Negative confirmation mechanism

Abstract

This disclosure provides methods, components, devices, and systems that can assist various wireless devices in negating acknowledgments of certain wireless transmissions. An example method performed at a first wireless node generally includes obtaining information indicating the transmission from a second wireless node of a Physical Layer (PHY) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) intended for use at the first wireless node; generating a frame indicating a negation acknowledgment of at least a portion of the PPDU if one or more conditions are met; and outputting the frame to the second wireless node.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 506,996, filed November 10, 2023, which has been assigned to the assignee of this application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, as fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates in general to wireless communications, and more specifically to signaling mechanisms for providing negative acknowledgments of certain types of transmissions in a wireless medium.

[0004] Related technical descriptions

[0005] A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) can be formed by one or more wireless access points (APs) that provide a shared wireless communication medium for use by multiple client devices (also known as wireless stations (STAs)). The basic building block of a WLAN conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard family is the Basic Service Set (BSS) managed by the AP. Each BSS is identified by a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) advertised by the AP. The AP periodically broadcasts beacon frames to enable any STA within the AP's wireless range to establish or maintain a communication link with the WLAN. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The systems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein each have several innovative aspects, and no single aspect is solely responsible for the desired properties disclosed herein.

[0007] An innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication by a wireless node / wireless station / wireless access point / wireless communication device. One aspect provides a method for wireless communication involving a mechanism for negatively acknowledging certain wireless transmissions. The method generally includes obtaining information indicating the transmission from a second wireless node of a Physical Layer (PHY) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) intended for use by a first wireless node; generating a frame indicating a negative acknowledgment of at least a portion of the PPDU if one or more conditions are met; and outputting the frame to the second wireless node.

[0008] Other aspects provide: an apparatus capable of operating to, being configured to, or otherwise adapted to perform one or more of the foregoing methods and / or those methods described elsewhere herein; a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the foregoing methods and those methods described elsewhere herein; a computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium comprising: code for performing the foregoing methods and those methods described elsewhere herein; and / or an apparatus comprising components for performing the foregoing methods and those methods described elsewhere herein. By way of example, an apparatus may include a processing system, a device having a processing system, or a processing system cooperating via one or more networks.

[0009] Details of one or more specific embodiments of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. Note that the relative dimensions in the following drawings may not be drawn to scale. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The accompanying drawings depict certain features of the various aspects described herein and should not be considered as limiting the scope of this disclosure.

[0011] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network is shown.

[0012] Figure 2 A hierarchical format of an example PPDU that can be used for communication between a wireless AP and one or more wireless STAs is shown.

[0013] Figure 3 An example call flowchart for channel selection according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0014] Figure 4A , Figure 4B and Figure 4C An example signaling mechanism for a negative acknowledgment PPDU is shown according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 5 An example frame format for a negative acknowledgment PPDU is shown according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an example process that can be performed at a first wireless device supporting a signaling mechanism for negative acknowledgment, in relation to various aspects of this disclosure, is shown.

[0017] Figure 7A flowchart illustrating an example process that can be performed at a second wireless device supporting a signaling mechanism for negative acknowledgment, in relation to various aspects of this disclosure, is shown.

[0018] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device supporting various aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0019] Similar reference numerals and names in the various figures indicate similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The following description refers to certain specific examples in order to illustrate the innovative aspects of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. Some or all of the examples described can be applied in accordance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, the IEEE 802.15 standard, or Bluetooth as defined by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). ® This can be implemented in any device, system, or network that transmits and receives radio frequency (RF) signals according to one or more of the standards or those published by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3G, 4G, or 5G (New Radio (NR)). The described examples can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals according to one or more of the following technologies or techniques: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA), Rate Split Multiple Access (RSMA), Multi-User Shared Access (MUSA), Single-User (SU) Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), and Multi-User (MU) MIMO (MU-MIMO). The described examples can also be implemented using other wireless communication protocols or RF signals suitable for use in one or more of the following networks: Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN), or Internet of Things (IoT).

[0021] Some wireless systems utilize hierarchical data structures, where a single transmission carries multiple smaller data units. For example, Figure 2 A layered format of an example Physical Layer (PHY) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) capable of being used for communication between a wireless access point (AP) and one or more wireless stations (STAs) is depicted. As described, each PPDU 200 includes a PHY preamble 202 and a PSDU 204. Each PSDU 204 may represent (or "carry") one or more MAC Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) 216.

[0022] The receiving device can provide positive acknowledgments indicating successful reception of one or more MPDUs via mechanisms called Acknowledgments and Block Acknowledgments (BA). These mechanisms can use various frames, such as Ack, BlockAck (BA), and Multi-STA BlockAck (M-BA) frames, to provide the reception status of the MPDUs. Focusing on the BA mechanism, the BA frame transmitted in response typically includes one or more bitmaps with bits indicating whether the corresponding MPDU was successfully received. Therefore, the transmitter receiving the BA can know which MPDUs should be retransmitted.

[0023] A potential drawback of systems utilizing this type of PPDU structure is the lack of a signaling mechanism (e.g., a protocol) to provide negative acknowledgments (NACKs) for the content of the PPDU. In other words, what may be lacking is signaling acknowledging the reception of the PPDU (e.g., via detection or partial decoding of the PHY header) but not the reception of the content of one or more PSDUs (PHY Layer Service Data Units) included in the PPDU. The ability to signal a NACK for the PPDU can be beneficial even if none of the MPDUs transmitted within it (in the PSDU) are successfully received. For example, a NACK for the PPDU can provide feedback to the transmitter, allowing it to adjust transmission parameters for subsequent transmissions. For instance, a NACK can provide immediate feedback on channel conditions or interference experienced by the receiver.

[0024] Various aspects of this disclosure provide a signaling mechanism that allows a receiver to provide NACK feedback for / towards a PPDU. As will be described in more detail below, based on this feedback, the transmitter may be able to adjust transmission parameters for subsequent PPDUs, which may include retransmissions of MPDUs included in the NACK PPDU. In some cases, NACK may be provided within a frame that also includes suggested adjustments to transmission parameters such as bandwidth, transmit power, number of spatial streams (NSS), and / or modulation and decoding schemes (MCS) for subsequent PPDUs.

[0025] Specific aspects of the subject matter described herein can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, the described techniques can be used to provide NACK feedback for a PPDU when only a portion of the PPDU is successfully decoded at the receiver, without successfully decoding any MPDU included in one or more PSDUs within the PPDU. The feedback can be used to adjust transmission parameters, and in some cases, the feedback may include suggested adjustments and / or statistics (e.g., target RSSI, interference level, subchannel availability, and / or other such metrics) that can be used to adjust transmission parameters. Therefore, the signaling mechanisms provided herein can allow for efficient adaptation to channel conditions, which can help improve reliability and throughput, resulting in an improved overall user experience.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network 100 is shown. Depending on some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a wireless local area network (WLAN) (such as a Wi-Fi network). For example, the wireless communication network 100 may be a network implementing at least one of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard families (such as those defined by the IEEE 802.11-2020 specification or its revisions, including but not limited to 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, 802.11bd, 802.11be, 802.11bf, and 802.11bn). In some other examples, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a cellular radio access network (RAN), such as a 5G RAN or 6G RAN implementing one or more cellular protocols (such as those specified in one or more 3GPP standards). In some other examples, the wireless communication network 100 may include a WLAN that operates in an interoperable or converged manner with one or more cellular RANs to provide greater or enhanced network coverage to wireless communication devices within the wireless communication network 100, or to enable these devices to connect to the core of the cellular network, such as to access network management capabilities and functionality provided by the cellular network core.

