Method for enhanced low latency transmission in 802.11

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for enhanced low latency transmission in 802.11. Methods, systems, and apparatus for enhanced low latency transmissions between an access point (AP) and a non-access point (non-AP). A method performed by a first station (STA) may include transmitting a first signaling including a first indication associated with a low latency (LL) capability to a second STA. The method may also include receiving, from the second STA, a second signaling including a second indication, and transmitting, after receiving the second indication, a third signaling to the second STA according to the LL capability. The method may also include receiving an acknowledgement associated with the third signaling from the second STA.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to wireless communication, including techniques for wireless communication between wireless stations and / or access points in a wireless networking system.

[0002] Related technical descriptions

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. Furthermore, wireless communication technology has evolved from voice communication alone to include the transmission of data such as the internet and multimedia content. A commonly used short- / mid-range wireless communication standard is Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). Most modern WLANs are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard (and / or simply 802.11) and are sold under the Wi-Fi brand name. A WLAN network links one or more devices to a wireless access point, which in turn provides connectivity to the internet over a wider area.

[0004] In an 802.11 system, devices wirelessly connected to each other are called “stations,” “mobile stations,” “user equipment,” “user gear,” or simply STA or UE. A wireless station can be a wireless access point or a wireless client (and / or mobile station). An access point (AP), also known as a wireless router, acts as a base station for the wireless network. An AP sends and receives radio frequency signals used to communicate with wireless client devices. An AP can also be coupled to the Internet via wired and / or wireless means. Wireless clients operating on an 802.11 network can be any of a variety of devices, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, or fixed devices (such as desktop computers). This document refers to wireless client devices as user gear (and / or simply UE). Some wireless client devices are also collectively referred to herein as mobile devices or mobile stations (but as mentioned above, wireless client devices can also generally be stationary devices).

[0005] Mobile electronic devices can take the form of smartphones, laptops, or tablets that users typically carry. Wearable devices (also known as accessory devices) are a newer form of mobile electronic device, examples of which include smartwatches, earbuds, and smart glasses. Additionally, low-cost, low-complexity wireless devices designed for static or dynamic deployment are rapidly increasing as part of the development of the “Internet of Things”. In other words, the required devices are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of complexity, capabilities, business models, and other characteristics.

[0006] Some WLANs can utilize multi-link operation (MLO), for example, the concurrent use of multiple channels (e.g., links). APs and / or STAs with MLO capability can be referred to as multi-link devices (MLDs). For example, an AP with MLO capability can be referred to as an AP-MLD, and an MLO-capable STA that does not act as an AP can be referred to as a non-AP MLD. Improvements in this art are expected. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The implementation schemes described herein relate to methods, systems, and apparatuses for enhanced low-latency transmission between access points (APs) and non-access points (non-APs).

[0008] In some implementations, a method performed by a first station (STA) may include sending a first signaling to a second STA including a first indication associated with low latency (LL) capability. The method may also include receiving a second signaling from the second STA including a second indication, and, upon receiving the second indication, sending a third signaling to the second STA based on the LL capability. The method may further include receiving an acknowledgment associated with the third signaling from the second STA.

[0009] According to some implementations, the first indication may include an LL indicator set to a non-zero value. Additionally or alternatively, the second indication may include an inverse direction (RD) indicator set to a non-zero value, and the third signaling may include an RD indicator set to a non-zero value.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method may further include sending additional signaling, including additional indications, to the second STA. Additionally or alternatively, according to some embodiments, the additional indications may include other RD indicators set to a value of zero.

[0011] According to some implementations, the second signaling may be received in one of a data frame, a Quality of Service (QoS) empty frame, a Clear Transmit (CTS) frame, or a Transmit Share (TXS) frame. Additionally, according to some implementations, the method may include exchanging one or more parameters associated with the LL session with the second STA. Furthermore, the method may include disabling the LL session at a time associated with one of the one or more parameters.

[0012] In some implementations, the first signaling may be indicated in one of a Control Response Frame (CRF), a Block Acknowledgment (BA) frame, an Initial Control Response (ICR) frame, or a Multi-STA BA (M-BA) frame. According to some implementations, the method may include receiving initial signaling, including an Initial Control Frame (ICF), prior to the first signaling.

[0013] According to other embodiments, a method performed by a first STA may include sending initial signaling to a second STA and receiving first signaling from the second STA including a first indication associated with LL capabilities. The method may also include sending second signaling to the second STA including a second indication, and receiving third signaling from the second STA according to LL capabilities after sending the second indication. The method may further include sending acknowledgment signaling to the second STA associated with the third signaling.

[0014] According to some embodiments, an apparatus may include a processor configured to cause an access point (AP) to perform operations when executing instructions stored in a memory. These operations include receiving corresponding first signaling from one or more corresponding station (STA) units, the corresponding first signaling including one or more first indications associated with LL capabilities. Additionally, these operations may also include sending corresponding second signaling to one or more corresponding STA units including one or more second indications, and receiving corresponding third signaling from one or more corresponding STA units according to LL capabilities. According to some embodiments, these operations may also include sending acknowledgment signaling associated with the third signaling to one or more corresponding STA units.

[0015] In some implementations, one or more corresponding STAs may be non-enhanced multilink single radio (non-EMLSR) STAs. Additionally or alternatively, according to some implementations, the corresponding second signaling may be transmitted as follows: one or more Clear Transmission (CTS) frames, which may be successively transmitted to one or more corresponding STAs in an order corresponding to the order in which one or more first indications are received; or trigger frames (TF) that are transmitted to one or more corresponding STAs.

[0016] According to other implementations, one or more corresponding STAs may be Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) STAs, and the corresponding second signaling may be transmitted in a CTS frame that instructs at least one of the EMLSR STAs to switch to listening mode.

[0017] The present invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subjects described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are merely illustrative and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or substance of the subjects described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subjects described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0018] A better understanding of the subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 Example wireless communication systems according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0020] Figure 2 Simplified block diagrams of wireless devices according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0021] Figure 3 An example WLAN communication system based on some implementation schemes is illustrated.

[0022] Figure 4 A simplified block diagram of a WLAN access point (AP) according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0023] Figure 5 A simplified block diagram of a wireless station (STA) according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0024] Figure 6 Simplified block diagrams of wireless nodes according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0025] Figures 7 to 8 Examples of MLD implementations based on various implementation schemes are shown.

[0026] Figures 9A to 9B Examples of channel access contention between devices according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0027] Figures 10A to 10B Example low-latency (LL) signaling in a transmission opportunity (TXOP) according to some implementation schemes is illustrated.

[0028] Figure 11 This is a communication flowchart illustrating an example method for enhanced low-latency transmission according to some implementation schemes.

[0029] Figure 12 Examples of CRF frame formats for LL signaling according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0030] Figure 13 Examples of ICR frame formats for LL signaling according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0031] Figures 14A to 14C Example scenarios are illustrated for LL signaling in CRF according to some implementation schemes, as well as different types of responses that may occur in the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL).

[0032] Figures 14D to 14F Example scenarios are illustrated for LL signaling in ICR according to some implementation schemes, as well as different types of responses that may occur in the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL).

[0033] Figures 15A to 15B Example scenarios for LL signaling for non-EMLSR STAs are illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0034] Figures 16A to 16B Example scenarios for LL signaling for EMLSR STA according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0035] Figures 17A to 17BExamples of LL session attributes and enabled aspects are illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0036] Figures 18A to 18C Examples of enhanced RD protocols according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0037] Figures 19A to 19C Additional examples of enhanced RD protocols involving DL TXOP according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0038] Figures 20A to 20C Additional examples of enhanced RD protocols involving UL TXOP according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0039] While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit one to the specific forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0040] acronym

[0041] Various acronyms are used throughout this patent application. The definitions of the most prominent acronyms that may appear throughout this patent application are as follows:

[0042] UE: User Equipment

[0043] AP: Access Point

[0044] STA: Wireless Station

[0045] TX: Send / Transmit

[0046] RX: Receive / Receive

[0047] DL: Downlink

[0048] UL: Uplink

[0049] MLD: Multi-link device

[0050] LAN: Local Area Network

[0051] WLAN: Wireless LAN

[0052] RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0053] LL: Low Latency

[0054] ACK: Confirmation

[0055] BA: Block Confirmation

[0056] NACK: Negative Acknowledgment

[0057] M-BA: Multi-STA Block Confirmation

[0058] OTA (Over-the-Air)

[0059] SU: Single User

[0060] MU: Multi-user

[0061] MAC: Media Access Control

[0062] CPE: Enhanced Client Privacy

[0063] BSS: Basic Services Set

[0064] OBSS: Overlay Basic Services Set

[0065] SN: serial number

[0066] PN: Group number

[0067] TID: Business Identifier

[0068] AID: Association Identifier

[0069] SAP: Service Access Point

[0070] PPDU: Physical Protocol Data Unit

[0071] TXOP: Sending Opportunity

[0072] P2P: Peer-to-peer

[0073] RD: Reverse direction

[0074] RDG: Permission granted in the opposite direction

[0075] CTS: Clear Sending

[0076] TXS: Triggered Sending Opportunity Sharing

[0077] TA: Sender address

[0078] RA: Receiver Address

[0079] ICF: Initial Control Frame

[0080] ICR: Initial Control Response Frame

[0081] A-MPDU: Aggregation MAC Protocol Data Unit

[0082] LLI: Low Latency Indicator

[0083] CRF: Control Response Frame

[0084] FCS: Frame Check Sequence

[0085] HE TB PPDU: High-Efficiency Transport Block Physical Protocol Data Unit

[0086] QoS: Quality of Service

[0087] TF: Trigger Frame

[0088] EMLSR: Enhanced Multilink Single Radio

[0089] BSR: Buffer Status Report

[0090] BSRP: Buffer Status Report Polling

[0091] UHR: Ultra-high reliability

[0092] OMN: Operation Mode Notification

[0093] SSN: Start Sequence Number

[0094] the term

[0095] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

[0096] memory media —Any of various types of nontransitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include mounting media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory; magnetic media, such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory media may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations on different computer systems connected via a network, for example. Memory media may store program instructions (e.g., embodied in a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0097] carrier medium —Memory media as described above, and physical transmission media, such as buses, networks and / or other physical transmission media for transmitting signals (such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals or digital signals).

