not intended for STA 604 and discard such PPDUs prematurely. Additionally or alternatively, non-HT PPDU formats may not support MPDU-level data aggregation, which may reduce throughput and reliability. In some implementations, non-HT PPDU formats can be configured to support A-MSDU aggregation for this purpose, as elsewhere in this document (including references). Figure 7 (This is described in further detail.) In some specific implementations, non-HTPPDU formats may support relatively small payload sizes, but may not support payload sizes above a threshold, which could reduce throughput. Thus, different types of PPDUs can be defined, which may be referred to as UHR PPDUs.

[0130] The techniques described herein provide support for both non-HT PPDU 610 and UHR PPDU that repeatedly contain frames of any type, including data frames. UHR PPDUs may include a PHY header longer than that of the non-HT PPDU 610. For example, the UHR PPDU header may include one or more identifiers, such as an identifier for the transmitter (AP 602), an identifier for the receiver (STA 604), an uplink flag, a BSS color, or any combination thereof. STA 604 can decode the PHY preamble and use the identifiers to determine whether the PPDU is addressed to STA 604 or to another device. STA 604 can thus discard UHR PPDUs not addressed to STA 604 earlier (e.g., after decoding the PHY header), which can reduce complexity and improve latency. UHR PPDUs can optionally or additionally support A-MPDU aggregation, relatively high data rates (e.g., greater than 54 Mbps for a 20 MHz channel spacing), and can continuously carry relatively large payloads, providing further improved reliability and throughput compared to non-HT PPDU 610. For example, the maximum payload size supported by a UHR PPDU can be larger than that supported by a non-HT PPDU 610. However, UHR PPDUs may include relatively long PHY headers, guard intervals, MAC headers, padding, and A-MPDU headers, as well as other features, which may increase overhead compared to non-HT PPDUs. Therefore, when choosing between UHR and non-HT PPDU formats, there may be a trade-off between overhead and reliability / throughput.

[0131] Figure 7 An example of an A-MSDU frame 700 for improving the robustness of data frames in a WLAN is shown. The A-MSDU frame 700 can achieve... Figures 1 to 6 These aspects, or are implemented by these aspects. For example, A-MSDU frame 700 may represent an example of A-MSDU frame 422 within MPDU frame 410 of PPDU 400, as shown in reference. Figure 4 As described herein, in this example, the PPDU may be a non-HT PPDU that may not support MPDU-level aggregation. The techniques described herein provide an enhanced PPDU format to support including multiple A-MSDU subframes 724 within a single PPDU, which can provide increased throughput and reliability associated with repeated PPDU transmissions.

[0132] For reference Figure 4As described, A-MSDU subframes 724-a, 724-b, and 724-n can be aggregated within the frame body of an MPDU, which is carried within a PPDU. Each A-MSDU subframe 724 may include a subframe header 704, which may include a destination address (DA) field and a sender address (SA) field that can serve as a signature for the frame. Each subframe header 704 may also include a length field that may indicate the length of the MSDU in octets (such as a maximum length). The A-MSDU subframe 724 may also include an MSDU and padding, which may include data packets, and the padding may be one or more empty octets to adjust the length of the A-MSDU subframe 724 to a multiple of four octets.

[0133] Aggregation of MSDU subframes within an MPDU can be improved by appending a Frame Check Sequence (FCS) or Message Integrity Check (MIC) after each A-MSDU subframe 724. The FCS and / or MIC (such as a 32-bit CRC) can support temporal repetition within the same MPDU to increase reliability. For example, some devices may not support continuous parsing of data packets. The FCS can provide additional time for the receiving device to separate the A-MSDU subframe 724 and the corresponding data packets from each other and to check the FCS before moving to subsequent packets. The FCS and / or MIC can be appended to each A-MSDU subframe 724 before or after padding to protect the MSDU's contents.

[0134] Additionally or alternatively, extra padding can be added by including one or more zero-length A-MSDU subframes 706 between one or more A-MSDU subframes in A-MSDU subframe 724 that transmits the MSDU. For example, an additional zero-length A-MSDU subframe 706 may be added between A-MSDU subframes 724-a and A-MSDU subframe 724-b. The zero-length A-MSDU subframe 706 may include DA and SA fields and may include a length field with its length set to zero. Thus, the zero-length A-MSDU subframe 706 may be a certain number of bytes that can be ignored by the receiver and may provide time for the receiver to process A-MSDU subframe 724-a before processing A-MSDU subframe 724-b. Such padding can be used by the receiver's auxiliary radio components to have more time to process the MSDU. For example, an auxiliary radio component processing a repetitive PPDU with multiple aggregated MSDUs may utilize the time provided by the zero-length A-MSDU subframe 706 to exchange its LLR's reception status, generate a response feedback message, or both.

[0135] The techniques described for improving A-MSDU aggregation enable a transmitter to send multiple MSDUs via a single PPDU, which can be repeated once or multiple times as described herein. A receiver (such as an STA) can utilize one or more decoders to independently or cumulatively decode the multiple MSDUs within each repeated PPDU. The receiver can send feedback messages indicating the decoding results.

[0136] As described herein, in some examples, the feedback message may be a block ACK or block NACK in response to one or more MSDUs within a repeated PPDU. For example, the feedback message may include a set of bits indicating success or failure of decoding at the MSDU granular level.

[0137] Figure 8 An example of a process flow 800 supporting packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN is shown. This process flow includes AP 102-a and STA 104-a, which can represent examples of APs and STAs as described herein. In the following description of process flow 800, operations between AP 102-a and STA 104-a may be transmitted in a different order than the example order shown, or operations performed by AP 102-a and STA 104-a may be performed in a different order or at different times. Some operations may also be omitted from process flow 800, and other operations may be added to process flow 800.

