Abstract: The present invention provides a new trigger frame dedicated to NDP feedback procedure. This NDP feedback trigger frame comprises a specific field allowing stations (non-AP nodes) receiving this trigger frame to identify it as being a dedicated NDP feedback trigger frame. Thanks to this specific field, a receiving station knows that a NDP feedback procedure has started and that a NDP feedback is expected by the access point. The present invention also provides for communication methods using this NDP feedback trigger frame, communication device station and access point configured to implement these methods, and also a wireless communication network comprising such devices.

Abstract: To make effective the usage of network resources and timely handling of low latency traffic, and in particular IEEE 802.11 networks, it is described according to an aspect of the invention a method of communication comprising, at an access-point, AP: contending for access to a wireless medium, a provision period prior a start of a low latency, LL, service period, SP, dedicated for transmitting LL traffic; and upon gaining access to the wireless medium, reserving an AP transmission opportunity encompassing the LL SP, thereby allowing transmission of LL traffic during the LL SP.

Abstract: A physical AP manages a plurality of BSSs through VAPs. The AP sends a trigger frame to reserve a TXOP including resource units the nodes access to transmit data during the reserved TXOP. To improve channel utilization, the trigger frame identifies a plurality of groups, nodes of which are allowed to access the resources units to transmit data during the reserved TXOP. Thus, the AP receives, during the reserved TXOP, data from one node of a first group identified in the trigger frame and data from one node (separate from the first one) of a second and separate group identified in the trigger frame. A single access by the AP to the medium is thus required, reducing the channel occupation due to control frames. In some embodiments, the number of trigger frames can be drastically reduce, while offering resource units to several BSSs.

Abstract: 802.11ac networks define an operating band made of an ordered series of 20 MHz channels and authorize a restricted number of possible composite channel configurations to be used for data transmission. A method of transmitting data between a source and a receiver in such a wireless network may comprise, at the source: sending, to the receiver, RTS fames to request reservation of a composite channel, the RTS frames including a flag signalling the source supports transmission over un-authorized composite channels, for instance over sub-channels not contiguous within the operating band; receiving, from the receiver in response to the RTS frames, CTS frames acknowledging reservation of un-authorized composite channel configuration, for instance of non-contiguous sub-channels; and then transmitting, to the receiver, data frames on the reserved sub-channels of the un-authorized configuration, for instance on the reserved non-contiguous sub-channels within the operating band.

Abstract: In an 802.11ax network with an access point, a trigger frame offers scheduled and random resource units to nodes for data uplink communication to the access point. To avoid the overall energy level seen by legacy nodes for a communication channel to drop below a detection threshold, the invention provides two tools. First, the scheduled and random resource units may be interleaved over communication channels. Second, unused resource units may be detected, and a node or the access point may send a padding signal on them to increase the overall energy level. The latter may be evaluated during a monitoring period before deciding to emit the signal. As the overall energy level seen by legacy nodes is increased, the risk that such legacy nodes do not detect activity on a 20 MHz channel having only a subpart of its RUs used is reduced. And risks of collisions are consequently reduced.

Abstract: An access point, AP, is granted a transmission opportunity to schedule multi user transmissions with non-AP stations. The AP can provide resource units to peer stations for direct link transmission, within the TxOP. The DiL resource units are allocated for a duration. However, the duration may not match the peer needs and be too long. It results that bandwidth is lost. To give back the resource unit to the AP, a peer station sends, upon finishing the DiL transmission, a resource releasing frame, such as a QoS Null frame, to the AP over the allocated DiL resource unit. The AP may then reuse the time saved to offer more transmission time to other stations within the TxOP.

Abstract: The present invention provides according to one of its aspects a method of communication in a wireless network comprising an access point and a plurality of stations, the method comprising, at one of the stations: receiving a trigger frame from the access point, the trigger frame reserving a transmission opportunity on at least one communication channel of the wireless network, the transmission opportunity including random resource units that the stations may access using a contention scheme, wherein the trigger frame includes a first indicator specifying a traffic type of data allowed to be sent on at least one of the random resource units; determining, based on the first indicator, eligible resource units, among the resource units in the reserved transmission opportunity, for the station to contend for access for transmitting data; and transmitting data on a determined eligible resource unit using a contention scheme.