[0027] The wireless communication network 100 may include numerous wireless communication devices, including at least one wireless access point (AP) 102 and any number of wireless stations (STA) 104. Although Figure 1Only one AP 102 is shown, but the wireless communication network 100 may include multiple APs 102. AP 102 may be or represent various different types of network entities, including but not limited to home networking APs, enterprise APs, single-band APs, dual-band synchronous (DBS) APs, tri-band synchronous (TBS) APs, standalone APs, non-standalone APs, software-enabled APs (software APs), and multi-link APs (also known as AP multi-link devices (MLDs)), as well as cellular (such as 3GPP, 4G LTE, 5G, or 6G) base stations or other cellular network nodes (such as Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), gNB, Transmit Receive Point (TRP)) or another type of equipment or apparatus included in the radio access network (RAN), including open RAN (O-RAN) network entities such as central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), or radio units (RUs).

[0028] Each STA 104 may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), mobile device, mobile phone, wireless phone, access terminal (AT), user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), or subscriber unit, etc. STA 104 can represent a variety of devices such as mobile phones, other handheld or wearable communication devices, netbooks, laptops, tablets, laptops, Chromebooks, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), or extended reality (XR) wireless headsets or other peripherals, wireless earbuds, other wearable devices, display devices (e.g., televisions, computer monitors, or video game consoles), video game controllers, navigation systems, music or other audio or stereo devices, remote control devices, printers, kitchen appliances (including smart refrigerators) or other household appliances, remote keys (e.g., for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, vehicles, etc.

[0029] A single AP 102 and its associated set of STA 104s may be referred to as a Basic Service Set (BSS), which is managed by the respective AP 102. Figure 1Additionally, an example coverage area 108 of AP 102 is shown, which may represent the Basic Service Area (BSA) of wireless communication network 100. The BSA can be identified by STA 104 and other devices via a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), which may be the Media Access Control (MAC) address of AP 102. AP 102 may periodically broadcast beacon frames (“beacons”) including the BSSID to enable any STA 104 within the wireless range of AP 102 to “associate” or reassociate with AP 102 to establish or maintain a corresponding communication link 106 (also referred to hereinafter as a “Wi-Fi link”) with AP 102. For example, the beacon may include an identifier or indication of the primary channel used by the corresponding AP 102, and a Timing Synchronization Function (TSF) for establishing or maintaining timing synchronization with AP 102. AP 102 can provide access to external networks to each STA 104 in the wireless communication network 100 via the corresponding communication link 106.

[0030] To establish a communication link 106 with AP 102, each STA 104 is configured to perform a passive or active scanning operation (“scan”) on frequency channels in one or more frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 45 GHz, or 60 GHz bands). To perform a passive scan, STA 104 listens for beacons transmitted by the corresponding AP 102 at periodic time intervals (referred to as the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT)). To perform an active scan, STA 104 generates probe requests and transmits these requests sequentially on each channel to be scanned, and listens for probe responses from AP 102. Each STA 104 can identify, determine, detect, or select an AP 102 to associate with based on the scanning information obtained through passive or active scanning, and performs authentication and association operations to establish a communication link 106 with the selected AP 102. The selected AP 102 assigns an association identifier (AID) to STA 104 at the end of the association operation, and AP 102 uses the association identifier (AID) to track STA 104.

[0031] As wireless networks become increasingly prevalent, STA 104 may have the opportunity to choose from one of many BSSs within its range or from multiple APs 102 that together form an Extended Service Set (ESS) (comprising multiple connected BSSs). For example, wireless communication network 100 may be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system capable of connecting multiple APs 102 in such an ESS. Therefore, STA 104 may be covered by more than one AP 102 and may be associated with different APs 102 at different times for different transmissions. Additionally, after associating with an AP 102, STA 104 may periodically scan its surroundings to find a more suitable AP 102 to associate with. For example, STA 104 moving relative to its associated AP 102 may perform a “roaming” scan to find another AP 102 with more desirable network characteristics, such as a larger Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) or reduced traffic load.

[0032] In some cases, STA 104 can form a network without AP 102 or other equipment besides STA 104 itself. An example of such a network is an ad-hoc network (or wireless ad-hoc network). Ad-hoc networks may also be referred to as mesh networks or peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. In some cases, ad-hoc networks can be implemented within a larger network, such as wireless communication network 100. In such examples, while STA 104 may be able to communicate with each other via communication link 106 through AP 102, STA 104 can also communicate directly with each other via direct wireless communication link 110. Additionally, two STA 104 can communicate via direct communication link 110, regardless of whether the two STA 104 are associated with and served by the same AP 102. In such ad-hoc systems, one or more STAs among STA 104 can assume the role played by AP 102 in the BSS. Such STA 104 can be referred to as the group owner (GO) and can coordinate transmissions within the ad-hoc network. Examples of direct wireless communication links 110 include Wi-Fi direct connections, connections established by using Wi-Fi Tunneling Direct Link Establishment (TDLS) links, and other P2P group connections.

[0033] In some networks, AP 102 or STA 104, or both, can support applications associated with high throughput or low latency requirements, or provide lossless audio to one or more other devices. For example, AP 102 or STA 104 can support applications and use cases associated with ultra-low latency (ULL), such as ULL gaming, or streaming lossless audio and video to one or more personal audio devices (such as peripherals) or AR / VR / MR / XR headsets. In scenarios where a user uses two or more peripherals, AP 102 or STA 104 can support extended personal audio networks that enable communication with these two or more peripherals. Additionally, AP 102 and STA 104 can support additional ULL applications with ULL and high throughput requirements, such as cloud-based applications (such as VR cloud gaming).

[0034] As indicated above, in some implementations, AP 102 and STA 104 may operate and communicate according to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards (via the corresponding communication link 106). These standards define WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the physical (PHY) layer and MAC layer. AP 102 and STA 104 transmit and receive wireless communications to and from each other in the form of PHY Protocol Data Units (PPDUs) (also referred to below as "Wi-Fi communication" or "wireless packets").

[0035] Each PPDU is a composite structure comprising a PHY preamble and a payload in the form of a PHY Service Data Unit (PSDU). The information provided in the preamble can be used by the receiving device to decode subsequent data in the PSDU. In instances where the PPDU is transmitted on a bound channel or a wideband channel, the preamble field may be copied and transmitted in each of the multiple component channels. The PHY preamble may include both a legacy portion (or "legacy preamble") and a non-legacy portion (or "non-legacy preamble"). The legacy preamble can be used for other purposes such as packet detection, automatic gain control, and channel estimation. The legacy preamble is also typically used to maintain compatibility with legacy equipment. The format, decoding, and information provided in the non-legacy portion of the preamble are associated with the specific IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol to be used to transmit the payload.

[0036] AP 102 and STA 104 in WLAN 100 can transmit PPDUs on unlicensed spectrum, which can be a portion of the spectrum including bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technologies, such as the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, 45 GHz band, and 60 GHz band. Some examples of AP 102 and STA 104 described herein can also communicate in other bands that can support both licensed and unlicensed communication. For example, AP 102 or STA 104, or both, may also be able to communicate on licensed operating bands, where multiple operators may have corresponding licenses to operate in the same or overlapping frequency ranges. Such licensed operating frequency bands may be specified or associated with frequency ranges mapped to or associated with FR1 (410MHz to 7.125GHz), FR2 (24.25GHz to 52.6GHz), FR3 (7.125GHz to 24.25GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6GHz to 71GHz), FR4 (52.6GHz to 114.25GHz), and FR5 (114.25GHz to 300GHz).

[0037] Each of these frequency bands can include multiple sub-bands and frequency channels (also referred to as sub-channels). For example, PPDUs conforming to revisions of the IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and 802.11bn standards can be transmitted on one or more of the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz frequency bands, each of which is divided into multiple 20 MHz channels. Therefore, these PPDUs are transmitted on physical channels with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, but larger channels can be formed through channel bonding. For example, PPDUs can be transmitted on physical channels with bandwidths of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz, or 640 MHz by bonding multiple 20 MHz channels together.