[0138] At 805, in some examples, STA 104-a may send a request to enable DDoS mode. At 810, in some examples, AP 102-a may send signaling to STA 104-a to enable DDoS mode. The signaling may be based on (such as in response to) a request. The request to enable DDoS mode and the signaling may represent an example of a negotiation process that can be performed by AP 102-a and STA 104-a to enable DDoS mode. In some implementations, AP 102-a may send the signaling before receiving the request, and STA 104-a may send a response allowing or denying the enabling of DDoS mode. The request and signaling may be transmitted via one or more types of frames, including control frames, management frames, or other types of frames. In some implementations, the request, signaling, or both may be transmitted via the header of a DDoS packet associated with DDoS mode. Examples of such signaling are found elsewhere herein (including references). Figure 5 (This is described in further detail.)

[0139] At 815, STA 104-a can activate the duplicate data packet mode. STA 104-a can activate the duplicate data packet mode based on signaling, a request, or both. The duplicate data packet mode can be either non-HT duplicate data packet mode or UHR duplicate data packet mode. In non-HT duplicate data packet mode, STA 104-a can receive duplicate data frames including non-HT PPDUs. In UHR duplicate data packet mode, STA 104-a can receive duplicate data frames including UHR PPDUs.

[0140] In some respects, when the duplicate data packet mode is activated, the STA 104-a can activate one or more auxiliary decoders. For example, before activating the duplicate data packet mode, the STA 104-a can communicate using the primary decoder, and one or more auxiliary decoders of the STA 104-a can be disabled. Activation of the duplicate data packet mode can trigger the STA 104-a to enable (such as activate) one or more auxiliary decoders.

[0141] At 820, AP 102-a may send a first data frame to STA 104-a. At 825, AP 102-a may send a second data frame to STA 104-a. In some examples, the first and second data frames may be sent simultaneously or in at least partially overlapping time periods. For example, the first and second data frames may be sent via two frequency ranges within the operating bandwidth or within two communication links. In some examples ( Figure 8 (Not shown in the diagram), as part of a multi-AP transmission, AP 102-a can transmit a first data frame, and the second AP 102 can transmit a second data frame.

[0142] Depending on the repeating data packet pattern, the second data frame can be a repeat of the first data frame, or vice versa. That is, the first and second data frames can include the same header and data units. In some specific implementations, the first and second data frames can be transmitted via corresponding repeating PPDUs.

[0143] At 830, STA 104-a can use at least one decoder of STA 104-a to decode the first data frame and the second data frame. In some specific implementations, STA 104-a can operate in a single-decoder mode, in which case STA 104-a can select either the first or the second data frame for decoding based on the relatively high signal strength of the selected data frame. STA 104-a can use a single decoder to decode the selected data frame. In some other examples, STA 104-a can operate in independent or cumulative decoding modes, and STA 104-a can use its first decoder to decode the first data frame and its second decoder to decode the second data frame. The first and second decoders can decode the data frames independently or collaboratively (e.g., by exchanging decoding information) based on the decoding mode.

[0144] At 835, STA 104-a may send a feedback message to AP 102-a based on decoding. The feedback message may respond to at least a portion of a first data frame, a second data frame, or both. For example, if STA 104-a performs cumulative decoding, the feedback message may respond to at least a portion of each data frame in the data frame. If STA 104-a performs independent decoding, the feedback message may respond to at least one data frame in the data frame. If STA 104-a performs single-decoder decoding, the feedback message may respond to one data frame in the data frames decoded by STA 104-a. In some implementations, the feedback message may be a block ACK and may include feedback for each data frame in a set of one or more data frames in a PPDU. For example, the feedback message may include a corresponding ACK or NACK for each A-MSDU in a repeating PPDU.

[0145] Figure 9 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device 900 supporting packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN is shown. In various examples, the wireless communication device 900 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device, which may include: one or more modems (such as a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem such as a 3GPP 4G LTE or 5G compatible modem); one or more processors, processing blocks, or processing elements (collectively, “processors”); one or more radio components (collectively, “radio components”); and one or more memories or storage blocks (collectively, “memory”).

[0146] In some specific implementations, the wireless communication device 900 may be used for STAs such as references Figure 1The device used in the described STA104. In some other examples, the wireless communication device 900 may be an STA including such a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device, and multiple antennas. The wireless communication device 900 is capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications, for example, in the form of wireless packets. For example, the wireless communication device may be configured or capable of operating to transmit and receive packets in the form of physical layer PPDUs and MPDUs conforming to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 900 also includes an application processor or may be coupled to such an application processor, which may be further coupled to another memory. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 900 also includes a user interface (UI) (such as a touchscreen or keypad) and a display, which may be integrated with the UI to form a touchscreen display. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 900 may also include one or more sensors, such as, for example, one or more inertial sensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, or altitude sensors.

[0147] The wireless communication device 900 includes a repeating data packet mode component 925, a data frame component 930, a decoding component 935, a feedback component 940, a negotiation component 945, an MSDU component 950, a signal strength component 955, and an early discard component 960. A portion of one or more of the repeating data packet mode component 925, data frame component 930, decoding component 935, feedback component 940, negotiation component 945, MSDU component 950, signal strength component 955, and early discard component 960 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, one or more of the repeating data packet mode component 925, data frame component 930, decoding component 935, feedback component 940, negotiation component 945, MSDU component 950, signal strength component 955, and early discard component 960 may be implemented at least partially by a modem. In some specific implementations, at least some of the components of the duplicate data packet mode component 925, data frame component 930, decoding component 935, feedback component 940, negotiation component 945, MSDU component 950, signal strength component 955, and early discard component 960 are at least partially implemented by a processor and are implemented as software stored in memory. For example, portions of one or more of the duplicate data packet mode component 925, data frame component 930, decoding component 935, feedback component 940, negotiation component 945, MSDU component 950, signal strength component 955, and early discard component 960 may be implemented as non-transitory instructions (or "code") executable by a processor to perform the function or operation of the corresponding module.

[0148] In some implementations, the processor may be a component of a processing system. A processing system generally refers to a system or a series of machines or components that receive inputs and process those inputs to produce outputs that can be passed to, for example, other systems or components of device 900. For example, the processing system of device 900 may refer to a system that includes various other components or sub-components of device 900, such as a processor, transceiver, or communication manager, or other components or combinations of components of device 900. The processing system of device 900 may interface with other components of device 900 and may process information (such as inputs or signals) received from other components or output information to other components. For example, a chip or modem of device 900 may include a processing system, a first interface for outputting information, and a second interface for receiving information. In some implementations, the first interface may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a transmitter, allowing device 900 to transmit information output from the chip or modem. In some implementations, the second interface may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a receiver, allowing device 900 to receive information or signal input, and this information can be passed to the processing system. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the first interface can also receive information or signal input, and the second interface can also output information or signal output.

