# US 2021/0345402 A1 · Contention-based multi-layer transmission > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0345402 A1 - Document ID: US20210345402A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/341,262 - Filed: 2019-01-30 - Published: 2021-11-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-01-30 - Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Applicants: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Inventors: Guido Roland HIERTZ; Miguel LOPEZ; Charlie PETTERSSON - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210345402A1 ## CPC - H04L 27/3488: {Multiresolution systems} - H04W 74/0816: with collision avoidance - H04L 1/1614: {using bitmaps} - H04L 5/0044: {Allocation of payload; Allocation of data channels, e.g. PDSCH or PUSCH} - H04L 5/0064: {Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority} - H04W 4/00: Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor - H04W 48/18: Selecting a network or a communication service - H04W 72/0453: Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA - H04W 72/1263: Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows - H04W 72/569: {of the traffic information} - H04W 74/0808: using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA] - H04W 4/12: Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 48/02: Access restriction performed under specific conditions - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A technique for performing a multi-layer transmission of data on a radio frequency is described. The multi-layer transmission comprising multiple layers each having a different robustness on the radio frequency. As to a method aspect of the technique, a contention procedure is performed with respect to each of a plurality of access classes, ACs, for accessing the radio frequency. The multi-layer transmission is performed upon success of the contention procedure of at least one of the ACs. In a transmission opportunity defined by the successful contention procedure, data associated with the successful AC is transmitted on a main layer of the multi-layer transmission simultaneously with data associated with at least one further AC on at least one further layer, which is less robust than the main layer of the multi-layer transmission. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of performing a multi-layer transmission of data on a radio frequency, the multi-layer transmission comprising multiple layers each having a different robustness on the radio frequency, the method comprising: performing a contention procedure with respect to each of a plurality of access classes, ACs, for accessing the radio frequency; and performing the multi-layer transmission upon success of the contention procedure of at least one of the ACs, wherein in a transmission opportunity defined by the successful contention procedure data associated with the successful AC is transmitted on a main layer of the multi-layer transmission simultaneously with data associated with at least one further AC on at least one further layer, which is less robust than the main layer of the multi-layer transmission. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one further AC that is transmitted on the at least one further layer of the multi-layer transmission is randomly selected among the plurality of ACs for which the respective contention procedures are unsuccessful for the transmission opportunity. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least two further ACs are transmitted on at least two further layers of the multi-layer transmission, and wherein the at least two further ACs are randomly mapped to the respective further layers. ### Claim 4 (canceled) ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the random selection selects a first AC with a first probability that is greater than a second probability for selecting a second AC, and/or wherein the random mapping maps a first AC with a first probability to a given further layer that is greater than a second probability for mapping a second AC to the given further layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least two further ACs are transmitted on at least two respective further layers of the multi-layer transmission, and wherein a first AC of the at least two further ACs has a first priority and a second AC of the at least two further ACs has a second priority, wherein the first AC is mapped to a first layer of the further layers and the second AC is mapped to a second layer of the further layers, and wherein the first priority is higher than the second priority and the first layer is more robust than the second layer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second priorities of the at least two further ACs are assigned to the respective further ACs or refined within the respective further AC based on at least one of a layer address and a port number of the data associated with the respective further AC. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each contention procedure performed for the respective AC is based on a back-off counter and at least two further ACs are transmitted on at least two respective further layers of the multi-layer transmission, and wherein at least one of the selection and the mapping of the at least two further ACs is based on a comparison of values of the respective back-off counters. ### Claim 9 (canceled) ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein contention procedures performed with respect to two or more ACs are successful for the same transmission opportunity, and wherein the data associated with the AC having the highest priority among the successful ACs is transmitted on the main layer of the multi-layer transmission. ### Claim 11 (canceled) ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the multi-layer transmission comprises n layers, and wherein the respective contention procedures of m ACs based on a back-off counter are successful for the same transmission opportunity, and wherein m>n, the m−n ACs having the least priorities among the n successful ACs reinitiate their contention procedures by randomly drawing a value of the back-off counter from their initial contention window. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an acknowledgement frame in response to the multi-layer transmission, the acknowledgement frame being indicative of at least two or each of the multiple layers of the multi-layer transmission. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the acknowledgement frame is indicative of which of the multiple layers of the multi-layer transmission are received successfully. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a control signal is pending for transmission at the respective station, and wherein the control signal is transmitted on a layer in the multi-layer transmission, and wherein the layer of the multi-layer transmission on which the control signal is transmitted is more robust than the main layer. ### Claim 16 (canceled) ### Claim 17 (canceled) ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code configured to be executed by a computing device to perform, the method of claim 1. ### Claim 19 (canceled) ### Claim 20 (canceled) ### Claim 21 A device for performing a multi-layer transmission of data on a radio frequency, the multi-layer transmission comprising multiple layers each having a different robustness on the radio frequency, the device comprising at least one processor and a memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said at least one processor, whereby the device is operative to: perform a contention procedure with respect to each of a plurality of access classes, ACs, for accessing the radio frequency; and perform the multi-layer transmission upon success of the contention procedure of at least one of the ACs, wherein in a transmission opportunity defined by the successful contention procedure data associated with the successful AC is transmitted on a main layer of the multi-layer transmission simultaneously with data associated with at least one further AC on at least one further layer, which is less robust than the main layer of the multi-layer transmission. ### Claim 22 (canceled) ### Claim 23 A communication system including a host computer comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward user data to a cellular or ad hoc radio network for transmission to a user equipment, UE, wherein the UE comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform operations comprising: performing a contention procedure with respect to each of a plurality of access classes, ACs, for accessing the radio frequency; and performing the multi-layer transmission upon success of the contention procedure of at least one of the ACs, wherein in a transmission opportunity defined by the successful contention procedure data associated with the successful AC is transmitted on a main layer of the multi-layer transmission simultaneously with data associated with at least one further AC on at least one further layer, which is less robust than the main layer of the multi-layer transmission. ### Claim 24 (canceled) ### Claim 25 (canceled) ### Claim 26 (canceled) ### Claim 27 (depends on 21) The device of claim 21, wherein the at least one further AC that is transmitted on the at least one further layer of the multi-layer transmission is randomly selected among the plurality of ACs for which the respective contention procedures are unsuccessful for the transmission opportunity. ### Claim 28 (depends on 21) The device of claim 21, wherein at least two further ACs are transmitted on at least two further layers of the multi-layer transmission, and wherein the at least two further ACs are randomly mapped to the respective further layers. ### Claim 29 (depends on 27) The device of claim 27, wherein the random selection selects a first AC with a first probability that is greater than a second probability for selecting a second AC, and/or wherein the random mapping maps a first AC with a first probability to a given further layer that is greater than a second probability for mapping a second AC to the given further layer. ### Claim 30 (depends on 21) The device of claim 21, wherein at least two further ACs are transmitted on at least two respective further layers of the multi-layer transmission, and wherein a first AC of the at least two further ACs has a first priority and a second AC of the at least two further ACs has a second priority, wherein the first AC is mapped to a first layer of the further layers and the second AC is mapped to a second layer of the further layers, and wherein the first priority is higher than the second priority and the first layer is more robust than the second layer. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The device of claim 30, wherein the first and second priorities of the at least two further ACs are assigned to the respective further ACs or refined within the respective further AC based on at least one of a layer address and a port number of the data associated with the respective further AC. ### Claim 32 (depends on 21) The device of claim 21, wherein each contention procedure performed for the respective AC is based on a back-off counter, and at least two further ACs are transmitted on at least two respective further layers of the multi-layer transmission, and wherein at least one of the selection and the mapping of the at least two further ACs is based on a comparison of values of the respective back-off counters. ### Claim 33 (depends on 21) The device of claim 21, wherein contention procedures performed with respect to two or more ACs are successful for the same transmission opportunity, and wherein the data associated with the AC having the highest priority among the successful ACs is transmitted on the main layer of the multi-layer transmission. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The device of claim 33, wherein the multi-layer transmission comprises n layers, and wherein the respective contention procedures of m ACs based on a back-off counter are successful for the same transmission opportunity, and wherein m>n, the m−n ACs having the least priorities among the n successful ACs reinitiate their contention procedures by randomly drawing a value of the back-off counter from their initial contention window. ### Claim 35 (depends on 21) The device of claim 21, further comprising: receiving an acknowledgement frame in response to the multi-layer transmission, the acknowledgement frame being indicative of at least two or each of the multiple layers of the multi-layer transmission. ### Claim 36 (depends on 35) The device of claim 35, wherein the acknowledgement frame is indicative of which of the multiple layers of the multi-layer transmission are received successfully. ### Claim 37 (depends on 21) The device of claim 21, wherein a control signal is pending for transmission at the respective station, and wherein the control signal is transmitted on a layer in the multi-layer transmission, and wherein the layer of the multi-layer transmission on which the control signal is transmitted is more robust than the main layer.