Abstract: An 802.11ax access point, AP, manage a granted transmission opportunity to schedule multi user uplink and downlink transmissions with non-AP stations. Resource units may also be allocated to non-AP stations for direct link, DiL, transmissions. To efficiently arbitrate between scheduling new MU UL transmissions or DiL transmissions, the AP must know the needs of the non-AP stations. The buffer status report, BSR, either solicited or unsolicited, provides an ACI Bitmap subfield and a Delta TID subfield to signal a number of TIDs for which buffered uplink traffic is declared. The BSR is amended so that these two subfields further signal, in addition to the buffered UL traffic, when there is buffered DiL traffic. Other subfields may provide more information on the amount of buffered DiL traffic.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a wireless communication method in a wireless network comprising an access point and stations. The method comprises, at a station: receiving a trigger frame from the access point, the trigger frame reserving a transmission opportunity on at least one communication channel of the wireless network, the transmission opportunity including a random resource unit that the stations may access using a contention scheme; receiving parameters of the contention scheme in management frames from the access point, the parameters comprising a contention window range; contending access to the random resource unit of the transmission opportunity reserved by the received trigger frame, using a contention window value; and updating the contention window value based on the success or failure of the access to the random resource unit. The updated contention window value remains within the contention window range obtained from the most recently received contention scheme parameters.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to enhanced multi-user (MU) uplink (UL) protocols in wireless networks that allow non-UL transmissions to be performed simultaneously with triggered MU UL transmissions. A station may send a trigger frame triggering MU transmissions with an appropriate signaling to allow non-UL transmissions, i.e. transmission to another station, in a resource unit of the MU transmission. Examples of non-UL transmissions include Direct Link transmissions as well as downlink (DL) transmissions. The present disclosure regards how acknowledgment of or response to such transmissions can be efficiently performed. A response resource unit to be used within a MU transmission by the DiL/DL destination station to send a response to the (DiL/DL) data transmission may be signaled in the trigger frame triggering the DiL/DL transmissions in appropriate resource units.

Abstract: The invention relates to improve use of resource units in MU transmissions of an 802.11 ax network. An un-associated station may receive data frames over a downlink resource unit, RU, assigned to an AID, e.g. 2045, reserved for stations not associated with the AP, The AP may use a downlink RU sharing an allocation scheme feature of an uplink RU previously used by the un-associated station. The AP may also aggregated data frames addressed to several stations within the same downlink RU, for instance to acknowledge frames previously received from the stations. The aggregated data frames may signal which respective response RUs the addressee stations should use for a next multi-user uplink transmission to respond to the AP. These approaches particularly applies to the exchange of management frames for instance to speed up the association procedure of un-associated stations.

Abstract: 802.11ac networks define an operating band made of an ordered series of 20 MHz channels and authorize a restricted number of possible composite channel configurations to be used for data transmission. A method of transmitting data between a source and a receiver in such a wireless network may comprise, at the source: sending, to the receiver, RTS fames to request reservation of a composite channel, the RTS frames including a flag signalling the source supports transmission over un-authorized composite channels, for instance over sub-channels not contiguous within the operating band; receiving, from the receiver in response to the RTS frames, CTS frames acknowledging reservation of un-authorized composite channel configuration, for instance of non-contiguous sub-channels; and then transmitting, to the receiver, data frames on the reserved sub-channels of the un-authorized configuration, for instance on the reserved non-contiguous sub-channels within the operating band.

Abstract: In a multilink system, block acknowledgment is performed at TID level. It is commonly accepted that acknowledgment policy refrains low latency delivery. However, it is often that traffic streams combine low-latency data and data requiring a high level of reliability. A need exists to facilitate the transmission of low-latency data units of a TID when a multilink operation, such as in 802.11be, is implemented with an acknowledgment policy. One specific link from amongst the multiple links may be dedicated to low latency data for which the originator and the recipient no longer take into account the acknowledgment. It turns that the originator can remove the low latency data from its transmit buffer immediately after transmission, while the recipient can deliver these data to the upper layer without waiting for the good reception of all preceding data, according to a sequence numbering. Low-latency services are consequently improved.