[0038] In some examples, the AP 102 or STA 104 of WLAN 100 can achieve extremely high throughput (EHT) or other features conforming to current and future generations of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards, such as the IEEE 802.11be and 802.11bn revisions, to provide additional capabilities superior to other previous systems, such as high-efficiency (HE) systems or other legacy systems. For example, the IEEE 802.11be revision introduces a 320MHz channel, which is twice the width of the channel achievable by the IEEE 802.11ax revision. Therefore, the AP 102 or STA 104 can use the 320MHz channel to achieve twice the throughput and network capacity, as well as rate and range gains at high data rates due to the trade-off between linear bandwidth and logarithmic SNR. EHT and newer wireless communication protocols (such as those known as the IEEE 802.11bn standard revision or related protocols) support flexible operating bandwidth enhancements, such as broadened operating bandwidths or finer-grained operation relative to older operating bandwidths. For example, EHT systems can allow communication across operating bandwidths of 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, 240MHz, and 320MHz. EHT systems can support various bandwidth modes, such as a continuous 240MHz bandwidth mode, a continuous 320MHz bandwidth mode, a non-contiguous 160+160MHz bandwidth mode, or a non-contiguous 80+80+80+80 (or "4x80") MHz bandwidth mode.

[0039] In some examples where the wireless communication device (such as AP 102 or STA 104) operates in a continuous 320MHz bandwidth mode or a 160+160MHz bandwidth mode, the signal used for transmission may be generated by two different transmit chains of the wireless communication device, each with or associated with a 160MHz bandwidth (and each transmit chain coupled to a different power amplifier). In some other examples, two transmit chains may be used to support a 240MHz / 160+80MHz bandwidth mode by puncturing the 320MHz / 160+160MHz bandwidth mode with one or more 80MHz sub-channels. For example, the signal used for transmission may be generated by two different transmit chains of the wireless communication device, each with a 160MHz bandwidth, one of which outputs a signal with 80MHz sub-channels punctured within it. In some other examples where the wireless communication device can operate in a continuous 240MHz bandwidth mode or a non-continuous 160+80MHz bandwidth mode, the signal used for transmission may be generated by three different transmit chains of the wireless communication device, each with an 80MHz bandwidth. In some other examples, the signal used for transmission may be generated by four or more different transmission chains of a wireless communication device, each with a bandwidth of 80 MHz.

[0040] In discontinuous examples, the operating bandwidth can span one or more completely different sets of subchannels. For example, a 320 MHz bandwidth can be continuous and located in the same 6 GHz band, or it can be discontinuous and located in different bands or different regions within a band (such as partially located in the 5 GHz band and partially located in the 6 GHz band).

[0041] In some examples, AP 102 or STA 104 may benefit from operability enhancements associated with EHT and the next-generation IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards. For example, AP 102 or STA 104 attempting to gain access to the wireless medium of WLAN 100 may perform techniques such as free channel assessment (CCA) operations based on EHT enhancements (such as increased bandwidth, puncturing, or refinement of carrier sense and signal reporting mechanisms), which may include modifications to existing rules, structures, or signaling implemented for legacy systems.

[0042] Figure 2A layered format of an example PPDU capable of being used for communication between a wireless AP 102 and one or more wireless STAs 104 is shown. As described, each PPDU 200 includes a PHY preamble 202 and a PSDU 204. Each PSDU 204 may represent (or “carry”) one or more MAC Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) 216. For example, each PSDU 204 may carry an aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU) 206, which includes an aggregation of multiple A-MPDU subframes 208. Each A-MPDU subframe 206 may include an MPDU frame 210 that includes a MAC delimiter 212 and a MAC header 214 preceding the accompanying MPDU 216, which includes the data portion (“payload” or “frame body”) of the MPDU frame 210. Each MPDU frame 210 may also include a Frame Check Sequence (FCS) field 218 for error detection (e.g., the FCS field may include a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)) and padding bits 220. MPDU 216 may carry one or more MAC Service Data Units (MSDUs) 216. For example, MPDU 216 may carry an aggregated MSDU (A-MSDU) 222, which comprises multiple A-MSDU subframes 224. Each A-MSDU subframe 224 contains a corresponding MSDU 230, which is preceded by a subframe header 228 and, in some cases, followed by padding bits 232.

[0043] Returning to reference MPDU frame 210, MAC delimiter 212 can be used as a marker to indicate the start of associated MPDU 216 and the length of associated MPDU 216. MAC header 214 may include multiple fields containing information defining or indicating the characteristics or attributes of the data encapsulated within frame body 216. MAC header 214 includes a duration field indicating the duration from the end of the PPDU to at least the end of the acknowledgment (ACK) or block ACK (BA) for that PPDU to be sent by the receiving wireless communication device. The use of the duration field is to reserve the radio medium for the indicated duration and to enable the receiving device to establish its Network Allocation Vector (NAV). MAC header 214 also includes one or more fields indicating the address of the data encapsulated within frame body 216. For example, MAC header 214 may include a combination of source address, transmitter address, receiver address, or destination address. MAC header 214 may also include a frame control field containing control information. The frame control field may specify the frame type, such as a data frame, control frame, or management frame.

[0044] All aspects related to the negative acknowledgment signaling mechanism

[0045] Various aspects of this disclosure provide a signaling mechanism that allows a receiver to provide NACK feedback for / for certain radio transmissions (such as PPDUs).

[0046] Some wireless systems utilize hierarchical data structures, such as Figure 2 The PPDU structure depicted in the diagram includes one or more PSDUs or multi-user (MU) PPDUs, where each PSDU includes one or more A-MPDU subframes. The receiving device can provide a positive acknowledgment indicating successful reception of one or more MPDUs via a mechanism called Block Acknowledgment (BA). A BA typically includes a field providing bits indicating whether the corresponding MPDU was successfully received. Therefore, the transmitter receiving the BA can know which MPDUs should be retransmitted.

[0047] As noted above, a potential drawback of systems utilizing this type of PPDU architecture (such as Ultra-High Reliability (UHR) systems) is the lack of a signaling mechanism to provide NACK for the PPDU. For various reasons, NACK for the PPDU can be beneficial even if none of the MPDUs transmitted within it are successfully received. For example, NACK for the PPDU can provide feedback to the transmitter, allowing it to adjust transmission parameters for subsequent transmissions. For instance, NACK can provide immediate feedback on channel conditions or interference experienced by the receiver. The transmitter can determine adjustments based on the feedback, and in some cases, the feedback can include recommended adjustments.

[0048] Various aspects of this disclosure provide a signaling mechanism that allows a receiver to provide NACK feedback for a PPDU. Based on the feedback, the transmitter can be able to adjust transmission parameters for subsequent PPDUs (e.g., subsequent PPDUs include retransmissions of MPDUs and possible additional MPDUs). The mechanism proposed herein can also be used to provide NACK feedback for NDP PPDUs that do not include a PSDU at all. In this case, the NDP PPDU can request a NACK frame (e.g., based on PHY header information), and the NACK frame can include link adaptation (LA) parameters (e.g., MCS, NSS, BW, PPDU type, transmit power, target RSSI, subchannel availability, interference, puncturing information, etc.).

[0049] In some cases, the receiver may also be able to set a duration field in the frame for signaling NACK, which can allow the network allocation vector (NAV) to be extended (e.g., even if it cannot successfully decode the PPDU), allowing the receiver sufficient time to receive retransmissions. For example, the duration field may be set to a value indicating the duration indicated in the TXOP field of the PPDU-based PHY header, the SIFS duration, and / or the duration used to send the NACK frame (e.g., TXOP-SIFS-NACK transmission time).

[0050] In some cases, NACK can be provided within a frame that also includes suggested adjustments to transmission parameters such as bandwidth, number of spatial streams (NSS), and / or modulation and decoding schemes (MCS) used for retransmission (e.g., and / or feedback on channel conditions / interference that the transmitter can use to adjust such parameters). Therefore, the NACK signaling mechanism presented herein can help adapt to changing channel conditions.

[0051] Figure 3 A call flowchart 300 is depicted, illustrating techniques for signaling negative acknowledgment (NACK) according to certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0052] In some respects, Figure 3 The first and / or second wireless nodes shown can be relative to Figure 1 Examples of AP 102 (e.g., AP STA) and / or STA 104 (e.g., non-AP STA) depicted and described. For example, the first wireless node may be an AP and the second wireless node may be a STA, the first wireless node may be a STA and the second wireless node may be an AP, or in a peer-to-peer (P2P) scenario, both the first and second wireless nodes may be STAs.

