Quality of service (qos) context propagation in wireless communication systems

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods, components, devices, and systems for quality of service (QoS) context propagation in a wireless communication system. Some aspects more specifically relate to a first wireless access point (AP) sending a QoS context established for a first communication flow between the first wireless AP and a wireless station (STA) to a second wireless AP. The first wireless AP can send the QoS context to the second wireless AP in response to the wireless STA intending to roam from a coverage area associated with the first wireless AP to a coverage area associated with the second wireless AP. In accordance with the received QoS context, the second wireless AP can determine various QoS policies for a second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the second wireless AP, and after associating with the wireless STA, begin communicating with the wireless STA in accordance with the QoS policies.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 888,866, filed September 18, 2024, entitled "QUALITY OF SERVICE (QOS) CONTEXT PROPAGATION IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS", and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 569,483, filed March 25, 2024, entitled "QUALITY OF SERVICE (QOS) CONTEXT PROPAGATION IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS", each of which is assigned to the assignee of this application, and the entire contents of each of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates in general to wireless communications, and more specifically to Quality of Service (QoS) context propagation in wireless communication systems.

[0004] Related technical descriptions

[0005] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, message sending and receiving, and broadcasting. Some wireless communication networks can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources, such as time, frequency, or power. Furthermore, wireless communication networks can employ technologies such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or Discrete Fourier Transform Extended Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). Wireless communication devices can communicate using any one or more of these wireless communication technologies and may include radio stations (STAs), radio access points (APs), user equipment (UEs), network entities, or other wireless nodes.

[0006] In some examples, a wireless STA may communicate with a first wireless AP via its respective communication flow associated with a corresponding Quality of Service (QoS) context. The corresponding QoS context may include one or more performance metrics of the data traffic communicated through the communication flow, such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), latency metrics, latency limits, throughput metrics, or Flow Classification Service (SCS) parameters, etc. In examples associated with a first wireless AP (such as accessing or connecting to the first wireless AP), the wireless STA and the first wireless AP may negotiate a corresponding QoS context for each communication flow. Alternatively, in examples where a wireless STA is associated with a first wireless AP, the first wireless AP may analyze the data traffic from the wireless STA (such as examining packets received from and / or sent to the wireless STA) to establish a corresponding QoS context for each of these communication flows.

[0007] In response to establishing the appropriate QoS context, the first wireless AP can determine one or more appropriate QoS policies (such as scheduling priorities) for the communication flow. In this way, the first wireless AP can schedule the data traffic of each communication flow according to one or more appropriate QoS policies, thereby satisfying the appropriate QoS context associated with each communication flow. However, in some examples, after a wireless STA roams from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP within the same mobile domain (such as the same Internet Protocol (IP) subnet), the QoS context for each communication flow of both the wireless STA and the first wireless AP may be lost. The second AP may re-establish the appropriate QoS context for each communication flow after associating with the wireless STA, which can lead to other challenges such as increased latency, increased signaling overhead, and reduced efficiency in communicating with the wireless STA. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The systems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein each have some innovative aspects, and no single aspect is solely responsible for the desired properties disclosed herein.

[0009] An innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication by a wireless station (STA). The method may include: communicating with a first wireless access point (AP) via a first communication flow according to one or more first Quality of Service (QoS) policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow; sending a first roaming message to the first wireless AP, the first roaming message indicating that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP; and communicating with the second wireless AP via a second communication flow according to the first roaming message and one or more second QoS policies, the one or more second QoS policies being based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow.

[0010] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a wireless STA for wireless communication. The wireless STA may include a processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code. The processing system may be configured to cause the wireless STA to: communicate with a first wireless AP via a first communication stream according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication stream; send a first roaming message to the first wireless AP, the first roaming message indicating that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP; and, according to the first roaming message, communicate with a second wireless AP via a second communication stream according to one or more second QoS policies, the one or more second QoS policies being based on the QoS context established for the first communication stream.

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in another wireless STA for wireless communication. The wireless STA may include: components for communicating with a first wireless AP via a first communication stream according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication stream; components for sending a first roaming message to the first wireless AP, the first roaming message indicating that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP; and components for performing the following: communicating with the second wireless AP via a second communication stream according to the first roaming message and according to one or more second QoS policies, the one or more second QoS policies being based on the QoS context established for the first communication stream.

[0012] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication. The code may include instructions executable by one or more processors to: communicate with a first wireless AP via a first communication stream according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication stream; send a first roaming message to the first wireless AP, the first roaming message indicating that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP; and, according to the first roaming message, communicate with a second wireless AP via a second communication stream according to one or more second QoS policies, the one or more second QoS policies being based on the QoS context established for the first communication stream.

[0013] The methods described herein, and some examples of wireless STAs and non-transitory computer-readable media, may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for performing actions such as communicating with the second wireless AP via the second communication stream, based on the second roaming message.

[0014] The methods described herein, and some examples of wireless STAs and non-transitory computer-readable media, may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for performing communication via the first communication stream, as associated with the first wireless AP.

[0015] The methods described herein, and some examples of wireless STA and non-transitory computer-readable media, may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for performing the following actions: communicating via the first communication stream according to conveying one or more SCS messages.

[0016] In the methods described herein, in some examples of wireless STAs and nontransitory computer-readable media, the QoS context established for the first communication flow may be based on the classification of the first communication flow, and the classification of the first communication flow may be based on an artificial intelligence model, a machine learning model, or both.

[0017] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method of wireless communication by a first wireless AP. The method may include: communicating with a wireless STA via a first communication flow according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow; and sending control signaling to a second wireless AP based on determining that the wireless STA roams from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP, the control signaling indicating the QoS context established for the first communication flow.

[0018] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a first wireless access point (AP) for wireless communication. The first wireless AP may include a processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code. The processing system may be configured to cause the first wireless AP to: communicate with a wireless STA via a first communication flow according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow; and send control signaling to a second wireless AP indicating the QoS context established for the first communication flow based on determining that the wireless STA roams from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP.

[0019] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in another first wireless AP for wireless communication. The first wireless AP may include: components for communicating with a wireless STA via a first communication flow according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow; and components for sending control signaling to the second wireless AP based on determining that the wireless STA roams from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP, the control signaling indicating the QoS context established for the first communication flow.

[0020] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication. The code may include instructions executable by one or more processors to: communicate with a wireless STA via a first communication flow according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow; and send control signaling to a second wireless AP based on determining that the wireless STA roams from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP, the control signaling indicating the QoS context established for the first communication flow.

[0021] The methods described herein, examples of the first wireless AP, and some examples of non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for performing the following actions: communicating via the first communication stream, which may be based on conveying one or more SCS messages.

[0022] The methods described herein, examples of the first wireless AP, and nontransitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for performing the following actions: determining a classification associated with the first communication stream based on one or more data packets communicated through the first communication stream; and establishing the QoS context for the first communication stream based on the classification associated with the first communication stream.

[0023] The methods described herein, some examples of the first wireless AP and nontransitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components or instructions for performing the following actions: determining the classification associated with the communication flow based on one or both of a machine learning model, an artificial intelligence model.

[0024] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method of wireless communication by a first wireless AP. The method may include: receiving control signaling indicating a QoS context established for a first communication flow associated with a wireless STA and a second wireless AP; applying one or more QoS policies to a second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the first wireless AP based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow; and communicating with the wireless STA via the second communication flow according to the one or more QoS policies.

[0025] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a first wireless access point (AP) for wireless communication. The first wireless AP may include a processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code. The processing system may be configured to cause the first wireless AP to: receive control signaling indicating a QoS context established for a first communication flow associated with a wireless STA and a second wireless AP; apply one or more QoS policies to a second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the first wireless AP based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow; and communicate with the wireless STA via the second communication flow according to the one or more QoS policies.

[0026] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in another first wireless AP for wireless communication. The first wireless AP may include: components for receiving control signaling indicating a QoS context established for a first communication flow associated with a wireless STA and a second wireless AP; components for applying one or more QoS policies to a second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the first wireless AP based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow; and components for communicating with the wireless STA via the second communication flow according to the one or more QoS policies.

[0027] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication. The code may include instructions executable by one or more processors to: receive control signaling indicating a QoS context established for a first communication flow associated with a wireless STA and a second wireless AP; apply one or more QoS policies to a second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the first wireless AP based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow; and communicate with the wireless STA via the second communication flow according to the one or more QoS policies.

[0028] In some examples of the methods described herein, the first wireless AP, and the nontransitory computer-readable medium, the control signaling further indicates the number of hops associated with the second communication stream, which is based on the number of communication links between the wireless STA and the server.

[0029] The methods described herein, examples of the first wireless AP, and nontransitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for performing actions such as applying one or more QoS policies to the second communication stream based on one or more parameters adjusting the QoS context.

[0030] The methods described herein, examples of the first wireless AP, and some examples of nontransitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for adjusting one or more parameters of the QoS context to maintain the end-to-end SLA associated with the second communication flow.

[0031] 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

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network is shown.

[0033] Figure 2 An example of the process flow supporting Quality of Service (QoS) context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown.

[0034] Figure 3 An example of a signaling diagram supporting QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown.

