Long packets and quick acknowledgments on the secondary link

Abstract

A wireless communication protocol that operates on a multilink device (MLD) with simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) link pairs and allows an originator to transmit a long MU PPDU on the first link and a receiver to acknowledge (Ack) on the second link. The Ack on the second link can reside on a single resource unit (RU) that can be shared by multiple stations. The Ack can be received during an MP PPDU on the first link, which is a quick Ack. In many cases, this allows the originator to perform a retransmission within the same PPDU, which benefits latency-sensitive real-time traffic in particular.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Cross-Reference to Related Applications]

[0001] This application claims priority and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 265,712, filed December 20, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] [Description of Federally Sponsored Research or Development]

[0002] Not applicable

[0003] [Notice of Materials Subject to Copyright Protection]

[0003] Portions of the material in this patent document may be subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. The copyright owner does not object to the reproduction by a third party of the patent document or patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's general public file or records, but reserves all other copyrights. The copyright owner does not hereby waive any rights, including, but not limited to, the right to maintain this patent document in confidence in accordance with 37 C.F.R. § 1.14.

[0004]

[0005] The technology of this disclosure generally relates to wireless network communication under CSMA / CA and EDCA, and specifically to providing quick acknowledgment responses for long packet traffic.

Background Art

[0005]

[0007] In the current 802.11 protocol, Ack / BA follows immediately after a PPDU on the same link and is used by the CSMA / CA protocol to detect collisions, in addition to acknowledging the received status of each MPDU within the PPDU. To improve efficiency, a PPDU can contain data from multiple users, and data from each user can have multiple priorities. Multiplexing different users and priorities improves efficiency, but it can result in excessively long PPDUs, potentially increasing latency.

[0006]

[0008] In the case of a low-latency MPDU within a long PPDU, if the receiver indicates a failure to receive the low-latency MPDU after the long PPDU has ended, the PPDU duration may be too long for the transmitter to retransmit. The term "long" in this context refers to the delay requirements of latency-sensitive traffic. The aforementioned retransmission after a long PPDU may violate the delay limits of latency-sensitive traffic. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007]

[0009] Therefore, there is a need for a protocol that can handle RTA traffic with reduced latency while utilizing secondary links. This disclosure satisfies this need and provides further benefits. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008]

[0010] This document describes wireless communication in IEEE 802.11 networks that not only speeds up retransmission but also provides rapid acknowledgment. This description primarily focuses on the use of multilink devices (MLDs) operating on the network with simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) capability and using Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) with Extended Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) for random channel access on all links.

[0009]

[0011] The protocol described provides that a transmitting MLD transmits a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) (e.g., a long PPDU) containing one or more aggregated MAC protocol data units (AMPDUs) over a first link, and receives an acknowledgment (Ack) frame as a quick Ack from a receiving MLD over a second link before the transmitting MLD completes its transmission of the PPDU over the first link.

[0010]

[0012] This is particularly beneficial for latency-sensitive MPDUs (such as those associated with real-time application (RTA) traffic), which are sent early in the PPDU and can be acknowledged (Ack) after the latency-sensitive portion is received while the rest of the PPDU is still being sent.

[0011]

[0013] The disclosed technology also enables latency reduction by allowing retransmission to be performed on either the first and / or second link within the same long PPDU.

[0012]

[0014] This disclosure provides a number of options / modes / and configurations for controlling how these quick acknowledgments and retransmissions are performed.

[0013]

[0015] The following portions of this specification reveal further aspects of the technology described herein, and this detailed description is intended to fully disclose preferred embodiments of the technology without limiting them.

[0014]

[0016] The techniques described herein will be fully understood by referring to the following drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram of station (STA) hardware according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2]Block diagram of multi-link device (MLD) hardware according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Communication diagram of a PPDU showing the use of quick Ack timing or quick Ack link timing in long packet communication according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] Data field diagram using reserved bits in the MPDU delimiter (non-OMG) to indicate the next quick Ack opportunity according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Communication diagram of the initial AMPDU for link 1 without quick Ack. [Figure 6] Communication diagram of EDCA explicit confirmation on L2 and retransmission on L1 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] Communication sequence diagram of multiple Ack attempts during delayed block Ack between the transmitting STA and the receiving STA according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] Communication diagram of implicit confirmation and retransmission according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] Communication diagram of downlink (DL) retransmission on an alternative link according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] Communication diagram of quick Ack timing for uplink (UL) data according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] Communication diagram of a shared Ack resource unit (RU) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] Communication diagram of a second shared Ack RU according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] Communication diagram of a UL zone for increasing access opportunity according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14]Communication diagram of UL heavy L1 + DL heavy L2 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] Communication diagram of an AP scheduling the transmission start time and / or end time on a shared Ack RU using a trigger frame (TF) on L2 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] Flow diagram of the receiving-side processing of a long PPDU that requires an Ack according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] Flow diagram of the receiving-side processing of a long PPDU that requires an Ack according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] Flow diagram of the transmitting-side processing of a long PPDU that requires an Ack according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] Flow diagram of the transmitting-side processing of a long PPDU that requires an Ack according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] Data field diagram of a quick Ack configuration field according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 21] Data field diagram of a special symbol configuration field according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 22] Data field diagram of a quick Ack configuration according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 23] Data field diagram of shared Ack components according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 24] Data field diagram of different examples of shared Ack RU elements according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 25] Data field diagram of a trigger frame having additional subfields in a user information list for use in quick retransmission assignment according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 26]A data field diagram of a BA control field, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, which includes quick retransmission MCS and Nss subfields within a previously reserved bit. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] 1. Motivation and Assumptions

[0042] The latest technologies in this field are described in IEEE P802.11be(trademark) / D2.3 (November 2022) and IEEE P802.11-REVme(trademark) / D2.0 (October 2022).

[0017]

[0043] A station (STA) with Real-Time Application (RTA) data can transmit a PPDU containing only short RTA data and request an immediate acknowledgment to minimize delay in case of retransmission. However, for various reasons, an access point (AP) or non-AP station (STA) may decide not to transmit a PPDU containing only RTA data, taking into account system efficiency or other access rules. For example, to leverage Downlink (DL) Multi-User (MU) Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) (by transmitting data to multiple users with the same PPDU using an otherwise unused antenna / precoding vector), an AP may transmit an MU PPDU so that the PSDU for an RTA user is padded to the same size as the PSDU length for other users. As another example, the PPDU is a UL trigger-based PPDU (TB-PPDU), and the length of the PPDU is determined by the AP. If the STA includes RTA data in the PSDU, the scheduled PPDU duration does not change, and other data or padding must be included to meet the PSDU length required for the TB-PPDU. In situations like this, where an STA or AP transmits a relatively long PPDU containing short RTA data, the station (STA) or AP with the Real-Time Application (RTA) data may request a quick acknowledgment (Ack) to allow retries to be performed, for example, before the MSDU expires and before the ongoing PPDU terminates, when a second link exists for performing the acknowledgment (Ack).

[0018]

[0044] The transmitter can send short PPDUs over the same link and receive block acknowledgments (BAs) quickly. However, in this case, the transmitter sacrifices the efficiency of multi-user (MU) transmission because it cannot multiplex data with other users in the spatial and / or frequency domain.

[0019]

[0045] There is an opportunity to use a long PPDU on the first link and an Ack on the second link. A long MU PPDU that has acquired a channel, despite being a lower priority access class (AC), can contain a significant amount of padding that can be used to provide access to other users' higher priority traffic, such as for retransmissions.

[0020]

[0046] Since it takes less than 16 microseconds to build (configure) a long AMPDU in response to a trigger frame (TF), it may be possible to insert a later-arriving (after TXOP start) RTA MPDU into the ongoing AMPDU (for the same receiver) rather than having a lower-priority AC terminate the ongoing AMPDU.

[0021]

[0047] If the transmitter receives a block acknowledgment (BA) before the entire AMPDU is fully received, this allows for retransmission of the same AMPDU and other retransmission options.

[0022]

[0048] In these considerations, the multilink device (MLD) in this disclosure is considered to provide simultaneous transmission and reception (STR) over the link under consideration. An MLD that transmits a data MPDU to be acknowledged (Ack) is referred to as a “sender” MLD. Conversely, an MLD that transmits an Ack in response to receiving a data MPDU is referred to herein as a “receiver” MLD. A traffic identifier (TID) is used to identify real-time application (RTA) traffic, and traffic identified by an RTA TID does not carry non-RTA traffic.

[0023] 2. Embodiments 2.1. Communication Station (STA and MLD) Hardware

[0051] Figure 1 shows an example embodiment 10 of STA hardware configured to perform the protocol of the present disclosure. An external I / O connection 14 is preferably coupled to an internal bus 16 of the circuit 12, on which a CPU 18 and memory (e.g., RAM) 20 are connected to execute (one or more) programs that implement the communication protocol. The host machine houses at least one modem 22 to support communication, the modem 22 is coupled to at least one RF module 24, 28, each of the RF modules 24, 28 is connected to one or more antennas 29, 26a, 26b, 26c, ..., 26n. An RF module including multiple antennas (e.g., an antenna array) enables beamforming during transmission and reception. Thus, the STA can transmit signals using a set of multiple beam patterns.

[0024]

[0052] Bus 14 allows various devices to be connected to the CPU, such as sensors and actuators. On the processor 18, instructions from memory 20 are executed to run a program that implements the communication protocol, and the communication protocol is executed so that the STA can perform the functions of an access point (AP) station or a normal station (non-AP STA). It should also be understood that the programming is configured to operate in different modes (TXOP owner, TXOP share participant, source, intermediate, destination, first AP, other APs, station associated with the first AP, station associated with other APs, coordinator, coordinatee, AP in OBSS, STA in OBSS, etc.) depending on the role it is performing in the current communication context.

[0025]

[0053] Therefore, the illustrated STA HW is configured to include at least one modem and associated RF circuitry to provide communication in at least one bandwidth. It should be understood that this disclosure can be configured to include a plurality of modems 22, each coupled to any number of RF circuits. Generally, the more RF circuits used, the wider the antenna beam direction coverage. It should be understood that the number of RF circuits and antennas used will be determined by the hardware constraints of the particular device. Some RF circuits and antennas can be disabled when the STA determines that it does not need to communicate with neighboring STAs. In at least one embodiment, the RF circuitry is connected to a plurality of antennas, including a frequency converter and an array antenna controller, which are controlled to perform beamforming for transmission and reception. In this way, the STA can transmit signals using a set of multiple beam patterns, with each beam pattern direction being considered an antenna sector.

[0026]

[0054] Furthermore, it should be understood that multiple instances of the station hardware shown in this diagram can be combined into a multilink device (MLD), and while a multilink device (MLD) typically has a processor and memory for coordinating activities, each STA within the MLD does not always require a separate CPU and memory, so these resources can be shared.

[0027]

[0055] Figure 2 shows an example of a multilink device (MLD) hardware configuration 40. The soft AP MLD is an MLD consisting of one or more partner STAs that operate as APs. The soft AP MLD should support multiple radio operations at 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz. Among the multiple radios, the basic linkset is a link pair that satisfies simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) mode, for example, basic linkset (2.4GHz and 5GHz), basic linkset (2.4GHz and 6GHz).

[0028]

[0056] Multiple STAs partner with the MLD, each operating on a different frequency link. The MLD has external I / O access to applications, which connects to an MLD management entity 48 having a CPU 62 and memory (e.g., RAM) 64, allowing it to execute programs that implement communication protocols at the MLD level. The MLD can distribute tasks to each partner station to which the MLD is connected (exemplified here as STA 1 42, STA 2 44, ..., STA N 46), collect information from each partner station, and share information among the partner STAs.

[0029]

[0057] In at least one embodiment, each STA of the MLD has its own CPU 50 and memory (RAM) 52, which are coupled to at least one modem 54 via a bus 58, the modem 54 is connected to at least one RF circuit 56, and the RF circuit 56 has one or more antennas. In this example, the RF circuit has, for example, multiple antennas 60a, 60b, 60c, ..., 60n of an antenna array. The modem, in cooperation with the RF circuit and associated antennas, transmits / receives data frames to and from neighboring STAs. In at least one implementation, the RF module includes a frequency converter, an array antenna controller, and other circuitry for interface with its antennas.

[0030]

[0058] Each STA in an MLD may share resources with each other and / or with the MLD management entity, depending on the specific MLD implementation, and therefore may not necessarily require its own processor and memory. The above MLD diagram is provided as an example, not an limitation, but this disclosure should be understood to work with a wide range of MLD implementations.

[0031] 3. Use of long packets and quick ACK on secondary links 3.1. Instructions for ACK timing / ACK link in long packets

[0061] Figure 3 shows an example embodiment 90 of transmitting Ack timing or Ack link in long packet communication. This figure shows a long packet including a preamble followed by a region of special symbols. Here, the special symbols are exemplified as service fields and payload information, or checks such as a Block Ack Request (BAR) (Advanced BAR) requesting a Quick Ack, or a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC).

