Signaling for dynamic sub-channel operation (DSO)

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods, components, devices, and systems for dynamic sub-channel operation (DSO) signaling. Some aspects are more particularly directed to indicating a set of sub-channels supported for DSO. In some implementations, a wireless station (STA) can transmit a frame indicating sub-channels supported for a DSO (e.g., for a particular link). An access point (AP) can receive the frame and can use a control frame to assign one or more frequency resources of a sub-channel of the set of sub-channels to the STA for the DSO. The STA can dynamically switch to the sub-channel, and can communicate via the sub-channel while operating in the DSO mode. In some implementations, the STA can transmit capability information indicating that the STA supports the DSO mode. Additionally or alternatively, the STA can dynamically enable or disable the DSO mode using an action frame or aggregation control (A-Control) subfield. The AP can support similar signaling.

Description

Cross-references

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 419,394, filed January 22, 2024, entitled “SIGNALING FOR DYNAMIC SUBCHANNEL OPERATION (DSO)”; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 591,076, filed October 17, 2023, entitled “SIGNALING FOR DYNAMIC SUBCHANNEL OPERATION (DSO)”; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 587,713, filed October 3, 2023, entitled “SIGNALING FOR DYNAMIC SUBCHANNEL OPERATION (DSO)”, each of which is assigned to the assignee of this application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically, to signaling for dynamic subchannel operation (DSO). Related technical descriptions

[0003] 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 standard family 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.

[0004] In some WLANs, the AP supports a relatively wider bandwidth compared to one or more STAs communicating with that AP. If the AP communicates with STAs that cannot support wideband signaling (e.g., signaling via the full bandwidth supported by the AP), a portion of the AP's operating bandwidth may not be used during communication, resulting in relatively poor spectral efficiency for the WLAN. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The systems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein each have some innovative aspects, and no single aspect is solely responsible for the desired properties disclosed herein.

[0006] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-access point (AP) station (STA). The non-AP STA may include a processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code. The processing system may be configured to cause the non-AP STA to: transmit a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary subchannels for Dynamic Subchannel Operation (DSO); receive a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the secondary subchannels in the set for the DSO; and communicate via the at least one secondary subchannel based on the enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0007] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication by a non-AP STA. The method may include: transmitting a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO; receiving a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the secondary sub-channels in the set for DSO; and communicating via the at least one secondary sub-channel based on the enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0008] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in another non-AP STA for wireless communication. The non-AP STA may include: components for transmitting a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO; components for receiving a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the secondary sub-channels in the set for DSO; and components for communicating via the at least one secondary sub-channel based on the enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0009] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: transmit a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO; receive a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the secondary sub-channels in the set for DSO; and communicate via the at least one secondary sub-channel based at least in part on the enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0010] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in an AP STA. The AP STA may include a processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code. The processing system may be configured to cause the AP STA to: receive a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO at a non-AP STA; transmit a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the secondary sub-channels in the set for DSO; and communicate with the non-AP STA via the at least one secondary sub-channel based on the control frame.

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication by an AP STA. The method may include: receiving a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO at a non-AP STA; transmitting a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the secondary sub-channels in the set for the DSO; and communicating with the non-AP STA via the at least one secondary sub-channel based on the control frame.

[0012] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in another AP STA for wireless communication. The AP STA may include: components for receiving a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO at a non-AP STA; components for transmitting a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the secondary sub-channels in the set for DSO; and components for communicating with the non-AP STA via the at least one secondary sub-channel based on the control frame.

[0013] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: receive a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO at a non-AP STA; transmit a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the secondary sub-channels in the set for the DSO; and communicate with the non-AP STA via the at least one secondary sub-channel based on the control frame.

[0014] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-AP STA. The non-AP STA may include a processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code. The processing system may be configured to cause the non-AP STA to: receive a management frame indicating one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for DSO; receive a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for DSO; and communicate via the one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based on the enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0015] Another inventive aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication by a non-AP STA. The method may include: receiving a management frame indicating one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for DSO; receiving a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for the DSO; and communicating via the one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based on the enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0016] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in another non-AP STA for wireless communication. The non-AP STA may include: components for receiving management frames indicating one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for DSO; components for receiving control frames assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for DSO; and components for communicating via the one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based on the enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0017] Another inventive aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication. This code may include instructions executable by a processor to: receive a management frame indicating one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of an AP STA for DSO; receive a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for DSO; and communicate via the one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based on the enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0018] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in an AP STA. The AP STA may include a processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code. The processing system may be configured to cause the AP STA to: transmit a management frame indicating one or more anchor channels within the AP STA's operating bandwidth for DSO; transmit a control frame assigning one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels to a non-AP STA for DSO; and communicate with the non-AP STA via the one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based on the control frame.

[0019] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication by an AP STA. The method may include: transmitting a management frame indicating one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for DSO; transmitting a control frame assigning to a non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for the DSO; and communicating with the non-AP STA via the one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based on the control frame.

[0020] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in another AP STA for wireless communication. The AP STA may include: components for transmitting a management frame indicating one or more anchor channels within the AP STA's operating bandwidth for DSO; components for transmitting a control frame assigning to a non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for DSO; and components for communicating with the non-AP STA via the one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based on the control frame.

[0021] Another inventive aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication. This code may include instructions executable by a processor to: transmit a management frame indicating one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for DSO; transmit a control frame assigning to a non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for DSO; and communicate with the non-AP STA via the one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based on the control frame.

[0022] 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. It should be noted that the relative dimensions in the following drawings may not be drawn to scale. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network is shown.

[0024] Figure 2 An example Protocol Data Unit (PDU) is shown that can be used for communication between a wireless access point (AP) and one or more wireless stations (STA).

[0025] Figure 3 An example physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) capable of being used for communication between a wireless AP and one or more wireless STAs is shown.

[0026] Figure 4 A hierarchical format of an example PPDU that can be used for communication between a wireless AP and one or more wireless STAs is shown.

[0027] Figure 5 An example of a wireless communication system that supports signaling for Dynamic Subchannel Operation (DSO) is shown.

[0028] Figure 6A , Figure 6B and Figure 6C An example of frame content indicating the set of sub-channels supported by the DSO is shown.

[0029] Figure 7 Examples of enabling and disabling DSO technologies are shown.

[0030] Figure 8 An example of a channel access protocol that supports DSO mode is shown.

[0031] Figure 9 and Figure 10 An example of the process flow supporting signaling for DSO is shown.

[0032] Figure 11 and Figure 12 An example of anchor channel usage for DSO is shown.

[0033] Figure 13 An example of a trigger frame format that supports DSO announcement frames is shown.

[0034] Figure 14 and Figure 15 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device that supports signaling for DSO is shown.

[0035] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating an example procedure that can be executed by a non-AP STA that supports signaling for DSO, or that can be executed at that non-AP STA, is shown.

[0036] Figure 17 A flowchart illustrating an example procedure that can be executed by an AP STA that supports signaling for DSO, or that can be executed at that AP STA, is shown.

[0037] Figure 18 A flowchart illustrating an example procedure that can be executed by a non-AP STA that supports signaling for DSO, or that can be executed at that non-AP STA, is shown.

[0038] Figure 19 A flowchart illustrating an example procedure that can be executed by an AP STA that supports signaling for DSO, or that can be executed at that AP STA, is shown.

[0039] The same reference numerals and names in different figures denote the same elements. Detailed Implementation

[0040] 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 accordance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, the IEEE 802.15 standard, or Bluetooth as defined by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). ®This can be implemented in any device, system, or network that transmits and receives radio frequency (RF) signals according to one or more of the standards or those published by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3G, 4G, or 5G (New Radio (NR)). The described examples 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), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), 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 (MU-MIMO). The described examples can also be implemented using other wireless communication protocols or RF signals suitable for use in one or more of the following networks: Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN), or Internet of Things (IoT).

[0041] The various aspects collectively relate to signaling for Dynamic Subchannel Operation (DSO). Some aspects more specifically relate to communicating access points (APs) (which may be referred to as AP radio stations (STAs)) and STAs (which may be referred to as non-AP STAs) regarding subchannels supported for DSO. In some implementations, the STA may send a frame indicating support for a set of secondary subchannels for DSO, where support for the set of secondary subchannels may be link-specific, STA-specific, or both. The frame may include granular values ​​defining the set of secondary subchannels and one or more location values. The AP may receive the set of secondary subchannels supported by the STA for DSO and may use control frames to assign one or more frequency resources included in one or more subchannels of the set of secondary subchannels to the STA for DSO. In some implementations, the AP may use a DSO announcement frame to assign frequency resources for DSO, which may be an example of a trigger frame variant that avoids triggering a response. Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the STA may send capability information indicating that the STA supports operation in DSO mode (e.g., for a specific link). Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, STAs may (e.g., via a two-step or four-step exchange with the AP) use action frames or aggregation control (A-Control) subfields to enable or disable DSO mode. In some implementations, the AP may communicate similar signaling, for example, to indicate the sub-channels supported by the AP for DSO, to indicate the AP's capability to support DSO mode for a link, to enable or disable DSO mode at one or more STAs, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the AP may send management frames indicating one or more anchor channels (e.g., temporary master-sub-channels) supported by the AP for DSO. The AP may assign frequency resources to STAs for DSO, such that each STA communicates via an anchor channel among one or more anchor channels supported by the AP.

[0042] 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, the described techniques can be used to improve spectral efficiency over relatively wide channels by signaling a set of sub-channels supported by the DSO. For example, if an AP supports communication over a relatively wide operating bandwidth compared to one or more STAs communicating with that AP, the AP can dynamically assign STAs to different sub-channels of its operating bandwidth using the set of sub-channels indicated by the DSO, thereby efficiently utilizing the frequency resources of the AP's operating bandwidth to communicate with different STAs. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, by indicating link-specific support for the DSO or link-specific sub-channels supported by the DSO, an AP, STA, or both can use the DSO for links with relatively wide operating bandwidths (e.g., 160 MHz, 320 MHz), where the DSO can achieve a significant improvement in resource utilization, while avoiding or supporting the DSO for other links with relatively narrow operating bandwidths (e.g., 20 MHz, 80 MHz), where narrowband STAs can effectively utilize resources without the DSO. Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, by using action frames or the A-Control subfield to enable and disable DSO mode, the AP, STA, or both can dynamically switch to DSO mode with relatively low latency to achieve improved spectral efficiency. In some implementations, by using a trigger frame variant as the DSO announcement frame, the AP can improve the processing overhead at the STA receiving the DSO announcement frame. Additionally or alternatively, by assigning frequency resources so that each STA operating under DSO communicates via the anchor channel, the AP can ensure that the STA supports frame-switching operations using the master sub-channel, such as Free Channel Assessment (CCA) Energy Detection (ED) operations, transmit power calculation, or other functions using the master sub-channel, by alternatively using the anchor channel (e.g., as a temporary master sub-channel).

[0043] Figure 1A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network 100 is shown. Depending on some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a WLAN (such as a Wi-Fi network). For example, the wireless communication network 100 may be a network implementing at least one of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard families (such as those 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 802.11bn). In some other examples, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a cellular radio access network (RAN), such as a 5G RAN or 6G RAN implementing one or more cellular protocols (such as those specified in one or more 3GPP standards). In some other examples, the wireless communication network 100 may include a WLAN that operates in an interoperable or converged manner with one or more cellular RANs to provide greater or enhanced network coverage to wireless communication devices within the wireless communication network 100, or to enable such devices to connect to the core of the cellular network, such as to access network management capabilities and functionality provided by the cellular network core.

[0044] The wireless communication network 100 may include numerous wireless communication devices, including at least one wireless access point (AP) 102 and any number of wireless stations (STAs) 104. Although Figure 1 Only one AP 102 is shown, but the wireless communication network 100 may include multiple APs 102. AP 102 may be or represent various different types of network entities, including but not limited to home networking APs, enterprise APs, single-band APs, dual-band simultaneous (DBS) APs, tri-band simultaneous (TBS) APs, standalone APs, non-standalone APs, software-enabled APs (soft APs), and multi-link APs (also known as AP multi-link devices (MLDs)), as well as cellular (such as 3GPP, 4G LTE, 5G, or 6G) base stations or other cellular network nodes, such as Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), g Node Bs (gNBs), Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs), or other types of equipment or apparatus included in the RAN, including open RAN (O-RAN) network entities such as central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), or radio units.

[0045] Each STA 104 may 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 a variety of devices such as mobile phones, other handheld or wearable communication devices, netbooks, laptops, tablets, laptops, Chromebooks, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), or extended reality (XR) wireless headsets or other peripherals, wireless earbuds, other wearable devices, display devices (e.g., TVs, computer monitors, or video game consoles), video game controllers, navigation systems, music or other audio or stereo devices, remote control devices, printers, kitchen appliances (including smart refrigerators) or other home appliances, remote keys (e.g., for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems), IoT devices, and vehicles, among other examples.

[0046] 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 1 Additionally, an example coverage area 108 of AP 102 is shown, which may represent the Basic Service Area (BSA) of wireless communication network 100. The BSA can be identified by STA 104 and other devices via a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and 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 (TSF) for establishing or maintaining timing synchronization with AP 102. AP 102 can provide access to external networks to each STA 104 in the wireless communication network 100 via the corresponding communication link 106.

[0047] To establish a communication link 106 with AP 102, each STA 104 is configured to perform passive or active scanning operations (“scans”) on frequency channels in one or more frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 45 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 the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT)). 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 scanning information obtained through passive or active scanning, and performs authentication and association operations to establish a communication link 106 with the selected AP 102. The selected AP 102 assigns an association identifier (AID) to STA 104 at the end of the association operation, and AP 102 uses the association identifier (AID) to track STA 104.

[0048] As wireless networks become increasingly prevalent, STA 104 may have 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). For example, wireless communication network 100 may be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system capable of connecting multiple APs 102 in such an ESS. Therefore, STA 104 may be covered by more than one AP 102 and may be associated with different APs 102 at different times for different transmissions. Additionally, after associating with an AP 102, STA 104 may periodically scan its surroundings to find a more suitable AP 102 to associate with. For example, STA 104 moving relative to its associated AP 102 may 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.

[0049] 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 an ad hoc network (or wireless ad hoc network). Ad hoc networks may also be referred to as mesh networks or peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. In some implementations, ad hoc networks may be implemented within a larger network, such as wireless communication network 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 ad hoc systems, 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 group owner (GO) and may coordinate transmissions within the ad hoc 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.

[0050] In some networks, AP 102 or STA 104, or both, can support applications associated with high throughput or low latency requirements, or provide lossless audio to one or more other devices. For example, AP 102 or STA 104 can support applications and use cases associated with ultra-low latency (ULL), such as ULL gaming, or streaming lossless audio and video to one or more personal audio devices (such as peripherals) or AR / VR / MR / XR headsets. In scenarios where a user uses two or more peripherals, AP 102 or STA 104 can support extended personal audio networks that enable communication with these two or more peripherals. Additionally, AP 102 and STA 104 can support additional ULL applications with ULL and high throughput requirements, such as cloud-based applications (such as VR cloud gaming).

[0051] As indicated above, in some implementations, AP 102 and STA 104 may operate and communicate according to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards (via the corresponding communication link 106). These standards define WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the physical (PHY) layer and MAC layer. AP 102 and STA 104 transmit 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").

[0052] 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 or a wideband 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 packet detection, automatic gain control (AGC), and channel estimation, among other purposes. 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 wireless communication protocol to be used to transmit the payload.

[0053] AP 102 and STA 104 in wireless communication network 100 can transmit PPDUs on unlicensed spectrum, which may be a portion of the spectrum including bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technologies, such as the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 45 GHz, and 60 GHz bands. Some examples of AP 102 and STA 104 described herein can also communicate in other bands that can support both licensed and unlicensed communication. For example, AP 102 or STA 104, or both, may also be able to communicate on licensed operating bands, where multiple operators may have corresponding licenses to operate in the same or overlapping frequency ranges. Such licensed operating frequency bands may be specified or associated with frequency ranges (FR) 1 (410MHz-7.125GHz), FR2 (24.25GHz-52.6GHz), FR3 (7.125GHz-24.25GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6GHz-71GHz), FR4 (52.6GHz-114.25GHz), and FR5 (114.25GHz-300GHz).

[0054] Each of these frequency bands may include multiple sub-bands and frequency channels (also referred to as sub-channels). For example, PPDUs conforming to revisions of the IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and 802.11bn standards may be transmitted on one or more of the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz frequency bands, each of which 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 may be transmitted on physical channels with bandwidths of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz, or 640 MHz by bonding multiple 20 MHz channels together.

[0055] In some specific implementations, the AP 102 or STA 104 of the wireless communication network 100 can achieve extremely high throughput (EHT) or other characteristics conforming to current and future generations of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards (such as the IEEE 802.11be and 802.11bn revisions) to provide additional capabilities superior to other prior systems (e.g., high-efficiency (HE) systems or other legacy systems). For example, the IEEE 802.11be revision introduces a 320MHz channel, which is twice the width of the channel achievable by the IEEE 802.11ax revision. Therefore, the AP 102 or STA 104 can use the 320MHz channel to achieve twice the throughput and network capacity, as well as rate and range gains at high data rates due to the trade-off between linear bandwidth and logarithmic signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). EHT and newer wireless communication protocols (such as those known as the IEEE 802.11bn standard revision or related protocols) support flexible operating bandwidth enhancements, such as broadened operating bandwidths or finer-grained operation relative to older operating bandwidths. For example, EHT systems can allow communication across operating bandwidths of 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, 240MHz, and 320MHz. EHT systems can support various bandwidth modes, such as a continuous 240MHz bandwidth mode, a continuous 320MHz bandwidth mode, a non-contiguous 160+160MHz bandwidth mode, or a non-contiguous 80+80+80+80 (or "4x80") MHz bandwidth mode.

[0056] In some specific implementations where the wireless communication device (such as AP 102 or STA 104) operates in a continuous 320MHz bandwidth mode or a 160+160MHz bandwidth mode, the signal to be transmitted may be generated by two different transmit chains of the wireless communication device, each with or associated with a 160MHz bandwidth (and each transmit chain coupled to a different power amplifier). In some other examples, two transmit chains can be used to support a 240MHz / 160+80MHz bandwidth mode by puncturing the 320MHz / 160+160MHz bandwidth mode with one or more 80MHz sub-channels. For example, the signal to be transmitted may be generated by two different transmit chains of the wireless communication device, each with a 160MHz bandwidth, one of which outputs a signal with 80MHz sub-channels punctured within it. In some specific implementations where the wireless communication device operates in a continuous 240MHz bandwidth mode or a non-continuous 160+80MHz bandwidth mode, the signal to be transmitted may be generated by three different transmit chains of the wireless communication device, each with an 80MHz bandwidth. In some other examples, the signal used for transmission may be generated by four or more different transmission chains of a wireless communication device, each with a bandwidth of 80 MHz.

[0057] In discontinuous examples, the operating bandwidth can span one or more completely different sets of subchannels. For example, a 320 MHz bandwidth can be continuous and located in the same 6 GHz band, or it can be discontinuous and located in different bands or different regions within a band (such as partially located in the 5 GHz band and partially located in the 6 GHz band).

[0058] In some specific implementations, AP 102 or STA 104 may benefit from operability enhancements associated with EHT and the next-generation IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards. For example, AP 102 or STA 104 attempting to gain access to the wireless medium of wireless communication network 100 may perform techniques such as CCA operations based on EHT enhancements (such as increased bandwidth, puncturing, or refinement of carrier sensing and signal reporting mechanisms), which may include modifications to existing rules, structures, or signaling implemented for legacy systems.

[0059] In some WLANs, Wi-Fi clients (e.g., STA 104) may not support full-bandwidth options for communication compared to AP 102. For example, STA 104 may support communication via a relatively narrower bandwidth compared to AP 102. In some implementations, AP 102 may support operating bandwidths up to 320 MHz or some other relatively wide bandwidth, while STA 104 may support operating bandwidths up to 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz or some other relatively narrow bandwidth. If AP 102 has services for multiple STA 104s, and if at least one of the multiple STA 104s is broadband (e.g., supports communication via the same operating bandwidth as AP 102), AP 102 may use multi-user OFDMA to schedule resource units (RUs) for communication with the broadband STA 104 (e.g., in the secondary 80 (S80) sub-channel). However, if the multiple STAs 104 do not include at least one wideband STA 104, a portion of the operating bandwidth of the AP 102 may be underutilized (e.g., not used by the multiple STAs 104), resulting in relatively poor spectral efficiency. To improve spectral efficiency, the wireless communication network 100 can use different portions of the operating bandwidth of the AP 102 to support relatively narrowband devices (e.g., one or more STAs 104).

[0060] In some implementations, WLANs may support communication via non-primary (secondary) sub-channels using the Sub-Channel Selective Transmission (SST) feature. The SST feature allows communication to utilize different portions of the operating bandwidth. STAs can negotiate a semi-static service period using a separate Target Wake-Up Time (TWT), during which the STA (e.g., a narrowband STA) can switch to a non-primary (secondary) channel to implement the SST feature. However, this semi-static handover may have relatively high latency and may support periodic signaling rather than dynamic signaling.