[0035] Figure 4 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device that supports QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown.

[0036] Figure 5 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device that supports QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown.

[0037] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an example process that can be performed by or at a wireless station (STA) that supports QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown.

[0038] Figure 7 and Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating an example process that can be performed by or at a first wireless access point (AP) that supports QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown.

[0039] Similar reference numerals and names in the various figures indicate similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The following description refers to certain specific examples in order to illustrate the innovative aspects of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. Some or all of the examples described can be applied in accordance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, the IEEE 802.15 standard, or Bluetooth as defined by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). ® This can be implemented in any device, system, or network that transmits and receives radio frequency (RF) signals according to one or more of the standards or those published by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3G, 4G, 5G (New Radio (NR)), or 6G. The described examples can be implemented in any suitable device, component, 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), Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN), or Internet of Things (IoT).

[0041] Various aspects generally relate to wireless communication, and more specifically to the propagation of Quality of Service (QoS) context during the movement of a wireless station (STA). Some aspects more specifically involve a first wireless access point (AP) sending one or more QoS contexts (such as one or more performance metrics) to a second wireless AP for one or more communication flows between the first wireless AP and the wireless STA. The first wireless AP may send one or more QoS contexts in response to the wireless STA's intention to roam from a coverage area associated with the first wireless AP to a coverage area associated with the second wireless AP. In some examples, in response to the wireless STA associating with the first wireless AP (such as gaining access to or connecting to the first wireless AP), the first wireless AP may establish a QoS context for at least a first communication flow at the wireless STA. In such examples, the first wireless AP may communicate with the wireless STA via the first communication flow according to one or more QoS policies (such as scheduling priorities) selected based on the established QoS context. During communication, the first wireless AP may determine that the wireless STA intends to roam to a service area associated with the second wireless AP. For example, the first wireless AP may receive (e.g., from the wireless STA) a first roaming message indicating that the wireless STA intends to roam to a service area associated with the second wireless AP. Additionally or alternatively, the first wireless AP may determine that the wireless STA intends to roam to the second service area, and in response, send a second roaming message to the wireless STA instructing the wireless STA to associate with the second wireless AP. In response to determining that the wireless STA intends to roam, the first wireless AP may, for example, send control signaling to the second wireless AP indicating a QoS context established for the first communication flow. In this way, the second wireless AP may apply one or more QoS policies to the second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the second wireless AP based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow, and after associating with the wireless STA, communicate with the wireless STA according to one or more QoS policies.

[0042] Specific aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by propagating one or more QoS contexts for each communication flow to a second wireless AP, the described techniques can reduce latency associated with the mobility of wireless STAs roaming between adjacent wireless APs. Furthermore, because the second wireless AP does not relearn or otherwise re-determine the one or more QoS contexts for each communication flow, the described techniques can be used to reduce signaling overhead between the second wireless AP and the wireless STA, which can lead to more efficient resource utilization between the second wireless AP and other devices such as the wireless STA. By instructing the second wireless AP of the QoS context by the first wireless AP, the second wireless AP can apply one or more QoS policies (such as scheduling priorities) to each communication flow, which can ensure that data traffic conveyed through the transmitted communication flow satisfies the corresponding QoS context. Additionally, by transmitting one or more roaming messages between the wireless STA and the first wireless AP, the described techniques can enable the first wireless AP to proactively send one or more QoS contexts to the second wireless AP, thereby improving and increasing the efficiency of coordination between the first wireless AP, the second AP, and / or one or more other wireless APs.

[0043] Figure 1A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network 100 is shown. Depending on some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a 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, 802.11bc, 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 accessing network management capabilities and functionality provided by the cellular network core. 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 personal area networks (such as networks implementing Bluetooth or other wireless technologies) to provide greater or enhanced network coverage, or to provide or enable additional capabilities, functionality, applications, or services.

[0044] Wireless communication network 100 may include numerous wireless communication devices, such as at least one wireless access point (AP) 102 and any number of wireless stations (STA) 104. Although Figure 1 Only one AP 102 is shown, but the wireless communication network 100 may include multiple APs 102. AP 102 may be or represent various different types of network entities, including but not limited to home networking APs, enterprise APs, single-band APs, dual-band 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).

[0045] Each STA 104 may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), mobile device, mobile phone, wireless phone, access terminal (AT), user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), or subscriber unit, etc. STA 104 can represent a variety of devices such as mobile phones, other handheld or wearable communication devices, netbooks, laptops, tablets, laptops, Chromebooks, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), or extended reality (XR) wireless headsets or other peripherals, wireless earbuds, other wearable devices, display devices (such as TVs, computer monitors, or video game consoles), video game controllers, navigation systems, music or other audio or stereo devices, remote control devices, printers, kitchen appliances (including smart refrigerators) or other home appliances, remote keys (such as those for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and vehicles, etc.

[0046] A single AP 102 and its associated set of STA 104s may be referred to as a Basic Service Set (BSS), which is managed by the respective AP 102. Figure 1 Additionally, an example coverage area 108 of AP 102 is shown, which may represent the Basic Service Area (BSA) of wireless communication network 100. The BSA can be identified by STA 104 and other devices via a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), which may be the Media Access Control (MAC) address of AP 102. AP 102 may periodically broadcast beacon frames (“beacons”) including the BSSID to enable any STA 104 within the wireless range of AP 102 to “associate” or reassociate with AP 102 to establish or maintain a corresponding communication link 106 (also referred to hereinafter as a “Wi-Fi link”) with AP 102. For example, the beacon may include an identifier or indication of the primary channel used by the corresponding AP 102, and a Timing Synchronization Function (TSF) for establishing or maintaining timing synchronization with AP 102. AP 102 can provide access to external networks to each STA 104 in the wireless communication network 100 via the corresponding communication link 106.

[0047] To establish a communication link 106 with AP 102, each STA 104 is configured to perform passive or active scanning operations (“scans”) on frequency channels in one or more frequency bands (such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 45 GHz, or 60 GHz bands). To perform a passive scan, STA 104 listens for beacons transmitted by the corresponding AP 102 at periodic time intervals (referred to as the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT)). To perform an active scan, STA 104 generates probe requests and transmits these requests sequentially on each channel to be scanned, and listens for probe responses from AP 102. Each STA 104 can identify, determine, detect, or select an AP 102 to associate with based on the scanning information obtained through passive or active scanning, and performs authentication and association operations to establish a communication link 106 with the selected AP 102. The selected AP 102 assigns an association identifier (AID) to STA 104 at the end of the association operation, and AP 102 uses the association identifier (AID) to track STA 104.

[0048] As wireless networks become increasingly prevalent, STA 104 may have the opportunity to choose from one of many BSSs within its range or from multiple APs 102 that together form an Extended Service Set (ESS) (comprising multiple connected BSSs). For example, wireless communication network 100 may be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system capable of connecting multiple APs 102 in such an ESS. Therefore, STA 104 may be covered by more than one AP 102 and may be associated with different APs 102 at different times for different transmissions. Additionally, after associating with an AP 102, STA 104 may periodically scan its surroundings to find a more suitable AP 102 to associate with. For example, STA 104 moving relative to its associated AP 102 may perform a “roaming” scan to find another AP 102 with more desirable network characteristics, such as a larger Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) or reduced traffic load.

[0049] In some examples, STA 104 can form a network without AP 102 or any 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 examples, 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 wireless 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.

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

[0051] As indicated above, in some implementations, AP 102 and STA 104 may operate and communicate according to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards (via the corresponding communication link 106). These standards define WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the physical (PHY) layer and MAC layer. AP 102 and STA 104 transmit and receive wireless communications to and from each other in the form of PHY Protocol Data Units (PPDUs) (also referred to below as "Wi-Fi communication" or "wireless packets").

[0052] Each PPDU is a composite structure comprising a PHY preamble and a payload in the form of a PHY Service Data Unit (PSDU). The information provided in the preamble can be used by the receiving device to decode subsequent data in the PSDU. In instances where the PPDU is transmitted on a bound channel or a wideband channel, the preamble field may be repeated and transmitted in each of the multiple component channels. The PHY preamble may include both a legacy portion (or "legacy preamble") and a non-legacy portion (or "non-legacy preamble"). The legacy preamble can be used for 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.

[0053] AP 102 and STA 104 in wireless communication network 100 can transmit PPDUs on unlicensed spectrum, which may be a portion of the spectrum including bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technologies, such as the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, 45 GHz band, and 60 GHz band. Some examples of AP 102 and STA 104 described herein may 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. In such examples, multiple operators may have appropriate licenses to operate within the same or overlapping frequency ranges. Such licensed operating bands may be mapped to or associated with the following frequency ranges: FR1 (410 MHz – 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz – 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz – 24.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz – 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz – 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz – 300 GHz).

[0054] Each of these frequency bands may include multiple sub-bands and frequency channels (also referred to as sub-channels). The terms "channel" and "sub-channel" may be used interchangeably herein, as each term may refer to a portion of the spectrum within the frequency band (such as a 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, or 160MHz portion of the spectrum) through which communication between two or more wireless communication devices may occur. For example, PPDUs conforming to revisions of the IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and 802.11bn standards may be transmitted on one or more of the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz frequency bands, each of which is divided into multiple 20MHz channels. Thus, these PPDUs are transmitted on physical channels with a minimum bandwidth of 20MHz, but larger channels can be formed through channel bonding. For example, a PPDU can be transmitted on a physical channel with bandwidths of 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, 240MHz, 320MHz, 480MHz, or 640MHz by bundling multiple 20MHz channels together.