[0032]

[0062] The following describes payload information or advanced BARs that can be transmitted to the receiver in long packets, etc.: (a) One or more time indicators (e.g., symbol numbers) to the receiver indicating the time when an Ack can be performed on another link before the completion of the PPDU. For example, the indicated symbol may be the last symbol carrying the RTA MPDU. (b) Link IDs may be provided that are proposed or not proposed for the Ack, for example, to recommend whether or not to transmit on a link that is currently busy with Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) at the sender and should not be a recommended link for sending an Ack. (c) Payload information may be the MCS / Nss of the retransmitted MPDU. (d) The payload may incorporate the TID that needs to be reported in the quick Ack, and the number of octets (including the delimiter) of the TID prior to the requested Ack time. The above information does not need to be explicitly shown in the packet and can be pre-configured as represented by a pre-configured identifier. As an alternative to Figure 3, the above information can be implicitly shown in the preamble of a long PPDU by signaling a pre-configured identifier using a preamble field. Alternatively, preconfiguration can be communicated using the ADD Block Ack (ADDBA) request and response exchange.

[0033]

[0063] As shown in Figure 3, the above information can be provided in symbols following the preamble, indicated as special symbols, as in the following example: (a) Some of the above information is carried in some of the bits of the service field (e.g., the remaining 5 bits of the service field before scrambling), and the remaining information bits are carried in the rest of the special symbol. (b) The special symbol may have a pre-configured lower MCS containing a single spatial stream (SS). For example, using a lower modulation coding scheme (MCS) provides better protection for the above information than using a subsequent MPDU. Currently, since there is no cyclic redundancy check (CRC) for SERVICE, a CRC can be added to the following bits used to indicate SERVICE and the above information. SERVICE and the above information may be contained in a low-density parity check (LDPC) codeword (CW) having a different CW length than the rest of the PPDU. The number of special symbols, or the MCS and CW configuration of the special symbols, may be indicated in the preamble or pre-configured. When transmitting special symbols using a single spatial stream (SS), the number of channels can be the sum of multi-stream channels estimated based on the multi-stream training field in the ultra-high throughput (EHT) preamble from all SSs.

[0034] 3.2. Indicate the presence of an RTA MPDU in an ongoing AMPDU.

[0065] In the previous section, we explained that the sender is aware that there are no RTA MPDUs within the AMPDU before transmission. Therefore, it is assumed that if all MPDUs are latency-tolerant, it is not necessary to send a quick acknowledgment. Consequently, there are cases where it is necessary to inform the receiver of the presence of an RTA MPDU inserted into an ongoing AMPDU. For example, if the received RTA MPDU contains an error, the receiver may not be aware that an RTA MPDU exists within the AMPDU.

[0035]

[0066] This can be addressed in several ways: (a) A special short training field (STF) can be received to indicate the start and end of the inserted RTA MPDU / symbol. (b) A field within the MPDU delimiter can indicate the presence of an RTA MPDU inserted before the delimiter. In either case (a) or (b), the timing and / or periodicity and / or channel of the quick ack can be pre-configured. By detecting (a) or (b), the receiver can perform a quick ack for the next pre-configured opportunity.

[0036]

[0067] Figure 4 shows an embodiment example 110 in which a reserved bit in the MPDU delimiter (non-OMG) is set to a first state (e.g., 1) to indicate that a quick ack should be performed at the next quick ack opportunity (if there are MPDUs with errors). Otherwise, the quick ack can be skipped even if all MPDUs have been received (e.g., including low-priority MPDUs). Setting this reserved bit to the first state (e.g., "1") indicates that there are RTA MPDUs located before the delimiter and the transmitter does not have a receiver quick ack for those RTA MPDUs. The transmitter can trigger a quick ack by simply changing some (but not all) delimiters after the RTA MPDUs.

[0037] 3.3. Long packets from the originating party 3.3.1. Quick Ack on L2 using EDCA explicit confirmation, including retransmission on L1

[0070] The following describes quick acks on Link 2 (L2) that use EDCA explicit confirmation, including retransmission on Link 1 (L1).

[0038]

[0071] Figure 5 shows an example of the initial AMPDU 130 for link 1 132, including the RTA MPDU 134, another STA AMPDU 136, another low-priority traffic identifier (TID) 138, and padding 140.

[0039]

[0072] Figure 6 shows an example 170 of an EDCA explicit confirmation embodiment using retransmission on L2, which is an improvement on Example 130 in Figure 5. The communication is shown on Link 1 172 and Link 2 174. Similar to Figure 5, the RTA MPDU 134, another STA AMPDU 136, and another low-priority TID 138 are shown.

[0040]

[0073] In Example 170 of Figure 6, the receiving MLD can send a quick Ack on link 2 using EDCA 176 by performing a CSMA / CA which requires an acknowledgment to the quick Ack in order to detect a collision. Because a collision is possible and BA 178 initiates a TXOP, the receiving MLD may require an acknowledgment similar to the deprecated legacy 802.11 procedure shown in Figure 7. In Figure 7, the delayed BA uses Ack 180 in response to BA 178. Note that BA 178 may include MCS / Nss feedback.

[0041]

[0074] The sender can explicitly acknowledge (Ack) the BA on L2. The sender can freely place the retransmitted data anywhere within the long packet, such as replacing the original padding or replacing lower-priority MPDUs. After receiving the Ack, the receiver will cancel (stop) the BA's retries.

[0042]

[0075] Furthermore, the embodiment in Figure 6 shows that a portion of the padding is replaced with a retransmission of the RTA MPDU. Specifically, as shown in the figure, the beginning of the padding is replaced with a short or long training field (S / LTF) 182, followed by a retransmission of the RTA MPDU 184, and then any remaining padding 186.

[0043]

[0076] Figure 7 shows an example embodiment 210 of multiple Ack attempts 216 in a delayed block Ack between the transmitting STA 212 and the receiving STA 214. As shown in the figure, the setup includes an ADDBA request / response and Ack, followed by an MPDU, then a BAR from the transmitting side, and an Ack returned from the receiving side. After this, the receiving side sends a BA, receives an Ack, and completes the process (218). Subsequently, a tear-down (DELBA) is seen with the associated ACK.

[0044] 3.3.2. Quick Ack on L2 and Retransmission on L1, including EDCA Implicit Confirmation

[0078] The following describes quick acknowledgments on Link 2 (L2), including EDCA implicit confirmation, and retransmissions on Link 1 (L1).

[0045]

[0079] Figure 8 shows an example 190 of an implicit acknowledgment and retransmission embodiment. Acknowledgment of a quick acknowledgment transmitted on L2 can be implicitly performed by observing the MPDU retransmitted on L1. Similar to the previous figure, communication on links 1 172 and 2 174 is observed, showing the RTA MPDU 134, another STA MPDU 136, and another low-priority TID 138.

[0046]

[0080] Similar to the previous figure, EDCA 176 is shown together with BA 178, but in this case, it is followed by a period "T" 191. "T" is a predetermined value that includes an error of 1 OFDM symbol. The actual start of retransmission can be the first symbol on L1 after period T, which is pre-configured in this case, not an limitation but an example. In the retransmission, S / LTF 192 is shown, followed by a retransmission of the RTA MPDU 194, and several other low-priority TIDs 196 and 198.

[0047]

[0081] If there is not enough time to retransmit with the same PPDU after period T, retransmission can be performed with a different PPDU.

[0048] 3.3.3. Quick Ack at L2, including EDCA implicit / explicit confirmation, including retransmission at L1

[0083] The following describes quick acks performed on Link 2 (L2) using EDCA implicit or explicit confirmation during retransmission on Link 1 (L1).

[0049]

[0084] A modified short training field (STF) can signal the start of a retransmission (reTx), followed by an LTF for the receiver to re-estimate the channel. Repetitions within the STF (e.g., missing tones) indicate that it is not a data symbol. The STF can be modified to be the same length as the data OFDM symbol.

[0050]

[0085] The MCS / Nss of a retransmitted MPDU may be indicated by BA (determined by the receiver) or by a special symbol (determined by the sender).

[0051]

[0086] Ack frames may not be used for quick acks if transmitted in a non-HT format. TA information is not present.

[0052]

[0087] If the receiving end does not detect the start of retransmission or an acknowledgment to the BA, it can retry the BA.

[0053]

[0088] The amount or duration of data to be transmitted can be derived by the receiver. For example, this can be determined based on the number of symbols requesting transmission of the Ack, MCS / Nss, and the acknowledged (Acked) MPDU bytes (and associated delimiters). If the sender signals the number of octets of the TID prior to the Ack time and the retransmission MCS / Nss, the receiver can derive the symbols required to retransmit the TID.

[0054]

[0089] The receiving end may need to cache LDPC CW transmissions that have been interrupted and not yet completed due to retransmission.

[0055]

[0090] Different MCS new / Nss new When used for retransmission, the following applies: The retransmission itself can be AMPDU (and may not include the service). The receiving end must use the MCS of the retransmitted data. old and NSS old And, since it recognizes (knows) the number of bytes, it can derive the symbol when the retransmission is finished. The MCS / Nss of the next symbol is MCS old and NSS old It can be reverted. When restarting with new data (lower priority data), NSS old If you revert to this state, it can be followed by an LTF symbol or a data symbol.

[0056]

[0091] The receiving side is NSS old It is assumed that the initial channel estimation of the spatial stream is cached.

[0057]

[0092] The last symbol used to carry the retransmitted data may contain a portion of the subsequent new data (or its delimiter).

[0058] 3.3.4. Quick Ack at L2, including EDCA implicit / explicit confirmation, including retransmission at L2

[0094] The following describes quick acknowledgments on Link 2 (L2), including implicit or explicit EDCA confirmations in retransmissions over Link 2 (L2).

[0059]

[0095] This section describes alternatives to performing retransmission on L2. Retransmission behavior on L1 or L2 is either included in the preamble, pre-configured, or signaled with special symbols. In this case, the retransmitted data is sent on L2 in response to a quick acknowledgment in the same TXOP. An example of performing retransmission on an alternative link is then provided.

[0060]

[0096] Figure 9 shows an example 230 of a downlink (DL) retransmission embodiment on an alternative link. At the top of the figure is the basic transmission on link 1 232, the same as shown in Figure 5, including the RTA MPDU 134, another STA AMPDU 136, another low-priority traffic identifier (TID) 138, and padding 140.

[0061]

[0097] However, in this example, the retransmission operation is performed on link 2 234. EDCA 236 is followed by BA 238 from STA1, NAV is set (240), during which time AP retransmits the RTA MPDU (242), to which STA1 responds with BA 244.

[0062]

[0098] Note that the NAV of BA(DL) in Figure 9, or the UL length of TF(UL) in Figure 10, can be determined using the method described in the previous section.

[0063]

[0099] If the initial PPDU requests multiple quick acknowledgments from the same receiver, the retransmitted PPDU responding to the first quick acknowledgment may be padded to protect subsequent quick acknowledgments within the same TXOP. In this case, a BA or multi-STA BA (MBA) may be used in response to the retransmitted data, and the second quick acknowledgment may be merged into a single BA. If other STAs are capable of performing quick acknowledgments, such padding may be prohibited by configuration. The BA used to obtain the TXOP may also serve a similar purpose to a reverse grant (RDG), allowing the AP to control the rest of the TXOP for polling the second receiver STA.

[0064]

[0100] Figure 10 shows an example embodiment 270 of quick ack timing for uplink (UL) data. At the top of the figure, the AP transmits TF 276. The TF can indicate the quick ack timing for UL data determined by the AP, or it can be indicated by a special symbol determined by the STA.

[0065]

[0101] Trigger 276 triggers a UL transmission from STA. This communication, as shown in the figure, includes a preamble 277 followed by special symbols 278, RTA MPDU-1 280, and RTA MPDU-2 282, followed by transmissions from other low-priority TIDs 284 and 286, one of which is padded (286) as an example.

[0066]

[0102] The AP can aggregate quick acknowledgments and UL retransmissions to or from different users into a single MU TXOP. This is shown in EDCA 236, which includes two BA+TF 238a and 238b, to which the STA performs retransmissions of MPDU-1 240a and MPDU-2 240b, to which the AP responds with MBA 242.

[0067] 3.3.5. Operation of the sender when L2 uses EDCA and does not receive a quick acknowledgment

[0104] When using EDCA on L2 for a quick acknowledgment, the quick acknowledgment may be delayed due to Clear Channel Evaluation (CCA) busyness, and the receiver will retry the quick acknowledgment if they have not received confirmation. A sender who has not received a quick acknowledgment after the indicated symbol may assume that the quick acknowledgment was lost but will be retransmitted, or that it is delayed.

[0068]

[0105] There seems to be no reason for the sender to resend the complete data before receiving a quick acknowledgment. For example, the sender can choose to do nothing if they have not received a quick acknowledgment. Based on the sender's actions described above, the quick acknowledgment can be a negative acknowledgment (NAK), or the receiver may not need to send a quick acknowledgment if no data is missing.

[0069]

[0106] Alternatively, in some cases, even if there is no missing data, the receiver may need to send a quick acknowledgment. In this case, the sender can clear the retransmission buffer after receiving the quick acknowledgment. At L1, a BA is also required after AMPDU. The above NAK behavior may not apply to delimiter-based acknowledgment requests, as the delimiter itself may not be recognized by the receiver due to an error.