[0149] Additionally or alternatively, according to the examples disclosed herein, STA 920 may support wireless communication at the STA. The Repeat Data Packet Mode component 925 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for activating Repeat Data Packet Mode. The Data Frame component 930 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a first data frame and a second data frame, the second data frame comprising a repetition of the first data frame when Repeat Data Packet Mode is activated. The Decoding component 935 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for decoding the first and second data frames using at least one decoder from a set of multiple decoders of the STA according to Repeat Data Packet Mode. The Feedback component 940 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both, at least partially associated with decoding.

[0150] In some specific implementations, in order to support the activation of the duplicate data packet mode, the duplicate data packet mode component 925 can be, configured, or operated to support components for activating the non-HT duplicate data packet mode, and the first and second data frames include non-high throughput PPDUs according to the non-HT duplicate data packet mode.

[0151] In some specific implementations, in order to support the activation of the duplicate data packet mode, the duplicate data packet mode component 925 can be, configured, or operated to support components for activating the UHR duplicate data packet mode, and the first and second data frames include a UHR PPDU according to the duplicate data packet mode.

[0152] In some implementations, the UHR PPDU includes a physical layer header that includes one or more IDs. In some implementations, the UHR PPDU supports MPDU aggregation. In some implementations, the UHR PPDU supports a first maximum payload size that is larger than a second maximum payload size supported by a non-HTPPDU.

[0153] In some implementations, data frame component 930 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a third data frame, which is a UHR PPDU including a physical layer header, the PHY header including the device ID. In some implementations, early discard component 960 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for discarding third data frames that are at least partially associated with a device whose PHY header is addressed to a device different from the STA.

[0154] In some implementations, the negotiation component 945 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for exchanging one or more frames configured to enable or disable duplicate data packet mode according to a duplicate mode negotiation process, the one or more frames including control frames or management frames. In some implementations, the duplicate data packet mode component 925 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for activating a duplicate data packet mode at least partially associated with one or more frames.

[0155] In some implementations, the repeating data packet mode component 925 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a component for receiving one or more bits indicating that the second data frame is a repeat of the first data frame according to the repeating data packet mode via a physical layer header included in the second data frame.

[0156] In some specific implementations, the decoding component 935 is capable of, can be configured to, or is operable to support one or more decoders in a set of multiple decoders used to activate the STA when the repeating data packet mode is activated at the STA.

[0157] In some implementations, to support the reception of a first data frame and a second data frame, the MSDU component 950 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a first set of multiple A-MSDUs and a first set of multiple check sequences via the first data frame, with each check sequence in the first set of check sequences being appended to a corresponding A-MSDU in the first set of multiple A-MSDUs. In some implementations, to support the reception of a first data frame and a second data frame, the MSDU component 950 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a second set of multiple A-MSDUs and a second set of multiple check sequences via the second data frame, with each check sequence in the second set of check sequences being appended to a corresponding A-MSDU in the second set of multiple A-MSDUs.

[0158] In some implementations, to support the reception of a first data frame and a second data frame, the MSDU component 950 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a first set of multiple A-MSDU subframes including data via the first data frame and one or more first empty A-MSDU subframes interleaved with the first set of multiple A-MSDU subframes, wherein decoding of the first data frame is performed at least partially during one or more first empty A-MSDU subframes. In some implementations, to support the reception of a first data frame and a second data frame, the MSDU component 950 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a second set of multiple A-MSDU subframes including data via the second data frame and one or more second empty A-MSDU subframes interleaved with the second set of multiple A-MSDU subframes, wherein decoding of the second data frame is performed at least partially during one or more second empty A-MSDU subframes.

[0159] In some specific implementations, in order to support the reception of a first data frame and a second data frame, the data frame component 930 can be, configured, or operated to support components for receiving the first data frame via a first frequency range and receiving the second data frame via a second frequency range, the first and second frequency ranges being within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0160] In some embodiments, to support the reception of a first data frame and a second data frame, the data frame component 930 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a first data frame via a first communication link, the first data frame including a first signal field indicating duration. In some embodiments, to support the reception of both the first and second data frames, the data frame component 930 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a second data frame via a second communication link different from the first communication link, the second data frame including a second signal field indicating duration at least partially associated with a repeating second data frame including the first data frame.

[0161] In some implementations, to support the reception of a first data frame and a second data frame, the data frame component 930 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a first data frame from a first AP, the first data frame including a first signal field indicating duration. In some implementations, to support the reception of both the first and second data frames, the data frame component 930 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a second data frame from a second AP different from the first AP, the second data frame including a second signal field indicating duration at least partially associated with a repeating second data frame including the first data frame.

[0162] In some implementations, to support decoding of a first data frame, a second data frame, or both, the decoding component 935 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a first decoder in a set of multiple decoders used with the STA to decode the first data frame. In some implementations, to support decoding of a first data frame, a second data frame, or both, the decoding component 935 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a second decoder in a set of multiple decoders used with the STA to decode the second data frame.

[0163] In some implementations, to support the transmission of feedback messages, the feedback component 940 can be, configured, or operated to support components for transmitting a positive acknowledgment that is at least partially associated with the successful decoding of at least one of the first or second data frames and that the second decoder operates independently of the first decoder based on the independent decoding mode of the repetitive data packetization pattern. In some implementations, to support the transmission of feedback messages, the feedback component 940 can be, configured, or operated to support components for transmitting a negative acknowledgment that is at least partially associated with the failure to decode either the first or second data frame and that the second decoder operates independently of the first decoder based on the independent decoding mode.