[0055] AP 102 can determine or select the operational or operational bandwidth for STA 104 in its BSS, and select a series of channels within the band to provide that operational bandwidth. For example, AP 102 can select sixteen 20MHz channels that collectively span an operational bandwidth of 320MHz. Within the operational bandwidth, AP 102 typically selects a single primary 20MHz channel on which AP 102 and STA 104 in its BSS monitor contention-based access schemes. In some examples, AP 102 or STA 104 may be able to monitor only a single primary 20MHz channel for packet detection (such as for detecting preambles of PPDUs). Conventionally, any transmission made by AP 102 or STA 104 within the BSS must involve transmission on the primary 20MHz channel. Therefore, in a conventional system, the transmitting device must contend for and win the TXOP on the primary channel before any transmission can be made. However, some APs 102 and STAs 104 that support Ultra-High Reliability (UHR) communication or communication according to the IEEE 802.11bn standard revision can be configured to operate, monitor, compete for, and communicate using multiple primary 20MHz channels. This monitoring of multiple primary 20MHz channels can be sequential, such that in response to determining, identifying, or detecting that a first primary 20MHz channel is unavailable, the wireless communication device can switch to monitoring and competing using a second primary 20MHz channel. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication device can be configured to monitor multiple primary 20MHz channels in parallel. In some examples, the first primary 20MHz channel may be referred to as the main primary (M-primary) channel, and one or more additional secondary primary channels may each be referred to as the opportunistic primary (O-primary) channel. For example, if the wireless communication device measures, identifies, identifies, detects, or otherwise determines that the M-primary channel is busy or occupied (e.g., due to overlapping BSS (OBSS) transmissions), the wireless communication device can switch to monitoring and competing on the O-primary channel. In some examples, the M primary channel can be used for beacon transmission and to serve legacy client equipment, while the O primary channel can be used by non-legacy (such as UHR or IEEE 802.11bn compatible) equipment for opportunistic access to spectrum that may otherwise be underutilized.

[0056] In some examples, STA 104 and AP 102 may communicate via multiple communication flows. A communication flow can be the communication of data packets associated with the same application (such as a service) operating at STA 104. For example, a communication flow (which may be referred to as a 5-tuple flow level) can be defined by a set of parameters that identify the flow of data packets exchanged between two endpoints (such as STA 104 and a server associated with the application operating at STA 104). Such parameters may include source Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (such as the IP address of the device transmitting the data), destination IP addresses (such as the IP address of the device receiving the data), source port numbers (such as the port number of the source device from which the data is transmitted), destination port numbers (such as the port number of the destination device to which the data is transmitted), and / or the communication protocol used for data transmission (such as Transmit Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), etc.). Such parameters can form an identifier for the communication flow or define the communication flow (such as a flow of data packets with the same parameters and associated with the same application).

[0057] In some examples, AP 102 may support Service Defined Wi-Fi (SDWF) and implement Manager 112 (such as an SDWF manager). AP 102 may have end-to-end QoS (end-to-end SLA) control over each communication flow in the communication flow established with STA 104 via Manager 112. For example, AP 102 may establish a QoS context (such as an SLA protocol) for each communication flow in the communication flow established with STA 104 via Manager 112 using intelligent traffic classification (such as SDWF service classification), client-initiated SCS requests, and / or Service Level Agreement (SLA) management configurations (such as rules). The QoS context may include various performance parameters designed to maintain end-to-end QoS of data traffic through the communication flow. For example, the QoS context may include Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), latency metrics, latency limits, minimum throughput metrics, maximum throughput metrics, SCS parameters, and so on. Each communication flow can have a different QoS context depending on the type of data traffic being transmitted through each communication flow (such as voice data, video data, parallel reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) data, application data, control data, etc.).

[0058] In response to establishing a QoS context for each communication flow, AP 102 can perform service queuing and service scheduling via manager 112 according to the QoS policy (scheduling priority ranking) selected based on the QoS context established for each communication flow. In this way, AP 102 can, via manager 112, prioritize data packets associated with communication flows having relatively strict SLAs over data packets associated with communication flows having relatively lenient SLAs. Therefore, STA 104 and AP 102 can communicate through multiple communication flows according to the QoS policy.

[0059] However, in such examples, the QoS context established by the manager 112 of AP 102 can be restricted to the domain of a single AP 102, making the QoS context of each communication flow at STA 104 unknown to other neighboring APs 102. Therefore, if STA 104 moves from being associated with AP 102 to being associated with a second AP 102 (not shown), the learning framework at the second AP 102 may be retried, resulting in an inconsistent QoS experience for STA 104. That is, if STA 104 roams from the coverage area 108 (such as the service area) of AP 102 to the second coverage area 108 (not shown) of the second AP 102, the second AP 102 may re-establish the QoS context for each communication flow at STA 104, resulting in latency and signaling overhead in communication between STA 104 and the second AP 102.

[0060] In some implementations, in response to determining that STA 104 has roamed from the coverage area 108 of AP 102 to the second coverage area 108 of the second AP 102, AP 102 may send control signaling to the second AP 102, the control signaling indicating each QoS context established for the communication flow associated with STA 104. In this way, the second AP 102 may apply QoS policies according to the indicated QoS context and initiate communication with STA 104 via multiple communication flows according to the applied QoS policies. References can be found herein. Figure 2 and Figure 3 This section further describes such techniques used for QoS context propagation.

[0061] Figure 2 An example of a process flow 200 supporting QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown. Various aspects of process flow 200 can be implemented by a wireless communication network 100. For example, the process flow may include STA 104-a, which may be a reference STA. Figure 1The example of STA 104 described herein. Additionally, process flow 200 may include AP 102-a (such as a first wireless AP) and AP 102-b (such as a second wireless AP), which may be a reference... Figure 1 An example of AP 102 is described. Process flow 200 may also include server 202 associated with an application operating at STA 104-a. The techniques described in the context of process flow 200 enable AP 102-a to indicate to AP 102-b the QoS context associated with the communication flow established between STA 104-a and AP 102-a in response to STA 104-a roaming into the service area of ​​AP 102-b.

[0062] At position 204, STA 104-a may be associated with AP 102-a (such as the first wireless AP). For example, STA 104-a may operate within the service area of ​​AP 102-a and connect to AP 102-a.

[0063] In some examples, at 206, STA 104-a and AP 102-a may communicate an SCS message to establish a QoS context for the communication flow between STA 104-a and server 202. That is, AP 102-a and STA 104-a may negotiate a QoS context for the communication flow via an SCS message. For example, AP 102-a may use information provided by STA 104-a via an SCS message to establish a QoS context associated with the communication flow.

[0064] In some other examples, at 208, AP 102-a can establish a QoS context for a communication flow based on SLA management configuration, traffic classification analysis, or both. For example, AP 102-a can utilize an administrator-programmed SLA configuration to establish a QoS context for a communication flow. In such examples, AP 102-a can be programmed (by the network administrator) using multiple SLA configurations for each custom QoS context. Therefore, AP 102-a can select one QoS context based on the SLA management configuration and associate the selected QoS context with the communication flow.

[0065] Alternatively, AP 102-a may utilize traffic classification services (such as centralized traffic classification) to classify communication flows and associate those flows with a QoS context (such as establishing the communication flow). In such examples, AP 102-a may examine the initial data packets conveyed through the communication flow to classify the flow as an SLA flow (such as a QoS-supporting flow) or a non-SLA flow (such as a QoS-unsupporting flow). For example, AP 102-a may utilize one or more packet inspection algorithms (such as deep packet inspection) to determine the classification type of the data packets. In some examples, AP 102-a may utilize machine learning (ML) models, artificial intelligence (AI) models, or both to determine the classification of the communication flow.

[0066] For example, STA 104-a can communicate initial data packets via a communication flow. AP 102-a can analyze the initial data packets using ML models, AI models, etc., to determine the classification of the initial data packets (such as whether the initial data packets are voice data packets, video data packets, AR or VR data packets, control data packets, etc.). In response to determining the classification of the initial data packets, AP 102-a may have an indication of the classification of the communication flow and establish a QoS context based on the classification. In such an example, at 206 and 208, AP 102-a can detect the communication flow (e.g., by communicating one or more data packets with STA 104-a) and establish a QoS context for the communication flow.

[0067] At 210, STA 104-a and AP 102-a can communicate via a communication flow according to a first set of QoS policies, which are selected based on the QoS context established for the communication flow. For example, AP 102-a can apply (e.g., execute) the first set of QoS policies to data packets being delivered via the communication flow, such that the data packets meet the SLA established for the communication flow. The first set of QoS policies can indicate the scheduling priority of the communication flow.

[0068] For example, according to the first set of QoS policies, AP 102-a can program the priority queue of communication flows using hardware or software, and utilize manager 112 (such as an SDWF scheduler) to prioritize data traffic associated with communication flows so that the data traffic satisfies the QoS context. As an illustrative example, AP 102-a can, according to the QoS policy, prioritize data packets associated with communication flows with relatively strict SLAs over data packets associated with communication flows with relatively lenient SLAs.