[0053] As indicated at 302, even if the first wireless node has not successfully decoded the PPDU as illustrated by X, the first wireless node can still obtain information indicating that the PPDU is to be sent from the second wireless node.

[0054] The information may include various types of information that allow the first wireless node to determine that it is the intended recipient of the PPDU and also to determine the identity of the transmitter (e.g., the second wireless node). For example, the first wireless node may exchange information from a previous frame (e.g., Figure 3 Information can be obtained by either using the RTS and CTS examples shown in the diagram, or by decoding the physical layer (PHY) header of the PPDU.

[0055] As indicated at 304, if one or more conditions are met, the first wireless node may subsequently generate a negative acknowledgment (NACK) frame indicating at least a portion of the PPDU. Therefore, even if the first wireless node has not successfully decoded any MPDU it has delivered, it can still NACK the PPDU.

[0056] As indicated at 306, after receiving a NACK frame, the second radio node may output one or more MPDUs included in the PPDU for retransmission. In some cases, the MPDU can be retransmitted using suggested adjustments to the transmission parameters indicated in the NACK frame.

[0057] Figure 4A This illustrates how a wireless node can obtain enough information to generate a NACK frame 420 for a PPDU (or aggregated PPDU) 410 that it has not successfully received.

[0058] The exact type of information can depend on the type of PPDU. For example, if PPDU 410 is a high-efficiency (HE) PPDU, then the PHY header 412 may include various fields, such as a BSS color field indicating the direction of transmission and a UL mark. The BSS color can be non-unique (e.g., only 6 bits), so there may be a non-negligible possibility of conflict between BSSs. Therefore, in addition to the BSS color field, the STA may use other fields to determine whether the PPDU is intended for that STA.

[0059] The UL flag can be set to a first value (e.g., UL flag = 1) to indicate UL transmission, or set to a second value (e.g., UL flag = 0) to indicate downlink or P2P (DL / P2P) transmission. Depending on the value of the UL flag, the PHY header may include a receiver ID (e.g., RXID if the UL flag is set to DL) or a transmitter ID (e.g., TXID if the UL flag is set to UL). Therefore, if set to 0 (e.g., UL flag = 0 to indicate DL), the UL flag may indicate that a non-AP STA is a receiver, or if set to 1 (e.g., UL flag = 1 to indicate UL), the UL flag may indicate that an AP is a receiver.

[0060] Other types of PPDUs (such as Ultra High Throughput (EHT) or Ultra High Reliability (UHR) PPDUs) may have similar information to HE MUPPDUs. For example, a UHR PPDU may have a BSS color field (e.g., 6 bits), a UL mark (1 bit), and an RX / TX ID (e.g., 11 bits) to identify the transmitter / receiver. The RX / TX ID may not be as important as it was in previous frame exchanges (e.g., as...). Figure 4BThe receiver address (RA) / transmitter address (TA) transmitted in the RTS / CTS exchange shown is unique. Therefore, additional mechanisms can be used to address the potential non-uniqueness of the receiver / transmitter identifiers obtained from fields in the PHY header / preamble. In some cases, the field indicating the number of STAs in the SIG-B field can indicate whether the PPDU is multi-user (MU) or single-user (SU).

[0061] like Figure 4A As shown, the receiver can use this information to generate a NACK frame 420. As will be described in more detail below, the NACK can be indicated in a new control frame or via an existing type of control frame, such as a block acknowledgment (BA) frame, a compressed BA (C-BA) frame, or a multi-STA BA (M-BA) frame.

[0062] Refer again Figure 4A A wireless node receiving a PPDU (e.g., a UHR PPDU) with a PSDU failure (e.g., meaning no MPDU was successfully received) can check to see if one or more conditions are met before generating a NACK frame.

[0063] For example, a wireless node might first check the BSS color field to see if the PPDU was generated within its own BSS (e.g., check for BSS color matching). In some respects, if no BSS color match exists, the wireless node might ignore the PPDU (and not transmit a NACK).

[0064] The wireless node can also check whether the PPDU is UL or DL. For example, if the wireless node is an AP, it may only be interested in UL PPDUs (because these PPDUs are likely intended for the AP). Similarly, if the wireless node is a STA, it may only be interested in DL (or P2P) PPDUs (because these PPDUs are likely intended for the STA).

[0065] If the PPDU is a UL PPDU and the wireless node is an AP, the AP can check which STA generated the PPDU (e.g., based on the transmitter (TX) identifier (ID)) to see if that STA is associated with the AP. If the PPDU is a DL PPDU and the wireless node is a STA, the STA can check if the PPDU is intended for use by that STA (e.g., based on the receiver (RX) ID).

[0066] If such conditions are met, the wireless node can generate an immediate NACK frame. In some cases, bits in the PHY header of the PPDU (e.g., immediate response indication bits) can indicate an expected immediate response. In such cases, the wireless node can generate an immediate NACK frame, which has an immediate meaning after the Short Interframe Spacing (SIFS) duration. In some cases, if there is no information in the PHY header to know whether a response is expected, the wireless node can generate a NACK frame within a certain time period (e.g., after AckTimeout or after the end of TXOP). In some cases, the value of the TXOP field in the PHY header of the PPDU can indicate an expected immediate response (e.g., by setting the field to an unspecified value (e.g., 127)) to indicate a TXOP with an immediate response.

[0067] As noted above, in some cases, NACK can be provided via a type of BA frame. For example, Figure 5 An example of a multi-STA BA (M-BA) frame 500 that can be used to transmit NACK is shown.

[0068] As illustrated, the M-BA may have a BA information field 502, which includes zero or more per-Associated ID (AID) Business ID (TID) information fields 504. Each AID TID information field may have information for a specific TID and AID combination (referred to as...).<TID, AID> A tuple is a field containing control information for a given context. For example, a BlockAck context can provide a BA bitmap 506 for a TID and intended for (or from) an AID.

[0069] like Figure 5 As illustrated, there are various options for how to use M-BA frames to indicate NACK.

[0070] For example, according to the first option (Option 1), NACK can be indicated by setting the length of the BA information field 502 to 0. In other words, setting the BA information field to zero can indicate that no BA information is provided, which can be interpreted as meaning that the M-BA frame is used as a NACK frame.

[0071] In such cases, the RA and TA fields of the M-BA can be set to identify the receiver and transmitter of the M-BA frame, respectively. This can be helpful, for example, when a previous frame exchange provided the MAC addresses of the receiver (RA) and / or transmitter (TA). A potential advantage associated with using the RA / TA from a previous frame exchange is that they will become available much faster than similar IDs obtained from the PHY header ID, which may not have been ready before the M-BA was transmitted. In some cases, if it is difficult to identify the RA before generating the M-BA frame, this field can be set to broadcast. Of course, the transmitter address is always known to the transmitter. Upon reception, if the request PPDU is generated by the transmitter and intended for a radio node (STA) identified by the address in the TA of the M-BA, the transmitter (of the PPDU) can know that the M-BA is addressed to it.

[0072] According to the second option (Option 2), a NACK can be indicated via a per-AID TID information field 504 with a specified new context (e.g., a negative Ack). For example, this new context can be specified using a reserved combination of the Ack type of the AID TID information field and the TID subfield. This will indicate a negative acknowledgment sent to / from the STA identified in the AID.

[0073] According to the second option (Option 2), for both TID and AID, NACK can be indicated by a per-AID TID information field having a BlockAck bitmap field 506 with all fields set to 0. In this case, the TID can be any TID, and the AID can indicate the STA that generated / received the BA.

[0074] refer to Figure 4B If a previous frame exchange (such as RTS 422 and CTS 424 or some other exchange) succeeds before MPDU 430, the RA address can be obtained from the TA of the previous frame in that TXOP. In the case of DL or UL, the AID in NACK 440 (e.g., M-BA) can be the AID of the sending STA, or it can be 0 (e.g., only for UL). The AID can be equal to the RX / TX ID in the PHY header of the previous frame (e.g., so that RX / TX ID from the previous frame can be reused as the AID in M-BA).

