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KR-20260068000-A - DYNAMIC SUBBAND OPERATION WITH EXPANDED DEVICE BANDWIDTH SUPPORT

KR20260068000AKR 20260068000 AKR20260068000 AKR 20260068000AKR-20260068000-A

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for dynamic subband operation (DSO) are provided. A station (STA) device receives a subband switching control frame from an access point (AP). The subband switching control frame indicates a transition to a secondary channel by the STA device. In response to receiving the subband switching control frame, the STA device transitions from the primary channel to the secondary channel. The subband switching control frame indicates one or more channels in the secondary channel, and one or more channels are a subset of all available channels in the secondary channel.

Inventors

  • 타오리, 라케쉬
  • 울른, 키란

Assignees

  • 인피니언 테크놀로지스 아메리카스 코퍼레이션

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251103
Priority Date
20250714

Claims (20)

  1. As a method of Dynamic Subband Operation (DSO), A step of receiving, by the STA device, a subband switching control frame indicating a transition to a secondary channel by the STA device; and In response to receiving the above subband switching control frame, the STA device transitions from the primary channel to the secondary channel. Includes, A method in which the above-mentioned subband switching control frame represents one or more channels in the secondary channel, and the one or more channels are a subset of all available channels in the secondary channel.
  2. In paragraph 1, A method in which the above-mentioned subband switching control frame comprises one or more channels that are fewer than the total number of available channels in the above-mentioned secondary channel.
  3. In paragraph 1, A method in which one or more channels are distributed in the secondary channels according to a basic service set (BSS) associated with the STA device.
  4. In paragraph 3, A method in which one or more channels are distributed in the secondary channels according to the maximum bandwidth of the STA device supported by the BSS.
  5. In paragraph 1, A method in which one or more of the above channels are distributed in the secondary channels according to the maximum bandwidth and fixed number of access points (APs).
  6. In paragraph 1, A method further comprising the step of receiving a first message from an access point (AP) indicating the total number of available channels for the above DSO.
  7. In paragraph 6, The above first message comprises: at least one of a beacon prior to the network attachment procedure or a capability message during the network attachment procedure, a method.
  8. In paragraph 6, A method further comprising the step of receiving a second message indicating a dynamic update of the number of all available channels for the above DSO.
  9. In paragraph 1, A method further comprising the step of transmitting a third message to an access point (AP) indicating at least one of the capability of the STA device supporting the DSO, or a limitation on transition from the primary channel to the secondary channel.
  10. In paragraph 1, A method further comprising the step of transmitting a fourth message to an access point (AP) indicating a transition time for transitioning from the first channel to the second channel.
  11. In paragraph 1, The above STA device supports a maximum bandwidth of 20 megahertz (MHz) or 40 MHz, method.
  12. As a method of Dynamic Subband Operation (DSO) A step of determining one or more channels in a secondary channel by an access point (AP); and A step of transmitting a subband switching control frame to a station (STA) device that causes the STA device to transition from a primary channel to one or more channels in the secondary channel. Includes, A method in which one or more of the above channels are a subset of all available channels in the above secondary channel.
  13. In Paragraph 12, A method in which the above-mentioned subband switching control frame comprises one or more channels having a number of channels less than the total number of available channels in the above-mentioned secondary channel.
  14. In Paragraph 12, A method in which one or more channels are distributed in the secondary channels according to a basic service set (BSS) associated with the STA device.
  15. In Paragraph 12, A method in which one or more of the above channels are distributed in the secondary channels according to the maximum bandwidth and fixed number of the AP.
  16. In Paragraph 12, A method further comprising the step of transmitting a first message to the STA device indicating the total number of available channels for the DSO.
  17. In Paragraph 16, A method further comprising the step of transmitting a second message to the STA device indicating a dynamic update of the number of all available channels for the DSO.
  18. In Paragraph 12, A method further comprising the step of receiving from the STA device a third message indicating at least one of the capability of the STA device to support the DSO, or a limitation on the transition from the primary channel to the secondary channel.
  19. In Paragraph 12, A step of receiving a fourth message from the STA device indicating a transition time for transitioning from the first channel to the second channel; and A step of determining the padding of the subband switching control frame based on the fourth message above. A method that further includes.
  20. As a device, Memory; and A processor operably coupled to the above memory Includes, and the processor is: Receiving a subband switching control frame indicating a transition to a secondary channel; In response to receiving the above subband switching control frame, transition from the primary channel to the secondary channel, and A device wherein the above-mentioned subband switching control frame represents one or more channels in the secondary channel, and the one or more channels are a subset of all available channels in the secondary channel.