[0069] Data packets transmitted via the communication stream can be associated with an application operating on STA 104-a, which can be associated with server 202. Therefore, in uplink communication via the communication stream, STA 104-a can send application-associated data packets to AP 102-a, allowing AP 102-a to forward the data packets to server 202. Similarly, in downlink communication via the communication stream, server 202 can send application-associated data packets at STA 104-a to AP 102-a, allowing AP 102-a to forward the data packets to STA 104-a. Therefore, AP 102-a can control the end-to-end QoS of data packets transmitted via the communication stream by scheduling the time and frequency resources for receiving and sending data packets from STA 104-a according to a QoS policy.

[0070] However, in some examples, if STA 104-a roams to another access point (such as AP 102-b) within the same mobile domain (such as within the same Internet Protocol (IP) subnet), the QoS context established for the communication flow may be lost. Therefore, in response to STA 104-a associating with AP 102-b, AP 102-b may re-establish the QoS context for the communication flow. This may include relearning the established flow, re-establishing the SCS, performing traffic classification services with STA 104-a, reprogramming the QoS queue after re-association, and so on. That is, AP 102-b may perform the operations at 206 and 208 with STA 104-a to obtain the QoS context for the communication flow, which may increase latency, increase signaling overhead, and / or may disrupt the QoS context of the communication flow at STA 104-a during movement to AP 102-b.

[0071] According to the technology described herein, AP 102-a may indicate the QoS context of a first communication flow to AP 102-a in response to STA 104-a roaming from the service area associated with AP 102-a to the service area associated with AP 102-b.

[0072] For example, at 212, AP 102-a can determine that STA 104-a is roaming from a service area (such as a first coverage area) associated with AP 102-a to a service area (such as a second coverage area) associated with AP 102-b. In some examples, AP 102-a can determine that STA 104-a will roam based on analysis of the signals transmitted between AP 102-a and STA 104-a. For example, AP 102-a can measure the signal strength and / or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the signal received from STA 104-a, and determine whether STA 104-a is roaming out of the service area associated with AP 102-a and roaming into the service area of ​​AP 102-b (such as an adjacent AP 102) based on the measured signal strength and / or SNR.

[0073] Additionally or alternatively, AP 102-a may perform a load balancing procedure to reduce the number of STAs 104 associated with AP 102-a, and thus at 214, send a first roaming message to STA 104-a instructing STA 104-a to associate with AP 102-b. That is, at 214, AP 102-a may send an instruction via the first roaming message and, in accordance with the load balancing procedure, to STA 104-a to roam from the service area associated with AP 102-a to the service area associated with AP 102-b. In some other examples, at 212, AP 102-a may determine the number of times the communication flow between STA 104-a and server 202 has failed in terms of satisfying the SLA. That is, at 212, AP 102-a may identify the number of SLA breaches associated with the communication flow during communication with STA 104-a and server 202. Therefore, if the number of failures meets the threshold, at point 214, AP 102-a may send a first roaming message, which instructs STA 104-a to roam to the service area associated with AP 102-b.

[0074] In some other examples, at 214, STA 104-a may indicate its intention to roam based on a first roaming message communication, such as a roaming indication. For example, AP 102-a may receive a first roaming message from STA 104-a indicating that STA 104-a intends to roam into the service area of ​​AP 102-b. In such examples, STA 104-a may include the identifier (ID) of AP 102-b in the first roaming message, such that AP 102-a has an indication of which AP 102 to indicate the QoS context to in the operation at 216. In some examples, in response to determining at 212 that STA 104-a will roam, AP 102-a may send a first roaming message to STA 104-a, such that STA 104-a can initiate mobility and associate with AP 102-b. In such an example, AP 102-a may indicate the ID and other information of AP 102-b via a first roaming message, so that STA 104-a can begin to associate with AP 102-b.

[0075] At 216, in response to determining at 212 that STA 104-a will roam and / or receiving a first roaming message at 214 indicating the intention of STA 104-a, AP 102-a may send control signaling to AP 102-b, which indicates the QoS context established for the communication flow. For example, AP 102-a may indicate to AP 102-b KPIs associated with the communication flow, latency metrics associated with the communication flow, delay limits associated with the communication flow, throughput metrics associated with the communication flow, SCS parameters associated with the communication flow, etc.

[0076] In some examples, AP 102-a can use a backhaul Wi-Fi connection and / or a backhaul Ethernet connection to send control signaling indicating the QoS context to AP 102-b via direct signaling. In other examples, AP 102-a can send control signaling indicating the QoS context to AP 102-b via a cloud associated with both AP 102-a and AP 102-b. See also... Figure 3 This technique is described further. In some other examples, AP 102-a may broadcast the QoS context established for the communication flow to multiple neighboring APs 102 within the same mobile domain, such neighboring APs 102-b.

[0077] In some examples, if AP 102-a and AP 102-b operate within a mesh network, where AP 102-a communicates with server 202 and AP 102-b communicates with server 202 via AP 102-a, then AP 102-a may indicate the number of hops associated with the data traffic being delivered via AP 102-a through the communication flow. The number of hops may be equal to the number of communication links established for the communication of data traffic between AP 102-a (such as AP 102 serving STA 104-a) and server 202. Therefore, based on the hop count, AP 102-b may have an indication of the number of communication links between STA 104-a and server 202.

[0078] As an illustrative example, if STA 104-a communicates with server 202 via AP 102-a, the hop count can be equal to one, where the communication link between AP 102-a and server 202 is a single hop. The communication link between STA 104-a (such as a client) and AP 102-a may not be counted as a hop. As another illustrative example, if STA 104-a communicates with server 202 via both AP 102-a and AP 102-b, the hop count can be equal to two, where the communication link between AP 102-a and AP 102-b is the first hop and the communication link between AP 102-a and server 202 is the second hop. See also [reference to this document] Figure 3 Further description of such techniques for indicating hop count.

[0079] At 218, in response to or in conjunction with sending a QoS context to AP 102-b, AP 102-a and STA 104-a may communicate a second roaming message indicating acknowledgment of STA 104-a's intention to roam into the service area of ​​AP 102-b. For example, if STA 104-a sends a first roaming message at 214, AP 102-a may send a second roaming message indicating acknowledgment of STA 104-a's intention to roam. In such an example, in response to receiving the second roaming message, STA 104-a may associate with AP 102-b (e.g., access or connect to the AP).

[0080] Alternatively, if AP 102-a sends a first roaming message at 214, STA 104-a may send a second roaming message indicating confirmation of STA 104-a's intention to roam. In such an example, in response to sending the second roaming message, STA 104-a may associate with AP 102-b (e.g., access or connect to that AP). Before STA 104-a associates with AP 102-b, AP 102-b may send QoS context to AP 102-b.

[0081] In some examples, at 220, if AP 102-a and AP 102-b are operating within a mesh network, AP 102-b can determine the hop count (such as the number of communication links between STA 104-a and server 202) and adjust the QoS context accordingly. For example, AP 102-b can receive an indication of the hop count from AP 102-a, where the indication of the hop count can be from AP 102-a's perspective (such as indicating the number of communication links between STA 104-a and server 202, where AP 102-a serves STA 104-a). Therefore, AP 102-b can adjust the hop count to be from AP 102-b's perspective, such that AP 102-b can have an indication of the number of communication links between STA 104-a and server 202, where AP 102-b serves STA 104-a. In response to hop count adjustments, the AP 102-b can adjust the QoS context of communication flows based on the hop count, enabling the AP102-b to maintain end-to-end QoS (such as end-to-end SLA) for the communication flows. See also... Figure 3 The techniques used to adjust the QoS context are described further.

[0082] At 222, in response to receiving a QoS context, AP 102-b can select a second set of QoS policies based on the QoS context established by AP 102-a for the communication flow and apply the second set of QoS policies to the communication flow. For example, because AP 102-b receives the QoS context of the communication flow associated with STA 104-a, AP 102-b can avoid performing the operations at 206 and 208, and instead determine the second set of QoS policies based on the received QoS context and apply the second set of QoS policies to the communication flow, which can reduce latency and signaling overhead during communication with STA 104-a. That is, AP 102-b can avoid relearning and re-establishing the QoS context associated with the communication flow at STA 104-a in response to receiving the QoS context from AP 102-a. Therefore, AP 102-b can apply QoS policies based on the received QoS context for the communication flow, which can reduce latency in communication between STA 104-a and AP 102-b.

[0083] At 224, STA 104-a can communicate with AP 102-b via a communication flow according to the second set of QoS policies. For example, in response to STA 104-a associating with AP 102-b and passing a communication flow from AP 102-a to AP 102-b, STA 104-a and AP 102-b can communicate via a communication flow according to the second set of QoS policies applied at 220.

