EHT-SIG-A BSS Color Assignment for Multi-AP Coordination

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Solution Overview

Problem

The IEEE802.11EHT standard lacks a clear method for setting BSS colors when multiple access points cooperatively transmit data to a single station, which hinders efficient communication control in wireless LANs.

Innovation Solution

A communication device is designed to form a first Basic Service Set (BSS) and transmit radio frames with a specific preamble structure, including Legacy and Extremely High Throughput (EHT) fields. The EHT Signal Field (EHT-SIG-A) contains a subfield for setting BSS color, and this value is set based on the BSS color of a second BSS to which the second communication device belongs, without changing the original BSS color.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple access points cooperatively transmit data to a single station using Multi-AP Coordination, then throughput and communication efficiency are improved, but the complexity of BSS color management and coordination between APs increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovethroughputVSAvoidBSS color management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating BSS color assignment based on the specific role and position of each access point in the cooperative transmission system. Primary APs and secondary APs are assigned different BSS color values according to their functional characteristics, allowing the system to manage complexity locally at each AP while achieving global throughput improvement through coordinated transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of operation

If BSS color is changed to enable cooperative transmission between APs, then communication control efficiency is improved, but the original BSS identification and stability are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication control efficiencyVSAvoidBSS color stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamics by making BSS color assignment flexible and context-dependent rather than fixed. The system dynamically assigns different BSS color values to APs based on their role in cooperative transmission (primary vs. secondary AP), allowing the BSS color to adapt to different operational scenarios while maintaining proper identification and control efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS20250081235A1Communication device, communication method, and computer-readable storage medium

Publication Date: 2025.03.06 CANON KK

AI summary

A communication device that forms a first Basic Service Set (BSS) communicates a radio frame including a preamble and a data field of a physical layer (PHY). The preamble includes an Extremely High Throughput (EHT) Signal Field (EHT-SIG-A). The EHT-SIG-A includes a subfield for setting a BSS color, and if the communication device and a first other communication device are to cooperatively transmit the radio frame to a second other communication device, a value of this subfield is set, without changing the BSS color used in a first BSS, based on the BSS color of a second BSS to which the second other communication device belongs.