[0098] Computer System —Any of any type of computing or processing system, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, networked appliances, internet-connected appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations thereof. Generally, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (and / or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0099] Mobile devices (and / or mobile sites) —Any type of computer system device that is mobile or portable and performs wireless communication using WLAN communication. Examples of mobile devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone). ™ Based on Android ™ (phones), and tablets such as iPads ™ Samsung Galaxy ™ Various other types of devices that include Wi-Fi, or both cellular and Wi-Fi capabilities, will fall into this category, such as laptops (e.g., MacBooks). ™ ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) ™ PlayStation Portable ™ Gameboy Advance ™ iPhone ™ Portable internet devices and other handheld devices, as well as wearable devices such as smartwatches, smart glasses, headphones, pendants, earbuds, etc. Generally, the term "mobile device" can be broadly defined as any electronic, computing, and / or communication device (and / or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by the user and capable of wireless communication using WLAN or Wi-Fi.

[0100] Wireless equipment (and / or wireless stations) —Any type of computer system device that performs wireless communication using WLAN communication. As used herein, the term "wireless device" can refer to mobile or fixed devices as defined above, such as fixed wireless clients or wireless base stations. For example, a wireless device can be any type of wireless station in an 802.11 system, such as an access point (AP) or client station (STA or UE). Other examples include televisions, media players (e.g., Apple TV). ™ Roku ™ Amazon FireTV ™ Google Chromecast ™(etc.), refrigerators, washing machines, thermostats, etc.

[0101] WLAN The term "WLAN" has the full range of its common meaning and at least includes wireless communication networks or RATs that provide connectivity to the Internet via WLAN access points. Most modern WLANs are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name "Wi-Fi". WLAN networks are different from cellular networks.

[0102] Processing element —Refers to various specific implementations of digital circuits that perform functions in a computer system. Additionally, a processing element can refer to various specific implementations of analog or mixed-signal (a combination of analog and digital) circuits that perform functions (and / or multiple functions) in a computer or computer system. Processing elements include, for example, circuits (such as integrated circuits (ICs), ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), portions or circuits of individual processor cores), entire processor cores, individual processors, programmable hardware devices (such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), and / or larger portions of systems comprising multiple processors.

[0103] Automatically Automatic means that an action or operation is performed automatically by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuits, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) without requiring direct user input to specify or perform the action or operation. Therefore, the term "automatically" is the opposite of an operation performed or specified manually by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process can be initiated by user-provided input, but the subsequent "automatically" performed actions are not specified by the user, for example, not performed "manually," where, in the case of manual execution, the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, radio selection, etc.) is considered manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by a computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) which analyzes the fields of the form and fills it out without any user input specifying answers for the fields. As indicated above, the user can invoke the automatic filling of the form but does not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers for the fields, but they are completed automatically). This manual provides various examples of operations that can be performed automatically in response to actions taken by the user.

[0104] concurrent—This refers to parallel execution or implementation, in which tasks, processes, signaling, messages, or programs are executed in a manner that overlaps at least partially. For example, concurrency can be achieved using “strong” or strict parallelism, in which tasks are executed in parallel (at least partially) on the respective computing elements; or concurrency can be achieved using “weak parallelism,” in which tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0105] Configured as Various components can be described as being "configured" to perform one or more tasks. In this context, "configured" is a broad expression generally meaning "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured" can be a broad expression generally meaning a structure that "has a circuit" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently powered on. Generally, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured" can include hardware circuitry.

[0106] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". Statements describing a component as configured to perform one or more tasks are explicitly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 USC § 112(f) for that component.

[0107] Figures 1 to 2 —Wireless communication system

[0108] Figure 1 Exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication systems are illustrated, in which various aspects of this disclosure can be implemented. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The system described herein is only one example of a possible system, and embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0109] As shown in the figure, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a ("first") wireless device 102 communicating with another ("second") wireless device 104. The first wireless device 102 and the second wireless device 104 may use any of a variety of wireless communication technologies, including ranging wireless communication technologies.

[0110] As an option, the first wireless device 102 and the second wireless device 104 may use wireless local area network (WLAN) communication technologies (e.g., IEEE 802.11 / Wi-Fi based communication) and / or WLAN-based wireless communication technologies to perform ranging. One or both of wireless devices 102 and 104 may also be able to communicate via one or more additional wireless communication protocols, such as any of Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), LTE, LTE-A Advanced, NR, Ultra Wideband (UWB), etc.

[0111] Wireless device 102 and wireless device 104 can be any of a variety of wireless devices. As one possibility, one or more of wireless devices 102 and / or 104 can be substantially portable wireless user equipment (UE) devices, such as smartphones, handheld devices, wearable devices (such as smartwatches), tablets, motor vehicles, or virtually any type of wireless device. As another possibility, one or more of wireless devices 102 and / or wireless device 104 can be substantially stationary devices, such as set-top boxes, media players (e.g., audio or video equipment), game consoles, desktop computers, appliances, doors, access points, base stations, or any of a variety of other types of devices.

[0112] Each of wireless devices 102 and 104 may include wireless communication circuitry configured to enhance the performance of wireless communication, which may include various digital and / or analog radio frequency (RF) components, a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory, programmable hardware elements such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or any of various other components. Wireless devices 102 and / or 104 may use any or all of these components to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, or any part thereof.

[0113] Each of wireless devices 102 and 104 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols. In some cases, one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain may be shared among multiple wireless communication standards; for example, the device may be configured to communicate using either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi with partially or fully shared wireless communication circuitry (e.g., using shared antennas and / or shared radio components). The shared communication circuitry may include a single antenna, or may include multiple antennas for performing wireless communication (e.g., for MIMO). Alternatively, the device may include independent transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including independent antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate using it. As another possibility, the device may include one or more radios or radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radios or radio components specifically used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the device may include shared radio components for communicating using one or more of LTE and / or 5G NR, and separate radio components for communicating using Wi-Fi, UWB, and / or Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0114] As mentioned above, it can be combined Figure 1 The aspects of this disclosure are implemented using a wireless communication system. For example, a wireless device (e.g., either wireless device 102 or 104) may be configured to perform methods for: robust discovery of a new AP in an Access Point (AP) MLD, robust link addition to an AP MLD, AP beacon mode when an AP is added to or removed from an AP MLD, robust BSS transition management (BTM) signaling for guiding non-AP MLDs to the optimal AP MLD and the most suitable AP, and privacy improvements for associated non-AP MLDs.

[0115] Figure 2 An exemplary wireless device 100 (e.g., corresponding to wireless device 102 and / or wireless device 104) is illustrated and can be configured for use in conjunction with various aspects of this disclosure. Device 100 can be any of a variety of types of devices and can be configured to perform any of a variety of functionalities. Device 100 can be a substantially portable device or a substantially stationary device, and may include any of a variety of types of devices. Device 100 can be configured to perform one or more ranging wireless communication techniques or features, such as any techniques or features shown and / or described herein with respect to any or all of the accompanying drawings.

[0116] As shown, device 100 may include processing element 101. The processing element may include or be coupled to one or more memory elements. For example, device 100 may include one or more storage media (e.g., memory 105), which may include any of a variety of types of memory and be usable for any of a variety of functions. For example, memory 105 may be RAM used as system memory for processing element 101. Other types and functions are also possible.

[0117] Additionally, device 100 may include wireless communication circuitry 130. The wireless communication circuitry may include any of a variety of communication elements (e.g., antennas for wireless communication, analog and / or digital communication circuitry / controllers, etc.) and may enable the device to perform wireless communication using one or more wireless communication protocols.

[0118] It should be noted that in some cases, such as when processing element 101 is used, wireless communication circuitry 130 may include its own processing element (e.g., a baseband processor). For example, processing element 101 may be an "application processor" whose primary function may be to support application layer operations in device 100, while wireless communication circuitry 130 may be a "baseband processor" whose primary function may be to support baseband operations in device 100 (e.g., to facilitate wireless communication between device 100 and other devices). In other words, in some cases, device 100 may include multiple processing elements (e.g., it may be a multiprocessor device). Other configurations utilizing a multiprocessor architecture (e.g., alternatives to or other than the application processor / baseband processor configuration) are also possible.

[0119] Depending on the intended functionality of the device 100, the device 100 may additionally include any of a variety of other components (not shown) for implementing the device functionality, which may also include processing elements and / or memory elements (e.g., audio processing circuitry), one or more power supply elements (which may depend on battery power and / or external power), user interface elements (e.g., display, speaker, microphone, camera, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, etc.), and / or any of a variety of other components.

[0120] Components of device 100, such as processing element 101, memory 105, and wireless communication circuitry 130, may be operatively coupled via one or more interconnect interfaces, which may include any of a variety of types of interfaces, and possibly combinations of multiple types of interfaces. As an example, a USB High Speed ​​Chip-to-Chip (HSIC) interface may be provided for chip-to-chip communication between processing elements. Alternatively (and / or in addition), any of a Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART) interface, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), Internal Integrated Circuit (I2C), System Management Bus (SMBus), and / or various other communication interfaces may be used for communication between various device components. Other types of interfaces (e.g., on-chip interfaces for communication within processing element 101, peripheral interfaces for communication with peripheral components inside or outside device 100, etc.) may also be provided as part of device 100.

[0121] Figure 3 —WLAN system

[0122] Figure 3 An example WLAN system according to some implementations is illustrated. As shown, this exemplary WLAN system includes multiple wireless client stations or devices (e.g., STAs or User Equipment (UEs)) 106 configured to communicate with an access point (AP) 112 via a wireless communication channel 142. AP 112 may be a Wi-Fi access point. AP 112 may communicate with one or more other electronic devices (not shown) and / or another network 152 (such as the Internet) via a wired communication channel and / or a wireless communication channel 150. Additional electronic devices (such as remote device 154) may communicate with components of the WLAN system via network 152. For example, remote device 154 may be another wireless client station, a server associated with an application running on one of the STAs 106, etc. The WLAN system may be configured to operate according to any of a variety of communication standards, such as various IEEE 802.11 standards. In some implementations, at least one wireless device 106 is configured to communicate directly with one or more adjacent mobile devices without using access point 112.

[0123] Furthermore, in some implementations, wireless device 106 (which may be an exemplary specific implementation of device 100) may be configured to perform methods for: robust discovery of new APs in an access point (AP) MLD, robust link addition to an AP MLD, AP beacon mode when an AP is added to or removed from an AP MLD, robust BSS transition management (BTM) signaling for guiding non-AP MLDs to the best AP MLD and the most suitable AP, and privacy improvements for associated non-AP MLDs.

[0124] Figure 4 —Access Point Diagram

[0125] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of access point (AP) 112 is shown, which can be... Figure 4 This is one possible exemplary embodiment of the device 100 shown. It should be noted that... Figure 4 The block diagram of the AP is only one example of a possible system. As shown, AP 112 may include one or more processors 204 capable of executing program instructions for AP 112. Processor 204 may also be (directly or indirectly) coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 240 or other circuitry or devices, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 204 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250).