[0164] In some implementations, to support the sending of feedback messages, the feedback component 940 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending a positive acknowledgment at least partially associated with successful combined decoding of the first and second data frames and with the second decoder cooperating with the first decoder according to a combined decoding mode based on a duplicate data grouping mode. In some implementations, to support the sending of feedback messages, the feedback component 940 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending a negative acknowledgment at least partially associated with failed combined decoding of the first and second data frames and with the second decoder cooperating with the first decoder according to a combined decoding mode.

[0165] In some implementations, a first decoder is associated with decoding data received via a first frequency range, and a second decoder is associated with decoding data received via a second frequency range.

[0166] In some specific implementations, the first decoder exchanges information with the second decoder based on whether the repeated data grouping pattern is a combined decoding pattern.

[0167] In some specific implementations, in order to support decoding of a first data frame, a second data frame, or both, the signal strength component 955 can be, configured, or operated to support a component for decoding a first data frame that is at least partially associated with a first signal strength indicator of a first frequency range including the first data frame being greater than a second signal strength indicator of a second frequency range including the second data frame, and a feedback message responding to the decoding of the first data frame.

[0168] In some implementations, the DDoS mode component 925 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending a request to enable DDoS mode. In some implementations, the DDoS mode component 925 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving signaling to enable DDoS mode, at least in part in association with the request, wherein activation of DDoS mode is at least in part associated with the signaling.

[0169] In some specific implementations, the feedback component 940 is capable of, can be configured to, or is operable to support components for sending repeated second feedback messages, including feedback messages based on a repeated data grouping pattern.

[0170] Figure 10A block diagram of an example wireless communication device 1000 supporting packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN is shown. In various examples, the wireless communication device 1000 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device, which may include: one or more modems (such as a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem such as a 3GPP 4G LTE or 5G compatible modem); one or more processors, processing blocks, or processing elements (collectively, “processors”); one or more radio components (collectively, “radio components”); and one or more memories or storage blocks (collectively, “memory”).

[0171] In some specific implementations, the wireless communication device 1000 may be used in an AP such as a reference Figure 1 The device used in the described AP102. In some other examples, the wireless communication device 1000 may be an AP including such a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device, and multiple antennas. The wireless communication device 1000 is capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications, for example, in the form of wireless packets. For example, the wireless communication device may be configured or capable of operating to transmit and receive packets in the form of physical layer PPDUs and MPDUs conforming to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 1000 also includes an application processor or an application processor that may be coupled to the application processor, which may be further coupled to another memory. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 1000 also includes at least one external network interface that enables communication with a core network or backhaul network to obtain access to external networks, including the Internet.

[0172] The wireless communication device 1000 includes a repeating data packet mode component 1025, a data frame component 1030, a feedback component 1035, and an MSDU component 1040. A portion of one or more of the repeating data packet mode component 1025, data frame component 1030, feedback component 1035, and MSDU component 1040 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, one or more of the repeating data packet mode component 1025, data frame component 1030, feedback component 1035, and MSDU component 1040 may be implemented at least partially by a modem. In some embodiments, at least some of the components of the repeating data packet mode component 1025, data frame component 1030, feedback component 1035, and MSDU component 1040 are implemented at least partially by a processor and are implemented as software stored in memory. For example, portions of one or more of the repeating data grouping mode component 1025, data frame component 1030, feedback component 1035, and MSDU component 1040 may be implemented as non-transitory instructions (or "code") that can be executed by the processor to perform the functions or operations of the respective modules.

[0173] In some implementations, the processor may be a component of a processing system. A processing system generally refers to a system or a series of machines or components that receive inputs and process those inputs to produce a set of outputs (which can be passed to other systems or components of, for example, device 1000). For example, the processing system of device 1000 may refer to a system that includes various other components or sub-components of device 1000, such as a processor, transceiver, or communication manager, or other components or combinations of components of device 1000. The processing system of device 1000 may interface with other components of device 1000 and may process information received from other components (such as inputs or signals) or output information to other components. For example, a chip or modem of device 1000 may include a processing system, a first interface for outputting information, and a second interface for receiving information. In some implementations, the first interface may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a transmitter, enabling device 1000 to transmit information output from the chip or modem. In some specific implementations, the second interface may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and the receiver, enabling device 1000 to receive information or signal input, and such information can be transmitted to the processing system. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the first interface can also receive information or signal input, and the second interface can also output information or signal output.

[0174] Additionally or alternatively, according to the examples disclosed herein, AP 1020 may support wireless communication at a wireless AP. The Duplicate Data Packet Mode (DDM) component 1025 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a request to enable DDM. In some implementations, the DDM component 1025 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending signaling to enable DDM, at least in part, in association with the request. The data frame component 1030 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending at least a first data frame, the first data frame including a repetition of a second data frame according to DDM. The feedback component 1035 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both.

[0175] In some specific implementations, in order to support the transmission of signaling, the duplicate data packet mode component 1025 can be, configured, or operated to support components for transmitting signaling to enable non-HT duplicate data packet mode, wherein the first data frame and the second data frame include a non-HT PPDU according to the non-HT duplicate data packet mode.

[0176] In some specific implementations, in order to support the transmission of signaling, the duplicate data packet mode component 1025 can be, configured, or operated to support components for transmitting signaling to enable UHR duplicate data packet mode, wherein the first data frame and the second data frame include a UHR PPDU according to the duplicate data packet mode.

[0177] In some implementations, the UHR PPDU includes a PHY header that includes one or more IDs. In some implementations, the UHR PPDU supports MPDU aggregation. In some implementations, the UHR PPDU supports a first maximum payload size that is larger than a second maximum payload size supported by a non-HT PPDU.

[0178] In some specific implementations, in order to support the transmission of signaling, the duplicate data packet mode component 1025 can be, configured, or operated to support components for transmitting management frames or control frames that enable duplicate data packet mode.

[0179] In some implementations, in order to support the transmission of the first data frame, the data frame component 1030 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a component for transmitting one or more bits via a PHY header included in the first data frame, the one or more bits indicating that the first data frame is at least partially associated with a repeating and repeating data packet pattern of the second data frame.