[0084] Figure 3 An example of a signaling diagram 300 supporting QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown. Various aspects of the signaling diagram 300 can be implemented as shown in the reference. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The described aspects of the wireless communication network 100 and process flow 200, or aspects implemented by these aspects. For example, signaling diagram 300 may include STA 104-b and STA 104-c, which may be reference STAs. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The example of STA 104 described. Signaling diagram 300 may also include AP 102-c (such as a first wireless AP), AP 102-d, AP 102-e, AP 102-f, and AP 102-c, which may be a reference AP. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The example of AP 102 described. Furthermore, signaling diagram 300 may include server 202-a (which may be a reference). Figure 2 The example of server 202 described herein includes cloud network 302. The techniques described in the context of signaling diagram 300 enable AP 102-c to propagate QoS context 304 to one or more AP 102 in response to STA 104-b and / or STA 104-c roaming into the coverage area of ​​one or more adjacent AP 102.

[0085] In some examples, AP 102-c, AP 102-d, and AP 102-e can operate within the same mobile domain (such as the same IP subnet). AP 102-c, AP 102-d, and AP 102-e can each communicate with server 202-a and cloud network 302, respectively. In such examples, STA 104-b can be configured according to reference... Figure 2 The operation described at 204 uses techniques associated with AP 102-c (such as connecting to or accessing the AP). In response to STA 104-b associating with AP 102-c, AP 102-c may establish a QoS context 304-a for communication flows at STA 104-b and begin facilitating communication flows between STA 104-b and server 202-a. AP 102-c may, according to reference... Figure 2 The techniques described in the operations at 206 and 208 are used to establish QoS context 304-a.

[0086] In such an example, AP 102-c can determine that STA 104-b intends to roam from the coverage area associated with AP 102-c to the coverage area associated with AP 102-d. AP 102-c can refer to... Figure 2The techniques described in the operations at 212 and 214 determine the intent of STA 104-b. In response to determining that STA 104-b intends to roam into the coverage area of ​​AP 102-d, AP 102-c may send control signaling to AP 102-d indicating a QoS context. In some examples, AP 102-c may indicate QoS context 304-a to AP 102-d via a direct link (such as a direct backhaul Wi-Fi and / or Ethernet link). Alternatively, AP 102-c may indicate QoS context 304-a to cloud network 302, where cloud network 302 may relay QoS context 304-a to AP 102-d. In this way, AP 102-c may indicate QoS context 304-a to AP 102-d via direct communication or via cloud network 302.

[0087] In some other examples, AP 102-c, AP 102-f, and AP 102-g can operate within a mesh network, where AP 102-c can communicate with server 202-a and cloud network 302, while AP 102-f and AP 102-g can communicate with server 202-a via AP 102-c. In such examples, AP 102-c may be referred to as the controller.

[0088] STA 104-c can be referenced. Figure 2 The operation described at 204 uses techniques associated with AP 102-c (such as connecting to or accessing the AP). In response to STA 104-c associating with AP 102-c, AP 102-c can establish a QoS context 304-b for communication flows at STA 104-c and begin facilitating communication flows between STA 104-c and server 202-a. For example, AP 102-c can perform traffic classification to identify the classification of communication flows associated with STA 104-c and establish QoS based on the classification. AP 102-c can refer to reference Figure 2 The techniques described in the operations at positions 206 and 208 are used to establish the QoS context 304-b.

[0089] In such an example, AP 102-c can determine that STA 104-b intends to roam from the coverage area associated with AP 102-c to the coverage area associated with AP 102-f. AP 102-c can refer to... Figure 2The techniques described in the operations at 212 and 214 determine the intent of STA 104-b. Therefore, AP 102-c can send control signaling to AP 102-f indicative of QoS context 304-b. In such examples, AP 102-c can use a backhaul Ethernet connection and / or a backhaul Wi-Fi connection to send control signaling to AP 102-f via direct signaling.

[0090] Because AP 102-c and AP 102-f operate in a mesh network, AP 102-c can also indicate via control signaling the number of hops associated with the communication flow between STA 104-c and server 202-a, where the number of hops is equal to the number of communication links between STA 104-c and server 202-a. That is, in a mesh network, because STA 104-c can connect to AP 102 located a number of hops (communication links) away from server 202-a, AP 102 serving (connected to) STA 104-a can adjust QoS context 304-b to maintain end-to-end QoS of the communication flow.

[0091] For example, before sending control signaling indicating QoS context 304-b and the hop count, AP 102-c can determine the hop count associated with the communication flow, where the hop count is from AP 102-c's perspective. For instance, when AP 102-c is serving STA 104-c, AP 102-c can determine that the hop count is equal to one, where the communication link between AP 102-c and server 202-a can be the first hop. In such examples, communication between STA 104-a and AP 102-c may not be considered a hop. Therefore, AP 102-c can send an indication of the single-hop hop count via control signaling.

[0092] In response, AP 102-f can determine the number of hops in the communication flow between STA 104-c and server 202-a from the perspective of AP 102-f based on the hop count received from AP 102-c. For example, AP 102-f can add an additional hop to the hop count received from AP 102-c, such that the hop count from the perspective of AP 102-f is equal to two. For example, the communication link between AP 102-f and AP 102-c can be the first hop, and the communication link between AP 102-c and server 202-a can be the second hop.

[0093] AP 102-f can adjust QoS context 304-b based on the updated hop count, enabling AP 102-f to maintain end-to-end QoS (end-to-end SLA) for the communication flow. For example, because QoS context 304-b is established for communication over a single-hop link, it may not be satiable by AP 102-f. Therefore, AP 102-f can adjust various parameters of QoS context 304-b, for example, by relaxing it. In response to adjusting QoS context 304-b, AP 102-f can apply QoS policies to the communication flow between STA 104-c and server 202-a based on the adjusted QoS context 304-b. In this way, AP 102-f can maintain end-to-end QoS for the communication flow.

[0094] In some examples, STA 104-c may roam from the service area of ​​AP 102-c to the service area of ​​AP 102-g. In such examples, AP 102-c may indicate QoS context 304-b and hop count to AP 102-g, wherein AP 102-g may determine the hop count based on the hop count received from AP 102-f, adjust QoS context 304-b based on the determined hop count, and apply QoS policies to the communication flow between STA 104-c and server 202-a based on the adjusted QoS context 304-b.

[0095] Similarly, if STA 104-c roams from the service area of ​​AP 102-f to the service area of ​​AP 102-g, AP 102-f can instruct AP 102-g of QoS context 304-b and hop count, wherein AP 102-g can determine the hop count based on the hop count received from AP 102-f, adjust the QoS context 304-b based on the determined hop count, and apply QoS policies to the communication flow between STA 104-c and server 202-a based on the adjusted QoS context 304-b.

[0096] Figure 4 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device supporting QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication device is configured to perform reference... Figure 6The process described is 600. A wireless communication device 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 the wireless communication device 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 the wireless communication device to transmit information output from the chip. In such examples, the second interface may refer to an interface between the chip's processing system and a receiving component, enabling the wireless communication device to receive information 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.

[0097] The processing system of a wireless communication device 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), neural processing unit (NPU) (also known as a neural network processor or deep learning processor (DLP)) 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 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 Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE compliant) modems or cellular (e.g., 3GPP 4G LTE, 5G, or 6G compliant) modems). 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.

[0098] In some examples, wireless communication devices may be configured to be used for or be configured to be used in STA (such as reference STA). Figure 1The wireless communication device is used in the described STA 104. In some other examples, the wireless communication device may be a STA that includes such a processing system as well as other components including multiple antennas. The wireless communication device is capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications, for example, in the form of wireless packets. For example, the wireless communication device may be configured to or 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 family of wireless communication protocol standards. In some other examples, the wireless communication device may be configurable to or 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 also includes one or more application processors or may be coupled to one or more application processors, which may also be coupled to one or more other memories. In some examples, the wireless communication device also includes a user interface (UI) (such as a touchscreen or keypad) and a display that may be integrated with the UI to form a touchscreen display coupled to the processing system. In some examples, the wireless communication device may also include one or more sensors, such as one or more inertial sensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, or altitude sensors coupled to the processing system, for example.

[0099] The wireless communication device includes a communication flow component 422 and a roaming message component 424. A portion of one or more of the communication flow component 422 and the roaming message component 424 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, one or more of the communication flow component 422 and the roaming message component 424 may be implemented at least partially by a processor or a modem. In some examples, a portion of one or more of the communication flow component 422 and the roaming message component 424 may be implemented at least partially by a processor and software in the form of processor-executable code stored in memory.

[0100] According to the examples disclosed herein, the wireless communication device may support wireless communication. The communication flow component 422 can be configured or configured to communicate with a first wireless AP via a first communication flow according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow. The roaming message component 424 can be configured or configured to send a first roaming message to the first wireless AP, the first roaming message indicating that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP. In some examples, the communication flow component 422 can be configured or configured to communicate with a second wireless AP via a second communication flow according to one or more second QoS policies based on the first roaming message, the one or more second QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow.

[0101] In some examples, the roaming message component 424 can be configured or be configured to receive a second roaming message from the first wireless AP, the second roaming message indicating confirmation that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP. In such examples, communication of the second wireless AP via a second communication stream is based on the second roaming message.

[0102] In some examples, the communication flow component 422 can be configured to, or be configured to, be associated with a first wireless AP. In such examples, communication via the first communication flow is based on association with the first wireless AP.

