Frame transmission between wireless devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11800445-B2
Application number	US-202117492192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2021
Priority date	Oct 1, 2020
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to wireless communications based on a restricted TWT SP and buffer status. As may be implemented in accordance with one or more embodiments, frames are transmitted based on a restricted TWT SP and buffer status for communications between wireless circuits. Control data for the communications traffic may be processed in response to the restricted TWT SP, with a TXOP ending at the beginning of a restricted TWT SP of a another link, in response to the restricted TWT SP being negotiated in a different link. Such an approach may be carried out where one of the wireless circuits has no STR configuration. A protected duration time for the TWT SP may be set to a time that is less than a duration of the TWT SP in response to the TWT SP being protected by a quiet element duration period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
transmitting frames, in response to detecting a restricted target wakeup time service period (restricted TWT SP) for communications traffic between a first wireless circuit and a second wireless circuit and determining a buffer status of the communications traffic conveyed via a buffer status report poll (BSRP) trigger frame within the restricted TWT SP, corresponding to the communications traffic between the first wireless circuit and the second wireless circuit within the restricted TWT SP; and
processing control data for the communications traffic in response to detecting the restricted TWT SP by:
terminating a transmission opportunity (TXOP) at the beginning of a restricted TWT SP of a second link among multiple links between the first wireless circuit and the second wireless circuit, in response to the restricted TWT SP being negotiated in a first link among the multiple links between the first wireless circuit and the second wireless circuit and in response to the second wireless circuit not having transmitting while receiving (STR) configuration, and/or
setting a protected duration time for the TWT SP to a time that is less than a duration of the TWT SP in response to the TWT SP being protected by a quiet element duration period.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including, in response to the second wireless circuit providing enhanced multi-link single-radio (eMLSR) or enhanced multi-link multi-radio (eMLMR) operation, processing control data for the communications traffic by applying a TWT SP of a first frame exchange in a TXOP outside of the restricted TWT SP that is negotiated in a single link.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless circuit or the second wireless circuit is to operate as a TXOP holder in the second link, further including terminating a TXOP of the second link, at the beginning of the restricted TWT SP of the first link.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second wireless circuit exhibits device characteristics selected from the group consisting of: multi link single radio (MLSR) MLD, enhanced MLSR (eMLSR) MLD, enhanced multi-link multi-radio (eMLMR) MLD, and no transmitting while receiving (NSTR) MLD.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the quiet element duration period refers to a protected duration period during which transmissions are not to occur.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the frames and processing the control data include negotiating traffic for providing higher priority to a data traffic class and national security & emergency preparedness (NSEP) service between the first wireless circuit and the second wireless circuit.

7. The method of claim 6 , including negotiating the restricted TWT SP, polling the buffer status of the negotiated traffic using a buffer status report poll (BSRP) Trigger frame, of the second wireless circuit within the restricted TWT SP.

8. The method of claim 6 , including reporting, by the second wireless circuit, buffer size information of the communications traffic in response to a solicited trigger frame having an explicit indication or in response to the second wireless circuit receiving the solicited trigger frame within the restricted TWT SP.

9. The method of claim 6 , further including indicating, within the restricted TWT SP, by the first wireless circuit an access class (AC) or traffic identifier (TID) in a trigger that the negotiated traffic NSEP belongs to in response to the first wireless circuit being configured to not allocate a resource more than a reported buffer status for the TID of the negotiated traffic for solicited second wireless circuits.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first wireless circuit is an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) and the second wireless circuit is an enhanced multi-link single-radio (eMLSR) station (STA) MLD, including using the AP MLD and eMLSR STA MLD to negotiate a restricted TWT SP in the first link, with the AP MLD as a holder of the TXOP and setting the TXOP of the AP MLD to avoid overlap with the restricted TWT SP in the time domain in the second link, in response to:
the eMLSR STA MLD being a TXOP responder in the TXOP; and
the links are a pair of links with the enhanced multi-link multi-radio (eMLSR) STA MLD operating in eMLSR mode within the restricted TWT SP.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first wireless circuit is an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) and the second wireless circuit is an enhanced multi-link multi-radio (eMLMR) station (STA) MLD, further comprising:
for a restricted TWT SP negotiated by the AP MLD and eMLMR STA MLD in the first link, operating the AP MLD as a TXOP holder while preventing the TXOP of the AP MLD from overlapping with a restricted TWT SP in the time domain in the second link in response to:
the eMLMR STA MLD being the TXOP responder in the TXOP; and
the first and second link being a pair of links where eMLMR STA MLD works in eMLMR mode within the restricted TWT SP; and

for a restricted TWT SP negotiated by the AP MLD and eMLMR STA MLD in the first link, for a restricted TWT SP negotiated by the AP MLD and eMLMR STA MLD in the first link, operating the AP MLD as the TXOP holder while preventing the TXOP of the AP MLD from overlapping with a restricted TWT SP in the time domain in the second link in response to:
the AP MLD being the TXOP responder in the TXOP; and
the first and second link being a pair of links where eMLMR STA MLD works in eMLMR mode within the restricted TWT SP.

12. The method of claim 1 , further including announcing, via the first wireless circuit, individual/broadcast restricted TWT SP agreements that are already established, wherein transmitting the frames includes joining and using one of the announced restricted TWT SP agreements via the second wireless circuit.

13. The method of claim 12 further including announcing, via the first wireless circuit, a traffic/service type that respective ones of restricted TWT SP support, wherein transmitting the frames includes selecting and using one of the restricted TWT SPs based on the traffic/service type that the one restricted TWT SP supports, via the second wireless circuit.

14. The method of claim 1 , including providing higher priority to a traffic class of one or more traffic classes for the communications between the first wireless circuit and the second wireless circuit, by:
announcing, via the first wireless circuit, whether the first wireless circuit provides priority to service to the one or more traffic classes;
announcing, via the second wireless circuit, whether the second wireless circuit requests one or more traffic classes;
assigning a higher priority to frames of the traffic class;
accepting, via the first wireless circuit, a TWT SP request from the second wireless circuit that requests the traffic class in response to determining a network congestion; and
protecting the accepted TWT SP from third devices utilizing a quiet element.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising defining a quiet period duration using a quiet element having a start time that is the same as a start time of the restricted TWT SP and having a duration minimum value corresponding to a duration of the restricted TWT SP.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the BSRP trigger frame indicates a solicited traffic identifier (TID), and the buffer status indicates the buffer status of the solicited TID.

17. A method comprising:
negotiating a restricted target wakeup time service period (TWT SP) for communications traffic between a first wireless circuit and a seco

Assignees

• Nxp Usa Inc

Inventors

• Chu Liwen
• Kwon Young Hoon
• Zhang Hongyuan
• Lou Huiling

Classifications

• H04W52/0216 Primary

  using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame · CPC title

• H04W28/0278 Primary

  using buffer status reports (dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition H04W72/12) · CPC title

• H04W74/04

  Scheduled access (hybrid access H04W74/02) · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title