[0070] 4. Long packet transmission from the receiving end. 4.1. Shared Ack Resource Unit (RU) - Example 1

[0109] This section describes the case where the receiving end sends a long PPDU. If the receiving end is an AP, a shared Ack RU can be assigned to perform a quick Ack. The shared Ack RU can be, for example, a broadcast RU.

[0071]

[0110] MPDUs within an AMPDU can be acknowledged before the AMPDU terminates. For example, for a terminated MPDU with symbols n~d, an Ack status can be returned with symbol n.

[0072]

[0111] A shared Ack RU on L2 can stream the Ack status of data d symbols received earlier on L1. For example, (a) the least significant bit (LSB) of the sequence number (SN) is inserted, followed by several MPDUs received consecutively after the SN, or (b) a CRC is inserted every few symbols, or (c) the RU is special in that it contains only a few tones.

[0073]

[0112] A shared Ack RU can also be used to indicate the NAV of another link NAV (e.g., an L1 NAV) when a quick acknowledgment is not performed. The L1 NAV may also contain the ID of the TXOP owner on L1. The L1 NAV is the remaining duration of the ongoing PPDU on L1 + the NAV duration of the PPDU's NAV.

[0074]

[0113] Figure 11 shows an example embodiment 310 of a shared Ack RU, where communication between the STA and its AP takes place through link 1 (L1) 312 and link 2 (L2) 314, as shown in the figure.

[0075]

[0114] As shown in the figure, a shared Ack RU on L2 (the RUs carrying 318, 324, 326, 332, and 334) can stream the Ack status of data symbols received earlier on L1. For example, (a) the least significant bit (LSB) of the sequence number (SN) is inserted, followed by several MPDUs received consecutively after the SN, and / or (b) a CRC is inserted every few symbols, and / or (c) the RU can be special in that it contains only a few tones.

[0076]

[0115] In Figure 11, the shared Ack RUs (the RUs carrying 318, 324, 326, 332, and 334) can also be used to indicate the NAV of another link NAV (e.g., L1 NAV) when a quick acknowledgment is not performed. The L1 NAV may also contain the ID of the TXOP owner on L1. The L1 NAV is the remaining duration of the ongoing PPDU on L1 + the NAV duration of the PPDU's NAV.

[0077]

[0116] The AP includes a DL transmission with a preamble 317 and RUs directed to different STAs, as shown in the diagram. In particular, DL data is sent to different STAs (320, 322), while one RU is used for Ack and NAV. In this example, STA1 and STA2 on L1 are hidden nodes, and STA2 initiates the TXOP on L1 first using PPDU 316. Note that STA1 does not receive STA2 in PPDU 316 (STA2 may be an OBSS STA, in which case there is no BA2). The STA1 MSDU arrives and the BO counter counts down to zero. However, STA1 delays channel access because it recognizes the L1 NAV from the L2 shared Ack RU. RTS / CTS for hidden node detection is not required for TXOPs initiated on L1 within the duration of the shared RU. As shown in the diagram, padding 318 follows the preamble 317, followed by the L1 NAV 324. The AP sends BA2 326 to STA2.

[0078]

[0117] STA1 observes the shared Ack RU to determine how much delay there is on L1, while STA2 (as the originator) receives a quick Ack 326 for its PPDU and can perform a retransmission (reTx) within the same PPDU or a retransmission in a new PPDU. The delay of the EDCA-based channel access 328 is seen before the PPDU 330 from STA1, and the L1 NAV 332 is seen in the RU within the TXOP on L2. The AP responds to STA1 with BA1 334, and if there is enough time remaining, STA1 can also perform a retransmission.

[0079] 4.2. Shared Ack Resource Unit (RU) - Example 2

[0119] The shared Ack RU is also useful for collision detection, allowing the colliding parties to immediately terminate and retry.

[0080]

[0119] Figure 12 shows an example of a second shared Ack RU embodiment 350, illustrating communication between the STA and AP via link 1 (L1) 312 and link 2 (L2) 314. In this example, the lack of an L1 NAV on the shared RU on L2 indicates a collision after transmission by STA1 or STA2, causing both of these STAs to back off.

[0081]

[0121] In particular, DL data is sent to different STAs on L2 (320, 322), while one RU is used for Ack and NAV. In this example, a collision occurs between STA1 and STA2 on link 1 (354), but the RU for Ack on L2 has padding 352 and does not indicate reception from either. Since the L1 NAV on L2 is missing, STA1 and STA2 detect the collision. Therefore, STA1 and STA2 terminate transmission early and initiate BO.

[0082]

[0122] Backoff (BO) 356 is executed, then STA1 receives TXOP and sends PPDU 358 to AP on L1, and RU indicates L1 NAV 360 on L2. AP responds to the reception with BA1 362, followed by further padding 363 as needed.

[0083]

[0123] STA2 receives a TXOP on L1 after STA1 and sends PPDU 364, whose L1 NAV 366 resides within the RU on L2. Since the PPDU from STA2 exceeds the duration of the shared Ack RU, the AP sends the first part of the BA from the L2 RU as BA2a 368. Thus, the first part of the MPDU is acknowledged (Ack) by the shared Ack RU (BA2a) 368, and the rest (or all of the MPDU) is acknowledged (Ack) by the normal BA (BA2b) 370 on L1.

[0084] 4.3 UL Zones to Increase Access Opportunities

[0125] Due to the shared Ack RU on L2 for transmissions on L1, an AP can create a UL zone on L1 that aligns with long PPDU / TXOPs on L2. In this UL zone, the AP only receives and accesses L1 secondary channels without having to consider alignment with PPDUs on other channels, thus increasing the opportunities for UL access.

[0085]

[0126] Figure 13 shows an example of an UL zone embodiment 410 for increasing access opportunities. This figure shows communication between the STA and AP through link 1 (L1.2) 412 to ch2, link 1 (L1.1) 414 to ch1, and link 2 (L2) 416.

[0086]

[0127] The AP on L1 covers zone 428 on L1 and issues a UL zone announcement 420 with legacy NAV 426, as seen in ch2 422 and ch1 424. On L2, a DL transmission is made with preamble 418 and DLs (432, 434) executed on multiple RUs, with another RU including an Ack and NAV to L1.

[0087]

[0128] In this example, as in the previous diagram, STA1 and STA2 on L1 experience a collision of their preambles 436. Therefore, the AP does not carry the L1.1 NAV on L2, but instead pads it with a shared Ack RU (430). STA1 and STA2 detect a collision on L1.1 because they missed the L1.1 NAV on L2. In this case, STA1 and STA2 give up transmitting and initiate a BO. After the BO, STA1 obtains a TXOP on the Link1 primary channel (L1.1) for the PPDU 440. This blocks STA2's access on L1. On L2, the L1.1 NAV 444 is seen following the padding 430, which also blocks STA2's access on L1 channel 1.

[0088]

[0129] The AP created UL Zone 428 on L1, aligned with a long L2 DL PPDU. The UL Zone notification frame sets NAV 426 for legacy STAs on L1, preventing them from accessing L1. EHT STAs that recognize the UL Zone notification frame do not need to set NAV and can still perform access, and can perform parallel access on L1 ch2.

[0089]

[0130] STA2 uses a secondary channel (L1.2) on L1 to perform EDCA access because the primary channel is occupied, and L1.2 NAV 446 is indicated to the shared Ack RU on L2. Since the UL zone announcement sets up the NAV on L1.2, no NAV sync delay is required. STA1 and STA2 may be hidden nodes, and STA2 uses the L1.1 NAV broadcast on the shared Ack RU on L2 to determine (recognize) whether the primary channel is busy. The shared Ack RU streams quick Ack 448 from the AP to both L1.2 and the first part of L1.1. As in this example, the UL PPDU on the primary channel (L1.1) extends beyond UL zone 428, while UL PPDU 440 is transmitted on the secondary channel (L1.2), the shared Ack RU is terminated, and the final part of Ack(BA1b)450 for the final part of PPDU 440 is transmitted on L1.1.

[0090] 5. Long packets transmitted from both sides 5.1. Example of UL Heavy L1 + DL Heavy L2

[0133] Figure 14 shows an example embodiment of UL Heavy L1 + DL Heavy L2. This embodiment shows that both links have long PPDUs. A shared Ack RU on L2 is shown to provide quick Ack and hidden node protection to L1.

[0091]

[0134] More specifically, this diagram shows communication between the AP and STA via link 1 (L1) 512 and link 2 (L2) 514. In this example, the AP transmits TF 516 over L1, the STA transmits over L1, and the AP transmits DL data in a transmission performed over L2, communicating a quick acknowledgment with the RU.

[0092]

[0135] The L1 transmission, as shown in the figure, includes a preamble 518a, followed by a special symbol 520, RTA MPDU-1 524, RTA MPDU-2 526, traffic 534, 536 from other low-priority TIDs, retransmissions 536, 542 of both RTA MPDU-1 and RTA MPDU-2, and padding 540 as appropriate.

[0093]

[0136] At L2 after preamble 518b, a quick Ack RU on L2 shows L1 padding 522, after which the AP sends BA1+BA2 528 for MPDU 524, 526. Later, the AP sends BA1 538 for retransmission 536 of RTA MPDU-1, as shown in the diagram. Since the retransmission of RTA MPDU-2 occurs at the end of TXOP, Ack 544 for this is sent by the AP on L1 after TXOP as BA2+low priority MBA.

[0094] 5.2. Example of Ack RU in the UL direction

[0138] Shared Ack RUs can be extended in the UL direction. An AP on L2 can schedule multiple shared Ack RUs for multiple DL-scheduled STA MLDs on L1 for quick ack. An AP on L2 can schedule one shared Ack RU for multiple DL-scheduled STA MLDs on L1 for quick ack using UL MU-MIMO or for quick ack using TDM.

[0095]

[0139] Figure 15 shows an embodiment example 610 in which the AP uses a TF on L2 to schedule the start and / or end times of transmissions on a shared Ack RU. Both MLD1 and MLD2 on L2 transmit a trigger-based (TB)-PPDU preamble for protection in the neighboring network. MLD2 stops transmitting after the preamble and resumes transmitting an S / LTF at the specified time. The resumed transmission from MLD2 uses power and frequency estimated from the information obtained in the TF.

[0096]

[0140] More specifically, this diagram shows communication between the AP and MLD1 and MLD2 via link 1 (L1) 612, and communication between MLD1 and MLD2 and other STAs via link 2 (L2) 614. In this example, the AP transmits TF 616 on L2. The STA starts transmitting on L2 and begins a TXOP transmission including a quick Ack RU. Meanwhile, the AP starts transmitting on L1.

[0097]

[0141] The transmission on L1, as shown in the diagram, includes a preamble 618a, followed by a special symbol 622, RTA MPDU-1 to MLD1 626, and RTA MPDU-2 to MLD2 628, with other lower priority TIDs 634 and 636 also present for communication to MLD1 and MLD2, respectively. The TXOP also includes retransmissions of RTA MPDU-1 and RTA MPDU-2 644 and 648, and time for padding as needed.

[0098]

[0142] The transmission on L2 includes, as illustrated, activity on the Quick Ack RU indicating the preamble 618b, followed by UL data 620, 621, and S / LTF 624, 638 determined from the information transmitted in TF 616. Furthermore, the AP responds to RTA MPDU-1 in BA1 632 and RTA MPDU-2 in BA2 640. Padding 630, 642 is also shown in this RU.

[0099] 6. Embodiment of Process Flow

[0144] Figures 16 and 17 show an example 650 of the receiver-side processing of a long PPDU requiring an acknowledgment. On the first link, the sender transmits a long PPDU requiring an acknowledgment. On the second link, the receiver transmits a quick acknowledgment to the sender.

[0100]

[0145] More specifically, in block 652, the receiver begins receiving a long PPDU on the first link. Check 654 determines which of the following preambles or special symbols of the PPDU symbol is correct from among several options: (1) use a quick ack, (2) use a pre-configured quick ack configuration, or (3) do not require a quick ack.

[0101]

[0146] If the decision is option (1), in block 656, the receiver applies the quick Ack configuration from the special symbols, then proceeds to decision 660 to determine whether all configured MPDUs on the first link up to the time of configuration have been received. If the condition is met, check 662 checks whether a quick Ack should be optionally performed on the second link. If the condition is not met, execution returns to check 660. Otherwise, execution proceeds to block 664 in Figure 17.

[0102]

[0147] Returning to the review check 660, even if the conditions are not met, execution proceeds to block 664 in Figure 17.

[0103]

[0148] Considering the decision of option (2) from block 654, we proceed to block 658, apply the quick Ack configuration from the pre-configuration, and then proceed to block 660 as described above.

[0104]

[0149] Considering the decision of option (3) from block 654, we proceed to block 672 in Figure 17, perform a normal Ack / BA on the first link, and then the execution returns to block 652.

[0105]

[0150] In block 664 of Figure 17, a quick acknowledgment is performed on the second link, and then check 666 is performed to determine whether a quick acknowledgment or an acknowledgment for retransmission has been received. If the condition is not met, execution returns to block 664.

[0106]

[0151] Otherwise, in block 668, a quick retransmission is received on the first or second link based on the configuration, and then the process proceeds to check 670 to determine whether the PPDU on the first link is complete. If the quick Ack is complete, a normal Ack / BA is performed on the first link in block 672, and execution returns to block 652. If the quick Ack is not complete, execution moves from check 670 to check 660 in Figure 16.

