WO2018080584A1

WO2018080584A1 - Station (sta), access point (ap) and methods of signaling for channel bonding arrangements

Info

Publication number: WO2018080584A1
Application number: PCT/US2017/024523
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ou Yang; Carlos Cordeiro; Solomon B. Trainin
Original assignee: Intel IP Corporation
Priority date: 2016-10-31
Filing date: 2017-03-28
Publication date: 2018-05-03

Abstract

Embodiments of an access point (AP), station (STA) and method of channel bonding (CB) communication are generally described herein. The AP may transmit, on a primary channel during an awake window (AW) of a beacon interval (BI), an announcement traffic indication message (ATIM) frame to indicate an intention of the AP to transmit downlink data to an STA during a contention based access period (CBAP) of the BI. The ATIM frame may include a CB configuration indicator that indicates a CB configuration for the intended data transmission. The AP may receive an uplink frame from the STA during the CBAP that indicates an availability of the STA to receive the downlink data. The AP may transmit the downlink data during the CBAP in accordance with the CB configuration indicated in the ATIM frame.

Description

STATION (STA), ACCESS POINT (AP) AND METHODS OF SIGNALING FOR CHANNEL BONDING ARRANGEMENTS

PRIORITY CLAIM

[0001] This application claims priority to United States Provisional

Patent Application Serial No. 62/414,879, filed October 31, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirely.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments pertain to wireless communications. Some embodiments relate to wireless local area networks (WLANs) and Wi-Fi networks including networks operating in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. Some embodiments relate to millimeter wave (mmWave) communication, including mmWave communication in accordance with IEEE 802.1 lad, IEEE 802.1 lay and/or Fifth Generation (5G) networks. Some embodiments relate to channel bonding.

BACKGROUND [0003] In some cases, an increase in throughput may be realized through usage of channel bonding, in which communication between base stations and mobile devices may be performed using multiple channels. Accordingly, an increase in throughput may be realized in comparison to communication on a single channel. Various challenges may arise in channel bonding operation. For instance, reception of signals on multiple channels and/or bonded channels may result in increased complexity, increased power consumption, increased noise and'or other challenges. Accordingly, Ihere is a general need for methods and systems to enable channel bonding in these and other scenarios. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0004] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network in accordance with some embodiments;

[0005] FIG. 2 illustrates an example machine in accordance with some embodiments;

[0006] FIG. 3 illustrates a station (ST A) in accordance with some embodiments and an access point (AP) in accordance with some embodiments;

[0007] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a radio architecture in accordance with some embodiments;

[0008] FIG. 5 illustrates a front-end module circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG. 4 in accordance with some embodiments;

[0009] FIG. 6 illustrates a radio IC circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG. 4 in accordance with some embodiments;

[0010] FIG. 7 illustrates a baseband processing circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG. 4 in accordance wilh some embodiments;

[0011] FIG. 8 illustrates the operation of a method of communication in accordance with some embodiments;

[0012] FIG. 9 illustrates an example mapping between channels and an indicator in accordance wilh some embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 10 illustrates an example scenario in accordance with some embodiments:

[0014] FIG. 11 illustrates another example scenario in accordance with some embodiments;

[0015] FIG. 12 illustrates example frames in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0016] FIG. 13 illustrates the operation of another method of communication in accordance with some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments. Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the network 100 may be a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or a Wi-Fi network, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. It should be noted that embodiments are not limited to the number or type of components shown in the example network 100.

Embodiments are also not limited by the example network 100 in terms of the arrangement of Ihe components or the connectivity between components as shown. In addition, some embodiments may include additional components.

[0019] The example network 100 may include one or more access points

(APs) 102 and one or more stations (STAs) 103. In some embodiments, the AP 102 may be arranged to operate in accordance with one or more IEEE 802.11 standards. These embodiments are not limiting, however, as other base station components, which may or may not be arranged to operate in accordance with a standard, may be used in some embodiments. As an example, an Evolved Node- B (eNB) arranged to operate in accordance with one or more Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards, including but not limited to 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards, may be used in some cases. In some embodiments, the STAs 103 may be arranged to operate in accordance with one or more IEEE 802.11 standards. These embodiments are not limiting, however, as other mobile devices, portable devices and/or other devices, which may or may not be arranged to operate in accordance with a standard, may be used in some embodiments. As an example, a User Equipment (UE) arranged to operate in accordance with one or more Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards, including but not limited to 3GPP LTE standards, may be used in some cases. [0020] In some embodiments, the STAs 103 may be configured to communicate with the AP 102 and-'or with other STAs 103. As shown in the example network 100 in FIG. 1. STA #1 may communicate with the AP 102 over the wireless link 105 and STA #2 may communicate with the AP 102 over the wireless link 110. In some embodiments, direct communication between STAs 103 may be possible, such as over the wireless link 115 between STA #1 and STA #2. These embodiments are not limiting, however, as the direction communication between STAs 103 may not necessarily be possible in some embodiments.

[0021] In some embodiments, the communication between the AP 102 and the STAs 103 and/or the communication between the STAs 103 may be performed in accordance with one or more standards, such as an 802.1 1 standard (including legacy 802.1 1 standards), a 3GPP standard (including 3GPP LTE standards) and-'or other standards. These embodiments are not limiting, however, as other communication techniques and/or protocols, which may or may be included in a standard, may be used for the communication between the AP 102 and the STAs 103 and-'or the communication between the STAs 103, in some embodiments.

[0022] Embodiments are not limited to communication as part of a network. In some embodiments, communication between two or more STAs 103 may not necessarily involve a network. In some cases, at least a portion of the communication may include direct communication between the STAs 103.

