Spatial reuse for non-primary channel access in WLAN

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and computer program product are provided for receiving signaling for at least one parameter associated with at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR), wherein NPCA and SR are supported and enabled; and performing, based at least in part on the signaling, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR. Additionally, an apparatus, method, and computer program product are provided for determining configuration information for using at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR), wherein NPCA and SR are supported; and performing, based at least in part on the configuration information, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR.

Description

SPATIAL REUSE FOR NON-PRIMARY CHANNEL ACCESSTECHNOLOGICAL FIELD[OOO1] Various example embodiments relate generally to wireless communication networks such as Wi-Fi in which latency sensitive applications may be employed.BACKGROUND

[0002] Some applications of wireless technology rely on low-latency. For example, a communications system may rely on providing low latency for stations (STAs) running latency-sensitive applications, such as virtual reality, mixed reality, augmented reality, or the like.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0003] An apparatus, method and computer program product are provided for operating in scenarios with Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) being supported.

[0004] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least receiving signaling for at least one parameter associated with at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR). In this embodiment, NPCA and SR are supported and enabled. The apparatus is also caused to perform at least performing, based at least in part on the signaling, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR.

[0005] According to some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes changing to an NPCA primary channel and configuring SR transmit power (i) according to constraints based at least in part on an OBSS PD value associated with the apparatus or (ii) without restrictions from SR operation. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes: changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel; reverting from the NPCA primary channel back to the primary channel; and configuring SR transmit power according to constraints based at least in part on an OBSS PD value associated with the apparatus. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes: changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel; and reverting from the NPCA primary channel back to the primary channel based on basic network allocation vector (NAV) information or a maximum of basic NAV and intra-basic service set (BSS) NAV information. In some embodiments, performing the at least one actionincludes changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel based at least in part on a color associated with an OBSS. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes disabling a parametrized SR (PSR) in response to a determination that NPCA is enabled. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes disabling NPCA and SR from being jointly enabled. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes selecting a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or an SRG OBSS PD maximum value and a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value or an SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In this embodiment, the non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or the SRG OBSS PD maximum value is the same as the non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value or the SRG OBSS PD maximum value, respectively.

[0006] According to some embodiments, the signaling includes at least one common OBSS PD value and the at least one common OBSS PD value is configured to be used by a plurality of STAs associated with a basic service set (BSS). In some embodiments, the at least one common OBSS PD value is signaled via at least one of a non-SRG OBSS PD Max Offset field, SRG OBSS PD Min Offset field, SRG OBSS PD Max Offset field. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel based on the at least one common OBSS PD value or using the at least one common OBSS PD value for SR.

[0007] The apparatus of some embodiments is also caused to perform receiving at least one of an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) control frame, OBSS high efficiency (HE) physical protocol data unit (PPDU), extremely high throughput (EHT) PPDU, or ultra-high reliability (UHR) PDDU that overlaps a primary channel and is associated with a received power; and determining the received power is greater than an OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the OBSS PD value is selected based on SR being enabled and performing the at least one action includes changing to an NPCA primary channel based at least in part on the received power being greater than the OBSS PD value. In some embodiments, the OBSS PD value is an OBSS PD minimum value of -82 dbm or is selected by the apparatus in relation to performing the at least one action associated with SR. In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises a station (STA).

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method including receiving signaling for at least one parameter associated with at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR). In this embodiment, NPCA and SR are supported and enabled. The method further includes performing, based at least in part on the signaling, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR.

[0009] According to some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes changing to an NPCA primary channel and configuring SR transmit power (i) according to constraints based at least in part on an OBSS PD value associated with an apparatus or (ii) without restrictions from SR operation. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes: changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel; reverting from the NPCA primary channel back to the primary channel; and configuring SR transmit power according to constraints based at least in part on an OBSS PD value associated with the apparatus. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes: changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel; and reverting from the NPCA primary channel back to the primary channel based on basic network allocation vector (NAV) information or a maximum of basic NAV and intra-basic service set (BSS) NAV information. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel based at least in part on a color associated with an OBSS. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes disabling a parametrized SR (PSR) in response to a determination that NPCA is enabled. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes disabling NPCA and SR from being jointly enabled. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes selecting a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or an SRG OBSS PD maximum value and a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value or an SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In this embodiment, the non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or the SRG OBSS PD maximum value is the same as the non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value or the SRG OBSS PD maximum value, respectively.

[0010] According to some embodiments, the signaling includes at least one common OBSS PD value and the at least one common OBSS PD value is configured to be used by a plurality of STAs associated with a basic service set (BSS). In some embodiments, the at least one common OBSS PD value is signaled via at least one of a non-SRG OBSS PD Max Offset field, SRG OBSS PD Min Offset field, SRG OBSS PD Max Offset field. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel based on the at least one common OBSS PD value or using the at least one common OBSS PD value for SR.

[0011] The method of some embodiments further includes receiving at least one of an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) control frame, OBSS high efficiency (HE) physical protocol data unit (PPDU), extremely high throughput (EHT) PPDU, or ultra-high reliability (UHR) PDDU that overlaps a primary channel and is associated with a received power; and determining the received power is greater than an OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the OBSS PD value is selected based on SR being enabled andperforming the at least one action includes changing to an NPCA primary channel based at least in part on the received power being greater than the OBSS PD value. In some embodiments, the OBSS PD value is an OBSS PD minimum value of -82 dbm or is selected by the apparatus in relation to performing the at least one action associated with SR. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a station (STA).

[0012] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product, including at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computerexecutable program code portions stored therein with the computer-executable program code portions comprising program code instructions configured to receive signaling for at least one parameter associated with at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR). In this embodiment, NPCA and SR are supported and enabled. The computer-executable program code portions include program code instructions configured to perform, based at least in part on the signaling, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR.

[0013] According to some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes changing to an NPCA primary channel and configuring SR transmit power (i) according to constraints based at least in part on an OBSS PD value associated with an apparatus or (ii) without restrictions from SR operation. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes: changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel; reverting from the NPCA primary channel back to the primary channel; and configuring SR transmit power according to constraints based at least in part on an OBSS PD value associated with the apparatus. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes: changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel; and reverting from the NPCA primary channel back to the primary channel based on basic network allocation vector (NAV) information or a maximum of basic NAV and intra-basic service set (BSS) NAV information. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel based at least in part on a color associated with an OBSS. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes disabling a parametrized SR (PSR) in response to a determination that NPCA is enabled. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes disabling NPCA and SR from being jointly enabled. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes selecting a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or an SRG OBSS PD maximum value and a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value or an SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In this embodiment, the non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or the SRG OBSS PD maximum value is the same as the non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value or the SRG OBSS PD maximum value, respectively.

[0014] According to some embodiments, the signaling includes at least one common OBSS PD value and the at least one common OBSS PD value is configured to be used by a plurality of STAs associated with a basic service set (BSS). In some embodiments, the at least one common OBSS PD value is signaled via at least one of a non-SRG OBSS PD Max Offset field, SRG OBSS PD Min Offset field, SRG OBSS PD Max Offset field. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel based on the at least one common OBSS PD value or using the at least one common OBSS PD value for SR.

[0015] According to some embodiments, the computer-executable program code portions include program code instructions configured to receive at least one of an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) control frame, OBSS high efficiency (HE) physical protocol data unit (PPDU), extremely high throughput (EHT) PPDU, or ultra-high reliability (UHR) PDDU that overlaps a primary channel and is associated with a received power; and determine the received power is greater than an OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the OBSS PD value is selected based on SR being enabled and performing the at least one action includes changing to an NPCA primary channel based at least in part on the received power being greater than the OBSS PD value. In some embodiments, the OBSS PD value is an OBSS PD minimum value of -82 dbm or is selected by the apparatus in relation to performing the at least one action associated with SR. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a station (STA).

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus including means for receiving signaling for at least one parameter associated with at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR). NPCA and SR are supported and enabled. The apparatus also includes means for performing, based at least in part on the signaling, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR.

[0017] According to some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes changing to an NPCA primary channel and configuring SR transmit power (i) according to constraints based at least in part on an OBSS PD value associated with the apparatus or (ii) without restrictions from SR operation. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes: changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel; reverting from the NPCA primary channel back to the primary channel; and configuring SR transmit power according to constraints based at least in part on an OBSS PD value associated with the apparatus. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes: changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel; and reverting from the NPCA primary channel back to the primary channel based on basic network allocation vector (NAV) information or a maximum of basic NAV and intra-basic service set (BSS) NAV information. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel based at least in part on a color associated with an OBSS. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes disabling a parametrized SR (PSR) in response to a determination that NPCA is enabled. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes disabling NPCA and SR from being jointly enabled. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes selecting a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or an SRG OBSS PD maximum value and a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value or an SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In this embodiment, the non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or the SRG OBSS PD maximum value is the same as the non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value or the SRG OBSS PD maximum value, respectively.

[0018] According to some embodiments, the signaling includes at least one common OBSS PD value and the at least one common OBSS PD value is configured to be used by a plurality of STAs associated with a basic service set (BSS). In some embodiments, the at least one common OBSS PD value is signaled via at least one of a non-SRG OBSS PD Max Offset field, SRG OBSS PD Min Offset field, SRG OBSS PD Max Offset field. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel based on the at least one common OBSS PD value or using the at least one common OBSS PD value for SR.

[0019] The apparatus of some embodiments also includes means for receiving at least one of an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) control frame, OBSS high efficiency (HE) physical protocol data unit (PPDU), extremely high throughput (EHT) PPDU, or ultra-high reliability (UHR) PDDU that overlaps a primary channel and is associated with a received power; and determining the received power is greater than an OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the OBSS PD value is selected based on SR being enabled and performing the at least one action includes changing to an NPCA primary channel based at least in part on the received power being greater than the OBSS PD value. In some embodiments, the OBSS PD value is an OBSS PD minimum value of -82 dbm or is selected by the apparatus in relation to performing the at least one action associated with SR. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a station (STA).

[0020] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least determining non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are enabled in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) including at leastone station (STA); configuring at least one parameter associated with at least one of NPCA or SR; and signaling the at least one parameter to the at least one BSS.