[0103] In some examples, the communication flow component 422 can be configured to, or be configured to, communicate one or more SCS messages with the first wireless AP to establish a QoS context for the first communication flow. In such examples, communication via the first communication flow is based on the communication of one or more SCS messages.

[0104] In some examples, the QoS context established for the first communication flow is based on the classification of the first communication flow, and the classification of the first communication flow is based at least in part on an artificial intelligence model, a machine learning model, a packet inspection algorithm, or a combination thereof.

[0105] In some examples, the QoS context established for the first communication flow is configured according to one or more SLAs.

[0106] In some examples, the first roaming message includes an identifier associated with the second wireless AP, and communication with the second wireless AP via the second communication stream is based on the first roaming message including the identifier associated with the second wireless AP.

[0107] In some examples, the QoS context includes one or more of the following: one or more KPIs, one or more latency metrics, one or more throughput metrics, one or more latency limits, one or more SCS parameters, or combinations thereof.

[0108] In some examples, one or more first QoS policies include a first scheduling priority associated with a first communication flow, and one or more second QoS policies include a second scheduling priority associated with a second communication flow.

[0109] In some examples, the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP are associated with the same IP subnet.

[0110] Figure 5A block diagram of an example wireless communication device supporting QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication device is configured to perform separate references. Figure 7 and Figure 8 Processes 700 and 800 are described. A wireless communication device 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 the wireless communication device 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 the wireless communication device to transmit information output from the chip. In such examples, the second interface may refer to an interface between the chip's processing system and a receiving component, enabling the wireless communication device to receive information 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.

[0111] The processing system of a wireless communication device 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), neural processing unit (NPU) (also known as a neural network processor or deep learning processor (DLP)) 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 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 Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE compliant) modems or cellular (e.g., 3GPP 4G LTE, 5G, or 6G compliant) modems). 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.

[0112] In some examples, wireless communication devices may be configured to be used for or be configured to be used in an AP (such as a reference). Figure 1The described AP (102) is used. In some other examples, the wireless communication device may be an AP that includes such a processing system as well as other components including multiple antennas. The wireless communication device is capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications, for example, in the form of wireless packets. For example, the wireless communication device may be configured or 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 may be configurable or 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 also includes one or more application processors or may be coupled to one or more application processors, which may also be coupled to one or more other memories. In some examples, the wireless communication device 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 to obtain access to external networks, including the Internet.

[0113] The wireless communication device includes a communication flow component 522, a QoS context component 524, and a QoS policy component 526. A portion of one or more of the communication flow component 522, QoS context component 524, and QoS policy component 526 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, one or more of the communication flow component 522, QoS context component 524, and QoS policy component 526 may be implemented at least partially by a processor or modem. In some examples, a portion of one or more of the communication flow component 522, QoS context component 524, and QoS policy component 526 may be implemented at least partially by a processor and software in the form of processor-executable code stored in memory.

[0114] Based on the examples disclosed herein, the wireless communication device may support wireless communication. The communication flow component 522 can be configured or configured to communicate with a wireless STA via a first communication flow according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow. The QoS context component 524 can be configured or configured to send control signaling to a second wireless AP indicating a QoS context established for the first communication flow, based on the wireless STA's intention to roam from a first service area associated with a first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP.

[0115] In some examples, the QoS context component 524 can be configured to, or be configured to, communicate one or more SCS messages to the wireless STA to establish a QoS context for the first communication flow. In such examples, communication via the first communication flow is based on the communication of one or more SCS messages.

[0116] In some examples, the QoS context component 524 can be configured or configured to determine a classification associated with the first communication flow based on one or more data packets conveyed through the first communication flow. In some examples, the QoS context component 524 can be configured or configured to establish a QoS context for the first communication flow based on the classification associated with the first communication flow.

[0117] In some examples, the classification associated with the communication flow is determined based on one or both of the ML model, the AI ​​model, and so on.

[0118] In some examples, the QoS context component 524 can be configured to, or be configured to, establish a QoS context for the first communication flow based on one or more SLA management configurations.

[0119] In some examples, the communication flow component 522 can be configured or be configured to determine that a wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with a first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP.

[0120] In some examples, the intent of a wireless STA is determined based on receiving a first roaming message from the wireless STA, which indicates that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with a first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP. In some examples, sending QoS context to the second wireless AP is based on receiving the first roaming message.

[0121] In some examples, the communication flow component 522 can be configured or be configured to send a second roaming message to a wireless STA, the second roaming message indicating confirmation that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with a first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP.

[0122] In some examples, the first roaming message includes an identifier associated with the second wireless AP, the QoS context is sent to the second wireless AP according to the first roaming message including the identifier associated with the second wireless AP, and one or more second QoS policies for the second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the second wireless AP are based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow.

[0123] In some examples, the communication flow component 522 can be configured or be configured to send a first roaming message to a wireless STA based on determining the STA's intent. This first roaming message indicates that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with a first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP. In such examples, sending QoS context to the second wireless AP is based on sending the first roaming message.

[0124] In some examples, the communication flow component 522 can be configured or be configured to receive a second roaming message from a wireless STA, the second roaming message indicating confirmation that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with a first wireless AP to a second service area associated with a second wireless AP.

[0125] In some examples, determining that a wireless STA intends to roam is based on analyzing one or more signals transmitted between the wireless STA and a first wireless AP, based on performing a load balancing process at the first wireless AP, based on determining the number of failures associated with satisfying the Service Level Agreement (SLA) associated with the first communication flow, or a combination thereof.

[0126] In some examples, control signaling indicating the QoS context is broadcast to two or more APs. In some examples, the two or more APs are adjacent APs of a first wireless AP, and the two or more APs include a second wireless AP.

[0127] In some examples, control signaling indicating the QoS context is sent via a cloud network associated with the first and second wireless APs.

[0128] In some examples, the transmission of control signaling indicating the QoS context is done via direct communication between the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP.

[0129] In some examples, the QoS context includes one or more of the following: one or more KPIs, one or more latency metrics, one or more latency limits, one or more throughput metrics, one or more SCS parameters, or combinations thereof.

[0130] In some examples, one or more first QoS policies include a first scheduling priority associated with the first communication flow.

[0131] Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication device may support wireless communication, based on the examples disclosed herein. In some examples, the QoS context component 524 can be configured or is configured to receive control signaling indicating a QoS context established for a first communication flow associated with a wireless STA and a second wireless AP. The QoS policy component 526 can be configured or is configured to apply one or more QoS policies to a second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the first wireless AP based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow. In some examples, the communication flow component 522 can be configured or is configured to communicate with the wireless STA via the second communication flow according to one or more QoS policies.

[0132] In some examples, control signaling further indicates the number of hops associated with the second communication stream, which is based on the number of communication links between the wireless STA and the server.

[0133] In some examples, the QoS context component 524 can be configured to, or be configured to, adjust one or more parameters of the QoS context based on the number of hops. In such examples, applying one or more QoS policies to a second communication flow is based on adjusting one or more parameters of the QoS context.

[0134] In some examples, one or more parameters of the QoS context are adjusted to maintain the end-to-end SLA associated with the second communication flow.

[0135] In some examples, control signaling indicating the QoS context is received via a cloud network associated with the first and second wireless APs.

[0136] In some examples, receiving control signaling indicating the QoS context is done via direct communication between the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP.

[0137] In some examples, the QoS context includes one or more of the following: one or more KPIs, one or more latency metrics, one or more latency limits, one or more throughput metrics, one or more SCS parameters, or combinations thereof.

[0138] In some examples, one or more QoS policies include scheduling priorities associated with the second communication flow.

[0139] In some examples, control signaling is received based on the wireless STA's intention to roam from a first service area associated with a second wireless AP to a second service area associated with the first wireless AP.

[0140] Figure 6A flowchart illustrating an example process 600 that can be executed by or at a wireless STA supporting QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown. The operation of process 600 can be implemented by the wireless STA or its components. For example, process 600 can be implemented by a wireless communication device (such as a reference STA) acting as or operating within a wireless STA. Figure 4 The process 600 is performed by the described wireless communication device. In some examples, process 600 may be performed by a wireless STA (such as reference STA). Figure 1 The STA described in STA 104 is executed.

[0141] In some examples, at 602, the wireless STA can communicate with the first wireless AP via a first communication flow according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow. The operation of 602 can be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some specific implementations, aspects of the operation of 602 can be derived from references... Figure 4 The described communication flow component 422 is executed.

[0142] In some examples, at 604, the wireless STA may send a first roaming message to the first wireless AP, indicating that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP. The operation of 604 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some specific implementations, aspects of the operation of 604 may be as described in the references... Figure 4 The described roaming message component 424 is executed.

[0143] In some examples, at 606, the wireless STA can communicate with the second wireless AP via a second communication stream according to a first roaming message and one or more second QoS policies, the one or more second QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication stream. The operation of 606 can be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some specific implementations, aspects of the operation of 606 can be derived from references... Figure 4 The described communication flow component 422 is executed.