[0180] In some specific implementations, in order to support the transmission of the first data frame, the MSDU component 1040 can be, configured, or operated to support components for transmitting a first set of multiple A-MSDUs and a first set of multiple check sequences via the first data frame, each check sequence in the first set of multiple check sequences being appended to a corresponding A-MSDU in the first set of multiple A-MSDUs.

[0181] In some specific implementations, in order to support the transmission of the first data frame, the MSDU component 1040 can be, configured, or operated to support components for transmitting a first set of multiple A-MSDU subframes including data via the first data frame and one or more first empty A-MSDU subframes interleaved with the first set of multiple A-MSDU subframes.

[0182] In some implementations, the data frame component 1030 can be, configured, or operated to support components for transmitting a second data frame via a second frequency range, the first data frame being transmitted via a first frequency range, the first and second frequency ranges being within the operating bandwidth of the access point.

[0183] In some implementations, the data frame component 1030 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting a second data frame via a second communication link, the first data frame being transmitted via a first communication link different from the second communication link and including a first signal field indicating duration, and the second data frame including a second signal field indicating duration at least partially associated with a repeating second data frame including the first data frame.

[0184] In some specific implementations, the second data frame is associated with a second AP that is different from the AP.

[0185] In some embodiments, the feedback component 1035 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a repeated second feedback message, including a feedback message according to a repetitive data packetization pattern. In some embodiments, the feedback component 1035 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for decoding the feedback message using a first decoder of the AP. In some embodiments, the feedback component 1035 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for decoding a second feedback message using a second decoder of the AP.

[0186] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating an example process 1100 that can be executed at a wireless STA supporting packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN is shown. The operation of process 1100 can be an example of a method implemented by a wireless STA or its components as described herein. For example, process 1100 can be performed by a wireless communication device (such as reference _____) operating as a wireless STA or within a wireless STA. Figure 9 The described wireless communication device 900) performs the procedure. In some specific implementations, the process 1100 may be performed by a wireless STA (such as reference STA). Figure 1 The STA described in STA 104 is used to perform this action.

[0187] In some implementations, in block 1105, the wireless STA may activate a repeating data packet mode. The operation of block 1105 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1105 may be derived from references... Figure 9 The described duplicate data grouping pattern is executed by component 925.

[0188] In some implementations, in block 1110, the wireless STA can receive a first data frame and a second data frame, the second data frame comprising a repetition of the first data frame when the repeating data packet mode is activated. Operation of block 1110 can be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1110 can be derived from references... Figure 9 The data frame component 930 described is used for execution.

[0189] In some implementations, in block 1115, the wireless STA may decode the first and second data frames using at least one decoder from a set of multiple decoders of the STA, according to the repetitive data packet pattern. The operation of block 1115 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1115 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 9 The described decoding component 935 is used to perform this.

[0190] In some implementations, in block 1120, the wireless STA may transmit a feedback message in response to at least a portion of a first data frame, a second data frame, or both, at least in association with decoding. Operation of block 1120 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1120 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 9 The described feedback component 940 is used to perform this.

[0191] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating an example process 1200 that can be executed at a wireless AP supporting packet repetition for data frames in a WLAN is shown. The operation of process 1200 can be an example of a method implemented by a wireless AP or its components as described herein. For example, process 1200 can be implemented by a wireless communication device (such as reference 4) operating as a wireless AP or within a wireless STA. Figure 10 The described wireless communication device 1000 performs the operation. In some specific implementations, process 1200 may be performed by a wireless AP (such as reference 1000). Figure 1The AP described in AP 102 is executed.

[0192] In some implementations, in block 1205, the wireless AP may receive a request to enable duplicate data packet mode. Operation of block 1205 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1205 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 10 The described duplicate data grouping pattern component 1025 is used to perform this.

[0193] In some implementations, in block 1210, the wireless AP may send signaling to enable duplicate data packet mode, at least in part, in association with a request. Operation of block 1210 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1210 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 10 The described duplicate data grouping pattern component 1025 is used to perform this.

[0194] In some implementations, in block 1215, the wireless AP may transmit at least a first data frame, the first data frame including a repetition of a second data frame according to a repetitive data packet pattern. Operation of block 1215 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1215 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 10 The data frame component 1030 described is used for execution.

[0195] In some implementations, in block 1220, the wireless AP may receive a feedback message in response to at least a portion of a first data frame, a second data frame, or both. Operation of block 1220 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1220 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 10 The described feedback component 1035 is used to execute this.

[0196] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: The following provides an overview of the various aspects of this disclosure: Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at a STA, the method comprising: activating a repeating data packet mode; receiving a first data frame and a second data frame, the second data frame comprising a repeat of the first data frame when the repeating data packet mode is activated; decoding the first data frame and the second data frame using at least one of a plurality of decoders of the STA according to the repeating data packet mode; and transmitting a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both, at least in part in association with the decoding.

[0197] Aspect 2: According to the method of aspect 1, activating the duplicate data packet mode includes: activating a non-HT duplicate data packet mode, wherein the first data frame and the second data frame include a non-HT PPDU according to the non-HT duplicate data packet mode.

[0198] Aspect 3: According to the method of aspect 1, activating the duplicate data packet mode includes: activating the UHR duplicate data packet mode, wherein the first data frame and the second data frame include a UHR PPDU according to the duplicate data packet mode.

[0199] Aspect 4: According to the method of aspect 3, wherein the UHR PPDU includes a PHY header, the PHY header including one or more IDs; the UHR PPDU supports MPDU aggregation; and the UHR PPDU supports a first maximum payload size that is larger than a second maximum payload size supported by a non-HT PPDU.

[0200] Aspect 5: The method according to any one of Aspects 3 to 4, the method further comprising: receiving a third data frame, the third data frame being a UHR PPDU including a PHY header including a device ID; and discarding the third data frame that is at least partially associated with the device whose PHY header is addressed to a different device than the STA.

[0201] Aspect 6: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, the method further comprising: exchanging one or more frames configured to enable or disable the duplicate data packet mode according to a duplicate mode negotiation process, the one or more frames including control frames or management frames; and activating the duplicate data packet mode at least partially associated with the one or more frames.