[0126] AP 112 may include at least one network port 270. Network port 270 may be configured to couple to a wired network and provide internet access to multiple devices, such as mobile device 106. For example, network port 270 (and / or additional network ports) may be configured to couple to a local network, such as a home network or a business network. For example, port 270 may be an Ethernet port. The local network provides connectivity to additional networks, such as the internet.

[0127] AP 112 may include at least one antenna 234, which may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with mobile device 106 via wireless communication circuitry 230. Antenna 234 communicates with wireless communication circuitry 230 via communication link 232. Communication link 232 may include one or more receive links, one or more transmit links, or both. Wireless communication circuitry 230 may be configured to communicate via Wi-Fi or WLAN (e.g., 802.11). For example, in the case of a small cell where the AP is co-located with a base station, or in other cases where it may be desirable for AP 112 to communicate via various different wireless communication technologies, wireless communication circuitry 230 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate via various other wireless communication technologies, including, but not limited to, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, UWB, etc.

[0128] Furthermore, in some implementations, as further described below, AP 112 may be configured to perform methods for: robust discovery of new APs in an Access Point (AP) MLD, robust link addition to an AP MLD, AP beacon mode when an AP is added to or removed from an AP MLD, robust BSS transition management (BTM) signaling for directing non-AP MLDs to the best AP MLD and the most suitable AP, and privacy improvements for associated non-AP MLDs.

[0129] Figure 5 —Client Site Frame Diagram

[0130] Figure 5 A simplified block diagram of a client site 106 is shown, which can be... Figure 4 This is one possible exemplary embodiment of the device 100 shown. According to various embodiments, the client station 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station and / or a wireless device or wireless station. As shown, the client station 106 may include a system-on-a-chip (SOC) 300, which may include portions for various purposes. The SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuitry of the client station 106. For example, the client station 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), connector interfaces (I / F) (and / or docking stations) 320 (e.g., for coupling to computer systems, docking stations, charging stations, etc.), a display 360, cellular communication circuitry (e.g., cellular radio components) 330 (such as for 5G NR, LTE, etc.), and medium-to-short-range wireless communication circuitry (e.g., Bluetooth). ™ and WLAN radio components) 329 (e.g., Bluetooth) ™(and WLAN circuitry). Client station 106 may further include one or more smart cards 315 incorporating SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICCs (One or more Universal Integrated Circuit Cards). Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336 as shown. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may also be coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338 as shown. Alternatively, in addition to being coupled to antennas 337 and 338, or as an alternative, short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may be coupled to antennas 335 and 336. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams in a configuration such as Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO). Some or all components of short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 and / or cellular communication circuitry 330 may be used for ranging communication, for example, ranging communication using WLAN communication, Bluetooth communication, and / or cellular communication.

[0131] As shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 and a display circuit 304. The processor executes program instructions for a client station 106, and the display circuit performs graphics processing and provides display signals to a display 360. The SOC 300 may also include motion sensing circuitry 370, which may detect motion of the client station 106, for example, using a gyroscope, accelerometer, and / or any of various other motion sensing components. One or more processors 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 and / or other circuitry or devices (such as display circuitry 304, cellular communication circuitry 330, short-range wireless communication circuitry 329, connector interface (I / F) 320, and / or display 360). The memory management unit (MMU) may be configured to receive addresses from one or more processors 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some implementations, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0132] As described above, client station 106 can be configured to directly communicate wirelessly with one or more neighboring client stations. Client station 106 can be configured to communicate according to a WLAN RAT to enable communication in applications such as... Figure 3 Communication in the WLAN network shown or as Figure 1 The distance measurement shown.

[0133] As described herein, client station 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described herein. For example, processor 302 of client station 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein, for example by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (and / or in addition), processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (and / or in addition), in conjunction with one or more of other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 315, 320, 329, 330, 335, 336, 337, 338, 340, 350, 360, 370, processor 302 of UE 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0134] In addition, as described herein, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 302. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 204.

[0135] Furthermore, as described herein, both the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in either the cellular communication circuit 330 or the short-range wireless communication circuit 329. Therefore, each of the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329, respectively. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329.

[0136] Figure 6 —Wireless Node Diagram

[0137] Figure 6 A possible block diagram of wireless node 107 is shown, which can be Figure 6One possible exemplary implementation of the device 100 shown is illustrated. As shown, the wireless node 107 may include a system-on-a-chip (SOC) 400, which may include components for various purposes. For example, as shown, the SOC 400 may include one or more processors 402 capable of executing program instructions for the wireless node 107 and display circuitry 404 capable of performing graphics processing and providing display signals to a display 460. The SOC 400 may also include motion sensing circuitry 470, which may detect motion of the wireless node 107, for example, using a gyroscope, accelerometer, and / or any of various other motion sensing components. The processor 402 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 402 and translate these addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 406, read-only memory (ROM) 450, flash memory 410). The MMU 440 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some implementations, the MMU 440 may be included as part of the processor 402.

[0138] As shown in the figure, the SOC 400 can be coupled to various other circuits of the wireless node 107. For example, the wireless node 107 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 410), connector interface 420 (e.g., for coupling to computer systems, docking stations, charging stations, etc.), display 460, and wireless communication circuitry 430 (e.g., for 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, UWB, etc.).

[0139] Wireless node 107 may include at least one antenna, and in some embodiments, may include multiple antennas 435 and 436 for performing wireless communication with a base station and / or other devices. For example, wireless node 107 may use antennas 435 and 436 to perform wireless communication. As described above, wireless node 107 may be configured in some embodiments to perform wireless communication using a variety of wireless communication standards or radio access technologies (RATs).

[0140] The wireless communication circuit 430 may include a Wi-Fi logic component 432, a cellular modem 434, and a Bluetooth logic component 439. The Wi-Fi logic component 432 enables the wireless node 107 to perform Wi-Fi communication on, for example, an 802.11 network. The Bluetooth logic component 439 enables the wireless node 107 to perform Bluetooth communication. The cellular modem 434 may be capable of performing cellular communication according to one or more cellular communication technologies. Some or all components of the wireless communication circuit 430 may be used for ranging communication, for example, utilizing WLAN communication, Bluetooth communication, and / or cellular communication.

[0141] As described herein, wireless node 107 may include hardware and software components for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, one or more components of wireless communication circuitry 430 (e.g., Wi-Fi logic component 432) of wireless node 107 may be configured to implement some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), a processor configured as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and / or using dedicated hardware components that may include ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits).

[0142] Figures 7 to 8 —Multi-link device (MLD) operation

[0143] One or more IEEE 802.11 versions, such as IEEE 802.11bi, may include multi-link device (MLD) capabilities. In current implementations, an access point (AP) MLD node manages its associated APs. Therefore, an AP MLD node can modify, add, and / or remove associated APs. An AP MLD may do this for a variety of reasons, such as to increase capacity, manage Basic Service Set (BSS) interference and / or coverage, including by switching one or more APs to operate on channels with less interference, and / or by redirecting associated non-AP MLD nodes to operate on APs and / or AP MLD nodes with better performance.

[0144] Figure 7 An AP MLD 112 according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. This AP MLD can operate any number of auxiliary APs, such as APs 712a, 712b, 712c, and 712d in the illustrated example. Auxiliary APs can operate on any frequency band in a variety of frequency bands. Auxiliary APs can operate on different frequency ranges (e.g., channels) within the same frequency band or on different frequency bands.

[0145] AP MLDs can provide auxiliary APs from a single physical device (e.g., a single shared enclosure, and possibly using one or more identical antennas). In some implementations, AP MLDs can provide APs from multiple different devices (e.g., a first device can provide one or more APs, a second device can provide different one or more APs, etc.). In some implementations, the various auxiliary APs can be spatially separated (e.g., using beams in different directions, using different antennas with a shared enclosure (e.g., antennas of the same physical device) and / or different antennas of different devices, etc.).

[0146] In some implementations, spatially separated auxiliary APs can operate on the same (or overlapping) channels.

[0147] Figure 8 An example is shown of an AP MLD 112 communicating with a non-AP MLD 106 according to some implementation schemes.

[0148] As shown in the figure, AP MLD 112 can operate three auxiliary APs. In the illustrated example, AP 812a can operate in the 2.4 GHz band, AP 812b can operate in the 5 GHz band, and AP 812c can operate in the 6 GHz band. It should be understood that any number of auxiliary APs can be used in any combination of frequency bands. For example, AP MLD can operate multiple auxiliary APs in one frequency band and / or may not operate any auxiliary APs in any frequency band. Auxiliary APs may include components that handle one or more layers (e.g., the Media Access Control (MAC) layer and / or the Physical (PHY) layer) and various other possibilities. Auxiliary APs may use different Basic Service Sets (BSS) and / or different BSS identifiers (BSSIDs), such as BSSID 1 to BSSID 3.

[0149] As shown in the figure, the non-AP MLD 106 can operate, for example, three auxiliary STAs corresponding to three auxiliary APs. In the illustrated example, STA 806a can operate in the 2.4 GHz band, STA 806b can operate in the 5 GHz band, and STA 806c can operate in the 6 GHz band. STAs can communicate with their corresponding APs. It should be understood that any number of auxiliary STAs can be used in any combination of frequency bands. For example, a non-AP MLD can operate multiple auxiliary STAs in one frequency band and / or may not operate any auxiliary STAs in any frequency band. The non-AP MLD can operate STAs of some or all of the APs corresponding to the AP MLD, or STAs of APs not corresponding to the AP MLD. Auxiliary STAs can include various layers, such as the PHY and / or MAC layers, and various possibilities. Auxiliary STAs can use different addresses, such as addresses 1 to 3.

[0150] A non-AP MLD can provide auxiliary STAs from a single physical device (e.g., a single shared enclosure) and may use one or more antennas from the same antenna. In some embodiments, a non-AP MLD can provide STAs from multiple different devices (e.g., a first device can provide one or more STAs, a second device can provide different one or more STAs, etc.). In some embodiments, the various auxiliary STAs can be spatially separated (e.g., using beams in different directions, using different antennas with a shared enclosure (e.g., antennas from the same physical device) and / or different antennas from different devices, etc.).

[0151] In some specific implementations, various auxiliary STAs and APs can communicate concurrently / simultaneously. For example, STA 806a can exchange uplink and / or downlink data with AP 812a on a first link, while STA 806b can exchange uplink and / or downlink data with AP 812b on a second link, and so on. It should be understood that such concurrent communication may include (e.g., different) data being exchanged at the same time, at least partially overlapping times, and / or at different times on different links. For example, data between AP MLDs and non-AP MLDs can be routed via a first available link and / or a link selected based on other criteria (e.g., minimum energy usage, etc.). For example, a first packet or portion of data can be transmitted via the first link, and concurrently, a second packet or portion of data can be transmitted via the second link.

