Method, architecture, apparatus and system for multi-AP negotiated target wake time operation

Abstract

Multiple access points (APs) may operate within the same Cooperative Multi-AP (C-MAP) set and may have overlapping service areas and overlapping target wake time (TWT) service periods (SPs), where TWT allows APs to negotiate wake-up periods during which stations (STAs) and APs transmit and receive and may otherwise be in power-saving modes. A mechanism is disclosed that allows supporting negotiation of TWT operating parameters between APs in C-MAP to minimize contention for access to the wireless radio medium between STAs and APs and maximize availability between STAs and APs, particularly in environments involving ultra-high reliability (UHR).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 447,795, filed February 23, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] background FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The present disclosure is generally directed to the fields of communications, software and coding, including, for example, methods, architectures, devices and systems related to multi-AP negotiated target wake time operations. Summary of the Invention

[0003] overview A method and device for multiple access points (APs) to negotiate target wake time (TWT) behavior is discussed and claimed in accordance with the accompanying claims.

[0004] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more detailed understanding can be had from the following detailed description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures in such drawings, like the detailed description, are examples; therefore, the figures and detailed description should not be considered limiting, as other equally valid examples are possible and may exist; furthermore, like reference numerals ("references") in the figures indicate like elements. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1A]

[0005] FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. [Figure 1B]

[0006] 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communication system illustrated in FIG. 1A, according to one embodiment. [Figure 1C]

[0007] 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communication system illustrated in FIG. 1A, according to one embodiment. [Figure 1D]

[0008] 1B is a system diagram illustrating a further exemplary RAN and a further exemplary CN that may be used within the communication system illustrated in FIG. 1A, according to one embodiment. [Figure 2]

[0009] An example of individual TWT operation as defined in 802.11ax is shown below. [Figure 3]

[0010] An example of broadcast TWT operation as defined in 802.11ax is shown below. [Figure 4]

[0011] 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture for neighboring APs with overlapping coverage areas to negotiate TWT. [Figure 5a]

[0012] 10 illustrates an example extended control field format in an extended TWT element. [Figure 5b]

[0013] 10 illustrates an exemplary modified individual TWT parameter set field. [Figure 5c]

[0014] The modified Broadcast TWT parameter set field is shown. [Figure 6]

[0015] 10 illustrates an exemplary interpretation of the Negotiation Type subfield, Target Wake Time, TWT Wake Interval Mantissa, and TWT Wake Interval Index subfields when the Inter-AP Negotiation subfield of the Extended Control field is equal to 1. [Figure 7]

[0016] 10 shows an example of a modified Broadcast TWT recommendations field for a Broadcast TWT element. [Figure 8]

[0017] 10 shows an example of an extended TWT frame exchange for TWT negotiation between APs with overlapping TWTs (overlapping TWT SPs and overlapping operating channels between AP1 TWT and AP2 TWT). [Figure 9]

[0018] 10 illustrates an example of an extended TWT frame exchange for TWT negotiation between APs without overlapping TWT. [Figure 10]

[0019] 1 shows an example of individual TWT operation after AP negotiation. [Figure 11]

[0020] 10 shows an example of individual TWT operation when the doze duration is extended after AP negotiation. [Figure 12]

[0021] 1 illustrates an example architecture of a MAP for power save (doze) mode negotiation. [Figure 13]

[0022] 10 shows an example of a modified Broadcast TWT parameter set field format. [Figure 14]

[0023] 10 illustrates an example of an extended TWT frame exchange for TWT negotiation between APs with power save time / duration negotiation. [Figure 15]

[0024] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Detailed Description

[0025] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments and / or examples disclosed herein. It will be understood, however, that such embodiments and examples may be practiced without some or all of the specific details set forth herein. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the following description. Furthermore, embodiments and examples not specifically described herein may be practiced in place of or in combination with embodiments and other examples explicitly, implicitly, and / or inherently described, disclosed, or otherwise provided herein (collectively, "provided"). Although various embodiments are described and / or claimed herein in which apparatuses, systems, devices, etc., and / or any elements thereof, perform operations, processes, algorithms, functions, etc., and / or any portion thereof, it should be understood that any embodiment described and / or claimed herein contemplates any apparatus, system, device, etc., and / or any element thereof, configured to perform any operation, process, algorithm, function, etc., and / or any portion thereof.

[0007]

[0026] Abbreviations and Acronyms AIFS Arbitration Interframe Space AP Access point BSS Basic Service Set CDMA Code Division Multiple Access C-MAP Cooperative Multi-Access Point CSMA / CA Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Avoidance CN Core Network DIFS Distributed Interframe Space DL Download DLS Direct Link Setup DS Distribution System EHT Ultra-High Throughput HT High Throughput ID Identifier IBSS Independent BSS IFFT Inverse Fast Fourier Transform MAC Media Access Control MLD Multilink Device MTC Meter Type Control PS Power Saving (Mode) PSR Parameterized Spatial Reuse QoS Quality of Service RAN Radio Access Network RB Resource Block RAT Radio Access Technology RF radio frequency RIFS Reduced Interframe Space R-TWT Limited Target Wake Time RX Receive / Receive SP Service Period SG Research Group SIFS Short Interframe Space STA Station TBTT Target Beacon Transmission Time TDLS tunneled DLS TSF timing synchronization function TVWS TV White Space TWT Target Wake Time TX Send / Transmit TXOP Transmission Opportunity UE User Equipment (see WTRU) UHR Ultra High Reliability UL Upload VHT Super HT WLAN Wireless Local Area Network WTRU Radio Transmit / Receive Unit (UE, see STA)

[0008]

[0027] 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multiplexed system providing content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcasts, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communication system 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tailed unique word discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (ZT-UW-DTS-S-OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), etc.

[0009]

[0028] 1A, communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (CN) 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, although it will be understood that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d (any of which may be referred to as a station (STA)) may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include user equipment (UE), mobile stations, fixed or mobile subscriber units, subscription base units, pagers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, laptops, netbooks, personal computers, wireless sensors, hotspots or Mi-Fi devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain contexts), consumer electronics devices, devices operating in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be referred to interchangeably as a UE.

[0010]

[0029] The communications system 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communications networks, such as the CN 106, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, an eNode B (eNB), a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a Next Generation Node B such as a gNode B (gNB), a New Radio (NR) Node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, etc. Although the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it should be understood that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0011]

[0030] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a and / or base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive radio signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may reside in the licensed spectrum, the unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of the licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide wireless service coverage for a particular geographic area, which may be relatively fixed or may change over time. A cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one transceiver for each sector of the cell. In one embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0012]

[0031] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0013]

[0032] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple-access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in the RAN 104 may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed ​​Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​Uplink (UL) Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0014]

[0033] In one embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0015]

[0034] In one embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR radio access, which may establish the air interface 116 using NR.

[0016]

[0035] In one embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may jointly implement LTE radio access and NR radio access, e.g., using a dual connectivity (DC) principle. Thus, the radio interface utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by transmissions sent to and from multiple types of radio access technologies and / or multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0017]

[0036] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a wireless technology such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), or the like.

[0018]

[0037] 1A may be, for example, a wireless router, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, or an access point and may utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as a business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a road, etc. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not need to access the Internet 110 through the CN 106.

[0019]

[0038] The RAN 104 may communicate with the CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, application, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have various quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput, latency, error tolerance, reliability, data throughput, and mobility requirements. The CN 106 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, and / or perform high-level security functions such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A , it should be understood that the RAN 104 and / or CN 106 may communicate directly or indirectly with other RANs employing the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104, which may be utilizing NR radio technology, the CN 106 may also communicate with another RAN (not shown) that employs GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0020]

[0039] The CN 106 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the network 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT.

[0021]

[0040] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with a base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based wireless technology, and a base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802.11 wireless technology.

[0022]

[0041] 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1B, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It should be understood that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the above elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0023]

[0042] The processor 118 may be a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it should be understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0024]

[0043] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to or receive signals from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It should be understood that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0025]

[0044] 1B, the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0026]

[0045] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As mentioned above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers to enable the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11.

[0027]

[0046] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to and may receive user input data from a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. Additionally, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as non-removable memory 130 and / or removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, etc. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or home computer (not shown).

