Apple Inc.

Chiu Ngok E Wong

Christiaan A Hartman

Yong Liu

Su Khiong Yong

Guoqing Li

Joonsuk Kim

Syed Aon Mujtaba

Daniel R Borges

Lawrie Kurian

Anand Rajagopalan

Tashbeeb Haque

Peter N Heerboth

Saravanan Balasubramaniyan

Zheng Zeng

Wei Zhang

Wen Zhao

Sriram Hariharan

Jarkko L Kneckt

Brent Michael Ledvina

Gregory R Chapman

Robert W Brumley

Jarkko Lauri Sakari Kneckt

Shu Du

Siegfried Lehmann

Jahshan A Bhatti

Kristen A McIntyre

Andreas Wolf

Ye Sun

Guoquing Li

Matt Semersky

Eric San Fung Lee

Embodiments described herein relate to a system and method for providing flexible receiver configuration in wireless communication systems, such as 802.11 WLAN systems. In one embodiment, a wireless device may transmit a first data frame including first configuration information specifying a first configuration of the receiver to notify a remote device that the wireless device intends to configure its receiver according to the first configuration. After receiving an acknowledgement frame confirming the first configuration information, the wireless device may configure the receiver according to the first configuration. In another embodiment, a wireless device may receive a first data frame including first configuration information and further including a request that the wireless device configure its receiver according to the first configuration. In response, the wireless device may configure the receiver according to the first configuration. In either case, the wireless device may receive subsequent communications according to the first configuration.

Receive operation mode indication for power save

One or more wireless stations may operate to configure Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN)&#x2014;direct communication with neighboring wireless stations, e.g., without utilizing an intermediate access point. Scheduling of NAN ranging procedures may include a first wireless station sending first information, including first scheduling preferences and a first ranging role, to a second wireless station. The first wireless station receives second information, including second scheduling preferences and a second ranging role, from the second wireless station. The first wireless station may initiate the ranging procedure based on the scheduling preferences and ranging parameters. Alternatively, the second wireless station and may initiate the ranging procedure based on the scheduling preferences and ranging parameters.

Neighbor awareness networking ranging

This disclosure relates to service discovery using a dynamically configurable Bloom filter. According to some embodiments, various parameters of the Bloom filter may be determined by a first wireless device. The parameters may include a number of services advertised using the Bloom filter, a false positive rate of the Bloom filter, a set of hash functions used with the Bloom filter, and/or a size of the Bloom filter. The Bloom filter may be generated according to the determined parameters. The Bloom filter, along with some or all of the parameters of the Bloom filter, may be transmitted by the first wireless device. A second wireless device may use the Bloom filter as part of a service discovery process to determine whether or not a desired service is available via the first wireless device.

Dynamic bloom filter operation for service discovery

A station (STA) of a wireless local area network (WLAN) transitions implicitly between power management (PM) modes or PM states, without providing an explicit indication of the PM mode/state change to an access point (AP) of the WLAN. Transitions include changes between an active mode and a power save (PS) mode, or between an awake state and a doze state of the PS mode. Transitions occur immediately after receipt of a beacon indicating pending data for the STA, after an offset time indicated in the beacon, or at a specific wake time negotiated with the AP. After data reception is complete, the STA transitions implicitly to the PS mode or a doze state of the PS mode, after a power save inactivity timeout period or after receiving an indication that data transmission is complete.

Implicit power management mode and state transitions

An interface circuit in an electronic device (such as an access point) may provide a targeted wake-up time (TWT) service period (SP) schedule to a recipient electronic device. During operation the interface circuit may receive a TWT setup request associated with the recipient electronic device, where the TWT setup request includes non-availability information specifying one or more times when the recipient electronic device will be unavailable. For example, the non-availability information may include one or more times when the recipient electronic device has limited ability to transmit and/or receive. The interface circuit may provide a TWT setup response for the recipient electronic device, where the TWT setup response includes information specifying the TWT SP schedule for the recipient electronic device that includes at least one of: a TWT SP start time, a TWT SP duration, or an interval between TWT SPs.

Device-availability-based wake-up time schedule

Some embodiments are directed to grouping electronic devices into contention groups to reduce uplink Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) random access (OFDMA-RA) collisions. An access point may explicitly assign an electronic device to a contention group, or the electronic device may implicitly determine an assignment to the contention group. To explicitly assign a device to a contention group, the access point may randomly assign or assign based on a criteria of the electronic device. Examples of criteria include an association identifier (AID), a traffic type/quality of service (QoS) category, a power saving preference, and an association status. The electronic device may implicitly determine a contention group assignment based on the total number of contention groups. The electronic device may use the explicitly or implicitly assigned contention group number to determine whether the electronic device may contend for a given trigger frame random access (TF-R) frame.