[0075] For example Figure 4B As illustrated, a wireless node can also rely solely on the PHY header of the received PPDU. The TA address will be the TA address of the sending STA, while the RA address can be the RA address of the receiving STA (e.g., if found during NACK transmission).

[0076] Referring to PPDU 450, if the UL flag in PHY header 452 indicates a UL condition (e.g., the STA is transmitting NACK460), then the STA is associated with only one AP, and therefore the RA address of NACK 460 is the AP's RA address (e.g., obtained as its MAC address). Referring to PPDU 470, if the UL flag in PHY header 472 indicates a DL condition (e.g., the AP is transmitting NACK480), then there may be multiple STAs associated with the AP. Therefore, there may be multiple stored RA addresses, which could lead to a longer time to obtain the MAC address. In such cases, the AP may decide to set the RA to broadcast.

[0077] In some cases, response indication flags may be included in the STA information field of the SIG-B section of the UHR MU PPDU. In such cases, each response indication field can tell the receiving STA (AID) to expect it to generate an immediate response. This can be independent of their status in the MPDU within the PSDU.

[0078] In such cases, different rules can be specified. For multicast MU PPDUs and single control responses, a STA information field can specify the expected immediate response for a station (e.g., STA 1). In this case, the STA can generate a control response after SIFS (e.g., and the control response can be NACK), which can be transmitted as a non-trigger-based (non-TB) PPDU format because there is a single responder. Other STA information fields can specify that an immediate response is not expected.

[0079] For multicast MU PPDUs and multiple control responses, multiple STA information fields can specify the immediate response expected by the STA. In such cases, the STA may generate its control response after the SIFS duration (e.g., it could be NACK). The control response should be transmitted in TB PPDU format using the TX parameters that may have been previously indicated or using the same TX parameters as the requested MU PPDU (e.g., using the same BW, RU allocation, MCS, and / or NSS).

[0080] Under certain conditions, two STAs associated with two different APs may generate a NACK in response to the same failed PPDU. This is possible, for example, when APs have the same BSS color (e.g., collision avoidance protocol failure) and when STAs have the same AID and the UL mark indicates the expected direction. For instance, if the UL mark indicates DL, multiple STAs may respond simultaneously, and if the UL mark indicates UL, multiple APs may respond simultaneously. In some cases, the likelihood of this occurring can be reduced by randomizing the STA's AID for the AP.

[0081] When neither the MPDU nor any of the previous exchanges includes the RA / TA MAC address, two STAs associated with two different APs can also generate a NACK in response to the same failed PPDU, which resolves the collision issue. Two STAs associated with two different APs can also generate a NACK in response to the same failed PPDU when all TX parameters of the PPDU are supported by both receivers; otherwise, a response from a receiver that does not support the TX parameters is not expected. Two STAs can generate a NACK in response to the same failed PPDU when one or more of the conditions described above are met and the response flag in the PPDU (or some other type of immediate response indication) indicates that an immediate response is expected.

[0082] When multiple STAs send NACKs as described above, the way NACKs are handled can differ. In some cases, the STA sending the PPDU may not receive either of the two NACKs (e.g., a destructive collision). In other cases, the STA sending the PPDU may receive one of the two M-BAs (e.g., the M-BA of a peer STA, as it may be closer).

[0083] Depending on the circumstances, once such a situation occurs or persists, the STA sending the PPDU can disable the NACK feature by setting a response flag to indicate that an immediate response is not expected.

[0084] like Figure 4C As illustrated, in some cases where NACK is transmitted in an M-BA frame, recommended transmission parameters can be provided as link adaptation (LA) parameters in the additional fields / subfields of the M-BA frame.

[0085] For example, as illustrated, an M-BA frame 484 used as a NACK frame (for NACKing NDPPPDU 482, which includes a flag set to request an immediate response, RI=1) may include fields with link adaptation parameters (e.g., a control feedback field). In some cases, the M-BA may not have a per-AID TID information field with a BlockAck bitmap.

[0086] As illustrated, in response to NACK / M-BA 484, the transmitter can send a PPDU 486 with one or more (A-)MPDUs. In this case, the PHY header of PPDU 486 does not request immediate feedback (RI=0). However, a subsequent PPDU 488 again requests immediate feedback for the M-BA frame 490 (RI=1), thus again transmitting the NACK and LA parameters. The LA parameters can be used to send another PPDU 492, which, in this example, is received, resulting in an M-BA that provides a BA but not the LA parameters.

[0087] In some cases, the rules may stipulate that if the M-BA includes a control feedback field, the transmitter must consider the feedback provided by the receiver in the control feedback field (e.g., to use link adaptation parameters). Otherwise, if the M-BA does not include a control feedback field, the transmitter is free to use previously used parameters (e.g., parameters used in a previous PPDU) or adapt parameters via other means (e.g., open-loop link adaptation).

[0088] like Figure 4A , Figure 4B and Figure 4C As indicated, providing an identifier in the PHY header can have various benefits. For example, the identifier in the PHY header can be beneficial when a protected BlockAck frame needs to be generated (such as in response to a PPDU that includes a PHY header). The identifier in the PHY header can allow for advance identification of the transmitter / receiver and can help retrieve security parameters (such as temporary key (TK), block number (PN), etc.) that the STA can begin retrieving once the SIG-B check passes.

[0089] Providing an identifier in the PHY header allows the STA to begin preparing the protected BA after SIG-B passes. This can be particularly useful when the STA is an AP that can store several TKs (e.g., PTKs, etc.) and independent PNs and may still need to generate the BA after the SIFS time. This provides the STA with additional PSDU duration for retrieval information.

[0090] In some cases, additional bits can be provided in the PHY header to indicate the BlockAck that is expected to be protected in response.

[0091] As described in this article, in some cases, the STA, as the intended recipient of a PPDU that has not been received, may be able to obtain enough information to generate a NACK for the PPDU.

[0092] Figure 6A flowchart illustrating an example process 600 that can be executed at a first wireless node according to certain aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of process 600 may be implemented by a wireless AP, wireless STA, or a component thereof as described herein. For example, process 600 may be implemented by a wireless communication device (such as reference _____) operating as a wireless AP or wireless STA or within such a wireless AP or wireless STA. Figure 8 The described wireless communication device 800) performs the operation. In some examples, process 600 may be performed by a wireless AP or a wireless STA (such as reference 800). Figure 1 The wireless AP 102 or the wireless STA 104 described herein shall be executed.

[0093] Process 600 begins at step 605, where information is obtained instructing the second wireless node to transmit a Physical Layer (PHY) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) intended for use by the first wireless node.

[0094] Process 600 then proceeds to step 610, where a frame indicating at least a portion of the PPDU is generated if one or more conditions are met.

[0095] Process 600 then proceeds to step 615, where the frame is output to the second wireless node.

[0096] In some respects, at least one of the conditions is considered satisfied only if the first radio node fails to decode the Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Service Data Unit (PSDU) of the PPDU.

[0097] In some respects, information is obtained from at least one of the following: the physical (PHY) header of the PPDU; or a previous frame obtained from a second wireless node.

[0098] In some respects, the information includes at least one of the following: a Basic Service Set (BSS) color value; a value of a flag indicating the direction type of the PPDU; a receiver identifier; or a transmitter identifier.

[0099] In some respects, at least one of the receiver identifier or transmitter identifier includes a media access control (MAC) address, an associated identifier, or an identifier derived from a MAC address or an associated identifier.

[0100] In some respects, if the BSS color value indicates that the first and second wireless nodes belong to the same BSS or multiple BSSID set, then at least one of the conditions is considered to be satisfied.

[0101] In some respects, at least one of the conditions is considered to be satisfied if the value of the flag indicates the uplink direction when the first wireless node is an access point (AP); and the transmitter identifier indicates that the second wireless node is associated with the AP.