[0028]

[0047] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134 and may be configured to distribute and / or control power to other components within the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0029]

[0048] The processor 118 may also be coupled to a GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or instead of information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) via the air interface 116 and / or may determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may obtain location information by way of any suitable location determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0030]

[0049] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or videos), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a Bluetooth module, a frequency modulation (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an internet browser, a virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, etc. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors. The sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, a direction sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor, a geolocation sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, a humidity sensor, etc.

[0031]

[0050] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio that may transmit and receive some or all of the signals associated with a particular subframe (e.g., for both UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception) in parallel and / or simultaneously). The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference through either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., via a separate processor (not shown) or processor 118). In one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio that transmits and receives some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with a particular subframe for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or DL ​​(e.g., for reception)).

[0032]

[0051] 1C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106, according to one embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also communicate with the CN 106.

[0033]

[0052] While the RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c, it should be understood that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, for example, the eNode-B 160a may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0034]

[0053] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, etc. As shown in FIG. 1C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another via an X2 interface.

[0035]

[0054] 1C may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, a Serving Gateway (SGW) 164, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (PGW) 166. Although the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0036]

[0055] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may function as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0037]

[0056] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to and from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions such as anchoring the user plane during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0038]

[0057] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communication between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0039]

[0058] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional terrestrial communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include or communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0040]

[0059] Although in Figures 1A-1D the WTRU is described as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments such a terminal may use a wired communication interface (e.g., temporary or permanent) with the communication network.

[0041]

[0060] In a representative embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0042]

[0061] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode may have an access point (AP) of the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access to or interface with a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic to and / or from the BSS. Traffic originating from outside the BSS to a STA may arrive via the AP and be delivered to the STA. Traffic originating from a STA to a destination outside the BSS may be sent to the AP and delivered to the respective destination. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent via the AP; for example, a source STA may send traffic to the AP, which may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. Peer-to-peer traffic may be sent (e.g., directly) between a source STA and a destination STA using direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and STAs within or using the IBSS (e.g., all STAs) may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS communication mode may also sometimes be referred to herein as an "ad hoc" communication mode.

[0043]

[0062] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operation, an AP may transmit beacons on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., a wide bandwidth of 20 MHz) or a dynamically configured width. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, for example, carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented in an 802.11 system. With CSMA / CA, STAs (e.g., all STAs), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected by a particular STA and / or determined to be busy, the particular STA may back off. In a given BSS, one STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time.

[0044]

[0063] High-throughput (HT) STAs may use 40 MHz wide channels for communication, for example, by combining a primary 20 MHz channel with adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channels to form the 40 MHz wide channel.

[0045]

[0064] A very high throughput (VHT) STA may support 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. A 40 MHz and / or 80 MHz channel may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining eight contiguous 20 MHz channels or two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. In the 80+80 configuration, the channel-encoded data may be passed through a segment parser that may split the data into two streams. Inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) processing and time-domain processing may be performed separately for each stream. The streams may be mapped to two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by the transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the operations described above for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be transmitted to the medium access control (MAC).

[0046]

[0065] Sub-1 GHz operating modes are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. Channel operating bandwidths and carriers are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah compared to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, while 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to representative embodiments, 802.11ah may support meter-type control / machine-type communication (MTC), such as MTC devices within macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have limited functionality, including support (e.g., support only) of specific and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include batteries with above-threshold battery life (e.g., to maintain very long battery life).

[0047]

[0066] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah, include a channel that can be designated as a primary channel. The primary channel can have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel can be configured and / or limited by a STA that supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode among all STAs operating in the BSS. In an 802.11ah example, the primary channel can be 1 MHz wide for a STA (e.g., an MTC-type device) that supports (e.g., only supports) 1 MHz mode, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) configuration can depend on the status of the primary channel. For example, if the primary channel is busy because a STA (that only supports 1 MHz operating mode) is transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency band may be considered busy even if most of the available frequency band is idle.

[0048]

[0067] In the United States, the available frequency band that can be used with 802.11ah is 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency band is 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. The total available bandwidth for 802.11ah is 6MHz to 26MHz depending on the country code.

[0049]

[0068] 1D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106, according to one embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also communicate with the CN 106.

[0050]

[0069] While the RAN 104 may include the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c, it will be understood that the RAN 104 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, the gNBs 180a, 180b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c. Thus, for example, the gNB 180a may transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a using multiple antennas. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on an unlicensed spectrum, and the remaining component carriers may be on a licensed spectrum. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement coordinated multipoint (CoMP) technology. For example, the WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from the gNBs 180a and 180b (and / or 180c).

[0051]

[0070] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., including various numbers of OFDM symbols and / or lasting for various lengths of absolute time).

[0052]

[0071] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without accessing another RAN (e.g., eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, etc.). In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as mobility anchor points. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in unlicensed bands. In a non-standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate / connect with a gNB 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating / connecting with another RAN, such as an eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-standalone configuration, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may act as mobility anchors for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for serving the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0053]

[0072] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support for network slicing, DC, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards user plane functions (UPFs) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards access and mobility management functions (AMFs) 182a, 182b, etc. As shown in FIG. 1D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with each other via an Xn interface.

[0054]

[0073] 1D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0055]

[0074] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N2 interface and may function as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, supporting network slicing (e.g., handling different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, managing registration areas, terminating non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, mobility management, etc. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b to customize the CN support of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of service being utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services relying on Ultra-Reliable Low Latency (URLLC) access, services relying on Enhanced Massive Mobile Broadband (eMBB) access, services for MTC access, etc. The AMF 182a, 182b may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0056]

[0075] The SMFs 183a, 183b may be connected to the AMFs 182a, 182b in the CN 106 via an N11 interface. The SMFs 183a, 183b may also be connected to the UPFs 184a, 184b in the CN 106 via an N4 interface. The SMFs 183a, 183b may select and control the UPFs 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPFs 184a, 184b. The SMFs 183a, 183b may perform other functions such as managing and assigning UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing DL data notifications, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0057]

[0076] The UPFs 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks such as the Internet 110 to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPFs 184, 184b may perform other functions such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policy, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering DL packets, and providing mobility anchoring.

[0058]

[0077] The CN 106 may facilitate communication with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may include or communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that acts as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to the local DNs 185a, 185b via the UPFs 184a, 184b via an N3 interface to the UPFs 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPFs 184a, 184b and the DNs 185a, 185b.

[0059]

[0078] 1A-1D and the corresponding descriptions thereof, one or more or all of the functions described herein with respect to one or more of the WTRUs 102a-d, base stations 114a-b, eNode-Bs 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNBs 180a-c, AMFs 182a-b, UPFs 184a-b, SMFs 183a-b, DNs 185a-b, and / or any other devices described herein may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more or all of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0060]

[0079] The emulation device may be designed to perform one or more tests of other devices in a laboratory environment and / or an operator network environment. For example, one or more emulation devices may perform one or more or all functions while fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network to test other devices in the communication network. One or more emulation devices may perform one or more or all functions while temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for testing purposes and / or may perform testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0061]

[0080] One or more emulation devices may perform one or more functions, including all functions, without being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a test lab and / or in a test scenario in an undeployed (e.g., test) wired and / or wireless communication network to perform testing of one or more components. One or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuitry (which may include, e.g., one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0062]

[0081] Although the above-described features and elements are described in particular combinations in preferred embodiments, each feature or element may be used alone without other features and elements of the preferred embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements of the present invention. While the solutions described herein take into account the specific protocol of 802.11, it should be understood that the solutions described herein are not limited to this scenario and are applicable to other wireless systems as well.

[0063]

[0082] While features and elements are described above in particular combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that each feature or element may be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware embodied in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted via wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor, together with software, may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

[0064]

[0083] In the following, the term network node or device may be used to denote an access point (AP), and the term WTRU may be used to denote a station (STA), which may perform the functions of a network node.

