Communication system with distributed channel access regulation

Abstract

A communication system is provided in which an access point (AP) communicates with stations (STAs). The AP can be associated with a priority enhanced distributed channel access (P-EDCA) STA. The STA can attempt to access a channel of the AP using P-EDCA when a condition has been met, and can attempt to access the channel using EDCA when the condition has not been met. P-EDCA includes the transmission of a defer frame that prevents other STAs from contending for channel access. The defer frame can have a receiver address (RA) field that is set to a broadcast address or another address advertised by the AP. The condition can be based on a MSDU expiration timer, a priority, a P-EDCA TXOP limit, a minimum P-EDCA access interval duration, or a maximum defer frame retransmission threshold. The AP can advertise one or more of these parameters in an E-PDCA parameter element.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 19 / 646,272, filed April 13, 2026, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 798,394, filed May 1, 2025, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates in its entirety to wireless communications, including wireless communications conducted by electronic devices. Background Technology

[0003] Communication systems and methods are used to transmit wireless data between nodes in a communication network. Nodes may include user equipment, wireless access points, wireless base stations, or other electronic devices.

[0004] Ensuring that a communication system exhibits sufficient performance can be challenging. If not handled carefully, communication between nodes in a network may exhibit excessive latency or consume too many resources. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A communication system is provided in which an access point (AP) communicates with a station (STA) (e.g., under the 802.11 protocol). The access point may be associated with an STA having Priority Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (P-EDCA) capability and an STA without P-EDCA capability. An STA with P-EDCA capability can determine whether the conditions associated with accessing the channel through the AP have been met. When the conditions are met, the STA may attempt to access the channel using the P-EDCA procedure. When the conditions are not met, the STA may attempt to access the channel using the EDCA procedure.

[0006] The P-EDCA procedure may involve the transmission of delayed frames. Delayed frames can be used to prevent other STAs from competing for channel access during a protected service period. Delayed frames may have a Receiver Address (RA) field, which may be set to a broadcast address, another address advertised by the AP, a BSSID address, or a pre-agreed reserved address. Conditions used to determine whether to attempt channel access using the P-EDCA or EDCA procedure may include: a MAC Service Data Unit (MSDU) expiration timer below a threshold; the number of retransmissions allowed for a specific access class using P-EDCA exceeds a threshold; queued uplink data has at least a threshold priority (e.g., with Voice Access Class (AC)); a Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) duration below the P-EDCA TXOP limit (e.g., as advertised by the AP); time elapsed since the STA's last delayed frame transmission being greater than the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration (e.g., as advertised by the AP); and / or the number of delayed frame retransmissions already performed by the STA being less than the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold (e.g., as advertised by the AP). If necessary, the AP may advertise one or more of these parameters in the E-PDCA parameter element. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system based on some implementation schemes.

[0008] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless station (STA) based on some implementation schemes.

[0009] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless access point (AP) based on some implementation schemes.

[0010] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary network deployment based on some implementation schemes, which includes STAs with Priority Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (P-EDCA) capability that can attempt to access the AP's channels and STAs without P-EDCA capability.

[0011] Figure 5 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of how a STA with P-EDCA capability and a STA without P-EDCA capability can attempt to access an AP's channel according to some implementation schemes.

[0012] Figure 6 It is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary operation that can be performed by a STA with P-EDCA capability to access a channel based on one or more conditions, according to some implementation schemes.

[0013] Figure 7It is a table of exemplary conditions based on some implementation schemes, which can be applied to a STA with P-EDCA capability so that the STA uses the P-EDCA procedure to access the channel.

[0014] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating exemplary P-EDCA parameter elements that can be sent by the AP according to some implementation schemes. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 108 (sometimes referred to herein as wireless communication network 108, communication network 108, network 108, or system 108) is illustrated. It should be noted that... Figure 1 This represents one of many possibilities, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented as needed through any of various systems. For example, the embodiments described herein can be implemented in any type of wireless device. The wireless implementation described below is an example implementation.

[0016] like Figure 1 As shown, an exemplary wireless communication system 108 includes an access point (AP) 104 that communicates with one or more wireless devices 106 (e.g., a first wireless device 106A, a second wireless device 106B, etc.) via a transmission medium. Wireless devices 106A and 106B may be user equipment (e.g., user equipment (UE) devices), such as a station (STA), a non-AP STA, or a wireless local area network (WLAN) device. Wireless device 106 is sometimes referred to herein as STA 106, client 106, or non-AP STA 106.

[0017] STA 106 can be a device with wireless network connectivity, such as a mobile (e.g., cellular) phone, a handheld device, a wearable device (e.g., a wristwatch, a pendant, a ringer, a head-mounted device, such as a virtual, mixed, and / or augmented reality head-mounted device, goggles, a helmet, or glasses), a computer (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a computer monitor containing an embedded computer, etc.), a tablet computer, a media player, headphones, one or two wireless earbuds, a television, a gaming device or console, a navigation device, an embedded system (such as a system in which electronic equipment with a display is installed in a kiosk or a car), a voice-controlled speaker with wireless internet connectivity, a home entertainment device, a remote control device, a game controller, a user input device, a peripheral device or accessory, an electronic stylus or pen, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an unmanned control unit (UAC), a car, computing equipment integrated into a vehicle or kiosk, equipment that enables the functionality of two or more of these devices, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0018] STA 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. STA 106 may execute any method implementation of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, STA 106 may include any of the following programmable hardware elements: a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an integrated circuit, and / or various other possible hardware components configured to (e.g., individually or in combination) execute any method implementation of the method embodiments described herein or any portion thereof.

[0019] The wireless communication system 108 may include one or more wireless access points (APs), such as AP 102. AP 102 may be a standalone AP or a corporate AP, and may include hardware capable of enabling wireless communication with STA 106, such as STA 106A and STA 106B. AP 102 may also be equipped to communicate with network 100 (e.g., a WLAN, a corporate network, and / or another communication network connected to the Internet, and various other possible networks). Thus, AP 102 may facilitate communication between STA 106 and / or between STA 106 and network 100. AP 102 may be configured to provide communication via one or more wireless technologies such as IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, ad, ax, ay, be, bn and / or other 802.11 versions, or cellular protocols such as 5G, LTE, 3G, 2G or 6G, including in unlicensed frequency bands (LAA).

[0020] Network 100 may include any desired number of network nodes, terminals, and / or end hosts communicatively coupled together using communication paths including wired and / or wireless links. Wired links may include cables (e.g., Ethernet cables, fiber optic cables or other optical cables that use light to transmit signals, telephone cables, radio frequency cables such as coaxial cables, or other transmission lines, etc.). Wireless links may include short-range wireless communication links operating within a range of a few inches, a few feet, or tens of feet; medium-range wireless communication links operating within a range of hundreds of feet, thousands of feet, several miles, or tens of miles; and / or long-range wireless communication links operating within a range of hundreds or thousands of miles.

[0021] The nodes of network 100 may be organized into one or more relay networks, mesh networks, local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), ring networks (e.g., optical rings), cloud networks, virtual / logical networks, the Internet (e.g., networks communicatively coupled to each other via the Internet), combinations of these, and / or any other desired network topology. Network nodes, endpoints, and / or end hosts of network 100 may include network switches, network routers, optical add-drop multiplexers, other multiplexers, repeaters, modems, portals, gateways, servers, network interface cards (NICs) (line cards), wireless access points, wireless base stations, and / or any other desired network components. Network nodes in network 100 may include physical components such as electronic devices, servers, computers, network cabinets, line cards, user equipment, etc., and / or may include virtual components logically defined in software and distributed across two or more underlying physical devices (above them) (e.g., in a cloud network configuration).

[0022] The communication area (or coverage area) of AP 102 (or AP 104) may be referred to as a Basic Service Area (BSA) or cell. AP 102 (or AP 104) and STA 106 may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs) or wireless communication technologies, such as Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies (e.g., Wi-Fi), LTE, LTE-A Advanced, 5G NR, Ultra Wideband (UWB), 4G, 3G, 2G, Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technologies (e.g., Bluetooth), etc.). A given RAT may, for example, specify the physical method (e.g., Layer 1 or physical layer circuitry or processing) used to implement the corresponding communication protocol (e.g., WLAN protocol, Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) protocol, cellular phone protocols such as 3G protocol, 4G (LTE) protocol, 5G (NR) protocol, etc., UWB protocol, satellite communication protocol, satellite navigation protocol, device-to-device (D2D) protocol, etc.).

[0023] Therefore, AP 102, AP 104, and other similar access points (not shown) operating according to one or more wireless communication technologies can be configured as a network that can, for example, provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to STA106A and 106B and similar devices within a geographical area via one or more communication technologies. For example, a STA can roam directly from one AP to another, or can switch between APs and cellular network cells.

[0024] It should be noted that, at least in some cases, the STA 106 may be able to communicate using any of a variety of wireless communication technologies. For example, the STA 106 may be configured to communicate using one or more of the following: Wi-Fi, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, Bluetooth, UWB, one or more satellite systems (e.g., a communication satellite constellation communicating with one or more ground stations). Other combinations of wireless communication technologies (including more than two wireless communication technologies) are also possible. Similarly, in some cases, the STA 106 may be configured to communicate using only a single wireless communication technology.

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system 108 may also include an access point (AP) 104, which communicates with the wireless device 106B via a transmission medium. AP 104 also provides a communication connection to network 100. Therefore, according to some embodiments, a wireless device may be able to connect to one or both of AP 102 (or a cellular base station (BS)) and AP 104 (or another access point or BS) to access network 100. For example, a STA may roam from AP 102 to AP 104 based on one or more factors such as coverage, interference, and capability. It should be noted that AP 104 may also allow access to networks different from those allowed by AP 102 (e.g., enterprise Wi-Fi networks, home Wi-Fi networks, etc.).