[0023] It should also be noted that the AP 102 may operate as an STA

103. in some embodiments. Some techniques, operations and/or methods may be described herein in terms of communication between two STAs 103, but such descriptions are not limiting. Some or all of those techniques, operations and/or methods may be applicable to scenarios in which an STA 103 and an AP 102 communicate. In addition, some techniques, operations and/or methods may be described herein in terms of communication between an STA 103 and an AP 102, but such descriptions are not limiting. Some or all of those techniques, operations and/or methods may be applicable to scenarios in which two or more STAs 103 communicate. [0024] In accordance with some embodiments, the AP 102 may transmit downlink data to the STA 103. The STA 103 may receive the downlink data from the AP 102. These embodiments will be described in more detail below.

[0025] It should be noted that the STAs 103, the AP 102, mobile devices, base stations and/or other devices may be configured to operate in various frequency bands, including but not limited to millimeter wave (mmWave), ultra high frequency (UHF), microwave and/or other frequency bands.

[0026] In some embodiments, the STAs 103, AP 102, other mobile devices, other base stations and/or other devices may be configured to perform operations related to contention based communication. As an example, the communication between the STAs 103 and/or AP 102 and/or the communication between the STAs 103 may be performed in accordance with contention based techniques. In some cases, the STAs 103 and/or AP 102 may be arranged to contend for a wireless medium (e.g., during a contention period) to receive exclusive control of the medium for a transmission period. For instance, the transmission period may include a transmission opportunity (TXOP), which may be included in an 802.11 standard and/or other standard. Embodiments are not limited to the TXOP, however, as any suitable contention based technique(s) and/or time period(s) for transmission may be used.

[0027] It should be noted that embodiments are not limited to usage of contention based techniques, however, as some communication (such as that between mobile devices and/or communication between a mobile device and a base station) may be performed in accordance with schedule based techniques. Some embodiments may include a combination of contention based techniques and schedule based techniques.

[0028] In some embodiments, the communication between mobile devices and/or between a mobile device and a base station may be performed in accordance with single carrier techniques. As an example, a protocol data unit (PDU) and/or other frame(s) may be modulated on a single carrier frequency in accordance with a single carrier modulation (SCM) technique.

[0029] In some embodiments, the communication between mobile devices and/or between a mobile device and a base station may be performed in accordance with any suitable multiple-access techniques and/or multiplexing techniques. Accordingly, one or more of orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), code- division multiple access (CDMA), lime-division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiplexing (FDMA), space-division multiple access (SDMA), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), multi-user (MIJ) multiple- input multiple-output (MIMO) (MU-MIMO) and/or other techniques may be employed in some embodiments.

[0030] In some embodiments, channels used for communication between

STAs 103 and/or APs 102 may be 2.16 GHz, 4.32 GHz, 6.48 GHz, 8.72 GHz and/or other suitable value. In some embodiments, channels used for communication between STAs 103 and/or APs 102 may be configurable to use one of 20 MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz contiguous bandwidths or an 80+-80MHz (160MHz) non-contiguous bandwidth. In some embodiments, a 320 MHz channel width may be used. In some embodiments, subchannel bandwidths less than 20 MHz may also be used. In Ihese embodiments, each channel or subchannel may be configured for transmitting a number of spatial streams, in some embodiments. The values given above may be part of an 802.11 standard, in some cases, although embodiments are not limited as such. For instance, a 2.16 GHz channel may be used in accordance with an 802.1 lad standard, and any of 2.16, 4.32, 6.48 or 8.72 GHz may be used in accordance with a channel bonding technique of an 802.1 1 ay standard. These embodiments are not limiting, however, as other suitable bandwidths may be used in some embodiments. In addition, embodiments are not limited to channel types or channel sizes that are included in a standard.

[0031] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components lhat provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may include logic, at least partially operable in hardware. Embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware and/or software.

[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine in accordance with some embodiments. The machine 200 is an example machine upon which any one or more of the techniques and'or methodologies discussed herein may be performed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 200 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g.. networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 200 may operate in the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both in server-client network environments. In an example, the machine 200 may act as a peer machine in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The machine 200 may be an AP 102, STA 103, User Equipment (UE), Evolved Node-B (eNB), mobile device, base station, personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a smart phone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), other computer cluster configurations.

[0033] Examples as described herein, may include, or may operate on, logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules are tangible entities (e.g., hardware) capable of performing specified operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In an example, circuits may be arranged (e.g., internally or with respect to external entities such as other circuits) in a specified manner as a module. In an example, the whole or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardware processors may be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, an application portion, or an application) as a module that operates to perform specified operations. In an example, the software may reside on a machine readable medium In an example, Ihe software, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causes the hardware to perform the specified operations.

[0034] Accordingly, the term "module" is understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transitorily) configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or to perform part or all of any operation described herein. Considering examples in which modules are temporarily configured, each of the modules need not be instantiated at any one moment in time. For example, where the modules comprise a general-purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor may be configured as respective different modules at different times. Software may accordingly configure a hardware processor, for example, to constitute a particular module at one instance of time and to constitute a different module at a different instance of time.

[0035] The machine (e.g., computer system) 200 may include a hardware processor 202 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 204 and a static memory 206, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 208. The machine 200 may further include a display device 210, an alphanumeric input device 212 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 214 (e.g., a mouse), ϊη an example, the display device 210, input device 212 and UI navigation device 214 may be a touch screen display. The machine 200 may additionally include mass storage 216 (such as a storage device, a drive unit and/or other), a signal generation device 218 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 220, and one or more sensors 221, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor. The machine 200 may include an output controller 228, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, card reader, etc.).