[0152] In some implementations, the AP MLD and non-AP MLD may include corresponding ML entities. The ML entity provides upper-layer MAC functionality to control individual APs and / or STAs, and can control service delivery over available links, such as between various APs and STAs. The corresponding MLD (e.g., AP and non-AP) may have only one corresponding MAC Service Access Point (SAP) interface. The ML entity manages this interface. The ML entity manages transmit buffers (e.g., bookkeeping and link selection in the transmitter) and data reordering buffers in reception (e.g., combinations of data transmitted on different links).

[0153] AP MLD 112 and non-AP MLD 106 can exchange information about their respective operations, operating parameters and / or capabilities.

[0154] Non-AP MLDs may have various capabilities for operating STAs in a specific frequency band. These capabilities may differ for different frequency bands. For example, the capabilities within a frequency band can describe the maximum (e.g., fastest, most flexible, most powerful, highest throughput, etc.) parameter values ​​that the STA of a non-AP MLD can use. Operation or operating parameters can describe parameter values ​​currently in use or planned for use in the future.

[0155] For example, this parameter may include the applicable PHY version and its parameters. This parameter may describe the available supported services and transmission formats. This parameter may also describe available resources, bandwidth, and the number of spatial streams. This parameter may describe power-saving support parameters that enable low-power transmission. For example, the AP may support Target Wake Time (TWT) power saving.

[0156] In some implementations, links may be located too close together (e.g., spatially and / or in frequency) so that non-AP STAs may not be able to operate these links independently (e.g., due to device limitations and / or for resource or performance management). The AP may support STAs that cannot transmit and receive simultaneously on link pairs (e.g., non-AP MLDs).

[0157] In some implementations, a non-AP MLD can operate a STA that communicates with multiple AP MLDs. For example, a first STA can communicate with a first AP MLD, and a second STA can communicate with a second AP MLD. Similarly, an AP MLD can communicate with multiple STAs. For example, a subsidiary AP can communicate with multiple STAs.

[0158] In the illustrated example, the number of APs provided by a non-AP MLD operation equals the number of STAs provided by an AP MLD operation. However, different numbers are possible. For example, an AP MLD operation may provide more APs than a non-AP MLD operation, or vice versa. The number of APs and / or the number of STAs may change over time.

[0159] According to some implementation schemes, it may be beneficial for a Client Privacy Enhancement (CPE) Station (STA) (or client) to change or adjust certain parameters used to perform communication with the Access Point (AP). For example, an eavesdropper could attempt to intercept, extract, or listen to certain communications between the CPE STA and the AP. Therefore, the client could attempt to use various techniques involving address changes or adjustments to related parameters to perform more secure communication between the CPE STA and the AP.

[0160] For example, when re-associating from one CPE AP to another, it may be beneficial for the CPE client to change its own over-the-air (OTA) Media Access Control (MAC) address used to communicate with the AP. Additionally or alternatively, it may be beneficial for the CPE client to initiate a change of its own OTA MAC address used with the CPE AP in an associated state (e.g., STA state 4) without any connection loss. In some implementations, it may be beneficial for the CPE client to simultaneously initiate a change of the OTA MAC addresses of all associated CPE clients in the Base Station System (BSS) (e.g., those in associated STA state 4) without any connection loss. Furthermore, according to some implementations, it may be beneficial for the CPE client and CPE AP to change the transmitted Sequence Number (SN), Packet Number (PN), and Service Identifier (TID) to new, irrelevant values ​​on the downlink and uplink, and new values ​​in associated STA state 4, without any connection loss. Furthermore, it may be further beneficial for the CPE client and CPE AP to change the CPE client's Association Identifier (AID) to a new, irrelevant value in associated STA state 4 without any connection loss.

[0161] Channel access in wireless networking systems

[0162] Channel access delay can be considered one of the main sources of latency and therefore can significantly impact low-latency scenarios involving STAs and APs. For example, according to some implementations, STAs compete with other STAs (including APs) in the BSS (and OBSS) for channel access. Furthermore, UL-triggered channel access relies on the AP gaining access to the channel and the AP scheduling UL traffic. Therefore, as an example, WLAN channel access can be particularly inefficient when many users are competing for short transmissions. In this scenario, the channel may be segmented, and collisions may occur. Additionally, according to some implementations, short TXOPs can lead to inefficient channel use, while long TXOPs can increase the latency for other users accessing the channel.

[0163] Figures 9A to 9B —Channel access contention

[0164] Figures 9A to 9B Examples of channel access contention between devices according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. For example, Figure 9A The example illustrates a scenario involving uplink (UL) enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) delay, which may occur when a STA competes with other STAs in the same BSS and due to AP and OBSS traffic. Figure 9A This example illustrates four STAs (STA 1 to STA 4) attempting to access the channel in this environment. Therefore, as... Figure 9A As shown, after the backoff counter has terminated, STA 1 can gain access to the channel and continue transmitting data (e.g., sending UL data to the AP or sending P2P data to the STA). Therefore, according to some embodiments, STA 2 through STA 3 can be considered busy while STA 1 is transmitting the data. STA 2 can then gain access to the channel and transmit its data. However, due to OBSS traffic in the channel and traffic from other STAs (e.g., different from STA 1 through STA 4), STA 3 and STA 4 may experience additional and longer periods (during which the medium is busy) (e.g., STA 3 and STA 4 may be unable to transmit), ultimately resulting in longer channel access delays. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, in this congested environment, the probability of accessing the channel decreases as the number of STAs increases.

[0165] Figure 9B This illustrates a scenario involving UL TXOP sharing and latency, which may occur when a STA competes with other STAs in the same BSS, and due to AP and OBSS traffic. For example, Figure 9B Four STAs (STA 1 to STA 4) are illustrated. These four STAs can form a group (e.g., STAs from the same or similar manufacturers or with similar capabilities) and can further coordinate with each other regarding channel access. Therefore, once an STA accesses the channel (e.g., Figure 9B In a given STA group, STA 1 can be the TXOP holder and share the TXOP with any / all of the other STAs in the same group (e.g., any / all of STAs 2 through STA 4). Therefore, after each STA transmits, it can share the TXOP with the next STA in the group. Additionally, for example, due to OBSS traffic in the channel and traffic from other STAs (e.g., different from STAs 1 through STA 4), the group of STAs may experience additional and longer periods (during which they are busy). Furthermore, after another round of contention and / or after the backoff counter countdown has ended (e.g., the backoff counter terminates), STA 2 may gain access to the channel first (e.g., as the TXOP holder) and subsequently share the TXOP with STA 3, STA 4, and STA 1 respectively. In other specific implementations, different sharing orders may be used. Figure 9B The probability of accessing the channel is illustrated as the number of STAs in the coordination group increases. However, according to some implementations, the shared TXOP duration in the STA group may decrease as the number of STAs in the coordination group increases.

[0166] In some instances, multiple STAs may need to periodically transmit small amounts of traffic. For example, multiple STAs may compete to share a TXOP. According to some implementations, in infra-UL enhancement, multiple STAs may compete to increase the probability of accessing the channel. Additionally, according to some implementations, example P2P communication may include periodically accessing the channel at a fast pace to, for example, transmit small amounts of data. Furthermore, according to some implementations, multiple STAs may compete on behalf of one or more other STAs. Alternatively, some STAs may compete for the channel to help one or more other STAs enhance their traffic.

[0167] According to some implementations, competing devices (e.g., devices performing competition-related procedures / operations) negotiate access to the channel to avoid interfering with each other. For example, some devices may use a probability-based method, where the STA can choose a random timer value and wait until its termination before transmitting a frame. According to some implementations, if a collision occurs, the competition window size may be increased (e.g., doubled) to reduce the chance of another collision. According to some implementations, once the competition phase has been resolved and / or the backoff counter countdown has ended (e.g., the backoff counter terminates), the STA can perform an associated procedure, whereby the STA requests to join the Basic Service Set (BSS) and is assigned an Association ID (AID) by the Access Point (AP) or peer STA. The STA can then transmit its capabilities to the AP / peer STA, which may include one or more capabilities already advertised by the AP / peer STA. According to some implementations, the AP / peer STA can then respond with an associated response frame including the STA's AID.

[0168] Methods for Enhanced Low Latency Transmission in 802.11

[0169] According to some implementations, a STA can coordinate with one or more other STAs or APs to gain channel access (for OBSS STAs and non-cooperative STAs) to perform transmit / receive in the channel. For example, these devices can coordinate with each other to achieve lower channel access latency, and also more efficiently coordinate the allocation of TXOP resources with other STAs. Furthermore, according to some implementations, when a STA is able to access the channel, that STA (or AP) may assist other STAs so that they can transmit data (e.g., low-latency (LL) data) during a wait-in period within the TXOP of a transmission opportunity (TXOP) holder. Therefore, it may be beneficial to describe a mechanism for opportunistically transmitting low-latency data during the TXOP of a peer STA (e.g., an associated STA or a peer-to-peer (P2P) STA).

[0170] For example, and according to some implementations, a STA may request a peer STA to share a TXOP, for instance, when the requesting STA has LL data to send during the peer STA's TXOP. In some specific implementations, this request can be signaled by including an LL indication in an Initial Control Response (ICR) frame. The peer STA may transmit an Initial Control Frame (ICF) to one or more other STAs before or after the start of the TXOP. In response to the ICF, the STA requesting to share the TXOP may include an LL indication in an ICR frame transmitted to the peer STA holding the TXOP (e.g., a Multi-STA Block Acknowledgment (BA) frame, as an example). According to some implementations, the LL indication may be included in the ICR frame.

[0171] Furthermore, one or more non-AP STAs can use multi-STA BA frames for a single service identifier (TID) single-STA converged MAC protocol data unit (A-MPDU). According to some implementations, upon receiving an LL indication (LLI), the TXOP owner (e.g., a peer STA) can act according to a reverse direction (RD) procedure or trigger a TXOP sharing (TXS) procedure. After an LL session has been enabled between the requesting STA and the TXOP holder, one or more attributes or parameters associated with the LL session can be exchanged between collaborating STAs (e.g., between two non-AP STAs (P2P scenario), or between an AP STA and a non-AP STA). According to some implementations, LL session attributes may include any / all of "LL session enabled / disabled," "maximum PPDU duration," "maximum low-latency session lifetime," and "maximum ICR frame duration," which can be applicable to scenarios where STAs may also carry coexistence unavailability information.