[0026] In some specific implementations, STA 106 (e.g., STA 106A and 106B) may include handheld devices such as smartphones or tablets, wearable devices such as smartwatches or smart glasses, and / or may include any device of various types with wireless communication capabilities. For example, one or more of STA 106A and / or STA 106B may be wireless devices designed for stationary or nomadic deployments, such as home appliances, measuring devices, control devices, etc.

[0027] STA 106B can also be configured to communicate with STA 106A. For example, STA 106A and STA 106B may be able to perform direct device-to-device (D2D) communication. In some implementations, this direct communication between STAs may also be referred to as, or alternatively as, peer-to-peer (P2P) communication. Direct communication may be supported by AP 102 (e.g., easily discoverable by AP 102, and with various possible forms of assistance), or may be performed in a manner not supported by AP 102. Depending on the implementation, this P2P communication may be performed using any of the following communication technologies: 3GPP-based D2D communication technology, Wi-Fi-based P2P communication technology, UWB, Bluetooth (BT), and / or various other direct communication technologies.

[0028] STA 106 may include one or more devices or integrated circuits for facilitating wireless communication, potentially including WLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi) modems, cellular modems, and / or one or more other wireless modems. The wireless modem may include one or more processors (processor elements) and various hardware components as described herein. STA 106 may execute any method embodiment (or any portion thereof) of the method embodiments described herein by executing instructions on one or more programmable processors. Alternatively or otherwise, the one or more processors may be one or more programmable hardware elements, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or other circuitry configured to perform any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein or any portion thereof. The wireless modem described herein may be used as an STA as defined herein, a wireless device as defined herein, or a communication device as defined herein. The wireless modem described herein may also be used as an AP, base station, picocell, femtocell, or other similar network-side device.

[0029] STA 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or radio access technologies. In some embodiments, STA 106 may be configured to communicate using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)) for performing wireless communication. Alternatively, STA 106 may include two or more radio components, each configured to communicate via a corresponding wireless link. Other configurations are also possible.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a possible block diagram of a STA device (such as STA 106). STA 106 is sometimes also referred to herein as UE 106, UE device 106, device 106, electronic device 106, or client 106. STA 106 may also be referred to herein as a non-AP STA 106, non-AP device 106, or non-AP client 106. Figure 2 As shown, STA 106 may include wireless circuits such as wireless communication circuitry 230, subsystems such as system-on-chip (SOC) 200, displays such as display 260, and one or more interfaces such as connector interface (I / F) 220.

[0031] The SOC 200 may include one or more parts configured for various purposes. For example, such as Figure 2As shown, the SOC 200 may include one or more processors 202 and display circuitry 204. The processor 202 executes program instructions for the STA 106. The display circuitry 204 performs graphics processing and provides display signals to the display 260. The display 260 may be a touch-sensitive display, a force-sensitive display, or a display without touch or force sensitivity. For example, the display 260 may include one or more arrays of display pixels that emit light containing an image. The display 260 may be omitted from the STA 106 if desired.

[0032] SOC 200 may also include sensor circuitry, such as motion sensing circuitry 270. Motion sensing circuitry 270 may use any of the following components: a gyroscope, accelerometer, inertial measurement unit (IMU), compass, light-based motion sensor, radar-based motion sensor, and / or various other motion sensing components, to detect motion of STA 106. Processor 202 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 240, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 202 and translate these addresses into locations in memory or other storage circuitry (e.g., memory 206, read-only memory (ROM) 250, flash memory (NAND) 210, etc.). MMU 240 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 240 may be included as part of processor 202.

[0033] SOC 200 can be coupled to various other circuits in STA 106. For example, SOC 200 can be coupled to various types of memory (e.g., flash memory 210), connector interface (I / F) 220 (e.g., for coupling to computer systems, docking stations, charging stations, etc.), display 260, and wireless communication circuitry 230 (e.g., for performing wireless communication under LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, UWB, etc.).

[0034] STA 106 may include at least one antenna 235. If desired, STA 106 may include multiple antennas 235, such as at least a first antenna 235A and a second antenna 235B. STA 106 may use antennas 235 to perform wireless communication with access points, base stations, and / or other devices. For example, STA 106 may use antennas 235A and 235B to perform wireless communication with... Figure 1 Wireless communication of AP 102 and / or 104. As noted above, in some implementations, STA 106 may be configured to use a variety of wireless communication standards or radio access technologies (RAT) for wireless communication.

[0035] Wireless communication circuitry 230 may include one or more modems, such as a WLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi) modem 232, a cellular modem 234, and / or a Bluetooth modem 236. If needed, wireless communication circuitry 230 may include additional modems for handling other RAT or wireless communication technologies. STA 106 may use the WLAN modem 232 (sometimes referred to herein as Wi-Fi modem 232) to perform communication with one or more external devices (e.g., Figure 1 The STA 106 may use the AP 104 and / or 102 for Wi-Fi or other WLAN communication (e.g., on an 802.11 network). The STA 106 may use the Bluetooth modem 236 to perform Bluetooth communication or other WPAN communication with one or more external devices (e.g., another STA 106). The STA 106 may use the cellular modem 234 to perform cellular communication with one or more wireless base stations according to one or more cellular communication technologies (e.g., according to one or more 3GPP specifications).

[0036] As described herein, STA 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing embodiments of this disclosure. For example, one or more components of the wireless communication circuitry 230 of STA 106 (e.g., Wi-Fi modem 232, cellular modem 234, BT modem 236) may be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing one or more processors that execute program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), a processor configured as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and / or using dedicated hardware components that may include an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) when needed. STA 106 may include a support structure, such as a housing (sometimes also referred to as a enclosure). The housing may include conductive and / or dielectric housing walls, layers, and / or other structures. Some or all of the components of STA 106 may be disposed within and / or on the housing.

[0037] If needed, STA 106 may include additional input-output devices (not shown for clarity). Input-output devices may be used to allow data to be supplied to STA 106 and to allow data to be supplied from STA 106 to external devices. Input-output devices may include user interface devices, data port devices (interface 220), touch sensors, displays (e.g., display 260), light-emitting components such as displays without touch sensor capability, buttons (mechanical, capacitive, optical, etc.), scroll wheels, touchpads, keypads, keyboards, microphones, cameras, buttons, speakers, status indicators, audio jacks and other audio port components, digital data port devices, motion sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes, and / or compasses for detecting motion), capacitive sensors, proximity sensors, magnetic sensors, force sensors (e.g., force sensors coupled to the display to detect pressure applied to the display), temperature sensors, etc. In some configurations, keyboards, headsets, displays, pointing devices such as touchpads, mice and joysticks, and other input-output devices can be coupled to the STA 106 via wired or wireless connections (e.g., some input-output devices may be peripherals coupled to the main processing unit or other parts of the STA 106 via wired or wireless links).

[0038] Figure 3 Such as AP 104 (or equivalent, Figure 1 Example block diagram of an electronic device such as AP 102. In some cases (e.g., in the context of 802.11 communication), AP 104 may also be referred to as AP STA. Note that, Figure 3 The AP is merely one example of a possible access point. As shown, AP 104 may include one or more processors 304 capable of executing program instructions for AP 104. Processor 304 may also be coupled to MMU 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 304 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 360 and ROM 350) or to other storage circuitry, circuitry, or devices.

[0039] AP 104 may include at least one network port 370. Network port 370 may be configured to couple to a network and provide access to the network (e.g., to multiple devices such as STA 106) Figure 1Access to network 100. Network port 370 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network (e.g., the cellular service provider's core network (CN)). The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple UE devices (e.g., STA 106). In some cases, network port 370 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., between other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0040] AP 104 may include one or more radio components 330A-330N, each radio component being coupled to a corresponding communication link 332 and at least one antenna 334, and may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., a first radio component 330A is coupled to antenna 334A via communication link 332A, an Nth radio component 330N is coupled to antenna 334N via communication link 332N, and so on). Radio component 330 may be configured to function as a wireless transceiver communicating with STA 106 via communication link 332 and antenna 334. Antennas 334A-334N communicate with their corresponding radio components 330A-330N via communication links 332A-332N. Communication link 332 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or may include both a transmit link and a receive link. Radio components 330A-330N can be configured to communicate according to various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, 6G, UWB, WLAN (Wi-Fi), WPAN (BT), UWB, satellite-based communication standards, etc. If needed, AP 104 can be configured to operate on multiple wireless links using one or more radio components 330A-330N, with each radio component operating on a corresponding wireless link.

[0041] AP 104 can be configured to perform wireless communication using one or more wireless communication standards. In some cases, AP 104 may include multiple radio components that enable network entities to communicate according to a variety of wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, AP 104 may include LTE or 5G radio components for performing communication according to LTE or 5G NR and Wi-Fi radio components for performing communication according to Wi-Fi. In this case, AP 104 may be able to operate as both a cellular base station and a Wi-Fi access point. As another possibility, AP 104 may include multimode radio components capable of performing communication according to any of the various wireless communication technologies (e.g., NR and Wi-Fi, NR and LTE, etc.). As yet another possibility, AP 104 may be configured to be used exclusively as a Wi-Fi access point (e.g., in the absence of cellular communication capabilities).