[0107]

[0152] Figures 18 and 19 show an example 690 of the sender's processing of a long PPDU requiring an Ack. In block 692, the sender starts transmitting a long PPDU over the first link. In decision 694, it is determined what type of preamble or special symbol is used. Option 1 is a special symbol and uses a quick Ack configuration, option 2 uses a pre-configured quick Ack configuration, and option 3 does not require a quick Ack.

[0108]

[0153] If option 1 or option 2 is selected, in block 698, after sending the symbol corresponding to the time when the quick acknowledgment was made, execution proceeds to check 700 to determine whether the quick acknowledgment was received. If the condition is not met, execution returns to block 698.

[0109]

[0154] If the conditions are met, execution proceeds to check 702 in Figure 19, where the sender determines whether to perform a quick acknowledgment using an implicit acknowledgment in the retransmission. If the conditions are not met, in block 706, the sender performs an acknowledgment for the quick acknowledgment on the second link, and execution proceeds to block 704.

[0110]

[0155] On the other hand, if the conditions of check 702 are met, in block 704, a quick retransmission is performed on the first or second link based on the quick Ack configuration. The execution proceeds to check 708 to determine whether the PPDU on the first link is complete. If the PPDU is not complete, the execution returns to block 698 in Figure 18. Otherwise, in block 710, the sender receives a normal Ack / BA on the first link, and the execution returns to block 692 in Figure 18.

[0111]

[0156] Considering the other options in block 694 of Figure 18, if option 3 is selected, execution proceeds directly to block 710 of Figure 19 (which has already been explained).

[0112] 7. Embodiment of Frame Format

[0158] Figure 20 shows an example embodiment 730 of the Quick Ack configuration field. This field shows an example of the configuration described in the previous section. This field can be included in management frames such as ADDBA action frames, as described in the section on Ack timing / Ack link instructions in long packets. When this field is present in a frame from the sender to the receiver, it represents a pre-configuration of the Quick Ack. When this field is present in a frame from the receiver to the sender, it may represent the ability to perform the proposed configuration and / or a specific Quick Ack configuration. When it is included as an element, the presence of the element ID, length, and element ID extension fields is implicitly indicated and not displayed.

[0113]

[0159] Fields can be contained within pre-configured symbols or locations within a long PPDU. Subfields are not restricted to this particular order, and presence flags may precede fields to indicate the presence of a particular field. While fields are described as examples and not limiting, actual embodiments may differ, such as utilizing signaling that serves a similar purpose as described below.

[0114]

[0160] The Link ID bitmap subfield provides the identity of a second link that the sender might expect to receive a quick acknowledgment from. The sender's transmitter uses this field to indicate links where a quick acknowledgment might be received. The receiver's transmitter uses this field to indicate links where quick acknowledgment transmission might be supported. The sender's receiver uses this field to recognize links where the receiver might support quick acknowledgment transmission. The receiver, in its case, uses this field to determine (recognize) which links allow quick acknowledgment transmission.

[0115]

[0161] The t0 start subfield describes the first t0 in a long PPDU, and its unit can be, for example, an OFDM symbol number or time from the start of the PPDU. The transmitting transmitter uses this field to indicate the first t0 in a long PPDU. The receiving receiver uses this field to determine the first t0 in order to perform a quick acknowledgment. If the field is transmitted by the receiver, the subfield can be omitted.

[0116]

[0162] The t0 duration subfield indicates the duration between two consecutive t0s, if multiple t0s exist. The unit can be represented by OFDM symbols. The transmitting transmitter uses this field to indicate the periodicity required by the quick ack. The receiving receiver uses this field to determine (calculate) the subsequent t0s following the quick ack, including the subfields "t0 start" and "t0 count". Multiple instances of t0 can be configured within the duration of a long PPDU transmitted on Link 1. Multiple instances of t0 can follow the periodicity provided by this subfield. The subfield can be omitted if it is transmitted by the receiver.

[0117]

[0163] The t0 count subfield indicates the number of t0s if multiple t0s exist. The transmitting transmitter uses this field to indicate the requested number of quick ackks. If such information is provided, this number must be less than or equal to the supported number indicated by the receiving side. The receiving receiver uses this field to determine the t0s of subsequent quick ackks, including the subfields "t0 start" and "t0 periodicity". Multiple instances of t0 can be configured within the duration of a long PPDU transmitted on Link 1, as indicated in this subfield. The receiving transmitter may use this field to indicate the maximum (max) number of t0s supported per PPDU. The transmitting receiver may use this subfield to determine the settings of the subfields to be sent to the receiving side.

[0118]

[0164] The Max t2-t1 subfield provides a pre-configured duration. In at least one embodiment, the unit is an OFDM symbol. This field can be set to a reserved value indicating that the mechanism is not being used. The transmitting transmitter uses this field to indicate the pre-configured duration. The receiving receiver uses this field to determine the timeout for which an implicit acknowledgment should be received for a quick acknowledgment. If the field is transmitted by the receiver, the subfield may be omitted.

[0119]

[0165] In at least one embodiment, the Receiver (Rx) Propose / Request MCS / NSS subfield includes a flag indicating whether the sender expects receiver feedback to propose an MCS / Nss. If the flag is set to true, which is the first state, the following two fields (Retransmit MCS, Retransmit Nss) may be reserved or omitted. The sender's transmitter uses this field to indicate whether the receiver should provide a proposed MCS / Nss or request a Quick Retransmit MCS / Nss. If the sender does not want to propose or request a Quick Retransmit MCS / Nss to the receiver, this subfield should be set to false, indicating a Retransmit (reTx) MCS / Nss (next subfield) for a Quick Retransmit following a Quick Ack on a link where a Quick Ack is sent, or whether an MCS / Nss is not explicitly signaled in a Quick Retransmit or Quick Retransmit trigger. The receiving receiver uses this field to determine whether to propose or request an MCS / Nss for quick retransmission in the quick ack. The receiver can also use the proposed or requested MCS / Nss to determine the NAV if a quick retransmission follows the quick ack on the link from which the quick ack was sent. The receiving transmitter uses this field to indicate whether it supports including the proposed / requested MCS / Nss in the quick ack. The transmitting receiver uses this subfield to determine how the same subfield should be set from the transmitter to the receiver.

[0120]

[0166] The Retransmit (reTx) MCS subfield indicates the MCS of the quick retransmit (or the offset to the MCS of the original transmission). The transmitting transmitter uses this field to indicate the (minimum) MCS or the offset to the long PPDU MCS for the quick retransmit. The receiving receiver uses this field to determine the MCS of the quick retransmit if such information is not explicitly indicated in the quick retransmit or the quick retransmit trigger. The receiving receiver also uses this subfield to determine the NAV if the quick retransmit follows the quick ack on a link where the quick ack is transmitted. The subfield may be omitted if the field is transmitted by the receiver.

[0121]

[0167] The retransmission (reTx)Nss subfield indicates the Nss of the quick retransmission (or the offset to the Nss of the original transmission). The transmitting transmitter uses this field to indicate the (minimum) Nss or the offset to the long PPDU Nss for the quick retransmission. The receiving receiver uses this subfield to determine the Nss of the quick retransmission if such information is not explicitly indicated in the quick retransmission or the quick retransmission trigger. The receiving receiver also uses this subfield to determine the NAV if the quick retransmission follows the quick ack on a link where the quick ack is sent. The subfield may be omitted if the field is transmitted by the receiver.

[0122]

[0168] The TID bitmap subfield identifies the TIDs that should be reported in the quick acknowledgment. If the transmitter is the sender, it uses this field to indicate which received TIDs should be included in the quick acknowledgment. If the receiver is the receiver, it uses this field to determine the set of MPDUs that should be included in the acknowledgment frame based on the receive status at t0. The subfield can be omitted if the field is transmitted by the receiver. This subfield can also be omitted if it is included in a management frame (such as an ADDBA request frame) whose range is limited to a specific TID.

[0123]

[0169] The on-demand t0 subfield can be implemented as a flag indicating that t0 is determined so that the sender can use a training symbol or delimiter to indicate that an RTA MPDU is inserted before or after the instruction. A pre-configured t0 can be implicitly replaced by either a modified delimiter or an inserted training symbol, thereby making t0 an "on-demand" t0. If the flag indicates true, the t0 start / duration / count fields can be omitted or reserved. The sender's transmitter uses this field to indicate t0 determined by the mechanism described above. The receiver uses this field to determine whether a pre-configured quick ack should be applied. When set to true, the pre-configured t0 is replaced with a dynamically signaled t0. The receiver's transmitter indicates whether the receiver supports on-demand t0. The sender's receiver uses this field to avoid using the mechanism for receivers that do not support this feature.

[0124]

[0170] The Quick Ack Retransmit (reTx) TXOP subfield indicates that a quick retransmit will occur following the quick ack on the link from which the quick ack originates. This indicates that the receiver can allocate a NAV in the quick ack for quick retransmit. The transmitting transmitter uses this subfield to indicate that it will perform a quick retransmit following the quick ack on the link from which the quick ack is sent. The receiving receiver uses this subfield to determine whether it should reserve a TXOP in the quick ack to enable quick retransmitting following the quick ack on the link from which the quick ack is sent. The receiving transmitter uses this field to indicate that it supports TXOP reservation and receiving quick retransmitting following the quick ack on the link from which the quick ack is sent. The transmitting receiver uses this field to determine whether it should set the same subfield to true if the receiver has indicated support.

[0125]

[0171] Figure 21 shows an example embodiment 750 of a special symbol configuration field. This field can be included in a management frame. When this special symbol configuration field is in a frame transmitted from the sender to the receiver, it represents the pre-configuration of special symbols for a long PPDU requiring a quick acknowledgment. When this special symbol configuration field is in a frame transmitted from the receiver to the sender, it can represent the ability to perform a proposed configuration and / or a specific configuration. When this special symbol configuration field is included as an element in a frame, the presence of the element ID, length, and element ID extension fields is implicitly indicated and not displayed. Subfields are not restricted to this particular order, and presence flags may be present before a field to indicate the presence of a particular field.

[0126]

[0172] The special symbol configuration fields exemplified are presented as examples only, not as an extension, for this disclosure intends other configurations that may differ but can provide signaling for similar purposes as those described below.

[0127]

[0173] The Special Symbol MCS subfield indicates the MCS of a special OFDM symbol. If the transmitter is the sender, set this field to indicate the MCS used for the special symbol. If the receiver is the receiver, receive the special symbol using the MCS value indicated in this field. If the transmitter is the receiver, set this field to indicate whether it can receive the proposed MCS value for the special symbol and / or a mixed MCS for symbols spanning codewords. If the receiver is the sender, use this field to determine whether the receiver can enable the special symbol if supported.

[0128]

[0174] The Special Symbol Nss subfield indicates the Nss of a special OFDM symbol. If the transmitter is the sender, set this field to indicate the Nss used for the special symbol. If the receiver is the receiver, it receives the special symbol using the Nss value indicated in this field. If the transmitter is the receiver, set this field to indicate whether it can receive the proposed Nss value for the special symbol and / or a mixed Nss for symbols spanning codewords, and / or whether it can estimate the channel to receive the special symbol using the training field for non-special symbols. If the receiver is the sender, use this field to determine whether the receiver can enable the special symbol if supported.

[0129]

[0175] The Special Symbol Duration subfield indicates the duration of the special symbol. In at least one embodiment, the unit value is the time from the start of the OFDM symbol or PPDU. A specific value (e.g., 0) is used to signal that the special symbol is not configured or supported. When the transmitter is the sender, it sets this field to indicate the duration of the special symbol within a fixed-size RU / subchannel. The actual duration is scaled inversely by a coefficient determined by the ratio of the actual bandwidth to the resource unit (BW / RU) size and the fixed size. When the receiver is the receiver, it uses this field to determine the duration of the special symbol subject to the scaling described above. When the transmitter is the receiver, it indicates the proposed duration of the special symbol and / or support for the special symbol. When the receiver is the sender, it uses this field to determine the receiver's support for the special symbol and whether the special symbol should be enabled.

[0130]

[0176] Figure 22 shows an example of a quick Ack configuration in a special symbol, which has the following subfields:

[0131]

[0177] The pre-configuration override subfield indicates the presence of subsequent quick ack configuration and CRC fields. This indicates whether there is no quick ack based on pre-configuration from a previous management frame, or whether the quick ack is based on configuration carried in a special symbol used in the PPDU. This field can be a field in the preamble rather than a field in a special symbol. The transmitter / outgoing party uses this field to indicate whether a quick ack based on pre-configuration from a previous management frame is not used in the PPDU, or whether a quick ack based on configuration carried in a special symbol is used in the PPDU.

[0132]

[0178] The receiver / receiving side uses this field to determine the presence of the following Quick Ack configuration fields and to configure / enable Quick Ack.