[0144] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an example process 700 that can be executed by or at a first wireless AP supporting QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown. The operation of process 700 may be implemented by the first wireless AP or its components. For example, process 700 may be performed by a wireless communication device (such as reference 1) acting as a wireless AP or operating within a wireless AP. Figure 5 The process 700 is performed by the described wireless communication device. In some examples, the process 700 may be performed by a wireless AP (such as the one described in the reference). Figure 1The AP described in AP 102 is executed.

[0145] In some examples, at 702, the first wireless AP can communicate with the wireless STA via a first communication flow according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow. The operation of 702 can be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some specific implementations, aspects of the operation of 702 can be derived from references... Figure 5 The described communication flow component 522 is executed.

[0146] In some examples, at 704, the first wireless AP may send control signaling to the second wireless AP, indicating the QoS context established for the first communication flow, based on the wireless STA's intention to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP. The operation of 704 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some specific implementations, aspects of the operation of 704 may be as described in the references... Figure 5 The described QoS context component 524 is executed.

[0147] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating an example process 800 that can be executed by or at a first wireless AP supporting QoS context propagation in a wireless communication system is shown. The operation of process 800 may be implemented by the first wireless AP or its components. For example, process 800 may be performed by a wireless communication device (such as a reference) acting as a wireless AP or operating within a wireless AP. Figure 5 The process is performed by the described wireless communication device. In some examples, process 800 may be performed by a wireless AP (such as reference 400). Figure 1 The AP described in AP 102 is executed.

[0148] In some examples, at 802, the first wireless AP may receive control signaling indicating the establishment of a QoS context for a first communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the second wireless AP. Operation of 802 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some specific implementations, aspects of the operation of 802 may be as described in references... Figure 5 The described QoS context component 524 is executed.

[0149] In some examples, at 804, the first wireless AP can apply one or more QoS policies to a second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the first wireless AP based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow. The operation of 804 can be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some specific implementations, aspects of the operation of 804 can be derived from references... Figure 5 The described QoS policy component 526 is executed.

[0150] In some examples, at 806, the first wireless AP can communicate with the wireless STA via a second communication stream according to one or more QoS policies. The operation of 806 can be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some specific implementations, aspects of the operation of 806 can be derived from references... Figure 5 The described communication flow component 522 is executed.

[0151] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: Clause 1: A method for wireless communication by a wireless STA, the method comprising: communicating with a first wireless AP via a first communication stream according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication stream; sending a first roaming message to the first wireless AP, the first roaming message indicating that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP; and communicating with the second wireless AP via a second communication stream according to the first roaming message and according to one or more second QoS policies, the one or more second QoS policies being based on the QoS context established for the first communication stream.

[0152] Clause 2: The method according to Clause 1 further includes: receiving a second roaming message from the first wireless AP, the second roaming message indicating confirmation that the wireless STA intends to roam from the first service area associated with the first wireless AP to the second service area associated with the second wireless AP, wherein communication with the second wireless AP via the second communication stream is based on the second roaming message.

[0153] Clause 3: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 2, the method further comprising: associating with a first wireless AP, wherein communication via the first communication stream is based on association with the first wireless AP.

[0154] Clause 4: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 2, the method further comprising: communicating one or more SCS messages with the first wireless AP to establish the QoS context for the first communication flow, wherein communication via the first communication flow is based on communicating the one or more SCS messages.

[0155] Clause 5: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 2, wherein the QoS context established for the first communication flow is based on a classification of the first communication flow, and the classification of the first communication flow is based at least in part on an artificial intelligence model, a machine learning model, a packet inspection algorithm, or a combination thereof.

[0156] Clause 6: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 2, wherein the QoS context established for the first communication flow is configured according to one or more SLAs.

[0157] Clause 7: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein the first roaming message includes an identifier associated with the second wireless AP, and communication with the second wireless AP via the second communication stream is based on the first roaming message including the identifier associated with the second wireless AP.

[0158] Clause 8: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 7, wherein the QoS context includes one or more of one or more KPIs, one or more latency metrics, one or more latency limits, one or more throughput metrics, one or more SCS parameters, or combinations thereof.

[0159] Clause 9: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein the one or more first QoS policies include a first scheduling priority associated with the first communication flow, and the one or more second QoS policies include a second scheduling priority associated with the second communication flow.

[0160] Clause 10: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 9, wherein the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP are associated with the same IP subnetwork.

[0161] Clause 11: A method for wireless communication at a first wireless AP, the method comprising: communicating with a wireless STA via a first communication flow according to one or more first QoS policies, the one or more first QoS policies being based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow; and sending control signaling to a second wireless AP based on determining that the wireless STA roams from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP, the control signaling indicating the QoS context established for the first communication flow.

[0162] Clause 12: The method according to Clause 11 further comprises: communicating one or more SCS messages with the wireless STA to establish the QoS context for the first communication flow, wherein communication via the first communication flow is based on communicating the one or more SCS messages.

[0163] Clause 13: The method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 12, the method further comprising: determining a classification associated with the first communication flow based on one or more data packets communicated through the first communication flow; and establishing the QoS context for the first communication flow based on the classification associated with the first communication flow.

[0164] Clause 14: The method described in Clause 13, wherein the classification associated with the communication flow is determined based on one or both of a machine learning model, an artificial intelligence model, or both.

[0165] Clause 15: The method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 12, the method further comprising: establishing the QoS context for the first communication flow according to one or more SLA management configurations.

[0166] Clause 16: The method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 12, the method further comprising: determining that the wireless STA roams from the first service area associated with the first wireless AP to the second service area associated with the second wireless AP.

[0167] Clause 17: The method according to Clause 16, wherein determining that the wireless STA will roam is based on receiving a first roaming message from the wireless STA, the first roaming message instructing the wireless STA to roam from the first service area associated with the first wireless AP to the second service area associated with the second wireless AP, and sending the QoS context to the second wireless AP is based on receiving the first roaming message.

[0168] Clause 18: The method according to Clause 17 further includes: sending a second roaming message to the wireless STA, the second roaming message indicating confirmation that the wireless STA intends to roam from the first service area associated with the first wireless AP to the second service area associated with the second wireless AP.

[0169] Clause 19: The method according to any one of Clauses 17 to 18, wherein the first roaming message includes an identifier associated with the second wireless AP, the QoS context is sent to the second wireless AP according to the first roaming message including the identifier associated with the second wireless AP, and one or more second QoS policies of a second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the second wireless AP are based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow.

[0170] Clause 20: The method according to any one of Clauses 16, the method further comprising: sending a first roaming message to the wireless STA based on determining that the wireless STA will roam, the first roaming message instructing the wireless STA to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP, wherein sending the QoS context to the second wireless AP is based on sending the first roaming message.

[0171] Clause 21: The method according to Clause 20 further includes: receiving a second roaming message from the wireless STA, the second roaming message indicating confirmation that the wireless STA has roamed from the first service area associated with the first wireless AP to the second service area associated with the second wireless AP.

[0172] Clause 22: The method according to any one of Clauses 16, wherein determining that the wireless STA will roam is based on analyzing one or more signals transmitted between the wireless STA and the first wireless AP, based on the AP performing a load balancing procedure at the first wireless AP, based on determining the number of failures associated with satisfying the SLA associated with the first communication flow, or a combination thereof.

[0173] Clause 23: The method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 22, wherein the control signaling indicating the QoS context is broadcast to two or more APs, and the two or more APs are adjacent APs of the first wireless AP, the two or more APs including the second wireless AP.

[0174] Clause 24: The method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 22, wherein the control signaling indicating the QoS context is transmitted via a cloud network associated with the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP.

[0175] Clause 25: The method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 22, wherein the control signaling indicating the QoS context is transmitted via direct communication between the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP.

[0176] Clause 26: The method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 25, wherein the QoS context includes one or more of one or more KPIs, one or more latency metrics, one or more latency limits, one or more throughput metrics, one or more SCS parameters, or combinations thereof.

[0177] Clause 27: The method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 26, wherein the one or more first QoS policies include a first scheduling priority associated with the first communication flow.

[0178] Clause 28: A method for wireless communication at a first wireless AP, the method comprising: receiving control signaling indicating a QoS context established for a first communication flow associated with a wireless STA and a second wireless AP; applying one or more QoS policies to a second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the first wireless AP based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow; and communicating with the wireless STA via the second communication flow according to the one or more QoS policies.

[0179] Clause 29: According to the method of Clause 28, the control signaling further indicates the number of hops associated with the second communication stream, the number of hops being based on the number of communication links between the wireless STA and the server.

[0180] Clause 30: The method according to Clause 29 further comprises: adjusting one or more parameters of the QoS context according to the number of hops, wherein applying the one or more QoS policies to the second communication flow is based on adjusting the one or more parameters of the QoS context.

[0181] Clause 31: The method according to Clause 30, wherein the adjustment of one or more parameters of the QoS context maintains the end-to-end SLA associated with the second communication flow.

[0182] Clause 32: The method according to any one of Clauses 28 to 31, wherein the control signaling indicating the QoS context is received via a cloud network associated with the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP.

[0183] Clause 33: The method according to any one of Clauses 28 to 32, wherein receiving the control signaling indicating the QoS context is via direct communication between the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP.

[0184] Clause 34: The method according to any one of Clauses 28 to 33, wherein the QoS context includes one or more of one or more KPIs, one or more latency metrics, one or more latency limits, one or more throughput metrics, one or more SCS parameters, or combinations thereof.