[0042] As further described herein, AP 104 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described herein. The processor 304 of AP 104 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) to operate multiple wireless links using multiple corresponding radio components. Alternatively, the processor 304 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or otherwise), the processor 304 of AP 104, together with one or more other components 330, 332, 334, 340, 350, 360, 370, may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0043] The radio component 330 on AP 104 can use antenna 334 ( Figure 3 Furthermore, the wireless communication circuit 230 on STA 106 can use antenna 235 ( Figure 2 This is used to transmit and / or receive radio frequency signals within different frequency bands (sometimes referred to herein as communication bands or simply "bands") at the radio frequency. The frequency bands processed by AP 104 and STA 106 may include satellite communication bands (e.g., C-band, S-band, L-band, X-band, W-band, V-band, K-band, K-band). a Bandwidth, K u Frequency bands, etc.); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) frequency bands (e.g., Wi-Fi) ® (IEEE 802.11) or other WLAN communication bands such as the 2.4 GHz WLAN band (e.g., 2400 MHz to 2480 MHz), the 5 GHz WLAN band (e.g., 5180 MHz to 5825 MHz), Wi-Fi ® 6-band (e.g., 5925MHz to 7125MHz), Wi-Fi ® 7-band and / or other Wi-Fi ® Frequency bands (e.g., 1875MHz to 5160MHz); Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) frequency bands such as 2.4GHz Bluetooth. ®Frequency bands or other WPAN communication bands, cellular phone bands (e.g., bands from approximately 600 MHz to approximately 5 GHz, 3G bands, 4G LTE bands, 5G New Radio Frequency Range 1 (FR1) band below 10 GHz, 5G New Radio Frequency Range 2 (FR2) band between 20 GHz and 60 GHz, 6G bands, sub-THz cellular bands, etc.), other centimeter or millimeter wave bands between 10 GHz and 300 GHz; near field communication (NFC) bands (e.g., 13.56 MHz); satellite navigation bands (e.g., GPS band from 1565 MHz to 1610 MHz, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) band, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) band, etc.); in IEEE Ultra-wideband (UWB) bands operating under the 802.15.4 protocol and / or other ultra-wideband communication protocols; communication bands under the 3GPP wireless communication standard family; communication bands under the IEEE 802.XX standard family; and / or any other desired bands of interest.

[0044] Antenna 334 can be formed using any desired antenna structure. Figure 3 ) and Antenna 235 ( Figure 2 For example, the antenna may include an antenna having a resonant element formed from a loop antenna structure, patch antenna structure, inverted-F antenna structure, slot antenna structure, planar inverted-F antenna structure, helical antenna structure, monopole antenna, dipole antenna, a mixture of these designs, etc. If desired, one or more antennas may include an antenna resonant element formed by a conductive portion of the device housing (e.g., a peripheral conductive housing structure extending around the periphery of the display on the STA 106). Adjustable filter circuitry, switching circuitry, impedance matching circuitry, and / or other antenna tuning components can be used to adjust the frequency response and wireless performance of the antenna over time. If desired, multiple antennas may be implemented as phased array antennas (e.g., where each antenna forms a radiator or antenna element of a phased array antenna (sometimes also referred to as a phased antenna array)). In these cases, the phased array antenna can deliver radio frequency signals within a signal beam. The phase and / or amplitude of each radiator in the phased array antenna can be adjusted such that the radio frequency signals of each radiator interfere constructively and destructively to guide or direct the signal beam along a specific pointing direction (e.g., the direction of peak signal gain). The signal beam can be adjusted or guided over time.

[0045] Wireless communication circuit 230 can use antenna 235 ( Figure 2 Radio component 330 can use antenna 334 to transmit radio frequency signals. Figure 3An antenna transmits radio frequency (RF) signals. As used herein, the term "transmitting RF signals" means the transmission and / or reception of RF signals (e.g., for performing one-way and / or two-way wireless communication with external wireless communication equipment). As used herein, the term "transmitting wireless data" means the transmission and / or reception of wireless data (e.g., as performed by a corresponding RF signal). An antenna can transmit RF signals by radiating them into free space (or through an intermediary device structure such as a dielectric overlay). Additionally or alternatively, an antenna can receive RF signals from free space (or through an intermediary device structure such as a dielectric overlay). The transmission and reception of RF signals by an antenna each involve the excitation or resonance of an antenna current on an antenna resonant element in the antenna by the RF signal within the antenna's operating frequency band.

[0046] The wireless communication circuit 230 can be coupled to the antenna 235 via one or more radio frequency transmission lines. Figure 2 Radio component 330 can be coupled to antenna 334 via one or more radio frequency transmission lines. Figure 3 Communication link 332 ( Figure 3 The RF transmission line can be disposed between antenna 334 and radio component 330. The RF transmission line may include coaxial cable, microstrip transmission line, stripline transmission line, edge-coupled microstrip transmission line, edge-coupled stripline transmission line, or a combination of these types of transmission lines. If desired, the RF transmission line can be integrated into rigid and / or flexible printed circuit boards. If desired, one or more RF lines can be shared between radio components or modems. If desired, an RF front-end (RFFE) module can be inserted into one or more RF transmission lines (e.g., in...). Figure 3 Within communication link 332 or in Figure 2 (Within the wireless communication circuit 230). The RF front-end module may include a substrate, integrated circuit, chip, or package separate from the radio components or modem, and may include filter circuitry, switching circuitry, amplifier circuitry, impedance matching circuitry, RF coupling circuitry, and / or any other desired RF circuitry for operating on RF signals delivered via RF transmit lines.

[0047] Processor 202 ( Figure 2 ) and processor 304 ( Figure 3 Each of these components may include one or more processors, such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, host processors, baseband processing circuitry (e.g., one or more baseband processors or baseband processor integrated circuits), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), FPGAs, central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), etc. If necessary, radio component 330 ( Figure 3The STA 106 and / or wireless communication circuitry 230 may also include one or more processors. The baseband circuitry in the STA 106 and / or AP 104 may, for example, access corresponding memory circuitry (e.g., Figure 2 memory 206 or Figure 3 The communication protocol stack on the memory 360 performs user plane functions at the physical (PHY) layer, data link or media access control (MAC) layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer and / or PDU layer; and / or performs control plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer and / or non-access layer.

[0048] AP 104 (or Figure 1 AP 102 can communicate with STA 106 via a corresponding wireless communication link. Radio frequency (RF) signals can be wirelessly transmitted between the radio components and antennas on AP 104 and STA 106 to support the wireless communication link. The RF signals may include wireless data modulated onto one or more carriers of the RF signal (e.g., modulated by a transmitter in the radio component 330 of AP 104 or a transmitter in a modem on the wireless communication circuit 230 of STA 106). The wireless data may be organized, modulated onto, and demodulated from the RF signal according to a corresponding communication protocol or standard (e.g., the IEEE 802.11 protocol or standard) (e.g., by a receiver in the radio component 330 of AP 104 or a receiver in a modem on the wireless communication circuit 230 of STA 106). RF signals can be transmitted (carried) via a transmission medium in one or more frequency bands associated with the communication protocol.

[0049] This document describes, as an example, a specific implementation of communication between AP 104 and STA 106 according to the IEEE 802.11 protocol or standard. Under the 802.11 protocol, wireless data is organized into a series of frames or frame streams carried by radio frequency signals (e.g., Media Access Control (MAC) frames). Frames (sometimes also referred to as packets) may include management frames, control frames, data frames, beacon frames, association frames, authentication frames, acknowledgment (ACK) frames, block ACK frames, trigger frames, trigger response frames, probe frames, association frames, reassociation frames, and / or other types of frames. Each frame may include a frame header, a body (e.g., after the header), and a trailer (e.g., after the body). The header may include, for example, source address (SA) information identifying the sender of the frame (sometimes referred to herein as sender address (TA) information, which identifies the corresponding TA), destination address information identifying the intended recipient of some or all of the frames in the frame (sometimes referred herein as recipient address (RA) information, which identifies the corresponding RA), routing information, identifier information identifying one or more aspects of some or all of the frames in the frame (e.g., information identifying the type of frame), association identifier (AID) field, control information, etc. The body may include, for example, data payload (e.g., payload of voice data, video data, web browsing data, application data, etc.). The trailer may include verification information to help verify the frame to the recipient. As an example, the verification information may include a Frame Check Sequence (FCS) or Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) field. If desired, the header, body, and / or trailer may include one or more Message Integrity Check (MIC) fields (e.g., hash values ​​or the output of other cryptographic functions that take different parts of the frame as input and are used to verify the integrity of the frame when received by the recipient). The fields of a frame or message are sometimes referred to as the elements of a frame or message in this article.

[0050] In the bidirectional communication link between AP 104 and STA 106, frames are transmitted from AP 104 to STA 106 and from STA 106 to AP 104. STA 106 may send one or more ACK frames or block ACK frames to AP 104 to acknowledge successful reception of one or more frames sent by AP 104. AP 104 may send one or more ACK frames or block ACK frames to STA 106 to acknowledge successful reception of one or more frames sent by AP STA 106.

[0051] Radio frequency (RF) signals are transmitted from AP 104 to STA 106 along the downlink (DL) direction. RF signals transmitted along the DL direction are sometimes referred to herein as DL signals. DL signals may carry DL data (e.g., DL frames transmitted from AP 104 to STA 106). Radio frequency (RF) signals are transmitted from STA 106 to AP 104 along the uplink (UL) direction. RF signals transmitted along the UL direction are sometimes referred to herein as UL signals. UL signals may carry UL data (e.g., UL frames transmitted from STA 106 to AP 104).

[0052] A given AP 104 may support, maintain, and / or implement a Basic Service Set (BSS) for communicating with at least one STA 106 (e.g., according to the corresponding 802.11 protocol). If needed, a single physical AP 104 may concurrently support, maintain, and / or implement multiple BSSs (e.g., supporting wireless communication with different STAs associated with multiple BSSs). The AP may, for example, communicate with a first set of one or more STAs 106 using a first BSS, communicate with a second set of one or more STAs 106 using a second BSS, and so on. When communication is initiated between AP 104 and a given STA 106, the STA associates with (registers with) AP 104 and subsequently associates with the corresponding BSS of the AP (this process is referred to as association). The BSS may include and / or identify corresponding communication / operation parameters, device capabilities, security level information, and / or other information associated with the communication services provided by AP 104 to one or more STAs under that BSS.

[0053] Each BSS can be identified by a corresponding BSS identifier (BSSID). This BSSID may, for example, represent or correspond to a specific network address (e.g., MAC address) and / or wireless network name established, owned, and / or maintained by the AP for wireless communication using the corresponding BSS. If needed, a given AP 104 may concurrently or simultaneously support, implement, and / or maintain multiple BSSIDs in a communication scheme sometimes referred to herein as performing multi-BSSID (M-BSSID) operation or M-BSSID communication. When configured to perform M-BSSID communication, each BSSID maintained by AP 104 corresponds to a different network address (e.g., MAC address) and wireless network name maintained and operated by that AP.