[0021] According to some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a non-spatial reuse group (SRG) overlapping basic service set (OBSS) packet detection (PD) maximum value. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value and a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In this embodiment, the non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value is the same as the non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a first non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value associated with the BSS and selecting a second non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value associated with a second BSS. In this embodiment, the first non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value is different than the second non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value. In some embodiments, signaling the at least one parameter includes signaling at least one of a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value to the at least one BSS. In some embodiments, signaling the at least one parameter includes signaling, via a beacon, an association response frame, element field, or spatial reuse parameter set element, a common OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the common OBSS PD value is used by one or more STAs within the at least one BSS.

[0022] According to some embodiments, the at least one parameter includes a common OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the common OBSS PD value is the same as an OBSS PD value used by the apparatus. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes disabling parametrized SR (PSR) in response to a determination that NPCA is enabled. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes disabling NPCA and SR from being jointly enabled. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes an access point (AP).

[0023] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method including determining non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are enabled in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) including at least one station (STA); configuring at least one parameter associated with at least one of NPCA or SR; and signaling the at least one parameter to the at least one BSS.

[0024] According to some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a non-spatial reuse group (SRG) overlapping basic service set (OBSS) packet detection (PD) maximum value. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value and a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In this embodiment, the non-SRG OBSSPD maximum value is the same as the non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a first non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value associated with the BSS and selecting a second non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value associated with a second BSS. In this embodiment, the first non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value is different than the second non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value. In some embodiments, signaling the at least one parameter includes signaling at least one of a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value to the at least one BSS. In some embodiments, signaling the at least one parameter includes signaling, via a beacon, an association response frame, element field, or spatial reuse parameter set element, a common OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the common OBSS PD value is used by one or more STAs within the at least one BSS.

[0025] According to some embodiments, the at least one parameter includes a common OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the common OBSS PD value is the same as an OBSS PD value used by an apparatus. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes disabling parametrized SR (PSR) in response to a determination that NPCA is enabled. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes disabling NPCA and SR from being jointly enabled. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes an access point (AP).

[0026] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product, including at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computerexecutable program code portions stored therein with the computer-executable program code portions comprising program code instructions configured to determine non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are enabled in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) including at least one station (STA); configure at least one parameter associated with at least one of NPCA or SR; and signal the at least one parameter to the at least one BSS.

[0027] According to some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a non-spatial reuse group (SRG) overlapping basic service set (OBSS) packet detection (PD) maximum value. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value and a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In this embodiment, the non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value is the same as the non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a first non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value associated with the BSS and selecting a second non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value associated with a second BSS. In this embodiment, the first non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value is different than the secondnon-SRG OBSS PD maximum value. In some embodiments, signaling the at least one parameter includes signaling at least one of a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value to the at least one BSS. In some embodiments, signaling the at least one parameter includes signaling, via a beacon, an association response frame, element field, or spatial reuse parameter set element, a common OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the common OBSS PD value is used by one or more STAs within the at least one BSS.

[0028] According to some embodiments, the at least one parameter includes a common OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the common OBSS PD value is the same as an OBSS PD value used by an apparatus. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes disabling parametrized SR (PSR) in response to a determination that NPCA is enabled. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes disabling NPCA and SR from being jointly enabled. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes an access point (AP).

[0029] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus including means for determining non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are enabled in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) including at least one station (STA); configuring at least one parameter associated with at least one of NPCA or SR; and signaling the at least one parameter to the at least one BSS.

[0030] According to some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a non-spatial reuse group (SRG) overlapping basic service set (OBSS) packet detection (PD) maximum value. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value and a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In this embodiment, the non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value is the same as the non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes selecting a first non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value associated with the BSS and selecting a second non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value associated with a second BSS. In this embodiment, the first non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value is different than the second non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value. In some embodiments, signaling the at least one parameter includes signaling at least one of a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value to the at least one BSS. In some embodiments, signaling the at least one parameter includes signaling, via a beacon, an association response frame, element field, or spatial reuse parameter set element, a common OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the common OBSS PD value is used by one or more STAs within the at least one BSS.

[0031] According to some embodiments, the at least one parameter includes a common OBSS PD value. In this embodiment, the common OBSS PD value is the same as an OBSS PD value used by the apparatus. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes disabling parametrized SR (PSR) in response to a determination that NPCA is enabled. In some embodiments, configuring the at least one parameter includes disabling NPCA and SR from being jointly enabled. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes an access point (AP).

[0032] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least determining configuration information for using at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR). In this embodiment, NPCA and SR are supported. The apparatus is also caused to perform at least performing, based at least in part on the configuration information, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR.

[0033] According to some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that the apparatus is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that the apparatus is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR based on a predetermined threshold value and a received signal strength indication (RSSI) associated with an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) physical protocol data unit (PPDU) over a primary channel. In some embodiments, the predetermined threshold value is received via signaling from another apparatus. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes using NPCA in response to an RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU received over a primary channel satisfying a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes using SR in response to an RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU received over a primary channel failing to satisfy a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, at least part of the configuration information is received via signaling from another apparatus and indicates to use NPCA. In this embodiment, performing the at least one action includes using NPCA. In some embodiments, at least part of the configuration information is received via signaling from another apparatus and indicates to use SR. In this embodiment, performing the at least one action includes using SR. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a station (STA).

[0034] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method including determining configuration information for using at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR). In this embodiment, NPCA and SR are supported. The method further includesperforming, based at least in part on the configuration information, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR.

[0035] According to some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that an apparatus is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that the apparatus is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR based on a predetermined threshold value and a received signal strength indication (RSSI) associated with an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) physical protocol data unit (PPDU) over a primary channel. In some embodiments, the predetermined threshold value is received via signaling from another apparatus. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes using NPCA in response to an RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU received over a primary channel satisfying a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes using SR in response to an RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU received over a primary channel failing to satisfy a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, at least part of the configuration information is received via signaling from another apparatus and indicates to use NPCA. In this embodiment, performing the at least one action includes using NPCA. In some embodiments, at least part of the configuration information is received via signaling from another apparatus and indicates to use SR. In this embodiment, performing the at least one action includes using SR. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a station (STA).

[0036] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product, including at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computerexecutable program code portions stored therein with the computer-executable program code portions comprising program code instructions configured to determine configuration information for using at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR). In this embodiment, NPCA and SR are supported. The computer-executable program code portions include program code instructions configured to perform, based at least in part on the configuration information, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR.

[0037] According to some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that an apparatus is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that the apparatus is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR based on a predetermined threshold value and a received signal strength indication (RSSI) associated with an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) physical protocol data unit (PPDU) over a primary channel. In some embodiments, the predetermined threshold value is received via signaling from another apparatus. In some embodiments, performing the atleast one action includes using NPCA in response to an RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU received over a primary channel satisfying a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes using SR in response to an RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU received over a primary channel failing to satisfy a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, at least part of the configuration information is received via signaling from another apparatus and indicates to use NPCA. In this embodiment, performing the at least one action includes using NPCA. In some embodiments, at least part of the configuration information is received via signaling from another apparatus and indicates to use SR. In this embodiment, performing the at least one action includes using SR. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a station (STA).

[0038] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus including means for determining configuration information for using at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR). In this embodiment, NPCA and SR are supported. The apparatus also includes means for performing, based at least in part on the configuration information, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR.

[0039] According to some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that the apparatus is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that the apparatus is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR based on a predetermined threshold value and a received signal strength indication (RSSI) associated with an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) physical protocol data unit (PPDU) over a primary channel. In some embodiments, the predetermined threshold value is received via signaling from another apparatus. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes using NPCA in response to an RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU received over a primary channel satisfying a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, performing the at least one action includes using SR in response to an RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU received over a primary channel failing to satisfy a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, at least part of the configuration information is received via signaling from another apparatus and indicates to use NPCA. In this embodiment, performing the at least one action includes using NPCA. In some embodiments, at least part of the configuration information is received via signaling from another apparatus and indicates to use SR. In this embodiment, performing the at least one action includes using SR. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a station (STA).

[0040] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, cause the apparatus to perform at least determining non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are supported in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) including at least one station (STA); determining configuration information for using at least one of NPCA or SR in association with the at least one BSS; and signaling the configuration information to the at least one BSS.

[0041] According to some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that each STA of the at least one BSS is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that each STA of the at least one BSS is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR based on a predetermined threshold value and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with an overlapping BSS (OBSS) physical protocol data unit (PPDU) over a primary channel. In some embodiments, the configuration information further indicates a predetermined threshold value used to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, determining the configuration information includes determining whether a received RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU over a primary channel satisfies a predetermined threshold value. In some embodiments, the configuration information includes an indication of whether to use NPCA or SR based on whether the received RSSI associated with the OBSS PPDU over the primary channel satisfies the predetermined threshold value. In some embodiments, the configuration information is signaled via a beacon or probe response. In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises an access point (AP).

[0042] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method including determining non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are supported in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) including at least one station (STA); determining configuration information for using at least one of NPCA or SR in association with the at least one BSS; and signaling the configuration information to the at least one BSS.

[0043] According to some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that each STA of the at least one BSS is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that each STA of the at least one BSS is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR based on a predetermined threshold value and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with an overlapping BSS (OBSS) physical protocol data unit (PPDU) over a primary channel. In some embodiments, the configuration information further indicates a predetermined threshold value used to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, determining the configuration information includes determining whether a received RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU over a primary channel satisfies a predetermined threshold value. In some embodiments, the configuration information includes anindication of whether to use NPCA or SR based on whether the received RSSI associated with the OBSS PPDU over the primary channel satisfies the predetermined threshold value. In some embodiments, the configuration information is signaled via a beacon or probe response. In some embodiments, various operations of the method are performed by an apparatus including an access point (AP).

[0044] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, , there is provided a computer program product, including at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computerexecutable program code portions stored therein with the computer-executable program code portions comprising program code instructions configured to determine non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are supported in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) including at least one station (STA); determine configuration information for using at least one of NPCA or SR in association with the at least one BSS; and signal the configuration information to the at least one BSS.

[0045] According to some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that each STA of the at least one BSS is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that each STA of the at least one BSS is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR based on a predetermined threshold value and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with an overlapping BSS (OBSS) physical protocol data unit (PPDU) over a primary channel. In some embodiments, the configuration information further indicates a predetermined threshold value used to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, determining the configuration information includes determining whether a received RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU over a primary channel satisfies a predetermined threshold value. In some embodiments, the configuration information includes an indication of whether to use NPCA or SR based on whether the received RSSI associated with the OBSS PPDU over the primary channel satisfies the predetermined threshold value. In some embodiments, the configuration information is signaled via a beacon or probe response. In some embodiments, various operations of the computer program product are performed by an apparatus including an access point (AP).