[0172] Figures 10A to 10B —Example low-latency signaling in the transmission opportunity

[0173] Figures 10A to 10B Example low-latency (LL) signaling in a transmit opportunity (TXOP) according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. For example, Figure 10A An example is illustrated where, after a round of contention and the termination of the backoff counter, STA1 (e.g., station 1) can gain access to the channel (e.g., as a TXOP holder) and send data to STA2 (e.g., station 2). STA1 can then receive a Block Acknowledgment (BA) frame and further send additional data to STA2. Thus, if STA2 has low-latency data to send, STA2 can send a BA including LL signaling. Therefore, according to some implementations, during STA1's TXOP, the TXOP responder (e.g., STA2) can transmit an LL indication or request to the TXOP owner (STA1).

[0174] In some implementations, the LL request signaling may be included in a control response frame (CRF) such as a BA frame. Alternatively, according to some implementations, the LL request signaling may be included in an initial control response (ICR) frame such as a multi-STA block acknowledgment (M-BA) frame.

[0175] Furthermore, according to some implementations, the LL request signal can instruct the TXOP holder on various information. For example, according to some implementations, the LL request signal can instruct a request to send data to the TXOP holder, a request to send data to or exchange data with one or more STAs other than the TXOP holder, and / or a request to opt out of the TXOP. Additionally or alternatively, according to some implementations, during the LL session between the STA and the TXOP holder, the AP or non-AP STA TXOP owner can maintain the PPDU duration for less than a specified duration.

[0176] Figure 11 Example methods for enhanced low-latency transmission

[0177] Figure 11 This is a communication flowchart illustrating an example method for enhanced low-latency transmission according to some implementation schemes. Figure 11 Examples of implementation schemes for systems, methods, and mechanisms for coordinating between non-APs and APs with other non-APs to more efficiently utilize transmission opportunities (TXOPs) for low-latency transmission are illustrated. Such techniques can help provide more efficient communication, reduce latency, and / or lower power consumption.

[0178] Figure 11 Aspects of the method may be implemented by a non-AP (e.g., STA, STA MLD, or non-AP MLD) communicating with another non-AP (e.g., STA, STA MLD, or non-AP MLD) and / or another AP MLD (or non-MLD AP). The AP and / or non-AP may be illustrated and described as in the various figures herein, or more generally, may be illustrated and described as needed in conjunction with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the figures above. For example, the processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the illustrated method elements and / or other method elements. For example, one or more processors (or processing elements) (e.g., processors 101, 204, 302, 402, 432, 434, 439, baseband processors, processors associated with communication circuits such as 130, 230, 232, 329, 330, 430, etc., and various other possibilities) may cause a wireless device, STA, UE, non-AP, and / or AP or other device to perform such method elements.

[0179] It should be noted that, although described in a manner related to the communication technologies and / or features associated with IEEE (e.g., 802.11me) and / or 802.11 (e.g., 802.11be or 802.11bn) specification documents, Figure 11 This description includes at least some elements of the method, but it is not intended to limit this disclosure. Figure 11 Various aspects of the method can be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed. Similarly, although described in a manner relevant to non-APs that may not be MLDs... Figure 11 The methods described herein are not intended to limit this disclosure, and Figure 11 Various aspects of the method can be used by non-AP (which is MLD) as needed.

[0180] Among other devices, the method shown can be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices shown in the figures. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be executed concurrently in a different order than that shown, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be executed as needed. As shown, the method operates as follows.

[0181] At 1102, according to some embodiments, STA1 may send a first indication associated with low latency (LL) capability to STA2. In other words, the method of the first station (STA) may include sending a first signaling to the second STA, the first signaling including a first indication associated with at least one of LL capability and / or LL signaling. In some embodiments, the first indication may be an LL indicator set to a non-zero value. In some embodiments, the first signaling may be included in one of a control response frame (CRF), a block acknowledgment (BA) frame, an initial control response (ICR) frame, or a multi-STA BA (M-BA) frame. However, in other embodiments, other signaling may be used. According to some embodiments, the method may include receiving initial signaling including an initial control frame (ICF) prior to the first signaling.

[0182] At 1104, according to some embodiments, STA1 may receive a second indication associated with LL capability from STA2. For example, the first STA may receive second signaling including the second indication from the second STA. In some embodiments, the second indication may be a reverse direction (RD) indicator set to a non-zero value. According to some embodiments, the second signaling may be included in one of a data frame, a Quality of Service (QoS) empty frame, a Clear Transmission (CTS) frame, or a Transmission Share (TXS) frame. In other embodiments, other signaling may be used.

[0183] At 1106, according to some implementation schemes, STA1 can send signaling to STA2 based on LL capabilities. The first STA can perform operations including sending third signaling to the second STA based on LL capabilities and at least in part on a second instruction.

[0184] At 1108, according to some implementations, STA1 can receive an acknowledgment from STA2. For example, after receiving the third signaling at 1106, STA2 can send a BA to STA1 to indicate that it has successfully received the third signaling. According to some implementations, the third signaling may include an RD indicator set to a non-zero value of the second indicator.

[0185] In some embodiments, the method may further include sending additional signaling, including additional indications, to the second STA. Additionally or alternatively, according to some embodiments, the additional indications may include other RD indicators set to a value of zero.

[0186] Additionally, according to some embodiments, the method may include exchanging one or more parameters associated with the LL session as part of an LL session with a second STA. Furthermore, the method may include disabling the LL session at a time associated with one of the one or more parameters. According to some embodiments, the method may include receiving initial signaling, including an initial control frame (ICF), prior to the first signaling.

[0187] According to Figure 11 Other related embodiments include a method performed by a first STA that may include sending initial signaling to a second STA and receiving from the second STA a first signaling that includes a first indication associated with at least one of LL capability and / or LL signaling. The method may also include sending a second signaling to the second STA that includes a second indication, and receiving a third signaling from the second STA based on the LL capability and at least in part on the second indication. The method may further include sending an acknowledgment signaling to the second STA in response to the third signaling.

[0188] Figure 12 -Example Control Response Frame (CRF) format for LL signaling

[0189] Figure 12Examples of CRF frame formats for LL signaling according to some implementations are illustrated. For example, according to some implementations, a CRF frame may include various fields such as a 2-byte frame control field, a 2-byte duration field, a 6-byte receiver address (RA) field, a 6-byte transmitter address (TA) field, a 2-byte BA control field, a variable-byte BA information field, and a 4-byte frame checksum (FCS) field, or all of them. Furthermore, the BA control field may include a 1-bit reserved subfield, a 4-bit BA type subfield, a 4-bit reserved subfield, a 4-bit TID_INFO subfield, and any of the following: a "no memory hold" subfield, a "memory configuration tag" subfield, and a "management ACK" subfield. In some current specific implementations, there are 5 reserved bits in the BA control reserved subfield; therefore, according to some implementations, a 4-bit reserved subfield of the BA control field (in...) can be used. Figure 12 (In bold outline) LL indication signaling is included. Other configurations are possible based on the number of bits used in the various fields.

[0190] In some implementations, the STA may include LL indication signaling in the M-BA (instead of the BA). For example, according to some implementations, the current M-BA can be used to acknowledge the MPDU included in a multi-TID single-STA A-MPDU. However, according to some implementations, it may also be beneficial to allow the M-BA frame to be used for a single-TID A-MPDU. According to some implementations, including LL signaling indication in the M-BA, whether the M-BA acts as a control response frame (e.g., a BA for an A-MPDU) or as an ICR (as a response to an ICF), allows for greater flexibility in achieving more efficient LL transmission during TXOP. Therefore, according to some implementations, since 4 bits in the TID_INFO subfield of the BA control field are reserved, 2 to 3 of the 4 bits can be used to include an LL request indication.

[0191] Figure 13 - Example Initial Control Response (ICR) frame format for LL signaling

[0192] Figure 13Examples of ICR frame formats for LL signaling according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. For instance, according to some implementation schemes, an ICR frame such as M-BA may include any / all of the following fields: a 2-byte frame control field, a 2-byte duration field, a 6-byte receiver address (RA) field, a 6-byte transmitter address (TA) field, a 2-byte BA control field, a variable-byte BA information field per AID TID (e.g., including a BA information field for each AID TID), and a 4-byte frame checksum (FCS) field. Furthermore, according to some implementation schemes, the BA information (per AID TID information) field may also include any / all of the following subfields: a new “AID TID information” subfield, a BA start sequence control subfield, and a BA bitmap subfield, which may specify the feedback type and content per AID TID. Additionally, LL signaling can be included using the new “AID TID information” subfield by using a reserved combination of acknowledgment type and TID for LL requests. For example, according to some implementations, the new "AID TID Information" subfield may use 2 octets to specify the AID (e.g., AID11), ACK type (e.g., AckType=0), and TID (e.g., values ​​from 8 to 13) to indicate LL signaling. Additionally or alternatively, according to some implementations, the 2-octet start sequence control subfield may be reused to carry LL requests and / or attributes. Furthermore, according to some implementations, the length of the block acknowledgment bitmap subfield may be indicated in the start sequence control subfield, or the length of the block acknowledgment bitmap subfield may be set to zero (possibly as a default value) if all LL attributes can be included in the start sequence control subfield. Additionally or alternatively, according to some implementations, the BA start sequence control subfield may use 2 octets to specify the fragment number and start sequence number (SSN) as well as feedback information.

[0193] In some implementations, LL signaling can persist throughout the LL session, regardless of whether the STA has received a request to send LL. In other words, according to some implementations, the LL request indicates no request (e.g., by indicating / including a value equal to zero) or indicates a request to send to the TXOP owner (e.g., in the opposite direction) (e.g., a value equal to 1) or a request to send to an STA other than the TXOP owner (e.g., a value equal to 2). Therefore, the feedback provided is a fixed-size feedback of known length to the receiving STA.

[0194] Figures 14A to 14C Example scenario of LL signaling in CRF

[0195] Figures 14A to 14CExample scenarios are illustrated for different types of responses to LL signaling in a CRF and that may occur in the uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL) according to some implementations. For example, and according to some implementations, the STA can make a MAC layer decision on whether to take action on LL signaling in the CRF or ICR. For example, according to some implementations, upon receiving LL signaling, the TXOP owner can react in the next or subsequent PPDU (e.g., respond to the requesting STA). Furthermore, the response type can be determined based on the indicated request (e.g., indicated by LL signaling). In other words, the response type can depend on what type of TXOP sharing is being requested and / or will be used.