Method and system for OFDMA random access

Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for performing multiuser block acknowledgement in a wireless communication protocol. Embodiments include receiving a control frame from an access point (AP). A transmission mode can be determined based on a trigger information field in the control frame. Further, a data frame to acknowledge can be determined based on a block acknowledgement request (BAR) field in the control frame. A block acknowledgment (BA) frame can be generated based on the data frame to acknowledge. The BA frame can then be transmitted to the AP based on the transmission mode, e.g., at the same time another BA frame is transmitted to the AP by another station.

Multiuser block acknowledgment request

A method for receiving feedback on a quality of multicast transmissions in a Wireless Local Access Network (WLAN) including a source electronic device (e.g., an access point) and a plurality of electronic devices is disclosed, according to some embodiments. The method can include (i) transmitting a plurality of multicast packets addressed to a subset of the plurality of electronic devices by the source electronic device; (ii) concurrently polling the subset of the plurality of electronic devices by the source electronic device; and (iii) receiving a plurality of block acknowledgements (BAs) from at least the subset of the plurality of electronic devices by the source electronic device. Each BA may include information on a quality of reception of two or more multicast packets received at an electronic device.

Multicast reliability enhancement

In some embodiments, one or more wireless stations operate to configure Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN)&#x2014;direct communication with neighboring wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to aspects of NAN communication, including service discovery proxy registration, publishing, and subscription of services via the proxy, maintenance of the proxy, and de-registration of the proxy.

Neighbor awareness networking service discovery proxy

The subject system aggregates, or stitches, multiple component channel estimates to generate an aggregated wideband channel estimate that can be used to determine more accurate time of arrival estimations than those determinable from the individual component channel estimates. The subject system also provides for multipath detection on a single channel or an aggregated channel that may be used to facilitate an accurate time of arrival estimation. For example, information derived from the multipath detection may be used to supplement and/or enhance a time of arrival estimation algorithm. The subject system also provides a sounding protocol that allows devices to perform one or more signal exchanges to facilitate generating the aggregated wideband channel estimate and/or to facilitate performing the multipath detection. The protocol allows the devices to perform signal exchanges over one or more channels within a coherence time, and also provides for security mechanisms as well as failure recovery.

Time of arrival estimation

Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for enabling a spatial reuse opportunity at a high efficiency (HE) station and a network allocation vector (NAV) reset capability at a legacy station using a Request to Send and/or Clear to Send (RTS and/or CTS) frame. For example, the method can include receiving a RTS frame with a redefined field that specifies spatial reuse information. The NAV can be set based on the RTS frame. The method can determine whether a second frame was received within a threshold time after a Short Interframe Space (SIFS). Finally, the method can reset the NAV based on whether the second frame was received within the threshold time.

Spatial-reuse enhancement in RTS and CTS

In some embodiments, one or more wireless stations operate to configure Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN)&#x2014;direct communication with neighboring wireless stations, e.g., without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments relate to scheduling of NAN ranging procedures, including to a first wireless station sending first information, including first scheduling preferences and a first ranging role, to a second wireless station. The first wireless device receives second information, including second scheduling preferences and a second ranging role, from the second wireless device. The first wireless station may initiate the ranging procedure based on the scheduling preferences and ranging parameters. Alternatively, the second wireless station and may initiate the ranging procedure based on the scheduling preferences and ranging parameters.

Embodiments include a method, computer program product, and system for grouping electronic devices into contention groups to reduce uplink Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) random access (OFDMA-RA) collisions. An access point may explicitly assign an electronic device to a contention group, or the electronic device may implicitly determine an assignment to the contention group. To explicitly assign a device to a contention group, the access point may randomly assign or assign based on a criteria of the electronic device. Examples of criteria include an association identifier (AID), a traffic type/quality of service (QoS) category, a power saving preference, and an association status. The electronic device may implicitly determine a contention group assignment based on the total number of contention groups. The electronic device may use the explicitly or implicitly assigned contention group number to determine whether the electronic device may contend for a given trigger frame random access (TF-R) frame.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Chiu Ngok E Wong