[0054] Consider an example where AP 104 is a Wi-Fi router or hotspot on a university campus and is configured to perform M-BSSID communication. In this example, AP 104 may concurrently maintain a first BSSID named "Student" for STA 106 operated by students on the university campus, corresponding to AP 104's first MAC address; a second BSSID named "Employee" for STA 106 operated by university campus staff, corresponding to AP 104's second MAC address; a third BSSID named "Visitor" for STA 106 operated by university campus visitors, and so on. Each BSSID may have different corresponding operating characteristics, security configurations, and / or settings. When STA 106 enters the AP's wireless coverage area, the STA's user can interact with the STA's user interface to select one of the AP's BSSIDs to connect to. The AP can then associate or link a STA to the BSSID (e.g., if the STA meets one or more security conditions associated with the BSSID, such as registering with a user authorized to access the BSSID, providing the correct password to access the BSSID, etc.). Once associated with a given BSSID, the STA and AP use that BSSID (e.g., the BSS identified by that BSSID) to transmit wireless data. This example is illustrative and not limiting.

[0055] In some deployments, different STAs 106 attempting to access channels of AP 104 may have different corresponding communication capabilities for accessing the channels and / or performing communication with the AP. These capabilities may include distributed channel access capabilities associated with handling how multiple STAs attempt to concurrently access channels of the AP. For example, one or more STAs in a first group may be able to attempt channel access using the Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) procedure, while one or more STAs in a second group may be able to attempt channel access using the EDCA procedure or the Priority EDCA (P-EDCA) procedure (sometimes also referred to as the high-priority EDCA procedure). Unlike the STAs in the second group, the STAs in the first group are unable or cannot perform the P-EDCA procedure. Therefore, STAs in the first group are sometimes referred to herein as EDCA STAs, STAs without P-EDCA capabilities, or conventional STAs. On the other hand, STAs in the second group are sometimes referred to herein as P-EDCA STAs or STAs with P-EDCA capabilities. The distributed channel access capability of a given STA may be determined, for example, by the version of the communication protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi protocol) supported and / or implemented by that STA. For example, a STA without P-EDCA capability can use an earlier (older) version of this communication protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi). ®It operates using the 802.11be protocol or earlier, while STAs with P-EDCA capability can use newer versions of the communication protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi). ® It operates using either 802.11bn or 802.2.11bn protocols. In these cases, the AP 104 supports both versions of the communication protocol (e.g., for communicating with both STAs that have P-EDCA capability and those that do not).

[0056] Figure 4 The wireless communication system 108 is shown. Figure 1 An example deployment 400 includes at least one AP104, a first STA 106 (STA1), a second STA 106 (STA2), a third STA 106 (STA3), and a fourth STA 106 (STA4). In this example, STA1 and STA2 are (traditional) STAs without P-EDCA capability (e.g., using Wi-Fi). ® STA3 and STA4 are STAs with P-EDCA capability (e.g., using Wi-Fi) and operate according to the 7 protocol or earlier. ® (8. Protocol or updated protocol to operate). AP supports both EDCA and P-EDCA processes and has a corresponding BSSID. Figure 4 The examples provided are for illustrative purposes only and are not restrictive. Deployment 400 can have other configurations, any desired number of APs, and any desired number of STAs with and / or without P-EDCA capability.

[0057] STA1, STA2, STA3, and STA4 can be associated with an AP (e.g., the AP's BSSID) to perform wireless communication with the AP. These communications may involve uplink signaling from the STA to the AP during a corresponding Transmission Opportunity (TXOP). In some cases, STAs may attempt to access the same channel CHX of the AP to perform a TXOP. To address situations where multiple STAs have data (e.g., uplink data) to transmit to the AP via channel CHX at the same time or approximately the same time, the communication protocol supported by the STA can define / specify one or more channel access procedures that the STA must perform before its respective TXOP. Channel access procedures help reduce the risk of uplink signaling collisions between STAs (e.g., increasing the likelihood that uplink data is successfully received / decoded and acknowledged by the AP), while also introducing elements of fair access provision to STAs (e.g., to help ensure that no STA is unfairly provided with more or faster access to channel CHX than other STAs).

[0058] exist Figure 4In a deployment, for example, STA1 and STA2 can perform the EDCA procedure to access channel CHX (e.g., because STA1 and STA2 do not have P-EDCA capability). On the other hand, STA3 and STA4 can perform either the EDCA procedure or the P-EDCA procedure to access channel CHX. Unlike the EDCA procedure, the P-EDCA procedure may involve the STA sending a delay frame (DF). The delay frame can be used to prevent other STAs from attempting to access the channel for a predetermined time period. This predetermined time period allows the STA that sent the delay frame to attempt to access the channel at least for the predetermined time period without having to compete with other STAs.

[0059] Figure 5 This illustrates how STAs with P-EDCA capability (such as STA3 and STA4) can perform the P-EDCA procedure to access the AP's channel CHX (e.g., in...). Figure 4 A sequence diagram for a deployment of 400 or similar. Figure 5 As shown, STA1 can send uplink packet 500 to the AP (e.g., during the corresponding TXOP of STA1). STA1 can complete the transmission of packet 500 at time TA. The Short Frame Interval (SIFS) interval (segment) can begin at the end of packet 500. The duration of the SIFS interval can be specified by the protocol and can be, for example, 16 microseconds. The Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) Frame Interval (DIFS) interval (segment) can also begin at the end of packet 500. The DIFS interval is longer than the SIFS interval. The duration of the DIFS interval can be specified by the protocol and can be, for example, equal to the duration of the SIFS interval plus twice the slot time.

[0060] Other STAs of the AP (e.g., STA2, STA3, and STA4) can detect when STA1 finishes transmitting packet 500, and thus when the SIFS and DIFS intervals begin. STAs without P-EDCA capability (such as STA1 and STA2) can begin the corresponding Arbitration Frame Interval (AIFS) after the SIFS interval ends to initiate contention for channel access. Figure 5 In the example, two STAs (STA3 and STA4) with P-EDCA capability are queuing uplink data to be sent to the AP at time TA or earlier. Both STA3 and STA4 can perform the P-EDCA procedure to attempt to access the AP's channel CHX for sending their queued uplink data.

[0061] To perform the P-EDCA procedure, STA3 and STA4 may first wait for the DIFS interval to elapse since the end of the last transmitted packet (e.g., the end of packet 500 transmitted by STA1) without sending any signal. When the DIFS interval has elapsed (e.g., at time TB, where TB-TA equals the duration of the DIFS interval) and the channel is still ideal / sufficient, each STA may transmit a delayed frame 502. For example, STA3 may transmit delayed frame 502A at time TB, and STA4 may transmit delayed frame 502B at time TB. Delayed frames 502A and 502B may, for example, have the same frame structure, receiver (receiver) address (RA), and / or content (e.g., delayed frames 502A and 502B may carry exactly the same information). This may, for example, prevent concurrently transmitted delayed frames 502 from colliding with each other (e.g., prevent delayed frames from being correctly received / decoded at another STA or AP). As an example, delayed frames 502A and 502B may be configured and / or may include a transmit-allowed (CTS) frame.

[0062] The transmission of delayed frame 502 can be used to prevent other STAs (e.g., STAs without P-EDCA capability and / or P-EDCA-capable STAs that did not transmit delayed frames at time TB) from attempting to access the channel during a predetermined time period 506, starting from time TB (e.g., from the beginning of the transmitted delayed frame). The predetermined time period 506 can be, for example, a protected service period (SP) (e.g., the predetermined time period 506 is sometimes referred to herein as protected SP 506 or simply SP 506). The protected SP may have a duration set by the AP. If necessary, the AP may announce the duration of the protected SP in advance, such as by transmitting it using one or more downlink or broadcast signals (e.g., in beacon frames, TXOP response frames, associated response frames, etc.). As a non-limiting example, the predetermined time period 506 may have a duration of 97 microseconds.

[0063] When an STA, such as STA1 or STA2, receives a delayed frame 502, the STA may set or reset its Network Allocation Vector (NAV) to the duration of a predetermined time period 506 (e.g., 97 microseconds), the duration of which is known to the STA from the delay frame duration field. The STA may then wait for contention channel access until the predetermined time period 506 has elapsed (e.g., it may abandon attempts to access the contention channel until the predetermined time period 506 has elapsed). These STAs may operate, for example, in busy mode and / or Extended Frame Interval (EIFS) mode during the predetermined time period 506. STA2, STA3, and STA4 may operate in busy mode while STA1 is transmitting packet 500. During the SIFS interval starting from time TA, STA1, STA2, STA3, and STA4 may operate in idle mode.

[0064] During a predetermined time period 506, only the STA that transmits the delayed frame 502 at time TB will compete for channel access (e.g., STAs that do not transmit the delayed frame are prevented from competing for channel access during the predetermined time period 506). After transmitting the delayed frame 502, the transmitting STA may then perform a transmit backoff procedure, which determines when the STA should transmit a request-to-transmit (RTS) frame to the AP (e.g., requesting the transmission of its queued uplink data). The transmit backoff procedure (sometimes referred to herein as transmit backoff or simply backoff (BO)) may involve generating a random number within a possible range of numbers. The random number generated by the STA determines how long the STA must wait from the end of the delayed frame before transmitting the RTS frame to the AP (e.g., the duration of the corresponding backoff period (BOP) utilized by the STA before attempting channel access).

[0065] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, STA3 can generate a first random number corresponding to the first backoff period BOP1, and STA4 can generate a second random number corresponding to the second backoff period BOP2. The random numbers can be true random numbers or pseudo-random numbers. STA3 can then send its RTS frame to the AP after the backoff period BOP1 has elapsed since the end of delayed frame 502A (e.g., at time TC). Similarly, STA4 can send its RTS frame to the AP after the backoff period BOP2 has elapsed since the end of delayed frame 502B (e.g., at time TD).