[0036] The mass storage 216 may include a machine readable medium

222 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 224 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 224 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 204. within static memory 206, or within the hardware processor 202 during execution thereof by the machine 200. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 202, the main memory 204, the static memory 206, or the mass storage 216 may constitute machine readable media, in some embodiments, the machine readable medium may be or may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

[0037] While the machine readable medium 222 is illustrated as a single medium, the term "machine readable medium" may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store the one or more instructions 224. The term "machine readable medium" may include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 200 and that cause the machine 200 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting machine readable medium examples may include solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media Specific examples of machine readable media may include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable

Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; Random Access Memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, machine readable media may include non-transitory machine readable media. In some examples, machine readable media may include machine readable media that is not a transitory propagating signal.

[0038] The instructions 224 may further be transmitted or received over a communications network 226 using a transmission medium via the network interface device 220 utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example coinmunication networks may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks), Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g.. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, IEEE 802.16 family of standards known as WiMax®), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) family of standards, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others. In an example, the network interface device 220 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communications network 226. In an example, the network interface device 220 may include a plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MTMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. In some examples, the network interface device 220 may wirelessly communicate using Multiple User MIMO techniques. The term "transmission medium^'' shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 200, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

[0039] FIG. 3 illustrates a station (ST A) in accordance with some embodiments and an access point (AP) in accordance with some embodiments. It should be noted that in some embodiments, an STA or other mobile device may include one or more components shown in any of FIG. 2, FIG. 3 (as in 300) or FIGs. 4-7. In some embodiments, the STA 300 may be suitable for use as an STA 103 as depicted in FIG. 1, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. It should also be noted that in some embodiments, an AP or other base station may include one or more components shown in any of FIG. 2, FIG. 3 (as in 350) or FIGs. 4-7. In some embodiments , the AP 350 may be suitable for use as an AP 102 as depicted in FIG. 1, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0040] The STA 300 may include physical layer circuitry 302 and a transceiver 305, one or both of which may enable transmission and reception of signals to and from components such as Ihe AP 102 (FIG. 1), other STAs or other devices using one or more antennas 301. As an example, the physical layer circuitry 302 may perform various encoding and decoding functions that may include formation of baseband signals for transmission and decoding of received signals. As another example, the transceiver 305 may perform various transmission and reception functions such as conversion of signals between a baseband range and a Radio Frequency (RF) range. Accordingly, the physical layer circuitry 302 and the transceiver 305 may be separate components or may be part of a combined component. In addition, some of the described functionality related to transmission and reception of signals may be performed by a combination that may include one, any or all of the physical layer circuitry 302, the transceiver 305, and other components or lay ers. The STA 300 may also include medium access control (MAC) layer circuitry 304 for controlling access to the wireless medium. The STA 300 may also include processing circuitry 306 and memory 308 arranged to perform the operations described herein.

[0041] The AP 350 may include physical layer circuitry 352 and a transceiver 355, one or both of which may enable transmission and reception of signals to and from components such as the STA 103 (FIG. 1), other APs or other devices using one or more antennas 351. As an example, the physical layer circuitry 352 may perform various encoding and decoding functions that may include formation of baseband signals for transmission and decoding of received signals. As another example, the transceiver 355 may perform various transmission and reception functions such as conversion of signals between a baseband range and a Radio Frequency (RF) range. Accordingly, the physical layer circuitry 352 and the transceiver 355 may be separate components or may be part of a combined component. In addition, some of the described functionality related to transmission and reception of signals may be performed by a combination that may include one, any or all of the physical layer circuitry 352, the transceiver 355, and other components or layers. The AP 350 may also include medium access control (MAC) layer circuitry 354 for controlling access to the wireless medium. The AP 350 may also include processing circuitry 356 and memory 358 arranged to perform the operations described herein. [0042] The antennas 301, 351, 230 may comprise one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, micros trip antennas or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas 301, 351, 230 may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics thai may result.

[0043] In some embodiments, the STA 300 may be configured to communicate using OFDM and/or OFDMA communication signals over a miilticarrier communication channel. In some embodiments, the AP 350 may be configured to communicate using OFDM and'or OFDMA communication signals over a multicarrier communication channel. Accordingly, in some cases, the STA 300 and'or AP 350 may be configured to receive signals in accordance with specific communication standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards including IEEE 802.11-2012, 802.1 ln- 2009, 802.1 lac-2013 standards, 802.11 ax standards (and'or proposed standards), 802.1 1 ay standards (and'or proposed standards) and/or other, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in Ihis respect as they may also be suitable to transmit and'or receive communications in accordance with other techniques and standards. In some other embodiments, the AP 350 and'or the STA 300 may be configured to receive signals that were transmitted using one or more other modulation techniques such as spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) and'or frequency hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA)), lime-division multiplexing (TDM) modulation, and/or frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) modulation, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0044] In some embodiments, the STA 300 and'or AP 350 may be a mobile device and may be a portable wireless communication device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer with wireless communication capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone, a smartphone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, a television, a wearable device such as a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), or other device that may receive and/or transmit information wirelessly. In some embodiments, the STA 300 and/or AP 350 may be configured to operate in accordance with 802.11 standards, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. Mobile devices or other devices in some embodiments may be configured to operate according to other protocols or standards, including other IEEE standards. Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards or other standards. In some embodiments, the STA 300 and/or AP 350 may include one or more of a key board, a display, a non-volatile memory port, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, an application processor, speakers, and other mobile device elements. The display may be an LCD screen including a touch screen.