[0065]

[0084] WLAN System Overview

[0085] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode has an access point (AP) of the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with that AP. The AP typically has access or interface to a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic to and from the BSS. Traffic originating from outside the BSS to a STA arrives via the AP and is delivered to the STA. Traffic originating from a STA to a destination outside the BSS is sent to the AP for delivery to the respective destination. Traffic between STAs within a BSS can also be sent via the AP, with the source STA sending traffic to the AP, which delivers the traffic to the destination STA. Such traffic between STAs within a BSS is actually peer-to-peer traffic. Such peer-to-peer traffic can also be sent directly between the source and destination STAs using direct link setup (DLS) using 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). In a WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode, no APs and / or STAs communicate directly with each other. This communication mode is called an "ad hoc" communication mode.

[0066]

[0086] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation, an AP may transmit beacons on a fixed channel (usually the primary channel). This channel is 20 MHz wide and is the operating channel of the BSS. This channel is also used by STAs to establish connections with the AP. The basic channel access mechanism in 802.11 systems is carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA). In this mode of operation, all STAs, including the AP, sense the primary channel. If the channel is detected to be busy, the STA backs off. Therefore, in a given BSS, only one STA can transmit at any given time.

[0067]

[0087] In 802.11n, high-throughput (HT) STAs can also use 40 MHz wide channels for communication, which is achieved by combining a primary 20 MHz channel with adjacent 20 MHz channels to form a 40 MHz wide contiguous channel.

[0068]

[0088] In 802.11ac, a very high throughput (VHT) STA can support 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz and 80 MHz channels are formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels, similar to 802.11n described above. A 160 MHz channel can be formed by combining eight contiguous 20 MHz channels or two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may also be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. In the 80+80 configuration, the channel-encoded data is passed through a segment parser that splits the data into two streams. IFFT and time-domain processing are performed separately for each stream. The streams are then mapped to two channels, and the data is transmitted. On the receiver side, this mechanism is reversed, and the combined data is transmitted to the MAC.

[0069]

[0089] Sub-1 GHz operating modes are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. These specifications reduce the channel operating bandwidth and carriers used by 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, while 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. A possible use case for 802.11ah is supporting meter-type control (MTC) devices in macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have limited capabilities, including supporting only limited bandwidths, but also have very long battery life requirements.

[0070]

[0090] WLAN systems that support multiple channels and channel widths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah, include a channel designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS, but this is not necessarily the case. Thus, the bandwidth of the primary channel is limited by the STA that supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode among all STAs operating in the BSS. In the 802.11ah example, for a STA that supports only 1 MHz mode (e.g., an MTC-type device), the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, or other channel bandwidth operating modes. All carrier sensing and NAV configuration depends on the status of the primary channel. That is, if the primary channel is busy, for example because a STA that supports only 1 MHz mode of operation is transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency band is considered busy, even if most of the available frequency band is idle and available.

[0071]

[0091] In the United States, the available frequency band that can be used with 802.11ah is 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, it is 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz, and in Japan, it is 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6MHz to 26MHz depending on the country code.

[0072]

[0092] TWT and Limited TWT

[0093] Target Wake Time (TWT) operation was first introduced in 802.11ah. It is designed to allow an AP and its associated STAs to negotiate a wake-up period during which the STA can send and receive traffic. In other words, the STA and AP reach a TWT agreement that defines when the STA will be awake to send and receive data. As a result, the STA will only be awake for the TWT session and will remain in sleep mode the rest of the time, thereby saving power and extending battery life. In 802.11ax, the use of TWT is extended to allow the AP to manage activity in a BSS, thereby minimizing contention between STAs and reducing the amount of time STAs utilizing power management modes need to be awake. The TWT element is defined to carry information used to negotiate and advertise TWT-related information. Two types of TWT are defined: broadcast TWT and individual TWT.

[0073]

[0094] An example of individual TWT operation as provided in 802.11ax is shown in Figure 2. The STA for which a TWT is scheduled, i.e., STA1 201, can send a TWT request 2010 to a TWT responding STA (e.g., AP 200) to establish a triggered TWT agreement. The AP accepts the TWT agreement. The AP can send an unsolicited TWT response 2002 to STA2 202 to establish a triggered TWT agreement with STA2. The AP can then start a triggered TWT service period (SP) 2006 with a trigger frame. STA1 and STA2 can respond with a PS-Poll frame 2012 and a QoS-Null frame 2021, respectively, to indicate that they are awake and ready to communicate with the AP.

[0074]

[0095] An example of broadcast TWT operation as given in 802.11ax is shown in Figure 3. The STA for which a TWT is scheduled, i.e., STA1 301, can negotiate with the AP 300 that schedules the TWT for the first wake target beacon transmission time (TBTT) to listen for a beacon frame 30003. The AP can advertise the broadcast TWT element in the beacon. The AP can then start a trigger-enabled TWT service period (SP) 30007. In the TWT SP, one or more STAs are awake and can communicate with the AP.

[0075]

[0096] The IEEE Standards Committee approved the IEEE 802.11be Task Group (TG) based on the Project Approval Request (PAR) and Standards Development Criteria (CSD) developed by the EHT SG. Restricted TWT (R-TWT) was introduced in 802.11be. R-TWT is designed to prioritize delay-sensitive traffic by including a Restricted TWT traffic information field in the broadcast TWT element.

[0076]

[0097] Introduction of Ultra High Reliability (UHR) Research Group

[0098] The IEEE 802.11 Ultra-High Reliability (UHR) Study Group was formed in September 2022. UHR is positioned as the next major revision of the IEEE 802.11 standard, following 802.11be, which is currently in the Working Group Letter Ballot stage. UHR was formed to explore the possibility of improving the reliability of IEEE 802.11 networks, supporting low-latency traffic, further increasing peak throughput, and improving efficiency.

[0077]

[0099] Cooperative multi-AP (C-MAP) transmission is discussed in the 802.11be and UHR SGs. C-MAP allows two or more APs to cooperate and transmit simultaneously to a set of STAs. Schemes discussed include cooperative multi-AP OFDMA (co-OFDMA), cooperative multi-AP TDMA (co-TDMA), cooperative multi-AP spatial reuse (CSR), cooperative beamforming / nulling (CBF), and joint transmission (JTX).

[0078]

[0100] Several terms are defined in relation to cooperative multi-AP. - Sharing AP: The EHT AP that acquires the TXOP and initiates multi-AP cooperation. - Shared AP: EHT APs that are coordinated for multi-AP transmission by a shared AP. - AP candidate set: A set of APs that can initiate or participate in multi-AP collaboration.

[0079]

[0101] Here, we particularly focus on the negotiation mechanism of AP-scheduled TWT in C-MAP and the issues of AP power-save mode negotiation in C-MAP.

[0080]

[0102] AP-scheduled TWT negotiation mechanism in C-MAP

[0103] When multiple APs operate within the same C-MAP set, they may have overlapping service areas. The APs may have overlapping TWT SPs, which means that their operating channels or service periods may overlap or partially overlap. Therefore, it is advantageous to contemplate a mechanism that supports negotiation of TWT operation parameters (configuration settings) between APs, such as TWT SP start time / duration, transmit power settings, etc., so that transmissions within the TWT SPs of each AP do not interfere with each other.

[0081]

[0104] AP power save mode negotiation in C-MAP

[0105] To save operating power, an AP can enter a power-save mode in which it neither transmits nor receives. However, when an AP enters a power-save mode, it may not be able to serve its associated STAs. Therefore, a mechanism needs to be developed for power-save mode negotiation between APs in a C-MAP, ensuring that at least one nearby AP (in the same C-MAP as the power-save AP) is awake and able to serve the STAs associated with the power-save AP.

[0082]

[0106] Typical negotiation mechanism for AP-scheduled TWT in C-MAP

[0107] The embodiments discussed herein address the issues raised above related to the AP-scheduled TWT negotiation mechanism in C-MAP.

[0083]

[0108] As shown in Figure 4, multiple APs in close proximity to each other may have overlapping service areas. Figure 4 illustrates an example scenario in which two APs 401 and 421 share their service areas 400 and 420, and, for example, WTRUs 411-414 are located within overlapping service area 410. As shown in Figure 4, in order to minimize interference between transmissions within each AP's coverage or maintain a desired link quality, particularly for AP-scheduled TWT SPs, co-located or overlapping APs may need to adjust 415 their TWT / R-TWT schedules to achieve multiple goals: 1) minimize interference between STAs transmitting within a TWT SP when neighboring APs' TWT SPs overlap; 2) maximize transmit power when neighboring APs have no overlapping TWT SPs; and 3) maximize clear channel usage for TWT SP transmissions.