[0066] In this example, because the backoff period BOP1 is shorter than the backoff period BOP2, and the AP receives the RTS signal from STA3 (at time TC) before receiving the RTS signal from STA4 (at time TD), the AP will respond to the RTS signal sent by STA3 by sending a CTS signal, thereby allowing STA3 to perform / complete the corresponding TXOP 504 with the AP. STA3 can then send its uplink data (e.g., one or more Physical Protocol Data Units (PPDUs)), and the AP can send a corresponding acknowledgment (ACK) for that uplink data during TXOP 504. STA3's TXOP 504 can be defined as starting at the beginning of the RTS frame sent by STA3. TXOP 504 effectively prevents STA4 from entering its own TXOP with the AP on channel CHX before the next contention opportunity. The random number generation during the backoff process introduces a fairness factor for which STAs can preferentially access the AP's channel CHX. By using delayed frame 502 to prevent other STAs from competing for access to the AP's channel CHX, a STA with P-EDCA capability can significantly reduce the number of other STAs competing for access to the AP's channel CHX, thereby increasing the likelihood of successfully entering the TXOP with the AP and reducing communication latency.

[0067] Unlike the P-EDCA process, the EDCA process (e.g., supported by STAs without P-EDCA capability, such as STA1 and STA2) does not provide the STA with the ability to transmit a delayed frame 502 to prevent other STAs from competing for channel access. The EDCA process can instead involve a similar transmit backoff process as described above in conjunction with backoff periods BOP1 and BOP2. However, because STAs without P-EDCA capability cannot prevent other STAs from competing for channel access, there is a high probability that two STAs will choose the same random number during the transmit backoff process, resulting in collisions between RTS frames transmitted by these STAs. When this occurs, the STA will use a random number selected from an even wider range to perform another transmit backoff process. This type of exponentially increasing transmit power backoff can introduce significant delays to the process of two STAs accessing the channel to perform PPDU uplink transmissions. The delayed frame 502 of the P-EDCA process helps mitigate these problems for STAs with P-EDCA capability.

[0068] On the other hand, care should be taken to prevent P-EDCA-capable STAs from unfairly using or abusing delayed frames to block other STAs from accessing the channel. To help balance the overall performance of all STAs served by the AP, one or more conditions (e.g., applied in the protocol, applied by the STA, and / or applied by the AP) can be applied before a P-EDCA-capable STA performs the P-EDCA procedure and sends its corresponding delayed frame. Furthermore, these conditions help ensure that the P-EDCA procedure still provides priority channel access when needed by P-EDCA-capable STAs, even if the number of P-EDCA-capable STAs served by the AP increases over time (e.g., P-EDCA may fail without appropriate conditions on when P-EDCA-capable STAs send delayed frames). If necessary, the AP can include one or more P-EDCA control or regulation mechanisms in its BSS to help implement these mechanisms.

[0069] Figure 6 It is a flowchart of an operation that can be performed by a STA 106 with P-EDCA capability and a corresponding AP 104 to perform communication, which applies one or more conditions regarding when a STA with P-EDCA capability can perform a P-EDCA procedure (delayed frame transmission).

[0070] At Operation 600, AP 104 can advertise AP information to one or more STAs in its coverage area. AP information may include, for example, a set of P-EDCA parameters, sometimes referred to herein as a P-EDCA parameter set. If needed, the AP can send the P-EDCA parameter set within P-EDCA parameter elements. The AP may include P-EDCA parameter elements in the header or another portion of a beacon frame, TXOP response frame, associated response frame, and / or in any other desired frame structure (e.g., downlink and / or broadcast transmission). If needed, the AP can... Figure 6 The P-EDCA parameter set continues to be sent before, after, and / or simultaneously with one or more of the remaining operations (e.g., periodically).

[0071] At operation 602, STA 106 may establish an association with AP 104. This may involve, for example, the STA sending a probe request to the AP, the AP sending a probe response to the STA, the STA sending an authentication request to the AP, the AP sending an authentication response to the STA, the STA sending an association request to the AP, and / or the AP sending a corresponding association response to the STA. If / when STA 106 has uplink data (e.g., one or more MAC Service Data Units (MSDUs)) queued for transmission to AP 104 on the corresponding channel CHX (e.g., in the MAC uplink transmission queue of STA 106), STA 106 may need to perform an access procedure to access the AP's channel CHX, and the process may proceed to operation 604.

[0072] At operation 604, STA 106 can proceed to... Figure 6 Before the remaining operations, the process determines, detects, decides, or identifies whether a condition is met (e.g., the condition has been met or fulfilled, the condition is true or passed). The condition can be imposed by STA 106, AP 104, and / or the communication protocol used by the STA. The condition can be a condition that STA 106 must meet to attempt to access AP 104's channel CHX using a P-EDCA procedure instead of an EDCA procedure. A condition can be a single condition or can include a set of conditions that must all be met for a condition to be considered satisfied. If / when a condition is met (e.g., condition met, condition fulfilled, condition is true or passed), the process can proceed from operation 604 to operation 610 via path 606 (e.g., condition met triggers the process to proceed to operation 610). If / when a condition is not met (e.g., condition not met, condition not fulfilled, condition is false or passed), the process can proceed from operation 604 to operation 612 via path 608 (e.g., condition not met triggers the process to proceed to operation 612).

[0073] At operation 612 (e.g., in response to the condition at operation 604 not being met), STA 106 may attempt to access AP 104's channel CHX using the EDCA procedure (e.g., without sending a delayed frame). This may include, for example, waiting for a period of time (e.g., the SIFS interval plus the AIFSN since the end of the last contention transmission) and then performing a transmit backoff procedure (at operation 614). After the corresponding transmit backoff period has elapsed since the end of the SIFS interval, processing may proceed to operation 616. If necessary, processing may proceed from operation 614 to operation 616 in response to the satisfaction of condition X. Condition X may be, for example, zero backoff and an idle channel. If condition X is not satisfied, processing may loop back from operation 614 to operation 604. At operation 616, STA 106 may send an RTS frame to the AP. This is exemplary and non-limiting, and if necessary, STA 106 may directly transmit its data (e.g., PPDU) instead of sending an RTS at operation 616. If / when the STA receives a CTS frame from the AP in response to its transmitted RTS frame, this indicates that the STA has successfully accessed the AP's channel CHX (e.g., continues with the STA's corresponding TXOP starting at the beginning of the transmitted RTS frame), and the process can proceed to operation 634 via path 620. On the other hand, if / when the STA does not receive a CTS frame from the AP in response to its transmitted RTS frame, this indicates a collision, or that the STA has not successfully accessed the AP's channel CHX, and the STA can perform another transmission backoff procedure to try channel access again (e.g., the process can loop back to operation 604 via path 618).

[0074] At operation 610 (e.g., in response to the condition at operation 604 being met), STA 106 may attempt to access channel CHX of AP 104 using the P-EDCA procedure. This may include, for example, waiting for a period of time (e.g., the DIFS interval from the end of the last contention transmission or another frame interval) and then transmitting delayed frame 502 (at operation 622). If desired, at optional operation 624, STA 106 may set the RA field of the transmitted delayed frame to a broadcast address, a BSSID address, or a different reserved address (e.g., STA 106 may include, indicate, or identify one of these addresses in the RA field of the header of the delayed frame).

[0075] In practice, the RA field of delayed frame 502 should be set to a common address used by all STAs with P-EDCA capability in the sent delayed frames. For example, this prevents two delayed frames from being sent simultaneously (e.g., Figure 5The delayed frames 502A and 502B conflict with each other (e.g., because all delayed frames contain the same content), thus allowing other STAs to correctly receive and decode the sent delayed frames (e.g., knowing that in Figure 5 The STA abandons attempts to access the channel within a predetermined time period 506. In some implementations, all STAs with P-EDCA capability set the RA field of the transmitted delayed frame 502 to the BSSID of AP 104. This allows non-contention-bound STAs to set their NAV when receiving and decoding the delayed frame (e.g., at the start of the predetermined time period 506). However, setting the RA of the delayed frame 502 to the BSSID of AP 104 can cause the AP to behave differently from non-contention-bound STAs. For example, AP 104 may not set its NAV when it receives a delayed frame addressed to its own BSSID. Furthermore, AP 104 may become confused if the RTS is transmitted before the delayed frame in this case (e.g., from a hidden node).

[0076] Setting the RA field of delayed frame 502 to the broadcast address for all STAs with P-EDCA capability helps mitigate these problems. For example, this allows AP 104 and non-contention-based STAs to postpone transmission, while also allowing the AP to distinguish between regular CTS frames sent to the AP and CTS frames sent as delayed frame 502. Furthermore, when the RA field is not set to the AP's BSSID, AP 104 may be able to distinguish between delayed frames for its BSS and delayed frames used for the Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS). This example is illustrative and not limiting. In other specific implementations, STA 106 may set the RA field of its transmitted delayed frame 502 to a pre-determined delayed frame RA value announced in advance by the AP (e.g., in the P-EDCA parameter elements, etc., during operation 600). In this way, all P-EDCA-enabled STAs of the AP can utilize the same RA field (e.g., including, indicating, or identifying a pre-determined RA value for the delayed frame announced by the AP, or the AP's BSSID) in their transmitted delayed frames, while still providing the AP with the same benefits as setting the RA field to equal the broadcast address. If needed, the AP can use the BSSID address as the RA address for the delayed frame to enable legacy devices to respond to RTS transmitted during protected contention periods. A delayed frame with an RA address equal to the BSSID will result in the NAV being set for all STAs in or associated with the BSS, but will not stop STAs from transmitting CTS frames in response to RTS. When a delayed frame with an RA field equal to the broadcast address or another reserved address is transmitted, a P-EDCA-enabled STA receiving the delayed frame can set its NAV and not contend for channel access, but can utilize CTS frames to respond to received RTS if needed.

