Time-synchronization for trigger-based WLAN sensing using partial TSF information from sensing sounding trigger frame

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by processing circuitry of a non-access point station (STA),

• wherein to configure the STA for performing wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing, the processing circuitry, by the execution of the instructions, is configured to:
• during a polling phase of a trigger-based (TB) sensing measurement instance:
• decode a sensing poll trigger frame (TF) received from an access point station (AP), the sensing poll TF configured to poll one or more non-AP STAs;
• and
• encode a clear-to-send (CTS)-to-self frame for transmission to the AP in response to the sensing poll TF, and
• during a TF sounding phase of the TB sensing measurement instance:
• decode a sensing sounding TF received from the AP;
• and
• encode a sensing responder to sensing initiator (SR2SI) null-data packet (NDP) for transmission to the AP in response to the sensing sounding TF,
• wherein when the sensing poll TF and the sensing sounding TF are received in the same sensing measurement instance and when the sensing sounding TF includes a special user information field containing partial time-synchronization function (TSF) information, the processing circuitry, by the execution of the instructions, is configured to:
• determine a start time of a next sensing availability window using the partial TSF information;
• and
• configure the STA to perform sensing measurements during the sensing measurement instance, the sensing measurement instance being within the next sensing availability window,
• wherein the special user information field includes a token, and
• wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine that the sensing poll TF and the sensing sounding TF are received in the same sensing measurement instance when the token in the special user information field matches a token received in the sensing poll TF.

An apparatus of an access point station (AP) configured for performing wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing, the apparatus comprising:

• processing circuitry;
• and memory, the processing circuitry is configured to:
• during a polling phase of a trigger-based (TB) sensing measurement instance:
• encode a sensing poll trigger frame (TF) for transmission to a non-AP station (STA), the sensing poll TF configured to poll one or more non-AP STAs;
• and
• decode a clear-to-send (CTS)-to-self frame received from the STA in response to the sensing poll TF, and
• during a TF sounding phase of the TB sensing measurement instance:
• encode a sensing sounding TF for transmission to the STA;
• and
• decode a sensing responder to sensing initiator (SR2SI) null-data packet (NDP) received from the STA in response to the sensing sounding TF,
• wherein when the sensing poll TF and the sensing sounding TF are transmitted in the same sensing measurement instance, the processing circuitry is configured to include a special user information field containing partial time-synchronization function (TSF) information in the sensing sounding TF for use by the STA to determine a start time of a next sensing availability window,
• wherein the special user information field includes a token field, and
• wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to include a same token in the special user information field to indicate that the sensing poll TF and the sensing sounding TF are transmitted in the same sensing measurement instance.