[0133]

[0179] The CRC field is determined (calculated) from the contents of the Quick Ack configuration field, and possibly together with the contents of the service field. The transmitter uses this field to transmit the CRC of the contents of the Quick Ack configuration field, and possibly together with the contents of the service field. The receiver uses this field to check the accuracy of the contents of the Quick Ack configuration field, and possibly the contents of the service field. If incorrect, the receiver may either not perform a Quick Ack, perform a Quick Ack indicating that the MPDU was not received, or perform a Quick Ack based on a pre-configuration rather than the configuration shown in the Quick Ack configuration field.

[0134]

[0180] Figure 23 shows an example embodiment of a shared Ack component that can be included in a management frame. When it is in a frame from the sender to the receiver, it represents a pre-configured shared Ack RU from an AP on a second link of a DL long PPDU. When it is in a frame from the receiver to the sender, it can represent the ability to perform a proposed configuration and / or a specific configuration. When included as an element, the presence of the element ID, length, and element ID extension fields is implicitly indicated and not displayed. The subfields are not restricted to this particular order, and presence flags may be present before a field to indicate the presence of a particular field. The art of this disclosure intends different embodiments, while providing similar objectives, as described below. The shared Ack configuration field has the following subfields:

[0135]

[0181] The Shared Ack AID subfield is used to derive the STA-ID of the RU to be used as the Shared Ack RU. The transmitter / AP uses this field to indicate the STA-ID to be used when assigning the Shared Ack RU in a long PPDU carrying the Shared Ack RU. If the long PPDU is DL, the assignment can be performed via the preamble of the long PPDU. If the long PPDU is TB-PPDU, the assignment can be performed using the trigger frame. The receiver uses this field to determine the STA-ID to be used for the assigned Shared Ack RU to listen for if the RU is in a DL PPDU, and to determine the Shared Ack RU to transmit for a quick Ack if the RU is in a TB-PPDU.

[0136]

[0182] The delimiter modulo subfield (if equal to value x) represents the modulus in which a delimiter signature exists for each x octets within the shared Ack RU. The transmitter sets this field to indicate that only octets whose octet-number modulo equals 0 can be used as the starting octet for the delimiter signature. The receiver uses this field to understand that only octets with an octet-number modulo equal to 0 can be used as the starting octet for the delimiter signature.

[0137]

[0183] Figure 24 shows example embodiments 810, 830, and 850 of the shared Ack RU element. Below are three example configurations of octets carried in a shared Ack RU between one delimiter signature field and the next signature field (not shown): padding 810, quick Ack 830, or LNAV 850. The subfields are not limited to this particular order, and presence flags may be present before a field to indicate the presence of a particular field. These fields are described as examples, not limitations, and this disclosure encompasses different embodiments that serve a similar purpose, as described below. These embodiments have the following subfields:

[0138]

[0184] The delimiter signature subfield contains a special bit pattern that signals that the next field is a length field. This field can only be placed in a specific octet that satisfies the octet modulo described on the previous page.

[0139]

[0185] The length subfield indicates the length of the field following the length field up to the next delimiter signature. The transmitter uses this field to indicate the number of octets, excluding padding, up to the next delimiter signature or end of transmission. The receiver uses this field to determine the start of padding before the next delimiter signature / end of transmission.

[0140]

[0186] In the padding shared Ack RU 810, one or more shared Ack link IDs are provided, while the remaining embodiments 830 and 850 have a link ID subfield and additional subfields.

[0141]

[0187] The Link ID subfield indicates the identity of the link to which the following LNAV or quick ack is applied. If the Link ID is the same as the ID of the link carrying the shared acknowledgment RU, the octets up to the next delimiter signature are used as padding. The transmitter uses this field to indicate the Link ID corresponding to the PPDU reception to which the quick ack is responded, or the Link ID to which the Link NAV is associated. The receiver uses this field to determine the identity of the responding Link Quick Ack, or the associated Link NAV.

[0142]

[0188] The subchannel subfield contains the identity of the 20 / 40 / 80 / 160MHz subchannel of the link ID, or the identity of the RU of the link ID to which the next LNAV or quick ack is applied. The transmitter sets this field to the identity of the 20 / 40 / 80 / 160MHz subchannel of the previously signaled link ID, or the identity of the RU of the link ID to which the next LNAV or quick ack is applied. The receiver uses this field to determine the identity of the 20 / 40 / 80 / 160MHz subchannel of the previously signaled link ID, or the identity of the RU of the link ID to which the next LNAV or quick ack is applied.

[0143]

[0189] The included CRC (CRC Included) subfield indicates whether a CRC field exists before the next delimiter signature. The transmitter uses this field to indicate the presence of a CRC field before the next delimiter signature. The receiver uses this field to determine whether a CRC field exists before the next delimiter signature.

[0144]

[0190] The LNAV / Ack subfield indicates whether subsequent subfields preceding the next delimiter signature are used for quick ack or LNAV. The transmitter uses this subfield to indicate whether subsequent fields up to the next delimiter signature are used for quick ack or LNAV. The receiver uses this field to determine whether subsequent fields preceding the next delimiter signature are used for quick ack or LNAV.

[0145]

[0191] The shared ACK RU of the Quick Ack configuration in Example 2 also has the following subfields:

[0146]

[0192] The TID subfield indicates the TID to which the quick acknowledgment (QACK) is being responded to. The transmitter uses this field to indicate the TID to which the quick acknowledgment is being responded to, along with the link ID and subchannel ID. The receiver uses this field to determine the TID to which the quick acknowledgment is being responded to, along with the link ID and subchannel ID.

[0147]

[0193] The TSSN subfield indicates the starting sequence number of the subsequent bitmap for the TID. The transmitter uses this subfield to indicate the starting sequence number of the subsequent bitmap for the TID indicated in the previous subfield. The transmitter uses this subfield to determine the starting sequence number of the subsequent bitmap for the TID indicated in the previous subfield.

[0148]

[0194] The bitmap subfield provides a quick acknowledgment bitmap for the TID in the link signaled by the link ID field and the subchannel / RU signaled by the subchannel subfield. The transmitter uses this field to display the quick acknowledgment bitmap for the TID in the link signaled by the link ID field and the subchannel / RU signaled by the subchannel (Sub-ch) subfield. The receiver uses this subfield to determine the quick acknowledgment status of the SN represented by the bitmap for the TID in the link signaled by the link ID field and the subchannel / RU signaled by the subchannel subfield.

[0149]

[0195] The shared ACK RU of the link NAV configuration in Example 3 has the following subfields, as shown in the figure.

[0150]

[0196] The AID LSB subfield indicates the AID of the TXOP owner in the link signaled by the Link ID field and the subchannel / RU signaled by the subchannel subfield. The transmitter uses this field to indicate the AID (or LSB of the AID) of the TXOP owner in the link signaled by the Link ID field and the subchannel / RU signaled by the subchannel subfield. The receiver uses this field to indicate the AID (or LSB of the AID) of the TXOP owner in the link signaled by the Link ID field and the subchannel / RU signaled by the subchannel field. The receiver can use this information to determine the presence of a hidden node. The receiver can determine if there has been a collision in the PPDU transmission when it cannot find its own AID in this field. Depending on the detected collision, the transmission on the first link may be terminated early.

[0151]

[0197] The Remaining PPDU Duration + NAV subfield indicates the remaining PPDU duration plus the NAV signaled within the PPDU (potentially including the previous delimiter as the starting point of the duration). The transmitter uses this subfield to indicate the remaining PPDU duration plus the NAV signaled within the PPDU (potentially including the previous delimiter as the starting point of the duration). The receiver uses this subfield to determine the remaining PPDU duration plus the NAV signaled within the PPDU (potentially including the previous delimiter as the starting point of the duration). This subfield can be used by the receiver to determine the presence of hidden nodes.

[0152]

[0198] Each of these embodiments may include padding, and embodiments 2 and 3 may include a CRC subfield.

[0153]

[0199] The CRC subfield provides the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the octet following the CRC field of the last delimiter signature where the corresponding included CRC is set to true. The CRC calculation described may exclude any delimiter signature and length fields. The transmitter uses this field to indicate the CRC value of the octet following the CRC field of the last delimiter signature where the corresponding included CRC is set to true. The receiver uses this field to indicate the CRC value of the octet following the CRC field of the last delimiter signature where the corresponding included CRC is set to true.

[0154]

[0200] Figure 25 shows an example embodiment 870 of a trigger frame having additional subfields in the user information list for use in quick retransmission assignment. The transmitter uses the additional user information fields in the quick retransmission assignment subfield to indicate the resource allocation for quick retransmission on the requested TB-PPDU. The subfields of this user information list field, including the preceding AID12 subfield, can be the same as the HE or EHT variant user information fields for resource allocation that immediately follows the TB-PPDU. The receiver uses this field to determine the resource allocation for quick retransmission on the requested TB-PPDU. The subfields of this field (including the preceding AID12 subfield) can be the same as the HE or EHT variant user information fields. The receiver may not be able to find the user information field corresponding to its AID. In that case, the receiver does not have a quick acknowledgment and does not perform a quick retransmission.

[0155]

[0201] The TID / SSN / bitmap subfield is the same as the subfield described in the shared Ack RU. The transmitter may use the same AID12 as the previous user information field to indicate that the current user information field is used to carry a quick Ack (i.e., TID / SSN / bitmap) to a non-AP corresponding to AID12. The receiver may use the same AID12 as the previous user information field to indicate that the current user information field is used to carry a quick Ack (i.e., TID / SSN / bitmap) to a non-AP corresponding to AID12.

[0156]

[0202] Figure 26 shows an example embodiment 890 of a BA control field that includes quick retransmission MCS and Nss subfields within previously reserved bits.

[0157]

[0203] If the Rx Proposal / Request MCS / NSS flag from the Transmitter to the Receiver is set to true, the Transmitter uses this field to indicate the MCS and NSS (or offset to the MCS / NSS of the original transmission) for quick retransmission. This field may also indicate whether the indicated retransmission configuration is requested or proposed by the Receiver.

[0158]

[0204] The receiver will perform a quick retransmission based on the signaled MCS / Nss and the BW / RU size of the long PPDU on Link 1 if the quick retransmission is performed within the original long PPDU on Link 1, or based on the BW of the quick ack if the quick retransmission is performed on the same link as the quick ack and after the quick ack. If an MCS / Nss is requested, the sender must use the MCS / Nss indicated for quick retransmission. If an MCS / Nss is proposed, the sender may use a different MCS / Nss (e.g., a higher MCS / Nss) than the one indicated for quick retransmission.

[0159] 8. Outline of the Inventive Elements

[0206] The following is an overview of the features and elements of this disclosure, including various interdependent cross-references that refer to other elements within this overview (e.g., "x", "xy", or "xyz"). This overview is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure, but is intended to provide an overview of the elements and relationships.

[0160]

[0207] 1. A transmitting MLD may transmit a long PPDU over a first link. A long PPDU may consist of one or more AMPDUs to one or more receiving MLDs or STAs. The transmitting and receiving MLDs of the first link are abbreviated as transmitting or receiving in this disclosure.

[0161]

[0208] 2. The receiving MLD can perform an acknowledgment (Ack) by sending an acknowledgment frame on the second link before the transmission of a long PPDU on the first link is complete. This is called a quick Ack. The first and second links are assumed to be a simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) link pair of the receiving MLD.

[0162]

[0209] (a) There may be a time instance t0 associated with a quick Ack agreed upon by the sender and receiver MLDs, corresponding to a set of MPDUs (single or multiple) X in which the received status is assumed to be included in the acknowledgment frame.

[0163]

[0210] (b) For example, set X can be limited to all MPDUs that were fully transmitted before time t0 for a set of TIDs.

[0164]

[0211] (c) For example, set X can be all MPDUs that were fully transmitted before time t0'.

[0165]

[0212] (d) The acknowledgment frame may be a BA frame or a multi-STA BA frame.

[0166]

[0213] 3. The originating MLD can perform an acknowledgment for an acknowledgment frame transmitted over the second link at time t1.

[0167]

[0214] (a) The absence of an Ack for an acknowledgment can be used by the receiving MLD to determine that there is an acknowledgment collision or error on the second link.

[0168]

[0215] (b) An Ack in response to an acknowledgment frame may be sent over the second link as an immediate response to the acknowledgment frame.

[0169]

[0216] (c) t1 > t0. The difference between t1 and t0 may not be deterministic due to channel access delays on the second link. t1 is less than the termination time of a long PPDU sent on the first link.

[0170]

[0217] 4. While the transmission of a long PPDU in Element 1 is in progress, the sender may retransmit any missing MPDUs in the set X of MPDUs described in Element 2.a. This is referred to as a quick retransmission.

[0171]

[0218] (a) MPDUs in set X that were not reported as successfully received by the receiving MLD in the acknowledgment frame may be retransmitted when the acknowledgment frame is received by the sending MLD.

[0172]

[0219] (b) If the sender has not received the acknowledgment frame for element 2, retransmission may not be performed. Or,

[0173]

[0220] (c) If the sender has not received the acknowledgment frame for element 2, and the frame is expected to be sent by the receiver using EDCA, retransmission may not be performed.

[0174]

[0221] 5. Quick retransmission by the transmitting MLD in element 4 can be performed within the same PPDU on the first link while the transmission has not yet finished.