[0045] Although the STA 300 and the AP 350 are each illustrated as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry' for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0046] Embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware, firmware and software. Embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may be read and executed by at least one processor to perform the operations described herein. A computer-readable storage device may include any non-transitory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer-readable storage device may include readonly memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and other storage devices and media. Some embodiments may include one or more processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device. [0047] It should be noted that in some embodiments, an apparatus of the

STA 300 may include various components of the STA 300 as shown in FIG. 3 and/or the example machine 200 as shown in FIG. 2 and/or various components shown in FIGs. 4-7. Accordingly, techniques and operations described herein that refer to the STA 300 (or 103) may be applicable to an apparatus of an STA, in some embodiments. It should also be noted that in some embodiments, an apparatus of the AP 350 may include various components of the AP 350 as shown in FIG. 3 and/or the example machine 200 as shown in FIG. 2 and/or various components shown in FIGs. 4-7. Accordingly, techniques and operations described herein that refer to the AP 350 (or 102) may be applicable to an apparatus of an AP, in some embodiments. In addition, an apparatus of a mobile device and/or base station may' include one or more components shown in FIGs. 2-7, in some embodiments. Aca>rdingly, techniques and operations described herein that refer to a mobile device and/or base station may be applicable to an apparatus of a mobile device and/or base station, in some embodiments.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a radio architecture 400 in accordance with some embodiments. Radio architecture 400 may include radio front-end module (FEM) circuitry 404, radio IC circuitry 406 and baseband processing circuitry 408. Radio architecture 400 as shown includes both Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) functionality and Bluetooth (BT) functionality although embodiments are not so limited. In this disclosure, "WLAN" and "Wi-Fi" are used interchangeably.

[0049] It should be noted that the radio architecture 400 and components shown in FIGs. 5-7 support WLAN and BT, but embodiments are not limited to WLAN or BT. In some embodiments, two technologies supported by the radio architecture 400 may or may not include WLAN or BT. Other technologies may be supported In some embodiments, WLAN and a second technology may be supported. In some embodiments, BT and a second technology may be supported. In some embodiments, two technologies other than WLAN and BT may be supported. In addition, the radio architecture 400 may be extended to support more than two protocols, technologies and/or standards, in some embodiments. Embodiments are also not limited to the frequencies illustrated in FIGs. 4-7.

[0050] FEM circuitry 404 may include a WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuitry

404a and a Bluetooth (BT) FEM circuitry 404b. The WLAN FEM circuitry 404a may include a receive signal path comprising circuitry configured to operate on WLAN RF signals received from one or more antennas 401 , to amplify^* the received signals and to provide the amplified versions of the received signals to Ihe WLAN radio IC circuitry 406a for further processing. The BT FEM circuitry 404b may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on BT RF signals received from one or more antennas 401, to amplify Ihe received signals and to provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the BT radio IC circuitry 406b for further processing. FEM circuitry 404a may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify WLAN signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 406a for wireless transmission by one or more of the antennas 401. In addition, FEM circuitry 404b may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify BT signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 406b for wireless transmission by the one or more antennas. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, although FEM 404a and FEM 404b are shown as being distinct from one another, embodiments are not so limited, and include within their scope the use of an FEM (not shown) that includes a transmit path and/or a receive path for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more FEM circuitries where at least some of the FEM circuitries share transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0051] Radio IC circuitry 406 as shown may include WLAN radio IC circuitry 406a and BT radio IC circuitry 406b. The WLAN radio IC circuitry 406a may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down- convert WLAN RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 404a and provide baseband signals to WLAN baseband processing circuitry 408a. BT radio IC circuitry 406b may in turn include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert BT RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 404b and provide baseband signals to BT baseband processing circuitry 408b. WLAN radio IC circuitry 406a may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert WLAN baseband signals provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuitry 408a and provide WLAN RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 404a for subsequent wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 401. BT radio IC circuitry 406b may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert BT baseband signals provided by the BT baseband processing circuitry 408b and provide BT RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 404b for subsequent wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 401. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, although radio IC circuitries 406a and 406b are shown as being distinct from one another, embodiments are not so limited, and include within their scope the use of a radio IC circuitry (not shown) that includes a transmit signal path and/or a receive signal path for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more radio IC circuitries where at least some of the radio IC circuitries share transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0052] Baseband processing circuity 408 may include a WLAN baseband processing circuitry 408a and a BT baseband processing circuitry 408b. The WLAN baseband processing circuitry 408a may include a memory, such as, for example, a set of RAM arrays in a Fast Fourier Transform or Inverse Fast Fourier Transform block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing circuitry 408a Each of the WLAN baseband circuitry 408a and the BT baseband circuitry 408b may further include one or more processors and control logic to process the signals received from the corresponding WLAN or BT receive signal path of the radio IC circuitry 406, and to also generate

corresponding WLAN or BT baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the radio IC circuitry 406. Each of the baseband processing circuitries 408a and

408b may' further include physical layer (PHY) and medium access control layer (MAC) circuitry , and may further interface with application processor 410 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the radio IC circuitry 406.

[0053] Referring still to FIG. 4, according to the shown embodiment,

WLAN-BT coexistence circuitry 413 may include logic providing an interface between the WLAN baseband circuitry 408a and the BT baseband circuitry 408b to enable use cases requiring WLAN and BT coexistence. In addition, a switch 403 may be provided between the WLAN FEM circuitry 404a and the BT FEM circuitry 404b to allow switching between the WLAN and BT radios according to application needs. In addition, although the antennas 401 are depicted as being respectively connected to Ihe WLAN FEM circuitry 404a and the BT FEM circuitry 404b, embodiments include within their scope the sharing of one or more antennas as between the WLAN and BT FEMs, or the provision of more than one antenna connected to each of FEM 404a or 404b.

[0054] In some embodiments, the front-end module circuitry 404, the radio IC circuitry 406, and baseband processing circuitry 408 may be provided on a single radio card, such as wireless radio card 402. In some other embodiments, the one or more antennas 401, the FEM circuitry 404 and the radio IC circuitry 406 may be provided on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuitry 406 and the baseband processing circuitry 408 may be provided on a single chip or integrated circuit (IC), such as IC 412.