[0077] At operation 626, STA 106 may then perform a transmit backoff procedure. After the corresponding transmit backoff period (BOP) has elapsed since the end of the delayed frame transmission, the process may proceed to operation 628. If necessary, the process may proceed from operation 626 to operation 628 in response to the satisfaction of condition X. Condition X may be, for example, zero backoff and an idle channel. If condition X is not satisfied, the process may cycle back from operation 626 to operation 604. At operation 628, STA 106 may transmit an RTS frame to the AP. This is exemplary and non-limiting, and if necessary, STA 106 may directly transmit its data (e.g., PPDU) instead of transmitting an RTS at operation 628. If / when the STA receives a CTS frame from the AP in response to its transmitted RTS frame, this may indicate that the STA has successfully accessed the AP's channel CHX (e.g., continuing the STA's corresponding TXOP that began at the start of the transmitted RTS frame), and the process may proceed to operation 634 via path 632. On the other hand, if / when the STA does not receive a CTS frame from the AP in response to the RTS frame it sent, this may indicate a collision, or the AP has not yet granted the STA 106 access to the channel CHX, and the STA may perform another transmission backoff procedure to try accessing the channel again (e.g., the process may loop back to operation 626 via path 630).

[0078] At operation 634, STA 106 can continue and complete its TXOP with AP 104 (e.g., Figure 5 (TXOP 504). For example, TXOP can end after STA 106 has completed sending its PPDU to AP 104 and after STA 106 has received the corresponding ACK for the PPDU from AP 104. When STA 106 continues to need access channel CHX for uplink transmission over time, the process can cycle back to operation 604.

[0079] Figure 7 Table 700 shows exemplary conditions that can be applied or assigned at STA 106 to trigger the transmission of delayed frames (e.g., to trigger a P-EDCA procedure to access channel CHX, rather than an EDCA procedure to access channel CHX). In processing Figure 6 During operation 604, STA 106 may, for example, check, verify, determine, decide, and / or detect whether one or more conditions in table 700 are met. If / when one or more of these conditions are met, STA 106 may use the P-EDCA procedure to attempt channel access (e.g., in...). Figure 6(At operation 610). If / when one or more of these conditions (e.g., all of them) are not met, STA 106 may use the EDCA procedure to attempt channel access (e.g., in...). Figure 6 (Operation 612).

[0080] like Figure 7 As shown, Table 700 may include at least conditions 702, 704, 706, 708, and / or 710. This is illustrative and not restrictive. Any one of conditions 702 to 710 or any combination of conditions 702 may be detected to trigger the P-EDCA process. If desired, Table 700 may include other conditions that trigger the P-EDCA process when met.

[0081] Condition 702 may occur or be satisfied if / when the MAC Service Data Unit (MSDU) expiration timer associated with uplink data (e.g., one or more MSDUs in its MAC transmission queue) that STA 106 has queued for transmission is below a threshold (e.g., threshold duration, time, or timer value). In other words, condition 702 may occur when STA 106 has uplink data (e.g., one or more MSDUs) queued for transmission, but the uplink data has not been transmitted to AP 104 for an amount exceeding a threshold time (e.g., when the queued uplink data is sufficiently stale or old). Conversely, condition 702 may not be satisfied when the MSDU timer expiration of the MSDUs in its transmission queue remains above the threshold. STA 106 may determine whether condition 702 is satisfied, for example, by comparing the MSDU expiration timer of the MSDUs in its transmission queue with the threshold. Condition 702 may, for example, be used to prioritize STAs that have been waiting longer to transmit their corresponding uplink data than STAs that have newer, untransmitted uplink data using P-EDCA.

[0082] Additionally or alternatively, condition 702 may be satisfied when the uplink data retransmission count exceeds a threshold (e.g., when STA 106 has attempted a sufficient number of uplink data retransmissions). Conversely, condition 702 may not be satisfied when the retransmission count remains below the threshold. However, MSDU expiration can be a more reliable measure of low latency requirements than retransmission count. Retransmission count may not reliably reflect latency (e.g., because MSDUs may be stuck in the queue due to channel conditions with zero retransmission counts, or because MSDUs may have high retransmission counts, but latency may still be very low due to hidden node issues). Furthermore, in many cases, using retransmission count as a delayed frame triggering condition may degrade P-EDCA performance (e.g., delaying the use of the P-EDCA process by STAs with P-EDCA capabilities) and EDCA performance of traditional STAs. For example, utilizing an MSDU expiration timer in condition 702 can help ensure that P-EDCA is used only when necessary.

[0083] Condition 704 may occur or be met if / when uplink data (e.g., one or more MSDUs in its MAC transmission queue) that STA 106 has queued for transmission has a sufficiently high priority (e.g., a priority exceeding a threshold priority). For example, condition 704 may be met when the uplink data has an access class (AC) of threshold priority or higher priority, or an AC associated with threshold priority or higher priority. STA 106 may determine whether condition 704 is met by comparing the priority of the uplink data or the AC with the threshold priority. As an example, condition 704 may be met when the uplink data is voice data (e.g., data with voice data access class AC_VO). For example, STA 106 may determine that condition 704 is met when the uplink data is voice data, and that condition 704 is not met when the uplink data is another type of data or another AC.

[0084] In other words, the STA can trigger the P-EDCA procedure if / when it is used to provide channel access for voice data. In other words, an STA using P-EDCA to access channel CHX can restrict access to P-EDCA to data with a Service Identifier (TID) belonging to the primary (highest priority) AC (such as a voice AC) of the P-EDCA. If needed, the STA 106 can utilize EDCA to provide channel access for all other types of uplink data (e.g., TIDs belonging to lower ACs, such as non-voice ACs or other data with lower priority than voice data), or if the conditions are met. Figure 7Another condition is that P-EDCA can still be used to access the channel for these other types of uplink data. This helps to minimize latency for high-priority communications (such as voice or video calls) via AP 104.

[0085] Condition 706 may occur or be met if / when the duration of the TXOP performed by STA 106 is less than the P-EDCA TXOP (time) limit. The P-EDCA TXOP limit may be configured / set and announced by AP 104 if necessary (e.g., during processing). Figure 6 When operating in 600, in the P-EDCA parameter elements, etc. This can, for example, allow the AP to control or limit the P-EDCA used for access channel CHX. If needed, the same P-EDCA TXOP limit can be imposed on the uplink data of the voice AC as on the uplink data of the non-voice AC, or a different (e.g., lower) P-EDCA TXOP limit can be imposed on the uplink data of the non-voice AC than on the voice AC.

[0086] STA 106 can transmit RTS frames from it (e.g., as in...) Figure 6 The amount of time elapsed since the start of operation 628 (transmitted at point 628) is compared with the P-EDCA TXOP limit to determine whether condition 706 has been met. The end of the transmitted delayed frame may initiate a transmission backoff process. If the channel is available after the transmission backoff process (e.g., the STA receives a CTS frame from the AP in response to an RTS frame transmitted by the STA at the end of the transmission backoff process), then the start of the RTS frame constitutes the start of the STA's TXOP. The time elapsed since the start of the TXOP (e.g., since...) can be used to determine whether condition 706 has been met. Figure 5 The time elapsed since TC (time limit) of STA3 is compared with the P-EDCA TXOP limit. If / when the time since the start of the TXOP reaches or exceeds the P-EDCA TXOP limit, the STA may stop its current TXOP and any corresponding transmissions (e.g., the STA may follow the TXOP limit imposed by the AP during its TXOP). The STA may resume performing EDCA for channel access, or may retry the P-EDCA procedure later. In other words, when the STA gains access to the channel, the duration of its corresponding TXOP may be limited by the TXOP limit (e.g., the duration of the TXOP is less than or equal to the advertised TXOP limit). In this way, the STA may only have access to the P-EDCA procedure for a limited amount of time less than the P-EDCA TXOP limit imposed by the AP.

[0087] Condition 708 may occur or be satisfied if / when a time greater than the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration has elapsed since STA 106's last successful P-EDCA TXOP (e.g., since the last delayed frame transmission that led to successful channel access). For example, if STA 106 attempts to transmit a delayed frame 502 that is separated from its last successful P-EDCA TXOP (e.g., from the last delayed frame transmission that led to successful channel access) by a duration less than the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration, the condition may not be satisfied, and STA 106 may postpone or abandon transmitting the delayed frame. On the other hand, if STA 106 attempts to transmit a delayed frame 502 that is separated from its last successful P-EDCA TXOP by a duration greater than the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration, the condition may be satisfied, and STA 106 may continue transmitting the delayed frame. For example, this can be used to prevent a single STA from attempting to perform back-to-back delayed frame transmissions too frequently (e.g., to prevent an STA from unfairly preventing other STAs from competing for channel access too frequently). If needed, the minimum P-EDCA access interval and its corresponding duration can be configured / set and announced by AP 104 (e.g., during processing). Figure 6 When operating 600, in the P-EDCA parameter elements, etc. This may, for example, allow the AP to control or limit the use of P-EDCA for access channel CHX (e.g., to prevent STAs with P-EDCA capability from performing delayed frame transmissions too frequently).

[0088] STA 106 can transmit the amount of time that has elapsed since its last delayed frame was sent (e.g., as in...). Figure 6 The time (sent during previous iterations of operation 610) is compared with the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration to determine whether condition 708 has been met. If / when this time exceeds the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration (e.g., the time elapsed since its last delayed frame transmission is longer than the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration), this may trigger the STA to continue transmitting another delayed frame (e.g., for its current P-EDCA procedure). On the other hand, if / when this time is less than the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration (e.g., the time elapsed since its last delayed frame transmission is shorter than the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration), this may trigger the STA to abandon transmitting another delayed frame, retry the P-EDCA procedure, and instead perform the EDCA procedure (e.g., ...). Figure 6Operation 612), etc. If necessary, the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration can be associated with or set based on the latency budget of STA 106. The minimum P-EDCA access interval duration effectively gives other P-EDCA STAs the opportunity to use P-EDCA and send delayed frames without conflicting with STA 106 (while also providing more opportunities for legacy STAs to perform EDCA).