[0046] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus including means for determining non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are supported in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) including at least one station (STA); determining configuration information for using at least one of NPCA or SR in association with the at least one BSS; and signaling the configuration information to the at least one BSS.

[0047] According to some embodiments, the configuration information indicates that each STA of the at least one BSS is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, the configurationinformation indicates that each STA of the at least one BSS is to determine whether to use NPCA or SR based on a predetermined threshold value and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with an overlapping BSS (OBSS) physical protocol data unit (PPDU) over a primary channel. In some embodiments, the configuration information further indicates a predetermined threshold value used to determine whether to use NPCA or SR. In some embodiments, determining the configuration information includes determining whether a received RSSI associated with an OBSS PPDU over a primary channel satisfies a predetermined threshold value. In some embodiments, the configuration information includes an indication of whether to use NPCA or SR based on whether the received RSSI associated with the OBSS PPDU over the primary channel satisfies the predetermined threshold value. In some embodiments, the configuration information is signaled via a beacon or probe response. In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises an access point (AP).BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Having thus described certain example embodiments of the present disclosure in general terms, reference will hereinafter be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0049] Figure 1 is a diagram of an example communication system in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0050] Figure 2 illustrates an example of an OBSS transmission overlapping with a reference In-BSS transmission;

[0051] Figure 3 illustrates an example of an OBSS transmission overlapping with a reference In-BSS transmission;

[0052] Figure 4 illustrates an example of how the BSS behaves in 802.11 be in the presence of OBSS transmissions;

[0053] Figure 5 illustrates an example of OBSS PD-based SR as introduced in 802.11 ax;

[0054] Figure 6 illustrates an example of NPCA;

[0055] Figures 7 illustrates an example of switching ambiguity in an example communication system;

[0056] Figure 8 illustrates an example of how indicate a common OBSS PD threshold in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0057] Figure 9 illustrates the operations performed, such as by the apparatus of Figure 13, in accordance with at least an example embodiment;

[0058] Figure 10 illustrates the operations performed, such as by the apparatus of Figure 13, in accordance with at least an example embodiment;

[0059] Figure 11 illustrates the operations performed, such as by the apparatus of Figure 13, in accordance with at least an example embodiment;

[0060] Figure 12 illustrates the operations performed, such as by the apparatus of Figure 13, in accordance with at least an example embodiment; and

[0061] Figure 13 is a block diagram of an apparatus that may be specifically configured in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The following embodiments are exemplary. Although the specification may refer to “an”, “one”, or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations of the text, this does not necessarily mean that each reference is made to the same embodiment(s), or that a particular feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection of an embodiment, it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to apply such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. It shall be understood that although the terms “first,” “second” and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0063] For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrases “at least one of A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, and “A and / or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A, B, and / or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C).

[0064] Certain embodiments described may be implemented in a communications system (e.g., a communication network), such as any of the following radio access technologies (RATs): wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), BLUETOOTH, Worldwide Interoperability for Micro-wave Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM, 2G), GSM EDGE radio access Network (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GRPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications system (UMTS, 3G) based on basic wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, and enhanced LTE (eLTE), 5G (also called NR), or any future radio access technology (RAT) such as 6G. Moreover, communication within the communication network may utilize any suitablewireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), and / or Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM).

[0065] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example, a terminal device may be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Mobile Station (MS). The terminal device may include a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, universal serial bus (USB) USB dongles, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like.

[0066] The term “resource”, as used herein, may refer to radio resources in time domain, in frequency domain, in space domain, and / or in code domain. Some examples of resources include e.g. a physical resource block (PRB), a radio frame, a subframe, a time slot, a subband, a frequency region, a sub-carrier, a beam, etc. The term “transmission” and / or “reception” may refer to wirelessly transmitting and / or receiving respectively via a wireless propagation channel on radio resources.

[0067] In some examples, a communications system may be deployed in a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a Wi-Fi network. That is, in some examples, a communications system may be an example of a WLAN system. The WLAN system may support wireless communications between one or more communications devices in accordance with one or more Wi-Fi protocols, such as protocols based on institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards and / or related drafts, such as 802.11-2020, 802.11ac, 802.11 ax, 802.11 be, 802.11 bn, and / or others.

[0068] In some examples, Wi-Fi communications may occur via one or more radio frequency bands, such as 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), 3.6 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 60 GHz, and / or the like. In some such examples, each radio frequency band may support one or more channels (e.g., 20 megahertz (MHz) channels) over which data may be communicated. In some examples, multiple devices may use multiple channels tocommunicate over the WLAN simultaneously.

[0069] A WLAN system may include one or more communications devices, such as an access point (AP) and / or a station (STA), which is also referred to herein as a non-AP STA. For example, a device configured to support one or more Wi-Fi protocols may be an example of an AP (e.g., may operate in accordance with an AP mode) and / or may be an example of a non-AP STA (e.g., may operate in accordance with a non-AP STA mode). In some examples, an AP may control Wi-Fi communications for one or more non-AP STAs. For example, an AP may be (or may be connected to) a central entity used to establish (and / or control) one or more connections between one or more STAs and another network (e.g., the Internet). In other words, in some examples, the AP may connect a wired network (e.g., the Internet) to a wireless network (e.g., the WLAN). In some instances, a Wi-Fi network may be identified via one or more identifiers, such as a service set identifier (SSID) or a basic service set identifier (BSSID).

[0070] In some examples, an AP of a WLAN system includes at least one distribution system access function configured to facilitate data communication beyond the AP. Additionally, or alternatively, STAs may be configured to be end devices, which rely on association with an AP to communicate with devices other than the AP. An AP may be configured to connect to a wired local area network (LAN) (e.g., via Ethernet). The AP may allow one or more client devices (e.g., STAs) to access wireless connections via WLAN. The client devices may also be referred to as “WLAN clients”. WLAN clients may comprise various devices and / or types of devices, including laptops, tablets, cell phones, and / or other devices.

[0071] A WLAN system may support one or more architectures (types of logical relationships between devices). For example, a WLAN system may support an autonomous architecture, a centralized architecture, a cooperative architecture, and / or other types of architectures. In some examples of an autonomous architecture, APs are stand-alone APs configured with features and capabilities to operate without any reliance on another device. In some examples of a centralized architecture, a centralized network manager may regulate the operation of the WLAN. In other words, the network manager may be the AP or may be connected to one or more APs within the WLAN. For example, APs may be connected (e.g., wirelessly and / or via a wired connection) to a central entity, which may be configured to act as a network manager. In some examples, the network manager is a cloud-based entity, which may reside either in a private cloud or in a public cloud. In some examples of a cooperative architecture (also referred to as a network manager-less or controller-less architecture), a virtual management (e.g., cloud-based) system may be used to control a WLAN. For example, the virtual management system may employ a cooperative communication method between one or more APs to control the WLAN. In other examples, acentralized network manager may use a wireless system to provide local connection to clients (e.g., STAs). For example, the centralized network manager may be a controller configured to perform operations related to authentication, authorization, accounting (e.g., via an authentication, authorizing, and accounting (AAA) server), and / or other operations.

[0072] Additionally, or alternatively, a WLAN system may support one or more topologies (types of physical connections between various devices within the WLAN system). For example, the WLAN system may support an infrastructure topology which may include a combination of wired and wireless connections. In some examples of an infrastructure topology, the infrastructure topology may include one or more wired devices with a wired connection to a network (e.g., one or more APs that are each connected via a cable to a switch) and the one or more wired devices may support one or more wireless connections to one or more wireless devices (e.g., laptops, tablets, cell phones), such that the wireless devices may connect wirelessly to the network. In other words, the one or more wired devices may serve as a bridge between the wireless network and the wired network. Additionally, or alternatively, the WLAN system may support an ad hoc topology, which does not rely on infrastructure (e.g., cables, routers, servers, or APs). In some examples of an ad hoc network, one or more STAs (also referred to as clients or client devices) may wirelessly connect to other devices in a peer-to-peer network. Additionally, or alternatively, the WLAN system may support a mesh topology in which multiple network devices are interconnected with each other via wireless connections. For example, in accordance with a mesh topology, an AP (e.g., each AP), which may support one or more wireless connections with one or more STAs, may communicate wirelessly with one or more other APs.

[0073] In accordance with one or more Wi-Fi protocols, data may be transmitted wirelessly between two devices (e.g., an AP and a STA) via packets, referred to as protocol data units (PDUs). In other words, Wi-Fi communications may include transmission and reception of one or more PDUs. For example, data may be communicated via a frame (e.g., a medium access control (MAC) frame), which may include one or more PDUs. In some instances, multiple frames may include the same PDU. In some examples, a PDU may include data (referred to as a payload), as well as one or more headers (e.g., a sequence of one or more fields) and / or one or more trailers (e.g., a sequence of bits appended to the PDU, after the payload). In some examples, the data included in the PDU, may be user data, control data, management data, and / or other types of data. In some examples, frames may include data type frames, control type frames, management type frames, and / or other types of frames. At least one frame type (e.g., each frame type) may be included in a PDU, wherein a payload of a PDU may comprise user data, control data,management data, and / or other data. In some examples, a WLAN system may implement one or more security protocols to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Wi-Fi communications.

[0074] In some examples, a WLAN system may support transmission opportunities (TXOPs) to increase throughput, such as for high priority data, by providing contention-free channel access for a period of time. A TXOP may be available in a quality of service (QoS) mode as part of Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA), and / or may be a limited time period of contention-free channel access available to the channel-owning station (e.g., the TXOP holder). During such a period a TXOP holder, which may be a STA or an AP, may send multiple frames that satisfy criteria, which may have been determined for the use of TXOP. In some examples, the criteria may allow transmission of frames belonging to an access category (AC) other than the AC for which the TXOP has been obtained. In some examples, a TXOP may increase throughput and / or reduce delay of QoS data frames by eliminating contention periods between transmissions. In some examples, a TXOP may be used in combination with frame aggregation and block acknowledgement to further increase throughput.

