IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,628,197
Granted Patent B2
US 12,628,197 · App. 18/041,773 · Granted May 12, 2026

Communication apparatus and communication method for wireless local area network sensing

Inventors: Rojan Chitrakar (Singapore, SG); Lei Huang (Singapore, SG); Yoshio Urabe (Nara, JP); Rajat Pushkarna (Singapore, SG)
Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America
H04W74/0808H04L43/062
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,628,197
App. No.
18/041,773
Granted
May 12, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communication apparatus and method for wireless local area network sensing. The communication apparatus comprises: a transmitter, which, in operation, transmits a request frame to one or more peer communication apparatuses, the request frame carrying transmission parameters to be used by the each of one or more peer communication apparatuses to transmit a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) used for channel measurements; a sensing module configured to perform the channel measurements based on the respective PPDU(s) received from the one or more peer communication apparatuses; and an interface configured to obtain sensing parameters from higher layer applications and pass a result of the channel measurements to the higher layer applications.

Claims (24)

1 . A communication apparatus comprising:

a transmitter, which, in operation, transmits a request frame to one or more peer communication apparatuses, the request frame carrying (i) transmission parameters to be used by each of the one or more peer communication apparatuses to transmit a Null Data Packet (NDP), and (ii) a session identifier identifying a sensing session,

wherein the transmitter, in operation, transmits another frame carrying the session identifier to the one or more peer communication apparatuses, the another frame soliciting each of the one or more peer communication apparatuses to transmit the NDP;

circuitry, which, in operation, performs channel measurements based on the respective NDP(s) received from the one or more peer communication apparatuses; and

an interface, which, in operation, obtains sensing parameters from higher layer applications and pass a result of the channel measurements to the higher layer applications.

2 . The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the NDP(s) received from the one or more peer communication apparatuses used for channel measurements is transmitted using a same PPDU format and a same channel bandwidth as a request PPDU comprising the request frame.

3 . The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transmission parameters comprise at least one of: a group identifier, respective identifier(s) of the one or more peer communication apparatuses, a PPDU format, a number of spatial streams, a channel bandwidth, a target receive power and a transmit power.

4 . The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the request frame further comprises a Transmit Power Hold field that indicates to one or more peer communication apparatuses to transmit the NDP(s) using a same transmit power during the sensing session.

5 . The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transmission parameters are negotiated with the one or more communication apparatus during a setup of the sensing session.

6 . The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the interface comprises a primitive to request for a transmission of the request frame to the one or more peer communication apparatuses, and pass, from the higher layer applications: a group identifier, the session identifier, respective identifier(s) of the one or more peer apparatus or a media access control address of one of the one or more peer communication apparatuses, a PPDU format, a number of spatial streams and a channel bandwidth.

7 . The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the interface comprises a primitive to pass, to the higher layer applications: the session identifier, a media access control address of one of the one or more peer communication apparatuses, a PPDU format, a channel bandwidth and the result of the channel measurements.

8 . The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry, in operation, performs channel measurements on a periodic basis based on unsolicited PPDUs received from at least one of the one or more peer communication apparatuses.

9 . The communication apparatus of claim 8 , wherein each of the at least one of the one or more peer communication apparatuses is identified by a transmitter address field of a frame received immediately prior to the unsolicited PPDU.

10 . The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the interface comprises a primitive to request the one or more peer communication apparatuses to initiate a legacy channel measurement procedure.

11 . The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the session identifier is assigned to at least two different peer communication apparatuses.

12 . The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter, in operation, transmits the request frame at least twice during one sensing session.

13 . A communication method comprising:

obtaining sensing parameters from higher layer applications;

transmitting a request frame to one or more peer communication apparatuses, the request frame carrying (i) transmission parameters to be used by each of the one or more peer communication apparatuses to transmit a Null Data Packet (NDP), and (ii) a session identifier identifying a sensing session;

transmitting another frame carrying the session identifier to the one or more peer communication apparatuses, the another frame soliciting each of the one or more peer communication apparatuses to transmit the NDP;

performing channel measurements based on the respective NDP(s) received from the one or more peer communication apparatuses; and

passing a result of the channel measurements to the higher layer applications.

14 . The communication method of claim 13 , wherein the session identifier is assigned to at least two different peer communication apparatuses.

15 . The communication method of claim 13 , wherein the request frame is transmitted at least twice during one sensing session.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 5, 2023
From: CHITRAKAR, ROJAN; HUANG, LEI; URABE, YOSHIO; PUSHKARNA, RAJAT
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
Reel/Frame 064801/0259 →
Priority Claims (1)
SG 10202007921U · Aug 18, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230319877A1 · Oct 5, 2023
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