[0102] In some respects, at least one of the conditions is considered to be satisfied if the value of the flag indicates the downlink direction if the first radio node is a station (STA), or indicates the peering direction if the first radio node is a STA; and the receiver identifier indicates that the PPDU is intended for use with the STA.

[0103] In some respects, at least one of the conditions is considered satisfied only if the first wireless node decodes at least a portion of the physical (PHY) header of the PPDU.

[0104] In some respects, at least one of one or more conditions is considered to be satisfied if the PPDU indicates an expected response via: a bit in the PHY header of the PPDU; or a value in the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) field in the PHY header.

[0105] In some respects, PPDU indicates the expected response at, during, or after the short inter-frame interval (SIFS) following the end of the PPDU.

[0106] In some respects, frames include block acknowledgment (BA) frames, trigger frames, or transmit-permit (CTS) frames.

[0107] In some respects, the BA frame has a BA information field that is set to a value indicating a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0108] In some respects, the BA frame has at least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field that is set to a value indicating a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0109] In some aspects, the BA frame has at least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field, which has a BA bitmap subfield set to a value indicating a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0110] In some respects, the trigger frame includes: a basic trigger frame or a multi-user (MU) request transmission (RTS) trigger frame; and includes a set of transmission parameters for use by the second radio node when retransmitting the MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) included in the PPDU and the duration in which the retransmitted PPDU should be transmitted.

[0111] In some respects, the trigger frame is designed to trigger transmissions from one or more other wireless devices along with the first wireless node.

[0112] In some respects, the frame includes a set of transmission parameters for use by the second wireless node when retransmitting the MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) included in the PPDU.

[0113] In some respects, the transmission parameters include at least one of the following: modulation and decoding scheme (MCS), number of spatial streams (NSS), bandwidth (BW), transmission power, preamble puncturing mode, PPDU type, guard interval, coding type, or spatial reuse permission.

[0114] In some respects, a frame includes a duration field indicating duration based on the following: the duration indicated in the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) field in the Physical (PHY) header of the PPDU; the duration of the Short Interframe Spacing (SIFS); and the duration of the frame.

[0115] In one respect, process 600 or any aspect thereof may be made by means of a device (such as...) Figure 8 The communication device 800 performs the process, which includes various components capable of operating, being configured, or adapted to perform the process 600. The communication device 800 is described in more detail below.

[0116] It should be noted that, Figure 6 This is merely one example of a method, and other methods consistent with this disclosure, including fewer, additional, or alternative steps, are also possible.

[0117] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an example process 700 that can be executed at a second wireless node according to certain aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of process 700 may be implemented by a wireless AP or wireless STA or a component thereof as described herein. For example, process 700 may be implemented by a wireless communication device (such as reference _____) operating as a wireless AP or wireless STA or within such a wireless AP or wireless STA. Figure 8 The described wireless communication device 700 performs the operation. In some examples, the process 700 may be performed by a wireless AP or a wireless STA (such as reference 800). Figure 1 The wireless AP 102 or the wireless STA 104 described herein shall be executed.

[0118] Process 700 begins at step 705, where a Physical Layer (PHY) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) intended for use by the first wireless node is output.

[0119] Process 700 then proceeds to step 710, where a frame indicating at least a portion of the PPDU is obtained if one or more conditions are met.

[0120] Process 700 then proceeds to step 715, where, after obtaining the frame, one or more MAC Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) included in the PPDU are output for retransmission.

[0121] In some respects, a PPDU indicates the expected response to the PPDU, which includes: bits in the PHY header of the PPDU; or the value of the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) field in the PHY header.

[0122] In some respects, PPDU indicates the expected response at, during, or after the short inter-frame interval (SIFS) following the end of the PPDU.

[0123] In some respects, frames include block acknowledgment (BA) frames, trigger frames, or transmit-permit (CTS) frames.

[0124] In some respects, the BA frame has a BA information field that is set to a value indicating a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0125] In some respects, the BA frame has at least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field that is set to a value indicating a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0126] In some aspects, the BA frame has at least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field, which has a BA bitmap subfield set to a value indicating a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0127] In some respects, the frame includes a set of transmission parameters for use by the second wireless node when retransmitting one or more MAC Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) included in the PPDU; and uses at least some of the transmission parameters to output one or more MPDUs for retransmission.

[0128] In some respects, the transmission parameters include at least one of the following: modulation and decoding scheme (MCS), number of spatial streams (NSS), bandwidth (BW), transmission power, preamble puncturing mode, PPDU type, guard interval, coding type, or spatial reuse permission.

[0129] In one respect, process 700 or any aspect thereof may be made by means of a device (such as...) Figure 8 The communication device 800 performs the process, which includes various components capable of operating, being configured, or being adapted to perform the process 700. The communication device 800 is described in more detail below.

[0130] It should be noted that, Figure 7This is merely one example of a method, and other methods consistent with this disclosure, including fewer, additional, or alternative steps, are also possible.

[0131] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device 800 supporting the techniques disclosed herein, such as those enabling network entities to instruct wireless stations on recommendations for seamless roaming, is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication device 800 is configured to perform reference... Figure 6 The process described is 600. In some examples, the wireless communication device 800 is configured to perform the reference... Figure 7 The process described is 700. Wireless communication device 800 may include one or more chips, SoCs, chipsets, packages, components, or devices that individually or collectively constitute or include a processing system. The processing system may interface with other components of wireless communication device 800 and typically processes information (such as inputs or signals) received from and outputs information (such as outputs or signals) to such other components. In some aspects, an example chip may include a processing system, a first interface for outputting or transmitting information, and a second interface for receiving or acquiring information. For example, the first interface may refer to an interface between the chip's processing system and a transmitting component, enabling device 800 to transmit information output from the chip. In such an example, the second interface may refer to an interface between the chip's processing system and a receiving component, enabling device 800 to receive information, which is then passed to the processing system. In some such examples, the first interface may also, for example, acquire information from the transmitting component, and the second interface may also, for example, output information to the receiving component.

[0132] The processing system of the wireless communication device 800 includes processor (or “processing”) circuitry in the form of one or more processors, microprocessors, processing units (such as a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), or digital signal processor (DSP)), processing blocks, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) (such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), or other discrete gate or transistor logic components or circuits (all of which are generally referred to herein individually as “processors” or collectively as “processors” or “processor circuitry”). One or more of these processors may be individually or collectively configured to perform the various functions or operations described herein. The processing system may also include memory circuitry in the form of one or more memory devices, memory blocks, memory elements, or other discrete gate or transistor logic components or circuitry, each of which may include tangible storage media such as random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM) or combinations thereof (all of which are generally referred to herein individually as “memory” or collectively as “memory” or “memory circuitry”). One or more of these memories may be coupled to one or more processors and may store processor-executable code, individually or collectively, which, when executed by one or more processors, configures one or more processors to perform the various functions or operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, one or more processors may be pre-configured to perform the various functions or operations described herein without software configuration. The processing system may also include or be coupled to one or more modems (such as a Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE compliant) modem or a cellular (e.g., 3GPP 4G LTE, 5G, or 6G compliant) modem). In some embodiments, one or more processors of the processing system include or implement one or more modems. The processing system may also include or be coupled to multiple radio components (collectively, “radio components”), multiple RF chains, or multiple transceivers, each of which may in turn be coupled to one or more antennas. In some embodiments, one or more processors of the processing system include or implement one or more of the radio components, RF chains, or transceivers.

[0133] In some examples, the wireless communication device 800 may be configured to be used for or configured to be used in an AP or STA (such as reference STA). Figure 1This is used in the described AP 102 or STA 104. In some other examples, the wireless communication device 800 may be an AP or STA that includes such a processing system and other components including multiple antennas. The wireless communication device 800 is capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications, for example, in the form of wireless packets. For example, the wireless communication device 800 may be configured to transmit and receive packets in the form of physical layer PPDUs and MPDUs conforming to one or more wireless communication protocol standards in the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication protocol standards. In some other examples, the wireless communication device 800 may be configured to transmit and receive signals and communications conforming to one or more 3GPP specifications, including specifications for 5G NR or 6G. In some examples, the wireless communication device 800 also includes one or more application processors or may be coupled to such application processors, which may be further coupled to one or more other memories. In some examples, the wireless communication device 800 also includes at least one external network interface coupled to the processing system, which enables communication with the core network or backhaul network implementing the wireless communication device 800 to obtain access to external networks, including the Internet.