[0075] In some examples, access categories have different channel access parameters, such as Arbitration Interframe Spacing (AIFS), duration, contention window size, and TXOP limit. In some examples, values of these parameters may be set in a manner that increases a likelihood of higher priority packets being prioritized over lower priority packets. For example, the values of the parameters may be set that a STA (typically) waits for a shorter duration before sending the higher priority packets compared to a duration that the STA may wait before sending the lower priority packets. Additionally, or alternatively, the values of the parameters may be set so that the contention window for higher priority packets is smaller than that of lower priority packets and / or so that multiple packets may be sent in a TXOP. In some examples, a TXOP holder, which may be either a STA or an AP, may send frames to multiple recipients during a TXOP. In addition to QoS data frames, other frames may be exchanged during the TXOP, such as an acknowledgement (ACK), BlockAckReq / BlockAck frames, and / or other control and management frames.

[0076] In some examples, a WLAN system uses multi-link operation (MLO) to improve data transmission (e.g., via using multiple frequency bands for transmissions). In some examples, MLO further comprises various features, including simultaneous transmit and receive (STR), multi-channel multi-radio (MCMR), enhanced multi-AP roaming (E-MAR), non-simultaneous transmit and receive (NSTR), multi-link multi-radio (MLMR), and / or other features.

[0077] An AP that supports MLO may be referred to as an AP multi-link device (MLD). An MLO-capable client, for example, such as a STA, may be referred to as a non-AP MLD. Such a client device may have two or more STAs with which it may establish links to an AP MLD. A connection between a STA and AP may represent a link between an AP MLD and a non-AP MLD. In some examples, APs which do not support MLO may be multi-band APs which have two or more APs operating in different bands and / or channels. An AP may operate in one or more bands and / or channels and a client device may connect to the AP via one or more of the bands and / or channels. For example, a client device may associate with the AP in one of the channels. An AP MLD may operate as a multi-band AP, while providing means for a multilink (ML) capable client (non-AP MLD) to simultaneously use two or more of its radios and / or APs for communication with a single association. An AP MLD may be an MLMR, which is configured to communicate simultaneously with its APs with associated non-AP MLDs. Non-AP MLDs may have constraints (e.g., NSTR), which may indicate that simultaneous communication over established links is not possible. Therefore, in some such instances, a non-AP MLD may associate to an AP MLD. Accordingly, the non-AP MLD may be associated over two or more bands and / or channels and may communicate with the APs affiliated to the AP MLD over the established links.

[0078] WLAN devices configured with STR may be configured to allow simultaneous transmission and / or reception via different respective frequency bands, which may reduce latency. WLAN devices configured with MCMR may be configured to allow data transmission via two or more radios and / or channels, which may increase efficiency, reduce congestion, and / or increase network speeds. WLAN devices configured with enhanced multilink single-radio (EMLSR) may be configured to allow client devices to switch between multiple respective APs while maintaining their connections, which may allow more consistent connectivity. WLAN devices configured with NSTR may be configured to allow client devices to non-simultaneous transmission and / or reception via different respective frequency bands, which may reduce latency (particularly in comparison with single-link operation). WLAN devices configured with MLMR may be configured to allow different respective radios and / or channels to be used for managing respective links, which may reduce interference and / or improve network performance.

[0079] A WLAN system may be configured with various types of service sets, for example, such as basic service set (BSS) and / or an extended service set (ESS). A BSS may be comprised of an AP and one or more client devices (e.g., STAs) associated with the AP. The one or more client devices may have one or more common physical layer (PHY) medium access characteristics (e.g., radio frequency, modulation scheme, security settings, and / or the like). A BSSID may define the BSS such that the one or more client devices of the BSS share the same BSSID.

[0080] In some examples, two or more BSSs may have overlapping coverage areas, and they may operate with either partially or entirely same radio frequency channels. In such examples of overlapping BSSs (OBSSs), a client device may transmit frames from the area of overlap, and one or more other client devices may sense the transmission. Responsive to sensing the transmission, the one or more other client devices may cease their own transmissions. In some examples, if the other client devices do not sense the transmission, the other client devices may become hidden terminals with respect to the client device which is transmitting.

[0081] Figure 1 illustrates an example communications system 100 to which one or more examples disclosed herein may be applied. The communications system 100 may include a cloud network 105, one or more APs (e.g., an AP 110a, an AP 110-b), and one or more client devices, also referred to herein as STAs, connected to the one or more APs. For example, the communications system 100 may include a STA 115-a and a STA 115-b connected to the AP 110-a, as well as a STA 115-c and a STA 115-d connected to the AP 110-b. In some examples, the APs 110 may be mobile access points (mAPs) with constrained functionality. In some such examples, a configuration comprising an mAP and a STA may be implemented as part of a peer-to-peer connection, for example, as in WiFi Direct or Wi-Fi Aware. In some examples, a device may simultaneously operate as a STA and as an AP. One such an example case is in a multi-AP network, which includes two or more devices that may act as APs and use Wi-Fi for the wireless backhaul connectivity based on a STA-AP connection model.

[0082] In some wireless communications systems, APs may provide wireless connectivity for one or more STAs according to the Wi-Fi standards, such as those that are a subset of the IEEE 802 family of standards. For example, the MAC and PHY specifications for Wi-Fi access points are defined by IEEE 802.11 for transmitting and receiving data in frequency bands such as 2.4 GHz, 3.6 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 60 GHz, and / or the like. APs and STAs may communicate through the transmission of frames, including data frames, management frames, and / or control frames, which may be transmitted in unicast messages, broadcast messages, or multicast messages. The 802.11 standards define an inter-frame space (IFS) as the nominal time (in microseconds (ps)) that the MAC and PHY use to receive the last symbol of a frame, process the frame, and respond with the first symbol of a response frame (e.g., the earliest possible response frame).

[0083] In the example of Figure 1 , the STAs 115 may be configured to be in a wireless connection with at least one Wi-Fi AP (e.g., the APs 110). Functionalities of the at least one Wi-Fi AP may be implemented by various entities and / or types of entities, for example, such as APs, mAPs, access nodes,nodes, hosts, servers, base stations, and / or other entities suitable for such usage. Functionalities of the at least one client device may be implemented by various entities and / or types of entities, for example, such as clients-side user devices, STAs, UEs, and / or other entities suitable for such usage. For example, the communications system 100 may support radio frequency sensing during IFS.

[0084] The communications system 100 may support latency-sensitive applications at Wi-Fi devices (e.g., APs, STAs). Some such applications may include for example virtual reality (VR) applications, mixed reality applications, extended reality (XR) and augmented reality (AR) applications. In some cases, reliability and non-deterministic channel access, such as for wideband transmissions, may constrain a performance of latency-sensitive applications. For example, for a wideband transmission (or channel bonding), a device may use a primary 20 MHz channel to communicate control frames and management frames and may communicate data frames by bonding a BSS primary channel (also referred to herein as a reference primary channel or, more simply, a primary channel) with one or more other available 20 MHz channels, which are referred to as secondary channels. Channel bonding was introduced to provide for transmissions over multiple contiguous 20 MHz channels. In some instances, channel bonding may support transmissions over a total bandwidth of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz.

[0085] In some examples, if the device assesses the BSS primary channel to be idle, the device may perform a wideband transmission across a bandwidth including the BSS primary channel or the BSS primary channel and one or multiple contiguous secondary channels (e.g., totaling 40 MHz, 80MHz, or 160 MHz or 320MHz). In some instances, however, an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) transmission may overlap (partially or fully) with the BSS primary channel. In some such instances, the device may determine that the BSS primary channel is busy and, as such, may defer the wideband transmission. Consequently, the secondary channels may sit idle until the BSS primary channel is available, which may lead to reduced performance, for example, for latency-sensitive applications.

[0086] A procedure (e.g., a procedure defined in IEEE 802.11ac) may enable a device, such as a STA, to adjust a transmission bandwidth of the STA per TXOP to include 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz based on channel availability. In some examples, however, the adjustment to the transmission bandwidth may be contingent upon the resulting bandwidth being contiguous, and the primary channel was assessed to be idle. For example, the STA may adjust the transmission bandwidth of the STA per TXOP to include 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz based on channel availability so long as the resulting bandwidth is contiguous, and the primary channel was assessed to be idle. In some cases, however, suchconstraint may result in a substantial amount of unused spectrum, as some non-contiguous 20 MHz channels may be available, but sit idle due to the STA being constrained to using contiguous channels.

[0087] IEEE 802.11 bn is the Task Group working on a specification that will be the basis of Wi-Fi 8. The main target of this Task Group is a marked reduction in latency for Wi-Fi STAs running latencysensitive applications such as VR, mixed reality, and AR.

[0088] In this context, one of the main limitations of IEEE 802.1 Ts current design is its limited reliability and non-deterministic channel access, especially for wideband transmissions. When wideband transmission (or channel bonding) is used, the listen before talk (LBT) procedure is required on each of the 20 MHz channels comprising the overall bandwidth used in the transmission. When operating in this mode, one of those 20 MHz channels is selected as the primary channel. The primary channel is used as the reference channel to communicate critical control and management frames, as well as to support legacy STAs, while data frames are transmitted across the entire bandwidth (BW) by bonding the primary 20 MHz channel with all other available 20 MHz channels, which are called secondary channels. For an AP or non-AP STA to acquire a TXOP and perform a wideband transmission, it has to first “win” the primary channel via the EDCA procedure regardless of whether the secondary channels are idle or not for which the STA will perform a separate check via a point coordination function (PCF) interframe space (PIFS) Clear Channel Assessment (CCA).

[0089] In 802.11 ac, this procedure was enhanced to allow a STA to adjust its transmission bandwidth per TXOP to 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz, based on channel availability, as long as the resulting bandwidth was contiguous, and the primary channel was assessed to be idle. These limitations resulted in a significant amount of unused spectrum, as many available, but non-contiguous 20 MHz channels ended up sitting idle while could not be used.

[0090] To mitigate this issue, 802.11 ax and 802.11 be introduced the concept of preamble puncturing, which allows a STA to create bandwidth out of non-contiguous idle (e.g., CCA clear) channels. However, the STA is still required to first capture the primary 20 MHz channel via EDCA. Given the ever-increasing amount of spectrum available for 802.11 transmissions, this restriction often leaves large chunks of spectrum unused. In fact, the primary channel currently represents the bottleneck in terms of system performance and spectrum utilization.