[0055] In some embodiments, the wireless radio card 402 may include a

WLAN radio card and may be configured for Wi-Fi communications, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some of these embodiments, the radio architecture 400 may be configured to receive and transmit orthogonal frequency' division multiplexed (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication signals over a multicarrier communication channel. The OFDM or OFDMA signals may comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0056] In some of these multicarrier embodiments, radio architecture 400 may be part of a Wi-Fi communication station (ST A) such as a wireless access point (AP), a base station or a mobile device including a Wi-Fi device. In some of these embodiments, radio architecture 400 may be configured to transmit and receive signals in accordance with specific communication standards and/or protocols, such as any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards including, 802.11n-2009, IEEE 802.11-2012, 802.11n-2009, 802.11 ac, and/or 802.11 ax standards and/or proposed specifications for WLANs, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. Radio architecture 400 may also be suitable to transmit and/or receive communications in accordance with other techniques and standards. [0057] In some embodiments, the radio architecture 400 may be configured for high-efficiency (HE) Wi-Fi (HEW) communications in accordance with the IEEE 802.1 lax standard. In these embodiments, the radio architecture 400 may be configured to communicate in accordance with an OFDMA technique, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0058] In some other embodiments, the radio architecture 400 may be configured to transmit and receive signals transmitted using one or more other modulation techniques such as spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) and/or frequency hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA)), time-division multiplexing (TDM) modulation, and/or frequency -division multiplexing (FDM) modulation, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0059] In some embodiments, as further shown in FIG. 4, the BT baseband circuitry 408b may be compliant with a Bluetooth (BT) connectivity standard such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth 4.0 or Bluetooth 5.0, or any other iteration of the Bluetooth Standard. In embodiments that include BT functionality as shown for example in Fig. 4, the radio architecture 400 may be configured to establish a BT synchronous connection oriented (SCO) link and or a BT low energy (BT LE) link. In some of the embodiments that include functionality, the radio architecture 400 may be configured to establish an extended SCO (eSCO) link for BT communications, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some of these embodiments that include a BT functionality, the radio architecture may be configured to engage in a BT Asynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) communications, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the functions of a BT radio card and WLAN radio card may be combined on a single wireless radio card, such as single wireless radio card 402, although embodiments are not so limited, and include within their scope discrete WLAN and BT radio cards.

[0060] In some embodiments, the radio-architecture 400 may include other radio cards, such as a cellular radio card configured for cellular (e.g., 3GPP such as LTE, LTE- Advanced or 5G communications). [0061] In some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, the radio architecture 400 may be configured for a>mmunication over various channel bandwidths including bandwidths having center frequencies of about 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz. In some embodiments, the bandwidths may be about 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 4 MHz, 5MHz, 8 MHz, 10 MHz, 16 MHz, 20 MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz (with contiguous bandwidths) or 80+80MHz (160MHz) (with non-contiguous bandwidths). In some embodiments, a 320 MHz channel bandwidth may be used. In some embodiments, the bandwidths may be about 2.16 GHz, 4.32 GHz, 6.48 GHz, 8.72 GHz and/or other suitable value. The scope of the embodiments is not limited with respect to the above center frequencies or bandwidths, however.

[0062] FIG. 5 illustrates FEM circuitry 500 in accordance with some embodiments. The FEM circuitry 500 is one example of circuitry that may be suitable for use as the WLAN and/or BT FEM circuitry 404a/404b (FIG. 4), allhough other circuitry configurations may also be suitable.

[0063] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 500 may include a

TX'RX switch 502 to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry 500 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 500 may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 506 to amplify received RF signals 503 and provide the amplified received RF signals 507 as an output (e.g., to the radio 1C circuitry 406 (FIG. 4)). The transmit signal path of the circuitry 500 may include a power amplifier (PA) 510 to amplify input RF signals 509 (e.g., provided by the radio 1C circuitry 406), and one or more filters 512, such as band-pass filters (BPFs), low-pass filters (LPFs) or other types of filters, to generate RF signals 515 for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the antennas 401 (FIG. 4))·

[0064] In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communication, the

FEM circuitry 500 may be configured to operate in either the 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum or the 5 GHz frequency spectrum In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 500 may include a receive signal path duplexer

504 to separate the signals from each spectrum as well as provide a separate

LNA 506 for each spectrum as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 500 may also include a power amplifier 510 and a filter 512, such as a BPF, a LPF or another type of filter for each frequency spectrum and a transmit signal path duplexer 514 to provide the signals of one of the different spectrums onto a single transmit path for subsequent transmission by the one or more of the antennas 401 (FIG. 4). In some embodiments, BT communications may utilize the 2.4 GHZ signal paths and may utilize the same FEM circuitry 500 as the one used for WLAN communications.

[0065] FIG. 6 illustrates radio IC circuitry 600 in accordance with some embodiments. The radio TC circuitry 600 is one example of circuitry that may be suitable for use as the WLAN or BT radio IC circuitry 406a/406b (FIG. 4), although other circuitry configurations may also be suitable.