[0084]

[0109] Representative negotiation mechanism for AP-scheduled TWT in C-MAP: Extended TWT element

[0110] According to one embodiment, neighboring APs with overlapping service areas, e.g., sharing the same AP group ID, can negotiate TWT operation and reach a TWT operation agreement. The TWT operation agreement may include configurations such as the operating channel, potential (or allowed) TWT SP time and duration, and transmit power of the TWTs assigned to each AP. After the TWT agreement is reached between the APs, the APs can use the assigned TWT SPs to serve their associated STAs with the agreed-upon parameters (configuration), e.g., operating channel or subchannel, power, and duration. The negotiated TWTs may include broadcast TWTs or individual TWTs.

[0085]

[0111] 5a shows an example of an extended control field format in an extended TWT element 5010, according to one embodiment. This extended TWT element has an extended control field; in contrast to a traditional (non-extended) TWT element, the extended TWT element includes an "AP-to-AP Negotiation" subfield 5008, which may indicate whether the TWT is a legacy TWT element or whether the TWT element is an extended TWT element. The extended control field may be used for negotiation of TWT setup between APs. For example, if the AP-to-AP Negotiation subfield 5008 is set to 1, this means that the TWT element 5010 includes an extended control field 5008 indicating TWT negotiation between APs; otherwise, for example, if field 5008 is set to 0, this indicates that this TWT is a TWT element between an AP and a non-AP STA (e.g., a legacy TWT). If the AP negotiation control field 5008 is equal to 1, the TWT Tx requirements field 5018 / 5027 according to one embodiment may be included in the individual TWT parameter sets field 5011 or the broadcast TWT parameter sets field 5012. Examples of the modified individual TWT parameter sets field and the modified broadcast TWT parameter sets field are shown in Figures 5b and 5c, respectively.

[0086]

[0112] According to one embodiment, when TWT negotiations are exchanged between APs, the TWT Tx Requirements field (e.g., 5018, 5027) may include multiple pieces of information: 1) AP Group ID (indicating the group to which the AP belongs, e.g., APs served by the same virtual AP may have the same AP Group ID, or APs with overlapping service areas may have the same AP Group ID); 2) spatial reuse information, e.g., PSR (which may indicate the minimum received interference or minimum received power from transmissions in overlapping TWTs. Neighboring APs and their associated STAs may need to follow power setup rules derived from this parameter on overlapping channels during overlapping TWT SPs); 3) STA ID (the ID of the STA served by the negotiated TWT SP); and 3) TWT operating channel or operating link.

[0087]

[0113] According to one embodiment, a TWT element when TWT negotiation is exchanged between APs, i.e., when the Inter-AP Negotiation subfield 5008 is set to 1, may be interpreted differently than a legacy TWT element, i.e., when the Inter-AP Negotiation subfield 5008 is set to 0. FIG. 6 provides an example interpretation of the Negotiation Type subfield 600 and the Target Wake Time 601, TWT Wake Interval Mantissa, and TWT Wake Interval Index 602 subfields, according to one embodiment, when the Inter-AP Negotiation subfield 5008 of the Extended Control field is equal to 1. For example, a Negotiation Type subfield 600 set to a value of 0 may be used for individual TWT negotiation between two APs. In this case, the Target Wake Time subfield may indicate a future individual TWT SP start time. The TWT Wake Interval Mantissa and TWT Wake Interval Index subfields may represent the interval of the individual TWT SP. This example may represent an agreed-upon TWT time allocated to the requesting AP, which the requesting AP can use to serve its TWT requesting STAs. For example, if the negotiation type subfield 600 is set to a value of 1, the target wake time subfield 601 may indicate a future broadcast TWT SP start time, and the TWT wake interval mantissa and TWT wake interval index subfields 602 may represent the interval of the broadcast TWT SP to provide a broadcast TWT schedule to the TWT requesting AP and / or the TWT responding AP. For example, if the Negotiation Type subfield 600 is set to a value of 2, the Target Wake Time subfield 601 may indicate a future power save time (inactive / sleep time), and the TWT Wake Interval Mantissa and TWT Wake Interval Index subfields 602 may indicate the interval between power save periods to provide a negotiation regarding the power save duration and the interval between power save periods between APs negotiating a TWT (in which the TWT requesting AP can negotiate with the responding AP about the sleep time and duration).

[0088]

[0114] 7 illustrates an example of a modified Broadcast TWT Recommendation field 700 value for a Broadcast TWT element, according to one embodiment. In this example, if the value of the Broadcast TWT Recommendation field 700 is equal to 5, this means that the APs are exchanging TWT elements to negotiate the configuration of a Broadcast / Individual TWT SP or a Broadcast R-TWT SP, e.g., the Negotiation Type subfield of the Extended Control field is set to 0 or 1 (as shown in FIG. 6). Transmission frames in the negotiated TWT SP (or R-TWT SP) may need to comply with the agreed-upon transmission requirements set in the TWT Tx Requirements field of the Modified Broadcast TWT Parameter Set field. If the value of the Broadcast TWT Recommendation field 700 is set to 6, this means that the APs are negotiating the Doze Start Time / Duration, e.g., the Negotiation Type subfield of the Extended Control field is set to 2 (as shown in FIG. 6). Note that the order of the values ​​in this table may be changed.

[0089]

[0115] A typical negotiation mechanism for AP-scheduled TWT in C-MAP: Broadcast TWT negotiation between APs

[0116] According to one embodiment, APs may negotiate TWT SPs by exchanging an extended TWT request frame according to an embodiment and an extended TWT response frame according to an embodiment. Figure 8 shows an example of an extended TWT frame exchange for TWT negotiation between APs with overlapping TWTs. In this example, the TWT requesting AP (AP1 800) sends an extended TWT request 805 of negotiation type 2 to AP2 810, indicating negotiation of a broadcast TWT SP. This TWT request 805 may include a TWT element with an extended control field as shown in Figure 5a by setting the AP-to-AP negotiation subfield 5008 to 1. The request frame may also include the following information: interval of the broadcast TWT SP, future broadcast TWT SP start time, AP group ID, IDs of STAs served by AP1, and proposed spatial reuse information (e.g., PSR1). Upon receiving this Extended TWT Request frame, AP2 810 responds with an Extended TWT Response frame with a Negotiation Type of 2 and an AP-to-AP Negotiation subfield set to 1 (806). This Extended TWT Response frame indicates that AP2 810 acknowledges the broadcast TWT information sent by AP1 and indicates that AP2 accepts the parameters proposed by AP1. Because AP1 and AP2 are in close proximity, e.g., are in the same C-MAP set, or belong to the same group, i.e., have the same group ID, the TWT Broadcast SPs of AP1 and AP2 overlap, e.g., the TWT operating channels of AP1 and AP2 overlap, and the TWT SPs of AP1 and AP2 overlap (both TWT SPs start from time 1 (t1) to time 2 (t2)), AP2 also proposes PSR information (PSR2), which is included in the Extended TWT Response frame from AP2. STAs transmitting within the TWT SP of AP1 may need to set their transmit power in terms of a function of PSR2. Similarly, STAs transmitting within the TWT SP of AP2 may need to set their transmit power in terms of a function of PSR1.Note that the TWT operating channels of AP1 and AP2 may partially overlap, and the transmit power of the overlapping channels in AP1 TWT and AP2 TWT2 must comply with PSR2 and PSR1, respectively.

[0090]

[0117] Alternatively, the TWT responder AP (e.g., AP2 in FIG. 8) may reject the parameters proposed by the TWT requester AP (e.g., AP1 in FIG. 8). In this case, the negotiating APs (e.g., AP1 and AP2) have not agreed on TWT operation, and AP1 may not set up a TWT SP during the requested time.

[0091]

[0118] The above protocol can be applied to negotiation between two AP MLDs or between APs associated with the same MLD.