[0091] As an example, Figure 2 illustrates an example when a 20 MHz OBSS transmission (e.g., transmission from neighboring AP / non-AP STAs or any other device utilizing the same frequency carrier) overlaps with a reference 160 MHz In-BSS transmission (e.g., transmission from a reference AP / non-APSTA). As shown the OBSS transmission 210 overlaps one of the reference secondary channels. In this case, puncturing is applied, removing the 20 MHz channel used by the OBSS transmission 210 from the reference transmission BW, and the reference In-BSS transmission proceeds over a reduced BW.

[0092] As an example, Figure 3 illustrates an example when a 20 MHz OBSS transmission (e.g., transmission from neighboring AP / non-AP STAs or any other device utilizing the same frequency carrier) overlaps with a reference 160 MHz In-BSS transmission (e.g., transmission from a reference AP / non-AP STA). As shown, the OBSS transmission 310 overlaps the reference primary 20 MHz channel. In this case, transmission must be deferred, since the primary channel is busy. As a result, all but the first 20 MHz (used by the OBSS) sit idle (denoted as “Unused Resources”) until the primary channel is free again.

[0093] Due to this restriction, current Wi-Fi deployments must be carefully provisioned and planned, assigning neighbouring BSSs orthogonal primary channels and often precluding high BW support (as they may overlap a neighbor’s primary channel as shown with reference to Figure 3). This results in an inefficient use of spectrum resources and lower effective system throughput in existing solutions.

[0094] This issue is exacerbated by the fact that the maximum operating bandwidth increases roughly with every Wi-Fi generation. Channel bonding was introduced in 802.11 n, allowing transmissions over contiguous 40 MHz. This was extended to 80 MHz and 160 MHz in 802.11ac. Finally, 802.11 be now supports 320 MHz.

[0095] Figure 4 illustrates an example of how the BSS behaves in 802.11 be in the presence of OBSS transmissions. In the first transmission period 410, there is no OBSS transmission and so the BSS transmits over the entire 160 MHz bandwidth. In the second transmission period 420, there is an OBSS transmission in the last 20 MHz of the 160 MHz bandwidth. With the introduction of preamble puncturing in 802.11 ax and 802.11 be, in the second transmission period 420, the BSS can transmit over the first 140 MHz, leaving the last 20 MHz to the OBSS and no spectrum goes unused. However, in the third transmission period 430, the OBSS is using the first 20 MHz, which is the BSS’s primary channel, and as such, the BSS cannot transmit anything, leaving 140 MHz unused (denoted as “Unused Resources”).

[0096] In 802.11 ax, the concept of spatial reuse (SR) has been defined to address potential overlaps between adjacent BSSs. While neighboring BSSs could be provisioned such that they operate on nonoverlapping channels, as discussed above, this is not always possible, especially as channel bandwidths become larger and deployments become more dense. 802.11 ax helps mitigate this issue with a multilayered SR mechanism which allows to identify signals from overlapping systems and apply some interference management techniques.

[0097] As part of 802.11 ax SR, the concept of BSS coloring was introduced which assigns a unique label to each BSS, called the BSS color. Initially an AP randomly selects a color from 1 to 63, and mentions its color in the High Efficiency (HE) Operation element, beacon, or probe responses. Each STA that is associated with that AP adopts that color. For any frame sent in the BSS, the transmitter indicates in the signal (SIG) A field of the physical layer (PHY) header the BSS color associated with that BSS. Through this information a collision can be detected anytime a STA detects a frame sent from another STA in an OBSS with the same color as its own. In this case, 802.11ax allows a STA to report a color collision through an Event Report Frame, which is an action frame that includes an Event Report field that indicates the BSS color collision. Upon concluding that a color collision has occurred, an AP can start by disabling its own color by properly setting the BSS Color Disabled bit in the HE Operation element. Upon receiving a beacon with the updated information, all its associated STAs would then know that the current color is no longer valid. The AP can then subsequentially send a BSS Color Change Announcement or a specific HE BSS Color Change announcement action frame, which contains the value of the new color and a color switch countdown value that indicates when the new color will come in effect. As these messages are repeated in each beacon, the color switch countdown is updated and serves as a countdown timer, and once it reaches zero, the AP will start to announce the new color.

[0098] On top of this operation, the 802.11 ax SR feature also introduces some interference mitigation techniques: i) a technique to ignore the transmissions of the OBSS system if it is below the OBSS Packet Detection threshold thereby allowing the STA to transmit while another OBSS STA is also transmitting, and ii) a technique to reduce the transmit power to minimize the disruptions to the neighboring OBSS when transmitting concurrently. These two techniques are the OBSS Packet Detection (PD) method and the parametrized SR (PSR) method.

[0099] The OBSS PD method is used mainly for untriggered transmissions. With this method, any STA in a BSS can individually set its sensitivity threshold between -82 and -62 dBm, which are called OBSS PDmin and OBSS PDmax respectively, and any signal weaker than this value is ignored. However, an AP can also set boundaries and prevent a STA from setting a very aggressive threshold by announcing a non-SRG (Spatial Reuse Group) OBSS PDmax value within the Spatial Reuse Parameter Set element, which is transmitted in the beacons or in the association response frames. While an AP can advertise a single non-SRG OBSS PDmax value, it is also possible to set different OBSS values for different neighboring systems. In this case, the AP will indicate in the Spatial Reuse Parameter Set element of the beacon or probe response a list of colors or a partial list of BSSIDs, forming an SRG, along with the correspondingSRG OBSS PDmin and SRG OBSS PDmax. A STA in the BSS applies these thresholds to any traffic detected coming from an OBSS whose color matches the ones in the group. A STA will use the non-SRG OBSS PDmax for BSS colors that are not contained in any of the SRGs, and if the AP does not provide one it will set its own static values for BSS colors that are not contained in any of the SRG.

[0100] When using a higher OBSS PD threshold (e.g., ignoring OBSS transmissions with higher power values), a STA may also adjust its transmit power so that its own transmission will not negatively affect the ignored OBSS transmitter. In this sense, 802.11 ax introduced some simple conditions for power reduction compared to some predefined reference transmit power (TPref), which purely depends on the STA type and spatial stream (SS) count: TPref =21 dBm for non-AP STAs; TPref = 21 dBm for APs with 2 or less SSs; and TPref = 25 dBm for APs with 3 or more SSs.

[0101] When the non-SRG OBSS PD method is used, the transmit power of the STA (TPSTA) shall satisfy the following constrains:<(equ. 1)where BW is the operating BW in MHz. Thus, a STA is allowed to dynamically set its transmit power by using the received power value of any frame coming from the OBSS as reference, as long as the received signal is lower than the OBSS PDmax value, so that to adjust its power to a lower value than that recommended through the equation 1 above.

[0102] The PSR method, which is used for trigger-based transmissions, aims to inform STAs in the neighboring OBSSs how much they can transmit without affecting the reference AP’s ability to properly decode the uplink frames from its own associated STAs. This is achieved as follows: (i) an AP includes in the Common Info field of a trigger frame its own TX power and the bandwidth of the expected uplink transmission, but also an UL Spatial Reuse field, which includes up to four PSR values, called PSRnput. These values are calculated by the AP based on its determination of an acceptable interference level, which is defined as the maximum interference that the AP can tolerate (IAP) while still being able to receive and decode uplink frames properly, and in particular PSRinput is calculated as follows:PSRinput—Up + TXAP(equ. 2)where TxAPis the AP Tx power. Notice that an AP indicates to its associated STAs a target received signal strength indicator (RSSI) allowing the STAs to transmit with a transmit power such that the power level ofall the received frames is the same at the AP. (ii) an associated STA does not use the PSRinput values directly, but it indicates these values within the HE SIG-A field of the uplink frame it transmits in response to the trigger frame containing that information. And (iii) when a STA receives a trigger frame that includes the TX power and PSRinput values from an AP it is not associated with, it may decide to transmit at a power level that won’t cause harm to that OBSS AP.

[0103] Figure 5 illustrates an example of OBSS PD-based SR as introduced in 802.11 ax. In this example, the behavior of STA 510 (denoted as “STA1”) is impacted by transmissions from BSS 532 (denoted as “BSS2”) and BSS 534 (denoted as “BSS3”). STA 510 receives transmissions from AP 522 (denoted as AP2) and AP 524 (denoted as “AP3”), for which it would normally have to back off. However, by using OBSS PD-based SR, STA 510 can set a higher OBSS PD threshold and reduce its transmit power (limiting its impact and collisions at AP 522 and AP 524), allowing STA 510 to ignore the RTS from AP 522 so that when it receives an RTS from AP 520 (denoted as “AP1”), it can return a CTS while not negatively impacting transmissions between AP 522 and STA 512 (denoted as “STA2”). When it later receives an RTS from AP 524 (denoted as “AP3”), it can do the same thing, allowing it to hear the data transmission from AP 520 and return an ACK without negatively impacting the transmissions between AP 524 and STA 514.

[0104] To address some of the primary channel limitations identified above, the concept of NonPrimary Channel Access (NPCA) has been proposed in 802.11 bn. The basic concept is to temporarily utilize an idle alternative channel as a primary channel, referred to herein as an “NPCA primary channel,” when the BSS’s primary channel is occupied by OBSS or other transmissions. Figure 6 illustrates an example of NPCA. As shown, the NPCA primary channel 610 is selected as an alternative primary channel in response to the OBSS transmission 620 occupying the primary channel.

[0105] IEEE 802.11 bn has agreed to define NPCA, a mode of operation that enables a STA to access a secondary channel when the primary channel is known to be busy due to OBSS traffic or other to-be-defined (TBD) conditions. The mode of operation shall not assume that the STA is capable of detecting or decoding a frame to obtain NAV information on secondary channels concurrently with the primary channel. A BSS shall only have a single NPCA primary channel on which the STA contends while the primary channel of the BSS is known to be busy due to OBSS traffic or other TBD conditions. See 24 / 1659r2, “November-2024-working-group-motions.”

