Apple Inc.

Yaniv Dvory

Yoel Boger

Hay Lev

Daniel R Borges

Guoqing Li

Christiaan A Hartman

Sriram Hariharan

Jarkko L Kneckt

Xiaowen Wang

Oren Shani

Joseph Hakim

Koby Vainapel

Danny Salman

Reuven Moskovich

This application relates to electronic devices configured to connect to a wireless local area network and communicate using a trigger-based access mechanism. An access point is configured to manage the wireless local area network. The access point includes a processing subsystem configured to select a channel associated with a communications medium for communicating with the set of electronic devices. The processing subsystem is also configured to monitor the channel to detect interference from radio frequency sources not connected to the wireless local area network, receive channel information for at least one additional channel associated with the communications medium from the electronic devices, and configure an interface circuit of the access point to communicate with the set of electronic devices on a new channel based, at least in part, on the channel information. Each electronic device can be configured to collect the channel information and transmit the channel information to the access point for analysis.

Wireless access protocol with collaborative spectrum monitoring

This application relates to electronic devices configured to connect to a wireless local area network and communicate using a trigger-based access mechanism. An access point is configured to define a contention-free period associated with a communications medium utilized by the wireless local area network. During the contention-free period, the access point allocates transmission opportunities to each of a number of electronic devices by transmitting trigger frames to the electronic devices via the communications medium. Each trigger frame can be directed to a particular electronic device and indicates to that electronic device that the current transmission opportunity has been allocated to that electronic device to transmit data (e.g., frames) to the access point via the communications medium. The access point implements an algorithm for allocating two or more transmission opportunities within a contention-free period to two or more corresponding electronic devices.

Low latency wireless protocol

An access point transmits a trigger frame to a set of electronic devices in a wireless local area network (WLAN). The access point receives, from one or more electronic devices in a set of electronic devices, one or more requests to send data. In response, the access point transmits the trigger frame, which includes information specifying an ordered list of electronic devices in the set of electronic devices that are allowed to transmit. Subsequently, the access point sequentially receives one or more frames from the ordered list of electronic devices. After receiving a frame from the last electronic device in the ordered list of electronic devices or after an unused transmit opportunity of the last electronic device in the ordered list of electronic devices, the access point transmits a block acknowledgment to the ordered list of electronic devices.

Triggered wireless access protocol

This disclosure relates to wireless communication techniques. According to some embodiments, a wireless device may select a random number and sequentially advertise the bits of the random number. If the wireless device advertises the highest random number, it may proceed to transmit a packet using a channel. If another device advertises a higher number, the wireless device may not transmit its packet and may restart the process.

Enhanced Wi-Fi access protocol (EWAP)

Some embodiments enable improved aggregated throughput and average latency in a wireless communication channel. Wireless electronic devices may implement adaptive contention window (ACW) channel access that improves channel capacity and enables latency sensitive applications (e.g., video streaming), especially when all wireless electronic devices operating on the channel as well as those in proximity utilize ACW channel access. Some embodiments detect when wireless stations on the communication channel as well as wireless stations in proximity are utilizing ACW channel access to obtain a transmit opportunity (TXOP). Based on the detection, an access point (AP) can instruct an associated wireless station to: use ACW channel access to obtain a TXOP, use a different channel access method obtain a TXOP as needed, disassociate and associate with a different AP, or use a different channel access method to obtain a TXOP.

Apparatus and method for adaptive contention window (ACW)

An electronic device may coordinate access to a shared communication channel with one or more other electronic devices. After receiving frames from the one or more other electronic devices with information specifying back-off values associated with at least an access category for the one or more other electronic devices in a subsequent potential slot transmission opportunity, the electronic device may update a stored list of known occupied back-off values for the subsequent potential slot transmission opportunity. Then, the electronic device may select and may transmit to the one or more other electronic devices an available back-off value for the electronic device in the subsequent potential slot transmission opportunity that is not included in the stored list and that is associated with an access category. Next, during a slot corresponding to the selected back-off value, the electronic device may transmit a second frame to at least another electronic device.

Growing community of inventors

Kfar Saba, Israel

Yaniv Dvory