EHT STA configured for transmission of a control response frame for rate selection

1. An apparatus of an extremely high-throughput (EHT) station (STA), the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry; and memory,

wherein in response to a frame carried in an EHT Multi-User (MU) physical layer conformance procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) (EHT MU PPDU) soliciting a response, the processing circuitry is configured to:

calculate a duration of a non-HT PPDU containing a control response frame sent at a primary rate; and

encode either a high-efficient (HE) single-user (SU) PPDU (HE SU PPDU) for transmission to carry the control response frame when a transmit time of the encoded HE SU PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU or an EHT PPDU for transmission to carry the control response frame when a transmit time of the encoded EHT PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU; and

encode a non-HT PPDU for transmission to carry the control response frame when the transmit time of the encoded HE SU PPDU would not be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU and when the transmit time of the encoded EHT PPDU would not be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU.

2. An apparatus of an extremely high-throughput (EHT) station (STA), the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry; and memory,

wherein in response to a frame carried in an EHT physical layer conformance procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) soliciting a control response frame, the processing circuitry is configured to:

calculate a duration of a non-HT PPDU containing the control response frame sent at a primary rate; and

encode a high-efficient (HE) single-user (SU) PPDU (HE SU PPDU) for transmission to carry the solicited control response frame when a transmit time of the encoded HE SU PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU; or

encode an EHT PPDU for transmission to carry the solicited control response frame when a transmit time of the encoded EHT PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU,

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to encode a non-HT PPDU for transmission to carry the solicited control response frame:

when the transmit time of the encoded HE SU PPDU would not be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU, and

when the transmit time of the encoded EHT PPDU would not be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein when either an EHT PPDU or an HE SU PPDU are transmitted to carry the solicited control response frame, the processing circuitry is configured to encode the EHT PPDU or the HE SU PPDU to have:

a coding rate lower than a coding rate of the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame;

a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index lower than an MCS index of the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame; and

a number of spatial streams (NSS) that is less than a NSS of the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein for transmission the EHT PPDU or the HE SU PPDU, the processing circuitry is configured to:

select a highest MCS index that is lower than the MCS index of the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame; and

select a highest NSS that is less than the NSS of the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to decode the frame carried in the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame, and

wherein the frame carried in the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame comprises one of: a control frame, a data frame, and a management frame.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the frame carried in the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame comprises a data or control frame soliciting a block acknowledgement (BA), and

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:

calculate a duration of a non-HT PPDU containing the BA sent at a primary rate; and

encode an HE SU PPDU for transmission to carry the solicited BA when a transmit time of the HE SU PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU; or

encode an EHT PPDU for transmission to carry the solicited BA when a transmit time of the EHT PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein for transmission of the EHT PPDU, the processing circuitry is configured to encode the EHT PPDU for transmission of up to a 320 MHz bandwidth, and

wherein for transmission of the HE SU PPDU, the processing circuitry is configured to encode the HE SU PPDU for transmission of up to a 160 MHz bandwidth.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein if the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame is received within a 6 GHz band, the processing circuitry is configured to cause the EHT STA to transmit the EHT PPDU or the HE SU PPDU carrying the solicited control response frame in the 6 GHz band.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the primary rate is a highest rate in a BSSBasicRateSet parameter that is less than or equal a non-HT reference rate or a highest mandatory rate.

10. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein when the transmit times the HE SU PPDU and the EHT PPDU are both less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU, the processing circuitry is configured to encode the HE SU PPDU for transmission to carry the solicited control response frame.

11. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein when the transmit times the HE SU PPDU and the EHT PPDU are both less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU, the processing circuitry is configured to encode the EHT PPDU for transmission to carry the solicited control response frame.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by processing circuitry of an extremely high-throughput (EHT) station (STA), wherein in response to a frame carried in an EHT Multi-User (MU) physical layer conformance procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) (EHT MU PPDU) soliciting a response, the processing circuitry is configured to:

calculate a duration of a non-HT PPDU containing a control response frame sent at a primary rate; and

encode a high-efficient (HE) single-user (SU) PPDU (HE SU PPDU) for transmission to carry the control response frame when a transmit time of the encoded HE SU PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU or an EHT PPDU for transmission to carry the control response frame when a transmit time of the encoded EHT PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU; and

encode a non-HT PPDU for transmission to carry the control response frame when the transmit time of the encoded HE SU PPDU would not be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU and when the transmit time of the encoded EHT PPDU would not be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by processing circuitry of an extremely high-throughput (EHT) station (STA), wherein in response to a frame carried in an EHT physical layer conformance procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) soliciting a control response frame, the processing circuitry is configured to:

calculate a duration of a non-HT PPDU containing the control response frame sent at a primary rate; and

encode a high-efficient (HE) single-user (SU) PPDU (HE SU PPDU) for transmission to carry the solicited control response frame when a transmit time of the encoded HE SU PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU; or

encode an EHT PPDU for transmission to carry the solicited control response frame when a transmit time of the encoded EHT PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU,

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to encode a non-HT PPDU for transmission to carry the solicited control response frame:

when the transmit time of the encoded HE SU PPDU would not be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU, and

when the transmit time of the encoded EHT PPDU would not be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , where when either an EHT PPDU or an HE SU PPDU are transmitted to carry the solicited control response frame, the processing circuitry is configured to encode the EHT PPDU or the HE SU PPDU to have:

a coding rate lower than a coding rate of the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame;

a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index lower than an MCS index of the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame; and

a number of spatial streams (NSS) that is less than a NSS of the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein for transmission the EHT PPDU or the HE SU PPDU the processing circuitry is configured to:

select a highest MCS index that is lower than the MCS index of the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame; and

select a highest NSS that is less than the NSS of the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to decode the frame carried in the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame, and

wherein the frame carried in the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame comprises one of: a control frame, a data frame, and a management frame.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the frame carried in the EHT PPDU soliciting the control response frame comprises a data or control frame soliciting a block acknowledgement (BA), and

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:

calculate a duration of a non-HT PPDU containing the BA sent at a primary rate; and

encode an HE SU PPDU for transmission to carry the solicited BA when a transmit time of the HE SU PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU; or

encode an EHT PPDU for transmission to carry the solicited BA when a transmit time of the EHT PPDU is less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein for transmission of the EHT PPDU, the processing circuitry is configured to encode the EHT PPDU for transmission of up to a 320 MHz bandwidth, and

wherein for transmission of the HE SU PPDU, the processing circuitry is configured to encode the HE SU PPDU for transmission of up to a 160 MHz bandwidth.

19. An apparatus of an extremely high-throughput (EHT) Access Point station (AP), the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry; and memory, the processing circuitry configured to:

encode for transmission to an EHT station (EHT STA), a frame carried in an EHT Multi-User (MU) Physical-layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) (EHT MU PPDU) soliciting a response;

calculate a duration of a non-high-throughput PPDU (non-HT PPDU) containing a control response frame sent at a primary rate; and

decode a PPDU carrying the control response frame received from the EHT STA, the received PPDU comprising:

a high-efficient (HE) single-user (SU) PPDU (HE SU PPDU) when a transmit time of the HE SU PPDU would be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU or an EHT PPDU when a transmit time of the EHT PPDU would be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU; or

a non-HT PPDU when the transmit time of the HE SU PPDU would not be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU and when the transmit time of the EHT PPDU would not be less than the calculated duration of the non-HT PPDU.