[0106] While currently the effort in 802.11 bn is to introduce enhancements to enable NPCA individually, as mentioned above, SR was introduced in 802.11 ax and therefore it is also important to solveissues that may arise due to the interoperability between these two features or when these features are enabled together. For example, when SR and NPCA are operated concurrently, an OBSS transmission that overlaps the primary channel may cause some STAs to switch to the NPCA primary channel while allowing others to stay put. This may depend on STAs’ different OBSS PD thresholds and the PSR values. One issue with this is that it will cause switching ambiguity between the AP and its STAs as well as undesired switching for some devices. An example of this issue is provided in Figure 7. This example shows the case where BSS 730 (denoted as “BSS1”) operates OBSS PD-based SR. AP 720 (denoted as “APT’), STA 710 (denoted as “STA1”) and STA 750 (denoted as “STAT*”) all choose their own OBSS PD thresholds in such a way that they limit their impact on adjacent OBSS transmissions. However, they choose different OBSS PD thresholds. AP 720 and STA 710 choose an OBSS PD threshold at the “higher end” of the allowed range, imposing a lower sensitivity to OBSS transmissions. In return, they lower their transmit powers to limit their impact on BSS 732 (denoted as “BSS2”). As a result, they will ignore the overlapping OBSS transmission from BSS 732 and continue to operate on the primary channel. By comparison, STA 750 chooses an OBSS PD threshold at the “lower end” of the allowed range, imposing an higher sensitivity to OBSS transmissions. Thus, it does not ignore the overlapping OBSS from BSS 732 and switches to the NPCA primary channel.

[0107] The variability in OBSS PD thresholds may exacerbate the ambiguity that NPCA creates among devices within the same BSS when it comes to determining when to switch to the NPCA primary channel, resulting in a loss of connectivity for some non-AP STAs. On top of this, it is also important to note that as per current agreed motions, switching to the NPCA primary channel may be mandated to occur when a STA receives an OBSS control frame exchange or OBSS High Efficiency (HE) / Extremely High Throughput (EHT) / Ultra High Reliability (UHR) Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) regardless of the received power level, for example: The event that triggers switching to the NPCA primary channel shall be (i) OBSS Control frame exchange (e.g., (MU-)RTSZCTS) or (ii) OBSS HE / EHT / UHR PPDU, with other conditions to be determined. See 802.11-24 / 171r26.

[0108] These motions do not account for SR. Thus, there is a need to address complications that arise from concurrent NPCA and SR operation. Additionally, it is important to highlight that NPCA and SR are two features that address the same issue (e.g., the overlap of OBSS transmissions with BSS transmissions). However, SR may be preferred when the distance between BSSs is far and a small change in either individual OBSS PD thresholds or PSR values may reduce or eliminate the existing interference and mutual blocking between adjacent BSSs, while NPCA may be preferred when the distance betweenBSSs is shorter, and the received power of OBSS transmissions is greater, making changes in OBSS PD thresholds and PSR values less effective. In these cases, when the OBSS transmission overlaps the primary channel, there will be no option for mostly all STAs but to switch to the NPCA primary channel.

[0109] This implies that while SR and NPCA may operate concurrently, it may also be possible that these two features may be operated one at the time depending on interference conditions. Therefore, it would be beneficial to define rules that determine when each feature is used independently.

[0110] Some example embodiments described herein provide technical improvements for the interoperability between NPCA and SR. As described above, it is important to configure NPCA and SR to resolve issues that arise when they are individually enabled. Further, it is important to make sure NPCA and SR operate properly when used together. It is also important to maintain backward compatibility and make sure that when NPCA is enabled together with the legacy SR, neither of the two features negatively impact each other. Some example embodiments described herein provide technical improvements to these and other issues.

[0111] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved techniques that indicate how and / or when to configure NCPA and / or SR. For example, some embodiments provide improved techniques for scenarios where an NPCA-capable AP and its associated NPCA-capable non-AP STAs operate SR and NPCA concurrently, such as how to select the OBSS PD threshold when an OBSS PD-based approach is used, how to select the PSR values when the PSR-based approach is used, or how and / or when to switch from the primary channel to the NPCA primary channel. Some example embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved techniques that indicate how an AP or a set of APs may decide on how to enable NPCA or SR, for example, when the AP or set of APs have the capability to enable both NPCA and SR. In some examples, it may not be possible to jointly operate NPCA and SR or it may be determined to not jointly operate NPCA and SR, and some example embodiments described herein may provide improved techniques for how to select one of NPCA or SR at a time.

[0112] As discussed above, current motions and proposals in 802.11 bn related NPCA aim to define the design of this feature and solve issues that arise when NPCA is individually enabled. However, it is also important to make sure that NPCA and SR operate properly when used concurrently. Furthermore, when introducing a feature like NPCA into the 802.11 bn standard, it is important to maintain backward compatibility with older features such as the basic SR protocol introduced in 802.11 ax. Various embodiments described herein provide technical improvements to address these issues and others.

[0113] In some embodiments, when an NPCA and SR capable AP and its associated NPCA and SR capable non-AP STA operate NPCA, then forthose devices SR may not be jointly enabled with NPCA.

[0114] In some embodiments, when NPCA and SR are both enabled in a BSS, a STA using OBSS PD-based SR with both NPCA and SR enabled may switch to an NPCA primary channel if the STA receives an OBSS control frame or an OBSS High Efficiency (HE) / Extremely High EHT / UHR PPDU that overlaps the primary channel. In some embodiments, the STA may switch to an NPCA primary channel if the received OBSS control frame or OBSS HE / EHT / UHR PPDU that overlaps the primary channel has or is associated with a received power level that satisfies a predetermined threshold. In some examples, such a threshold may be a legacy threshold (-82 dBm) or OBSS PD minimum. In some examples, such a threshold may be the OBSS PD threshold, which in some examples may be selected by the STA as part of the 802.11 ax SR mechanism or via another technique as described herein.

[0115] In some embodiments, when NPCA and SR are both enabled, after switching to the NPCA primary channel, a STA may adopt the SR transmit power constraints, for example, based on its own OBSS PD threshold per the following equation:OBSS_PDlevel< max (OBSS_PDmin, min 0BSS_PDmax, OBSS_PDmin+ (TX_PWRref- TX-PWR + 10logl0 PPDU_BW / 20MHz~)(equ.3)In some embodiments, when NPCA and SR are both enabled, after switching to the NPCA primary channel, a STA may ignore the SR transmit power constraints and operate as if SR is disabled (e.g., operate without constraints from SR).

[0116] In some embodiments, when NPCA and SR are both enabled, and switching to NPCA primary channel has occurred, once the STA switches back from the NPCA primary channel to the primary channel, the STA may be subject to the SR transmit power constraints per equation 3 above and based on its own OBSS PD.

[0117] In some embodiments, when NPCA and SR are both enabled, an AP may select a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value. For example, an AP may select non-SRG OBSS PDmax = X, where, for example X=-82 dB. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, a STA may select an OBSS PD minimum value and / or an OBSS PD maximum value, which may be the same or different values. For example, a STA may select an OBSS PDmin = OBSS PDmax = X, where, for example X=-82 dB. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, an AP may not advertise different non-SRG OBSS PD maximumvalues for different neighboring systems (e.g., different BSSs) but may select a single OBSS PD value. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, an AP may select an SRG OBSS PD minimum value and / or an SRG OBSS PD maximum value which, which may be the same or different values. For example, an AP may select an SRG OBSS PDmin = SRG OBSS PDmax = X, where, for example X=-82 dB. In various embodiments, such an SRG OBSS PD maximum and / or SRG OBSS PD minimum value may be either different or the same among different SRGs.

[0118] In some embodiments, when NPCA and SR are both enabled, an AP may advertise a common OBSS PD threshold or a maximum value to be used by all associated STAs, or both. In some embodiments, such thresholds may be announced in the beacons or in association response frames within a new element field or within the Spatial Reuse Parameter Set element. In some embodiments, when such thresholds are announced within the Spatial Reuse Parameter Set element, when NPCA is enabled, one or more of the Spatial Reuse Parameter Set elements may be reinterpreted to indicate the OBSS PD threshold and or maximum value. For example, an indication of this reinterpretation could be signaled by using one of the reserved bits (e.g., B5 to B7) within the SR Control field format, or this reinterpretation may be implicit once NPCA is enabled. In one example, the “non-SRG OBSS PD Max Offset” field may be reinterpreted to indicate the common OBSS PD threshold ora maximum value. In another example, the "SRG OBSS PD Min Offset” field or the "SRG OBSS PD Max Offset” field may be reinterpreted to indicate the common OBSS PD threshold or a maximum value to be used by all associated STAs regardless of or depending on the specific SRG BSS color (e.g., the common OBSS PD threshold is the same for all SRGs or different for each SRG). In another example, the "SRG OBSS PD Min Offset” field or the “SRG OBSS PD Max Offset” field may include an additional element in the bitmap indicating the common OBSS PD threshold or a maximum value to be used by all associated STAs. In such an example, the related SRG Partial BSSID Bitmap element may be set to a predefined value (e.g., zero).

[0119] Figure 8 illustrates an example of how to modify the legacy “Spatial Reuse Parameter Set” element to indicate a common OBSS PD threshold. As shown, the "non-SRG OBSS PD Max Offset” field is used as indication of a common OBSS PD threshold, and at 810, bit B5 of the “SR Control” field format is used to explicitly signal this reinterpretation when NPCA is enabled. In this case, the frame may carry no SRG Information, and at 820, the “SRG Information Present” bitfield in the “SR Parameter Set” element may be set to 0.

[0120] In some embodiments, when an AP advertises both a common OBSS PD threshold and OBSS PD maximum value, the common OBSS PD threshold may be equivalent to the OBSS PD threshold usedby the AP. In this manner, various embodiments may use a common OBSS PD value such that two or more different devices, such as one or more STAs and / or an AP, may use the same OBSS PD value. In an example, this information, together with information associated with the AP TX power that a STA may retrieve in the Common Info field of a trigger frame or a newly defined field which is transmitted in the beacons or in the association response frames, is used by a STA to determine whether an OBSS transmission may need to be considered so that NPCA switching may be triggered when NPCA and SR are both enabled.