[0066] In some embodiments, the radio IC circuitry 600 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the radio IC circuitry 600 may include at least mixer circuitry 602, such as, for example, down-conversion mixer circuitry, amplifier circuitry 606 and filter circuitry 608. The transmit signal path of the radio IC circuitry 600 may include at least filter circuitry 612 and mixer circuitry 614, such as, for example, up- conversion mixer circuitry. Radio IC circuitry 600 may also include synthesizer circuitry 604 for synthesizing a frequency 605 for use by the mixer circuitry 602 and the mixer circuitry 614. The mixer circuitry 602 and/or 614 may each, according to some embodiments, be configured to provide direct conversion functionality. The latter type of circuitry presents a much simpler architecture as compared with standard super-heterodyne mixer circuitries, and any flicker noise brought about by the same may be alleviated for example through the use of OFDM modulation. Fig. 6 illustrates only a simplified version of a radio IC circuitry, and may include, although not shown, embodiments where each of the depicted circuitries may include more than one component. For instance, mixer circuitry 602 and/or 614 may each include one or more mixers, and filter circuitries 608 and/or 612 may each include one or more filters, such as one or more BPFs and/or LPFs according to application needs. For example, when mixer circuitries are of the direct-conversion type, they may each include two or more mixers. [0067] In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 602 may be configured to down-convert RF signals 507 received from the FEM circuitry 404 (FIG. 4) based on the synthesized frequency 605 provided by synthesizer circuitry 604. The amplifier circuitry 606 may be configured to amplify Ihe down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 608 may include a LPF configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals 607. Output baseband signals 607 may be provided to the baseband processing circuitry 408 (FIG. 4) for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals 607 may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 602 may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0068] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 614 may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals 611 based on the synthesized frequency 605 provided by the synthesizer circuitry 604 to generate RF output signals 509 for the FEM circuitry 404. The baseband signals 61 1 may be provided by Ihe baseband processing circuitry 408 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 612. The filter circuitry 612 may include a LPF or a BPF, allhough the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0069] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 602 and Ihe mixer circuitry 614 may each include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and/or up-conversion respectively with the help of synthesizer 604. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 602 and the mixer circuitry 614 may each include two or more mixers each configured for image rejection (e.g.. Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, Ihe mixer circuitry 602 and the mixer circuitry 614 may be arranged for direct down- conversion and/or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 602 and the mixer circuitry 614 may be configured for superheterodyne operation, although this is not a requirement.

[0070] Mixer circuitry 602 may comprise, according to one embodiment: quadrature passive mixers (e.g., for the in-phase (I) and quadrature phase (Q) paths). In such an embodiment, RF input signal 507 from Fig. 6 may be down- converted to provide I and Q baseband output signals to be sent to the baseband processor.

[0071] Quadrature passive mixers may be driven by zero and ninety degree time-varying LO switching signals provided by a quadrature circuitry which may be configured to receive a LO frequency (fro) from a local oscillator or a synthesizer, such as LO frequency 605 of synthesizer 604 (FIG. 6). In some embodiments, the LO frequency may be the carrier frequency, while in other embodiments, the LO frequency may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the zero and ninety degree time-varying switching signals may be generated by Ihe synthesizer, although the scope of Ihe embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0072] In some embodiments, the LO signals may differ in duty cycle

(the percentage of one period in which the LO signal is high) and/or offset (the difference between start points of Ihe period). In some embodiments, the LO signals may have a 25% duty cycle and a 50% offset. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuitry (e.g.. the in-phase (I) and quadrature phase (Q) path) may operate at a 25% duty cycle, which may result in a significant reduction is power consumption.

[0073] The RF input signal 507 (FIG. 5) may comprise a balanced signal, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. 'Ihe I and Q baseband output signals may be provided to low-nose amplifier, such as amplifier circuitry 606 (FIG. 6) or to filter circuitry 608 (FIG. 6).

[0074] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals 607 and the input baseband signals 611 may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate

embodiments, the output baseband signals 607 and the input baseband signals 611 may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the radio IC circuitry may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (D AC) circuitry.

[0075] In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio 1C circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, or for other spectrums not mentioned here, although the scope of Ihe embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0076] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 604 may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+l synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 604 may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. According to some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 604 may include digital synthesizer circuitry. An advantage of using a digital synthesizer circuitry is that, although it may still include some analog components, its footprint may be scaled down much more than the footprint of an analog sj'nthesizer circuitry. In some embodiments, frequency input into synthesizer circuity 604 may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. A divider control input may further be provided by either Ihe baseband processing circuitry 408 (FIG. 4) or the application processor 410 (FIG. 4) depending on the desired output frequency 605. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table (e.g., within a Wi-Fi card) based on a channel number and a channel center frequency as determined or indicated by the application processor 410.

[0077] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 604 may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency 605, while in other embodiments, the output frequency 605 may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the output frequency 605 may be a LO frequency (fi o).

[0078] FIG. 7 illustrates a functional block diagram of baseband processing circuitry 700 in accordance with some embodiments. The baseband processing circuitry 700 is one example of circuitry thai may be suitable for use as the baseband processing circuitry 408 (FIG. 4), although other circuitry configurations may also be suitable. The baseband processing circuitry 700 may include a receive baseband processor (RX BBP) 702 for processing receive baseband signals 609 provided by the radio 1C circuitry 406 (FIG. 4) and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 704 for generating transmit baseband signals 611 for the radio IC circuitry 406. The baseband processing circuitry 700 may also include control logic 706 for coordinating the operations of the baseband processing circuitry 700.

[0079] In some embodiments (e.g., when analog baseband signals are exchanged between the baseband processing circuitrj' 700 and the radio IC circuitry 406), the baseband processing circuitry 700 may include ADC 710 to convert analog baseband signals received from the radio IC circuitry 406 to digital baseband signals for processing by the RX BBP 702. In these

embodiments, the baseband processing circuitry 700 may also include DAC 712 to convert digital baseband signals from the TX BBP 704 to analog baseband signals.

[0080] In some embodiments that communicate OFDM signals or

OFDMA signals, such as through baseband processor 408a,, the transmit baseband processor 704 may be configured to generate OFDM or OFDMA signals as appropriate for transmission by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). The receive baseband processor 702 may be configured to process received OFDM signals or OFDMA signals by performing an FFT. In some embodiments, the receive baseband processor 702 may be configured to detect the presence of an OFDM signal or OFDMA signal by performing an autocorrelation, to detect a preamble, such as a short preamble, and by performing a cross-correlation, to detect a long preamble. The preambles may be part of a predetermined frame structure for Wi-Fi communication.

[0081] Referring back to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the antennas 401

(FIG. 4) may each comprise one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas. including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result.