[0061] In contrast, wireless communication network 100 may support DSO to improve spectral efficiency within the wireless communication network 100. For example, one or more STAs 104 may use DSO to dynamically switch to a non-primary (secondary) sub-channel for communication with AP 102, thereby efficiently utilizing the operating bandwidth of AP 102. Wireless communication network 100 may support signaling for configuring, enabling, or otherwise supporting DSO.

[0062] Figure 2 An example PDU200 is shown, capable of wireless communication between a wireless AP and one or more wireless STAs. For example, the AP and STA can be references. Figure 1Examples of AP 102 and STA 104 are described. PDU 200 can be configured as a PPDU. As shown, PDU 200 includes a PHY preamble 202 and a PHY payload 204. For example, 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 preamble 202 may be configured according to the IEEE 802.11a wireless communication protocol standard. 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.

[0063] L-STF 206 generally enables receiving devices (such as AP 102 or STA 104) to perform coarse timing and frequency tracking, as well as AGC. L-LTF 208 generally enables receiving devices to perform fine timing and frequency tracking, and also to perform initial estimation of the radio channel. L-SIG 210 generally enables receiving devices to determine (e.g., acquire, select, identify, detect, determine, calculate, or compute) 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 a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation scheme, 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 214, which may then carry higher-level data, such as in the form of a MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) or an Aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU).

[0064] Figure 3 An example PPDU 350 is shown, capable of being used for communication between a wireless AP and one or more wireless STAs. For example, the AP and STA can be references. Figure 1Examples of AP 102 and STA 104 are described below. As shown, PPDU 350 includes a PHY preamble (which includes a legacy portion 352 and a non-legacy portion 354) and a payload 356 (which includes a data field 374). 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 and 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 ensures compatibility with EHT or later versions. STA 104 indicates that PPDU 350 is an EHT PPDU or any later (post-EHT) version of a 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 constructed 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 receiving devices (such as AP 102 and STA 104) to interpret 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] EHT-SIG 368 can be used by AP 102 to identify one or more STAs 104 and to notify those STAs that AP 102 has scheduled uplink or downlink 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 a 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 (e.g., 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, among other examples. The user-specific field is assigned to a specific STA 104 and carries STA-specific scheduling information, such as user-specific modulation and decoding scheme (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.

[0067] Figure 4 A hierarchical format of an example PPDU 400 capable of being used for communication between a wireless AP and one or more wireless STAs is shown. For example, the AP and STA can be reference... Figure 1Examples of AP 102 and STA 104 described. 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) frame 406, which includes an aggregation of multiple A-MPDU subframes 408. Each A-MPDU subframe 408 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 (e.g., the FCS field may include a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)) and padding bits 420. MPDU 416 may carry one or more MAC Service Data Units (MSDUs). For example, MPDU 416 may carry an aggregated MSDU (A-MSDU) frame 422, which includes multiple A-MSDU subframes 424. Each A-MSDU subframe 424 may include a corresponding MSDU frame 426, which has an MSDU 430 preceded by a subframe header 428 and, in some specific implementations, followed by padding bits 432.

[0068] 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 the frame body. MAC header 414 includes a duration field indicating the duration from the end of the PPDU to at least the end of an acknowledgment or block acknowledgment (BA) of that PPDU to be sent by the receiving wireless communication device. The use of the duration field is to preserve the wireless medium for 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 the frame body. 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.

[0069] In some implementations, AP 102 and STA 104 can support various multi-user communications; that is, concurrent transmissions from one device to each of multiple devices (e.g., multiple simultaneous downlink communications from AP 102 to the corresponding STA 104), or concurrent transmissions from multiple devices to a single device (e.g., multiple simultaneous uplink transmissions from the corresponding STA 104 to AP 102). As an example, in addition to MU-MIMO, AP 102 and STA 104 can also support OFDMA. In some respects, OFDMA is a multi-user version of OFDM.

[0070] In the OFDMA scheme, the available spectrum of the radio channel can be divided into multiple RUs, each RU comprising multiple frequency subcarriers (also referred to as "tones"). Different RUs can be allocated by AP 102 at specific times or assigned to different STAs 104. The size and distribution of RUs are referred to as RU allocation. In some specific implementations, RUs can be allocated in 2MHz intervals, and therefore, the minimum RU can include 26 tones consisting of 24 data tones and 2 pilot tones. Thus, in a 20MHz channel, up to 9 RUs can be allocated (such as 2MHz, 26-tone RUs) (because some tones are reserved for other purposes). Similarly, in a 160MHz channel, up to 74 RUs can be allocated. Other tone RUs can also be allocated, such as 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, 484-tone RUs, and 996-tone RUs. Adjacent RUs can be separated by empty subcarriers (such as DC subcarriers) to reduce interference between adjacent RUs, reduce receiver DC offset, and avoid transmission center frequency leakage.

[0071] For uplink MU transmissions, AP 102 can send trigger frames to initiate and synchronize uplink OFDMA or uplink MU-MIMO transmissions from multiple STAs 104 to AP 102. Such trigger frames thus enable multiple STAs 104 to concurrently transmit uplink traffic to AP 102 in time. The trigger frame can address one or more STAs 104 via a corresponding AID, and can assign one or more RUs to each AID (and thus to each STA 104), which can be used to transmit uplink traffic to AP 102. AP 102 can also specify one or more Random Access (RA) RUs that are contentious for by unscheduled STAs 104.

[0072] Some wireless communication devices (including both AP and STA, such as reference) Figure 1The described AP 102 and STA 104 are capable of multi-link operation (MLO). In some implementations, MLO supports establishing multiple different communication links (such as a first link in the 2.4 GHz band, a second link in the 5 GHz band, and a third link in the 6 GHz band) between STA 104 and AP 102, and concurrently and dynamically exchanging packets on one or more communication links. 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, include or be coupled to one or more physical antennas, or include other components such as signal processing components. Devices with MLO capability may be referred to as multi-link devices (MLDs). For the corresponding links in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, an MLD may include a single upper MAC layer and may include, for example, three independent lower MAC layers and three associated independent PHY layers. This architecture allows for a single association process and security context. An APMLD may include multiple APs, each configured to communicate on a corresponding communication link with one of a plurality of STAs 104 that are not AP MLDs (also referred to as "STAMLDs"). A STA MLD may communicate with an AP MLD at a given time via one or more of the multiple communication links. An MLD may independently contend for access on each of the communication links, which reduces latency by allowing the MLD to send its packets on the first communication link that becomes available.

[0073] Another feature of MLO is traffic routing and Quality of Service (QoS) characterization, which achieves latency reduction and other QoS enhancements by mapping traffic flows with different latency or other requirements to different links. For example, traffic with relatively low latency requirements can be mapped to radio links operating in the 6 GHz band, while more latency-tolerant flows can be mapped to radio links operating in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands.

[0074] One type of MLO is Alternating Multiple Link, where an MLD can simultaneously listen to two different high-performance channels. When an MLD has traffic to transmit, it can use the first channel with access opportunities (such as the First Transmit Opportunity (TXOP)). Although an MLD can use one channel at a time for receiving or transmitting, having access opportunities on two different channels can support low-latency operation during network congestion.

[0075] Another type of MLO is Multi-Link Aggregation (MLA), where traffic associated with a single STA 104 is transmitted concurrently (e.g., simultaneously) across multiple communication links to maximize the utilization of available resources for higher throughput. This is analogous to carrier aggregation in cellular space. That is, for at least some duration, 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 implementations, or during some other time durations, transmissions via links may be parallel rather than synchronous or concurrent. In some implementations 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 implementations 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 speaking, full-duplex operation enables bidirectional communication, in which at least one wireless communication device can simultaneously transmit and receive.

[0076] MLA can be implemented in several ways. In some examples, 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 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 communicated via a first communication link, while services associated with the video stream can be communicated 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).

[0077] 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 decision to switch between MLA techniques or modes may be additionally or alternatively correlated with other metrics, such as time of day, network traffic load, or battery level of wireless communication devices, and other factors or considerations.

[0078] 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.

[0079] MLO technology can provide several benefits to wireless communication network 100. 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 transmitted per multiplexed segment served by a multi-link AP MLD.

[0080] In certain environments, locations, or conditions, regulatory agencies may impose power spectral density (PSD) limits on one or more communication channels or an entire frequency band (e.g., the 6 GHz band). PSD is a measure of transmit power as a function of unit bandwidth (such as per 1 MHz). Therefore, the total transmit power is the product of the PSD and the total bandwidth transmitted. Unlike the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established PSD limits for low-power devices operating in the 6 GHz band. The FCC has defined three power levels for operation in the 6 GHz band: Standard Power, Low Power Indoor (LPI), and Very Low Power. Some AP 102 and STA 104 operating in the 6 GHz band are eligible for the LPI power level, which limits the transmit power of AP 102 and STA 104 to 5 dBm / MHz and -1 dBm / MHz, respectively. In other words, PSD limits are applied to transmit power in the 6 GHz band on a per MHz basis.

[0081] Such PSD limitations unnecessarily reduce transmission range, decrease packet detection capability, and reduce channel estimation capabilities of AP 102 and STA 104. In some specific implementations where transmission is PSD-limited, AP 102 or STA 104 of the wireless communication network 100 can transmit over a larger transmission bandwidth to increase total transmission power, thereby improving SNR and expanding the coverage of the wireless communication devices. For example, to overcome or relax PSD limitations and improve the SNR of low-power devices operating in PSD-limited bands, 802.11be introduced a duplicate (DUP) mode for transmission, in which data in the payload portion of the PPDU is modulated for transmission on a “basic” frequency subband (such as the first RU for OFDMA transmission) and copied (e.g., repeated) to another frequency subband (such as the second RU for OFDMA transmission). In DUP mode, two copies of the data are transmitted, and dual-carrier modulation (DCM) is used for each of the repeating RUs. This also has the effect of replicating the data, so that each of the repeating RUs carries two copies of the data, thus, for example, four copies of the data are transmitted. Although the data rate for transmitting each copy of user data using DUP mode can be the same as the data rate when transmitting using "normal" mode, the transmit power using DUP mode can be essentially doubled according to the number of copies of data being transmitted, at the cost of using increased bandwidth. Therefore, using DUP mode may increase range but reduce spectral efficiency.

[0082] In some other examples where transmission is limited by PSD, distributed tone mapping operations can be used to increase the bandwidth through which STA 104 communicates uplink communication to AP 102. As used herein, the term "distributed transmission" refers to the transmission of PPDUs via discontinuous tones (or subcarriers) of a radio channel. In contrast, the term "continuous transmission" refers to the transmission of PPDUs via continuous tones. As used herein, a logical RU represents the multiple tones or subcarriers allocated to a given STA 104 for the transmission of PPDUs. As used herein, the term "regular RU" (or rRU) refers to any undistributed RU or multi-RU (MRU) tone scheme, such as configurations supported by 802.11be or earlier versions of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards. As used herein, the term "distributed RU" (or dRU) refers to tones distributed across a set of discontinuous subcarrier indexes mapped to by a logical RU. The term "distributed tone scheme" refers to the set of discontinuous subcarrier indexes associated with a dRU. The channel or a portion thereof that distributes the tones is referred to as the spreading bandwidth, which can be, for example, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or higher. The use of dRUs may be limited to uplink communication, as the benefits of overcoming PSD limitations may only exist in uplink communication.

[0083] Figure 5 An example of a wireless communication system 500 supporting signaling for DSO is shown. The wireless communication system 500 can be as described in the reference. Figure 1 An example of a described wireless communication network 100. Wireless communication system 500 may include an AP 102-a, which may be an AP STA or as referenced herein. Figure 1 An example of AP 102 is described. Wireless communication system 500 may additionally include STA 104-a and STA 104-b, which may be non-AP STAs or as referenced herein. Figure 1 The example described is STA 104. AP102-a can serve coverage area 108-a and can be used as referenced in this document. Figures 2 to 4 The described PDU (such as a PPDU including one or more MPDUs) communicates with STA 104-a, STA 104-b, or both. The wireless communication system 500 may support signaling for DSO. For example, STA 104-a may communicate link-specific DSO information to AP 102-a for link 502-a (e.g., link 502-a between STA 104-a and AP 102-a). In some aspects, the wireless communication system 500 may support signaling indicating capability (e.g., using capability signaling 504), signaling indicating the location and bandwidth of one or more secondary sub-channels supported by the DSO (e.g., using secondary sub-channel signaling 506-a), signaling supporting the enabling and disabling of DSO modes (e.g., using DSO enabling signaling 508), or any combination thereof.

[0084] In some implementations, STA 104-a may support one or more capabilities to support DSO. STA 104-a may use capability signaling 504 (e.g., signaling static capabilities of STA 104-a) to indicate one or more capabilities to AP 102-a. STA 104-a may be an example of a narrowband STA, such that STA 104-a cannot support communication across the full operating bandwidth of AP 102-a. That is, the first operating bandwidth of the narrowband STA 104-a may be relatively narrower than the second operating bandwidth of AP 102-a (e.g., for a specific link 502-a). To implement DSO, STA 104-a may be able to dynamically switch its radio components from a primary channel (e.g., a primary sub-channel) to at least one non-primary channel (e.g., a secondary sub-channel). Additionally or alternatively, to implement DSO, STA 104-a may be able to receive frames transmitted in a single PPDU on one or more non-primary channels. For example, AP 102-a can transmit a single PPDU spanning a primary channel (e.g., a primary sub-channel) and one or more non-primary channels (e.g., secondary sub-channels). STA 104-a can support multi-user OFDMA, frequency-domain aggregation PPDU (FD A-PPDU), or both, to receive frames via non-primary channels. In some specific implementations, STA 104-a can have its radio components camped on the primary channel (e.g., defaulting to receiving via the primary channel), and if AP 102-a signals STA 104-a to switch to a non-primary channel (e.g., in DSO mode), STA 104-a can switch to communicating via a non-primary channel.

[0085] DSO can be a link-specific feature. For example, AP 102-a and STA 104-a can be MLDs, where each MLD can support DSO on one or more links in a multi-link (ML) setup. In some specific implementations, an MLD (e.g., AP 102-a, STA 104-a) may support DSO on a first subset of links and may avoid or otherwise fail to support DSO on a second subset of links. DSO support can be relatively more beneficial for supporting relatively high-bandwidth links (e.g., to efficiently utilize relatively high-bandwidth resources). For example, AP 102-a, which could be an example of an AP MLD, may support three links, including a 2.4GHz band link, a 5GHz band link, and a 6GHz band link, corresponding to 20MHz, 80MHz, and 160MHz bandwidths, respectively. DSO support can provide a relatively greater resource utilization gain for the 6GHz band link compared to the 2.4GHz band link. Therefore, in some specific implementations, AP 102-a can support DSO for 6GHz band links instead of 2.4GHz band links.

[0086] STA 104-a may send capability signaling 504 indicating that STA 104-a supports DSO (e.g., on one or more links). In some implementations, STA 104-a may send capability signaling 504 via a single link. In some other implementations, STA 104-a may send capability signaling 504 individually via each link on which STA 104-a supports DSO. In some implementations, STA 104-a may send capability signaling 504 via one or more configured links. Additionally or alternatively, AP 102-a may send capability signaling 504 indicating that AP 102-a supports DSO (e.g., on one or more links). Capability signaling 504 may include one or more capability indications. For example, a subfield in an Ultra High Reliability (UHR) capability element may indicate whether the STA (e.g., an AP STA or a non-AP STA) sending capability signaling 504 including the UHR capability element supports DSO. Additionally or alternatively, capability signaling 504 may include DSO-specific elements indicating whether the transmitting STA supports the DSO. Additionally or alternatively, AP 102-a may transmit capability signaling 504 in a beacon frame or a subsequent beacon frame (e.g., a frame transmitted after the beacon frame).

[0087] In some specific implementations, support for DSO can be based on link bandwidth, link frequency band, or both. As a first example, if the operating bandwidth of the link for AP 102-a is 160MHz or greater, AP 102-a may support DSO for that link. If the operating bandwidth of the link for AP 102-a is less than 160MHz, AP 102-a may not support DSO for that link. Therefore, AP 102-a may set the “Support DSO” subfield in the UHR capability element of Capability Signalling 504 based on the link bandwidth. For example, if the link bandwidth is greater than or equal to 160MHz, AP 102-a may set the bit value of the “Support DSO” subfield to 1, and if the link bandwidth is less than 160MHz, it may set the bit value to 0. As a second example, if the link is in the 2.4GHz band, DSO may be disallowed; if the link is in the 5GHz band, DSO may be optional; and if the link is in the 6GHz band, DSO may be allowed. Therefore, if the link is in the 2.4 GHz band, the AP 102-a can set the "Support DSO" subfield to 0; if the link is in the 6 GHz band, it can set the subfield to 1; and if the link is in the 5 GHz band, it can set the subfield to either 0 or 1 (e.g., based on one or more parameters of the AP 102-a). In some implementations, STAs (e.g., AP STAs, non-AP STAs) can support additional rules for determining DSO support based on link bandwidth, band, or other link parameters.

[0088] In some aspects, capability signaling 504 may additionally or alternatively indicate the set of subchannels supported by the DSO, a first padding or transition delay timing (e.g., for STA 104-a to process control frames and switch radio components from a primary subchannel to an assigned secondary subchannel), a second padding or transition delay timing (e.g., for STA 104-a to switch radio components from an assigned secondary subchannel back to a primary subchannel), a threshold number for STA 104-a for its subchannels supporting concurrent communication (e.g., secondary subchannels), or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the set of subchannels supported by the DSO, the padding or transition delay timing, or both, may also be link-specific, STA-specific, or both.

[0089] In some respects, a STA (e.g., an AP STA or a non-AP STA) may update one or more capabilities. For example, a STA may use an ML reconfiguration framework to update one or more indicated capabilities. Non-AP STAs and AP STAs may exchange link reconfiguration request frames and link reconfiguration response frames to indicate updated capabilities (e.g., link-specific capabilities) of a STA (such as STA 104-a or AP 102-a).

[0090] Additionally or alternatively, AP 102-a may announce other capability information via announcement signaling (e.g., capability signaling 504). For example, AP 102-a may send an indication of the threshold number of DSO subchannels supported (e.g., concurrently) by AP 102-a. In some implementations, AP 102-a may send a value indicating the threshold number of supported DSO subchannels, where a value of 0 or 1 indicates that DSO is not supported (e.g., AP 102-a supports a threshold number of 1 subchannel (master subchannel)). A value greater than 1 may implicitly indicate support for DSO (e.g., a value of 2 may indicate that AP 102-a currently supports a threshold number of 2 subchannels for DSO). In some implementations, AP 102-a may use this value to implicitly indicate whether AP 102-a supports DSO for the link. If AP 102-a announces a threshold number of... If STA 104-a supports more than one DSO sub-channel, it may not be able to support more than one DSO sub-channel. Each subchannel requests a DSO. For example, STA 104-a can specify up to a set of subchannels supported for a DSO in a location bitmap. The units digit is set to 1, as shown in the reference. Figure 6A , Figure 6B and Figure 6C For more detailed description. Additionally or alternatively, STA 104-a may indicate the threshold number of its sub-channels that support concurrent communication via capability signaling 504.

[0091] In some implementations, STA 104-a may support a limited set of subchannels for DSO handover. For example, if STA 104-a supports DSO on three links, and each link supports four possible subchannel locations (e.g., including the primary subchannel), then STA 104-a may support twelve possible subchannel locations across the ML configuration. STA 104-a may indicate the subchannels supported for DSO via secondary subchannel signaling 506-a. In some implementations, STA 104-a may indicate a link-specific set of secondary subchannels (e.g., one or more secondary subchannels) supported for DSO. For example, secondary subchannel signaling 506-a may indicate the location and bandwidth information of the subchannels to which STA 104-a may handover for DSO, as referenced herein. Figure 6A , Figure 6B and Figure 6CA more detailed description follows. The secondary subchannel signaling 506-a can be link-specific signaling, where the indication of the bandwidth, location, or both of the supported secondary subchannels can be link-specific, such that STA 104-a indicates different granularities, different lists of subchannels, or both, for different links in the STA's ML settings. In some implementations, AP 102-a may additionally or alternatively indicate the set of supported subchannels (e.g., for different links).

[0092] AP 102-a may receive instructions from STA 104-a regarding sub-channels supported for DSO (e.g., via secondary sub-channel signaling 506-a), and may allocate or otherwise assign one or more RUs (e.g., frequency resources) to STA 104-a for DSO.

[0093] AP 102-a may send control frames 510, such as DSO Initial Control Frames (ICFs), to assign RUs to one or more STAs 104-a. The RUs assigned to the STA (e.g., frequency resources) may be included in one or more sub-channels within the sub-channels indicated for the DSO. For example, if STA 104-a indicates support for the DSO in a first set of sub-channels rather than a second set of sub-channels, AP 102-a may assign one or more RUs to STA 104-a within one or more sub-channels in the first set of sub-channels (rather than within the second set of sub-channels). Assigning RUs to STA 104-a in the first sub-channel can similarly be referred to as assigning a first sub-channel to STA 104-a.