[0121] In one example, a STA may estimate the path loss (PL) for the link that connects it with the associated AP. The STA may also determine the RSSI from its own AP. The STA may also determine the RSSI from an OBSS (OBSS_RSSI) for which the AP has advertised a OBSS PD threshold (OBSS PBth), and a maximum value (OBSS PDmax) associated with the color of the OBSS. Continuing this example, based on this information: if OBSS_RSSI > OBSS PBth + PL, then the STA may switch to NPCA; if OBSS_RSSI < OBSS PBth -PL, then the STA may not switch to NPCA and the STA may select its OBSS PD such that OBSS.RSSI < OBSS PD < OBSS PDmax; if RSSI < OBSS.RSSK OBSS PBth, then the STA may not switch to NPCA and may select its OBSS PD such that OBSS_RSSI < OBSS PD < OBSS PDmax.

[0122] In some embodiments, when NPCA and SR are enabled, the PRS method may not be used, may be disabled, or may not be enabled. In some embodiments, when NPCA and SR are both enabled, and a STA has switched to the NPCA primary channel, switching back to the primary channel may be performed according to one or more rules, for example, as disclosed in US Patent Application No.18 / 943,204 filed on November 11 , 2024, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. However, in some embodiments, when NAV information is used to determine the switch back time, either the Basic NAV or the maximum of the Basic and intra-BSS NAVs may be used.

[0123] As previously discussed, NPCA and SR are two features that address similar issues (e.g., overlapping of the OBSS transmissions with the target transmissions from a reference BSS). However, SR may be preferred when the distance between BSSs is far and a change in either OBSS PD thresholds or PSR values may reduce or eliminate interference and mutual blocking between adjacent BSSs while NPCA may be preferred when the distance between BSSs is shorter, and the received power of OBSS transmissions at STAs in the BSS are too high to be accommodated by changes in OBSS PD thresholds or PSR values and the impact of the OBSS is greater.

[0124] While SR and NPCA may be operated concurrently, it may be beneficial for these two features to be enabled and used one at the time under certain network conditions. Some examples embodiments described herein address these and other issues.

[0125] In some embodiments, NPCA and SR may both enabled, but each may be used only under specific conditions. For example, either NPCA or SR may be used depending on the received RSSI of the OBSS PPDU over the primary channel. In some embodiments, the decision may be done in distributed manner (e.g., the STA decides). In one example, SR may be enabled if the received RSSI of the OBSS PPDU over the primary channel is less than a specific threshold (e.g., T), and otherwise, NPCA may be enabled. For example, the following may be used:if RSSI > T — ft, use NPCA, else use (C —)SRequ.4where |3 could be either zero, positive or negative number. In some examples, the value of T may be advertised by an AP (e.g., via the beacon or probe responses). In some embodiments, if a non-AP STA decides to enable NPCA, it may be necessary that the associated AP has NPCA enabled.

[0126] In some embodiments, either NPCA or SR may be used depending on the received RSSI of the OBSS PPDU over the primary channel where the decision is done in centralized manner (e.g., the AP decides). In one example, SR may be enabled by the AP if the received RSSI of the OBSS PPDU over the primary channel is less than a specific threshold (e.g., T), and otherwise, NPCA may be disabled. For example, equation 4 above may be used.

[0127] In some embodiments, a decision to enable NPCA and SR may be made based on specific conditions following one of the embodiments above, and in such embodiments, when NPCA or SR are individually used, such embodiments may employ any of the various techniques described herein. For example, in one embodiment, an overall procedure may be as follows: a STA may determine whether NPCA or SR is used, for example, via the use of equation 3; if NPCA is used, the STA may still use SR when operating on both primary and NPCA primary, and based on a common threshold, the STA may decide when it is proper to perform NPCA switching; if SR is used, then a common threshold may be applied to mitigate interference with the OBSS. In another embodiment, the AP may announce a list of OBSS colors for which NPCA is enabled and SR is disable or SR is enabled and NPCA is disabled.

[0128] Figures 9 and 10 are flowcharts illustrating the operations performed in association with signaling for NPCA and / or SR in accordance with some of the embodiments disclosed herein. The flowchart of Figure 9 illustrates the operations performed, such as by the apparatus 1300 of Figure 13 asembodied by a STA, in order to support communications with an AP. The flowchart of Figure 10 illustrates the operations performed, such as by the apparatus 1300 of Figure 13 as embodied by the AP, in order to support communications with a STA.

[0129] In the example flowchart of Figure 9, a STA (e.g., STAs 115) embodied, such as by apparatus 1300 of Figure 13, includes means, such as the processor 1320, the communication interface 1360 or the like, for receiving signaling for at least one parameter associated with at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR), wherein NPCA and SR are supported and enabled, as shown in block 902. The signaling may be obtained by the apparatus 1300 based on operations of the processor 1320 and via communications interface 1360, for example, by receiving the signaling directly or indirectly from the AP. The STA also includes means, such as the processor 1320, the communication interface 1360 or the like, for performing, based at least in part on the signaling, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR, as shown in block 904.

[0130] In the example flowchart of Figure 10, an AP (e.g., APs 110) which may be embodied by the apparatus 1300 of Figure 13, includes means, such as the processor 1320, the communication interface 1360 or the like, for determining non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are enabled in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) comprising at least one station (STA), as shown in block 1002. The AP also includes means, such as the processor 1320, the communication interface 1360 or the like, for configuring at least one parameter associated with at least one of NPCA or SR, as shown in block 1004. The AP also includes means, such as the processor 1320, the communication interface 1360 or the like, for signaling the at least one parameter to the at least one BSS, as shown in block 1006.

[0131] Figures 11 and 12 are flowcharts illustrating the operations performed in association with configuration information for NPCA and / or SR in accordance with some of the embodiments disclosed herein. The flowchart of Figure 11 illustrates the operations performed, such as by the apparatus 1300 of Figure 13 as embodied by a STA, in order to support communications with an AP. The flowchart of Figure 12 illustrates the operations performed, such as by the apparatus 1300 of Figure 13 as embodied by the AP, in order to support communications with a STA.

[0132] In the example flowchart of Figure 11 , a STA (e.g., STAs 115) embodied, such as by apparatus 1300 of Figure 13, includes means, such as the processor 1320, the communication interface 1360 or the like, determining configuration information for using at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR), wherein NPCA and SR are supported, as shown in block 1102. The STA also includes means, such as the processor 1320, the communication interface 1360 or the like, forperforming, based at least in part on the configuration information, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR, as shown in block 1104.

[0133] In the example flowchart of Figure 12, an AP (e.g., APs 110) which may be embodied by the apparatus 1300 of Figure 13, includes means, such as the processor 1320, the communication interface 1360 or the like, for determining non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are supported in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) comprising at least one station (STA), as shown in block 1202. The AP also includes means, such as the processor 1320, the communication interface 1360 or the like, for determining configuration information for using at least one of NPCA or SR in association with the at least one BSS, as shown in block 1204. The AP also includes means, such as the processor 1320, the communication interface 1360 or the like, for signaling the configuration information to the at least one BSS, as shown in block 1206. The configuration information may be signaled by the processor 1320 via the communication interface 1360, for example, by signaling the configuration information directly or indirectly to the STA(s).

[0134] Figures 9-12 are flowcharts illustrating methods according to certain example embodiments. It will be understood that each block or signal and combination of blocks and signals may be implemented by various means, such as hardware, firmware, processor, circuitry, and / or other communication devices associated with execution of software including one or more computer program instructions. For example, one or more of the procedures described above may be embodied by instructions, such as for example computer program instructions. In this regard, the instructions which embody the procedures described above may be stored by the memory 1340 of an apparatus 1300 employing an example embodiment and executed by at least one processor 1320. As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus (for example, hardware) to produce a machine, such that the resulting computer or other programmable apparatus implements the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that may direct a computer or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture the execution of which implements the function specified in the flowchart blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus provide operations for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart blocks.

[0135] Accordingly, blocks of the flowcharts support combinations of means for performing the specified functions and combinations of operations for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that one or more blocks of the flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the flowcharts, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0136] In Figure 1 , client devices 115 are configured to be in a wireless connection with at least one Wi-Fi AP (e.g., the APs 110). Functionalities of the at least one Wi-Fi AP may be implemented by various entities and / or types of entities, for example, such as APs, mAPs, access nodes, nodes, hosts, servers, base stations, and / or other entities suitable for such usage. Functionalities of the at least one client device may be implemented by various entities and / or types of entities, for example, such as clients-side user devices, non-AP STAs, user equipment (UEs), and / or other entities suitable for such usage.

[0137] In some examples, the communications system 100 may support radiofrequency sensing during IFS. In some examples, the communications system 100 may include a transceiver for transmitting and / or receiving signals. The transceiver may be implemented as a single integrated circuit (e.g., using a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or field-programmable gate array (FPGA)) or as a system-on-a-chip (SOC) that includes different modules for implementing the functionality of the transceiver. The network manager may include a processor and / or a memory (e.g., such as a processor 1320 and / or a memory 1340, further described with respect to Figure 13). The processor 1320 may be used to execute the instructions 1350 stored in the memory 1340 and / or to store information in the memory 1340, for example, such as the results of the executed instructions.

[0138] The Wi-Fi APs 110 may include transceivers for transmitting and / or receiving signals, for example, over a backbone and / or over an access interface. A transceiver may be implemented as a single integrated circuit (e.g., using a single ASIC or FPGA) or as a SOC that includes different modules for implementing the functionality of the transceiver.

[0139] An apparatus 1300 may be implemented by a user device to which resources on the access interface are allocated and assigned, and thus any feature described herein with a user device may be implemented with a corresponding apparatus, such as the apparatus 1300. The Wi-Fi AP 110 may further include a processor (e.g., such as the processor 1320) and a memory (e.g., such as the memory 1340), such that the apparatus 1300 may also be embodied by an AP. The processor 1320 may be used toexecute the instructions 1350 stored in the memory 1340 and / or to store information in the memory 1340, for example, such as the results of the executed instructions.

[0140] The apparatus 1300 may be configured to function as the cloud network 105, APs 110, client devices 115, and / or other entities. As shown in Figure 13, the apparatus includes, is associated with, and / or is in communication with: a processor 1320, a memory 1340, and a communication interface 1360. The processor 1320 may be in communication with the memory device 1340 via a bus for passing information among components of the apparatus 1300. The memory device 1340 may be non-transitory and may include, for example, one or more volatile and / or non-volatile memories. In other words, for example, the memory device 1340 may be an electronic storage device (e.g., a computer readable storage medium) comprising gates configured to store data (e.g., bits) that may be retrievable by a machine (e.g., a computing device like the processor 1320). The memory device 1340 may be configured to store information, data, content, applications, instructions, or the like for enabling the apparatus to carry out various functions in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., the instructions 1350). For example, the memory device 1340 could be configured to buffer input data for processing by the processor 1320. Additionally or alternatively, the memory device 1340 may be configured to store the instructions 1350 for execution by the processor 1320.