[0202] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, the method further comprising: receiving, via the second data frame, one or more bits indicating that the second data frame is a repeat of the first data frame according to the repeating data grouping pattern.

[0203] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, the method further comprising: activating one or more of the plurality of decoders of the STA in at least part of the association with activating the repeat data packet mode at the STA.

[0204] Aspect 9: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8, wherein receiving the first data frame and the second data frame comprises: receiving a first plurality of A-MSDUs and a first plurality of check sequences via the first data frame, each of the first plurality of check sequences being appended to a corresponding A-MSDU in the first plurality of A-MSDUs; and receiving a second plurality of A-MSDUs and a second plurality of check sequences via the second data frame, each of the second plurality of check sequences being appended to a corresponding A-MSDU in the second plurality of A-MSDUs.

[0205] Aspect 10: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 9, wherein receiving the first data frame and the second data frame comprises: receiving via the first data frame a first plurality of A-MSDU subframes including data and one or more first empty A-MSDU subframes interleaved with the first plurality of A-MSDU subframes, wherein the decoding of the first data frame is performed at least partially during the one or more first empty A-MSDU subframes; and receiving via the second data frame a second plurality of A-MSDU subframes including data and one or more second empty A-MSDU subframes interleaved with the second plurality of A-MSDU subframes, wherein the decoding of the second data frame is performed at least partially during the one or more second empty A-MSDU subframes.

[0206] Aspect 11: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, wherein receiving the first data frame and the second data frame comprises: receiving the first data frame via a first frequency range and receiving the second data frame via a second frequency range, the first frequency range and the second frequency range being within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0207] Aspect 12: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, wherein receiving the first data frame and the second data frame comprises: receiving the first data frame via a first communication link, the first data frame including a first signal field indicating duration; and receiving the second data frame via a second communication link different from the first communication link, the second data frame including a second signal field indicating duration at least partially associated with the repeated second data frame including the first data frame.

[0208] Aspect 13: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, wherein receiving the first data frame and the second data frame comprises: receiving the first data frame from a first AP, the first data frame including a first signal field indicating duration; and receiving the second data frame from a second AP different from the first AP, the second data frame including a second signal field indicating duration at least partially associated with the repeated second data frame including the first data frame.

[0209] Aspect 14: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 13, wherein decoding the first data frame, the second data frame, or both comprises: decoding the first data frame using a first decoder among the plurality of decoders of the STA; and decoding the second data frame using a second decoder among the plurality of decoders of the STA.

[0210] Aspect 15: According to the method of aspect 14, sending the feedback message includes: sending a positive ACK that is at least partially associated with the successful decoding of at least one of the first data frame or the second data frame and the second decoder operating independently of the first decoder based on the repetitive data packet mode being an independent decoding mode; or sending a NACK that is at least partially associated with the failure to decode either the first data frame or the second data frame and the second decoder operating independently of the first decoder based on the independent decoding mode.

[0211] Aspect 16: According to the method of aspect 14, sending the feedback message includes: sending an affirmative ACK that is at least partially associated with the successful combined decoding of the first data frame and the second data frame and the second decoder cooperating with the first decoder in accordance with the combined decoding mode of the duplicate data packet mode; or sending a NACK that is at least partially associated with the failed combined decoding of the first data frame and the second data frame and the second decoder cooperating with the first decoder in accordance with the combined decoding mode.

[0212] Aspect 17: The method according to any one of Aspects 14 to 16, wherein the first decoder is associated with decoding data received via a first frequency range, and the second decoder is associated with decoding data received via a second frequency range.

[0213] Aspect 18: The method according to any one of Aspects 14 to 17, wherein the first decoder exchanges information with the second decoder according to the repetitive data grouping pattern being a combined decoding pattern.

[0214] Aspect 19: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 18, wherein decoding the first data frame, the second data frame, or both comprises: decoding the first data frame at least partially in association with a first signal strength indicator associated with a first frequency range including the first data frame being greater than a second signal strength indicator associated with a second frequency range including the second data frame, the feedback message responding to the first data frame according to the decoding.

[0215] Aspect 20: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 19, the method further comprising: sending a request to enable the duplicate data packet mode; and receiving signaling to enable the duplicate data packet mode in at least part of the connection with the request, wherein activation of the duplicate data packet mode is at least partly associated with the signaling.

[0216] Aspect 21: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 20, the method further comprising: sending a repeated second feedback message including the feedback message according to the repeated data grouping pattern.

[0217] Aspect 22: A method for wireless communication at an access point (AP), the method comprising: receiving a request to enable a repeating data packet mode; sending signaling to enable the repeating data packet mode in at least part of the request; sending at least a first data frame, the first data frame including a repeat of a second data frame according to the repeating data packet mode; and receiving a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both.

[0218] Aspect 23: According to the method of aspect 22, sending the signaling includes: sending the signaling to enable a non-HT repeating data packet mode, wherein the first data frame and the second data frame include a non-HT PPDU according to the non-HT repeating data packet mode.

[0219] Aspect 24: The method according to aspect 22, wherein sending the signaling includes: sending the signaling to enable UHR repeat data packet mode, the first data frame and the second data frame including UHR PPDU according to the repeat data packet mode.

[0220] Aspect 25: According to the method of aspect 24, wherein the UHR PPDU includes a PHY header, the PHY header including one or more IDs; the UHR PPDU supports MPDU aggregation; and the UHR PPDU supports a first maximum payload size larger than a second maximum payload size supported by a non-HT PPDU.

[0221] Aspect 26: The method according to any one of Aspects 22 to 25, wherein sending the signaling includes: sending a management frame or control frame that enables the duplicate data packet mode.

[0222] Aspect 27: The method according to any one of Aspects 22 to 26, wherein transmitting the first data frame comprises: transmitting one or more bits via the first data frame, the one or more bits indicating that the first data frame is a repeating data frame at least in part associated with the second data frame being a repeat of the first data frame and the repeating data packet pattern.

[0223] Aspect 28: The method according to any one of Aspects 22 to 27, wherein transmitting the first data frame comprises: transmitting a first plurality of A-MSDUs and a first plurality of check sequences via the first data frame, each of the first plurality of check sequences being appended to a corresponding A-MSDU in the first plurality of A-MSDUs.