[0094] In some implementations, AP 102-a may send a control frame 510, which acts as a DSO announcement frame, assigning a RU to one or more STAs 104. In some aspects, the DSO announcement frame may be addressed to a DSO-supporting STA 104. For example, if STA 104-b indicates that STA 104-b does not support DSO (e.g., for link 502-b), the DSO announcement frame may not address (e.g., addressing may be avoided) STA 104-b (e.g., the DSO announcement frame may not include a user information field with an AID field carrying the AID of STA 104-b). The RU (e.g., frequency resource) assigned to a DSO-supporting STA (e.g., STA 104-a) in the DSO announcement frame may be included in one or more sub-channels of the sub-channels indicated for the DSO by that STA. For example, if STA104-a indicates support for DSO in the first set of sub-channels rather than in the second set of sub-channels, then AP 102-a may assign one or more RUs included in one or more sub-channels in the first set of sub-channels (rather than in the second set of sub-channels) to STA 104-a.

[0095] A DSO announcement frame may be an example of a control frame 510 with fields defined in the UHR revision. The DSO announcement frame may not request an immediate (or otherwise low-latency) response from the STA it addresses (e.g., STA 104-a). A DSO acknowledgment frame may follow the DSO announcement frame (after a duration corresponding to the Short Interframe Spacing (SIFS)) confirming that the STA addressed by the DSO announcement frame (e.g., STA 104-a) has switched to the assigned subchannel. The DSO acknowledgment frame may be an HE variant or EHT variant of a trigger frame (e.g., a Buffer Status Report Polling (BSRP) trigger frame) that requests an immediate or otherwise low-latency response from the STA addressed by the trigger frame (e.g., a Buffer Status Report (BSR) frame in trigger-based (TB)PPDU format). The DSO acknowledgment frame may be addressed to all STAs 104 (e.g., STA 104-a and STA 104-b) communicating with AP 102-a. In some respects, a DSO acknowledgment can be any variant of the trigger frame (e.g., HE, EHT, or UHR), but can be different from a MU Request Transmit (RTS) trigger frame.

[0096] In some aspects, AP 102-a may, within the same TxOP or in different TxOPs, switch the assigned subchannel (e.g., one or more assigned RUs) to STA 104-a by sending another control frame 510 (e.g., a DSO ICF or DSO announcement frame), which includes an updated RU allocation field indicating one or more different RUs corresponding to one or more different subchannels supported by DSO for STA 104-a. In some implementations, control frame 510 may indicate one or more timings (e.g., TWT service period (SP) or non-TWT service interval) for STA 104-a to switch to the assigned subchannel. For example, control frame 510 (e.g., a DSO ICF or DSO announcement frame) may operate similarly to an announcement frame, thereby allowing AP 102-a and STA 104-a to avoid negotiation via management frames. STA 104-a may communicate via a non-primary subchannel based on the handover operation band indicated by control frame 510 indicating one or more timings for handover.

[0097] Different STAs can indicate different capabilities, different secondary sub-channels supported by the DSO, or both. For example, AP 102-a can receive secondary sub-channel signaling 506-a from STA 104-a and secondary sub-channel signaling 506-b from STA 104-b. Based on the different sub-channels indicated by different STAs, AP 102-a can assign different RUs (Responding Units) of the AP's operating bandwidth to different STAs. For example, AP 102-a can assign a first RU corresponding to a first secondary sub-channel to STA 104-a based on secondary sub-channel signaling 506-a, and can assign a second RU corresponding to a second secondary sub-channel to STA 104-b based on secondary sub-channel signaling 506-b. Assignments to different STAs can be indicated by a single control frame 510 or by a copy of the same control frame 510 (e.g., a DUP frame).

[0098] In some implementations, STA 104-a, AP 102-a, or both can use DSO enable signaling 508 to dynamically or semi-statically enable and disable DSO mode. In some implementations, DSO enable signaling 508 may include an action frame for triggering DSO mode enable or disable. In other implementations, DSO enable signaling 508 may include an A-Control field in a management frame, data frame, or both for triggering DSO mode enable or disable. STA 104-a and AP 102-a can perform a two-step or four-step process to enable DSO mode, disable DSO mode, or both, as referenced herein. Figure 7 To describe in more detail.

[0099] Figure 6A , Figure 6B and Figure 6C An example of frame content indicating the set of sub-channels supported by the DSO is shown. Figure 6A An example of frame content 600-a is shown. In some specific implementations, STA (such as those referenced herein) Figure 1 and Figure 5 The described STA 104 can transmit frame content 600-a to indicate support for a set of auxiliary sub-channels used for DSO. For example, frame content 600-a can be as referenced herein. Figure 5 Examples or components of the described secondary subchannel signaling. The STA may send a first frame including frame content 600-a, such as an action frame, request frame, acknowledgment frame, or any other frame. Frame content 600-a may indicate the bandwidth of one or more supported subchannels, the location of one or more supported subchannels, or both. APs (such as those referenced herein) Figure 1 and Figure 5The described AP 102 can receive frame content 600-a and determine the set of secondary sub-channels supported by the STA for the DSO. In some specific implementations, frame content 600-a can be STA-specific, link-specific, or both. For example, the STA may include a link identifier (ID) indicating the link corresponding to the set of supported sub-channels together with frame content 600-a indicating the set of secondary sub-channels supported for the DSO.

[0100] Frame content 600-a may indicate support for a set of secondary subchannels for DSO using a combination of an indicator of subchannel granularity (e.g., subchannel bandwidth) and an indicator of subchannel location. For example, frame content 600-a may include granularity indicator 602-a and location indicator 604-a. In some specific implementations, the subchannel granularity may be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz. Granularity indicator 602-a may be an example of a subfield value that indicates the granularity (e.g., bandwidth) of the set of supported subchannels based on encoding. Table 1 illustrates examples of bit values ​​and associated granularities indicated by granularity indicator 602-a, where granularity indicator 602-a may be an example of an octet indicating a bit value between 0 and 255. Table 1: Example Granularity Indicators

[0101] Location indicator 604-a can be an example of bitmap 606-a (such as a 16-bit bitmap). Bitmap 606-a can indicate the location of the supported sub-channels within the operating bandwidth of AP 102. For example, each bit within bitmap 606-a is located... Can instruct STA to switch to the first i The capability (or preference) of each sub-channel, which is... MHz wide, starting from the lowest frequency of the AP's operating bandwidth, where The bandwidth is indicated by granularity indicator 602-a. Additional bits in bitmap 606-a can be reserved. For example, for frame content 600-a, granularity indicator 602-a could indicate an 80MHz granularity (e.g., based on STA 104 supporting an 80MHz operating bandwidth), and AP 102 could support an 820MHz operating bandwidth. STA 104 can use four bits of bitmap 606-a to indicate whether STA 104 supports DSO for four sub-channels with an 80MHz bandwidth within AP 102's 320MHz operating bandwidth. The first bit of bitmap 606-a indicates whether the STA supports the first sub-channel 610-a of the AP's operating bandwidth for DSO; the second bit of bitmap 606-a indicates whether the STA supports the second sub-channel 610-b of the AP's operating bandwidth for DSO; the third bit of bitmap 606-a indicates whether the STA supports the third sub-channel 610-c of the AP's operating bandwidth for DSO; and the fourth bit of bitmap 606-a indicates whether the STA supports the fourth sub-channel 610-d of the AP's operating bandwidth for DSO. The remaining bits of bitmap 606-a (e.g., 4 bits for a single octet or 12 bits for two octets) can be reserved bits 608. In some respects, reserved bits 608 can be set to a default value (such as 0) or used to transmit other information. In some implementations, bitmap 606-a may indicate that STA 104 supports DSO for the first subchannel 610-a and the third subchannel 610-c (e.g., using bit 1 in bitmap 606-a to indicate a supported subchannel and bit 0 in bitmap 606-a to indicate a non-supported subchannel). The first subchannel 610-a may be a primary subchannel, while the third subchannel 610-c may be a secondary subchannel. If AP 102 assigns one or more frequency resources from the supported secondary subchannels to STA 104 for DSO communication, STA 104 may default to communicating via the primary subchannel, but may switch to communicating via a supported secondary subchannel (such as the third subchannel 610-c).

[0102] Supporting DSO for a subchannel may involve STA 104 being able to dynamically switch to that subchannel, having a preference (or otherwise willing) to switch to that subchannel, or some combination thereof. For example, in some implementations, a 1-bit value in bitmap 606-a may indicate that STA 104 can switch to the corresponding subchannel. In some other implementations, a 1-bit value in bitmap 606-a may indicate that STA 104 prefers to switch to the corresponding subchannel. In some aspects, frame content 600-a may also include a control field indicating a control value 614. Control value 614 may indicate the interpretation of the bit values ​​in bitmap 606-a. For example, if the control field is set to a first control value 614, bitmap 606-a may indicate the subchannel location that STA 104 can switch to. If the control field is set to a second control value 614, bitmap 606-a may indicate the subchannel location that STA 104 prefers to switch to.

[0103] Figure 6B An example of frame content 600-b is shown. STA 104 may send a frame to AP 102 including frame content 600-b indicating the set of sub-channels supported by STA 104 for the DSO. Frame content 600-b may include granularity indication 602-b and position indication 604-b, the position indication being an example of bitmap 606-b, as referenced herein. Figure 6A As described.

[0104] In some implementations, frame content 600-b may not include granularity indicator 602-b. For example, instead of STA 104 indicating the granularity of supported subchannels in frame content 600-b, AP 102 may determine the granularity or the granularity may be configurable (e.g., within IEEE standards). For example, the granularity may be fixed at 20MHz, 80MHz, or some other value. Therefore, STA 104 can reduce the signaling overhead associated with frame content 600-b by avoiding including granularity indicator 602-b. In some other implementations, granularity indicator 602-b may be optional. For example, STA 104 may be configured with a default granularity. However, STA 104 may use the optional granularity indicator 602-b to indicate a different granularity (e.g., different from the default granularity). Including granularity indicator 602-b in frame content 600-b increases flexibility and allows STA 104 to support additional bandwidth options (e.g., 640MHz in the 60GHz band).

[0105] Additionally or alternatively, frame content 600-b may support efficient encoding of bitmap 606-b. For example, instead of using fixed 16-bit encoding, frame content 600-b may support a variable-size bitmap 606-b, where the bitmap size can be based on the granularity of the subchannel and the operating bandwidth of AP 102. As an example, granularity indicator 602-b (or default granularity) may indicate a 20MHz granularity for the subchannel, and AP 102 may support an operating bandwidth of 160MHz. Therefore, bitmap 606-b may include a first bit indicating whether STA 104 supports DSO for the first sub-channel 610-e, a second bit indicating whether STA 104 supports DSO for the second sub-channel 610-f, a third bit indicating whether STA 104 supports DSO for the third sub-channel 610-g, a fourth bit indicating whether STA 104 supports DSO for the fourth sub-channel 610-h, a fifth bit indicating whether STA 104 supports DSO for the fifth sub-channel 610-i, a sixth bit indicating whether STA 104 supports DSO for the sixth sub-channel 610-j, a seventh bit indicating whether STA 104 supports DSO for the seventh sub-channel 610-k, and an eighth bit indicating whether STA 104 supports DSO for the eighth sub-channel 610-l. Because STA 104 can use a single octet (e.g., eight bits) to indicate support for the full set of subchannels within the AP's operating bandwidth, STA 104 can reduce the size of bitmap 606-b to one octet (e.g., thus avoiding encoding a second octet 612). If the AP's operating bandwidth is 320 MHz (or greater) and the subchannel granularity is 20 MHz (or less), STA 104 can use two octets. Otherwise, STA 104 can use one octet for bitmap 606-b to reduce the signaling overhead associated with frame content 600-b.

[0106] In some implementations, STA 104 may set one or more bits in bitmap 606-b corresponding to one or more master sub-channels to 0. For example, because STA 104 may reside on one or more master sub-channels, STA 104 may not switch to a master sub-channel for DSO. Alternatively, STA 104 may set one or more bits in bitmap 606-b corresponding to one or more master sub-channels to 1 (e.g., thereby indicating that STA 104 supports communication via one or more master sub-channels). In some other implementations, STA 104 may use one or more bits in bitmap 606-b corresponding to one or more master sub-channels to indicate the STA's preference for communication via a master sub-channel (e.g., compared to a secondary sub-channel). For example, if STA 104 sets the bit corresponding to a master sub-channel to 0, the bit value 0 may indicate that STA 104 prefers communication via a secondary sub-channel with the corresponding bit set to 1 rather than via a master sub-channel.

[0107] As an example, the first sub-channel 610-e and the second sub-channel 610-f may correspond to the auxiliary sub-channel S40, the third sub-channel 610-g and the fourth sub-channel 610-h may correspond to the main sub-channel P40, and the fifth sub-channel 610-i, the sixth sub-channel 610-j, the seventh sub-channel 610-k, and the eighth sub-channel 610-l may correspond to the auxiliary sub-channel S80. STA 104 may indicate support for DSO on the first sub-channel 610-e, the fourth sub-channel 610-h, the fifth sub-channel 610-i, and the seventh sub-channel 610-k via bitmap 606-b. Including a 0-bit value corresponding to the third sub-channel 610-g and a 1-bit value corresponding to the fourth sub-channel 610-h may indicate that STA 104 prefers the indicated auxiliary sub-channel to the third sub-channel 610-g (e.g., the main sub-channel), but not to the fourth sub-channel 610-h (e.g., another main sub-channel).

[0108] Figure 6C An example of frame content 600-c is shown. STA 104 may send a frame to AP 102 including frame content 600-c for indicating the set of sub-channels supported by STA 104 for the DSO. Frame content 600-c may include a location indicator 604-c, which may be an example of bitmap 606-c, as referenced herein. Figure 6A and Figure 6B As described herein. However, STA 104 may, for example, use a default granularity based on STA 104 to avoid indicating granularity information in frame content 600-c, as referenced herein. Figure 6B As described. The default granularity can be 20MHz (e.g., to support narrowband STAs with an operating bandwidth of 20MHz). Alternatively, the default granularity can be 80MHz (e.g., to support relatively wideband communication).

[0109] AP 102 can support an operating bandwidth of 320 MHz, and STA 104 can support an operating bandwidth of 80 MHz. Bitmap 606-c may include bit values ​​(e.g., 1 values ​​or other bit values) indicating sub-channels supporting DSO. In some specific implementations, consecutive 1 values ​​in bitmap 606-c may potentially indicate aggregated sub-channels supporting DSO. For example, the first four bit values ​​in bitmap 606-c may be 1, which indicates that STA 104 supports DSO on the lowest 80 MHz of the AP's operating bandwidth (e.g., including four aggregated sub-channels 610-m with a span of 20 MHz corresponding to the first four bits of bitmap 606-c).

[0110] In some respects, bitmap 606-c can indicate different bandwidth sizes for different sub-channels. For example, bitmap 606-c can use the first four bits to indicate support for DSO on the first sub-channel 610-m with a bandwidth of 80 MHz, the next four bits to indicate no support for DSO on the second sub-channel 610-n with a bandwidth of 80 MHz, the next two bits to indicate no support for DSO on the third sub-channel 610-o with a bandwidth of 40 MHz, the next two bits to indicate support for DSO on the fourth sub-channel 610-p with a bandwidth of 40 MHz, and the last four bits to indicate no support for DSO on the fifth sub-channel 610-q. Because STA 104 supports an operating bandwidth of 80 MHz, STA 104 can communicate via a bandwidth of up to 80 MHz. Therefore, STA 104 can support switching to the secondary sub-channel 610-p with a bandwidth of 40 MHz, which is less than the fully supported operating bandwidth of STA 104.

[0111] Figure 7 An example of enabling and disabling DSO technology 700 is shown. (See reference...) Figure 1 and Figure 5 The described wireless communication network 100 or wireless communication system 500 may support DSO enable and disable technology 700. For example, a first STA 702-a and a second STA 702-b may exchange signaling for enabling DSO mode, disabling DSO mode, or both. The first STA 702-a may be an example of a non-AP STA (such as STA 104) or an AP STA (such as AP 102). Similarly, the second STA 702-b may be an example of a non-AP STA (such as STA 104) or an AP STA (such as AP 102). STA 104 or AP 102 may initiate enabling DSO mode 706, disabling DSO mode, updating one or more parameters 708 of DSO mode 706, or any combination thereof.

[0112] A first STA 702-a (e.g., a non-AP STA, an AP STA) may dynamically or semi-statically enable DSO mode 706 (e.g., for a non-AP STA). For example, the first STA 702-a, the second STA 702-b, or both may initially operate in a non-DSO mode 704. The first STA 702-a may send a request 710-a to the second STA 702-b to enable DSO mode 706. Request 710-a may indicate enabling DSO mode 706, may indicate padding or transition delay, may indicate a set of sub-channels supported by DSO (e.g., one or more bandwidths and locations of the supported sub-channels), or any combination thereof.

[0113] Different non-AP STAs may transmit different information in requests (e.g., in action frames). Additionally or alternatively, a single non-AP STA (e.g., the first STA 702-a) may transmit different information in different requests. Non-AP STAs may operate at different times on the same link (e.g., based on information included in request 710-a) with different sub-channel granularities, different sub-channel locations, or both. In some implementations, an AP STA may respond to request 710-a with a modified sub-channel list for non-AP STAs (e.g., in response 716-a). The modified list may indicate one or more sub-channels available for DSO use by non-AP STAs. In some aspects, AP STAs may follow one or more rules or constraints for modifying the sub-channel list. For example, AP STAs may avoid modifying the indicated sub-channel granularity. Additionally or alternatively, AP STAs may support reducing the number of supported sub-channels but may not support increasing the number of supported sub-channels. Alternatively, AP STA can avoid changing the number of supported sub-channels, but can change the location of the supported sub-channels.

[0114] In some implementations, request 710-a may be an example of an action frame. The second STA 702-b may respond to the action frame by sending an acknowledgment frame 712-a, such as a control acknowledgment frame. In some implementations, the second STA 702-b may process request 710-a during time 714-a. Based on processing request 710-a, the second STA 702-b may send a response action frame 716-a. For example, if the second STA 702-b is AP 102, then when AP 102 is ready to serve the first STA 702-a (e.g., STA 104) in DSO mode 706, the second STA 702-b may send a response 716-a. The first STA 702-a may respond to the response 716-a action frame by sending an acknowledgment frame 712-b, such as a control acknowledgment frame. The first STA 702-a and the second STA 702-b may operate in DSO mode 706 based on the acknowledgment frame 712-b. For example, a first STA 702-a, a second STA 702-b, or both may trigger the activation of DSO mode 706 based on an acknowledgment frame 712-b. Therefore, the STA may support a four-step activation process (e.g., four signaling exchanges) for activating DSO mode 706, similar to the process for activating Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) or Enhanced Multi-Link Multiple Radio (EMLMR) modes. In some implementations, even if the second STA 702-b does not respond with an action frame 716-a, the first STA 702-a and the second STA 702-b may automatically transition to DSO mode 706 after a timeout period defined by a timeout value. For example, the first STA 702-a and the second STA 702-b may automatically activate DSO mode 706 based on an acknowledgment frame 712-a in response to request 710-a. Therefore, the STA may support a two-step activation process (e.g., two signaling exchanges) for activating DSO mode 706.

[0115] In some other implementations, request 710-a may be an example of a management frame or data frame that includes an A-Control subfield indicating that DSO mode 706 is enabled. For example, the management frame or data frame may include the A-Control subfield in its header, and request 710-a may use a UHR Operation Mode Indication (OMI) to indicate that DSO mode 706 is enabled. Using the A-Control subfield for enabling may involve two exchanges (e.g., request 710-a and the corresponding acknowledgment frame 712-a) or four exchanges (e.g., request 710-a, the corresponding acknowledgment frame 712-a, response 716-a (which may be an example of another A-Control subfield), and the corresponding acknowledgment frame 712-b). AP 102 may use four exchanges to modify the set of subchannels indicated in request 710-a. For example, AP 102 may modify the indicated granularity, location information, or both of the DSO-enabled subchannels. STA can enter DSO mode 706, which is at the next TxOP initiated by AP 102 or after a timeout specified by AP 102 (e.g., at...). One TxOP, or A beacon interval, or It begins after a time unit (TU), or 1.024 milliseconds, or some other time interval.

[0116] Each non-AP STA supporting DSO can independently negotiate (e.g., indicate) the granularity of the DSO subchannel, the location of the DSO subchannel, or both. Additionally or alternatively, a non-AP STA can independently enable DSO mode 706. In some other implementations, AP 102 can enable DSO mode 706 for a set of non-AP STAs supporting DSO to efficiently utilize the AP's operating bandwidth. For example, AP 102 can initiate a DSO mode switch (e.g., enable or disable) with an associated STA 104 that has already indicated support for DSO. Similar to STA 104, AP 102 can use an action frame, an A-Control subfield, or both to initiate the DSO mode switch. Additionally or alternatively, AP 102 can similarly negotiate the granularity of the DSO subchannel, the location of the DSO subchannel, or both, for AP 102, one or more STAs 104, or some combination thereof. In some implementations, AP 102 may recommend DSO mode switching or subchannel updates to STA 104 (e.g., changes to the granularity of DSO subchannels, the location of DSO subchannels, or both), and STA 104 may determine whether to perform a DSO mode switching or a subchannel update. For example, STA 104 may receive a recommendation from AP 102 and determine whether to trigger the corresponding update based on that recommendation.