Abstract: The present invention provides according to one of its aspects a method of communication in a wireless network comprising an access point and a plurality of stations, the method comprising, at one of the stations: receiving a trigger frame from the access point, the trigger frame reserving a transmission opportunity on at least one communication channel of the wireless network, the transmission opportunity including random resource units that the stations may access using a contention scheme, wherein the trigger frame includes a first indicator specifying a traffic type of data allowed to be sent on at least one of the random resource units; determining, based on the first indicator, eligible resource units, among the resource units in the reserved transmission opportunity, for the station to contend for access for transmitting data; and transmitting data on a determined eligible resource unit using a contention scheme.

Abstract: In a 802.11be multi-AP collaboration, collaborated BSSs obtaining shared resource from a collaborator AP. Co-channel interferences arise from misalignment of PHY preambles between the various collaborated and collaborator BSSs. This misalignment results from the independency of each BSSs during the shared TXOP. To overcome this deficient situation, a synchronization frame is sent by the collaborator AP at a predefined sync time over the shared frequency bands, even if the collaborator AP does not belong to the BSSs operating on these bands. The predefined sync time may derive from the UL Length field specified in the initial trigger frame. Consequently, all the stations are ready to receive the synchronization frame and therefore to start again their MU or P2P transmission a SIFS after the synchronization frame. PHY preambles in adjacent channels are therefore fully aligned.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to multi-user (MU) Peer to Peer (P2P) protocols in wireless networks. A first station (STA) may receiving, from an access point (AP), an allocation of a resource unit (RU) for a peer to peer (P2P) communication; transmit, to a peer second STA, a first frame over a first part of the allocated P2P RU; and receive a second frame transmitted by the second STA over a second part of the P2P RU allocated to the first STA by the AP.

Abstract: In a 802.11 be multi-AP collaboration, collaborated devices obtaining shared resources announced by a collaborator AP re-announce the shared resource for the stations out of the transmission range of the collaborator AP. Given the short time available, the re-announcing frame binary repeats most of the initial announcement by the collaborator AP, in particular substantially the whole MAC payload thereof. In order to facilitate the identification of the re-announcing, the latter comprises an empty TA field or no TA field in its header. This additionally allows any AP to act as the coordinator AP.

Abstract: The invention relates to improve use of resource units in MU transmissions of an 802.11ax network. An un-associated station may receive data frames over a downlink resource unit, RU, assigned to an AID, e.g. 2045, reserved for stations not associated with the AP, The AP may use a downlink RU sharing an allocation scheme feature of an uplink RU previously used by the un-associated station. The AP may also aggregated data frames addressed to several stations within the same downlink RU, for instance to acknowledge frames previously received from the stations. The aggregated data frames may signal which respective response RUs the addressee stations should use for a next multi-user uplink transmission to respond to the AP. These approaches particularly applies to the exchange of management frames for instance to speed up the association procedure of un-associated stations.

Abstract: A communication method in a communication network comprising a plurality of nodes, at least one node comprising a plurality of traffic queues for serving data traffic at different priorities, each traffic queue being associated with a respective queue backoff value computed from respective queue contention parameters having first and second values in, respectively, a first and a second contention modes, obtaining quality of service requirements of data stored in a traffic queue of the node; checking whether the quality of service requirements can be fulfilled when accessing the communication channel using the second contention mode; if the requirements cannot be fulfilled as the result of the checking, disabling access to resource units provided by the other node within one or more transmission opportunities granted to the other node on the communication channel; and transmitting data stored in the traffic queue using the first contention mode.

Abstract: The invention relates in one of its aspects to a method of communication in a wireless network comprising an access point multi-link device, AP MLD, and the wireless network further comprising a first and a second station multi-link devices, STA MLDs. The method comprising: establishing a first link between a station of the first STA MLD and an Access Point of the AP MLD; establishing a second link between a station of the second STA MLD and an Access Point of the AP MLD; establishing a third direct link between station of the first STA MLD and a station of the second STA MLD; and transferring data between the first and the second STA MLDs through the third link.