[0224] Aspect 29: The method according to any one of Aspects 22 to 28, wherein transmitting the first data frame comprises: transmitting via the first data frame a first plurality of A-MSDU subframes including data and one or more first empty A-MSDU subframes interleaved with the first plurality of A-MSDU subframes.

[0225] Aspect 30: The method according to any one of Aspects 22 to 29, the method further comprising: transmitting the second data frame via a second frequency range, the first data frame being transmitted via a first frequency range, the first frequency range and the second frequency range being within the operating bandwidth of the AP.

[0226] Aspect 31: The method according to any one of aspects 22 to 29, the method further comprising: transmitting the second data frame via a second communication link, the first data frame being transmitted via a first communication link different from the second communication link and including a first signal field indicating duration, the second data frame including a second signal field indicating the duration at least partially associated with the repeated second data frame including the first data frame.

[0227] Aspect 32: The method according to any one of aspects 22 to 29, wherein the second data frame is associated with a second AP different from the AP.

[0228] Aspect 33: An apparatus for wireless communication at a STA, the apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being operable to cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 21.

[0229] Aspect 34: An apparatus for wireless communication at a STA, the apparatus comprising at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 21.

[0230] Aspect 35: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a STA, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 21.

[0231] Aspect 36: An apparatus for wireless communication at an access point (AP), the apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being operable to cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of aspects 22 to 32.

[0232] Aspect 37: An apparatus for wireless communication at an AP, the apparatus comprising at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 22 to 32.

[0233] Aspect 38: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at an access point, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the method according to any one of aspects 22 to 32.

[0234] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a wide variety of actions, and therefore, "determine" can include calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, searching (such as by searching in a table, database, or other data structure), reasoning, probing, and similar actions. Additionally, "determine" can include receiving (such as receiving information), accessing (such as accessing data stored in memory), sending (such as sending information), etc. Furthermore, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, obtaining, choosing, building, and other similar actions.

[0235] As used herein, the phrase “at least one of the items” refers to any combination of those items (including a single member). For example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc. As used herein, “or” is intended to be interpreted in an inclusive sense unless otherwise expressly indicated. For example, “a or b” could include only a, only b, or a combination of a and b.

[0236] As used herein, unless otherwise expressly indicated, “or” is intended to be interpreted in an inclusive sense. For example, unless otherwise expressly indicated, “based on” may be used interchangeably with “at least partially based on,” “associated with,” or “according to.” Specifically, unless the phrase in the context refers to “based on only one” or an equivalent, it may be based solely on “one” or on a combination of “one” and one or more other factors, conditions, or information, whether it is “based on one” or “at least partially based on one.”

[0237] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a wide variety of actions, and therefore, "determine" can include calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, searching (such as by searching in a table, database, or other data structure), reasoning, probing, and similar actions. Additionally, "determine" can include receiving (such as receiving information), accessing (such as accessing data stored in memory), sending (such as sending information), etc. Furthermore, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, obtaining, choosing, building, and other similar actions.

[0238] The various exemplary components, logic units, logic blocks, modules, circuits, operations, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the examples disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of hardware, firmware, or software, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents. This interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software has been generally described in terms of its functionality and exemplified in the various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0239] Various modifications to the examples described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the examples shown herein, but are to be granted the widest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles disclosed herein, and the novel features.

[0240] Additionally, the various features described in this specification in the context of individual examples may also be implemented in combination in a single specific embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single specific embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple examples. Thus, although features may be described above as functioning in a particular combination, and even initially claimed in this way, one or more features from the claimed combination may be removed from the combination in some cases, and the claimed combination may involve sub-combinations or variations of sub-combinations.

[0241] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or to perform all illustrated operations to achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the drawings may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of flowcharts or flow diagrams. 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 with, or between any of the illustrated operations. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the examples described above should not be construed as requiring such separation in all examples, but rather should be understood as meaning that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or encapsulated in multiple software products.

