Back to results
US 11,464,050 B2Granted
Timer for non-simultaneous T/R multi-link device accessing of the channel
AssigneesSony Group Corporation, Sony Corporation of America
InventorsLiangxiao Xin, Mohamed Abouelseoud
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A WLAN protocol which addresses a fairness issue in sharing MLD link access between STR and NSTR MLDs. The protocol allows NSTR MLDs to be transmitting under certain circumstances even when receiving on the other link of the NSTR link pair. A process is described in which an NSTR timer is utilized in a process of determining whether an NSTR MLD is allowed to transmit on a link of a NSTR link pair of the NSTR MLD even when it is receiving on the other link of the NSTR link pair. Numerous examples are described for utilizing this enhanced WLAN protocol.
Claims28
An apparatus for wireless communication in a network, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a wireless communication circuit configured as a station (STA) for wirelessly communicating with at least one other station (STA) on a network using Carrier-Sense Multiple-Access Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) and wherein multi-link operations are applied;
- (b) a processor coupled to said STA;
- (c) a non-transitory memory storing instructions executable by the processor;
- and
- (d) wherein said instructions, when executed by the processor, perform a communications protocol for said STA and other STAs on the network operating as either an Access Point (AP) station or non-AP stations, and wherein transmit opportunities (TXOPs) are obtained by STAs which are part of a multi-link device (MLD) having at least one non-simultaneous transmit and receive (NSTR) link pair such that a STA affiliated with the MLD transmitting or receiving on one link of the NSTR link pair could affect another STA affiliated with the same MLD transmitting or receiving on the other link of the NSTR link pair, said communications protocol comprising:
- (i) said STA operating as an NSTR STA affiliated with the MLD sets an NSTR timer which is counted down/up to a terminal value, said terminal value indicating that NSTR STA is allowed to transmit on a link of one of NSTR link pairs of the MLD;
- (ii) said NSTR STA counts down/up the NSTR timer toward a terminal value;
- (iii) said NSTR STA is not allowed to transmit a frame at the same time that another STA that is affiliated with the same MLD is receiving a packet on another link of the NSTR link pair of the MLD, when the NSTR timer is not equal to said terminal value;
- and
- (iv) determining whether the NSTR timer is equal to its terminal value, and if the NSTR timer is equal to its terminal value then allowing said NSTR STA to transmit a frame at the same time that another STA that is affiliated with the same MLD is receiving a packet on another link of the NSTR link pair of the MLD.
7 more elements
A protocol for wireless network communications between stations (STAs) on a network using multi-link operations, the protocol comprising:
- (a) controlling operations of STAs on the network operating as either an Access Point (AP) station or non-AP stations, and wherein transmit opportunities (TXOPs) are obtained by STAs using multi-link operations which are part of a multi-link device (MLD) having at least one non-simultaneous transmit and receive (NSTR) link pair, wherein a STA affiliated with the MLD transmitting or receiving on one link of the NSTR link pair could affect another STA affiliated with the same MLD transmitting or receiving on the other link of the NSTR link pair;
- (b) allowing an NSTR STA affiliated with the MLD to set an NSTR timer which is counted down/up to a terminal value, said terminal value indicating that it is allowed to transmit on a link of one of NSTR link pairs of the MLD;
- (c) not allowing NSTR STA to transmit a frame at the same time that another STA that is affiliated with the same MLD is receiving a packet on another link of the NSTR link pair of the MLD, when the NSTR timer is not equal to said terminal value;
- and
- (d) determining whether the NSTR timer is equal to its terminal value, and if the NSTR timer is equal to its terminal value then allowing said NSTR STA to transmit a frame at the same time that another STA that is affiliated with the same MLD is receiving a packet on another link of the NSTR link pair of the MLD;
- (e) wherein said protocol is performed by one or more processors executing instructions stored on a non-transitory medium within a STA following the protocol.
3 more elements
A method of performing wireless communication in a network, the method comprising:
- (a) executing a communications protocol by a processor for a wireless communication circuit configured as a station (STA) for wirelessly communicating with at least one other station (STA) on a network using Carrier-Sense Multiple-Access Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) as well as multi-link operations are applied, and in which said communications protocol is performed for said station and other stations on the network operating as either an Access Point (AP) station or non-AP stations, and wherein transmit opportunities (TXOPs) are obtained by stations which are part of a multi-link device (MLD) having at least one non-simultaneous transmit and receive (NSTR) link pair such that a STA affiliated with the MLD transmitting or receiving on one link of the NSTR link pair could affect another STA affiliated with the same MLD transmitting or receiving on the other link of the NSTR link pair;
- (b) wherein an STA operating as an NSTR STA affiliated with the MLD sets an NSTR timer which is counted down/up to a terminal value, said terminal value indicating that it is allowed to transmit on a link of one of NSTR link pairs of the MLD;
- (c) wherein said NSTR STA counts down/up the NSTR timer toward a terminal value;
- (d) wherein said NSTR STA is not allowed to transmit a frame at the same time that another STA that is affiliated with the same MLD is receiving a packet on another link of the NSTR link pair of the MLD, when the NSTR timer is not equal to said terminal value;
- and
- (e) determining that the NSTR timer is equal to its terminal value, and allowing said NSTR STA to transmit a frame at the same time that another STA that is affiliated with the same MLD is receiving a packet on another link of the NSTR link pair of the MLD.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.