[0185] Clause 35: The method according to any one of Clauses 28 to 34, wherein the one or more QoS policies include a scheduling priority associated with the second communication flow.

[0186] Clause 36: The method according to any one of Clauses 28 to 35, wherein the control signaling is received based on the wireless STA's intention to roam from a first service area associated with the second wireless AP to a second service area associated with the first wireless AP.

[0187] Clause 37: A wireless STA for wireless communication, the wireless STA comprising: one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and capable of operating individually or jointly to execute the code, thereby enabling the wireless STA to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 10.

[0188] Clause 38: A wireless STA for wireless communication, the wireless STA including at least one component for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 10.

[0189] Clause 39: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code including instructions executable by one or more processors to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 10.

[0190] Clause 40: A first wireless access point (AP) for wireless communication, the first wireless AP comprising: one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and capable of operating individually or jointly to execute the code, thereby enabling the first wireless AP to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 27.

[0191] Clause 41: A first wireless access point (AP) for wireless communication, the first wireless AP including at least one component for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 27.

[0192] Clause 42: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code including instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 11 to 27.

[0193] Clause 43: A first wireless access point (AP) for wireless communication, the first wireless AP comprising: one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and capable of operating individually or jointly to execute the code, thereby enabling the first wireless AP to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 28 to 36.

[0194] Clause 44: A first wireless access point (AP) for wireless communication, the first wireless AP including at least one component for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 28 to 36.

[0195] Clause 45: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code including instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 28 to 36.

[0196] 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.

[0197] 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 in an inclusive sense unless otherwise expressly indicated. For example, “a or b” may include only a, only b, or a combination of a and b. Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase referring to “a” element means one or more of such elements that act individually or collectively to perform the stated function. Additionally, “set” means one or more items, and “subset” means less than the entire set, but not empty.

[0198] 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.

[0199] 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.

[0200] Various modifications to the examples described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the examples shown herein, but are to be granted the widest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles disclosed herein, and the novel features.

[0201] 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.

[0202] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a specific order in the diagrams, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or to perform all illustrated operations to achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the accompanying figures may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of flowcharts or flow diagrams. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated example processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any of the illustrated operations. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the examples described above should not be construed as requiring such separation in all examples, but rather should be understood as meaning that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or encapsulated in multiple software products.

Claims

1. A wireless station (STA), the wireless station (STA) comprising: A processing system, comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry for storing code, is configured to enable the wireless STA to: The communication is conducted with a first wireless access point (AP) via a first communication flow according to one or more first quality of service (QoS) policies, wherein the one or more first QoS policies are based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow; Send a first roaming message to the first wireless AP, the first roaming message indicating that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP; as well as According to the first roaming message, the second wireless AP communicates via a second communication stream according to one or more second QoS policies, the one or more second QoS policies being based on the QoS context established for the first communication stream.

2. The wireless STA of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless STA to: receive a second roaming message from the first wireless AP, the second roaming message indicating confirmation that the wireless STA intends to roam from the first service area associated with the first wireless AP to the second service area associated with the second wireless AP, wherein communication with the second wireless AP via the second communication stream is based on the second roaming message.

3. The wireless STA of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to associate the wireless STA with the first wireless AP, wherein communication via the first communication stream is based on association with the first wireless AP.

4. The wireless STA of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless STA to: communicate one or more Flow Classification Service (SCS) messages to the first wireless AP to establish the QoS context for the first communication flow, wherein communication via the first communication flow is based on the communication of the one or more SCS messages.

5. The wireless STA of claim 1, wherein the QoS context established for the first communication flow is managed and configured according to one or more Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

6. The wireless STA of claim 1, wherein the first roaming message includes an identifier associated with the second wireless AP, and communication with the second wireless AP via the second communication stream is based on the first roaming message including the identifier associated with the second wireless AP.

7. The wireless STA of claim 1, wherein the QoS context includes one or more of the following: one or more Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), one or more latency metrics, one or more latency limits, one or more throughput metrics, one or more Flow Classification Service (SCS) parameters, or combinations thereof.

8. The wireless STA of claim 1, wherein the one or more first QoS policies include a first scheduling priority associated with the first communication flow, and the one or more second QoS policies include a second scheduling priority associated with the second communication flow.

9. The wireless STA of claim 1, wherein the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP are associated with the same Internet Protocol (IP) subnet.

10. A first wireless access point (AP), the first wireless access point (AP) comprising: The processing system, comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry for storing code, is configured to cause the first wireless AP to: Communicating with a wireless station (STA) via a first communication stream according to one or more first quality of service (QoS) policies, wherein the one or more first QoS policies are based on a QoS context established for the first communication stream; as well as Control signaling is sent to the second wireless AP based on the determination that the wireless STA has roamed from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP, the control signaling indicating the QoS context established for the first communication flow.

11. The first wireless AP of claim 10, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to: A classification associated with the first communication stream is determined based on one or more data packets transmitted through the first communication stream; and The QoS context is established for the first communication flow based on the classification associated with the first communication flow.

12. The first wireless AP of claim 11, wherein the classification associated with the communication flow is determined based on one or both of a machine learning model and an artificial intelligence model.

13. The first wireless AP of claim 10, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to: determine that the wireless STA roams from the first service area associated with the first wireless AP to the second service area associated with the second wireless AP.

14. The first wireless AP of claim 13, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to: send a first roaming message to the wireless STA based on determining that the wireless STA will roam, the first roaming message instructing the wireless STA to roam from the first service area associated with the first wireless AP to the second service area associated with the second wireless AP, wherein sending the QoS context to the second wireless AP is based on sending the first roaming message.

15. The first wireless AP of claim 14, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to: receive a second roaming message from the wireless STA, the second roaming message indicating confirmation that the wireless STA has roamed from the first service area associated with the first wireless AP to the second service area associated with the second wireless AP.

16. The first wireless AP of claim 13, wherein determining that the wireless STA will roam is based on analyzing one or more signals transmitted between the wireless STA and the first wireless AP, based on performing a load balancing procedure at the first wireless AP, based on determining the number of failures associated with satisfying the Service Level Agreement (SLA) associated with the first communication flow, or a combination thereof.

17. The first wireless AP of claim 10, wherein the control signaling indicating the QoS context is broadcast to two or more APs, and the two or more APs are adjacent APs of the first wireless AP, the two or more APs including the second wireless AP.

18. The first wireless AP of claim 10, wherein the control signaling indicating the QoS context is transmitted via a cloud network associated with the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP.

19. The first wireless AP of claim 10, wherein the control signaling indicative of the QoS context is transmitted via direct communication between the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP.

20. The first wireless AP of claim 10, wherein the QoS context includes one or more of the following: one or more Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), one or more latency metrics, one or more latency limits, one or more throughput metrics, one or more Flow Classification Service (SCS) parameters, or combinations thereof.

21. The first wireless AP of claim 10, wherein the one or more first QoS policies include a first scheduling priority associated with the first communication flow.

22. A first wireless access point (AP), the first wireless access point (AP) comprising: The processing system, comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry for storing code, is configured to cause the first wireless AP to: Receive control signaling, the control signaling indicating the Quality of Service (QoS) context established for a first communication flow associated with a wireless station (STA) and a second wireless AP; Apply one or more QoS policies to the second communication flow associated with the wireless STA and the first wireless AP based on the QoS context established for the first communication flow; as well as The wireless STA communicates with the second communication stream according to one or more QoS policies.

23. The first wireless AP of claim 22, wherein the control signaling further indicates the number of hops associated with the second communication stream, the number of hops being based on the number of communication links between the wireless STA and the server.

24. The first wireless AP of claim 23, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to: adjust one or more parameters of the QoS context according to the hop count, wherein applying the one or more QoS policies to the second communication flow is based on adjusting the one or more parameters of the QoS context.

25. The first wireless AP of claim 24, wherein the one or more parameters of the adjusted QoS context maintain the end-to-end service level agreement (SLA) associated with the second communication flow.

26. The first wireless AP of claim 22, wherein the control signaling indicating the QoS context is received via a cloud network associated with the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP.

27. The first wireless AP of claim 22, wherein receiving the control signaling indicating the QoS context is via direct communication between the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP.

28. The first wireless AP of claim 22, wherein the QoS context includes one or more of the following: one or more Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), one or more latency metrics, one or more latency limits, one or more throughput metrics, one or more Flow Classification Service (SCS) parameters, or combinations thereof.

29. The first wireless AP of claim 22, wherein the one or more QoS policies include a scheduling priority associated with the second communication flow.

30. A method for wireless communication by a wireless station (STA), the method comprising: The communication is conducted with a first wireless access point (AP) via a first communication flow according to one or more first quality of service (QoS) policies, wherein the one or more first QoS policies are based on a QoS context established for the first communication flow; Send a first roaming message to the first wireless AP, the first roaming message indicating that the wireless STA intends to roam from a first service area associated with the first wireless AP to a second service area associated with the second wireless AP; as well as According to the first roaming message, the second wireless AP communicates via a second communication stream according to one or more second QoS policies, the one or more second QoS policies being based on the QoS context established for the first communication stream.

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