Claims

1. An apparatus for conducting wireless communication at a station, the apparatus comprising: processor; and A memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being operable to enable the device to: Activate duplicate data grouping mode; Receive a first data frame and a second data frame, wherein the second data frame includes a repetition of the first data frame when the repetitive data packet mode is activated; The first data frame and the second data frame are decoded using at least one of the multiple decoders of the station according to the repetitive data grouping pattern; as well as A feedback message is sent in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both, in at least part of the context of the decoding.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: Activate the low-throughput repetitive data packet mode, wherein the first data frame and the second data frame include low-throughput physical layer protocol data units according to the low-throughput repetitive data packet mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: The ultra-reliable duplicate data packet mode is activated, and the first data frame and the second data frame include ultra-reliable physical layer protocol data units according to the duplicate data packet mode.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The ultra-high reliability physical layer protocol data unit includes a physical layer header, and the physical layer header includes one or more identifiers; The ultra-high reliability physical layer protocol data unit supports the aggregation of media access control protocol data units; and The ultra-high reliability physical layer protocol data unit supports a first maximum payload size that is larger than the second maximum payload size supported by the non-high throughput physical layer protocol data unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: Receive a third data frame, the third data frame being an Ultra-Reliable Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (URP Data Unit) including a physical layer header, the physical layer header including a device identifier; and Discard any third data frame that is at least partially associated with a device whose physical layer header is addressed to a different station.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: One or more frames configured to enable or disable the repeat data packet mode are exchanged according to a repeat mode negotiation process; the one or more frames include control frames or management frames; and Activate the repeating data grouping pattern that is at least partially associated with the one or more frames.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: One or more bits indicating that the second data frame is a repeat of the first data frame according to the repeating data packet pattern are received via the physical layer header included in the second data frame.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: When the repeat data packet mode is activated at the station, one or more auxiliary decoders among the plurality of decoders at the station are activated.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: The system receives a first plurality of aggregated media access control (AMP) service data units and a first plurality of check sequences via the first data frame, wherein each of the first plurality of check sequences is appended to a corresponding aggregated media access control (AMP) service data unit in the first plurality of aggregated media access control (AMP) service data units; and The second data frame is used to receive a second plurality of aggregated media access control service data units and a second plurality of check sequences, each of the second plurality of check sequences being appended to the corresponding aggregated media access control service data unit in the second plurality of aggregated media access control service data units.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: Receiving, via the first data frame, a first plurality of aggregated Media Access Control (MAC) data unit (MAC) subframes comprising data and one or more first empty MMAC subframes interleaved with the first plurality of MAC data unit (MAC) subframes, wherein the decoding of the first data frame is performed at least partially during the one or more first empty MMAC subframes; and The second data frame receives a second plurality of aggregated media access control (AMP) data unit subframes containing data and one or more second empty aggregated media access control (AMP) data unit subframes interleaved with the second plurality of aggregated media access control (AMP) data unit subframes, and the decoding of the second data frame is performed at least in part during the one or more second empty aggregated media access control (AMP) data unit subframes.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: Receive the first data frame from the first access point, the first data frame including a first signal field indicating duration; and The second data frame is received from a second access point different from the first access point, the second data frame including a second signal field indicating the duration associated at least partially with the repeated second data frame including the first data frame.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: The first data frame is decoded using a first decoder among the plurality of decoders at the station; and The second data frame is decoded using the second decoder among the plurality of decoders at the station.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: Sending a positive acknowledgment, which is at least partially associated with the successful decoding of at least one of the first or second data frames and with the second decoder operating independently of the first decoder based on the repetitive data grouping pattern being an independent decoding mode; or A negative acknowledgment is sent, which is at least partially associated with a failure to decode either the first data frame or the second data frame, and with the second decoder operating independently of the first decoder according to the independent decoding mode.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: Sending a positive acknowledgment, which is at least partially associated with the successful combined decoding of the first and second data frames and the second decoder cooperating with the first decoder based on the repetition data grouping pattern being a combined decoding mode; or A negative acknowledgment is sent, which is at least partially associated with the failure of the combined decoding of the first and second data frames and the second decoder cooperating with the first decoder according to the combined decoding mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first decoder is associated with decoding data received via a first frequency range, and the second decoder is associated with decoding data received via a second frequency range.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first decoder exchanges information with the second decoder according to the repetitive data grouping pattern being a combined decoding pattern.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: The first data frame is decoded at least in part with a first signal strength indicator associated with a first frequency range including the first data frame being greater than a second signal strength indicator associated with a second frequency range including the second data frame, and the feedback message responds to the first data frame according to the decoding.

18. An apparatus for wireless communication at an access point, the apparatus comprising: processor; and A memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being operable to enable the device to: Receive a request to enable duplicate data grouping mode; Sending signaling that enables the duplicate data packet mode, at least in part in association with the request; Send at least a first data frame, the first data frame including a repetition of a second data frame according to the repetitive data grouping pattern; as well as Receive a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: The first plurality of aggregated media access control service data units and the first plurality of check sequences are sent via the first data frame, and each of the first plurality of check sequences is appended to the corresponding aggregated media access control service data unit in the first plurality of aggregated media access control service data units.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: The data frame transmits a first plurality of aggregated media access control service data unit subframes containing data and one or more first empty aggregated media access control service data unit subframes interleaved with the first plurality of aggregated media access control service data unit subframes.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: The second data frame is transmitted via a second communication link, the first data frame being transmitted via a first communication link different from the second communication link and including a first signal field indicating duration, and the second data frame including a second signal field indicating duration at least partially associated with the repeated second data frame including the first data frame.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor and the memory are further operable to cause the apparatus to: Receive a second feedback message that includes the feedback message according to the repetitive data grouping pattern; The feedback message is decoded using the first decoder of the access point; and The second decoder of the access point is used to decode the second feedback message.

23. A method for conducting wireless communication at a station, the method comprising: Activate duplicate data grouping mode; Receive a first data frame and a second data frame, wherein the second data frame includes a repetition of the first data frame when the repetitive data packet mode is activated; The first data frame and the second data frame are decoded using at least one of the multiple decoders of the station according to the repetitive data grouping pattern; as well as A feedback message is sent in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both, in at least part of the context of the decoding.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising: One or more frames configured to enable or disable the repeat data packet mode are exchanged according to the repeat mode negotiation process, the one or more frames including control frames or management frames; as well as Activate the repeating data grouping pattern that is at least partially associated with the one or more frames.

25. The method according to claim 23, further comprising: One or more bits are received via the second data frame, the one or more bits indicating that the second data frame is a repetition of the first data frame according to the repetitive data grouping pattern.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein receiving the first data frame and the second data frame comprises: The first data frame is received via a first communication link, and the first data frame includes a first signal field indicating the duration. as well as The second data frame is received via a second communication link different from the first communication link. The second data frame includes a second signal field indicating the duration associated at least partially with the repeating second data frame that includes the first data frame.

27. A method for wireless communication at an access point, the method comprising: Receive a request to enable duplicate data grouping mode; Sending signaling that enables the duplicate data packet mode, at least in part in association with the request; Send at least a first data frame, the first data frame including a repetition of a second data frame according to the repetitive data grouping pattern; as well as Receive a feedback message in response to at least a portion of the first data frame, the second data frame, or both.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein sending the signaling comprises: The signaling is sent to enable a low-throughput duplicate data packet mode, wherein the first data frame and the second data frame include low-throughput physical layer protocol data units according to the low-throughput duplicate data packet mode.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein sending the signaling comprises: The signaling is sent to enable the Ultra Reliability Repeat Data Packet Mode, wherein the first data frame and the second data frame include Ultra Reliability Physical Layer Protocol Data Units according to the Repeat Data Packet Mode.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein: The ultra-high reliability physical layer protocol data unit includes a physical layer header, and the physical layer header includes one or more identifiers; The ultra-high reliability physical layer protocol data unit supports the aggregation of media access control protocol data units; and The ultra-high reliability physical layer protocol data unit supports a first maximum payload size that is larger than the second maximum payload size supported by the non-high throughput physical layer protocol data unit.

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