[0089] Condition 710 may occur or be satisfied if / when STA 106 retransmits delayed frame 502 fewer times without channel access than the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold (e.g., when fewer delayed frame retransmissions are performed without successful channel access and / or when TXOP is started). For example, if STA 106 attempts to send delayed frame 502 too many times without obtaining channel access (e.g., the number of attempts exceeds the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold), the condition may not be satisfied, and STA 106 may postpone or abandon further retransmission of delayed frames. On the other hand, if STA 106 attempts to retransmit delayed frames fewer times without successful channel access than the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold, STA 106 may continue to retransmit delayed frames. If necessary, STA may increment a delayed frame transmission counter each time a delayed frame is sent but channel access is unsuccessful (e.g., TXOP is not started), and may compare the value of this counter with the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold. If / when channel access is achieved (e.g., TXOP is started), the counter may be reset to zero. For example, this can be used to prevent a single STA from attempting to retransmit delayed frames too frequently (e.g., to prevent a STA from unfairly blocking other STAs from competing for channel access too frequently). The maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold can be configured / set and advertised by the AP 104 if needed (e.g., during processing...). Figure 6 When operating 600, in the P-EDCA parameter elements, etc. This may, for example, allow the AP to control or limit the use of P-EDCA for access channel CHX (e.g., to prevent STAs with P-EDCA capability from performing delayed frame retransmissions too frequently).

[0090] STA 106 can determine whether condition 710 has been met by comparing the number of retransmissions already performed by the STA (e.g., the number within a time period or the total number) with a maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold (e.g., by counting the number of delayed frames transmitted that did not result in successful channel access and comparing that count with the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold). If / when the number of retransmissions is less than the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold, this can trigger the STA to continue retransmitting delayed frames. On the other hand, if / when the number of retransmissions exceeds the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold, this can trigger the STA to abandon retransmitting delayed frames and instead perform the EDCA procedure (e.g., ...). Figure 6 Operation 612), etc. If necessary, the STA may reset its delayed frame retransmission count in response to successful access to the channel via EDCA.

[0091] In this way, once the number of retransmissions of delayed frames exceeds the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold, a single STA 106 can be prevented from continuing to transmit delayed frames if channel access is not achieved (e.g., if no CTS frame is received from the AP in response to an RTS frame transmitted by the STA after transmitting a delayed frame). In other words, the AP 104 can force a maximum number of consecutive delayed frames transmitted by the STA if it fails to successfully access the channel. If necessary, the STA can resume transmitting delayed frames after successfully accessing the channel.

[0092] When implemented Figure 7 Any of the conditions 702 to 710 (or in the processing) Figure 6 Even if any of the conditions checked during operation 604 are true, STA 106 may still follow or comply with the multi-user (MU)-EDCA rules imposed by AP, even if the corresponding P-EDCA triggering condition is true (e.g., ...). Figure 6 The conditions in conditions 702 to 710 may be met in other ways. For example, AP 104 may send a trigger frame to STA 106 to prevent STA 106 from attempting to access channel CHX. In this case, even if the conditions in conditions 702 to 710 are met, STA 106 may stop attempting to access channel CHX (e.g., it may stop its P-EDCA process). This may, for example, help AP 104 manage trigger-based service and quality of service (QoS) requirements across multiple users.

[0093] Figure 8 This is a diagram of an exemplary P-EDCA parameter element 800 that can be sent from AP 104 to STA 106 (e.g., to announce one or more P-EDCA parameters used by a P-EDCA-capable STA when performing a P-EDCA procedure). During execution Figure 6 During operation 600, AP 104 may, for example, send P-EDCA parameter element 800. P-EDCA parameter element 800 may include a set or list that identifies or indicates P-EDCA parameters. For example, as... Figure 8As shown, P-EDCA parameter element 800 may include a P-EDCA TXOP field 802, a minimum P-EDCA access interval duration field 804, and a maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold field 806. Fields 802 to 806 may be arranged in a different order in P-EDCA parameter element 800. One or more fields 802 to 806 may be omitted in P-EDCA parameter element 800. If necessary, P-EDCA parameter element 800 may include one or more additional fields before, after, and / or between fields 802 to 806.

[0094] The P-EDCA TXOP limit field 802 can signal, identify, or indicate the P-EDCA TXOP limit applied by AP 104. A STA 106 with P-EDCA capability determines whether the STA meets the limit. Figure 7 When condition 706 is met (e.g., in processing...), Figure 6 During operation 604, the applied P-EDCA TXOP limit can be identified, detected, or determined from the P-EDCA TXOP limit field 802. The P-EDCA TXOP limit field 802 is sometimes also referred to herein as the P-EDCA TXOP duration limit field 802, the P-EDCA TXOP field 802, the TXOP duration limit field 802, or the TXOP duration field 802.

[0095] The minimum P-EDCA access interval duration field 804 can signal, identify, or indicate the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration imposed by AP 104. STA 106 with P-EDCA capability determines whether the STA meets the requirement. Figure 7 Condition 708 (e.g., in processing) Figure 6 During operation 604, the applied minimum P-EDCA access interval duration can be identified, detected, or determined from the minimum P-EDCA access interval duration field 804. The minimum P-EDCA access interval duration field 804 is sometimes referred to herein as the minimum P-EDCA access interval field 804.

[0096] The maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold field 806 can signal, identify, or indicate the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold imposed by AP 104. STA 106 with P-EDCA capability determines whether the STA meets the threshold. Figure 7 When condition 710 is met (e.g., in processing...) Figure 6During operation 604, the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold can be identified, detected, or determined from the maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold field 806. The maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold field 806 is sometimes also referred to herein as the delayed frame retransmission threshold field 806, retransmission threshold field 806, delayed frame retransmission limit field 806, or delayed frame retransmission field 806. AP 104 can transmit P-EDCA parameter element 800 within any desired frame structure. For example, AP 104 can transmit P-EDCA parameter element 800 within beacon frames, TXOP response frames, associated response frames, etc.

[0097] As used herein, the term "concurrent" means at least partially overlapping in time. In other words, the first and second events are referred to herein as "concurrent" if at least some of the first events occur simultaneously with at least some of the second events (e.g., if at least some of the first events occur during, concurrently with, or when at least some of the second events occur). The first and second events can be concurrent if they are synchronized (e.g., if the entire duration of the first event overlaps with the entire duration of the second event in time), but they can also be concurrent if they are asynchronous (e.g., if the first event begins before or after the second event, ends before or after the second event, or if they do not partially overlap in time). As used herein, the term "at the time of" is synonymous with "concurrent." The term "when" also implies at least some concurrency (e.g., "when" event B occurs, "when" event A occurs means that at least some of events A occur simultaneously with at least some of events B).

[0098] STA 106 and AP 102 / 104 ( Figure 1 It may collect and / or use personally identifiable information. It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and measures generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0099] The above text combined Figures 1 to 8The described methods and operations can be performed by components of the STA and / or AP using software, firmware, and / or hardware (e.g., dedicated circuitry or hardware). Software code for performing these operations may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a tangible computer-readable storage medium) on one or more components of the STA and / or AP. This software code may sometimes be referred to as software, data, instructions, program instructions, or code. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include drives, non-volatile memory such as non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), removable flash drives or other removable media, other types of random access memory, etc. The software stored on the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be executed by processing circuitry on one or more components of the STA and / or AP. The processing circuitry may include a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with processing circuitry, or other processing circuitry.

[0100] For one or more aspects, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods as described in the Embodiments section below. For example, circuitry associated with an electronic device, authentication server, one or more processors, etc., as described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more embodiments shown in the Embodiments section below.

[0101] Example Further exemplary aspects are provided in the following sections.

[0102] Example 1 includes a method for an operating site (STA), the method comprising: using one or more processors to determine whether a condition associated with a channel of an access point (AP) has been met; and when the condition has been met, using a radio component to transmit a delayed frame in the channel.

[0103] Example 2 includes the method according to Example 1 or some other example or combination of examples herein, the method further comprising: when the condition is not yet met, using the radio component to attempt to access the channel of the AP using the Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) procedure.

[0104] Example 3 includes the method according to any one of Example 1 or 2 or any other embodiment or combination of embodiments herein, the method further comprising: using the radio component to transmit a request transmission frame after a backoff period has elapsed since the end of transmission of the delayed frame.

[0105] Example 4 includes the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 3 or a combination of other examples or examples herein, wherein the delayed frame includes a transmit-allowed (CTS) frame.

[0106] Example 5 includes the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 4 or some other example or combination of examples herein, wherein the delayed frame has a receiver address (RA) field indicating a broadcast address or a basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the AP.

[0107] Example 6 includes the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 5 or any other embodiment or combination of embodiments herein, the method further comprising: receiving a frame from the AP using the radio component, wherein sending the delayed frame includes setting the receiver address (RA) field of the delayed frame to: a delayed frame receiver address indicated by the frame received from the AP, or a predetermined delayed frame receiver address.

[0108] Example 7 includes the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 6 or another embodiment or combination of embodiments herein, wherein the condition includes: a Media Access Control Service Data Unit (MSDU) expiration timer associated with queued uplink data of the radio component is less than a threshold.

[0109] Example 8 includes the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 7 or another embodiment or combination of embodiments herein, wherein the condition includes: the priority of the uplink data queued by the radio component is greater than a threshold priority.

[0110] Example 9 includes the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 8 or another embodiment or combination of embodiments herein, wherein the condition includes: the queued uplink data of the radio component has a voice access class (AC).

[0111] Example 10 includes the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 9 or some other embodiment or combination of embodiments herein, wherein the condition includes: the duration since the start of the current transmission opportunity (TXOP) of the radio component is less than a threshold.

[0112] Example 11 includes the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 10 or some other example or combination of examples herein, wherein the condition includes: the duration since the previous successful transmission opportunity (TXOP) of the radio component is greater than a threshold.

[0113] Example 12 includes the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 11 or some other example or combination of examples herein, wherein the condition includes: the number of times the delayed frame has been retransmitted by the radio component is less than the number of retransmission thresholds.