Antennas 401 may each include a set of phased-array antennas, although embodiments are not so limited.

[0082] Although the radio-architecture 400 is illustrated as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. Tn some embodiments, the functional elements may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0083] Embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware, firmware and software. Embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may be read and executed by at least one processor to perform the operations described herein. A computer-readable storage device may include any non-transitory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer-readable storage device may include readonly memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and other storage devices and media. Some embodiments may include one or more processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device.

[0084] Tn accordance with some embodiments, the AP 102 may transmit, on a primary channel during an awake window (AW) of a beacon interval (BI), an announcement traffic indication message (ΑΊΊΜ) frame to indicate an intention of the AP 102 to transmit downlink data to an STA 103 during a contention based access period (CBAP) of the BI. The primary channel may be included in channel resources that are configurable for channel bonding of multiple channels. The ΑΊΊΜ frame may include a CB configuration indicator that indicates a CB configuration for the intended data transmission. The AP 102 may receive an uplink frame from the STA 103 during the CBAP that indicates an availability of the STA 103 to receive the downlink data. The AP 102 may transmit the downlink data during the CBAP in accordance with the CB configuration indicated in the ATIM frame. These embodiments are described in more detail below. [0085] FIG. 8 illustrates the operation of a method of communication in accordance with some embodiments. Tt is important to note that embodiments of the method 800 may include additional or even fewer operations or processes in comparison to what is illustrated in FIG. 8. In addition, embodiments of the method 800 are not necessarily limited to the chronological order that is shown in FIG. 8. In describing the method 800, reference may be made to FIGs. 1-7 and 9-13, although it is understood that the method 800 may be practiced with any other suitable systems, interfaces and components.

[0086] In some embodiments, an AP 102 may perform one or more operations of the method 800, but embodiments are not limited to performance of the method 800 and/or operations of it by the AP 102. In some embodiments, an STA 103 may perform one or more operations of the method 800 (and/or similar operations). In anon-limiting example, a first STA 103 may perform one or more operations of the method 800 (and/or similar operations) as part of a communication with a second STA 103. Accordingly, allhough references may be made to performance of one or more operations of the method 800 by the AP 102 in descriptions herein, it is understood that the STA 103 may perform the same operation(s), similar operation(s) and/or reciprocal operations), in some embodiments.

[0087] In addition, the method 800 and other methods described herein may refer to STAs 103 or APs 102 operating in accordance with an 802.11 standard, protocol and/or specification and/or WLAN standard, protocol and/or specification, in some cases. Embodiments of those methods are not limited to just those STAs 103 or APs 102 and may also be practiced on other devices, such as a User Equipment (UE), an Evolved Node-B (eNB) and/or other device. In addition, the method 800 and other methods described herein may be practiced by wireless devices configured to operate in other suitable types of wireless communication systems, including systems configured to operate according to various Third Generation Partnership Protocol (3GPP) standards, including but not limited to Long Term Evolution (LTE). The method 800 may also be practiced by an apparatus for an STA 103 and/or AP 102 and/or other device, in some embodiments. [0088] It should also be noted that embodiments are not limited by- references herein (such as in descriptions of the methods 800 and 1300 and/or other descriptions herein) to transmission, reception and/or exchanging of elements such as frames, messages, requests, indicators, signals or other elements. In some embodiments, such an element may be generated, encoded or otherwise processed by processing circuitry (such as by a baseband processor included in the processing drcuitry) for transmission. The transmission may be performed by a transceiver or other component, in some cases. In some embodiments, such an element may be decoded, detected or otherwise processed by the processing circuitry (such as by the baseband processor). The element may be received by a transceiver or other component, in some cases. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry and the transceiver may be included in a same apparatus. The scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect, however, as the transceiver may be separate from the apparatus that comprises the processing circuitry, in some embodiments.

[0089] At operation 805, the AP 102 may determine one or more channels for a downlink data transmission to an STA 103. At operation 810, the AP 102 may determine a channel bonding (CB) configuration indicator for the downlink data transmission.

[0090] In some embodiments, the AP 102 may be configured to support communication in accordance with channel bonding, in which transmission to the STA 103 may be performed simultaneously in multiple channels. For instance, channel resources available for communication by one or more APs 102 and/or STAs 103 may include multiple channels (which may or may not be contiguous). In addition, Ihe STA 103 may be configured to support communication in accordance with CB. In some embodiments, the STA 103 may not necessarily support CB communication in which all the channels of the channel resources are used (for instance, not all candidate CB configurations, not all possible CB configurations and/or other). For instance, the STA 103 may support CB communication in which a portion of the available channels of the channel resources are used. In some embodiments, the STA 103 may support such CB communication, however. [0091] In a non-limiting example, the channel resources may include a primary channel and one or more secondary channels. In a channel bonding communication, the AP 102 may transmit to the STA 103 in one or more channels simultaneously (and/or during overlapping time periods). For instance, downlink data may be transmitted on multiple channels, with different downlink data on the different channels. It should be noted that diversity and/or redundancy arrangements are also possible, in which the downlink data on two or more channels may be the same or at least partly dependent. The channels used in the channel bonding communication may include the primary channel and one or more of the secondary channel(s) in some cases, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the AP 102 may also receive uplink transmissions from the STA 103 in a channel bonding communication.

[0092] In some embodiments, the channel(s) determined for usage, by the AP 102, for the transmission of the downlink data may be based on one or more factors, including but not limited to a number of channels that may be supported by the AP 102 in a CB communication, the particular channels available to the AP 102 for CB communication, a number of channels that may be supported by the STA 103 in a CB communication, the particular channels available to the STA 103 for CB communication, intersections of such factors (such as a set of channels available to both the STA 103 and the AP 102 for CB communication), data rates requested by the STA 103, data rates requested by the AP 102, data rates requested by other ST As 103, scheduling factors) and'or other suitable factors.