[0117] In some implementations, the STA may support updating one or more parameters 708 when operating in DSO mode 706. The STA (such as a second STA 702-b (or a first STA 702-a)) may send a request 710-b indicating that DSO mode is enabled (e.g., indicating that the currently active DSO mode 706 is maintained), updated padding or transition delays, an updated set of subchannels supporting DSO (e.g., updated subchannel bandwidth, one or more updated subchannel positions), or any combination thereof. The request 710-b indicating the update may be an action frame or an A-Control subfield. The first STA 702-a may respond with an acknowledgment frame 712-c. In both exchanges, the STA may update one or more parameters 708 for DSO mode 706 based on the acknowledgment frame 712-c (e.g., after time 714-b for processing request 710-b). In the four exchanges, the first STA 702-a may send a response 716-b, and the second STA 702-b may send a corresponding acknowledgment frame 712-d to trigger an update of one or more parameters 708 for DSO mode 706. Therefore, the STA can update the DSO parameters without exiting DSO mode 706, thereby improving the latency associated with updating the DSO parameters.

[0118] In some implementations, the STA can exit DSO mode 706 and enter non-DSO mode 704 based on a timeout value. In other implementations, the STA can exit DSO mode 706 using a signaling technique similar to that used to enable DSO mode 706. For example, a first STA 702-a (or a second STA 702-b) can send a request 710-c indicating that DSO mode 706 is disabled. The request 710-c to disable DSO mode 706 can be an action frame or an A-Control subfield. The second STA 702-b can respond with an acknowledgment frame 712-e. In both exchanges, the STA can disable DSO mode 706 based on the acknowledgment frame 712-e (e.g., after time 714-c for processing request 710-c). In the four exchanges, the second STA 702-b may send a response 716-c, and the first STA 702-a may send a corresponding acknowledgment frame 712-f to trigger the disabling of DSO mode 706 (or alternatively, enabling non-DSO mode 704).

[0119] In some implementations, the STA can use acknowledgment frames to change the list of subchannels supporting DSO (e.g., during a TxOP) or to change any other DSO parameters (e.g., padding delay, transition delay). For example, an acknowledgment frame can be sent in response to one or more previous frames. The AP can send another control frame in the same TxOP via a subchannel from the updated set of supported subchannels indicated by the acknowledgment frame.

[0120] In some implementations, the AP may not be able to update the DSO parameters transmitted in the acknowledgment frame or A-Control subfield within the same TxOP (e.g., before a specific amount of time has elapsed). In some such implementations, the AP may begin using the updated DSO parameters at the next TxOP or at a TxOP after a specific amount of time has elapsed. In some implementations, the AP may announce or otherwise indicate that specific amount of time during capability exchange, such as in a beacon frame, probe response frame, association request frame, reassociation request frame, or any combination thereof.

[0121] Figure 8 An example of a channel access protocol 800 supporting DSO mode is shown. (See reference...) Figure 1 and Figure 5 The described wireless communication network 100 or wireless communication system 500 may support channel access protocol 800. For example, AP 102 may communicate with multiple STAs 104 according to channel access protocol 800. For example, if AP 102, one or more STAs 104, or both are operating in DSO mode (as per reference) Figure 7 As described above, AP 102 and one or more STA 104 can communicate according to Channel Access Protocol 800 to support dynamic switching of sub-channels, thereby efficiently utilizing the operating bandwidth 802 of AP 102.

[0122] In some aspects, the operating bandwidth 802 of AP 102 may include one or more sub-channels, such as a primary sub-channel 804 (e.g., primary 20 (P20) spanning 20 MHz) and one or more secondary sub-channels. In some specific implementations, the secondary sub-channels may include a first secondary sub-channel 806-a (e.g., secondary 20 (S20) spanning 20 MHz), a second secondary sub-channel 806-b (e.g., secondary 40 (S40) spanning 40 MHz), and a third secondary sub-channel 806-c (e.g., secondary 80 (S80) spanning 80 MHz). One or more STA 104s may indicate support for switching to one or more of the secondary sub-channels used for DSO. For example, the first STA 104 may not indicate support for DSO, the second STA 104 may indicate support for the second secondary sub-channel 806-b, and the third STA 104 may indicate support for both the second and third secondary sub-channels 806-b and 806-c.

[0123] At time 808-a, STA 104 can communicate via primary sub-channel 804. For example, STA 104 may initially reside on primary sub-channel 804. Based on the operating bandwidth of STA 104, one or more STAs in STA 104 can further communicate via one or more secondary sub-channels. For example, if the first STA 104 operates with a narrowband operating bandwidth of 40 MHz, the first STA 104 can communicate via primary sub-channel 804 and first secondary sub-channel 806-a, which both span 40 MHz.

[0124] AP 102 may send a control frame 810 (e.g., a DSO ICF or DSO announcement frame) to STA 104, which assigns a secondary subchannel (e.g., one or more frequency resources within a secondary subchannel) to one or more STAs in STA 104 for DSO. Control frame 810 may be based on the indicated secondary subchannel supported by STA 104. For example, control frame 810 may assign a second secondary subchannel 806-b to a second STA 104 (e.g., S40) and may assign a third secondary subchannel 806-c to a third STA 104 (e.g., S80). In some implementations, control frame 810 may assign one or more frequency resources to STA 104, which include frequency portions or blocks that are relatively smaller than the full span of the subchannel. In some such implementations, STA 104 may determine to switch to a subchannel that includes the assigned one or more frequency resources. Additionally or alternatively, control frame 810 may assign frequency resources spanning multiple sub-channels among the indicated sub-channels, and STA 104 may determine, based on control frame 810, to switch to operation via these multiple sub-channels. Control frame 810 may be an example of a non-high-throughput (HT) DUP frame (e.g., a trigger frame repeated across multiple sub-channels of operating bandwidth 802), a MU-RTS frame, or a DSO ICF. Control frame 810 may trigger one or more STAs 104 to switch to the assigned secondary sub-channel for DSO communication.

[0125] AP 102 may transmit random (or semi-random) signaling as padding 812 signaling, or may avoid transmission for a certain padding 812 time period, which provides STA 104 with sufficient time to process control frame 810 and switch to the assigned secondary sub-channel. For example, AP 102 may send padding 812 signaling to occupy the channel while STA 104 switches its operating frequency. In some implementations, the length of padding 812 may be based on STA capabilities. For example, if a second STA 104 can process control frame 810 and tune to the assigned frequency in 16 microseconds (µs) (e.g., second secondary sub-channel 806-b), and a third STA 104 can process control frame 810 and tune to the assigned frequency in 32µs (e.g., third secondary sub-channel 806-c), then AP 102 may set the length of padding 812 (e.g., padding 812 signaling) to span at least 32µs. STA 104 may report to AP 102 the delay time for processing control frame 810, switching to an assigned sub-channel, or both in capability signaling, operation mode signaling, or both, where the delay time may be STA-specific (e.g., client-specific), link-specific, or both.

[0126] At time 808-b, STA 104 may complete the handover to the assigned sub-channel. For example, the first STA 104 may remain on the primary sub-channel 804 and the first secondary sub-channel 806-a, the second STA 104 may switch to the second secondary sub-channel 806-b, and the third STA 104 may switch to the third secondary sub-channel 806-c. In some specific implementations, AP 102 may send a trigger frame 824 to acknowledge that STA 104 has completed the handover to the designated (e.g., assigned) sub-channel. Trigger frame 824 may be a DSO acknowledgment frame, a BSRP trigger frame, a control frame, or any other trigger frame.

[0127] Once STA 104 has switched to the assigned subchannel, STA 104 may perform CCA energy detection (ED) on the assigned subchannel (e.g., the designated subchannel) during SIFS to determine whether the assigned subchannel is available for communication. For example, AP 102 may assign the second secondary subchannel 806-b to the second STA 104 based on the fact that AP 102 cannot detect other communication occurring via the second secondary subchannel 806-b. However, the second STA 104 may switch to the second secondary subchannel 806-b and may perform CCA-ED to detect whether another device, hidden from AP 102 but detectable by the second STA 104, is transmitting via the second secondary subchannel 806-b. STA 104 may send a response frame to AP 102 via the assigned subchannel based on the determination that the assigned subchannel is available for communication (e.g., based on the CCA-ED result). For example, a first STA 104 may send a response frame 814-a (e.g., a transmit-allow (CTS) signal) via a primary sub-channel 804 and a first secondary sub-channel 806-a, a second STA 104 may send a response frame 814-b via a second secondary sub-channel 806-b, and a third STA 104 may send a response frame 814-c via a third secondary sub-channel 806-c. The response frame may instruct the AP 102 that the STA 104 is ready to transmit frames via the assigned sub-channels in DSO mode.

[0128] Based on the received response frame, AP 102 may exchange frames with STA 104 via an assigned subchannel (e.g., in a single PPDU 816, such as an EHT MU PPDU). For example, AP 102 may transmit PPDU 816 comprising multiple MPDUs corresponding to different assigned subchannels. A first STA 104 may receive BSS-transmitted 818-a via a primary subchannel 804 and a first secondary subchannel 806-a (e.g., spanning 40 MHz), a second STA 104 may receive BSS-transmitted 818-b via a second secondary subchannel 806-b (e.g., spanning 40 MHz), and a third STA 104 may receive BSS-transmitted 818-c via a third secondary subchannel 806-c (e.g., spanning 80 MHz). Additionally or alternatively, STA 104 may transmit PPDU 816, MPDU, or a combination thereof to AP 102 via the assigned subchannel. AP 102 and STA 104 can switch more than one SIFS-separated PPDU 816 while operating in DSO mode via the assigned sub-channel.

[0129] Based on the exchange of one or more frames via the assigned sub-channels, AP 102, STA 104, or both may send acknowledgment frames to indicate successful reception of one or more frames. For example, the first STA 104 may send acknowledgment frame 820-a via the primary sub-channel 804 and the first secondary sub-channel 806-a, the second STA 104 may send acknowledgment frame 820-b via the second secondary sub-channel 806-b, and the third STA 104 may send acknowledgment frame 820-c via the third secondary sub-channel 806-c. STA 104 (e.g., the second STA 104 and the third STA 104) may continue to monitor the assigned sub-channels after delivering the acknowledgment frames to listen for any additional frames. STA 104 may remain on the assigned sub-channels for an additional timeout period 822, such as SIFS time, slot time, receive physical start delay time (e.g., spanning 14µs), or a combination thereof. If STA 104 is unable to receive a packet addressed to STA 104 via the assigned sub-channel before the end of the additional timeout interval 822, STA 104 may switch back to the primary sub-channel 804. For example, at time 808-c, a second STA 104 may initiate a switch from operating via the second secondary sub-channel 806-b back to operating via at least the primary sub-channel 804, and a third STA 104 may initiate a switch from operating via the third secondary sub-channel 806-c back to operating via at least the primary sub-channel 804. Additionally or alternatively, control frame 810 may indicate the duration (e.g., additional timeout interval 822) for STA 104 to remain operating via the assigned sub-channel before switching back to the primary sub-channel 804.

[0130] Figure 9 An example of a process flow 900 supporting signaling for DSO is shown. Process flow 900 may implement aspects of wireless communication network 100, wireless communication system 500, or combinations thereof, or may be implemented by these aspects. For example, process flow 900 may include STA 104-c (e.g., a non-AP STA) and AP 102-b (e.g., an AP STA), which may be referenced herein. Figures 1 to 8 Examples of the corresponding devices described. In the following description of process flow 900, operations may be performed in a different order than those shown. Specific operations may also be excluded from process flow 900, or other operations may be added to process flow 900. Furthermore, although some operations or signaling are shown to occur at different times for discussion purposes, these operations may occur simultaneously.

[0131] At position 902, STA 104-c and AP 102-b can exchange capability signaling. In some implementations, STA 104-c can report its DSO capability information to AP 102-b. Additionally or alternatively, AP 102-b can send its DSO capability information to STA 102-c.

[0132] At position 904, STA 104-c and AP 102-b can exchange DSO mode activation signaling. For example, STA 104-c and AP 102-b can exchange action frames, A-Control subfields, request frames, acknowledgment frames, or any combination thereof to trigger STA 104-c to enter DSO mode. STA 104-c or AP 102-b can initiate the DSO mode activation procedure.

[0133] At 906, STA 104-c may transmit a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO. In some implementations, STA 104-c may transmit the first frame as part of DSO mode enable signaling. AP102-b may receive the first frame and determine frequency resources (e.g., one or more frequency resources or RUs) from the indicated set of secondary sub-channels to assign to STA 104-c for DSO.

[0134] At 908, AP 102-b may transmit a control frame that assigns frequency resources included in at least one of the set of secondary sub-channels to STA 104-c for DSO. In some implementations, AP 102-b may transmit the control frame based on STA 104-c operating in enabled DSO mode. STA 104-c may receive the control frame and initiate a handover from the primary sub-channel to at least one secondary sub-channel including the assigned frequency resources.

[0135] At 910, STA 104-c and AP 102-b can exchange PPDUs via the assigned frequency resources of at least one secondary sub-channel. For example, STA 104-c can receive the MPDU of the PPDU from AP 102-b, which corresponds to the assigned frequency resource. Additionally or alternatively, AP 102-b can receive the MPDU of the PPDU from STA 104-c via the assigned frequency resource.

[0136] At position 912, STA 104-c and AP 102-b can exchange DSO mode disable signaling. For example, STA 104-c and AP 102-b can exchange action frames, A-Control subfields, request frames, acknowledgment frames, or any combination thereof to trigger STA 104-c to disable DSO mode. STA 104-c or AP 102-b can initiate the DSO mode disable procedure.

[0137] Figure 10 An example of a process flow 1000 supporting signaling for DSO is shown. Process flow 1000 may implement aspects of wireless communication network 100, wireless communication system 500, or combinations thereof, or may be implemented by these aspects. For example, process flow 1000 may include STA 104-d (e.g., a non-AP STA) and AP 102-c (e.g., an AP STA), which may be referenced herein. Figures 1 to 9 Examples of the corresponding devices described. In the following description of process flow 1000, operations may be performed in a different order than those shown. Specific operations may also be excluded from process flow 1000, or other operations may be added to process flow 1000. Furthermore, although some operations or signaling are shown to occur at different times for discussion purposes, these operations may occur simultaneously.

[0138] The relatively large number of potential subchannels available for DSO can introduce complexity into wireless communication systems (e.g., at AP102, STA 104, or both). For example, to support DSO, STA 104-d may receive commands to switch to dynamically assigned subchannels within a relatively short transition delay (e.g., a few microseconds). To support the handover, STA 104-d may perform one or more operations upon completion of the handover to an assigned subchannel (e.g., to assigned frequency resources included in one or more secondary subchannels). For example, STA 104-d may switch to a subchannel and may perform CCA ED, perform probes, transmit PPDUs (e.g., including UHR PPDUs) via the subchannel, or any combination thereof. Supporting such operations on any number of subchannels can introduce complexity. In some implementations, STA 104-d or AP 102-c may dynamically reduce the number of subchannels that can be switched to (e.g., to reduce complexity).

[0139] Additionally or alternatively, to support DSO, AP 102-c may move (e.g., assign) the associated STA 104 to one or more secondary sub-channels and allocate RUs within these sub-channels. Supporting a relatively large number of sub-channel locations, bandwidths, and client combinations can introduce complexity at the AP 102-c's scheduler. Furthermore, some operations associated with the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards (e.g., frame switching operations) may be performed relative to the primary channel (e.g., primary sub-channel). For example, AP 102-c, STA 104-d, or both may determine the transmit power for triggering transmissions, perform dynamic puncturing, perform CCA ED, or some combination thereof relative to the primary channel. However, after STA 104-d switches to a sub-channel assigned for DSO, STA 104-d may not operate via the primary channel. To support DSO functionality, the wireless communication system may support an "anchor" channel that operates as a temporary primary channel for STA 104-d in DSO-enabled mode. Anchor channels may also be referred to as anchor subchannels, temporary primary channels, temporary primary subchannels, secondary channels, secondary subchannels, or any similar terms. In some specific implementations, AP 102-c may specify the supported anchor channels (e.g., anchor channels defined by the AP), and STA 104-d may select a subset of anchor channels, or both of the above, for use in DSO communications.

[0140] AP 102-c can select and advertise one or more DSO anchor channels within its operating bandwidth. In some aspects, the primary channel P20 may be referred to as the default anchor channel. In some specific implementations, AP 102-c may determine the anchor channels to be supported based on configuration, one or more characteristics of the channel, one or more capabilities of AP 102-c or STA 104-d, or any combination thereof.

[0141] An anchor channel can be a 20MHz channel (or a channel of any size, such as an 80MHz channel) within the AP's operating bandwidth. AP 102-c can support a limited set of anchor channels (e.g., a limited set of locations for scheduling associated STA 104, below a threshold number) to reduce scheduler complexity at AP 102-c. DSO-enabled AP 102-c can use frames (e.g., management frames) to advertise supported anchor channels.

[0142] At 1002, AP 102-c may transmit a management frame that advertises one or more anchor channels supported for the DSO. One or more STAs 104, including STA 104-d, may receive the management frame and determine the anchor channels supported by AP 102-c. In some aspects, the management frame may be a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, reassociation response frame, or some other type of frame. In some implementations, AP 102-c may specify a threshold number of anchor channels for STA selection in the management frame. For example, AP 102-c may indicate a threshold number of two, which may instruct STA 104-d to select at most two anchor channels, exactly two anchor channels, or at least two anchor channels. In some implementations, the indicated one or more anchor channels may be the same as or a subset of the servicing (O) master channels supported for multi-master channel access.

[0143] In some implementations, STA 104-d may optionally select a subset of anchor channels to use. Selecting a limited number of anchor channels further reduces complexity at STA 104-d. For example, a management frame may indicate four anchor channels supported by AP 102-c and a threshold number of two anchor channels for STA 104-d to select. STA 104-d may select up to two of the four anchor channels based on this threshold number. At 1004, STA 104-d may send a frame to AP 102-c indicating the selected subset of anchor channels. For example, STA 104-d may select a subset of anchor channels and may indicate the subset of anchor channels to AP 102-c during setup (e.g., using capability signaling, association request frames, reassociation request frames, or any combination thereof) or during enablement (e.g., using action frames or the A-Control field).

[0144] In some implementations, different STA 104s may select different subsets of anchor channels to support DSO. Additionally or alternatively, STA 104-d may update the selected subset of anchor channels (e.g., when operating in DSO mode). For example, STA 104-d may use an action frame or the A-Control field to update the selected subset of anchor channels without disabling and re-enabling DSO mode at STA 104-d.

[0145] In some implementations, STA 104-d can select all anchor channels advertised by AP 102-c. For example, AP 102-c can avoid including a threshold number of anchor channels for STA selection in the management frame, and STA 104-d can be able to support up to the advertised number of anchor channels. In some aspects, STA 104-d can indicate support for all advertised anchor channels using capability or enable signaling that explicitly indicates the capability of each of the advertised anchor channels. In some other aspects, STA 104-d can set a subfield value of the capability or enable signaling to indicate support for all advertised anchor channels (e.g., using bits in the capability field or enable signaling). In still other aspects, STA 104-d can avoid indicating any anchor channels in the capability or enable signaling. Based on the fact that STA 104-d supports DSO and there are no anchor channels indicated in the capability or enable signaling, AP 102-c can implicitly determine that STA 104-d supports all advertised anchor channels. In some specific implementations, STA 104-d may avoid indicating all or a subset of the advertised anchor channels at 1004.

[0146] AP 102-c can use a STA-specific subset of anchor channels to assign frequency resources to STA 104 for DSO. For example, AP 102-c can select an anchor channel for STA 104-d from a subset of anchor channels indicated by STA 104-d. Alternatively, if STA 104-d does not indicate a subset of anchor channels but supports DSO, AP 102-c can select an anchor channel for STA 104-d from one or more anchor channels advertised by AP 102-c in a management frame. In some implementations, STA 104-d can select an anchor channel by using a single anchor channel from a subset of anchor channels. AP 102-c can allocate RUs (e.g., frequency resources) within one or more sub-channels associated with the selected anchor channel. Specifically, AP 102-c can switch STA 104-d to operate via a sub-channel that includes the selected anchor channel. In some implementations, AP 102-c can switch STA 104-d to one of a defined set of auxiliary sub-channels, each auxiliary sub-channel having an associated anchor channel (e.g., S20, S40, S80, or some other set of sub-channels). For example, AP 102-c, STA 104-d, or both can determine the sub-channel associated with the anchor channel based on a set of rules (e.g., for channel numbering and construction).

[0147] In some implementations, STA 104-d may additionally indicate (e.g., during activation) that it is capable of concurrent (e.g., simultaneously) reception on more than one anchor channel. Therefore, AP 102-c may allocate RUs (e.g., frequency resources) to STA 104-d in more than one sub-channel associated with more than one anchor channel. In some implementations, the multiple sub-channels may be contiguous (such that the upper frequency limit of the lower frequency sub-channel is the same as the lower frequency limit of the higher frequency sub-channel). In some other implementations, at least some of the multiple sub-channels may be non-contiguous (such that the upper frequency limit of the lower frequency sub-channel is greater than the lower frequency limit of the higher frequency sub-channel, or otherwise different from the lower frequency limit of the higher frequency sub-channel). If frequency resources are assigned in more than one sub-channel, AP 102-c may use MRUs to allocate frequency resources to STA 104-d. Frequency resources assigned to different STA 104s may be for downlink direction, uplink direction, peer-to-peer communication, or any combination thereof.