[0196] As an example scenario, Figure 14A This example illustrates two STAs (STA1 and STA2) exchanging signaling after STA1 has successfully competed for access to the channel and sent data to STA2. STA1 can receive a BA from STA2 and send additional data to STA2. In some implementations, STA2 may have low-latency data to send and therefore additionally include, for example, an LL indicator (LLI) in the BA or in a multi-STA BA (M-BA) sent to STA1. For example, according to some implementations, STA2 may utilize... Figure 12 One or more bits of the CRF format are used to include LL information (e.g., LLI) in the BA / M-BA sent to STA1. Therefore, STA1 can respond by sending a CTS frame to STA2 (at a later time in the TXOP). According to some implementations, after receiving the CTS from STA1, STA2 can send its LL data to STA1 and receive the BA from STA1. Figure 14A An example scenario is illustrated in which the TXOP initiator can respond via a control response frame (e.g., a Clear Send (CTS) frame). According to some implementations, the TXOP holder can send a CTS frame addressed to one of the TXOP responders during the same TXOP, which has already set the LL indicator to a non-zero value in at least one of the previous BA or M-BA frames during the same TXOP.

[0197] As an alternative and such Figure 14B As illustrated, instead of, Figure 14A In the manner of transmitting CTS, STA1 may optionally transmit a QoS empty frame to STA2 with an RDG value set to a non-zero value (e.g., 1). According to some implementations, STA2 will then send an ACK frame, followed by LL data and subsequently receive a BA from STA1. Figure 14BAn example scenario related to the reverse direction (RD) protocol is illustrated according to some implementations, where the TXOP initiator can respond by setting the reverse direction grant (RDG) / more PPDU bit in a subsequent Quality of Service (QoS) empty data frame to a non-zero value. Thus, according to some implementations, the TXOP holder can send a data frame addressed to one of the TXOP responders in the same TXOP and with the RDG bit set to a value of 1, which has already set the LL indication to a non-zero value in at least one previously received BA or M-BA frame in the same TXOP.

[0198] As Figure 14C Another exemplified alternative is to replace the transmission of CTS or QoS empty frames (such as...). Figure 14A and Figure 14B As in the example, STA1 can transmit a Transmit Share (TXS) frame to STA2 (where the mode value is set to 1). According to some implementations, STA2 can then transmit a CTS frame, followed by LL data and subsequently receive a BA from STA1. In such scenarios, according to some implementations, STA1 can be an AP, and STA2 can be a non-AP STA seeking to send LL UL data to the TXOP owner STA1. Therefore, Figure 14C An alternative to the TXS triggering protocol is illustrated according to some implementation schemes, in which the TXOP initiator can respond with a TXS trigger frame.

[0199] In some implementation schemes, Figures 14A to 14C Any / all of the illustrated scenarios can occur in UL or DL. For example, STA1 can be a STA or AP that shares its DL TXOP with one or more LL requesting STAs. Additionally or alternatively, according to some embodiments, STA2 may also request (from STA1, the TXOP holder) to send LL data to the P2P STA. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, in a scenario where an AP seeks to send LL DL data to the TXOP owner STA1, STA1 can be a non-AP STA, and STA2 can be an AP. However, according to some embodiments, in a scenario where a non-AP STA is the TXOP owner, the non-AP STA may be unable to send trigger frames (TFs), such as TXS frames.

[0200] Figures 14D to 14F Example scenario of LL signaling in ICR

[0201] Figures 14D to 14F Example scenarios are illustrated for LL signaling in ICR according to some implementation schemes, as well as different types of responses that may occur in the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL).

[0202] As an example scenario, Figure 14D This example illustrates two STAs (STA1 and STA2) exchanging signaling after STA1 has successfully competed for access to the channel and sent an ICF to STA2. In some implementations, STA2 may have low-latency data to transmit, and therefore additionally includes an LL indicator (LLI) in the ICR frame sent to STA1. For example, according to some implementations, STA2 may utilize... Figure 13 The ICR format bits are used to include LL information (e.g., LLI) in the ICR sent to STA1. STA1 can then send additional data to STA2 and receive BA. STA1 can continue sending data to STA2 and receiving corresponding BAs before sending a CTS frame to STA2 at a later time in the TXOP. According to some implementations, after receiving a CTS from STA1, STA2 can continue sending its LL data to STA1 and subsequently receive BAs from STA1.

[0203] As an alternative and such Figure 14E As illustrated, after receiving the LLI from the ICR from STA2, STA1 can send additional data to STA2 (where the RDG value is set to 0, indicating that STA2 should not send its LL data at that time), and subsequently receive the BA from STA2. Alternatively, instead of... Figure 14D In the CTS transmission described above, STA1 can send a QoS empty frame to STA2 with an RDG value set to a non-zero value (e.g., 1) to indicate that STA2 can continue transmitting its LL data in the TXOP. According to some implementations, STA2 can then send an ACK frame, followed by the LL data and subsequently receive a BA from STA1.

[0204] As Figure 14F Another alternative illustrated is, instead of, Figure 14D and Figure 14E In a scenario where a CTS or QoS empty frame is transmitted as described above, STA1 may optionally transmit a TXS frame to STA2 (where the mode value is set to 1). According to some implementations, STA2 may then transmit a CTS frame, followed by LL data, and subsequently receive a BA from STA1. In such scenarios, according to some implementations, STA1 may be an AP, and STA2 may be a non-AP STA seeking to send LL UL data to the TXOP owner STA1.

[0205] Figures 15A to 15B - Example scenario for LL signaling for non-enhanced multilink single radio (non-EMLSR) STA

[0206] Figures 15A to 15BExample scenarios for LL signaling for non-EMLSR STAs are illustrated according to some implementation schemes. For example, during a TXOP, multiple TXOP responders (such as non-EMLSR STAs) may transmit LL indications to the AP. Therefore, it may be helpful to describe what types of actions the AP can take when responding to multiple LL indications (e.g., requests). For example, Figure 15A An example is illustrated where an AP exchanges signaling with two non-EMLSR STAs (e.g., non-EMLSR STA1 and non-EMLSR STA2). After the contention process has ended (e.g., the backoff timer terminates), the AP may send data to non-EMLSR STA1 and, in response, receive an M-BA including an LLI from non-EMLSR STA1. Additionally, according to some embodiments, the AP may send additional data to non-EMLSR STA2 and subsequently receive an M-BA including an LLI from non-EMLSR STA2. As one possibility in this scenario, according to some embodiments, the AP may respond to request TXOP responders based on the priority of the non-EMLSR STAs. Additionally or alternatively, the AP may respond to request TXOP responders sequentially in the order in which the M-BAs are received. For example, and as... Figure 15A As shown, according to some implementations, the AP may first respond to an LL request (e.g., a BA with LLI or an M-BA) from a non-EMLSR STA1 by sending a CTS frame addressed to a non-EMLSR STA1, receiving low-latency data from the non-EMLSR STA1, and subsequently sending a BA to the non-EMLSR STA1. Next, according to some implementations, the AP may send a CTS frame addressed to a non-EMLSR STA2, receive low-latency data from the non-EMLSR STA2, and subsequently send a BA to the non-EMLSR STA2.

[0207] Alternative locations, such as Figure 15B As illustrated, if an LL request from a TXOP responder (e.g., non-EMLSR STA 1 and non-EMLSR STA 2) is transmitted in the UL, then the AP can transmit trigger frames (e.g., TFs) addressed to one or more of the requesting TXOP responders. For example, and as... Figure 15ASimilarly, as illustrated, the AP can send data to non-EMLSR STA1 and, in response, receive an M-BA including LLI from non-EMLSR STA1. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the AP can send additional data to non-EMLSR STA2 and subsequently receive an M-BA including LLI from non-EMLSR STA2. Thus, according to some embodiments, the AP can send a trigger frame addressed to both non-EMLSR STA1 and non-EMLSR STA2, and subsequently receive low-latency data from both non-EMLSR STAs. Additionally, according to some embodiments, the AP can embed or include a Buffer Status Report Polling (BSRP) in the TF to request a Buffer Status Report (BSR) from the non-EMLSR STAs.

[0208] Figures 16A to 16B - Example scenario for LL signaling for EMLSR STA

[0209] Figures 16A to 16B Example scenarios for LL signaling for EMLSR STAs are illustrated according to some implementations. For example, during a DL TXOP, multiple TXOP responders (such as EMLSR STAs) may be able to transmit LL instructions to the AP. Therefore, it may be helpful to describe what types of actions the AP can take when responding to LL requests. For example, according to some implementations, given the duration of a TXOP, the AP may only be able to serve one (e.g., the first) LL request. Alternatively and according to other implementations, the AP may, for example, serve multiple STAs requesting LL over a sufficiently long TXOP duration. For example, the AP may respond to only one of the TXOP responders requesting LL (e.g., EMLSR STAs), or the AP may trigger multiple EMLSR STAs in addition to possibly requesting a BSR from an EMLSR STA.

[0210] Figure 16AAn example is illustrated where an AP exchanges signaling with two EMLSR STAs (e.g., EMLSR STA1 and EMLSR STA2). After the contention process has ended (e.g., the backoff timer terminates), the AP may send an ICF frame to EMLSR STA1 and, in response, receive an ICR frame including the corresponding LLI from both EMLSR STA1 and EMLSR STA2. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the AP may send additional data to one or more of the EMLSR STAs and subsequently receive the corresponding BA from them. As one possibility in this scenario, the AP may respond sequentially to LL requests (e.g., ICRs with LLIs). For example, the AP may first respond to an LL request from EMLSR STA1 by sending a CTS frame addressed to EMLSR STA1. In some embodiments, EMLSR STA2 may return to listening mode after receiving the CTS frame addressed to EMLSR STA1. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the AP may receive low-latency data from EMLSR STA1 and subsequently send a BA to EMLSR STA1. Next, according to some implementations, the AP can send a CTS addressed to EMLSR STA2, receive low-latency data from EMLSR STA2, and then send a BA to EMLSR STA2. Furthermore, according to some implementations, if the LL request is a mixture of UL and P2P transmissions, it may be beneficial to first respond to the LL request for UL data transmissions (for better coexistence with legacy devices) and then subsequently respond to the LL request for P2P transmissions.

[0211] As Figure 16B Another exemplified alternative, according to some implementations, is that the AP can respond to LL requests (e.g., ICRs with LLIs) using trigger frames (TFs). In other words, if the AP receives LLIs from multiple EMLSR STAs, it may have to select the STAs that trigger all LL requests at once. For example, the AP can respond to both LL requests from EMLSR STA1 and EMLSR STA2 (in their respective ICRs) by sending a TF in a TXOP addressed to EMLSR STA1 and EMLSR STA2. According to some implementations, the EMLSR STA can then respond by sending its LL data and further receiving a BA from the AP.