[0175]

[0222] 6. Quick retransmission by the transmitting MLD in element 4 can be performed on a second link (where the transmitting side receives an acknowledgment frame) or a third link supported by the receiving MLD.

[0176]

[0223] (a) The second or third link is the link to which the TID of the MPDU in set X is mapped.

[0177]

[0224] (b) The receiver can derive the NAV of the acknowledgment frame using the total number of octets in set X and (for example, minus) the octets of the received MPDU in set X, and the BW / MCS / Nss of the quick retransmission. The acknowledgment frame is transmitted over the second link, and a quick retransmission is performed on the second link immediately afterward.

[0178]

[0225] (c) A quick retransmission may be within the same TXOP as a quick ack on a second link, for example, as an immediate response to a quick ack.

[0179]

[0226] 7. Retransmission in element 5 can be initiated at time t2 and t2-t1 <= pre-configured duration.

[0180]

[0227] (a) t1 is described in element 3.

[0181]

[0228] (b) The sender may not be required to perform an acknowledgment for the acknowledgment frame described in element 3.

[0182]

[0229] (c) The receiving MLD uses the start of retransmission on the first link as an acknowledgment to the acknowledgment frame transmitted on the second link.

[0183]

[0230] 8. Retransmission in element 5 can be initiated at time t2, which is unrelated to t1.

[0184]

[0231] (a) For example, retransmission may occupy the time used for padding the original long PPDU, which may be an MU PPDU.

[0185]

[0232] (b) For example, the retransmission can be started at time t2 so that the receiving MLD does not need to buffer the interrupted LDPC codeword while receiving the retransmission.

[0186]

[0233] (c) For example, the retransmission can be started at time t2 so that the receiving MLD does not need to buffer the interrupted MPDU while receiving the retransmission.

[0187]

[0234] (d) Interruptions in elements 8.b and 8.c are caused by retransmission.

[0188]

[0235] 9. The retransmission of element 5 can be started with one or more training symbols.

[0189]

[0236] (a) At least one of the training symbols has a pattern that distinguishes it from the regular data symbols.

[0190]

[0237] (b) Some of the training symbols can be used by the receiving MLD for new channel estimation.

[0191]

[0238] 10. The retransmissions in elements 5 and 6 may have different MCS and Nss than the original long PPDU in element 1.

[0192]

[0239] 11. The receiving MLD may still be required to send a BA over the first link as an immediate response to the long PPDU of element 1.

[0193]

[0240] 12. The receiving MLD may not send an acknowledgment frame on the secondary link if all of the MPDU set X described in element 2 have been received correctly. This is because the operation of the transmitting MLD described in element 4b or element 4c effectively processes the acknowledgment frame on the second link as a NAK.

[0194]

[0241] 13. The receiving MLD may send an acknowledgment frame on the secondary link if all of the set X MPDUs described in element 2 have been successfully received. This may help the transmitting MLD remove the successful MPDUs from its (re)transmit buffer / advance transmit window before the acknowledgment described in element 11.

[0195]

[0242] 14. Quick Ack configuration information can be provided to the recipient before the Quick Ack. The configuration may include the following:

[0196]

[0243] (a) t0 as described in element 2, the (minimum) configuration of the quick retransmission of elements 5 and 6 (e.g., MCS / Nss / BW), the identity of the link for the quick ack and quick retransmission, the TID (its received status must be included in the quick ack), and the pre-configured period as described in element 7.

[0197]

[0244] (b) Multiple instances of t0 can exist within the duration of a long PPDU transmitted over Link 1. Multiple instances of t0 can follow the cycle also provided in the quick Ack configuration.

[0198]

[0245] 15. All or part of the QuickAck configuration information can be pre-configured.

[0199]

[0246] (a) The above preconfiguration can be turned on or off based on the fields in the preamble or the first few symbols in the data field of the long PPDU of element 1.

[0200]

[0247] (b) Quick Ack configuration can be signaled via the ADDBA request / response mechanism or other management frame before data exchange.

[0201]

[0248] (c) The quick Ack configuration may include differences in MCS / Nss / BW from the original transmission.

[0202]

[0249] 16. All or part of the Quick Ack configuration information can be signaled within the long PPDU of element 1.

[0203]

[0250] (a) Signaling can reside within the preamble of a long PPDU.

[0204]

[0251] (b) Signaling may be present within the first few symbols of the AMPDU data field in a long PPDU, indicated as special symbols. (1) Special symbols may have reduced MCS or NSS compared to the rest of the data symbols. (2) The configuration of special symbols may be signaled via the ADDBA request / response mechanism or other management frame prior to data exchange.

[0205]

[0252] 17. The (proposed / requested) configuration for quick retransmission may be included in the quick Ack. The configuration may include the (minimum / maximum) MCS or (minimum / maximum) NSS for quick retransmission. The originating MLD may not use the proposed configuration for quick retransmission. Alternatively, the originating MLD may be required to use the requested configuration for quick retransmission.

[0206]

[0253] 18. Enabling the Quick Ack configuration may not be determined at the start of a long PPDU.

[0207]

[0254] (a) For example, an MSDU with TID i that requires a quick acknowledgment (and is pre-configured for quick acknowledgment) does not arrive at the MAC layer at the beginning of a long PPDU. The sender is unaware that it requests a quick acknowledgment at the beginning of a long PPDU. For example, the pre-configured quick acknowledgment is not enabled in the preamble at element 15.

[0208]

[0255] (b) The sender may modify the content of the portion of the AMPDU that has not yet been sent so as to include the newly arrived MPDU of the pre-configured TID i for the quick acknowledgment.

[0209]

[0256] (c) The sender may set the reserved bit of a delimiter inserted after a newly arrived MPDU with TID i inserted to "1", which indicates a modified delimiter. (1) The MPDU length field of a delimiter with a reserved bit set to 1 may represent the total length of the TID (e.g., TID i) that is pre-set for a quick acknowledgment and sent before the delimiter. (2) More than one such modified delimiter may be inserted after the MPDU with TID i inserted to avoid some delimiters being misreceived. (3) The appearance of a modified delimiter in an received MPDU indicates that a pre-configured quick acknowledgment is turned on. The time at which the modified delimiter is sent may implicitly replace the pre-configuration t0. (4) The information in (a) may be used to set the NAV of the acknowledgment frame of element 6, which is immediately followed by a quick transmission on the second link. The receiving end can determine the NAV using the length signaled in element 18.a and the corrected length of the received MPDU pre-configured for (e.g., minus) quick Ack, and the quick retransmit MCS / Nss / BW.

[0210]

[0257] (d) The sender may insert one or more training symbols, as described in Element 9, before and / or after the newly arrived MPDU into which TID i is inserted. This signals that a quick acknowledgment has been turned on. (1) The time at which the training symbols are sent may implicitly replace the pre-configured t0. (2) The number of symbols between the preceding and succeeding training symbols is used to set the NAV of the acknowledgment frame in Element 6, as in Element 18.c(4).

[0211]

[0258] 19. The receiving side sends an acknowledgment as an immediate response to the quick retransmission on the second link described in element 6c.

[0212]

[0259] (a) The acknowledgment not only reports the status of the retransmission but can also act as a second quick acknowledgment for a long PPDU in progress on the first link. In this case, the first quick acknowledgment, the first quick retransmission, and the second quick acknowledgment (+ acknowledgment for the first quick retransmission) reside within the same TXOP on the second link.

[0213]

[0260] (b) The receiver may delay sending the first quick Ack in the same TXOP that satisfies the corresponding t0 requirement of element 14b (for example, by waiting at EDCA counter 0), or the sender may pad the quick retransmission.

[0214]

[0261] 20. In element 6c, if the receiving side is AP MLD, the quick ack can be aggregated / integrated into the trigger frame.

[0215]

[0262] (a) If the long PPDU on the first link is a TB-PPDU, the AP may multiplex quick acks to several non-AP MLDs in the DL OFDMA PPDU, including a PSDU to each non-AP MLD, i.e., an AMPDU containing the quick ack and trigger frame.

[0216]

[0263] (b) A quick Ack may be sent to one or more non-AP STAs and may be integrated into a trigger frame that allocates resources for quick retransmission. (1) The Ack bitmap, TID, and start sequence number may reside in a separate user information field containing a special AID or the same AID as the user's AID. The user information field carrying the quick Ack may follow immediately after the user information field of the quick retransmission allocation for the non-AP MLD.

[0217]

[0264] 21. The previous bullet points describe a scenario where a long PPDU is sent by the sender over a first link, while a quick Ack is sent by the receiver over a second link, and the receiver may be the TXOP owner on the second link.

[0218]

[0265] Section 22, Motivation and Assumptions, describes a scenario in which a PPDU is being transmitted by the sender over a first link, while a long PPDU is in progress being transmitted by the receiver over a second link.

[0219]

[0266] 23. If the receiving side is an AP MLD, the receiving side may assign a RU called a shared Ack RU within a long PPDU transmitted by the AP MLD over a second link.

[0220]

[0267] 24. A quick acknowledgment for a PPDU is sent on the first link and in a shared acknowledgment RU. Furthermore, once the preamble is successfully received on the first link (when the AP-MLD has not yet received another PPDU on the first link on the same frequency resource), the AP-MLD can broadcast the first link NAV (the remaining PPDU duration on the first link + the PPDU's NAV), and the identity of the PPDU's transmitter is transmitted on the first link.

[0221]

[0268] (a) The addressing of a shared Ack RU may be based on a broadcast AID or on a special AID that has been pre-signaled to the originating non-AP MLD.

[0222]

[0269] 25. The quick ack information sent in a shared acknowledgment RU may consist of a starting sequence number (e.g., LSB only), followed by a bitmap (or the number of MPDUs received consecutively following the starting sequence number), and padding, so that the pattern is repeated for the next group of received MPDUs. There may be a CRC and / or tail bit inserted at a pre-configured period.

[0223]

[0270] (a) The encoding can be BCC, so when the MPDU is received, the status can be encoded without codeword delay and transmitted immediately on the shared Ack RU.

[0224]

[0271] (b) Quick Ack information to the MPDU may be sent before the AMPDU finishes transmitting on the first link.

[0225]

[0272] (c) An AP MLD may not send a BA / Ack as an immediate response to a PPDU sent by a non-AP MLD that supports a shared Ack RU if all received statuses of the PPDU are sent as a quick Ack with a shared Ack RU.

[0226]

[0273] (d) The Ack status transmitted via Quick Ack is called Quick Ack information.

[0227]

[0274] A configured maximum delay may exist between the time it takes for the MPDU to be transmitted by the sender over the first link and the time it takes for the receive status to be transmitted over the shared Ack RU once the MPDU is received.

[0228]

[0275] 27. NAV and identity information on the shared Ack RU can signal to other non-AP MLDs operating on the first link that the first link NAV is busy, in order to avoid the hidden terminal problem on the first link.

[0229]

[0276] (a) RTS / CTS may not be required for MLDs that support quick acks within shared ack RUs.

[0230]

[0277] (b) A non-AP MLD may infer that there is a collision in transmissions to APs on the first link by observing that there is no first link NAV broadcast within the shared Ack RU.

[0231]

[0278] 28. When PPDU1 transmitted from a non-AP MLD on link 1 overlaps in time with two or more DL PPDUs on a second link within the same TXOP, shared Ack RUs on more than one DL PPDU on the second link can carry the quick Ack information for different MPDUs of PPDU1.

[0232]

[0279] 29. An AP MLD may transmit one or more long PPDUs, each containing a shared Ack RU, over a second link within the same TXOP. An AP MLD may transmit a control frame UL zone announcement in legacy replication format over the channel of the first link. The NAV of the UL zone announcement frame overlaps with the duration of one or more long PPDUs within the same TXOP on the second link.

[0233]

[0280] 30. UL Zone Notification prevents legacy STAs from accessing the first link within the NAV duration, but non-AP MLDs supporting shared Ack RU on the second link do not set up NAV. In addition to media conflict / EDCA on the primary channel of the first link, non-AP MLDs supporting shared Ack RU on the second link can initiate independent media conflict / EDCA on the secondary channel of the first link. A replicated UL Zone Notification frame on the secondary channel can enable NAV synchronization with moderate synchronization delay for independent EDCA procedures on the secondary link.

[0234]

[0281] (a) Performing multiple EDCA accesses on different channels of the same link avoids situations where a lower-priority user occupies the primary channel and prevents other higher-priority users from accessing it.

[0235]

[0282] (b) The AP may request access to the first link using the PIFS sensing procedure on the secondary channel within the NAV duration of the UL zone announcement, so as not to occupy the secondary channel through a particular BW. For example, within a UL zone, the AP may only allow PIFS sensing on the secondary 20MHz channel of a PPDU BW of up to 40MHz. The 80MHz BSS bandwidth on the first link can be used as two 40MHz channels with independent access.

[0236]

[0283] (c) During the UL Zone Announcement NAV duration of the first link, the AP is always receiving on the primary and secondary channels of the first link, so a non-AP MLD supporting shared Ack RU on the second link does not need to consider the AP's activity on one channel of the first link when accessing another channel of the first link.

[0237]

[0284] 31. Several shared Ack RUs may exist on each long PPDU on the second link, which should be used for quick Ack or first link NAV corresponding to the same number of independent accesses on the first link within the UL zone.