[0148] At 1006, AP 102-c may send a DSO announcement frame (which may be an example of a trigger frame variant) that assigns an allocated RU to STA 104-d for DSO. The DSO announcement frame may include RU allocations for one or more STA 104s supporting DSO. AP 102-c may indicate the RU allocation in the DSO announcement frame (or in the DSO ICF) with reference to the primary channel P20 (e.g., and without reference to the selected anchor channel). By indicating the RU using the same channel as the reference (e.g., the primary channel), AP 102-c reduces ambiguity and simplifies signaling.

[0149] At 1008, AP 102-c may send a trigger frame (e.g., a BSRP trigger frame) to trigger STA 104-d to switch to the assigned RU. At 1010, STA 104-d may switch its operating frequency for DSO mode to the assigned RU and corresponding sub-channel assignment. The operating bandwidth of STA 104-d may remain unchanged regardless of the anchor channel. For example, if STA 104-d supports an operating bandwidth of 80 MHz on the primary channel, then STA 104-d may similarly support an operating bandwidth of 80 MHz on the sub-channel associated with the anchor channel used for DSO (e.g., operating bandwidth capability). In DSO mode on the assigned sub-channel, STA 104-d may operate according to its full bandwidth capability, or it may operate according to a reduced bandwidth size by changing the operating mode of STA 104-d (e.g., using an operating mode number (OMN) or OMI) (e.g., to save power and avoid interfering with other signaling).

[0150] Based on a switch to communication via one or more secondary sub-channels used for DSO, STA 104-d can switch from using the primary channel P20 as the primary channel to using a selected anchor channel as the primary channel (e.g., as a temporary primary channel). For example, STA 104-d can use the anchor channel as the "primary" channel for operations using the primary channel within frame switching. During DSO, STA 104-d can perform operations regarding the anchor channel rather than the primary channel. For example, when switching to one or more secondary sub-channels used for DSO, STA 104-d can perform CCA ED on the anchor channel. STA 104-d can save energy by avoiding performing CCA ED on other sub-channels associated with the anchor channel. If STA 104-d determines that the anchor channel is idle based on CCA ED, STA 104-d can communicate via one or more secondary sub-channels. For example, at 1012, STA 104-d and AP 102-c can exchange frames via one or more secondary sub-channels (e.g., using one or more PPDUs).

[0151] If AP 102-c has already assigned an RU associated with the anchor channel to STA 104 (such as STA 104-d), AP 102-c can avoid puncturing the anchor channel. For example, STA 104-d can monitor the anchor channel for communications from AP 102-c, and AP 102-c can determine that STA 104-d is monitoring at least the anchor channel when it is operating in DSO mode.

[0152] Additionally or alternatively, STA 104-d can use the anchor channel to determine the transmit power used for transmission. For example, for TB uplink transmission, STA 104-d can calculate the transmit power based on the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) or another signal strength measurement performed on the anchor channel. For triggered uplink transmission, STA 104-d can calculate the transmit power based on a combination of the target RSSI specified in the frame by AP 102-c, the AP's transmit power (which can be indicated in the trigger frame that triggers the TB uplink transmission), and the RSSI measurement performed on the anchor channel. For example, STA 104-d can calculate the path loss value based on the AP's transmit power and the measured RSSI (for the anchor channel in primary channel or DSO mode) according to Equation 1. The STA104-d can use the calculated path loss value and the target RSSI specified by AP 102-c to determine the uplink transmit power of the STA104-d according to Equation 2.

[0153] (1) (2) At 1012, STA 104-d can use the calculated transmit power to send the A-MPDU in the PPDU to AP 102-c.

[0154] Figure 11 An example of using an 1100 anchor channel for DSO is shown. (See reference...) Figure 1 and Figure 5 The described wireless communication network 100 or wireless communication system 500 may support anchor channel usage 1100. For example, AP 102 may communicate with multiple STAs 104 according to anchor channel usage 1100. For example, if AP 102, one or more STAs 104, or both are operating in DSO mode (as per reference) Figure 7 As described, AP 102 and one or more STA 104 can communicate using 1100 via the anchor channel to support DSO functionality in place of the main channel.

[0155] AP 102 can support communication via operating bandwidth 1102 (e.g., channel bandwidth). The operating bandwidth 1102 of the AP may include one or more sub-channels. For example, the operating bandwidth 1102 of the AP may include a first sub-channel 1104-a, a second sub-channel 1104-b, a third sub-channel 1104-c, a fourth sub-channel 1104-d, a fifth sub-channel 1104-e, a sixth sub-channel 1104-f, a seventh sub-channel 1104-g, and an eighth sub-channel 1104-h, although the operating bandwidth 1102 may include any number of sub-channels. In some specific implementations, each sub-channel may span 20 MHz. Sub-channels may include a master sub-channel (e.g., master 20 (P20)). As an example, the fourth sub-channel 1104-d may be a master sub-channel. The location and bandwidth of the primary sub-channel in the frequency domain can be indicated by other sub-channels (e.g., S20, primary 40 (P40), S40, primary 80 (P80), S80, or any other sub-channel) based on one or more channel numbering rules that define the channel and constitute the sub-channel.

[0156] STA 104 can communicate with AP 102 via the primary sub-channel. In some implementations, STA 104 may default to communicating via the primary sub-channel when not operating under DSO. STA 104, AP 102, or both can perform certain operations regarding the primary sub-channel. If STA 104 switches to the secondary sub-channel used for DSO, STA 104 can use a temporary primary sub-channel (e.g., an "anchor" channel) in place of the primary sub-channel to perform some of these operations.

[0157] AP 102-d may support one or more anchor channels. For example, AP 102 may support a first sub-channel 1104-a as an anchor channel, a sixth sub-channel 1104-f as an anchor channel, and a seventh sub-channel 1104-g as an anchor channel. AP 102 may advertise the supported anchor channels to one or more STAs 104 (e.g., STAs 104 that support DSO). In some aspects, AP 102 may send a management frame indicating one or more anchor channels within AP 102's operating bandwidth 1102 for DSO. In some implementations, one or more STAs 104 may respond to a subset of anchor channels indicated by AP 102. For example, a first STA 104 may not support DSO and may not respond to the management frame. A second STA 104 may support DSO and may send a frame (e.g., a capability use or enable signaling) indicating a subset of the advertised anchor channels. For example, the second STA 104 may indicate support for the first sub-channel 1104-a and the sixth sub-channel 1104-f as anchor channels. The third STA 104 may support DSO and may transmit a frame indicating support for the first sub-channel 1104-a and the seventh sub-channel 1104-g as anchor channels. In some implementations, a management frame indicating the anchor channels supported by AP 102 may indicate a threshold number of anchor channels for STA 104 to indicate. For example, the management frame may request two anchor channels of the threshold number for STA 104 to indicate in a subset of anchor channels of these STAs, and STA 104 may indicate up to two anchor channels in the subset. In some implementations, the first STA 104 may operate with an operating bandwidth of 40 MHz, the second STA 104 may operate with an operating bandwidth of 40 MHz, and the third STA 104 may operate with an operating bandwidth of 80 MHz.

[0158] AP 102 may, for example, send a DSO announcement frame 1106 via the AP's operating bandwidth 1102. The DSO announcement frame 1106 may be an example of a trigger frame without an acknowledgment request. The DSO announcement frame 1106 may assign frequency resources (e.g., RUs) to a second STA 104 and a third STA 104 supporting the DSO. AP 102 may assign frequency resources based on anchor channels, for example, such that each STA 104 operates via at least one anchor channel indicated to AP 102 by the respective STA 104. AP 102 may additionally send a trigger frame (e.g., another trigger frame, such as BSRP trigger frame 1108) to trigger STA 104 to switch to the frequency resources assigned for the DSO.

[0159] Since the first STA 104 does not support DSO, the first STA 104 can remain on the primary sub-channel. For example, the first STA 104 can communicate via the third sub-channel 1104-c and the fourth sub-channel 1104-d. The AP 102 can assign one or more frequency resources included in the first sub-channel 1104-a and the second sub-channel 1104-b associated with anchor channels in a subset of anchor channels indicated by the second STA 104 (e.g., where the first sub-channel 1104-a is the anchor channel for the second STA 104). The AP 102 can assign one or more frequency resources included in the fifth sub-channel 1104-e, the sixth sub-channel 1104-f, the seventh sub-channel 1104-g, and the eighth sub-channel 1104-h associated with anchor channels in a subset of anchor channels indicated by the third STA 104 (e.g., where the seventh sub-channel 1104-g is the anchor channel for the third STA 104).

[0160] STA 104 may perform a CCA ED check on a primary sub-channel or anchor channel (e.g., a temporary primary sub-channel) to obtain access to the channel. For example, the first STA 104 may perform ED check 1110-a on the primary sub-channel, the second STA 104 may perform ED check 1110-b on the anchor channel of the second STA (e.g., the first sub-channel 1104-a), and the third STA 104 may perform ED check 1110-c on the anchor channel of the third STA (e.g., the seventh sub-channel 1104-g). If STA 104 detects that the channel is idle, STA 104 may send a response frame to AP 102, indicating that STA 104 has successfully switched to the assigned sub-channel. For example, in TB PPDU 1120-a, the first STA 104 can send the first BSR 1112-a, the second STA 104 can send the second BSR 1112-b, and the third STA 104 can send the third BSR 1112-c.

[0161] In some aspects, AP 102 may send a basic trigger frame 1114 to trigger one or more communications. In some implementations, STA 104 may again perform a CCA ED check on the master sub-channel or anchor channel based on the basic trigger frame 1114. STA 104 may communicate with AP 102 via resources assigned to the DSO. For example, in TB PPDU 1120-b, the first STA 104 may send a first A-MPDU 1116-a, the second STA 104 may send a second A-MPDU 1116-b, and the third STA 104 may send a third A-MPDU 1116-c. Additionally or alternatively, STA 104 may receive signaling from AP 102 via PPDU. In some implementations, AP 102 may, for example, send a multi-STA block acknowledgment 1118 to STA 104 based on TB PPDU 1120-b. The multi-STA block confirmation 1118 can correspond to either single-user (SU) or MU PPDU format.

[0162] In some implementations, AP 102 may transmit the BSRP trigger frame 1108, the basic trigger frame 1114, or both (e.g., repetition across subchannels of operational bandwidth 1102) as non-HT DUP frames via operational bandwidth 1102, enabling first, second, and third STAs 104 to receive non-HT DUP frames. In other implementations, AP 102 may transmit the BSRP trigger frame 1108, the basic trigger frame 1114, or both as UHR MU PPDU frames. For example, a UHR MU PPDU frame may include three MPDUs corresponding to three trigger frames, where each trigger frame is transmitted via an RU assigned to the corresponding STA 104.

[0163] Figure 12 An example of using a 1200 anchor channel for DSO is shown. (See reference...) Figure 1 and Figure 5 The described wireless communication network 100 or wireless communication system 500 may support anchor channel usage 1200. For example, AP 102 may communicate with multiple STAs 104 according to anchor channel usage 1200. For example, if AP 102, one or more STAs 104, or both are operating in DSO mode (as per reference) Figure 7 As described herein, AP 102 and one or more STAs 104 can communicate via the anchor channel using 1200 to support DSO functionality in place of the master channel. For example, AP 102 can communicate with a first STA 104, a second STA 104, and a third STA 104, as referenced herein. Figure 11As discussed. However, AP 102 can puncture one or more anchor channels by sending 1222 based on one or more Overlapping Basic Service Sets (OBSS). AP 102 can assign sub-channels to STA 104 based on puncturing to avoid puncturing the anchor channels currently being used by STA 104.

[0164] As referenced in this article Figure 11 As described, AP 102 can support an operating bandwidth 1202 spanning the first sub-channel 1204-a, the second sub-channel 1204-b, the third sub-channel 1204-c, the fourth sub-channel 1204-d, the fifth sub-channel 1204-e, the sixth sub-channel 1204-f, the seventh sub-channel 1204-g, and the eighth sub-channel 1204-h. The fourth sub-channel 1204-d can be a primary sub-channel, and AP 102 can support anchor channels via the first sub-channel 1204-a, the sixth sub-channel 1204-f, and the seventh sub-channel 1204-g. The first STA 104 may not support DSO, while the second STA 104 may indicate support for DSO and a subset of the anchor channel, including the first sub-channel 1204-a and the sixth sub-channel 1204-f, and the third STA 104 may indicate support for DSO and a subset of the anchor channel, including the first sub-channel 1204-a and the seventh sub-channel 1204-g. Additionally, the first STA 104 may operate with an operating bandwidth of 40 MHz, the second STA 104 may operate with an operating bandwidth of 40 MHz, and the third STA 104 may operate with an operating bandwidth of 80 MHz.

[0165] AP 102 can detect one or more OBSS transmissions 1222 via the seventh sub-channel 1204-g and the eighth sub-channel 1204-h (e.g., using an ED procedure to determine that these sub-channels are currently busy). Based on the OBSS transmissions 1222, AP 102 can puncture (e.g., avoid communication via) the seventh sub-channel 1204-g and the eighth sub-channel 1204-h (including supported anchor channels). AP 102 can avoid assigning frequency resources associated with the anchor channel (e.g., the seventh sub-channel 1204-g) to STA 104 to avoid puncturing the STA's anchor channel. For example, similar to a primary sub-channel, AP 102 can avoid puncturing the sub-channel that STA 104 is currently using as an anchor channel.

[0166] AP 102 can determine that S80 (e.g., including the fifth sub-channel 1204-e, sixth sub-channel 1204-f, seventh sub-channel 1204-g, and eighth sub-channel 1204-h) does not support the third STA 104 based on the anchor channel of the third STA associated with S80 being the seventh sub-channel 1204-g affected by OBSS transmission 1222. AP 102 can instead assign the third STA 104 to S40 (e.g., including the first sub-channel 1204-a and second sub-channel 1204-b) and can assign the second STA 104 to the punctured S80 (e.g., to the fifth sub-channel 1204-e and sixth sub-channel 1204-f). Therefore, STA 104 can operate using an unpunctured anchor channel. However, the third STA 104 can operate with a reduced operating bandwidth (e.g., 40MHz), although it still supports an 80MHz operating bandwidth capability.

[0167] AP 102 can use DSO announcement frame 1206 to assign frequency resources corresponding to sub-channels and anchor channels to STA 104. AP 102 can send BSRP trigger frame 1208, and STA 104 can perform CCA ED checks to obtain access to the assigned frequency resources. For example, the first STA 104 can perform a first ED check 1210-a via the primary sub-channel, the second STA 104 can perform a second ED check 1210-b via the anchor channel of the punctured S80 sub-band, and the third STA 104 can perform a third ED check 1210-c via the anchor channel of the S40 sub-band. In TB PPDU 1220-a, the first STA 104 can send a first BSR 1212-a, the second STA 104 can send a second BSR 1212-b, and the third STA 104 can send a third BSR 1212-c. AP 102 may send a basic trigger frame 1214 to trigger communication via the frequency resources assigned in the DSO. In TB PPDU 1220-b, first STA 104 may send a first A-MPDU 1216-a, second STA 104 may send a second A-MPDU 1216-b, and third STA 104 may send a third A-MPDU 1216-c. Additionally or alternatively, STA 104 may receive signaling from AP 102 via PPDU. In some implementations, AP 102 may, for example, send a multi-STA block acknowledgment 1218 to STA 104 based on TB PPDU 1220-b.

[0168] AP 102 may use reduced bandwidth (e.g., less than the AP's full operating bandwidth 1202) to send DSO announcement frames 1206, BSRP trigger frames 1208, basic trigger frames 1214, multi-STA block acknowledgments 1218, or any combination thereof, to avoid interfering with OBSS transmissions 1222. Additionally or alternatively, PPDUs may be transmitted via reduced bandwidth to avoid conflicts with OBSS transmissions 1222.

[0169] Figure 13 An example of trigger frame format 1300 supporting DSO announcement frames is shown. In some specific implementations, AP 102 (e.g., AP STA) may send a DSO announcement frame to assign frequency resources for DSO to one or more STA 104 (e.g., non-AP STA). The DSO announcement frame may be an example of a trigger frame according to trigger frame format 1300.

[0170] In some implementations, the DSO announcement frame can be an example of a control frame used to improve processing at the STA 104 receiving the DSO announcement frame. In some aspects, the DSO announcement frame can be an example of an existing control frame type utilizing one or more existing procedures. The DSO announcement frame can avoid triggering a response from the STA 104. For example, the DSO announcement frame may not request acknowledgment from the STA 104, because the purpose of the DSO announcement frame may be to switch the STA 104 to one or more designated sub-channels for DSO. The DSO announcement frame can support indicating sub-channel assignments to multiple STAs 104, allowing subsequent frames to communicate with the STA 104 via the assigned sub-channel.

[0171] A DSO announcement frame can be a trigger frame (such as an existing trigger frame variant, for example, according to trigger frame format 1300). A trigger frame can be a broadcast frame sent by AP 102. In some implementations, AP 102 may use any trigger frame variant as a DSO announcement frame. In some other implementations, AP 102 may use one or more specific trigger frame variants (such as HE, EHT, or UHR variants of Multi-User Request Transmission (MU-RTS) trigger frames, HE, EHT, or UHR variants of BSRP trigger frames, or some other trigger frame variant) as a DSO announcement frame.

[0172] The trigger frame may carry one or more user information fields 1334 that support the indication of subchannel assignment to multiple STAs 104. For example, for each STA 104 for which the trigger frame indicates a switch to a secondary subchannel for DSO, the trigger frame may include a user information field 1334. Additionally or alternatively, the trigger frame may use a combination of the RU allocation subfield 1330 (e.g., STA 104 specific) and the uplink bandwidth subfield 1326 (in some implementations, together with other fields) to indicate the location of the secondary subchannel for the STA 104 to switch to for DSO. If the secondary subchannel location is outside the operating bandwidth of the STA 104 (e.g., a non-AP STA), the trigger frame may be a DSO announcement frame. If the secondary subchannel location is within the operating bandwidth of the STA 104, or if the trigger frame otherwise does not indicate frequency resources outside the operating bandwidth of the STA, the trigger frame may not be a DSO announcement frame (e.g., the trigger frame may be a regular trigger frame).

[0173] Trigger frame format 1300 may include a MAC header 1332, which may include a frame control field 1302, a duration field 1304, a receiver address (RA) field 1306, a transmitter address (TA) field 1308, or any combination thereof. Trigger frame format 1300 may also include a common information field 1310 and a user information list 1312 for one or more users (e.g., one or more STAs 104). Trigger frame format 1300 may also include padding 1314 and an FCS 1316.

[0174] A common information field 1310, a user information list 1312, or a subfield within either can identify a trigger frame as a DSO announcement frame. For example, the common information field 1310 may include a trigger type subfield 1318, an uplink length subfield 1320, a more trigger frames (TF) subfield 1322, a carrier sensing (CS) request subfield 1324, an uplink bandwidth subfield 1326, or any combination of these and additional subfields. To indicate a DSO announcement, AP 102 can set the uplink length subfield 1320 to zero. For example, a trigger frame may request a response after SIFS. The uplink length subfield 1320 can control the duration of the response frame sent after SIFS in response to the trigger frame (except for MU-RTS trigger frames, where the uplink length subfield 1320 is reserved because the length of the response frame (CTS frame) used for MU-RTS is fixed). Setting the uplink length subfield 1320 to zero indicates to the STA 104 receiving the trigger frame that it will not respond to the trigger frame by sending a frame (e.g., an acknowledgment frame, CTS, or other frame). In other words, a value of zero indicates a response frame of zero length, implicitly requesting no response to the trigger frame. Therefore, an uplink length subfield 1320 set to zero can indicate one aspect of a DSO announcement frame by requesting no response to the trigger frame. In some implementations, an MU-RTS trigger frame operating as a DSO announcement frame may use the uplink length subfield 1320 to indicate no response (e.g., by setting the subfield to zero instead of reserving bits in the subfield).

[0175] In some implementations, the indication for a DSO announcement frame can be carried within the user information field 1334. In some such implementations, a subfield in the user information field 1334 of the trigger frame can indicate to the corresponding STA 104 that the trigger frame is being used as a DSO announcement frame. For example, the allocation duration subfield 1336 of the user information field 1334 of the MU-RTS trigger frame can be set to zero to indicate to the STA 104 that the MU-RTS trigger frame is a DSO announcement frame.

[0176] Additionally or alternatively, in order to indicate the DSO announcement frame, AP 102 may use the uplink bandwidth subfield 1326 to indicate the location of one or more assigned secondary subchannels for one or more STAs 104.

[0177] User information list 1312 may include one or more user information fields 1334. For example, for each STA 104 to which AP 102 is assigning frequency resources for DSO, AP 102 may include user information field 1334 within user information list 1312. User information field 1334 may include AID subfield 1328 (e.g., AID12 subfield indicating the 12 least significant bits of the AID used for STA 104), RU allocation subfield 1330, or any combination of these and additional subfields. AID subfield 1328 may indicate the AID used for target STA 104, and RU allocation subfield 1330 may indicate one or more frequency resources assigned to target STA 104 for DSO. For example, the indicated one or more frequency resources may be outside the current operating bandwidth of STA 104, thus indicating that the frequency resources are used for DSO.

[0178] In some implementations, if the first STA 104 operating via the master sub-channel does not support DSO (for example, the first STA 104 is an example of an legacy or non-UHR STA), the DSO announcement frame may not include the user information field 1334 for the first STA 104. If the second STA 104 operating via the master sub-channel supports DSO, the DSO announcement frame may include the user information field 1334 for the second STA 104.