[0114] Example 13 includes a method of operating a radio component, the method comprising: establishing an association with a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of an access point (AP); and attempting to access a channel of the AP, wherein attempting to access the channel of the AP comprises: transmitting a delayed frame including a Receiver Address (RA) field, the Receiver Address (RA) field indicating a receiver address other than the BSSID of the AP.

[0115] Example 14 includes the method according to Example 13 or some other example or combination of examples herein, wherein the receiver address indicated by the RA field includes a broadcast address.

[0116] Example 15 includes the method according to any one of Examples 13 or 14 or some other embodiment or combination of embodiments herein, wherein the delayed frame includes a transmit-allowed (CTS) frame.

[0117] Example 16 includes the method according to any one of Examples 13 to 15 or some other embodiment or combination of embodiments herein, the method further comprising: receiving a frame from the AP, the frame identifying the receiver address indicated by the RA field of the delayed frame.

[0118] Example 17 includes the method according to any one of Examples 13 to 16 or some other embodiment or combination of embodiments herein, wherein the frame includes a beacon frame, a transmission opportunity (TXOP) response frame or an associated response frame.

[0119] Example 18 includes a method of operating an access point (AP), the method comprising: sending a Priority Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (P-EDCA) parameter element to one or more stations (STAs), wherein the P-EDCA parameter element indicates at least one P-EDCA parameter that can be used by the one or more STAs in determining when to send a delayed frame associated with an attempt to access a channel of the AP.

[0120] Example 19 includes the method according to Example 18 or some other example or combination of examples herein, wherein the P-EDCA parameter elements include a P-EDCA transmission opportunity (TXOP) limit, a minimum P-EDCA access interval duration, or a maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold.

[0121] Example 20 includes the method according to any one of Examples 18 or 19 or any other example or combination of examples herein, the method further comprising: receiving a request to transmit (RTS) frame from the one or more STAs in the channel; and, in response to the received RTS frame, sending a transmit permission (CTS) frame to the one or more STAs.

[0122] Example 21 may include an apparatus comprising one or more elements for performing the method described or associated with any one or a combination of Examples 1 to 20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0123] Example 22 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of the method described or associated with any one or more of Examples 1 to 20 or a combination thereof, or any other method or process described herein.

[0124] Example 23 may include an apparatus comprising one or more elements of a logic component, module, or circuit for performing the method described or associated with any one or more of Examples 1 to 20 or a combination thereof, or any other method or process described herein.

[0125] Example 24 may include the methods, techniques or processes described or associated with any one of Examples 1 to 20, or a combination thereof, or a part or component thereof.

[0126] Example 25 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique or process described or associated with any one of Examples 1 to 20 or a combination thereof or a portion thereof.

[0127] Example 26 may include signals described or associated with any one of Examples 1 to 20, or a combination thereof, or a part or component thereof.

[0128] Example 27 may include datagrams, information elements, packets, frames, segments, PDUs, or messages described or associated with any one of Examples 1 to 20, or a combination thereof, or a part or component thereof, or otherwise described in this disclosure.

[0129] Example 28 may include a data-encoded signal described or associated with any one of Examples 1 to 20, or a combination thereof, or a part or component thereof, or otherwise described in this disclosure.

[0130] Example 29 may include signals encoded as datagrams, IEs, packets, frames, segments, PDUs, or messages as described or associated with any one of Examples 1 to 20, or a combination thereof, or in part or in part thereof, or otherwise described in this disclosure.

[0131] Example 30 may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors will cause the one or more processors to perform the methods, techniques or processes described or associated with any one of Examples 1 to 20 or a combination thereof or a portion thereof.

[0132] Example 31 may include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element will cause the processing element to perform the methods, techniques, or processes described or associated with any one of Examples 1 to 20, or a combination thereof, or a portion thereof.

[0133] Example 32 may include a signal in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0134] Example 33 may include methods for communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0135] Example 34 may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0136] Example 35 may include a device for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0137] According to an implementation scheme, a method for an operating site (STA) includes: using one or more processors to determine whether a condition associated with a channel of an access point (AP) has been met; and when the condition has been met, using a radio component to transmit a delayed frame in the channel.

[0138] According to another embodiment, the method may optionally include: when the condition is not yet met, using radio components to attempt to access the AP's channel using the Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) procedure.

[0139] According to another embodiment, the method may optionally include: using a radio component to send a request transmission frame after a backoff period has elapsed since the end of the transmission of the delayed frame.

[0140] According to another implementation, the delay frame may optionally include a transmit-allowed (CTS) frame.

[0141] According to another implementation, the delayed frame may optionally have a receiver address (RA) field that indicates the broadcast address or the basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the AP.

[0142] According to another embodiment, the method may optionally include receiving frames from an AP using a radio component, wherein sending a delayed frame may optionally include setting the receiver address (RA) field of the delayed frame to a delayed frame receiver address indicated by a frame received from the AP, or a predetermined delayed frame receiver address.

[0143] According to another embodiment, the condition may optionally include: the Media Access Control Service Data Unit (MSDU) expiration timer associated with the queued uplink data of the radio component is less than a threshold.

[0144] According to another implementation, the condition may optionally include: the priority of uplink data queued by the radio component is greater than a threshold priority.

[0145] According to another implementation, the condition may optionally include: the uplink data queued by the radio component has a voice access class (AC).

[0146] According to another embodiment, the condition may optionally include: the duration since the start of the current transmission opportunity (TXOP) of the radio component is less than a threshold.

[0147] According to another embodiment, the condition may optionally include: the duration since the transmission of a previous delayed frame from the radio component that led to successful channel access is greater than a threshold.

[0148] According to another implementation, the condition may optionally include: the number of delayed frame retransmissions performed by the radio component without successfully accessing the channel is less than the retransmission threshold number.

[0149] According to an implementation scheme, a method of operating a radio component includes: establishing an association with a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of an access point (AP); and attempting to access a channel of the AP, wherein attempting to access a channel of the AP includes: transmitting a delayed frame including a Receiver Address (RA) field, the Receiver Address (RA) field indicating a receiver address other than the BSSID of the AP.

[0150] According to another implementation, the recipient address indicated by the RA field may optionally include the broadcast address.

[0151] According to another implementation, the delay frame may optionally include a transmit-allowed (CTS) frame.

[0152] According to another embodiment, the method may optionally include: receiving a frame from an AP that identifies a receiver address indicated by the RA field of a delayed frame.

[0153] According to another embodiment, the frame may optionally include a beacon frame, a transmission opportunity (TXOP) response frame, or an associated response frame.

[0154] According to an implementation scheme, a method for operating an access point (AP) includes: sending a Priority Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (P-EDCA) parameter element to one or more stations (STAs), wherein the P-EDCA parameter element indicates at least one P-EDCA parameter that can be used by the one or more STAs when determining when to send a delayed frame associated with an attempt to access a channel of the AP.

[0155] According to another implementation, P-EDCA parameter elements may optionally include a P-EDCA transmission opportunity (TXOP) limit, a minimum P-EDCA access interval duration, or a maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold.

[0156] According to another embodiment, the method may optionally include: receiving a request to transmit (RTS) frame from the one or more STAs in the channel; and sending a transmit permission (CTS) frame to the one or more STAs in response to the received RTS frame.

[0157] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the aspects to the precise forms disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for operating site (STA), the method comprising: Use one or more processors to determine whether the conditions associated with the channel of the access point (AP) have been met; as well as When the conditions are met, a delayed frame is transmitted in the channel using a radio component.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: If the conditions are not yet met, the radio component is used to attempt to access the AP's channel using the Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) procedure.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: After the backoff period has elapsed since the end of the transmission of the delayed frame, the radio component is used to transmit a request transmission frame.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the delayed frame includes a transmit-allowed (CTS) frame.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the delayed frame has a receiver address (RA) field, the receiver address (RA) field indicating a broadcast address or the basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the AP.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving frames from the AP using the radio component, wherein sending the delayed frame includes setting the receiver address (RA) field of the delayed frame to: The delayed frame receiver address indicated by the frame received from the AP, or The address of the receiver for the pre-determined delayed frame.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditions include: The Media Access Control Service Data Unit (MSDU) expiration timer associated with the queued uplink data of the radio component is less than a threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditions include: The priority of uplink data queued by the radio component is greater than the threshold priority.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditions include: The uplink data queued by the radio component has a voice access class (AC).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditions include: The duration since the start of the current transmission opportunity (TXOP) of the radio component is less than the threshold.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditions include: The duration since the transmission of the previous delayed frame that led to successful channel access by the radio component is greater than a threshold.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditions include: The number of times the delayed frame has been retransmitted by the radio component without successfully accessing the channel is less than the retransmission threshold.

13. A method of operating a radio component, the method comprising: Establish an association with the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the access point (AP); as well as Attempting to access the channel of the AP, wherein attempting to access the channel of the AP includes: sending a delayed frame including a receiver address (RA) field, the receiver address (RA) field indicating a receiver address other than the BSSID of the AP.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the receiver address indicated by the RA field includes a broadcast address.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the delayed frame includes a transmit-allowed (CTS) frame.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: Frames are received from the AP, the frames identifying the receiver address indicated by the RA field of the delayed frame.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the frame comprises a beacon frame, a transmission opportunity (TXOP) response frame, or an associated response frame.

18. A method for operating an access point (AP), the method comprising: Send Priority Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (P-EDCA) parameter elements to one or more stations (STAs), wherein the P-EDCA parameter elements indicate at least one P-EDCA parameter that the one or more STAs can use when determining when to send a delayed frame associated with an attempt to access the channel of the AP.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the P-EDCA parameter elements include a P-EDCA transmission opportunity (TXOP) limit, a minimum P-EDCA access interval duration, or a maximum delayed frame retransmission threshold.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: Receive request-to-transmit (RTS) frames from one or more STAs in the channel; as well as In response to a received RTS frame, a transmit permission (CTS) frame is sent to the one or more STAs.

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