Description

Dynamic subband operation with expanded device bandwidth support Cross-reference regarding related applications This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/716,858 filed November 6, 2024 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/803,197 filed May 9, 2025, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference. Technology field The present disclosure generally relates to remote communications, and more specifically, to dynamic subband operations (DSOs) with extended device bandwidth support. In some wireless systems, such as those relating to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards, an access point (AP) provides a wireless network to other devices, such as non-AP station (STA) devices, to receive and transmit data via wireless communications in specific frequency bands. An AP or STA device generally has a maximum bandwidth that it can support. For example, IEEE 802.11 standards specify that an AP can support a bandwidth of up to 320 megahertz (MHz), but in practice, some APs and some STA devices can only support lower bandwidths. For example, some APs support up to 160 MHz, and some STA devices support up to 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz. The present disclosure is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where similar reference numbers indicate similar elements, as examples rather than limitations. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating exemplary DSO operations involving an AP, an STA device that supports DSO (DSO STA), and another STA device that does not support DSO (non-DSO STA). FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating all channels available to the DSO in the secondary channel according to some embodiments. FIG. 3a is a diagram illustrating a subset of all channels available to the DSO in the secondary channel according to some embodiments. FIGS. 3b-3d illustrates exemplary DSO subband distributions that a DSO AP can configure for a DSO STA according to some embodiments. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of DSO according to some embodiments. FIG. 5 is a signal diagram illustrating communications between an AP and a STA device in a DSO according to some embodiments. The following description provides numerous specific details, such as examples of specific systems, components, methods, etc., to provide a good understanding of various embodiments of the technologies described herein for DSOs that support extended bandwidth. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that at least some embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the technologies described herein, well-known components, elements, or methods are not described in detail or are presented in a simple block drawing format. Accordingly, the specific details described below are merely illustrative. Specific embodiments may vary from these illustrative details and may still be considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. As described above, AP and STA devices can support different maximum bandwidths. When AP and STA devices communicate, a bandwidth mismatch often leads to the underutilization of the AP's available frequency resources. In this regard, a DSO has been proposed to reduce bandwidth waste by allowing the AP to dynamically present transmission opportunities to the STA device so that the STA device can transition to a frequency channel outside the STA device's operating channel. A DSO is a mechanism that allows a DSO STA (e.g., a non-AP STA implementing a DSO) having a narrower operating bandwidth than a DSO AP (e.g., an AP implementing a DSO) to dynamically allocate frequency resources outside the current operating bandwidth of the DSO STA but within the basic service set (BSS) bandwidth of the DSO AP on a transmission opportunity (TXOP) unit basis. For a DSO STA, a channel having the same bandwidth as the operating bandwidth of the STA and including a BSS primary channel (e.g., a 20 MHz channel for exchanging control messages with the DSO AP) is referred to as the primary subband or primary channel for the STA, while the channel(s) of the remaining BSS bandwidth are referred to as secondary channels/subbands. In the case of a DSO STA, a channel having the same bandwidth as the STA's operating bandwidth and located outside the STA's primary subband but within the BSS bandwidth is referred to as a DSO subband for that STA if the channel can be allocated resources by the DSO AP during DSO frame exchange. For example, in a 160 MHz BSS, a secondary 80 MHz subband may be a DSO subband for an 80 MHz DSO STA. Similarly, in a 320 MHz BSS, one of the secondary 80 MHz subbands (which may be up to three) may be a DSO subband for an 80 MHz DSO non-AP STA. Due to some limitations described later in this disclosure, existing DSO technologies apply only to APs supporting bandwidths of 160 MHz or more and STA devices supporting bandwidths of 80 MHz or more. Because of these limitations, many STA devices with low bandw