[0179] In some implementations, the DSO announcement frame may assign frequency resources for DSO to a single STA 104. In some such implementations, the user information list 1312 may include a user information field 1334 for a target STA 104, and the RA field 1306 in the MAC header 1332 may be set to the MAC address of a target STA 104 (e.g., a STA 104 with an AID that matches the AID subfield 1328 in a user information field 1334). In some other implementations, the DSO announcement frame may assign frequency resources for DSO to multiple STAs 104. In some such implementations, the user information list 1312 may include multiple user information fields 1334, and the RA field 1306 in the MAC header 1332 may be set to a broadcast address. The TA field 1308 in the MAC header 1332 can be set to the identifier of the AP 102 that sent the trigger frame, or if the AP 102 is not a TxBSSID, it can be set to the BSSID of the BSSID (TxBSSID) that sent the frame.

[0180] If STA 104 receives a trigger frame, STA 104 can determine whether the trigger frame is a DSO announcement frame. For example, a trigger frame with an uplink length subfield 1320 set to zero, an RU assigned to a bandwidth other than that of STA 104, or both, can be identified as a DSO announcement frame.

[0181] Figure 14 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device 1400 supporting signaling for DSO is shown. In some specific implementations, the wireless communication device 1400 is configured to perform respective references Figure 16 Error! Reference source not found. Described processes 1600 and 1800. Wireless communication device 1400 may include one or more chips, system-on-a-chip (SoC), chipset, package, component, or device that individually or collectively constitute or include a processing system. The processing system may interface with other components of wireless communication device 1400 and typically processes information (such as inputs or signals) received from and outputs information (such as outputs or signals) to such other components. In some aspects, an example chip may include a processing system, a first interface for outputting or transmitting information, and a second interface for receiving or acquiring information. For example, the first interface may refer to an interface between the chip's processing system and a transmitting component, such that wireless communication device 1400 can transmit information output from the chip. In such an example, the second interface may refer to an interface between the chip's processing system and a receiving component, such that wireless communication device 1400 can receive information that is passed to the processing system. In some such examples, the first interface may also, for example, acquire information from the transmitting component, and the second interface may also, for example, output information to the receiving component.

[0182] The processing system of the wireless communication device 1400 includes processor (or “processing”) circuitry in the form of one or more processors, microprocessors, processing units (such as a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), or digital signal processor (DSP)), processing blocks, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) (such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), or other discrete gate or transistor logic components or circuits (all of which are generally referred to herein individually as “processors” or collectively as “processors” or “processor circuitry”). One or more of these processors may be individually or collectively configured to perform the various functions or operations described herein. The processing system may also include memory circuitry in the form of one or more memory devices, memory blocks, memory elements, or other discrete gate or transistor logic components or circuitry, each of which may include tangible storage media such as random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM) or combinations thereof (all of which are generally referred to herein individually as “memory” or collectively as “memory” or “memory circuitry”). One or more of these memories may be coupled to one or more processors and may store processor-executable code, individually or collectively, which, when executed by one or more processors, configures one or more processors to perform the various functions or operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, one or more processors may be pre-configured to perform the various functions or operations described herein without software configuration. The processing system may also include or be coupled to one or more modems (such as a Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE compliant) modem or a cellular (e.g., 3GPP 4G LTE, 5G, or 6G compliant) modem). In some embodiments, one or more processors of the processing system may include or implement one or more modems. The processing system may also include or be coupled to multiple radio components (collectively, “radio components”), multiple RF chains, or multiple transceivers, each of which may in turn be coupled to one or more antennas. In some embodiments, one or more processors of the processing system include or implement one or more of the radio components, RF chains, or transceivers.

[0183] In some specific implementations, the wireless communication device 1400 may be configured for or be configured for use in STAs (e.g., non-AP STAs) such as references Figure 1The described STA 104 is used. In some other examples, the wireless communication device 1400 may be a STA (e.g., a non-AP STA) that includes such a processing system as well as other components including multiple antennas. The wireless communication device 1400 is capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications, for example, in the form of wireless packets. For example, the wireless communication device 1400 may be configured to transmit and receive packets in the form of PHY PPDUs and MPDUs conforming to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard family. In some other examples, the wireless communication device 1400 may be configured to transmit and receive signals and communications conforming to one or more 3GPP specifications, including those for 5G NR or 6G. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1400 also includes one or more application processors or may be coupled to such application processors, which may be further coupled to one or more other memories. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1400 also includes a user interface (UI) (such as a touchscreen or keypad) and a display that may be integrated with the UI to form a touchscreen display coupled to the processing system. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1400 may also include one or more sensors, such as one or more inertial sensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, or altitude sensors coupled to the processing system.

[0184] Wireless communication device 1400 includes a sub-channel support component 1425, a sub-channel assignment component 1430, an operating frequency component 1435, a capability component 1440, a DSO mode component 1445, and an anchor channel component 1450. A portion of one or more of the sub-channel support component 1425, sub-channel assignment component 1430, operating frequency component 1435, capability component 1440, DSO mode component 1445, and anchor channel component 1450 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, one or more of the sub-channel support component 1425, sub-channel assignment component 1430, operating frequency component 1435, capability component 1440, DSO mode component 1445, and anchor channel component 1450 may be implemented at least partially by a processor or a modem. In some specific implementations, portions of one or more of the sub-channel support component 1425, sub-channel assignment component 1430, operating frequency component 1435, capability component 1440, DSO mode component 1445, and anchor channel component 1450 may be implemented at least in part by a processor and software in the form of processor-executable code stored in memory.

[0185] Wireless communication device 1400 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. Wireless communication device 1400 may be an example of a non-AP STA. Sub-channel support component 1425 may be configured to transmit a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO. Sub-channel assignment component 1430 may be configured to receive a control frame that assigns one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the secondary sub-channels in the set of secondary sub-channels to a non-AP STA for DSO. Operating frequency component 1435 may be configured to communicate via at least one secondary sub-channel based on the enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0186] In some implementations, the subchannel support component 1425 can be configured to, or be configured to, send an indication of the threshold number of non-AP STAs in the set of secondary subchannels via their secondary subchannels that support concurrent communication.

[0187] In some implementations, the operating frequency component 1435 can be configured to switch the operating frequency from a primary sub-channel to at least one secondary sub-channel based on a control frame, wherein communication via the at least one secondary sub-channel is based on this switch.

[0188] In some specific implementations, in order to support switching of operating frequencies, the operating frequency component 1435 can be configured to switch the operating frequency from the primary sub-channel to at least one secondary sub-channel at a time indicated by the control frame.

[0189] In some implementations, non-AP STAs maintain operation via at least one secondary sub-channel for the duration indicated by the control frame.

[0190] In some implementations, the subchannel assignment component 1430 can be configured to receive a second control frame that assigns one or more second frequency resources included in at least one second secondary subchannel from a set of secondary subchannels to a non-AP STA for dynamic subchannel operation. In some implementations, the operating frequency component 1435 can be configured to switch the operating frequency from at least one secondary subchannel to at least one second secondary subchannel based on the second control frame. In some implementations, the control frame and the second control frame are received within the same TxOP.

[0191] In some implementations, capability component 1440 can be configured to, or be configured to, send a second frame indicating the capability for the link to operate in DSO mode, wherein sending the first frame is based on the capability for the link to operate in DSO mode. In some implementations, the first and second frames are the same frame.

[0192] In some implementations, capability component 1440 can be configured to establish a multi-link setup, wherein one or more first links in the multi-link setup support DSO mode. In some implementations, one or more second links in the multi-link setup do not support DSO mode.

[0193] In some specific implementations, the ability of a link to operate in DSO mode is based on the link's bandwidth, the link's frequency band, or both.

[0194] In some implementations, capability component 1440 can be configured to send a third frame that updates the link's capabilities for operation in DSO mode.

[0195] In some specific implementations, the second frame further indicates a second capability for operating the link via a set of secondary sub-channels, a third capability for a first transition time for switching the link to at least one secondary sub-channel, a fourth capability for a second transition time for switching the link from at least one secondary sub-channel to a primary sub-channel, or any combination thereof.

[0196] In some implementations, capability component 1440 can be configured to receive a second frame indicating the AP STA's capability to support DSO mode for the link, wherein the first frame is sent based on the AP STA's capability to support DSO mode for the link.

[0197] In some implementations, capability component 1440 can be configured to receive a second frame indicating a threshold number of secondary sub-channels supported by the AP STA, wherein the set of secondary sub-channels for DSO is based on this threshold number.

[0198] In some implementations, the first frame may include control values, granular values ​​of the set of auxiliary sub-channels, one or more location values ​​of the set of auxiliary sub-channels, or any combination thereof.

[0199] In some implementations, the first frame may include a bitmap indicating one or more location values. In some implementations, the bits of the bitmap may indicate whether a non-AP STA supports switching to a corresponding sub-channel with bandwidth indicated by a granularity value.

[0200] In some implementations, the size of the bitmap can be based on a granularity value, the operating bandwidth of the APSTA corresponding to the dynamic subchannel operating mode, or both.

[0201] In some implementations, the first bit of the bitmap may indicate the non-AP STA's preference for operation via the master sub-channel. In some implementations, each bit of the bitmap may indicate the corresponding preference of the non-AP STA for operation via the corresponding sub-channel. In some implementations, control values ​​may indicate the interpretation of the bitmap.

[0202] In some implementations, control values, granular values, one or more location values, or any combination thereof may correspond to a first link. In some implementations, the first frame may also include a second control value, a second granular value corresponding to a second set of auxiliary sub-channels of the second link, one or more second location values ​​corresponding to a second set of auxiliary sub-channels of the second link, or any combination thereof.

[0203] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to enable DSO mode, with the reception of control frames based on this enablement.

[0204] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to send a request frame to enable DSO mode. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to receive a first acknowledgment frame in response to a request frame. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to receive a response frame to enable DSO mode, wherein the enabling is based on the response frame. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to send a second acknowledgment frame in response to a response frame.

[0205] In some implementations, the request frame may include a first frame, an indication to enable DSO mode, an indication of a first transition time for switching to at least one secondary sub-channel, an indication of a second transition time for switching from at least one secondary sub-channel to a primary sub-channel, or any combination thereof.

[0206] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to send a second request frame to disable DSO mode. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to receive a third acknowledgment frame in response to the second request frame. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to receive a second response frame to disable DSO mode. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to send a fourth acknowledgment frame in response to the second response frame. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to disable DSO mode based on the second response frame.

[0207] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to send a request frame to enable DSO mode. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to receive a first acknowledgment frame in response to a request frame, wherein enabling is based on the first acknowledgment frame and a timeout value.

[0208] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to send an administration or data frame that includes an A-Control subfield indicating that DSO mode is enabled. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to receive a first acknowledgment frame in response to an administration or data frame, wherein the enable is based on the first acknowledgment frame.

[0209] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to receive a second management or data frame that includes an A-Control subfield indicating that DSO mode is enabled based on a management or data frame. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to send a second acknowledgment frame in response to the second management or data frame, wherein enabling is based on the second acknowledgment frame.

[0210] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to receive request frames to enable DSO mode, wherein the enablement is based on the request frame.

[0211] In some implementations, the sub-channel support component 1425 can be configured to receive a second frame in response to a first frame, the second frame indicating a set of modifications to the secondary sub-channels for DSO, wherein at least one secondary sub-channel is derived from the set of modifications to the secondary sub-channels.

[0212] In some implementations, the first frame may include an acknowledgment frame sent in response to one or more previous frames.

[0213] In some implementations, wireless communication device 1400 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. Wireless communication device 1400 may be an example of a non-AP STA. Anchor channel component 1450 can be configured to receive management frames that indicate one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for DSO. Subchannel assignment component 1430 can be configured to receive control frames that assign one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary subchannels associated with one or more anchor channels to a non-AP STA for DSO. Operating frequency component 1435 can be configured to communicate via one or more secondary subchannels associated with the anchor channel based on the enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0214] In some implementations, the anchor channel component 1450 can be configured to transmit frames based on management frames that indicate a subset of one or more anchor channels, wherein the anchor channels are included in the subset of one or more anchor channels.

[0215] In some implementations, the management frame may further indicate the number of thresholds for selecting anchor channels. In some implementations, a subset of one or more anchor channels may be based on the number of thresholds for selecting anchor channels.

[0216] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to operate according to an enabled DSO mode. In some implementations, the anchor channel component 1450 can be configured to transmit a second frame based on operating according to an enabled DSO mode, the second frame indicating an updated subset of one or more anchor channels that is different from a subset of one or more anchor channels.

[0217] In some implementations, the frame may be an association request frame, a reassociation request frame, an action frame, a management or data frame including A-Control subfields, or any combination thereof.

[0218] In some implementations, the anchor channel component 1450 can be configured to transmit frames based on management frames that indicate support for all anchor channels in one or more anchor channels.

[0219] In some implementations, the operating frequency component 1435 can be configured to operate for the primary channel and anchor channel with the same bandwidth capability based on the enabled DSO mode.

[0220] In some specific implementations, in order to support operation based on the same bandwidth capability, the operating frequency component 1435 can be configured to operate based on a reduced bandwidth that is narrower than the same bandwidth capability, in a non-AP STA operating mode.

[0221] In some implementations, the anchor channel component 1450 can be configured to determine one or more auxiliary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based on one or more rules used for channel numbering.

[0222] In some implementations, the anchor channel component 1450 can be configured to perform CCA ED via the anchor channel based on the enabled DSO mode.

[0223] In some implementations, the anchor channel component 1450 can be configured to perform received signal strength measurements for the anchor channel based on an enabled DSO mode. In some implementations, the operating frequency component 1435 can be configured to calculate the transmit power for communication based on the received signal strength measurements for the anchor channel.

[0224] In some implementations, the control frame may indicate one or more frequency resources relative to the primary channel of a non-AP STA. In some implementations, the primary channel is different from the anchor channel.

[0225] In some implementations, the control frame may be an example of a DSO announcement frame. In some implementations, the DSO announcement frame may be an example of a trigger frame variant that includes an uplink length subfield set to zero. In some implementations, the trigger frame variant is a MU-RTS trigger frame or a BSRP trigger frame.

[0226] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1445 can be configured to avoid sending frames in response to a DSO announcement frame, based on the uplink length subfield being set to zero.

[0227] In some implementations, the trigger frame variant may also include a user information field that addresses a non-AP STA and allocates one or more frequency resources to the non-AP STA. In some implementations, the one or more frequency resources are outside the current operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA. In some implementations, the MAC header of the trigger frame variant may include an RA field that is set to the MAC address of the non-AP STA based on the single user information field that addresses the non-AP STA included in the trigger frame variant.

[0228] In some implementations, the trigger frame variant may also include a set of multiple user information fields addressing a set of multiple corresponding non-AP STAs. In some implementations, the MAC header of the trigger frame variant may include an RA field set as a broadcast address based on the set of multiple user information fields included in the trigger frame variant.

[0229] In some implementations, the management frame may be an example of a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, reassociation response frame, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the anchor channel may span a 20 MHz bandwidth. In some implementations, one or more anchor channels may include one or more stalker master channels for multi-master channel access.

[0230] Figure 15 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device 1500 supporting signaling for DSO is shown. In some specific implementations, the wireless communication device 1500 is configured to perform respective references Figure 17 and Figure 19 The processes 1700 and 1900 are described. Wireless communication device 1500 may include one or more chips, SoCs, chipsets, packages, components, or devices that individually or collectively constitute or include a processing system. The processing system may interface with other components of wireless communication device 1500 and typically processes information (such as inputs or signals) received from and outputs information (such as outputs or signals) to such other components. In some aspects, an example chip may include a processing system, a first interface for outputting or transmitting information, and a second interface for receiving or acquiring information. For example, the first interface may refer to an interface between the chip's processing system and a transmitting component, enabling wireless communication device 1500 to transmit information output from the chip. In such an example, the second interface may refer to an interface between the chip's processing system and a receiving component, enabling wireless communication device 1500 to receive information that is passed to the processing system. In some such examples, the first interface may also, for example, acquire information from the transmitting component, and the second interface may also, for example, output information to the receiving component.

[0231] The processing system of the wireless communication device 1500 includes processor (or “processing”) circuitry in the form of one or more processors, microprocessors, processing units (such as CPUs, GPUs, or DSPs), processing blocks, ASICs, PLDs (such as FPGAs), or other discrete gate or transistor logic components or circuits (all of which are generally referred to herein individually as “processors” or collectively as “processors” or “processor circuitry”). One or more of these processors may be individually or collectively configured to perform, or be configured to perform, the various functions or operations described herein. The processing system may also include memory circuitry in the form of one or more memory devices, memory blocks, memory elements, or other discrete gate or transistor logic components or circuitry, each of which may include tangible storage media such as RAM or ROM or combinations thereof (all of which are generally referred to herein individually as “memory” or collectively as “memory” or “memory circuitry”). One or more of these memories may be coupled to one or more processors and may individually or collectively store processor-executable code that, when executed by one or more processors, configures one or more processors to perform the various functions or operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, one or more processors in the processing system may be pre-configured to perform the various functions or operations described herein without requiring software configuration. The processing system may also include or be coupled to one or more modems (such as a Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE compliant) modem or a cellular (e.g., 3GPP 4G LTE, 5G, or 6G compliant) modem). In some embodiments, one or more processors in the processing system may include or implement one or more modems in the modems. The processing system may also include or be coupled to multiple radio components (collectively, “radio components”), multiple RF chains, or multiple transceivers, each of which may in turn be coupled to one or more antennas in a plurality of antennas. In some embodiments, one or more processors in the processing system include or implement one or more of the radio components, RF chains, or transceivers.

[0232] In some specific implementations, the wireless communication device 1500 may be configured for or be configured to be used in an AP (e.g., AP STA) such as a reference. Figure 1The described AP 102 is used. In some other examples, the wireless communication device 1500 may be an AP (e.g., an AP STA) that includes such a processing system and other components including multiple antennas. The wireless communication device 1500 is capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications in, for example, the form of wireless packets. For example, the wireless communication device 1500 may be configured to transmit and receive packets in the form of PHY PPDUs and MPDUs conforming to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard family. In some other examples, the wireless communication device 1500 may be configured to transmit and receive signals and communications conforming to one or more 3GPP specifications, including those for 5G NR or 6G. In some specific implementations, the wireless communication device 1500 also includes one or more application processors or may be coupled to such application processors, which may also be coupled to one or more other memories. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1500 also includes at least one external network interface coupled to a processing system, which enables communication with the core network or backhaul network implementing the wireless communication device 1500 to obtain access to external networks, including the Internet.

[0233] Wireless communication device 1500 includes a sub-channel support component 1525, a sub-channel assignment component 1530, a communication component 1535, a capability component 1540, a DSO mode component 1545, and an anchor channel component 1550. A portion of one or more of the sub-channel support component 1525, sub-channel assignment component 1530, communication component 1535, capability component 1540, DSO mode component 1545, and anchor channel component 1550 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, one or more of the sub-channel support component 1525, sub-channel assignment component 1530, communication component 1535, capability component 1540, DSO mode component 1545, and anchor channel component 1550 may be implemented at least partially by a processor or modem. In some specific implementations, portions of one or more of the sub-channel support component 1525, sub-channel assignment component 1530, communication component 1535, capability component 1540, DSO mode component 1545, and anchor channel component 1550 may be implemented at least in part by a processor and software in the form of processor-executable code stored in memory.

[0234] Wireless communication device 1500 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. Wireless communication device 1500 may be an example of an AP STA. Sub-channel support component 1525 may be configured to receive a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO at a non-AP STA. Sub-channel assignment component 1530 may be configured to transmit a control frame that assigns one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the secondary sub-channels in the set of secondary sub-channels to a non-AP STA for DSO. Communication component 1535 may be configured to communicate with a non-AP STA via at least one secondary sub-channel based on the control frame.

[0235] In some implementations, the subchannel support component 1525 can be configured to receive an indication of a threshold number of non-AP STAs in the set of secondary subchannels via which they support concurrent communication. In some implementations, the subchannel assignment component 1530 can be configured to assign one or more frequency resources to be included in the set of multiple secondary subchannels based on the threshold number of secondary subchannels.

[0236] In some implementations, the control frame may include a trigger frame different from the MU-RTS trigger frame. In some implementations, the control frame and the second control frame may be transmitted within the same TxOP.

[0237] In some implementations, the control frame may address one or more first non-AP STAs in one or more secondary sub-channels of the set that have been instructed to switch to secondary sub-channels. In some implementations, the control frame may avoid addressing one or more second non-AP STAs that have not been instructed to switch to a sub-channel.

[0238] In some implementations, the subchannel assignment component 1530 can be configured to or configured to send a second control frame, which includes a HE variant or EHT variant trigger frame different from the MU-RTS trigger frame, wherein communication with non-AP STAs via at least one secondary subchannel is further based on the second control frame.

[0239] In some implementations, the control frame may further indicate one or more times when a non-AP STA switches to at least one secondary sub-channel, the duration for which a non-AP STA remains operating via at least one secondary sub-channel, or both.

[0240] In some implementations, the subchannel support component 1525 can be configured to receive a second frame indicating support for a second set of second auxiliary subchannels for DSO at a second non-AP STA, wherein the control frame further assigns one or more second frequency resources included in at least one of the second auxiliary subchannels in the second set of auxiliary subchannels to the second non-AP STA for DSO. In some implementations, the communication component 1535 can be configured to communicate with the second non-AP STA via at least one second auxiliary subchannel based on the control frame.

