AP TXOP Sharing Using Interference-Aware Hidden AP Selection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current wireless communication systems fail to effectively allocate TXOP resources among APs that are hidden to each other, leading to inefficient use of shared transmission opportunities.

Innovation Solution

A method for an access point (AP) to determine and share TXOP with other hidden APs by transmitting trigger frames and analyzing responses for interferential APs, using BSSID and BSS color information to select APs that do not interfere with each other, thereby optimizing resource allocation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If TXOP is shared among multiple APs, then resource utilization efficiency is improved, but interference between APs increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource utilization efficiencyVSAvoidinterference between APs

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by having candidate APs report their interferential AP lists in advance before TXOP allocation. The sharing AP uses this pre-reported information to identify hidden APs (APs not reporting each other as interferential) and allocates TXOP to them, thereby preventing interference before it occurs and improving resource utilization efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If APs report interferential APs, then interference reduction is achieved, but information exchange complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterference reductionVSAvoidinformation exchange complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies self-service by having each candidate AP autonomously report its own interferential AP list based on its local knowledge, without requiring centralized coordination or complex information exchange protocols. The sharing AP simply collects these self-reported lists and uses them for allocation decisions, thereby reducing interference while keeping the system simple.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If hidden APs are allocated TXOP, then resource utilization is improved, but detection difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource utilizationVSAvoiddetection difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the intermediary principle by using the interferential AP list reporting mechanism as a mediator to detect hidden APs. Instead of directly detecting hidden APs through complex sensing, the system uses the reports from candidate APs about which APs interfere with them to indirectly identify hidden APs, thereby improving resource utilization while avoiding difficult detection tasks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20260082419A1Method and access point for sharing txop

Publication Date: 2026.03.19 TP-LINK SYSTEMS INC

AI summary

The present disclosure provides a method and an AP for sharing a transmission opportunity (TXOP). A sharing access point (AP) according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a transmitter configured to transmit a first trigger frame for announcing a transmission opportunity (TXOP) to be shared; a receiver configured to receive responses from a plurality of candidate shared APs, wherein each response corresponds to one of the plurality of candidate shared APs, and includes information on interferential APs of the one of the plurality of candidate shared APs; a processor configured to determine one or more shared APs from the plurality of candidate shared APs based on the responses; and the transmitter further configured to transmit a second trigger frame which includes identity (ID) information of the one or more shared APs.