[0092]

[0119] 9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an extended TWT frame exchange for TWT negotiation between APs without overlapping TWTs. In this example, AP1 900 (i.e., the TWT requesting AP) sends an extended TWT request 905 of negotiation type 2 to AP2 910, indicating negotiation of a broadcast TWT SP. This TWT request 905 may include a TWT element with an extended control field as shown in FIG. 5a, with the inter-AP negotiation subfield 5008 set to 1. The request frame 905 may also include the following information: the interval between broadcast TWT SPs, the future broadcast TWT SP start time, the AP group ID, the IDs of the STAs served by AP1 900, and proposed spatial reuse information (e.g., PSR1). Upon receiving this extended TWT request frame 905, AP2 910 responds (906) with an extended TWT response frame of negotiation type 2 and with the inter-AP negotiation subfield set to 1. AP2 910 determines that the TWT SPs between AP1 and AP2 may not overlap. AP2 910 may accept all parameters proposed by AP1 900 and not set PSR requirement information in the response frame (e.g., less restrictive requirements or a higher minimum interference value in the PSR information of the TWT Tx requirements field). It may also indicate its TWT operating channel, TWT SP, and TWT SP interval. As shown in FIG. 9 , the TWT SP of AP1 900 is from time 1 to time 2, i.e., from t1 to t2, and the TWT SP of AP2 is from time 3 to time 4, i.e., from t3 to t4. Because the TWT SPs of AP1 900 and AP2 910 do not overlap, the transmit power of STAs in the TWT SPs served by AP1 900 and AP2 910 may not be restricted, e.g., a less restrictive PSR requirement may be set in the PSR information of the TWT Tx requirements field of the TWT element.

[0093]

[0120] For example, if the TWT SPs of AP1 and AP2 overlap (AP1 800 and AP2 810 as shown in FIG. 8), the transmit powers of AP1 and AP2 in the negotiated TWT SPs may be set to P11 and P21, respectively, according to the PSR information defined by AP2 and AP1. If the TWT SPs of AP1 and AP2 do not overlap (as shown in FIG. 9), the transmit powers of AP1 and AP2 to the STAs, which are the same as in the overlapping TWT case, are P12 and P22, respectively. P11 may be smaller than P12, and P21 may be smaller than P22.

[0094]

[0121] Typical negotiation mechanism for AP-scheduled TWT in C-MAP: Individual TWT negotiation between APs

[0122] In one embodiment, APs that may reside within the same C-MAP may seek to negotiate an individual TWT after a non-AP STA sends a request for a TWT SP from its associated AP. Figure 10 illustrates an example of individual TWT operation after AP negotiation. In this example, STA11 1010 and STA12 1030 are associated with AP1 1000, and AP1 1000 and AP2 1020 are located in the same C-MAP set. STA11 1010 sends a TWT Request 1011 to the TWT Responder STA (AP1 1000) to establish a triggered TWT agreement. The TWT Responder STA (AP1 1000) accepts the TWT agreement with STA11 1010 and confirms the acceptance with a TWT Response 1001 sent to STA11 1010. AP1 1000 then sends a TWT request 1002 including the extended TWT elements to AP2 1020, for example, using the format shown in the "Extended TWT Elements" section. AP2 1020 responds to AP1 1000 with a TWT response 1021 including the extended TWT elements, for example, using the format shown in the "Extended TWT Elements" section. Upon receiving the TWT response 1021 from AP2 1020, AP1 1000 sends an unsolicited TWT response 1003 to STA12 1030 to establish a triggered-enabled TWT agreement with STA12 1030. Both of these TWT agreements (between AP1 1000 and STA11 1010 and between AP1 1000 and STA12 1030) are set up as announced TWTs. During the trigger-enabled TWT SP 1004, the TWT responder STA (AP1 1000) transmits a basic trigger frame 1005 to the TWT requester STA indicating that it is awake during the TWT SP. In response to the basic trigger frame 1005, STA11 1010 indicates its awake state by transmitting a PS Poll frame 1012, and STA12 1030 indicates its awake state by transmitting a QoS Null frame 1031. STA11 1010 and STA21 1030 receive their DL BUs in subsequent exchanges with AP1 1000 and proceed to doze states 1013 and 1032 outside of this TWT SP window.Note that in this example, the TWT negotiation procedure between APs (e.g., between AP1 1000 and AP2 1020) may be transparent to the TWT requesting STA (e.g., STA11 1010) or the STA for which the TWT is scheduled (e.g., STA12 1030). AP1 1000 may use the trigger frame 1005 to indicate to STA11 1010 and STA12 1030 the transmission requirements resulting from the negotiation between AP1 1000 and AP2 1020.

[0095]

[0123] Alternatively, after TWT negotiation between APs, the AP may decide to extend the doze time of the TWT requesting STA by using a pseudo-trigger enabled TWT SP, during which the AP (TWT responding STA) may send an involuntary TWT response to the original TWT requesting STA, indicating an updated (e.g., postponed) TWT SP. Figure 11 shows an example of individual TWT operation when the doze duration is extended after AP negotiation. In this example, TWT negotiation between APs occurs after AP1 1100 sends a TWT response 1101 to the TWT requesting STA (STA11 1110) upon receiving a TWT request 1111 from STA11 1110. The TWT negotiation agreement between APs may determine a new TWT SP start time that differs from the one agreed upon between AP1 1100 and STA11 1110. AP1 1100 then sends an involuntary TWT response 1102 to its associated STA (STA12 1130) with the updated TWT agreement resulting from the negotiation between AP1 1110 and AP2 1120. During STA11 AP1 1110's target wake-up time 1105, as indicated in the initial TWT agreement between AP1 1100 and STA11 1110, AP1 1100 sends a trigger frame 1103 to the TWT requesting STA (STA11 1110), indicating that STA11 1110 is awake during this TWT SP. AP1 1100 then sends an involuntary TWT response 1104 to STA11 1110, indicating that this is a pseudo TWT SP (which may mean that this TWT SP duration is shorter than the originally agreed-upon duration) and the next TWT SP for STA11 1110. The pseudo TWT SP 1105 in this example is used to exchange updated TWT responses / requests 1104. In other words, the pseudo TWT SP 1105 may only support the exchange of control or management frames, and does not support the transmission of data frames. After the pseudo trigger-enabled TWT SP 1105, STA11 1110 returns to doze mode 1112 until an updated TWT SP 1104 arrives.This doze mode has an extended doze duration 1112 for STA11 1110. In the incoming TWT SP 1106 (determined by negotiation between AP1 1100 and AP2 1120), AP1 1100 transmits a basic trigger frame 1107 to the TWT requesting STAs (STA11 1110 and STA12 1130), and STA11 1110 and STA12 1130 respond with a PS Poll frame 1113 and a QoS Null frame 1131, respectively, indicating that they are awake during this TWT SP 1106. STA11 1110 and STA12 1130 receive their DL BU (DL MU PPDU) 1108 in a subsequent exchange with AP1 1100 and proceed to doze outside of this TWT SP.

[0096]

[0124] Typical negotiation of power save time / duration between APs

[0125] The embodiments described herein address the problem raised in embodiment 2 above: negotiation of power save time / duration between APs.

[0097]

[0126] Representative negotiation of power save time / duration between APs: Modified Broadcast TWT Parameter Set field for negotiation of power save time / duration between APs

[0127] An AP in power save mode may be in a doze state, such as not transmitting or receiving packets. To ensure that a STA can be served by at least one AP (i.e., not in a doze state), nearby or co-located APs (e.g., APs with the same group ID) may need to coordinate their power save start time / duration and / or the interval between power save periods. Figure 12 shows an example architecture when multiple APs are negotiating power save mode, according to one embodiment. In this example, STA1 1220 is associated with AP1 1200, and STA2 1230 is associated with AP2 1210. AP1 1200 and AP2 1210 are located in the same cooperative multiple AP set (C-MAP set). To ensure that associated STAs 1220 and 1230 can be served by at least one AP, AP1 1200 and AP2 1210 are negotiating their individual doze mode start time / duration / periodicity. When AP1 1200 is in doze mode, its associated STA1 1220 is served by AP2 1210. Similarly, when AP2 1210 is in doze time, its associated STA2 1230 is served by AP1 1200.