[0212] According to some embodiments related to Figures 15 and 16, a method performed by an AP may include receiving a corresponding first signaling from one or more corresponding stations (STAs), the corresponding first signaling including one or more first indications associated with at least one of LL capability and / or LL signaling. Additionally, the method may include sending a corresponding second signaling to one or more corresponding STAs including one or more second indications, and receiving a corresponding third signaling from one or more corresponding STAs according to LL capability. According to some embodiments, the method may also include sending an acknowledgment signaling to one or more corresponding STAs in response to the third signaling.

[0213] In some implementations, one or more corresponding STAs may be non-enhanced multilink single radio (non-EMLSR) STAs. Additionally or alternatively, according to some implementations, the corresponding second signaling may be transmitted as follows: one or more Clear Transmission (CTS) frames, which may be successively transmitted to one or more corresponding STAs in an order corresponding to the order in which one or more first indications are received; or trigger frames (TF) that are transmitted to one or more corresponding STAs.

[0214] According to other implementations, one or more corresponding STAs may be Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) STAs, and the corresponding second signaling may be transmitted in a CTS frame that instructs at least one of the EMLSR STAs to switch to listening mode.

[0215] Figures 17A to 17B -Example low-latency session properties and enabling

[0216] Figures 17A to 17B Examples of LL session attributes and enabled aspects are illustrated according to some implementation schemes. For example, Figure 17AExample PPDUs are illustrated according to some embodiments, including information such as category, protected ultra-high reliability (UHR) action, session token, LL control, and LL parameters, and their corresponding order 1 to 5, or all of them. For example, according to some embodiments, LL control information may be represented by one octet, which may include one bit for indicating LL session enable / disable, one bit for indicating maximum PPDU duration, one bit for indicating maximum LL session lifetime, two bits for indicating maximum ICR frame duration, and three reserved bits. In other embodiments, other values ​​and / or other bit lengths may be used. Additionally, according to some embodiments, LL parameter information may be of variable length and may use one octet to indicate maximum PPDU duration and one octet to indicate maximum low latency session lifetime. For example, according to some embodiments, if a maximum LL session lifetime indication exists, the LL session may automatically terminate after the lifetime, or the AP may transmit an LL session operation mode notification (OMN) signal to disable the LL session. Furthermore, according to some implementations, in order to reduce the overhead caused by frequent short PPDUs, the PPDU can be shortened after receiving an LL request instruction. Additionally or alternatively, according to some implementations, given the time required by the TXOP owner, the TXOP owner may need to know about the PPDU shortening before the TXOP begins.

[0217] Figure 17B An example Operational Mode Notification (OMN) framework for enabling / disabling LL sessions is illustrated according to some implementation schemes. For example, according to some implementation schemes, the STA can communicate with the AP and exchange authentication and association information, including indications of LL capabilities, enabling the establishment of an LL session. Therefore, as part of the OMN framework for enabling LL sessions, according to some implementation schemes, the STA can send signaling including information associated with the session token and the maximum PPDU duration. Furthermore, according to some implementation schemes, the STA can send additional signaling associated with the session token and provide update information for LL parameters. Finally, according to some implementation schemes, if a maximum LL session lifetime indication is present in the information, the STA can transmit an LL session OMN signal associated with the session token to disable the LL session.

[0218] Figures 18A to 18C - Example of Enhanced Reverse Direction (RD) Protocol

[0219] Figures 18A to 18CExamples of enhanced RD protocols according to some implementations are illustrated. For example, these RD protocols may allow a TXOP responder to send an LLI (e.g., in a BA or M-BA) to the TXOP owner to request LL data transmission. Therefore, according to some implementations, when the TXOP owner decides to use the RD protocol to grant LL transmission, the TXOP owner may set RDG=1 to indicate the RDG in a data or QoS empty frame. According to some implementations, the RDG field may be set to the same value in all MPDUs included in the frame. In some implementations, the TXOP owner may set the RDG value in the frame immediately after receiving the LLI, or it may do so in a subsequent frame. According to some implementations, Figures 18A to 18C The example RD protocols illustrated here can allow intermediate responses from the RD initiator until the RD ends (e.g., when the RD responder sets RDG / morePPDU=0).

[0220] For example, Figure 18A An example illustrates an AP communicating with STA1 and sending data to STA1 after successfully contending for a channel. STA1 can then reply with a BA including an LLI set to a value of 1 to indicate that it has LL UL data to send to the AP. However, the AP may decide to send additional data to STA1, where the RDG value is set to zero to indicate that RD has not yet been granted (e.g., STA1 should not send its LL data in the TXOP at that time). According to some implementations, STA1 can reply to the AP with another BA including an LLI value set to 1. At some point during the TXOP, the AP may determine to grant the RD protocol, allowing STA1 to send its LL UL data. Therefore, the AP can send data or a QoS empty frame to STA1 including an RDG value set to 1. STA1 can reply to the AP with a BA and further send its LL data, which includes an RDG value set to 1, and for the last PPDU of the LL data, set the RDG / more PPDU value to 0 to indicate that no more LL data will be sent. According to some implementation schemes, the AP can then send a BA and additional data to STA 1, and STA 1 can respond with a BA that includes an LLI set to a value of zero to indicate that it has no additional LL data to send. Figure 18B Examples are given based on some implementation schemes and Figure 18A A similar example scenario, but additionally includes sending a BA from the AP to the STA in response to receiving LL UL data with an RDG value equal to 1 from STA1.

[0221] Figure 18CAn example illustrates an AP communicating with an STA (e.g., STA2) and sending an ICF including the BSRP to STA2 after successfully contending for the channel. STA2 can then reply with an ICR including an LLI set to a value of 1 (e.g., an M-STA BA) to indicate that it has LL UL data to send to the AP. However, according to some implementations, the AP may decide to send additional data (e.g., a DL PPDU) to STA2, where the RDG value is set to zero to indicate that RD has not yet been granted (e.g., STA2 should not send its LL data in the TXOP at that time), and STA2 can reply to the AP with a BA. At some point during the TXOP, the AP may determine to grant the RD protocol, allowing STA2 to send its LL UL data. Thus, the AP may transmit data or a QoS empty frame to STA2 including an RDG value set to 1. STA2 can reply to the AP with a BA and further send its LL data, which includes an RDG value set to 1, and for the last PPDU of the LL data, set the RDG value to 0 to indicate that no more LL data will be sent. According to some implementation schemes, after receiving each LL data transmission, the AP can send a BA to STA2 to confirm successful data reception.

[0222] Figures 19A to 19C -Enhanced Reverse Direction (RD) Protocol-Additional Example of DL TXOP

[0223] Figures 19A to 19C Additional examples of enhanced RD protocols involving DL TXOPs are illustrated according to some implementations. According to some implementations, these RD protocols allow a TXOP responder to request RDs and / or transmissions from a peer device (e.g., another STA) from the TXOP owner. For example, a STA can set the LLI to an equal value of 2 in a BA or M-BA frame to request RDs from the TXOP owner and / or transmissions to a peer device (e.g., another STA). Thus, when the TXOP owner decides to grant RDs, it can set the RDG to an equal value of 1. Then, according to some implementations, the baseline RD / TXS process can be considered valid. In some implementations, the TXOP owner may need to protect the medium throughout the entire TXOP duration, and according to some implementations, the duration of the RDG PPDU can be set for the allocation of RDs and / or transmissions to other STAs.

[0224] Figure 19A An environment / scenario is illustrated according to some implementations involving AP1 and STA1 communicating with STA1, where AP1 may seek to send LL data to a peer STA (e.g., STA2). Figure 19BExample signaling is illustrated between a TXOP responder (e.g., STA1) and AP1 according to some implementation schemes for requesting RD from the TXOP owner (e.g., AP1) and / or to a peer device (e.g., STA2). For example, Figure 19B An example illustrates AP1 communicating with STA1 and sending data to STA1 after successfully contending for the channel. STA1 can then reply with a BA including an LLI value set to 1 to indicate that it has LL UL data to send to AP. However, AP1 may decide to send additional data to STA1, where the RDG value is set to zero to indicate that RD has not yet been granted (e.g., STA1 should not send its LL data in the TXOP at that time). According to some embodiments, STA1 can reply to AP1 with another BA including an LLI value set to 2 to indicate that it also has LL data to send to another STA (e.g., a peer STA such as STA2). During the TXOP, AP1 may determine to grant RD permission, allowing STA1 to send its LL data to AP1 and / or STA2. Thus, AP1 may send data or a QoS empty frame to STA1 including an RDG value set to 1. According to some embodiments, STA1 can reply to AP1 with a BA and further send its LL UL data including an RDG value set to 1 to AP, and subsequently receive a BA from AP1. Then, STA1 can send LL data to STA2 including an RDG / more PPDU value equal to 0 to indicate that no more LL data will be sent to STA2. STA1 can then receive BA from STA2 and finally send additional LL data to AP1 including an RDG / more PPDU value equal to 0 to indicate that no more LL data will be sent to AP1. According to some implementations, AP1 can then send a BA to STA1 to confirm successful data reception.

[0225] Figure 19CExample signaling between AP1 and multiple STAs, including STA1 and STA3, is illustrated. Additionally, according to some implementations, STA1 may have a peer-to-peer (P2P) connection with an additional STA (e.g., STA2). After successfully contending for the channel, AP1 may send an ICF including the BSRP to STA1 and STA3. STAs (STA1 and STA3) can then reply with an ICR (e.g., an M-STABA [also called M-BA]), and STA1 may include an LLI in its M-STA BA, which is set to a value of 2 to indicate that it has LL data to send to its peer STA2. AP1 can then send trigger frames to STA3 and STA1 to trigger their data transmission to AP1 (e.g., a TB PPDU). AP1 can then send an M-STA BA and a data or QoS empty frame to STA1, where the RDG value is set to 1, for example, to grant permission to the RD protocol, allowing STA1 to send its LL data to STA2. Therefore, according to some implementations, STA1 can use a BA to reply to AP1 and further send its LL data to STA2, and subsequently receive the BA from STA2. Then, according to some implementations, STA1 can send additional LL data to AP1 (e.g., via data or QoS empty frames) and include an RDG value equal to 1. According to some implementations, AP1 can then send a BA to STA1 to acknowledge successful data reception.

[0226] Figures 20A to 20C -Enhanced Reverse Direction (RD) Protocol- Additional Example of UL TXOP

[0227] Figures 20A to 20C Additional examples of enhanced RD protocols involving UL TXOPs according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. For example, according to some implementation schemes, Figures 20A to 20C This can correspond to a scenario where an AP (from the TXOP owner STA) requests RD services to another STA. Figure 20A An environment / scenario involving AP1 communicating with STA1 according to some implementation schemes is illustrated, wherein AP1 has data to be sent to one or more other STAs (e.g., STA2 and / or STA3).

