Declaration of low latency reliable service capabilities to join a BSS
A network adopts Low Latency Reliable Service measures to ensure LLRS traffic has priority over not-LLRS traffic. Active measures are applied by stations exchanging LLRS traffic in the network. Passive measures are applied by stations not participating in the LLRS traffic exchange, to reduce use of the medium for exchange of not-LLRS traffic. The LLRS traffic is thus prioritized. The AP declares the LLRS requirements for the non-AP stations to join the BSS, such as the LL measures. A non-AP station wishing to join the BSS declares its LL capabilities to implement LL measures, during an association procedure. The AP decides whether to authorize or refuse the association based on the declared capabilities, thereby building a BSS with non-AP stations that are capable of applying passive LL measures when LLRS traffic is to be exchanged between stations. Achievement of low latency, PDR and jitter requirements is consequently eased.
1 . A communication method in a wireless network, comprising at a non-access-point, non-AP, station:
receiving from an AP, an advertising frame advertising LL requirements that non-AP stations have to comply with in order to join a BSS managed by the AP, the advertising frame being a beacon or probe response frame;
declaring, in a case where the advertised requirements are acceptable, own low latency, LL, capabilities to apply one or more LL measures,
wherein the own LL capabilities are declared using one or more bits of an information element in a probe or association request frame from the non-AP station to the AP during an association procedure with a BSS managed by the AP,
wherein the declared LL capabilities comprise both (i) a passive low-latency capability which is a capability of terminating transmission opportunity (TXOP) before a restricted Target Wake Time (rTWT) service period and (ii) an active low-latency capability which is a capability to send LL traffic using a dedicated multi-user Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access resource unit, MU OFDMA RU, and
wherein the AP authorizes or refuses an association of the non-AP station with the BSS based on whether the declared bits indicate at least the passive low-latency capability;
detecting a restricted Target Wake Time (rTWT) service period scheduled by the AP, wherein medium access protection and resource reservation for delivery of latency sensitive traffic are performed during the rTWT service period;
terminating TXOP of the non-AP station before the detected rTWT service period; and
applying a LL measure, wherein the LL measure includes using the dedicated MU OFDMA RU, scheduled by the AP within the rTWT service period, to send LL traffic,
wherein the MU OFDMA RU is an RU dedicated to low latency traffic for exchanging the LL traffic.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the information element is a dedicated information element.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the information element is a P802.11-REVmd/D5.0 existing information element.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the existing information element is the Extended Capabilities information element of P802.11-REVmd/D5.0.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one LL bit signals the non-AP station is capable to apply LL measures.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one LL bit signals the non-AP station is capable to apply passive LL measures when LL traffic is to be exchanged between other stations of the BSS, to the effect of reducing the use of a wireless medium by the non-AP station to exchange not-LL traffic in the network.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one LL bit signals the non-AP station is capable to apply active LL measures when it has to exchange LL traffic with another station of the BSS, to the effect of using resources dedicated to LL traffic for exchanging the LL traffic in the network.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the advertising frame includes an information element dedicated to the LL requirements.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one LL bit in the advertising frame advertises that the non-AP stations have to be capable of applying LL measures.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one LL bit in the advertising frame advertises that the non-AP stations have to be capable of applying active LL measures when they have to exchange LL traffic with another station of the BSS, to the effect of using resources dedicated to LL traffic for exchanging the LL traffic in the network.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one binary field in the advertising frame advertises one or more LL measures that the non-AP stations have to be able to apply.
12 . A wireless communication device comprising at least one microprocessor configured for carrying out the steps of the method of claim 1 .
13 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program which, when executed by a microprocessor or computer system in a wireless device, causes the wireless device to perform the method of claim 1 .
14 . A communication method in a wireless network comprising, at an access-point, AP:
transmitting an advertising frame advertising LL requirements that non-AP stations have to comply with to join a BSS managed by the AP, the advertising frame being a beacon or probe response frame;
in a case where the advertised requirements are acceptable for a non-AP station, receiving, from the non-AP station, a declaration of low latency, LL, capabilities to apply one or more LL measures,
wherein the LL capabilities of the non-AP station are declared using one or more bits of an information element in a probe or association request frame from the non-AP station to the AP during an association procedure with a BSS managed by the AP,
wherein the declared LL capabilities comprise both (i) a passive low-latency capability which is a capability of terminating transmission opportunity (TXOP) before a restricted Target Wake Time (rTWT) service period and (ii) an active low-latency capability which is a capability to send LL traffic using a dedicated multi-user Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access resource unit, MU OFDMA RU, and
wherein the AP authorizes or refuses an association of the non-AP station with the BSS based on whether the declared bits indicate at least the passive low-latency capability;
scheduling the rTWT service period, wherein medium access protection and resource reservation for delivery of latency sensitive traffic are performed during the rTWT service period; and
scheduling, within the rTWT service period, the dedicated MU OFDMA RU, for a LL-capable non-AP station to apply a LL measure, wherein the LL measure includes using the dedicated MU OFDMA RU to send LL traffic, wherein the MU OFDMA RU is an RU dedicated to low latency traffic for exchanging the LL traffic and TXOP of the non-AP station is terminated before the rTWT service period.