[0134] Wireless communication device 800 includes an acquisition component 802, an output component 804, and a generation component 806. A portion of one or more of components 802, 804, and 806 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, the acquisition component 802 may be implemented at least partially by a processor or a modem. In some examples, a portion of one or more of components 802, 804, and 806 may be implemented at least partially by a processor and software in the form of processor-executable code stored in memory.

[0135] In some implementations, the processor may be a component of a processing system. A processing system generally refers to a system or series of machines or components that receive inputs and process those inputs to produce a set of outputs (which can be passed to, for example, other systems or components of the wireless communication device 800). For example, the processing system of the wireless communication device 800 may refer to a system that includes various other components or sub-components of the wireless communication device 800, such as a processor, transceiver, or communication manager, or other components or combinations of components of the wireless communication device 800. The processing system of the wireless communication device 800 may interface with other components of the wireless communication device 800 and may process information (such as inputs or signals) received from other components or output information to other components. For example, the chip or modem of the wireless communication device 800 may include a processing system, a first interface for outputting information, and a second interface for receiving information. In some implementations, the first interface may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and the transmitter, enabling the wireless communication device 800 to transmit information output from the chip or modem. In some specific implementations, the second interface may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and the receiver, enabling the wireless communication device 800 to receive information or signal input, and the information to be transmitted to the processing system. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the first interface can also receive information or signal input, and the second interface can also output information or signal output.

[0136] Example Terms

[0137] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: Clause 1: A method for wireless communication at a first wireless node, the method comprising: obtaining information indicating that a physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) intended for use at the first wireless node be transmitted from a second wireless node; generating a frame indicating at least a portion of the PPDU if one or more conditions are met; and outputting the frame to the second wireless node.

[0138] Clause 2: According to the method described in Clause 1, at least one of the one or more conditions is considered to be satisfied only if the first wireless node fails to decode the Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Service Data Unit (PSDU) of the PPDU.

[0139] Clause 3: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 2, wherein the information is obtained from at least one of: the physical (PHY) header of the PPDU; or a previous frame obtained from the second radio node.

[0140] Clause 4: The information described in accordance with Clause 3 includes at least one of the following: a Basic Service Set (BSS) color value; a value of a flag indicating the direction type of the PPDU; a receiver identifier; or a transmitter identifier.

[0141] Clause 5: The method according to Clause 4, wherein at least one of the receiver identifier or the transmitter identifier includes a media access control (MAC) address, an associated identifier, or an identifier derived from the MAC address or the associated identifier.

[0142] Clause 6: The method according to Clause 4, wherein at least one of the one or more conditions is considered satisfied if the BSS color value indicates that the first wireless node and the second wireless node belong to the same BSS or multiple BSSID set.

[0143] Clause 7: According to the method of Clause 4, at least one of one or more conditions is considered to be satisfied if: the value of the flag indicates the uplink direction when the first wireless node is an access point (AP); and the transmitter identifier indicates that the second wireless node is associated with the AP.

[0144] Clause 8: According to the method of Clause 4, at least one of the one or more conditions is considered to be satisfied if the value of the flag indicates a downlink direction when the first radio node is a station (STA), or indicates a peering direction when the first radio node is a STA; and the receiver identifier indicates that the PPDU is intended for use with the STA.

[0145] Clause 9: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein at least one of the one or more conditions is considered to be satisfied only if the first wireless node decodes at least a portion of the physical (PHY) header of the PPDU.

[0146] Clause 10: According to the method of Clause 9, at least one of the conditions is considered to be satisfied if the PPDU indication is met by: a bit in the PHY header of the PPDU; or a value of the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) field in the PHY header.

[0147] Clause 11: The method according to Clause 10, wherein the PPDU indicates that the response is expected at, during, or after the end of the PPDU.

[0148] Clause 12: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 11, wherein the frame includes a Block Acknowledgment (BA) frame, a Trigger frame, or a Allow Transmission (CTS) frame.

[0149] Clause 13: The method according to Clause 12, wherein the BA frame has a BA information field that is set to indicate a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0150] Clause 14: The method according to Clause 12, wherein the BA frame has at least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field that is set to indicate a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0151] Clause 15: The method according to Clause 12, wherein the BA frame has at least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field, the at least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field having a BA bitmap subfield set to indicate a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0152] Clause 16: The method according to Clause 12, wherein the trigger frame includes: a basic trigger frame or a multi-user (MU) request transmission (RTS) trigger frame; and includes a set of transmission parameters for the second radio node to use when retransmitting the MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) included in the PPDU and the duration in which the retransmitted PPDU should be transmitted.

[0153] Clause 17: The method of Clause 12, wherein the trigger frame is designed to trigger transmission from one or more other wireless devices together with the first wireless node.

[0154] Clause 18: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 17, wherein the frame includes a set of transmission parameters for use by the second radio node when retransmitting the MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) included in the PPDU.

[0155] Clause 19: The method according to Clause 18, wherein the transmission parameters include at least one of the following: modulation and decoding scheme (MCS), number of spatial streams (NSS), bandwidth (BW), transmission power, preamble puncturing mode, PPDU type, guard interval, coding type, or spatial reuse permission.

[0156] Clause 20: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 19, wherein the frame includes a duration field indicating duration based on: the duration indicated in the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) field in the physical (PHY) header of the PPDU; the duration of the Short Interframe Spacing (SIFS); and the duration of the frame.

[0157] Clause 21: A method for wireless communication at a second wireless node, the method comprising: outputting a physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) intended for use at a first wireless node; obtaining a frame indicating at least a portion of the PPDU if one or more conditions are met; and, after obtaining the frame, outputting one or more MAC protocol data units (MPDUs) included in the PPDU for retransmission.

[0158] Clause 22: The method according to Clause 21, wherein the PPDU indicates an expected response to the PPDU, wherein the indication includes: a bit in the PHY header of the PPDU; or a value of the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) field in the PHY header.

[0159] Clause 23: The method according to Clause 22, wherein the PPDU indicates that the response is expected at, during, or after the end of the PPDU.

[0160] Clause 24: The method according to any one of Clauses 21 to 23, wherein the frame includes a Block Acknowledgment (BA) frame, a Trigger frame, or a Allow Transmission (CTS) frame.

[0161] Clause 25: The method according to Clause 24, wherein the BA frame has a BA information field that is set to indicate a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0162] Clause 26: The method according to Clause 24, wherein the BA frame has at least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field that is set to indicate a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0163] Clause 27: The method according to Clause 24, wherein the BA frame has at least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field, the at least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field having a BA bitmap subfield set to a value indicating a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

[0164] Clause 28: The method according to any one of Clauses 21 to 27, wherein: the frame includes a set of transmission parameters for the second radio node to use when retransmitting one or more MAC Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) included in the PPDU; and at least some of the transmission parameters are used to output the one or more MPDUs for retransmission.

[0165] Clause 29: The method described in Clause 28, wherein the transmission parameters include at least one of the following: modulation and decoding scheme (MCS), number of spatial streams (NSS), bandwidth (BW), transmission power, preamble puncturing mode, PPDU type, guard interval, coding type, or spatial reuse permission.

[0166] Clause 30: An apparatus comprising: at least one memory including executable instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the executable instructions and cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 29.

[0167] Clause 31: An apparatus comprising components for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 29.

[0168] Clause 32: A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 29.

[0169] Clause 33: A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, said computer-readable storage medium including code for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 29.

[0170] Clause 34: A wireless node comprising: at least one transceiver; at least one memory including executable instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the executable instructions and cause the device to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 20, wherein the at least one transceiver is configured to receive the information and transmit the frame.

[0171] Clause 35: A wireless node comprising: at least one transceiver; at least one memory including executable instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the executable instructions and cause the device to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 21 to 29, wherein the at least one transceiver is configured to transmit the PPDU and receive the frame.