[0228] Figure 20BThe illustration illustrates communication between AP1 and STA1 (e.g., the TXOP holder), which can send data to AP1 after successfully contending for the channel. AP1 can then reply with a BA including an LLI set to a value of 0 to indicate that it has no LL data to send to STA1 at that time. STA1 can then send additional data to AP1, and AP1 can reply with another BA including an LLI set to a value of 2 to indicate that it has LL data to send to another STA (e.g., STA2). During the TXOP, STA1 can determine permission to grant the RD protocol, allowing AP1 to send LL data to STA2. Therefore, STA1 can send data or a QoS empty frame to AP1 including an RDG value set to 1. According to some implementations, AP1 can respond to STA1 with a BA and further send LL data including an RDG value set to 1 to STA1, and subsequently receive the BA from STA1. AP1 can then send LL data including an RDG value equal to 0 to STA2 to indicate that it will no longer send LL data to STA2. AP1 can receive BA from STA2 and then optionally send additional LL data to STA1, including an RDG value equal to 0, to indicate that no more LL data will be sent to STA1. According to some implementations, STA1 can send BA to AP1 to acknowledge successful data reception.

[0229] Figure 20CExample signaling between AP1 and multiple STAs, including STA1, STA2, and STA3, is illustrated. STA1 (e.g., the TXOP holder) can send data to AP1 after successfully contending for the channel. AP1 can reply with a BA including an LLI set to a value of 0 to indicate that it has no LL data to send to STA1 at that time. STA1 can then send additional data to AP1, and AP1 can reply with another BA including an LLI set to a value of 2 to indicate that it has LL data to send to additional STAs (e.g., STA2 and STA3). At some point during the TXOP, STA1 can determine to grant permission to the RD protocol, allowing AP1 to send its LL data to STA2 and STA3. Therefore, STA1 can send data or a QoS empty frame to AP1 including an RDG value set to 1. AP1 can respond to STA1 with a BA and further send LL data including an RDG value set to 1 to STA1. According to some implementations, AP1 can also receive BAs from STA1. Furthermore, AP1 can (via MU PPDU) send LL data addressed to STA2 and STA3, and may include an RDG value equal to 0 to indicate that LL data will no longer be sent to STA2 and STA3. AP1 can receive BA from STA2 and STA3, and send additional LL data to STA1 including an RDG value equal to 0 to indicate that LL data will no longer be sent to STA1. According to some implementations, STA1 may then send a BA to AP1 to acknowledge successful data reception.

[0230] Additional Information

[0231] Regarding the RD protocol, an AP acting as an RD responder may transmit MU PPDUs to multiple STAs, or alternatively, transmit basic TFs to multiple STAs. However, according to some implementations, one STA can be considered the RD initiator. According to some implementations, during the RD protocol process, the TXOP owner may allow the TXOP responder to control the radio medium and transmit for an unspecified duration (but still within the TXOP limits). According to some implementations, signaling for RD may be included in the RDG subfield of the HT control field. According to some implementations, this field / bit may be interpreted as RDG or more PPDUs: RDG / More PPDU, and may be interpreted differently by the RD responder, the RD initiator, and / or the receiver of the Multi-User Request to Transmit (MU-RTS) TXS trigger frame. For example, once the TXOP owner decides to grant control of the TXOP to the TXOP responder, the TXOP owner may set the RDG / More PPDU bit to 1. Therefore, according to some implementations, if the TXOP responder determines to use a portion of the remainder of the TXOP, it may set the RDG / More PPDU to 1. Alternatively, according to some implementation schemes, when the TXOP responder no longer has information to send, it can set the RDG / More PPDU bit to 0.

[0232] According to some implementations, regarding Triggered TXOP Sharing (TXS), a MU-RTS TXS trigger frame can be characterized as an MU-RTS with a "Triggered TXOP Sharing Mode" subfield set to a non-zero value. Therefore, according to some implementations, an Extremely High Throughput (EHT) STA can use the allocated time (during TXS Mode 2) to transmit one or more non-TB PPDUs addressed to an AP or another STA. For example, according to some implementations, an EHT STA can use the allocated time (during TXS Mode 2) to transmit one or more non-TB PPDUs addressed to a peer STA on a P2P link, or it can use the allocated time for non-infrastructure network communication.

[0233] Example Implementation Plan

[0234] In some implementations, a method performed by a first station (STA) may include sending a first signaling to a second STA including a first indication associated with low latency (LL) capability. The method may also include receiving a second signaling from the second STA including a second indication, and, upon receiving the second indication, sending a third signaling to the second STA based on the LL capability. The method may further include receiving an acknowledgment associated with the third signaling from the second STA.

[0235] According to some implementations, the first indication may include an LL indicator set to a non-zero value. Additionally or alternatively, the second indication may include an inverse direction (RD) indicator set to a non-zero value, and the third signaling may include an RD indicator set to a non-zero value.

[0236] In some embodiments, the method may further include sending additional signaling, including additional indications, to the second STA. Additionally or alternatively, according to some embodiments, the additional indications may include other RD indicators set to a value of zero.

[0237] According to some implementations, the second signaling may be received in one of a data frame, a Quality of Service (QoS) empty frame, a Clear Transmit (CTS) frame, or a Transmit Share (TXS) frame. Additionally, according to some implementations, the method may include exchanging one or more parameters associated with the LL session with the second STA. Furthermore, the method may include disabling the LL session at a time associated with one of the one or more parameters.

[0238] In some implementations, the first signaling may be indicated in one of a Control Response Frame (CRF), a Block Acknowledgment (BA) frame, an Initial Control Response (ICR) frame, or a Multi-STA BA (M-BA) frame. According to some implementations, the method may include receiving initial signaling, including an Initial Control Frame (ICF), prior to the first signaling.

[0239] According to other embodiments, a method performed by a first STA may include sending initial signaling to a second STA and receiving first signaling from the second STA including a first indication associated with LL capabilities. The method may also include sending second signaling to the second STA including a second indication, and receiving third signaling from the second STA according to LL capabilities after sending the second indication. The method may further include sending acknowledgment signaling to the second STA associated with the third signaling.

[0240] According to some embodiments, an apparatus may include a processor configured to cause an access point (AP) to perform operations when executing instructions stored in a memory. These operations include receiving corresponding first signaling from one or more corresponding station (STA) units, the corresponding first signaling including one or more first indications associated with LL capabilities. Additionally, these operations may also include sending corresponding second signaling to one or more corresponding STA units including one or more second indications, and receiving corresponding third signaling from one or more corresponding STA units according to LL capabilities. According to some embodiments, these operations may also include sending acknowledgment signaling associated with the third signaling to one or more corresponding STA units.

[0241] In some implementations, one or more corresponding STAs may be non-enhanced multilink single radio (non-EMLSR) STAs. Additionally or alternatively, according to some implementations, the corresponding second signaling may be transmitted as follows: one or more Clear Transmission (CTS) frames, which may be successively transmitted to one or more corresponding STAs in an order corresponding to the order in which one or more first indications are received; or trigger frames (TF) that are transmitted to one or more corresponding STAs.

[0242] According to other implementations, one or more corresponding STAs may be Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) STAs, and the corresponding second signaling may be transmitted in a CTS frame that instructs at least one of the EMLSR STAs to switch to listening mode.

[0243] Embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0244] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured to store program instructions and / or data thereon, wherein, if executed by a computer system, the program instructions cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any method embodiments of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0245] In some implementations, the wireless device may be configured to include a processor (and / or a set of processors) and a memory medium storing program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read from and execute the program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable to cause the wireless device to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any combination of these subsets). The device may be implemented in any of a variety of forms.

[0246] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0247] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. It is intended that the following claims be construed as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: From the first station (STA): Send a first signaling message to the second STA, including a first indication associated with low latency (LL) capability; Receive a second signaling message including a second instruction from the second STA; Upon receiving the second instruction, a third signaling is sent to the second STA based on the LL capability; as well as Receive an acknowledgment associated with the third signaling from the second STA.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication includes an LL indicator set to a non-zero value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second indicator includes an inverse direction (RD) indicator set to a non-zero value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the third signaling includes the RD indicator set to the non-zero value.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: Send additional signaling, including additional instructions, to the second STA.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the additional indication includes another RD indicator set to a value of zero.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second signaling is received in one of the following ways: Data frame; Quality of Service (QoS) empty frames; Clear the transmit (CTS) frame; or Send a shared (TXS) frame.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Exchange one or more parameters associated with the LL session with the second STA; as well as Disable the LL session at the time associated with one of the one or more parameters.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signaling is indicated in one of the following: Control Response Frame (CRF); Block Acknowledgment (BA) frame; Initial Control Response (ICR) frame; or Multi-STA BA (M-BA) frames.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Initial signaling, including an initial control frame (ICF), is received before the first signaling.

11. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: From the first station (STA): Send initial signaling to the second STA; Receive first signaling from the second STA, including a first indication associated with low latency (LL) capability; Send a second signaling message, including a second instruction, to the second STA; After sending the second instruction, a third signaling is received from the second STA according to the LL capability; and In response to the third signaling, an acknowledgment signaling is sent to the second STA.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: Exchange one or more parameters associated with the LL session with the second STA; as well as Disable the LL session at the time associated with one of the one or more parameters.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first indication includes an LL indicator set to a non-zero value.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the second indication includes an inverse direction (RD) indicator set to a non-zero value.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the third signaling includes the RD indicator set to the non-zero value.

16. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: By access point (AP): Receive corresponding first signaling from one or more corresponding stations (STAs), the corresponding first signaling including one or more first indications associated with low latency (LL) capability; Send a corresponding second signaling message, including one or more second instructions, to the one or more corresponding STAs; Receive corresponding third signaling from one or more corresponding STAs according to the LL capability; as well as In response to the corresponding third signaling, an acknowledgment signaling is sent to the one or more corresponding STAs.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more respective STAs comprise non-enhanced multilink single radio (non-EMLSR) STAs.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the corresponding second signaling is sent in the following manner: One or more Clear Transmit (CTS) frames, the one or more Clear Transmit (CTS) frames being sequentially transmitted to the one or more corresponding STAs in an order corresponding to the order in which the one or more first indications were received; or A trigger frame (TF) is sent to the one or more corresponding STAs.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: A processor configured to perform the operation of any one of claims 1 to 18 when executing instructions stored in memory.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that can be executed by one or more processors to perform the operation of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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