[0238]

[0285] (a) A single shared Ack RU may exist on the second link, and the shared Ack RU may multiplex multiple quick Ack / first link NAVs corresponding to the number of independent accesses on the first link within the UL zone.

[0239]

[0286] 32. The STA on the first link will revert to monitoring the primary link only for channel access after the UL zone has ended.

[0240]

[0287] (a) A PPDU that occupies the primary channel on the first link that starts within the UL zone may terminate outside the UL zone. A PPDU that does not occupy the primary channel on the first link that starts within the UL zone may need to terminate within the UL zone.

[0241]

[0288] 33. The previous element describes a scenario in which (1) a long PPDU is sent from the originator on the first link while the second link is performing a quick ack, or (2) a long PPDU is sent from the AP MLD receiver on the second link, including a quick ack to the PPDU on the first link. The following elements describe the long PPDU sent by the originator on the first link and the long PPDU sent from the receiver on the second link, including a quick ack.

[0242]

[0289] 34. If the sender is a non-AP MLD on the first link and the receiver is an AP MLD transmitting on the second link, the shared Ack RU in the previous section of the element is also used for the quick Ack and the first link NAV.

[0243]

[0290] (a) If the long PPDU on the first link is a TB-PPDU, then, as with element 31, there may be multiple shared Ack RUs per user on the first link, or, as with element 31.a, there may be a single shared Ack RU that multiplexes quick acknowledgments to multiple users on the first link.

[0244]

[0291] 35. When the sender is an AP MLD on the first link, and a non-AP MLD sends a TB-PPDU on the second link, the following occurs:

[0245]

[0292] (a) For each non-AP MLD addressed by a PPDU on the first link, there may be a corresponding Ack RU assigned to the second link to give a quick acknowledgment (Ack) to the PPDU on the first link. For example, the quick Ack is an FDM on the second link. The user mapping and corresponding Ack RU on the first link may be signaled in the preamble of the PPDU on the first link or in the trigger frame preceding the TB-PPDU on the second link.

[0246]

[0293] (b) For non-AP MLDs addressed by PPDUs on the first link, they may use the same shared Ack RU on the second link for quick Acks, such as quick Acks as TDMs on the second link. (1) A trigger frame that assigns a shared Ack RU preceding a TB-PPDU may provide a start time, transmit duration, and periodicity corresponding to each user in the DL PPDU on the first link. (2) All non-AP MLDs transmitting on the shared Ack RU at different times may transmit the entire preamble of the TB-PPDU for protection. (3) For non-AP MLDs transmitting on the shared Ack RU at different times, the trigger frame may be used to determine transmit power and center frequency corrections. An EHT-STF or EHT-LTF from the user may precede each user's quick Ack transmission on the shared Ack RU.

[0247]

[0294] (c) The trigger frame on the second link may not be transmitted before the DL PPDU on the first link. If the second link has an earlier opportunity to access the EDCA than the first link, the DL PPDU may be transmitted on the second link, while the TB-PPDU, including the trigger frame and Ack RU, may be transmitted on the first link.

[0248] 9. General scope of embodiments

[0296] This specification may describe embodiments of the Art by referring to flowcharts of methods and systems, and / or procedures, algorithms, steps, operations, formulas, or other computational expressions according to embodiments of the Art, which can also be implemented as computer program products. In this regard, each block or step of a flowchart, and combinations of blocks (and / or steps) of a flowchart, as well as any procedure, algorithm, step, operation, formula, or computational expression, can be implemented by various means, such as software, which includes one or more computer program instructions embodied in hardware, firmware, and / or computer-readable program code. As can be understood, any such computer program instructions may be executed by one or more computer processors, including, but not limited to, a general-purpose computer or a dedicated computer, or other programmable processing units for producing machines, so that the computer program instructions executed on (one or more) computer processors or other programmable processing units produce means for implementing (one or more) specified functions.

[0249]

[0297] Therefore, the flowchart blocks, as well as the procedures, algorithms, steps, operations, formulas, or computational expressions described herein, support computer program instructions that perform specific functions, such that they are embodied in combinations of means for performing specific functions, combinations of steps for performing specific functions, and computer-readable program code logic means. It will also be understood that each block of the flowcharts described herein, as well as any procedure, algorithm, step, operation, formula, or computational expression, and combinations thereof, can also be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based computer system, or a combination of dedicated hardware and computer-readable program code, for performing specific functions or steps.

[0250]

[0298] Furthermore, these computer program instructions, embodied in the form of computer-readable program code or the like, can be stored in one or more computer-readable memories or memory devices that can direct a computer processor or other programmable processing device to function in a specific manner, such that the instructions stored in these computer-readable memories or memory devices include instruction means for implementing the functions specified within the block(s) of the flowchart(s). It is also possible to produce an article of manufacture that, when the computer program instructions are executed by a computer processor or other programmable processing device, causes a series of operational steps to be executed on the computer processor or other programmable processing device to generate a computer-implemented process, and the instructions executed on the computer processor or other programmable processing device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the block(s), procedure(s), algorithm(s), step(s), operation(s), mathematical expression(s), or computational representation(s) of the flowchart(s).

[0251]

[0299] Furthermore, as used herein, the terms "program" or "program executable statement" are to be understood to mean one or more instructions that can be executed by one or more computer processors to perform one or more of the functions described herein. The instructions can be embodied in software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The instructions can be stored locally on a non-transitory medium of the device, or remotely, such as on a server, or some of the instructions can be stored locally and some remotely. Remotely stored instructions can be automatically downloaded (pushed) to the device by a user's initiation or based on one or more factors.

[0252]

[0300] Furthermore, the terms processor, hardware processor, computer processor, central processing unit (CPU), and computer as used herein are used synonymously to denote a device capable of executing instructions and communicating with an input / output interface and / or peripheral devices, and the terms processor, hardware processor, computer processor, CPU, and computer are intended to include single or multiple devices, single-core devices, and multi-core devices, and variants thereof.

[0253]

[0301] From the description herein, it will be understood that the present disclosure includes multiple implementations of technologies including, but not limited to, the following.

[0254]

[0302] A device for wireless communication in a network, the device comprising: (a) a wireless communication circuit, which operates as a radio station (STA) in a multilink device (MLD), as an access point (AP) STA or a non-AP STA, for wireless communication with other radio stations (STAs) on a wireless local area network (WLAN) using a carrier-detection multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) mechanism, where Extended Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) is used for random channel access on all links; (b) a processor coupled to the wireless communication circuit for operation on the WLAN; and (c) non-temporary memory for storing instructions executable by the processor for communication with other STAs, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, are wireless for the wireless communication circuit. An apparatus that performs steps of a communication protocol, the steps of which include (d)(i) transmitting a long physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) containing one or more aggregated MAC protocol data units (AMPDUs) on a first link of a transmitting MLD; (d)(ii) before the transmission of the long PPDU on the first link by the transmitting side is completed, the transmitting side receives an acknowledgment (Ack) frame as a quick Ack from a receiving MLD on a second link; and (d)(iii) the first and second links to the transmitting and receiving MLDs are simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) link pairs.

[0255]

[0303] A device for wireless communication in a network, the device comprising: (a) a wireless communication circuit, which operates as a radio station (STA) in a multilink device (MLD), as an access point (AP) STA or a non-AP STA, for wireless communication with other radio stations (STAs) on a wireless local area network (WLAN) using a carrier-detection multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) mechanism, where Extended Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) is used for random channel access on all links; (b) a processor coupled to the wireless communication circuit for operation on the WLAN; and (c) a non-temporary memory for storing instructions executable by the processor for communicating with other STAs, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions execute steps of a wireless communication protocol for the wireless communication circuit, the steps of (d)(i) on a first link of the transmitting MLD, one or more aggregated MACs An apparatus comprising: (d)(ii) transmitting a long physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) including a protocol data unit (AMPDU); (d)(iii) the first and second links to the transmitting and receiving MLDs being simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) link pairs; and (d)(iv) the transmitting and receiving MLDs agreeing on a time instance t0 associated with a quick Ack agreed upon by the transmitting and receiving MLDs, corresponding to a set X of MPDUs in which the acknowledgment frame contains a received status.

[0256]

[0304] A method for performing wireless communication in a network, comprising: (a) performing wireless communication at a radio station (STA) of a multilink device (MLD), the radio station (STA) operating as an access point (AP) STA or a non-AP STA for wireless communication with other radio stations (STAs) on a wireless local area network (WLAN) using a carrier detection multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) mechanism where Extended Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) is used for random channel access on all links; (b) transmitting a long physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) containing one or more aggregated MAC protocol data units (AMPDUs) on a first link of a transmitting MLD; (c) before the transmitting MLD completes the transmission of the long PPDU on the first link, the transmitting MLD receives an acknowledgment (Ack) frame as a quick Ack from a receiving MLD on a second link; and (d) the first and second links to the transmitting MLD and the receiving MLD are a simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) link pair.

[0257]

[0305] An apparatus or method of any of the aforementioned implementations, wherein the transmitting MLD and the receiving MLD agree on a time instance t0 associated with a quick Ack agreed upon by the transmitting and receiving MLDs, corresponding to a set X of MPDUs in which the acknowledgment frame contains the received status.

[0258]

[0306] The apparatus or method of any of the aforementioned implementations, wherein the set X is limited to all MPDUs that were fully transmitted before time t0 for a set of traffic identifiers (TIDs).

[0259]

[0307] The set X is limited to all MPDUs that were fully transmitted before time t0, and the apparatus or method of any of the aforementioned implementations.

[0260]

[0308] The acknowledgment frame includes a block acknowledgment (BA) frame or a multi-STA(MU)BA frame, and the apparatus or method is one of the aforementioned implementations.

[0261]

[0309] As used herein, the term “implementation” is intended to include, but is not limited to, embodiments, examples, or other forms of implementing the technology described herein.

[0262]

[0310] As used herein, the singular nouns "a, an" (indefinite articles) and "the" (definite articles) may refer to multiple things unless otherwise explicitly specified by the context. A singular reference to something does not mean "only" unless explicitly stated otherwise, but rather "one or more."

[0263]

[0311] Constituents of phrases such as “A, B and / or C” in this disclosure represent cases where A, B, or C may exist, or any combination of items A, B, and C. Constituents of phrases such as “at least one of ~” followed by a group of elements indicate that at least one of the elements of these group exists and, where applicable, includes any possible combination of these enumerated elements.

[0264]

[0312] Any reference in this specification to “a particular embodiment,” “at least one embodiment,” or similar terms “embodiment” indicates that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in relation to the described embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, these various “embodiment” phrases do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment or a particular embodiment distinct from all other embodiments described. The “embodiment” phrase should be interpreted as meaning that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic of a given embodiment can be combined in any suitable manner with one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus, system, or method.

[0265]

[0313] As used herein, the term “set” means a collection of one or more objects. Therefore, for example, a set of objects may include a single object or multiple objects.

[0266]

[0314] Relative terms such as first and second, top and bottom, upper and lower, left and right can be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another, and do not necessarily imply or require any actual relationship or order between such entities or actions.

[0267]

[0315] The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” “including,” “contains,” and “containing,” or any other variations thereof, are intended to include non-exclusive inclusions such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes, includes, contains, or has a list of elements does not contain only those elements, but may also contain other elements that are not explicitly listed or that are specific to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. The elements introduced by “comprises…a,” “has…a,” “includes…a,” and “contains…a” do not, unless further constraints are imposed, negate the existence of further identical elements within a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes, includes, contains, or has that element.

[0268]

[0316] The terms “approximately,” “approximate,” “substantially,” “essentially,” and “about,” as used herein, or any other versions thereof, are for the purpose of describing and explaining small variations. When used in relation to events or situations, these terms may mean that the events or situations will definitely occur, or that the likelihood of such events or situations occurring is very high. When used in relation to numerical values, these terms may mean a range of variation of ±10% or less, such as ±5%, ±4%, ±3%, ±2%, ±1%, ±0.5%, ±0.1%, or ±0.05%. For example, “substantially” aligned may mean an angular variation of ±10% or less, such as ±5°, ±4°, ±3°, ±2°, ±1°, ±0.5°, ±0.1°, or ±0.05°.

[0269]

[0317] Furthermore, quantities, ratios, and other numerical values ​​may also be expressed in range form. Such range forms are used for convenience and simplification, and while they include numerical values ​​that are clearly specified as limits to the range, they should be understood flexibly as also including all individual numerical values ​​or sub-ranges within this range, as if each of these numerical values ​​and sub-ranges were clearly indicated. For example, a ratio in the range of approximately 1 to approximately 200 should be understood as including the clearly listed limit values ​​of approximately 1 and approximately 200, but also including individual ratios such as approximately 2, approximately 3, approximately 4, and sub-ranges such as approximately 10 to approximately 50 and approximately 20 to approximately 100.

[0270]

[0318] As used herein, the term “coupled” is defined as “connected,” but not necessarily a direct or mechanical connection. A device or structure “configured” in a particular way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways not listed.

[0271]

[0319] Benefits, advantages, problem-solving methods, and any (single or plural) elements that can give rise to or clarify any benefit, advantage, or solution method should not be construed as important, necessary, or essential features or elements of the technology described in this specification or of some or all of the claims.