[0172] Additional considerations

[0173] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a wide variety of actions, and therefore, "determine" can include calculation, computation, processing, derivation, estimation, investigation, searching (such as by searching in a table, database, or other data structure), reasoning, probing, or measurement, among other possibilities. Furthermore, "determine" can include receiving (such as receiving information), accessing (such as accessing data stored in memory), or sending (such as sending information), among other possibilities. Additionally, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, obtaining, choosing, building, and other similar actions.

[0174] As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” or “one or more of” refers to any combination of these items, including a single member. For example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc. As used herein, “or” is intended to be interpreted as inclusive unless otherwise explicitly stated. For example, “a or b” could include only a, only b, or a combination of a and b. Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase referring to “one” element means one or more of such elements that act individually or collectively to perform the stated function. Additionally, “set” refers to one or more items, and “subset” refers to less than the entire set, but not empty.

[0175] As used herein, "processor," "at least one processor," or "one or more processors" generally refers to a single processor configured to perform one or more operations, or multiple processors configured to collectively perform one or more operations. In the case of multiple processors, the execution of one or more operations may be divided among different processors, but one processor may perform multiple operations, and multiple processors may collectively perform a single operation. Similarly, "memory," "at least one memory," or "one or more memory" generally refers to a single memory configured to store data and / or instructions, or multiple memories configured to collectively store data and / or instructions.

[0176] The components for obtaining, the components for outputting, and the components for generating may include one or more processors, such as those mentioned above. Figure 8 One or more processors in the described processors.

[0177] As used herein, unless otherwise expressly indicated, “based on” is intended to be interpreted in an inclusive sense. For example, unless otherwise explicitly indicated, “based on” may be used interchangeably with “at least partially based on,” “associated with,” “associated with,” or “according to.” Specifically, unless the phrase in the context means “based on only one” or an equivalent, whether it is “based on one” or “at least partially based on one”, it may be based solely on “one” or based on a combination of “one” and one or more other factors, conditions, or information.

[0178] The various exemplary components, logic units, logic blocks, modules, circuits, operations, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the examples disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of hardware, firmware, or software, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents. This interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software has been generally described in terms of its functionality and exemplified in the various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above. Whether this functionality is implemented in hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0179] Various modifications to the examples described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the examples shown herein, but are to be granted the widest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles disclosed herein, and the novel features.

[0180] Additionally, the various features described in this specification in the context of individual examples may also be implemented in combination in a single specific embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single specific embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple examples. Thus, although features may be described above as functioning in a particular combination, and even initially claimed in this way, one or more features from the claimed combination may be removed from the combination in some cases, and the claimed combination may involve sub-combinations or variations of sub-combinations.

[0181] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a specific order in the diagrams, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or to perform all illustrated operations to achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the accompanying figures may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of flowcharts or flow diagrams. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated example processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any of the illustrated operations. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the examples described above should not be construed as requiring such separation in all examples, but rather should be understood as meaning that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or encapsulated in multiple software products.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: At least one memory, the at least one memory including computer-executable instructions; and One or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the device to: At the first wireless node, information is obtained instructing the transmission of a Physical Layer (PHY) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) intended for use by the first wireless node from the second wireless node; If one or more conditions are met, a frame indicating at least a portion of the PPDU is generated; as well as The frame is output to the second wireless node.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more conditions is considered satisfied only if the first wireless node fails to decode the Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Service Data Unit (PSDU) of the PPDU.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information is obtained from at least one of: The physical (PHY) header of the PPDU; or Previous frames obtained from the second wireless node.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the information includes at least one of the following: Basic Service Set (BSS) color values; The value of the flag indicating the orientation type of the PPDU; Receiver identifier; or Sender identifier.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least one of the receiver identifier or the transmitter identifier includes a media access control (MAC) address, an associated identifier, or an identifier derived from the MAC address or the associated identifier.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least one of the one or more conditions is considered satisfied if the BSS color value indicates that the first wireless node and the second wireless node belong to the same BSS or multiple BSSID set.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least one of the conditions is considered to be satisfied under the following conditions: The value of the flag indicates the uplink direction when the first wireless node is an access point (AP); and The transmitter identifier indicates that the second wireless node is associated with the AP.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least one of the one or more conditions is considered to be satisfied under the following conditions: The value of the flag indicates the downlink direction when the first wireless node is a station (STA), or indicates the peer-to-peer direction when the first wireless node is an STA; and The receiver identifier indicates that the PPDU is intended for use with the STA.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more conditions is considered satisfied only if the first wireless node decodes at least a portion of the physical (PHY) header of the PPDU.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one of the conditions is considered satisfied if the PPDU indication is met via an expected response to: The bits in the PHY header of the PPDU; or The value of the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) field in the PHY header.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the PPDU indicates that the response is expected at, during, or after the PPDU ends in a short inter-frame interval (SIFS).

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a block acknowledgment (BA) frame, a trigger frame, or a transmit permission (CTS) frame.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the BA frame has a BA information field configured to indicate a negative acknowledgment value of the PPDU.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the BA frame has at least one of the following: At least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field is set to indicate a negative acknowledgment value for the PPDU; or At least one AID TID information field having a BA bitmap subfield that is set to indicate a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the trigger frame: This includes basic trigger frames or multi-user (MU) request transfer (RTS) trigger frames; and This includes the set of transmission parameters used by the second wireless node when retransmitting the MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) included in the PPDU, and the duration in which the retransmitted PPDU should be transmitted.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the trigger frame is configured to trigger transmissions from one or more other wireless devices in conjunction with the first wireless node.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a set of transmission parameters for use by the second wireless node when retransmitting a MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) included in the PPDU.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the transmission parameters include at least one of the following: modulation and decoding scheme (MCS), number of spatial streams (NSS), bandwidth (BW), transmission power, preamble puncturing mode, PPDU type, guard interval, coding type, or spatial reuse permission.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a time field indicating a time period based on: The duration indicated in the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) field of the Physical (PHY) header of the PPDU; The duration of the Shortest Interframe Spacing (SIFS); and The duration of the frame.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one transceiver configured to receive the information and transmit the frame, wherein the apparatus is configured as a wireless station.

21. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: At least one memory, the at least one memory including computer-executable instructions; and One or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the device to: At the second wireless node, a Physical Layer (PHY) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) intended for use by the first wireless node is output. If one or more conditions are met, a frame indicating at least a portion of the PPDU is obtained; as well as After obtaining the frame, one or more MAC Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) included in the PPDU are output for retransmission.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the PPDU indicates an expected response to the PPDU, wherein the indication includes: The bits in the PHY header of the PPDU; or The value of the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) field in the PHY header.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the PPDU indicates that the response is expected at, during, or after the PPDU ends.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the frame comprises a block acknowledgment (BA) frame, a trigger frame, or a transmit permission (CTS) frame.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the BA frame has a BA information field configured to indicate a negative acknowledgment value of the PPDU.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the BA frame has at least one of the following: At least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field is set to indicate a negative acknowledgment value for the PPDU; or At least one Associated ID (AID) Service ID (TID) information field having a BA bitmap subfield that is set to indicate a negative acknowledgment of the PPDU.

27. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: The frame includes a set of transmission parameters for the second wireless node to use when retransmitting one or more MAC Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) included in the PPDU; and The one or more MPDUs are output using at least some of the transmission parameters for retransmission.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the transmission parameters include at least one of the following: modulation and decoding scheme (MCS), number of spatial streams (NSS), bandwidth (BW), transmission power, preamble puncturing mode, PPDU type, guard interval, coding type, or spatial reuse permission.

29. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one transceiver configured to transmit the PPDU and receive the frame, wherein the apparatus is configured as a wireless station.

30. A method for performing wireless communication at a first wireless node. Receive instructions to send physical layer (PHY) protocol data units (PPDUs) intended for use by the first wireless node from the second wireless node; If one or more conditions are met, a frame indicating at least a portion of the PPDU is generated; as well as The frame is output to the second wireless node.

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