[0141] The instructions 1350 may be comprised in a computer-readable medium or a non-transitory computer readable medium. A term “non-transitory”, as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (e.g., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., random access memory (RAM) vs. read only memory (ROM)).

[0142] Figure 13 depicts an example of a simplified block diagram of an apparatus according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, whose implementation may differ from what is shown. The connections shown in Figure 13 are logical connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the system typically comprises also other functions and structures than those shown in Figure 13.

[0143] The apparatus 1300 may, in some embodiments, be embodied in various computing or communication devices as described above. However, in some embodiments, the apparatus may be embodied as a chip or chip set. In other words, the apparatus may comprise one or more physical packages (e.g., chips) including materials, components and / or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., a baseboard). The structural assembly may provide physical strength, conservation of size, and / or limitation of electrical interaction for component circuitry included thereon. The apparatus may therefore, in somecases, be configured to implement an embodiment of the present disclosure on a single chip or as a single system on a chip (SOC). As such, in some cases, a chip or chipset may constitute means for performing one or more operations for providing the functionalities described herein.

[0144] The processor 1320 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For example, the processor 1320 may be implemented by processing circuitry. For example, the processor 1320 may be embodied as one or more of various hardware processing means such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing element with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other circuitry including integrated circuits such as, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose computer chip, and / or the like. As such, in some embodiments, the processor 1320 may include one or more processing cores configured to perform independently. A multi-core processor may enable multiprocessing within a single physical package.Additionally or alternatively, the processor 1320 may include one or more processors configured in tandem via the bus to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining and / or multithreading.

[0145] In an example embodiment, the processor 1320 may be configured to execute the instructions 1350 stored in the memory device 1340 or otherwise accessible to the processor 1320. Alternatively or additionally, the processor 1320 may be configured to execute hard coded functionality. As such, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or by a combination thereof, the processor 1320 may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry) capable of performing operations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when the processor 1320 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA, and / or the like, the processor 1320 may be specifically configured hardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively or additionally, as another example, when the processor 1320 is embodied as an executor of instructions (e.g., instructions 1350), the instructions may specifically configure the processor to perform the algorithms and / or operations described herein when the instructions are executed. However, in some cases, the processor 1320 may be a processor of a specific device (e.g., an image or video processing system) configured to employ an embodiment of the present disclosure by further configuration of the processor by instructions for performing the algorithms and / or operations described herein. The processor 1320 may include, among other things, a clock, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and / or logic gates configured to support operation of the processor 1320.

[0146] The communication interface 1360 may be a device and / or circuitry embodied in either hardware or a combination of hardware and software that is configured to receive and / or transmit data, including media content in the form of video or image files, one or more audio tracks, and / or the like. In this regard, the communication interface 1360 may include, for example, an antenna (or multiple antennas) and supporting hardware and / or software for enabling communications with a wireless communication network. Additionally or alternatively, the communication interface 1360 may include the circuitry for interacting with the antenna(s) to cause transmission of signals via the antenna(s) or to handle receipt of signals received via the antenna(s). In some environments, the communication interface may alternatively or also support wired communication. As such, for example, the communication interface may include a communication modem and / or other hardware / software for supporting communication via cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), universal serial bus (USB) or other mechanisms.

[0147] In some examples, the apparatus 1300 may be an access point (AP) or a non-AP station (STA) (e.g., such as a client device) usable in a Wi-Fi network operating in accordance with wireless standards (e.g., IEEE 802.11 standards). For example, the apparatus 1300 may be a terminal device, such as the STAs 115 of Figure 1. As another example, the apparatus 1300 may be comprised in such a terminal device, for example, as a chipset configured to control the terminal device. As another example, the apparatus 1300 may be a non-AP STA, such as the APs 110 of Figure 1. The apparatus 1300 may be caused or configured to perform at least the method of Figures 9-12 and / or any one or more of the embodiments described.

[0148] In an embodiment, at least some of the processes described herein may be carried out by an apparatus comprising means for carrying out at least some of the described processes. Means for performing elements of the method as disclosed herein may include software and / or hardware components of the apparatus 1300. For example, the at least one processor 1320, the memory 1340, and the instruction 1350 form means for carrying out the method or methods as disclosed herein, and any of the embodiments thereof. As used herein the term “means” is to be construed in singular form, e.g., referring to a single element, or in plural form, e.g., referring to a combination of single elements. Therefore, terminology “means for [performing A, B, C]”, is to be interpreted to cover an apparatus in which there is only one means for performing A, B and C, or where there are separate means for performing A, B and C, or partially or fully overlapping means for performing A, B, C. Further, terminology “means for performing A, means for performing B, means for performing C” is to be interpreted to cover an apparatus in which thereis only one means for performing A, B and C, or where there are separate means for performing A, B and C, or partially or fully overlapping means for performing A, B, C.

[0149] Even though the present disclosure has been described above with reference to an example according to the accompanying drawings, it is clear that the present disclosure is not restricted thereto but can be modified in several ways within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly and they are intended to illustrate, not to restrict, the embodiment. It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. Further, it is clear to a person skilled in the art that the described embodiments may, but are not required to, be combined with other embodiments in various ways.

Claims

THAT WHICH IS CLAIMED:

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least:receiving signaling for at least one parameter associated with at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR), wherein NPCA and SR are supported and enabled; and performing, based at least in part on the signaling, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein performing the at least one action comprises changing to an NPCA primary channel and configuring SR transmit power (i) according to constraints based at least in part on an OBSS PD value associated with the apparatus or (ii) without restrictions from SR operation.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein performing the at least one action comprises:changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel;reverting from the NPCA primary channel back to the primary channel; andconfiguring SR transmit power according to constraints based at least in part on an OBSS PD value associated with the apparatus.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein performing the at least one action comprises:changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel; andreverting from the NPCA primary channel back to the primary channel based on basic network allocation vector (NAV) information or a maximum of basic NAV and intra-basic service set (BSS) NAV information.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein performing the at least one action comprises changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel based at least in part on a color associated with an OBSS.

6. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein performing the at least one action comprises disabling a parametrized SR (PSR) in response to a determination that NPCA is enabled.- 42 -7. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 or 4 to 6, wherein performing the at least one action comprises disabling NPCA and SR from being jointly enabled.

8. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein:performing the at least one action comprises selecting a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or an SRG OBSS PD maximum value and a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value or an SRG OBSS PD minimum value; andthe non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or the SRG OBSS PD maximum value is the same as the non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value or the SRG OBSS PD maximum value, respectively.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:the signaling comprises at least one common OBSS PD value; andthe at least one common OBSS PD value is configured to be used by a plurality of STAs associated with a basic service set (BSS).

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the at least one common OBSS PD value is signaled via at least one of a non-SRG OBSS PD Max Offset field, SRG OBSS PD Min Offset field, SRG OBSS PD Max Offset field.

11. The apparatus according to any of claims 9 to 10, wherein performing the at least one action comprises:changing from a primary channel to an NPCA primary channel based on the at least one common OBSS PD value; orusing the at least one common OBSS PD value for SR.

12. The apparatus according to any of claims 9 to 10, wherein:the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform at least:receiving at least one of an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) control frame, OBSS high efficiency (HE) physical protocol data unit (PPDU), extremely high throughput (EHT) PPDU, or- 43 -ultra-high reliability (UHR) PDDU that overlaps a primary channel and is associated with a received power; anddetermining the received power is greater than an OBSS PD value, the OBSS PD value selected based on SR being enabled; andperforming the at least one action comprises changing to an NPCA primary channel based at least in part on the received power being greater than the OBSS PD value.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the OBSS PD value is an OBSS PD minimum value of -82 dbm or is selected by the apparatus in relation to performing the at least one action associated with SR.

14. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the apparatus comprises a station (STA).

15. A method comprising:receiving signaling for at least one parameter associated with at least one of non-primary channel access (NPCA) or spatial reuse (SR), wherein NPCA and SR are supported and enabled; and performing, based at least in part on the signaling, at least one action associated with at least one of NPCA or SR.

16. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least:determining non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are enabled in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) comprising at least one station (STA);configuring at least one parameter associated with at least one of NPCA or SR; andsignaling the at least one parameter to the at least one BSS.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein configuring the at least one parameter comprises selecting a non-spatial reuse group (SRG) overlapping basic service set (OBSS) packet detection (PD) maximum value.- 44 -18. The apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, wherein configuring the at least one parameter comprises selecting a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value and a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value, wherein the non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value is the same as the non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, wherein configuring the at least one parameter comprises selecting a first non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value associated with the BSS and selecting a second non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value associated with a second BSS, wherein the first non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value is different than the second non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value.

20. The apparatus according to any of claims 16 to 19, wherein signaling the at least one parameter comprises signaling at least one of a non-SRG OBSS PD maximum value or a non-SRG OBSS PD minimum value to the at least one BSS.

21. The apparatus according to any of claims 16 to 20, wherein signaling the at least one parameter comprises signaling, via a beacon, an association response frame, element field, or spatial reuse parameter set element, a common OBSS PD value, wherein the common OBSS PD value is used by one or more STAs within the at least one BSS.

22. The apparatus according to any of claims 16 to 21 , wherein the at least one parameter comprises a common OBSS PD value, wherein the common OBSS PD value is the same as an OBSS PD value used by the apparatus.

23. The apparatus according to any of claims 16 to 22, wherein configuring the at least one parameter comprises disabling parametrized SR (PSR) in response to a determination that NPCA is enabled.

24. The apparatus according to any of claims 16 to 23, wherein configuring the at least one parameter comprises disabling NPCA and SR from being jointly enabled.

25. The apparatus according to any of claims 16 to 24, wherein the apparatus comprises an access point (AP).

26. A method comprising:determining non-primary channel access (NPCA) and spatial reuse (SR) are enabled in association with at least one basic service set (BSS) comprising at least one station (STA);configuring at least one parameter associated with at least one of NPCA or SR; andsignaling the at least one parameter to the at least one BSS.

Images