[0272]

[0320] Further, in the above disclosure, for the sake of brevity, various features can be grouped together in various embodiments. This method of disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than those clearly described in each claim. The subject matter of the present invention can be achieved by fewer than all the features of a single disclosed embodiment.

[0273]

[0321] The abstract of the present disclosure is presented with the understanding that it shows the reader the essence of the technical disclosure quickly and is not used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

[0274]

[0322] It should be understood that in some jurisdictions, there is a practice of seeking deletion of one or more parts of this disclosure after filing. Therefore, the reader should refer to the application at the filing date for the original content of this disclosure. Any deletion of the disclosure content should not be construed as abandonment, forfeiture, or general publication of any subject matter of the original application at the time of filing.

[0275]

[0323] The following claims are incorporated by reference into this disclosure, and each claim stands on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

[0276]

[0324] Although the description in this specification contains many details, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, but only as exemplifying a part of the presently preferred embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the disclosure will be understood to fully include other embodiments that would be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0277]

[0325] All structural and functional equivalents of elements of embodiments of this disclosure that are well known to those skilled in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be included in the claims. Furthermore, elements, components or method steps of this disclosure are not intended to be publicly disclosed, whether expressly made available in the claims or not. Elements of claims herein should not be construed as "means plus function" elements unless they are expressly indicated using the phrase "means for..." Similarly, elements of claims herein should not be construed as "step plus function" elements unless they are expressly indicated using the phrase "step for..." [Explanation of symbols]

[0278] 10 Examples of Embodiments 12 circuits 14 External I / O Connection / Bus 16 Internal bus 18 CPUs / Processors 20 memory 22 Modems 24,28 RF modules 26a, 26b, 26c, ... 26n, 29 antennas 40 Examples of Embodiments 42 STA 1 44 STA 2 46 STA N 48 MLD Management Entities 50 CPU 52 memory (RAM) 54 Modem 56 RF circuit 58 Bus 60a, 60b, 60c, ..., 60n antennas 62 CPU 64 memory (RAM) 90 Examples of Embodiments 130 An example of the original AMPDU 132 Link 1 134 RTA MPDU 136 Other STA AMPDU 138 Other low-priority TIDs 140 padding 170 Examples of Embodiments 172 Link 1 174 Link 2 176 EDCA 178 BA 180 Ack 182 S / LTF 184 RTA MPDU retransmission 186 padding 190 Examples of Embodiments 191 Period T 192 S / LTF 194 RTA MPDU retransmission 196,198 Other low-priority TIDs 210 Examples of Embodiments 212 Sender 214 Receiving side 216 Multiple trials 218 Process completed 230 Examples of Embodiments 232 Link 1 234 Link 2 236 EDCA 238 BA 238a,238b BA+TF 240 NAV 240a MPDU-1 retransmission 240b MPDU-2 retransmission 242 RTA MPDU retransmission / MBA 244 BA 270 Examples of Embodiments 276 TF 277 Preamble 278 Special Symbols 280 RTA MPDU-1 282 RTA MPDU-2 284,286 Other low-priority TIDs 286 padding 310 Examples of Embodiments 312 Link 1 314 Link 2 PPDU from 316 STA2 317 Preamble 318 padding 320 Download data to another STA 322 Download data to another STA 324 L1 NAV 326 BA2 328 EDCA PPDU from 330 STA1 332 L1 NAV 334 BA1 350 Examples of Embodiments 352 Padding 354 A collision occurred. 356 BO PPDU from 358 STA1 360 L1 NAV 362 BA1 363 Padding PPDU from 364 STA2 366 L1 NAV 368 BA2a 370 BA2b 410 Examples of Embodiments Link 1 to 412 ch2 Link 1 for 414 ch1 416 Link 2 418 Preamble 420 UL Zone Announcement 422 ch2 424 ch1 426 Legacy NAV 428 UL Zone 430 padding 432 Download data to another STA 434 Download data to another STA 436 Preamble Collision PPDU from 440 STA1 444 L1.1 NAV 446 L1.2 NAV 448 Quick Ack 510 Examples of Embodiments 512 Link 1 514 Link 2 516 TF 518a Preamble 518b Preamble 520 Special Symbols 522 L1 Padding 524 RTA MPDU-1 526 RTA MPDU-2 528 BA1+BA2 534 Other low-priority TIDs 536 Other low-priority TID / RTA MPDU-1 retransmissions 538 BA1 540 padding 542 RTA MPDU-2 retransmission 544 Ack / BA2+Low Priority MBA 610 Examples of Embodiments 612 Link 1 614 Link 2 616 TF 618a Preamble 618b Preamble 620,621 UL data from another STA 622 Special Symbols 624,638 S / LTF 626 RTA MPDU-1 628 RTA MPDU-2 630,642 padding 634,636 Other low-priority TIDs 632 BA1 640 BA2 644 RTA MPDU-1 retransmission 648 RTA MPDU-2 retransmission 650 Examples of Embodiments 652 Started receiving long PPDU on the first link. Does the preamble or special symbol of 654 PPDU signal the following? 1. Use Quick Ack configuration with special symbols 2. Use a pre-configured Quick Ack configuration. 3. Does not require a quick acknowledgment. 656 Apply Quick Ack configuration from special symbols 658 Apply Quick Ack configuration from pre-configured settings 660. Were all configured MPDUs received on the first link up to the point of configuration? 662 Should a quick acknowledgment be optionally performed on the second link? 664 Perform a quick ack on the second link 666 Has an Acknowledgment been received for a Quick Ack or Quick Resend? 668 Quick retransmission received on the first or second link based on configuration 670 Has the PPDU for the first link ended? 672 Perform a normal Ack / BA on the first link. 690 Example of Embodiment 692 Initiating transmission of long PPDU over the first link Does the preamble or special symbol of 694 PPDU signal the following? 1. Use Quick Ack configuration with special symbols 2. Use a pre-configured Quick Ack configuration. 3. Does not require a quick acknowledgment. 698 After sending the symbol corresponding to the time when the Quick Ack was configured Have you received 700 Quick Ack? Should a 702 Quick Ack be resent as an implicit Ack? 704 Quick retransmission performed on the first or second link based on the Quick Ack configuration. 706 Perform acknowledgment for quick Ack on the second link. 708 Has the PPDU for the first link ended? 710 Receive normal Ack / BA on the first link 730 Examples of Embodiments 750 Examples of Embodiments 770 Examples of Embodiments 790 Example of an Embodiment 810, 830, 850 Examples of Embodiments 870 Example of Embodiment 890 Example of an Embodiment

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication in a network, wherein the device is (a) A wireless communication circuit, which operates as a radio station (STA) in a multilink device (MLD), as an access point (AP) STA or a non-AP STA, for wirelessly communicating with other radio stations (STAs) on a wireless local area network (WLAN) using a carrier-sensing multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) mechanism, where Extended Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) is used for random channel access on all links. (b) A processor coupled to the wireless communication circuit for operating on the WLAN, (c) Non-temporary memory for storing instructions executable by the processor for communicating with other STAs, Equipped with, (d) When the instruction is executed by the processor, it executes a step of the wireless communication protocol for the wireless communication circuit, and the step is (i) A physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) including one or more aggregated MAC protocol data units (AMPDUs) is transmitted on the first link of the transmitting MLD, (ii) Before the transmission of the PPDU by the transmitting side on the first link is completed, the transmitting side receives an acknowledgment (Ack) frame as a quick Ack from the receiving side MLD on the second link, (iii) The first and second links to the transmitting MLD and the receiving MLD are a simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) link pair, Includes, The apparatus is characterized in that the transmitting MLD and the receiving MLD agree on a time instance t0 associated with a quick Ack agreed upon by the transmitting and receiving MLDs, corresponding to a set X of MPDUs in which the acknowledgment (Ack) frame contains the received status.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the set X is limited to all MPDUs that were fully transmitted before time t0 for a set of traffic identifiers (TIDs).

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the set X is limited to all MPDUs that were completely transmitted before time t0.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the acknowledgment frame includes a block acknowledgment (BA) frame or a multi-STA BA (MBA) frame.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a long PPDU is transmitted by the transmitting side over the first link, while a quick Ack is transmitted by the receiving side over a second link, the receiving side may be the TXOP owner on the second link.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that there is a long PPDU in progress that is transmitted by the transmitting side over the first link, while the receiving side is transmitted over the second link.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, when the receiving side is an AP MLD, a resource unit (RU) is allocated as a shared Ack RU within a long PPDU transmitted by the AP MLD on the second link.

8. Quick Ack to PPDU is sent via the first link and via the shared Ack resource unit (RU), Upon successful reception of the preamble on the first link, if the AP-MLD has not yet received another PPDU on the first link on the same frequency resource, the AP-MLD broadcasts the first link NAV for the remaining PPDU duration on the first link plus the PPDU's NAV, and the PPDU's transmitter identity is transmitted on the first link. The addressing of a shared Ack RU can be based on a broadcast AID or a special AID pre-signaled to the originating non-AP MLD. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

9. (a) The NAV and identity information on the shared Ack RU signals to other non-AP MLDs operating on the first link that the first link NAV is busy, in order to avoid the hidden terminal problem on the first link. (b) In the case of an MLD that supports Quick Ack within the shared Ack RU, RTS / CTS may not be required on the first link. (c) A non-AP MLD transmitted on the first link can observe whether there is a first link NAV broadcast in the shared Ack RU indicating that the transmission to the AP on the first link was subject to a collision. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that

10. (a) AP MLD transmits one long PPDU, each having a shared Ack resource unit (RU), over the second link within the same TXOP. (b) The AP MLD transmits a control frame UL zone announcement in legacy replication format on the channel of the first link, (c) The NAV of the UL zone notification frame overlaps with the duration of the DL long PPDU (DL long PPDU) within the same TXOP on the second link. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

11. (a) The UL zone notification prevents legacy STAs from accessing the first link during the NAV duration, while non-AP MLDs supporting shared Ack RU on the second link do not configure NAV. (b) In addition to media contention / EDCA on the primary channel of the first link, a non-AP MLD supporting a shared Ack RU on the second link initiates independent media contention / EDCA on the secondary channel of the first link. (c) By performing multiple EDCA accesses on different channels of the same link, a situation is avoided where a lower-priority user occupies the primary channel, preventing other higher-priority users from accessing that channel. (d) During the UL Zone Announced NAV duration of the first link, the AP is always receiving on the primary and secondary channels of the first link, so a non-AP MLD supporting a shared Ack RU on the second link does not need to consider the AP's activity on one channel of the first link when accessing another channel of the first link. The apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that

12. A device for wireless communication in a network, wherein the device is (a) A wireless communication circuit, which operates as a radio station (STA) in a multilink device (MLD), as an access point (AP) STA or a non-AP STA, for wirelessly communicating with other radio stations (STAs) on a wireless local area network (WLAN) using a carrier-sensing multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) mechanism, where Extended Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) is used for random channel access on all links. (b) A processor coupled to the wireless communication circuit for operating on the WLAN, (c) Non-temporary memory for storing instructions executable by the processor for communicating with other STAs, Equipped with, (d) When the instruction is executed by the processor, it executes a step of the wireless communication protocol for the wireless communication circuit, and the step is (i) A long physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) containing one or more aggregated MAC protocol data units (AMPDUs) is transmitted on the first link of the originating MLD, (ii) Before the transmission of the long PPDU by the transmitting side on the first link is completed, the transmitting side receives an acknowledgment (Ack) frame as a quick Ack from the receiving side MLD on the second link, (iii) The first and second links to the transmitting MLD and the receiving MLD are a simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) link pair, (iv) The transmitting MLD and the receiving MLD agree on a time instance t0 associated with a quick Ack agreed upon by the transmitting and receiving MLDs, which corresponds to a set X of MPDUs in which the acknowledgment frame contains the received status. including, A device characterized by the following features.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the set X is limited to all MPDUs that were fully transmitted before time t0 for a set of traffic identifiers (TIDs).

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the set X is limited to all MPDUs that were completely transmitted before time t0.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the acknowledgment response frame includes a block acknowledgment response (BA) frame or a multi-STA (MU)BA frame.

16. A method for performing wireless communication in a network, (a) Performing radio communication in a radio station (STA) of a multilink device (MLD), wherein the radio station (STA) operates as an access point (AP) STA or a non-AP STA and communicates with other radio stations (STAs) using a carrier-sensing multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) mechanism on a wireless local area network (WLAN) where Extended Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) is used for random channel access on all links, (b) A long physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) containing one or more aggregated MAC protocol data units (AMPDUs) is transmitted on the first link of the transmitting MLD, (c) Before the transmission of the long PPDU by the transmitting side on the first link is completed, the transmitting side receives an acknowledgment (Ack) frame as a quick Ack from the receiving side MLD on the second link, (d) The first and second links to the transmitting MLD and the receiving MLD are a simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) link pair, Includes, The method is characterized in that the transmitting MLD and the receiving MLD agree on a time instance t0 associated with a quick Ack agreed upon by the transmitting and receiving MLDs, which corresponds to a set X of MPDUs in which the acknowledgment (Ack) frame contains the received status.

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