[0241] In some specific implementations, in order to support communication with non-AP STAs and with a second non-AP STA, the communication component 1535 can be configured to transmit a PPDU including a first MPDU for a non-AP STA via at least one secondary sub-channel and a PPDU including a second MPDU for a second non-AP STA via at least one second secondary sub-channel.

[0242] In some implementations, the subchannel assignment component 1530 can be configured to send a second control frame that assigns one or more second frequency resources included in at least one second secondary subchannel of a set of secondary subchannels to a non-AP STA for DSO. In some implementations, the communication component 1535 can be configured to communicate with a non-AP STA via at least one second secondary subchannel based on the second control frame.

[0243] In some implementations, capability component 1540 can be configured to receive a second frame indicating the capability of a non-AP STA to operate the link in DSO mode, wherein receiving the first frame is based on the capability of a non-AP STA to operate the link in DSO mode.

[0244] In some implementations, capability component 1540 can be configured to send a second frame indicating the AP STA's capability to support DSO mode for the link, wherein receiving the first frame is based on the AP STA's capability to support DSO mode for the link.

[0245] In some implementations, capability component 1540 can be configured to transmit a second frame indicating a threshold number of secondary sub-channels supported by the AP STA, wherein at least one secondary sub-channel is based on that threshold number.

[0246] In some implementations, the first frame may include control values, granular values ​​of the set of auxiliary sub-channels, one or more location values ​​of the set of auxiliary sub-channels, or any combination thereof.

[0247] In some implementations, the first frame may include a bitmap indicating one or more location values. In some implementations, the bits of the bitmap may indicate whether a non-AP STA supports switching to a corresponding sub-channel with bandwidth indicated by a granularity value.

[0248] In some implementations, control values, granular values, one or more location values, or any combination thereof may correspond to a first link. In some implementations, the first frame may also include a second control value, a second granular value corresponding to a second set of auxiliary sub-channels of the second link, one or more second location values ​​corresponding to a second set of auxiliary sub-channels of the second link, or any combination thereof.

[0249] In some implementations, the subchannel assignment component 1530 can be configured to assign one or more frequency resources based on one or more location values ​​of the set of secondary subchannels and control values ​​indicating the preferences of non-AP STAs for the set of secondary subchannels.

[0250] In some implementations, the control frame may also include padding that spans a duration equal to or greater than the first transition time.

[0251] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1545 can be configured to enable DSO mode for non-AP STAs, with control frames transmitted based on this enablement.

[0252] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1545 can be configured to receive request frames to enable DSO mode for non-AP STAs, wherein the enabling is based on the request frame.

[0253] In some implementations, the request frame may include a first frame, an indication of a first transition time for switching to at least one secondary sub-channel, an indication of a second transition time for switching from at least one secondary sub-channel to a primary sub-channel, or any combination thereof.

[0254] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1545 can be configured to send a request frame to enable DSO mode for a non-AP STA, wherein the enabling is based on the request frame.

[0255] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1545 can be configured to receive request frames to disable DSO mode for non-AP STAs. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1545 can be configured to disable DSO mode for non-AP STAs based on request frames.

[0256] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1545 can be configured to send a request frame to disable DSO mode for non-AP STAs. In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1545 can be configured to disable DSO mode for non-AP STAs based on a request frame.

[0257] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1545 can be configured to receive management or data frames that include an A-Control subfield indicating that DSO mode is enabled for a non-AP STA, wherein the enabling is based on the management or data frame.

[0258] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1545 can be configured to send management or data frames that include an A-Control subfield indicating that DSO mode is enabled for a non-AP STA, wherein the enabling is based on the management or data frame.

[0259] In some implementations, the subchannel support component 1525 can be configured to, or be configured to, transmit a second frame in response to a first frame, the second frame indicating a set of modifications to the secondary subchannels for DSO, wherein at least one secondary subchannel is derived from the set of modifications to the secondary subchannels.

[0260] In some implementations, the first frame may include an acknowledgment frame sent in response to one or more previous frames.

[0261] In some implementations, wireless communication device 1500 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. Wireless communication device 1500 may be an example of an AP STA. Anchor channel component 1550 can be configured to or be configured to transmit management frames that indicate one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for DSO. Subchannel assignment component 1530 can be configured to or be configured to transmit control frames that assign one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary subchannels associated with one or more anchor channels to a non-AP STA for DSO. Communication component 1535 can be configured to or be configured to communicate with a non-AP STA via one or more secondary subchannels associated with an anchor channel based on control frames.

[0262] In some implementations, the anchor channel component 1550 can be configured to receive frames based on management frames that indicate a subset of one or more anchor channels for non-AP STAs, wherein the anchor channels are included in the subset of one or more anchor channels.

[0263] In some implementations, the management frame may further indicate the number of thresholds for selecting anchor channels. In some implementations, a subset of one or more anchor channels may be based on the number of thresholds for selecting anchor channels.

[0264] In some implementations, the frame may be an association request frame, a reassociation request frame, an action frame, a management or data frame including A-Control subfields, or any combination thereof.

[0265] In some implementations, the anchor channel component 1550 can be configured to receive frames based on management frames that indicate support for all anchor channels for non-AP STAs in the one or more anchor channels.

[0266] In some implementations, the DSO mode component 1545 can be configured to avoid puncturing frequency resources associated with anchor channels used for non-APSTA based on the association of one or more assigned frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels with the anchor channel.

[0267] In some implementations, the control frame may indicate one or more frequency resources relative to the primary channel of a non-AP STA. In some implementations, the primary channel is different from the anchor channel.

[0268] In some implementations, the control frame may be an example of a DSO announcement frame. In some implementations, the DSO announcement frame may be an example of a trigger frame variant that includes an uplink length subfield set to zero. In some implementations, the trigger frame variant may be a MU-RTS trigger frame or a BSRP trigger frame.

[0269] In some implementations, the trigger frame variant may also include a user information field that addresses a non-AP STA and allocates one or more frequency resources to the non-AP STA. In some implementations, the one or more frequency resources are outside the current operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA. In some implementations, the MAC header of the trigger frame variant may include an RA field that is set to the MAC address of the non-AP STA based on the single user information field that addresses the non-AP STA included in the trigger frame variant.

[0270] In some implementations, the trigger frame variant may also include a set of multiple user information fields addressing a set of multiple corresponding non-AP STAs. In some implementations, the MAC header of the trigger frame variant may include an RA field set as a broadcast address based on the set of multiple user information fields included in the trigger frame variant.

[0271] In some implementations, the management frame can be an example of a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, reassociation response frame, or any combination thereof.

[0272] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating an example process 1600 that can be executed by or at a non-AP STA supporting signaling for DSO is shown. Operation of process 1600 can be implemented by a non-AP STA or its components as described herein. For example, process 1600 can be implemented by a wireless communication device (such as reference ...) operating as a wireless STA or within a wireless AP. Figure 14 The described wireless communication device 1400 performs the process. In some specific implementations, process 1600 may be performed by a wireless STA (such as reference STA). Figure 1 The STA described in STA 104 is executed.

[0273] In some implementations, in block 1605, a non-AP STA may transmit a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels used for DSO. Operation of block 1605 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of operation of block 1605 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 14 The described sub-channel support component 1425 is executed.

[0274] In some implementations, in block 1610, a non-AP STA may receive a control frame that assigns to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the set of secondary sub-channels for DSO. Operation of block 1610 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1610 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 14 The described sub-channel assignment component 1430 is executed.

[0275] In some implementations, in block 1615, a non-AP STA can communicate via at least one secondary sub-channel based on the DSO mode enabled at the non-AP STA. Operation of block 1615 can be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1615 can be derived from references... Figure 14 The described operating frequency component 1435 is executed.

[0276] Figure 17 A flowchart illustrating an example process 1700 that can be executed by or at an AP STA supporting signaling for DSO is shown. The operation of process 1700 can be implemented by an AP STA or its components as described herein. For example, process 1700 can be implemented by a wireless communication device (such as reference 1700) operating as a wireless AP or within a wireless AP. Figure 15 The described wireless communication device 1500 performs this process. In some specific implementations, process 1700 may be performed by a wireless AP (such as reference 1500). Figure 1 The described AP 102) is executed.

[0277] In some implementations, in block 1705, the AP STA may receive a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO at a non-AP STA. Operation of block 1705 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1705 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 15 The described sub-channel support component 1525 is executed.

[0278] In some implementations, in block 1710, the AP STA may transmit a control frame that assigns one or more frequency resources included in at least one of the set of secondary sub-channels to a non-AP STA for DSO. Operation of block 1710 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1710 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 15 The described sub-channel assignment component 1530 is executed.

[0279] In some implementations, in block 1715, the AP STA can communicate with a non-AP STA via at least one secondary sub-channel based on a control frame. The operation of block 1715 can be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1715 can be derived from references... Figure 15 The described communication component 1535 is executed.

[0280] Figure 18 A flowchart illustrating an example process 1800 that can be executed by or at a non-AP STA supporting signaling for DSO is shown. Operation of process 1800 can be implemented by a non-AP STA or its components as described herein. For example, process 1800 can be implemented by a wireless communication device (such as reference 1800) operating as a wireless STA or within a wireless AP. Figure 14 The described wireless communication device 1400 performs the process. In some specific implementations, process 1800 may be performed by a wireless STA (such as reference STA). Figure 1 The STA described in STA 104 is executed.

[0281] In some implementations, in block 1805, a non-AP STA may receive a management frame that instructs the AP STA on one or more anchor channels within its operating bandwidth for DSO. Operation of block 1805 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of operation of block 1805 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 14 The described anchor channel component 1450 is executed.

[0282] In some implementations, in block 1810, a non-AP STA may receive a control frame that assigns to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for DSO. Operation of block 1810 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1810 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 14 The described sub-channel assignment component 1430 is executed.

[0283] In some implementations, in block 1815, a non-AP STA can communicate via one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based on the DSO mode enabled at the non-AP STA. Operation of block 1815 can be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1815 can be derived from references... Figure 14 The described operating frequency component 1435 is executed.

[0284] Figure 19 A flowchart illustrating an example process 1900 that can be executed by or at an AP STA supporting signaling for DSO is shown. The operation of process 1900 can be implemented by an AP STA or its components as described herein. For example, process 1900 can be implemented by a wireless communication device (such as reference 1900) operating as a wireless AP or within a wireless AP. Figure 15 The described wireless communication device 1500 performs this process. In some specific implementations, process 1900 may be performed by a wireless AP (such as reference 1500). Figure 1 The described AP 102) is executed.

[0285] In some implementations, in block 1905, the AP STA may send a management frame that instructs the AP STA on one or more anchor channels within its operating bandwidth for DSO. Operation of block 1905 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of operation of block 1905 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 15 The described anchor channel component 1550 is executed.

[0286] In some implementations, in block 1910, the AP STA may transmit a control frame that assigns to a non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for DSO. Operation of block 1910 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1910 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 15The described sub-channel assignment component 1530 is executed.

[0287] In some implementations, in block 1915, the AP STA can communicate with a non-AP STA via one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based on control frames. Operation of block 1915 can be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of block 1915 can be derived from references... Figure 15 The described communication component 1535 is executed.

[0288] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0289] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at a non-AP STA, the method comprising: transmitting a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO; receiving a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in at least one secondary sub-channel of the set of secondary sub-channels for the DSO; and communicating via the at least one secondary sub-channel based at least in part on an enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0290] Aspect 2: According to the method of aspect 1, the method further includes: sending an indication of a threshold number of non-AP STAs in the set of auxiliary sub-channels via their auxiliary sub-channels that support concurrent communication.

[0291] Aspect 3: The method according to any one of Aspect 1 or 2, the method further comprising: switching the operating frequency from the primary sub-channel to the at least one secondary sub-channel based at least in part on the control frame, wherein communication via the at least one secondary sub-channel is based at least in part on the switching.

[0292] Aspect 4: According to the method of aspect 3, switching the operating frequency includes: switching the operating frequency from the primary sub-channel to the at least one secondary sub-channel at an indicative time specified by the control frame.

[0293] Aspect 5: The method according to any one of Aspect 3 or 4, wherein the non-AP STA maintains operation via the at least one auxiliary sub-channel for the duration indicated by the control frame.

[0294] Aspect 6: The method according to any one of Aspects 3 to 5, the method further comprising: receiving a second control frame, the second control frame assigning one or more second frequency resources included in at least one second auxiliary sub-channel of the set of auxiliary sub-channels to the non-AP STA for use in the DSO; and switching the operating frequency from the at least one auxiliary sub-channel to the at least one second auxiliary sub-channel based at least in part on the second control frame.

[0295] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of Aspects 3 to 6, wherein the control frame and the second control frame are received within the same transmission opportunity.

[0296] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 7, the method further comprising: transmitting a second frame, the second frame indicating the capability for the link to operate in the DSO mode, wherein transmitting the first frame is based at least in part on the capability for the link to operate in the DSO mode.

[0297] Aspect 9: According to the method of aspect 8, the first frame and the second frame are the same frame.

[0298] Aspect 10: The method according to any one of Aspects 8 to 9, the method further comprising: establishing a multi-link setup, wherein the DSO mode is supported for one or more first links in the multi-link setup.

[0299] Aspect 11: The method according to aspect 10, wherein the DSO mode is not supported for one or more second links in at least the multi-link setup.

[0300] Aspect 12: The method according to any one of Aspects 8 to 11, wherein the capability for the link to operate in the DSO mode is based at least in part on the bandwidth of the link, the frequency band of the link, or both.

[0301] Aspect 13: The method according to any one of Aspects 8 to 12, the method further comprising: sending a third frame, the third frame updating the capability for the link to operate in the DSO mode.

[0302] Aspect 14: The method according to any one of Aspects 8 to 13, wherein the second frame further indicates a second capability for operating the link via the set of secondary sub-channels, a third capability for a first transition time for switching the link to the at least one secondary sub-channel, a fourth capability for a second transition time for switching the link from the at least one secondary sub-channel to a primary sub-channel, or any combination thereof.

[0303] Aspect 15: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 14, the method further comprising: receiving a second frame, the second frame indicating the AP STA's capability to support the DSO mode for the link, wherein the transmission of the first frame is based at least in part on the AP STA's capability to support the DSO mode for the link.

[0304] Aspect 16: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 15, the method further comprising: receiving a second frame, the second frame indicating a threshold number of secondary sub-channels supported by the AP STA, wherein the set of secondary sub-channels for the DSO is at least partially based on the threshold number.

[0305] Aspect 17: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 16, wherein the first frame includes a control value, a granularity value of the set of auxiliary sub-channels, one or more position values ​​of the set of auxiliary sub-channels, or any combination thereof.

[0306] Aspect 18: According to the method of aspect 17, wherein the first frame includes a bitmap indicating the one or more location values, the bits of the bitmap indicating whether the non-AP STA supports switching to a corresponding sub-channel having bandwidth indicated by the granularity value.

[0307] Aspect 19: According to the method of aspect 18, the size of the bitmap is based at least in part on the granularity value, the operating bandwidth of the AP STA corresponding to the DSO mode, or both.

[0308] Aspect 20: The method according to any one of Aspects 18 or 19, wherein the first bit of the bitmap indicates the non-AP STA's preference for operation via the master sub-channel.

[0309] Aspect 21: The method according to any one of aspects 18 to 20, wherein each bit of the bitmap indicates the corresponding preference of the non-AP STA for operation via the corresponding sub-channel.

[0310] Aspect 22: The method according to any one of aspects 18 to 21, wherein the control value indicates the interpretation of the bitmap.

[0311] Aspect 23: The method according to any one of Aspects 17 to 22, wherein the control value, the granularity value, the one or more location values, or any combination thereof correspond to a first link; and the first frame further includes a second control value, a second granularity value corresponding to a second set of auxiliary sub-channels of the second link, one or more second location values ​​corresponding to the second set of auxiliary sub-channels of the second link, or any combination thereof.

[0312] Aspect 24: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 23, the method further comprising: enabling the DSO mode, wherein receiving the control frame is at least partially based on the enabling.

[0313] Aspect 25: The method according to aspect 24, the method further comprising: sending a request frame to enable the DSO mode; receiving a first acknowledgment frame in response to the request frame; receiving a response frame to enable the DSO mode, wherein the enabling is at least partially based on the response frame; and sending a second acknowledgment frame in response to the response frame.

[0314] Aspect 26: According to the method of aspect 25, wherein the request frame includes the first frame, an indication to enable the DSO mode, an indication of a first transition time for switching to the at least one secondary sub-channel, an indication of a second transition time for switching from the at least one secondary sub-channel to the primary sub-channel, or any combination thereof.

[0315] Aspect 27: The method according to any one of Aspects 25 or 26, the method further comprising: sending a second request frame to disable the DSO mode; receiving a third acknowledgment frame in response to the second request frame; receiving a second response frame to disable the DSO mode; sending a fourth acknowledgment frame in response to the second response frame; and disabling the DSO mode at least in part based on the second response frame.

[0316] Aspect 28: The method according to aspect 24 further includes: sending a request frame to enable the DSO mode; and receiving a first acknowledgment frame in response to the request frame, wherein the enabling is based at least in part on the first acknowledgment frame and a timeout value.

[0317] Aspect 29: The method according to aspect 24, the method further comprising: sending an administration or data frame, the administration or data frame including an A-Control subfield indicating the activation of the DSO mode; and receiving a first acknowledgment frame in response to the administration or data frame, wherein the activation is at least partially based on the first acknowledgment frame.

[0318] Aspect 30: The method according to aspect 29, the method further comprising: receiving a second management or data frame, the second management or data frame including the A-Control subfield indicating, at least in part, to enable the DSO mode based on the management or data frame; and sending a second acknowledgment frame in response to the second management or data frame, wherein the enabling is at least in part based on the second acknowledgment frame.

[0319] Aspect 31: The method according to aspect 24, the method further comprising: receiving a request frame to enable the DSO mode, wherein the enabling is at least in part based on the request frame.

[0320] Aspect 32: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 31, the method further comprising: receiving a second frame in response to the first frame, the second frame indicating a set of modifications for the auxiliary sub-channels of the DSO, wherein the at least one auxiliary sub-channel is derived from the set of modifications for the auxiliary sub-channels.

[0321] Aspect 33: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 32, wherein the first frame includes an acknowledgment frame sent in response to one or more previous frames.

[0322] Aspect 34: A method for wireless communication at an AP STA, the method comprising: receiving a first frame indicating support for a set of secondary sub-channels for DSO at a non-AP STA; transmitting a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in at least one secondary sub-channel of the set of secondary sub-channels for the DSO; and communicating with the non-AP STA via the at least one secondary sub-channel, at least in part based on the control frame.

[0323] Aspect 35: The method according to aspect 34, the method further comprising: receiving an indication of a threshold number of the non-AP STAs in the set of auxiliary sub-channels via which they support concurrent communication; and assigning the one or more frequency resources to be included in a plurality of auxiliary sub-channels in the set of auxiliary sub-channels based at least in part on the threshold number of auxiliary sub-channels.

[0324] Aspect 36: The method according to any one of Aspects 34 or 35, wherein the control frame includes a trigger frame different from the multi-user request transmission trigger frame.

[0325] Aspect 37: According to the method of aspect 36, the control frame and the second control frame are transmitted within the same transmission opportunity.

[0326] Aspect 38: The method according to any one of Aspects 34 to 37, wherein the control frame is addressed to one or more first non-AP STAs of one or more secondary sub-channels in the set that are instructed to be switched to secondary sub-channels; and the control frame avoids addressing one or more second non-AP STAs that are not instructed to be switched to sub-channels.

[0327] Aspect 39: The method according to any one of aspects 34 to 38, the method further comprising: transmitting a second control frame, the second control frame including a high-efficiency variant or an extremely high-throughput variant trigger frame different from the multi-user request transmission trigger frame, wherein communication with the non-AP STA via the at least one secondary sub-channel is further based at least in part on the second control frame.

[0328] Aspect 40: The method according to any one of Aspects 34 to 39, wherein the control frame further indicates one or more times at which the non-AP STA switches to the at least one secondary sub-channel, the duration during which the non-AP STA remains operating via the at least one secondary sub-channel, or both.

[0329] Aspect 41: The method according to any one of Aspects 34 to 40, the method further comprising: receiving a second frame, the second frame indicating support for a second set of secondary sub-channels for the DSO at a second non-AP STA, wherein the control frame further assigns to the second non-AP STA one or more second frequency resources included in at least one second secondary sub-channel of the second set of secondary sub-channels for the DSO; and communicating with the second non-AP STA via the at least one second secondary sub-channel based at least in part on the control frame.

[0330] Aspect 42: According to the method of aspect 41, communicating with the non-AP STA and communicating with the second non-AP STA includes: transmitting physical layer protocol data units, the physical layer protocol data units including a first medium access control layer protocol data unit for the non-AP STA via the at least one secondary sub-channel and a second medium access control layer protocol data unit for the second non-AP STA via the at least one second secondary sub-channel.

[0331] Aspect 43: The method according to any one of aspects 34 to 42, the method further comprising: transmitting a second control frame, the second control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more second frequency resources included in at least one second secondary sub-channel of the set of secondary sub-channels for use in the DSO; and communicating with the non-AP STA via the at least one second secondary sub-channel based at least in part on the second control frame.