[0098]

[0128] In one embodiment, if the APs are negotiating the power save / duration, e.g., if the AP Negotiation subfield is set to 1 and the Negotiation Type subfield is set to 2, the requesting AP may need to send an Extended TWT element with a modified Broadcast TWT Parameter Set field. Figure 13 shows an example of a modified Broadcast TWT Parameter Set field 1300 when the APs are negotiating the power save / duration. The Target Doze Time field 1301 may contain a positive integer corresponding to the TSF time during which the TWT requesting AP intends to enter power save mode or the TWT responding AP has agreed to power save mode. Alternatively, the Target Doze Time field 1301 may contain a positive integer corresponding to the TSF time during which the TWT requesting AP requests the TWT responding AP to enter power save mode. The Nominal Maximum Doze Duration field 1302 may indicate the maximum time the TWT requesting AP or the TWT responding AP is expected to be in power save mode, in units indicated by the Wake Duration Units subfield (5006 in FIG. 5a). The doze mode may be periodic, and the doze interval is indicated in the Doze Wake Interval Mantissa field 1303. For example, according to one embodiment, the Doze Wake Interval Mantissa subfield may be set to the value of the mantissa of the base-2 TWT doze interval value in microseconds.

[0099]

[0129] Typical negotiation of power saving time / duration between APs: Negotiation procedure of power saving time / duration between APs

[0130] In one embodiment, when APs are negotiating the power save time / duration, the requesting AP may need to send an Extended TWT element to the responding AP to agree on the power save time / duration. Figure 14 shows an example of an Extended TWT frame exchange for power save time / duration negotiation between APs. In this example, AP1 1400 (the TWT requesting AP) sends an Extended TWT Request 1405 with Negotiation Type 1, indicating negotiation of the power save start time / duration. This TWT Request may include a TWT element with an Extended Control field as shown in Figure 5a, by setting the AP-to-AP negotiation subfield to 1. The request frame 1405 may also include the following information: future power save time start / duration, interval between power save periods, power save channel (indicating the channel ID or link ID on which the AP will execute the power save mode), AP group ID, and IDs of STAs served by AP1 1400. Upon receiving this extended TWT request frame, AP2 1410 responds with an extended TWT response frame 1406 with negotiation type 1 and the AP-to-AP negotiation subfield set to 1. AP2 1410 accepts the parameters proposed by AP1 1400 in the extended TWT request frame 1405 and indicates its power save start time / duration, power save channel, AP group ID, and STA IDs served by AP2 1410 in its response 1406. Note that AP1 1400 and AP2 1410 may have some overlapping coverage areas. In other words, AP1 1400 (or AP2 1410) can serve STAs associated with AP2 1410 (or AP1 1400) when AP2 1410 (or AP1 1400) is in power save mode, i.e., doze state. After the power save agreement is reached, AP1 1400 begins a power save period from time 1 to time 2, i.e., from t1 to t2, on channel 1. Meanwhile, AP2 1410 remains in wake mode and serves STAs associated with AP1 1400 on channel 1. At time 3, AP2 1410 begins a power save period until time 4.That is, AP2 1410 enters power save mode from t3 to t4 on channel 1. Meanwhile, AP1 1400 remains in wake mode and serves STAs associated with AP2 1410 on channel 1.

[0100]

[0131] Alternatively, AP2 may not accept the power saving parameters proposed by AP1, or AP1 may not accept the power saving parameters proposed by AP2, in which case AP1 may not enter power saving mode from t1 to t2, and AP2 may not enter power saving mode from t3 to t4.

[0101]

[0132] Note that negotiation can occur between two AP MLDs or between APs affiliated with the same MLD. The channel on which an AP is in doze mode may fully / partially overlap with another AP with which it has negotiated, or these two APs may not have a shared channel.

[0102]

[0133] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a first network node (eg, a device performing the functionality of a network node or AP or a WTRU) according to one embodiment.

[0103]

[0134] In 1500, a first network node transmits a target wake time (TWT) request frame to a second network node (or a second WTRU performing the functions of a network node) within a service area overlapping with the first network node, indicating a request for negotiation of at least one TWT service period (SP) between the first network node and the second network node, and / or including information indicative thereof. The TWT request includes (proposed) first configuration parameters for the first network node and for a first wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) associated with the first network node and / or including information indicative thereof.

[0104]

[0135] In 1501, a first network node receives a TWT response frame from a second network node, the TWT response frame acknowledging receipt by the second network node of a TWT request frame transmitted by the first network node, and enables the first network node to serve a first WTRU associated with the first network node using at least one TWT service period according to information contained in the TWT response frame.

[0105]

[0136] In 1502, the first network node configures itself and a first WTRU associated with the first network node according to information included in a TWT Response frame received from a second network node. If the information included in the TWT Response frame indicates that the second network node accepts the first configuration parameters, the first network node may configure itself and its associated WTRU according to the first configuration parameters, which is the case if the first network node and its associated WTRU are not already so configured (i.e., the first network node and its associated WTRU are not already configured according to the first configuration parameters). If the information included in the TWT Response frame indicates that the second network node does not accept some or all of the first configuration parameters, the first network node may configure itself and its associated WTRU according to other configuration parameter values ​​proposed by the second network node and included in the TWT Response frame. Alternatively, the first network node may choose not to do so and then optionally repeat this method until agreement is reached with the second network node, with or without renegotiating different first configuration parameter value settings as needed. This negotiation may include TWT parameter settings for TWT operation of the second network node and its associated WTRU.

[0106]

[0137] According to one embodiment, the TWT response frame includes second PSR information (PSR2) that is different from the proposed first PSR (PSR1) included in the TWT request frame, and the first network node configures the transmit power configuration parameters of the first WTRU associated with the first network node according to the PSR2 included in the TWT response frame.

[0107]

[0138] According to one embodiment, the overlapping service areas are characterized by the first network node and the second network node sharing the same network node group identifier.

[0108]

[0139] According to one embodiment, the TWT request frame includes at least one of the following configuration parameters for the first network node and the first WTRU associated with the first network node: power saving start time, power saving duration, interval between power saving periods, TWT operating channel or TWT operating link, operating subchannel, network node group identifier, proposed first parameterized spatial reuse (PSR) information (PSR1), transmit power, and identifier of the first WTRU associated with the first network node, and / or includes information indicative thereof.

[0109]

[0140] According to one embodiment, the TWT response frame includes and / or includes information indicative of a second PSR information (PSR2) that is different from the proposed PSR1 included in the TWT request frame, and the first network node then configures the transmit power configuration parameters of the first WTRU associated with the first network node according to the PSR2 included in the TWT response frame.

[0110]

[0141] According to one embodiment, the at least one TWT service period is a broadcast TWT service period, and the TWT request frame includes a negotiation type indicating negotiation of the at least one broadcast TWT service period.

[0111]

[0142] According to one embodiment, the TWT request frame includes and / or includes information indicative of at least one of the following configuration parameters for the first network node and for the first WTRU associated with the first network node: an interval between broadcast TWT service periods, a future broadcast TWT service period start time, a network node group identifier, an identifier of the first WTRU associated with the first network node, and proposed first spatial reuse (PSR) information (PSR1).

[0112]

[0143] According to one embodiment, the TWT response frame includes and / or includes information indicative of a second PSR information (PSR2) that is different from the proposed PSR1 included in the TWT request frame, and the first network node then configures the transmit power configuration parameters of the first WTRU associated with the first network node according to the PSR2 included in the TWT response frame.

[0113]

[0144] The present disclosure also relates to embodiments of a first device (e.g., a network node or a WTRU performing the functions of a network node) including at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit a target wake time (TWT) request frame to a second device (e.g., a network node or a WTRU performing the functions of a network node) within a service area that overlaps with the first device, indicating a request for negotiation of at least one TWT service period (SP) between the first device and the second device, and / or including information indicative thereof, wherein the TWT request includes first configuration parameters for the first device and a first wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) associated with the first device, and / or includes information indicative thereof.

[0114]

[0145] At least one processor of the first device is further configured to receive from the second device a TWT response frame that acknowledges receipt by the second device of the TWT request frame transmitted by the first device, and to enable the first device to serve a first WTRU associated with the first device using at least one TWT service period according to information included in the TWT response frame.

