Search

EP-4738984-A1 - METHODS FOR ENHANCED LOW LATENCY TRANSMISSIONS IN 802.11

EP4738984A1EP 4738984 A1EP4738984 A1EP 4738984A1EP-4738984-A1

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatuses for enhanced low latency transmissions between access points (APs) and non-access points (non-APs). A method by a first station (STA) can include, transmitting, to a second STA , first signaling comprising a first indication associated with a low latency (LL) capability. The method can also include receiving, from the second STA, second signaling comprising a second indication and transmitting, to the second STA and subsequent to receiving the second indication, third signaling in accordance with the LL capability. The method can also include receiving, from the second STA, an acknowledgement associated with the third signaling.

Inventors

  • HEDAYAT, Ahmad Reza
  • ABOUELSEOUD, MOHAMED
  • MEHRNOUSH, MORTEZA
  • SEOK, YONG HO
  • LIU, YONG
  • BATRA, ANUJ

Assignees

  • Apple Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251031

Claims (15)

  1. A method, comprising: by a first station (STA): transmitting, to a second STA, first signaling comprising a first indication associated with a low latency (LL) capability; receiving, from the second STA, second signaling comprising a second indication; transmitting, to the second STA subsequent to receiving the second indication, third signaling in accordance with the LL capability; and receiving, from the second STA, an acknowledgement associated with the third signaling.
  2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication comprises a LL indicator set to a non-zero value.
  3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second indication comprises a reverse direction (RD) indicator set to a non-zero value.
  4. The method of claim 3, wherein the third signaling comprises the RD indicator set to the non-zero value.
  5. The method of claim 3, further comprising: transmitting, to the second STA, additional signaling comprising an additional indication.
  6. The method of claim 5, wherein the additional indication comprises an other RD indicator set to a value of zero.
  7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second signaling is received in one of: a data frame; a quality of service (QoS) null frame; a clear to send (CTS) frame; or a transmission sharing (TXS) frame.
  8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: exchanging, with the second STA, one or more parameters associated with a LL session; and disabling, at a time associated with a parameter of the one or more parameters, the LL session.
  9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signaling is indicated in one of: a control response frame (CRF); a block acknowledgement (BA) frame; an initial control response (ICR) frame; or a multi-STA BA (M-BA) frame.
  10. A method, comprising: by a first station (STA): transmitting initial signaling to a second STA; receiving, from the second STA, first signaling comprising a first indication associated with a low latency (LL) capability; transmitting, to the second STA, second signaling comprising a second indication; receiving, from the second STA subsequent to transmitting the second indication, third signaling in accordance with the LL capability; and transmitting, to the second STA, acknowledgement signaling in response to the third signaling.
  11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: exchanging, with the second STA, one or more parameters associated with a LL session; and disabling, at a time associated with a parameter of the one or more parameters, the LL session.
  12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first indication comprises a LL indicator set to a non-zero value.
  13. The method of claim 10, wherein the second indication comprises a reverse direction (RD) indicator set to a non-zero value.
  14. An apparatus, comprising: a processor configured to, when executing instructions stored in a memory, perform operations according to the method of any of claims 1-13.
  15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a first station (STA) to perform operations according to the method of any of claims 1-13.

Description

FIELD The present application relates to wireless communications, including techniques for wireless communication among wireless stations and/or access points in a wireless networking system. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART Wireless communication systems are rapidly growing in usage. Further, wireless communication technology has evolved from voice-only communications to also include the transmission of data, such as Internet and multimedia content. A popular short/intermediate range wireless communication standard is wireless local area network (WLAN). Most modem WLANs are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard (and/or 802.11, for short) and are marketed under the Wi-Fi brand name. WLAN networks link one or more devices to a wireless access point, which in turn provides connectivity to the wider area Internet. In 802.11 systems, devices that wirelessly connect to each other are referred to as "stations", "mobile stations", "user devices", "user equipment", or STA or UE for short. Wireless stations can be either wireless access points or wireless clients (and/or mobile stations). Access points (APs), which are also referred to as wireless routers, act as base stations for the wireless network. APs transmit and receive radio frequency signals for communication with wireless client devices. APs can also couple to the Internet in a wired and/or wireless fashion. Wireless clients operating on an 802.11 network can be any of various devices such as laptops, tablet devices, smart phones, smart watches, or fixed devices such as desktop computers. Wireless client devices are referred to herein as user equipment (and/or UE for short). Some wireless client devices are also collectively referred to herein as mobile devices or mobile stations (although, as noted above, wireless client devices overall can be stationary devices as well). Mobile electronic devices can take the form of smart phones, laptops, or tablets that a user typically carries. Wearable devices (also referred to as accessory devices) are a newer form of mobile electronic device, examples including smart watches, ear buds, and smart glasses. Additionally, low-cost low-complexity wireless devices intended for stationary or nomadic deployment are also proliferating as part of the developing "Internet of Things." In other words, there is an increasingly wide range of desired device complexities, capabilities, traffic patterns, and other characteristics. Some WLANs can utilize multi-link operation (MLO), e.g., using a plurality of channels (e.g., links) concurrently. APs and/or STAs capable of MLO can be referred to as multi-link devices (MLD). For example, APs capable of MLO can be referred to as AP-MLDs and STAs capable of MLO that are not acting as APs can be referred to as non-AP MLDs. Improvements in the field are desired. SUMMARY Embodiments described herein relate to methods, systems and apparatuses for enhanced low latency transmissions between access points (APs) and non-access points (non-APs). In some embodiments, a method by a first station (STA) can include, transmitting, to a second STA , first signaling comprising a first indication associated with a low latency (LL) capability. The method can also include receiving, from the second STA, second signaling comprising a second indication and transmitting, to the second STA and subsequent to receiving the second indication, third signaling in accordance with the LL capability. The method can also include receiving, from the second STA, an acknowledgement associated with the third signaling. According to some embodiments, the first indication can comprise a LL indicator set to a non-zero value. Additionally or alternatively, the second indication can comprise a reverse direction (RD) indicator set to a non-zero value and the third signaling can include comprise a RD indicator set to the non-zero value. In some embodiments, the method can further include transmitting, to the second STA, additional signaling comprising an additional indication. Additionally or alternatively, the additional indication can include an other RD indicator set to a value of zero, according to some embodiments. According to some embodiments, the second signaling can be received in one of a data frame, a quality of service (QoS) null frame, a clear to send (CTS) frame, or a transmission sharing (TXS) frame. Additionally, the method can include exchanging, with the second STA, one or more parameters associated with a LL session, according to some embodiments. Furthermore, the method can include disabling, at a time associated with a parameter of the one or more parameters, the LL session. In some embodiments, the first signaling can be indicated in one of a control response frame (CRF), a block acknowledgement (BA) frame, an initial control response (ICR) frame, or a multi-STA BA (M-BA) frame. According to some embodiments, the method can include receiving, prior to the first signaling, initial signaling comprising an initial con