[0332] Aspect 44: The method according to any one of aspects 34 to 43, the method further comprising: receiving a second frame, the second frame indicating the capability of the non-AP STA to operate the link in DSO mode, wherein receiving the first frame is based at least in part on the capability of the non-AP STA to operate the link in DSO mode.

[0333] Aspect 45: The method according to any one of aspects 34 to 44, the method further comprising: transmitting a second frame, the second frame indicating the AP STA's capability to support DSO mode for the link, wherein receiving the first frame is at least in part based on the AP STA's capability to support DSO mode for the link.

[0334] Aspect 46: The method according to any one of Aspects 34 to 45, the method further comprising: transmitting a second frame, the second frame indicating a threshold number of secondary sub-channels supported by the AP STA, wherein the at least one secondary sub-channel is based at least in part on the threshold number.

[0335] Aspect 47: The method according to any one of Aspects 34 to 46, wherein the first frame includes control values, granular values ​​of the set of auxiliary sub-channels, one or more position values ​​of the set of auxiliary sub-channels, or any combination thereof.

[0336] Aspect 48: According to the method of aspect 47, wherein the first frame includes a bitmap indicating the one or more location values, the bits of the bitmap indicating whether the non-AP STA supports switching to a corresponding sub-channel having bandwidth indicated by the granularity value.

[0337] Aspect 49: The method according to any one of Aspects 47 or 48, wherein the control value, the granularity value, the one or more location values, or any combination thereof correspond to a first link; and the first frame further includes a second control value, a second granularity value corresponding to a second set of auxiliary sub-channels of the second link, one or more second location values ​​corresponding to the second set of auxiliary sub-channels of the second link, or any combination thereof.

[0338] Aspect 50: The method according to any one of aspects 47 to 49, the method further comprising: assigning the one or more frequency resources based at least in part on the one or more location values ​​of the set of secondary sub-channels and the control values ​​indicating the preference of the non-AP STA for the set of secondary sub-channels.

[0339] Aspect 51: The method according to any one of Aspects 47 to 50, wherein the control frame further includes padding spanning a duration equal to or greater than the first transition time.

[0340] Aspect 52: The method according to any one of aspects 34 to 51, the method further comprising: enabling DSO mode for the non-APSTA, wherein the transmission of the control frame is at least partially based on the enabling.

[0341] Aspect 53: The method according to aspect 52 further includes: receiving a request frame to enable the DSO mode for the non-APSTA, wherein the enabling is at least partially based on the request frame.

[0342] Aspect 54: According to the method of aspect 53, the request frame includes the first frame, an indication of a first transition time for switching to the at least one secondary sub-channel, an indication of a second transition time for switching from the at least one secondary sub-channel to a primary sub-channel, or any combination thereof.

[0343] Aspect 55: The method according to aspect 52 further includes: sending a request frame to enable the DSO mode for the non-APSTA, wherein the enabling is at least partially based on the request frame.

[0344] Aspect 56: The method according to any one of aspects 52 to 55, the method further comprising: receiving a request frame to disable the DSO mode for the non-AP STA; and disabling the DSO mode for the non-AP STA at least in part based on the request frame.

[0345] Aspect 57: The method according to any one of aspects 52 to 55, the method further comprising: sending a request frame to disable the DSO mode for the non-AP STA; and disabling the DSO mode for the non-AP STA at least in part based on the request frame.

[0346] Aspect 58: The method according to aspect 52, the method further comprising: receiving a management or data frame, the management or data frame including an A-Control subfield indicating that the DSO mode is enabled for the non-AP STA, wherein the enabling is at least partially based on the management or data frame.

[0347] Aspect 59: The method according to aspect 52, the method further comprising: sending a management or data frame, the management or data frame including an A-Control subfield indicating that the DSO mode is enabled for the non-AP STA, wherein the enabling is at least in part based on the management or data frame.

[0348] Aspect 60: The method according to any one of aspects 34 to 59, the method further comprising: transmitting a second frame in response to the first frame, the second frame indicating a set of modifications for the secondary sub-channels of the DSO, wherein the at least one secondary sub-channel is derived from the set of modifications for the secondary sub-channels.

[0349] Aspect 61: The method according to any one of aspects 34 to 60, wherein the first frame includes an acknowledgment frame sent in response to one or more previous frames.

[0350] Aspect 62: A non-AP STA comprising a processing system including processor circuitry and memory circuitry for storing code, the processing system being configured to cause the non-AP STA to perform the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 33.

[0351] Aspect 63: A non-AP STA for wireless communication, the non-AP STA comprising at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 33.

[0352] Aspect 64: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, said code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 33.

[0353] Aspect 65: An AP STA including a processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry for storing code, the processing system being configured to cause the AP STA to perform the method according to any one of aspects 34 to 61.

[0354] Aspect 66: An AP STA for wireless communication, the AP STA including at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 34 to 61.

[0355] Aspect 67: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, said code including instructions executable by a processor to perform a method according to any one of aspects 34 to 61.

[0356] Aspect 68: A method for wireless communication at a non-AP STA, the method comprising: receiving a management frame indicating one or more anchor channels for DSO within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA; receiving a control frame assigning to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for the DSO; and communicating via the one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channels, at least in part based on an enabled DSO mode at the non-AP STA.

[0357] Aspect 69: The method according to aspect 68 further includes: transmitting a frame at least in part based on the management frame, the frame indicating a subset of the one or more anchor channels, wherein the anchor channels are included in the subset of the one or more anchor channels.

[0358] Aspect 70: According to the method of aspect 69, wherein the management frame further indicates a threshold number for selecting anchor channels; and the subset of the one or more anchor channels is based at least in part on the threshold number for selecting anchor channels.

[0359] Aspect 71: The method according to any one of aspects 69 or 70, the method further comprising: operating according to the enabled DSO mode; and transmitting a second frame at least in part based on operating according to the enabled DSO mode, the second frame indicating an updated subset of the one or more anchor channels that is different from the subset of the one or more anchor channels.

[0360] Aspect 72: The method according to any one of Aspects 69 to 71, wherein the frame includes an association request frame, a reassociation request frame, an action frame, a management or data frame including an A-Control subfield, or any combination thereof.

[0361] Aspect 73: The method according to aspect 68, the method further comprising: transmitting a frame at least in part based on the management frame, the frame indicating support for all of the one or more anchor channels.

[0362] Aspect 74: The method according to any one of aspects 68 to 73, the method further comprising: operating the primary channel and the anchor channel with the same bandwidth capability based at least in part on the enabled DSO mode.

[0363] Aspect 75: The method according to aspect 74, wherein operating based on the same bandwidth capability further comprises: operating based on a reduced bandwidth that is narrower than the same bandwidth capability, at least in part, based on the non-AP STA operating mode.

[0364] Aspect 76: The method according to any one of aspects 68 to 75, the method further comprising: determining the one or more auxiliary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel based at least in part on one or more rules for channel numbering.

[0365] Aspect 77: The method according to any one of aspects 68 to 76, the method further comprising: performing CCA ED via the anchor channel at least in part based on the enabled DSO mode.

[0366] Aspect 78: The method according to any one of aspects 68 to 77, the method further comprising: performing a received signal strength measurement for the anchor channel based at least in part on the enabled DSO mode; and calculating a transmit power for the communication based at least in part on the received signal strength measurement for the anchor channel.

[0367] Aspect 79: The method according to any one of Aspects 68 to 78, wherein the control frame indicates the one or more frequency resources relative to the primary channel of the non-AP STA, and wherein the primary channel is different from the anchor channel.

[0368] Aspect 80: The method according to any one of Aspects 68 to 79, wherein the control frame includes a DSO announcement frame.

[0369] Aspect 81: According to the method of aspect 80, the DSO announcement frame includes a trigger frame variant, the trigger frame variant including an uplink length subfield set to zero.

[0370] Aspect 82: The method according to aspect 81, wherein the trigger frame variant is a MU-RTS trigger frame or a BSRP trigger frame.

[0371] Aspect 83: The method according to any one of aspects 81 or 82, the method further comprising: avoiding sending a frame in response to the DSO announcement frame, at least in part based on the uplink length subfield being set to zero.

[0372] Aspect 84: The method according to any one of aspects 81 to 83, wherein the trigger frame variant further includes a user information field addressing the non-AP STA and allocating the one or more frequency resources to the non-AP STA.

[0373] Aspect 85: According to the method of aspect 84, wherein the one or more frequency resources are outside the current operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA.

[0374] Aspect 86: The method according to any one of Aspects 84 or 85, wherein the MAC header of the trigger frame variant includes an RA field that is set to the MAC address of the non-AP STA based at least in part on the trigger frame variant including a single user information field addressing the non-AP STA.

[0375] Aspect 87: The method according to any one of Aspects 81 to 83, wherein the trigger frame variant further includes a plurality of user information fields addressed to a plurality of respective non-AP STAs; and the MAC header of the trigger frame variant includes an RA field that is set to a broadcast address at least in part based on the fact that the trigger frame variant includes the plurality of user information fields.

[0376] Aspect 88: The method according to any one of Aspects 68 to 87, wherein the management frame includes a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or any combination thereof.

[0377] Aspect 89: The method according to any one of Aspects 68 to 88, wherein the anchor channel spans a 20 MHz bandwidth.

[0378] Aspect 90: The method according to any one of Aspects 68 to 89, wherein the one or more anchor channels include one or more servicing master channels for multi-master channel access.

[0379] Aspect 91: A method for wireless communication at an AP STA, the method comprising: transmitting a management frame indicating one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for DSO; transmitting a control frame assigning to a non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for DSO; and communicating with the non-AP STA via the one or more secondary sub-channels associated with the anchor channels, at least in part based on the control frame.

[0380] Aspect 92: The method according to aspect 91, the method further comprising: receiving a frame at least in part based on the management frame, the frame indicating a subset of the one or more anchor channels for the non-AP STA, wherein the anchor channels are included in the subset of the one or more anchor channels.

[0381] Aspect 93: According to the method of aspect 92, wherein the management frame further indicates a threshold number for selecting anchor channels; and the subset of the one or more anchor channels is based at least in part on the threshold number for selecting anchor channels.

[0382] Aspect 94: The method according to any one of Aspects 92 or 93, wherein the frame includes an association request frame, a reassociation request frame, an action frame, a management or data frame including an A-Control subfield, or any combination thereof.

[0383] Aspect 95: The method according to aspect 91, the method further comprising: receiving a frame at least in part based on the management frame, the frame indicating support for all anchor channels for the non-AP STA in the one or more anchor channels.

[0384] Aspect 96: The method according to any one of aspects 91 to 95, the method further comprising: avoiding puncturing of frequency resources associated with the anchor channel for the non-AP STA by associating one or more assigned frequency resources included in the one or more secondary sub-channels with the anchor channel at least in part.

[0385] Aspect 97: The method according to any one of aspects 91 to 96, wherein the control frame indicates the one or more frequency resources relative to the primary channel of the non-AP STA, and wherein the primary channel is different from the anchor channel.

[0386] Aspect 98: The method according to any one of aspects 91 to 97, wherein the control frame includes a DSO announcement frame.

[0387] Aspect 99: According to the method of aspect 98, the DSO announcement frame includes a trigger frame variant, the trigger frame variant including an uplink length subfield set to zero.

[0388] Aspect 100: The method according to aspect 99, wherein the trigger frame variant is a MU-RTS trigger frame or a BSRP trigger frame.

[0389] Aspect 101: The method according to any one of Aspects 99 or 100, wherein the trigger frame variant further includes a user information field addressing the non-AP STA and allocating the one or more frequency resources to the non-AP STA.

[0390] Aspect 102: According to the method of aspect 101, wherein the one or more frequency resources are outside the current operating bandwidth of the non-APSTA.

[0391] Aspect 103: The method according to any one of Aspects 101 or 102, wherein the MAC header of the trigger frame variant includes an RA field that is set to the MAC address of the non-AP STA based at least in part on the trigger frame variant including a single user information field addressing the non-AP STA.

[0392] Aspect 104: The method according to any one of Aspects 99 or 100, wherein the trigger frame variant further includes a plurality of user information fields addressed to a plurality of respective non-AP STAs; and the MAC header of the trigger frame variant includes an RA field that is set to a broadcast address at least in part based on the fact that the trigger frame variant includes the plurality of user information fields.

[0393] Aspect 105: The method according to any one of Aspects 91 to 104, wherein the management frame includes a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or any combination thereof.

[0394] Aspect 106: A non-AP STA comprising a processing system including processor circuitry and memory circuitry for storing code, the processing system being configured to cause the non-AP STA to perform the method according to any one of aspects 68 to 90.

[0395] Aspect 107: A non-AP STA for wireless communication, the non-AP STA comprising at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 68 to 90.

[0396] Aspect 108: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform a method according to any one of aspects 68 to 90.

[0397] Aspect 109: An AP STA including a processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry for storing code, the processing system being configured to cause the AP STA to perform the method according to any one of aspects 91 to 105.

[0398] Aspect 110: An AP STA for wireless communication, the AP STA including at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 91 to 105.

[0399] Aspect 111: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, said code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the method according to any one of aspects 91 to 105.

[0400] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a wide variety of actions, and therefore, "determine" can include calculation, computation, processing, derivation, estimation, investigation, searching (such as by searching in a table, database, or other data structure), reasoning, probing, or measurement, among other possibilities. Furthermore, "determine" can include receiving (such as receiving information), accessing (such as accessing data stored in memory), or sending (such as sending information), among other possibilities. Additionally, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, obtaining, choosing, building, and other similar actions.

[0401] As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” or “one or more of” refers to any combination of these 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 as inclusive unless otherwise explicitly stated. For example, “a or b” could include only a, only b, or a combination of a and b. Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase referring to “one” element means one or more of such elements that act individually or collectively to perform the stated function. Additionally, “set” refers to one or more items, and “subset” refers to less than the entire set, but not empty.

[0402] As used herein, unless otherwise expressly indicated, “based on” is intended to be interpreted in an inclusive sense. For example, unless otherwise explicitly indicated, “based on” may be used interchangeably with “at least partially based on,” “associated with,” “associated with,” or “according to.” Specifically, unless the phrase in the context means “based on only one” or an equivalent, whether it is “based on one” or “at least partially based on one”, it may be based solely on “one” or based on a combination of “one” and one or more other factors, conditions, or information.

[0403] 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 this functionality is implemented in hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0404] Various modifications to the examples described herein 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.

[0405] Additionally, the various features described in this specification in the context of individual examples may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single 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 embodiments, and the claimed combination may be for sub-combinations or variations thereof.

[0406] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a specific order in the diagrams, 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 accompanying figures 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. A non-access point (AP) station (STA), the non-access point (AP) station (STA) comprising: The processing system, comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry for storing code, is configured to cause the non-AP STA to: Receive a management frame that indicates one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for dynamic subchannel operation; Receive a control frame, which assigns to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more auxiliary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for the operation of the dynamic sub-channels; as well as Communication is made via one or more auxiliary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel, based at least in part on the enabled dynamic sub-channel operation mode at the non-AP STA.

2. The non-AP STA of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP STA to: Frames are transmitted at least in part based on the management frame, which indicates a subset of the one or more anchor channels, wherein the anchor channels are included in the subset of the one or more anchor channels.

3. The non-AP STA of claim 2, wherein the frame includes an association request frame, a reassociation request frame, an action frame, a management or data frame including an aggregation control subfield, or any combination thereof.

4. The non-AP STA of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP STA to: The main channel and the anchor channel operate with the same bandwidth capability, at least in part, based on the enabled dynamic sub-channel operation mode.

5. The non-AP STA of claim 4, wherein, in order to operate according to the same bandwidth capability, the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP STA to: It operates with a reduced bandwidth that is narrower than the same bandwidth capability, at least in part, based on the non-AP STA operating mode.

6. The non-AP STA of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP STA to: A frame is transmitted, the frame indicating the capability for the link to operate in a dynamic subchannel operation mode, wherein the management frame received, indicating the one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for the dynamic subchannel operation, is based at least in part on the capability for the link to operate in the dynamic subchannel operation mode.

7. The non-AP STA of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP STA to: Send a request frame to enable dynamic subchannel operation mode; In response to the request frame, receive an acknowledgment frame; and The dynamic subchannel operation mode is enabled at least in part based on the acknowledgment frame, wherein communication via the one or more auxiliary subchannels associated with the anchor channel is at least in part based on enabling the dynamic subchannel operation mode.

8. The non-AP STA of claim 7, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP STA to: Send a second request frame to disable the dynamic subchannel operation mode; In response to the second request frame, a second confirmation frame is received; and The dynamic subchannel operation mode is disabled at least in part based on the second confirmation frame.

9. The non-AP STA of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP STA to: Idle channel assessment energy detection is performed via the anchor channel, at least in part, based on the enabled dynamic sub-channel operation mode.

10. The non-AP STA of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP STA to: The received signal strength measurement for the anchor channel is performed at least in part based on the enabled dynamic sub-channel operation mode; and The transmit power used for the communication is calculated at least in part based on the received signal strength measurement for the anchor channel.

11. The non-AP STA of claim 1, wherein the control frame indicates one or more frequency resources relative to the primary channel of the non-AP STA, and wherein the primary channel is different from the anchor channel.

12. The non-AP STA of claim 1, wherein the control frame includes a dynamic subchannel operation announcement frame.

13. The non-AP STA of claim 12, wherein the dynamic subchannel operation announcement frame includes a trigger frame variant that includes an uplink length subfield set to zero.

14. The non-AP STA of claim 13, wherein the trigger frame variant is a multi-user request transmission trigger frame or a buffer status report polling trigger frame.

15. The non-AP STA of claim 1, wherein the management frame comprises a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or any combination thereof.

16. The non-AP STA of claim 1, wherein the anchor channel spans a 20 MHz bandwidth.

17. An access point (AP) station (STA), the access point (AP) station (STA) comprising: A processing system, comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry for storing code, is configured to cause the AP STA to: Send a management frame that indicates one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for dynamic subchannel operation; Sending a control frame that assigns to a non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels in the one or more anchor channels for the dynamic sub-channel operation; and The non-AP STA communicates at least in part based on the control frame via the one or more auxiliary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel.

18. The AP STA of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the AP STA to: Frames are received at least in part based on the management frames, which indicate a subset of the one or more anchor channels for the non-AP STA, wherein the anchor channels are included in the subset of the one or more anchor channels.

19. The AP STA of claim 18, wherein the frame includes an association request frame, a reassociation request frame, an action frame, a management or data frame including an aggregation control subfield, or any combination thereof.

20. The AP STA of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the AP STA to: A received frame indicates the non-AP STA's ability to operate the link in dynamic subchannel operation mode, wherein the transmission of the management frame indicating the one or more anchor channels for the dynamic subchannel operation within the AP STA's operating bandwidth is at least partially based on the non-AP STA's ability to operate the link in the dynamic subchannel operation mode.

21. The AP STA of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the AP STA to: Receive a request frame to enable dynamic sub-channel operation mode for the non-AP STA; In response to the request frame, an acknowledgment frame is sent; and The dynamic subchannel operation mode is enabled for the non-AP STA at least in part based on the acknowledgment frame, wherein communication with the non-AP STA via the one or more auxiliary subchannels associated with the anchor channel is at least in part based on enabling the dynamic subchannel operation mode for the non-AP STA.

22. The AP STA of claim 21, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the AP STA to: Receive a second request frame to disable the dynamic subchannel operation mode for the non-AP STA; In response to the second request frame, a second confirmation frame is sent; and The dynamic subchannel operation mode is disabled for the non-AP STA at least in part based on the second confirmation frame.

23. The AP STA of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the AP STA to: Punching of frequency resources associated with the anchor channel for the non-AP STA is avoided, at least in part, based on the association of one or more assigned frequency resources included in the one or more auxiliary sub-channels with the anchor channel.

24. The AP STA of claim 17, wherein the control frame indicates the one or more frequency resources relative to the primary channel of the non-AP STA, and wherein the primary channel is different from the anchor channel.

25. The AP STA of claim 17, wherein the control frame includes a dynamic subchannel operation announcement frame.

26. The AP STA of claim 25, wherein the dynamic subchannel operation announcement frame includes a trigger frame variant that includes an uplink length subfield set to zero.

27. The AP STA of claim 26, wherein the trigger frame variant is a multi-user request transmission trigger frame or a buffer status report polling trigger frame.

28. The AP STA of claim 17, wherein the management frame comprises a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or any combination thereof.

29. A method for wireless communication at a non-access point (AP) station (SAT), the method comprising: Receive a management frame that indicates one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for dynamic subchannel operation; Receive a control frame, which assigns to the non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more auxiliary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels for the operation of the dynamic sub-channels; as well as Communication is made via one or more auxiliary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel, based at least in part on the enabled dynamic sub-channel operation mode at the non-AP STA.

30. A method for wireless communication at an access point (AP) station (STA), the method comprising: Send a management frame that indicates one or more anchor channels within the operating bandwidth of the AP STA for dynamic subchannel operation; Sending a control frame that assigns to a non-AP STA one or more frequency resources included in one or more secondary sub-channels associated with one or more anchor channels in the one or more anchor channels for the dynamic sub-channel operation; and The non-AP STA communicates at least in part based on the control frame via the one or more auxiliary sub-channels associated with the anchor channel.

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