[0115]

[0146] The at least one processor of the first device is further configured to configure the first device and a first WTRU associated with the first device according to information included in the TWT response frame.

[0116]

[0147] According to one embodiment, the TWT response frame includes second PSR information (PSR2) different from the proposed PSR1 included in the TWT request frame, and the at least one processor is configured to configure transmit power configuration parameters of a first WTRU associated with the first device according to the PSR2 included in the TWT response frame.

[0117]

[0148] According to one embodiment of the first device, the overlapping service areas are characterized by the first device and the second device sharing the same device group identifier.

[0118]

[0149] According to one embodiment of the first device, the TWT request frame includes at least one of the following configuration parameters for the first device and a first WTRU associated with the first device: power save start time, power save duration, interval between power save periods, TWT operating channel or TWT operating link, operating subchannel, device group identifier, proposed first parameterized spatial reuse (PSR) information (PSR1), transmit power, and identifier of the first WTRU associated with the first device, and / or includes information indicative thereof.

[0119]

[0150] According to one embodiment of the first device, the TWT response frame includes second PSR information (PSR2) different from the proposed PSR1 included in the TWT request frame and / or includes information indicative thereof, and the at least one processor is configured to configure transmit power configuration parameters of the first WTRU associated with the first device according to the PSR2 included in the TWT response frame.

[0120]

[0151] According to one embodiment of the first device, at least one TWT service period is a broadcast TWT service period, and the TWT request frame includes a negotiation type indicating the negotiation of at least one broadcast TWT service period and / or includes information indicating the same.

[0121]

[0152] According to one embodiment of the first device, the TWT request frame includes and / or includes information indicative of at least one of the following configuration parameters for the first device and for the first WTRU associated with the first device: an interval between broadcast TWT service periods, a future broadcast TWT service period start time, a device group identifier, an identifier of the first WTRU associated with the first device, and proposed first spatial reuse (PSR) information (PSR1).

[0122]

[0153] According to one embodiment of the first device, the TWT response frame includes second PSR information (PSR2) different from the proposed PSR1 included in the TWT request frame and / or includes information indicative thereof, and the at least one processor is configured to configure transmit power configuration parameters of the first WTRU associated with the first device according to the PSR2 included in the TWT response frame.

[0123]

[0154] conclusion

[0155] Although the features and elements of the present invention are described in specific combinations in preferred embodiments, each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the preferred embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements of the present invention.

[0124]

[0156] Although the solutions described herein take into account the specific protocol of 802.11, it should be understood that the solutions described herein are not limited to this scenario and are applicable to other wireless systems as well.

[0125]

[0157] The design and procedure examples use SIFS to illustrate various interframe spacings, but all other interframe spacings such as RIFS, AIFS, DIFS or other agreed time intervals can be applied to the same solution.

[0126]

[0158] In some figures, four RBs per triggered TXOP are shown as an example, but the actual number of RBs / channels / bandwidth utilized may vary.

[0127]

[0159] While the above provides specific combinations of features and elements, those skilled in the art will understand that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. The present disclosure should not be limited in terms of the specific embodiments described herein, which are intended as examples of various aspects. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, many modifications and variations are possible without departing from its spirit and scope. No element, act, or instruction used in the description of the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly provided as such. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the present disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications and variations are intended to be encompassed by the appended claims. The present disclosure should be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to any particular method or system.

[0128]

[0160] The foregoing embodiments are discussed, for simplicity, with respect to the terminology and structure of wireless communication enabled devices (e.g., radio wave transmitters and receivers). However, the discussed embodiments are not limited to these systems and may also be applied to other systems that use other forms of electromagnetic waves or non-electromagnetic waves, such as acoustic waves.

[0129]

[0161] It should be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the term “video” or “image” may refer to either a snapshot, a single image, and / or multiple images displayed along a timeline. As another example, when referred to herein, the term “user equipment” and its abbreviation “UE,” the term “remote,” and / or the term “head-mounted display” or its abbreviation “HMD” may mean or include (i) a wireless transmit and / or receive unit (WTRU), (ii) any of many embodiments of a WTRU, (iii) a wireless-enabled and / or wired-enabled (e.g., tetherable) device configured with, among other things, some or all of the structure and functionality of a WTRU, (iii) a wireless-enabled and / or wired-enabled device configured with less than all of the structure and functionality of a WTRU, or (iv) the like. Details of an exemplary WTRU, which may represent any WTRU described herein, are provided herein with respect to FIGS. 1A-1D . As another example, various embodiments disclosed herein above and below are described as utilizing a head-mounted display. Those skilled in the art will recognize that devices other than head-mounted displays can be utilized and that some or all of the present disclosure and various disclosed embodiments can be modified accordingly without undue experimentation. Examples of such other devices can include drones or other devices configured to stream information to provide an adapted reality experience.

[0130]

[0162] Additionally, the methods provided herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware embodied in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted via wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor, together with software, may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

[0131]

[0163] Variations of the methods, apparatus, and systems provided above are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. In view of the wide variety of possible embodiments, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the following claims. For example, the embodiments provided herein include handheld devices that may include or be utilized with any suitable voltage source, such as a battery that provides any suitable voltage.

[0132]

[0164] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments refer to processing platforms, computing systems, controllers, and other devices that include processors. These devices may include at least one central processing unit ("CPU") and memory. In accordance with the practices of those skilled in the art of computer programming, references to symbolic representations of acts and operations or instructions may be performed by various CPUs and memories. Such acts and operations or instructions may be referred to as being "executed," "executed by a computer," or "executed by a CPU."

[0133]

[0165] Those skilled in the art will understand that acts and symbolically represented operations or instructions include the manipulation of electrical signals by a CPU. The electrical system represents data bits and the maintenance of the data bits in memory locations within a memory system, which causes a transformation or reduction of the electrical signals, thereby enabling the reconfiguration or otherwise alteration of the CPU's operation and other signal processing. The memory locations where the data bits are maintained are physical locations that have particular electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties that correspond to or represent the data bits. It should be understood that embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned platforms or CPUs, and that other platforms and CPUs may support the provided methods.

[0134]

[0166] The data bits may also be maintained on computer-readable media, including magnetic disks, optical disks, and any other volatile (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) or non-volatile (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)) mass storage system readable by a CPU. The computer-readable media may include computer-readable media that resides solely on the processing system, or that is distributed among, cooperating, or interconnected multiple interconnected processing systems, which may be local or remote to the processing system. It should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the memories described above, and that other platforms and memories may also support the provided methods.

[0135]

[0167] In an example embodiment, any of the operations, processes, etc. described herein may be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, which may be executed by a processor of a mobile unit, a network element, and / or any other computing device.

[0136]

[0168] There is little distinction between hardware and software implementations of aspects of the system. The use of hardware or software is generally a design choice representing a trade-off between cost and efficiency (although this is not always the case, and the choice between hardware and software may be important in certain situations). There may be various means by which the processes, systems, and / or other techniques described herein (e.g., hardware, software, and / or firmware) may be achieved, and the preferred means may vary depending on the context in which the processes, systems, and / or other techniques are deployed. For example, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy are most important, the implementer may select a primarily hardware and / or firmware means. If flexibility is most important, the implementer may select a primarily software implementation. Alternatively, the implementer may select some combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0137]

[0169] The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of devices and / or processes using block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples. To the extent that such block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples include one or more functions and / or operations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each function and / or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples, individually and / or collectively, can be implemented by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment, some portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), and / or other integrated format. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein may equivalently be implemented, in whole or in part, in integrated circuits as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), firmware, or virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and / or writing the software and / or firmware code is well within the skill of those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present disclosure. Additionally, those skilled in the art will understand that the subject matter mechanisms described herein may be distributed as a program product in various forms, and that exemplary embodiments of the subject matter described herein apply regardless of the particular type of signal-bearing medium actually used to effect the distribution. Examples of signal-bearing media include, but are not limited to, recordable media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, CDs, DVDs, digital tape, computer memory, and transmission-type media such as digital and / or analog communications media (e.g., fiber optic cables, wave guides, wired communications links, wireless communications links, etc.).

[0138]

[0170] Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the art to describe devices and / or processes in the manner described herein and then incorporate the described devices and / or processes into a data processing system using engineering practices. That is, at least a portion of the devices and / or processes described herein can be incorporated into a data processing system through a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a typical data processing system may generally include one or more of the following: a system unit housing; a video display device; memory, such as volatile and non-volatile memory; a processor, such as a microprocessor and a digital signal processor; computer entities, such as an operating system, drivers, a graphical user interface, and application programs; one or more interaction devices, such as a touchpad or screen; and / or a control system, including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and / or velocity, control motors for moving and / or adjusting components and / or quantities). A typical data processing system may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially available components, such as those typically found in data computing / communication systems and / or network computing / communication systems.

[0139]

[0171] The subject matter described herein may depict different components contained within or connected to other different components. It should be understood that any such illustrated architectures are merely examples, and that in fact, many other architectures that achieve the same functionality may be implemented. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality can be achieved. Thus, any two components herein that combine to achieve a particular function may be considered to be “associated” with each other such that the desired functionality can be achieved, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two components so associated may also be considered to be “operably connected” or “operably coupled” with each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components so associated may also be considered to be “operably coupleable” with each other to achieve the desired functionality. Examples of operably coupleable include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interacting components, wirelessly interacting and / or wirelessly interacting components, and / or logically interacting and / or logically interacting components.

[0140]

[0172] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms herein, those skilled in the art can convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural as appropriate to the context and / or application. Various singular / plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for the sake of clarity.

[0141]

[0173] In general, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that terms used in this specification, and particularly in the appended claims (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "including" should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to," etc.). Furthermore, where a specific number is intended in the introduced claim recitation, such intention will be explicitly set forth in the claim; in the absence of such recitation, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that no such intention exists. For example, where only one item is intended, the term "single" or similar language may be used. As an aid to understanding, the following appended claims and / or description of this specification may include the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as meaning that the introduction of the indefinite article "a" or "an" into a claim recitation means that any particular claim in which such a claim recitation is introduced is limited to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even if the same claim includes the introductory phrase "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"). The same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Additionally, even if a specific number of introduced claim recitations is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the mere recitation of "two recitations" without any other modifier means at least two recitations or more than two recitations).Furthermore, when a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such a configuration is generally intended in the sense that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having A only, B only, C only, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). When a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, such a configuration is generally intended in the sense that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having A only, B only, C only, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that virtually any disjunction and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B." Furthermore, as used herein, the term "any" followed by a list of multiple items and / or multiple item categories is intended to include "any," "any combination," "any plurality," and / or "any plurality combination" of the items and / or item categories, individually or in conjunction with other items and / or other item categories. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "set" is intended to include any number of items, including zero. Additionally, as used herein, the term "number" is intended to include any number, including zero. Also, the term "plurality," as used herein, is intended to be synonymous with "plurality."

[0142]

[0174] Additionally, when features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of a Markush group, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

[0143]

[0175] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, for any and all purposes, including providing a written description, all ranges disclosed herein encompass any and all possible subranges and combinations of those subranges. Any recited range can be readily recognized as fully described and as capable of dividing the same range into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, and tenths. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be readily broken down into a lower third, middle third, and upper third, etc. As will also be understood by those skilled in the art, all expressions such as "up to," "at least," "greater than," and "less than" refer to ranges that are inclusive of the recited numbers and can then be divided into subranges as discussed above. Finally, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, a range includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a group having 1 to 3 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1 to 5 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, etc. Furthermore, the claims should not be read as limited to the order or elements provided unless expressly stated to that effect. Additionally, the use of the term "means for" in any claim is intended to refer to 35 U.S.C. 112, paragraph 6, or means-with-function claim format; claims that do not use the term "means for" are not so intended.

Claims

1. 1. A method implemented by a first network node, comprising: transmitting a target wake time (TWT) request frame to a second network node within a service area overlapping with the first network node, indicating a request for negotiation of at least one TWT service period between the first network node and the second network node, the TWT request including first configuration parameters for the first network node and for a first wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) associated with the first network node; receiving, from the second network node, a TWT response frame acknowledging receipt by the second network node of the TWT request frame transmitted by the first network node, and enabling the first network node to serve the first WTRU associated with the first network node using at least one TWT service period according to information included in the TWT response frame; configuring the first network node and the first WTRU associated with the first network node according to the information contained in the TWT response frame received from the second network node; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the TWT response frame includes second parameterized spatial reuse (PSR) information different from a proposed first PSR information included in the TWT request frame, and the first network node configures a transmit power configuration parameter of the first WTRU associated with the first network node according to the second PSR information included in the TWT response frame.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the overlapping service areas are characterized by the first network node and the second network node sharing the same network node group identifier.

4. The TWT request frame includes the following configuration parameters for the first network node and the first WTRU associated with the first network node: Power saving start time, Power saving duration, the interval between power saving periods, TWT operating channel, TWT operational link, operating subchannel, network node group identifier, Proposed first parameterized spatial reuse (PSR) information; Transmit power, and an identifier of the first WTRU associated with the first network node; The method of claim 1 , further comprising: and / or information indicative thereof;

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one TWT service period is a broadcast TWT service period, and the TWT request frame includes a negotiation type indicating negotiation of at least one broadcast TWT service period.

6. The TWT request frame includes the following configuration parameters for the first network node and for the first WTRU associated with the first network node: the interval between broadcast TWT service periods, Future Broadcast TWT service period start time, network node group identifier, an identifier of the first WTRU associated with the first network node; and Proposed First Parameterized Spatial Reuse (PSR) Information The method of claim 1 , further comprising: and / or information indicative thereof;

7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the TWT response frame includes second PSR information different from the proposed first PSR information included in the TWT request frame, and the first network node configures a transmit power configuration parameter of the first WTRU associated with the first network node according to the second PSR information included in the TWT response frame.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein either the first network node or the second network node is an access point.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein any one or more of the first WTRUs are stations.

10. A first device including at least one processor, the at least one processor comprising: transmitting a target wake time (TWT) request frame to a second device within a service area overlapping with the first device, indicating a request for negotiation of at least one TWT service period between the first device and the second device, the TWT request including first configuration parameters for the first device and a first wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) associated with the first device; receiving a TWT response frame from the second device acknowledging receipt by the second device of the TWT request frame transmitted by the first device, and enabling the first device to serve the first WTRU associated with the first device using at least one TWT service period according to information included in the TWT response frame; configuring the first device and the first WTRU associated with the first device according to the information included in the TWT response frame; a first device configured to:

11. 11. The first device of claim 10, wherein the TWT response frame includes second parameterized spatial reuse (PSR) information different from a proposed first PSR information included in the TWT request frame, and the at least one processor is configured to configure a transmit power configuration parameter of the first WTRU associated with the first device according to the second PSR information included in the TWT response frame.

12. The first device of claim 10 , wherein the overlapping service area is characterized by the first device and the second device sharing the same device group identifier.

13. The TWT request frame includes the following configuration parameters for the first device and the first WTRU associated with the first device: Power saving start time, Power saving duration, the interval between power saving periods, TWT operating channel, TWT operational link, operating subchannel, device group identifier, Proposed first parameterized spatial reuse (PSR) information; Transmit power, and an identifier of the first WTRU associated with the first device; The first device of claim 10 , comprising at least one of:

14. The first device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one TWT service period is a broadcast TWT service period, and the TWT request frame includes a negotiation type indicating negotiation of at least one broadcast TWT service period.

15. The TWT request frame includes the following configuration parameters for the first device and for the first WTRU associated with the first device: the interval between broadcast TWT service periods, Future Broadcast TWT service period start time, device group identifier, an identifier of the first WTRU associated with the first device; and Proposed First Spatial Reuse (PSR) Information The first device of claim 10 , comprising at least one of:

16. 16. The first device of claim 15, wherein the TWT response frame includes second parameterized spatial reuse (PSR) information different from the proposed first PSR information included in the TWT request frame and / or includes information indicative thereof, and the at least one processor is configured to configure a transmit power configuration parameter of the first WTRU associated with the first device according to the second PSR information included in the TWT response frame.

17. The first device according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein either the first device or the second device is an access point.

18. The first device of any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein any one or more of the first WTRUs is a station.

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