[0093] In some embodiments, the CB configuration indicator may be based at least partly on a predetermined mapping between the CB configuration indicator and a plurality of candidate CB configurations. In some embodiments, at least some of the candidate CB configurations may be configured for different numbers of channels. In some embodiments, the channel resources may include the primary channel and one or more secondary channels, and at least one of the candidate CB configurations may include the primary channel and may exclude the one or more secondary channels. In some embodiments, the primary channel is included in channel resources that are configurable for channel bonding (CB) of multiple channels. In some embodiments, a CB configuration may indicate, may include and/or may be based on a number of channels used, particular channels used and/or other information.

[0094] At operation 815, the AP 102 may transmit, on a primary channel during an awake window (AW) of a beacon interval (BI), an announcement traffic indication message (ΑΉΜ) frame. In some embodiments, the AP 102 may be arranged to operate in accordance with a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol. The AW may be reserved at least partly for transmission of ATTM frames to STAs 103 operating in a power saving (PS) mode, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. For instance. ATIM frames may be transmitted to STAs 103 lhat are not necessarily operating in the PS mode (or even configurable for PS mode, in some embodiments).

[0095] In some embodiments, operation in the PS mode may include, in comparison to normal operation (such as non-PS mode operation), one or more of reduced functionality, reduced power consumption, reduced transmission, reduced reception, reduced time (such as a fraction of a cycle) in which some operations are performed and/or other. In some embodiments, a doze mode and/or sleep mode may be used, in which functionality and/or operation of the STA 103 may be limited (at least temporarily).

[0096] In some embodiments, the ATIM frame may indicate an intention of the AP 102 to transmit downlink data to an STA 103 during a contention based access period (CBAP) of the BI. In some embodiments, the ATIM frame may include a CB configuration indicator that indicates a CB configuration for the intended data transmission.

[0097] In some embodiments, the AP 102 may be arranged to operate in accordance with a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol, and the ATIM frame may be a management frame that excludes a data pay load. It should be noted, however, that embodiments are not limited to usage of the ATM frame and are also not limited to usage of frames that are included in a WLAN standard and/or other standard. For instance, any suitable frame (which may or may not be included in a standard) may indicate the intention of the AP 102 to transmit downlink data to an STA 103, the CB configuration indicator (and/or similar), and/or other information. [0098] In a non-limiting example, the AP 102 may encode the ΑΊΊΜ frame in a single carrier physical layer (SC-PHY) format that includes a legacy header (L-header). In some embodiments, the L-header may be an 802.1 lad PHY header, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. The L-header may be a header included in any suitable protocol, standard, legacy protocol, legacy standard and/or other, in some embodiments. The L- header may include a length field that indicates a length of a pay load of the AT1M frame. The AP 102 may encode the CB configuration indicator to replace a predetermined number of bits of the length field. For instance, the AP 102 may encode the CB configuration indicator to replace three least significant bits (LSBs) of the length field. Embodiments are not limited to CB configuration indicators of three bits, however, as any suitable number of bits may be used. It should also be noted that the embodiments are not limited to the replacement of the bits of the length field. In some embodiments, a predetermined number of bits of the length field may include the CB configuration indicator, may carry the CB configuration indicator and/or may be used for the CB configuration indicator. In some embodiments, the AP 102 may encode the length field to include and/or carry the CB configuration indicator (such as in one or more predetermined positions of the length field). In some embodiments, one or more predetermined positions of the length field may be used for the CB configuration indicator.

[0099 j In another non-limiting example, the AP 102 may encode the

ΑΤΊΜ frame in a control physical layer (control PHY) format. In some embodiments, the control PHY format may include a legacy header (L-Header), and the L-Header may include a scrambling sequence for scrambling of at least a payload of the ATIM frame. The AP 102 may encode the CB configuration indicator as a predetermined number of bits of the scrambling sequence. For instance, the AP 102 may encode the CB configuration indicator as three bits in predetermined positions of the scrambling sequence. Embodiments are not limited to CB configuration indicators of three bits, however, as any suitable number of bits may be used. In some embodiments, a predetermined number of bits of the scrambling sequence may be replaced by the CB configuration indicator. In some embodiments, a predetermined number of bits of the scrambling sequence may cany the CB configuration indicator. In some embodiments, a predetermined number of bits of the scrambling sequence may be used for the CB configuration indicator. In some embodiments, the AP 102 may encode the scrambling sequence to include and/or carry the CB

configuration indicator (such as in one or more predetermined positions of the scrambling sequence). In some embodiments, the AP 102 may encode the CB configuration indicator to replace one or more predetermined positions of the scrambling sequence.

[00100] In some embodiments, the AP 102 may receive an

acknowledgment (ACK) of the AT1M frame from the STA 103.

[00101] At operation 820, the AP 102 may receive an uplink frame from the STA 103 during the CBAP that indicates an availability of the STA 103 to receive the downlink data. In some embodiments, a management frame, extension frame or data frame may be used. For instance, a power management (PM) bit of the frame may be set to a particular value (to indicate the availability) may be received from the STA 103.

[00102] At operation 825, the AP 102 may contend for access to at least a portion of the channel resources for transmission of the downlink data during the CBAP. In some embodiments, the AP 102 may content for access to the channels of the indicated CB configuration (in the ATM frame, for instance). The contention may be performed on one or more channels. In a non-limiting example, the contention may be performed on the primary channel. In another non-limiting example, the contention may be performed on one or more of the channels of the indicated CB configuration. In another non-limiting example, the contention may be performed on one or more of the channels of the channel resources. It should be noted that embodiments are not limited to usage of contention based data transmissions, however.

[00103] At operation 830, the AP 102 may transmit the downlink data for transmission during the CBAP in accordance with the CB configuration indicated in the ΑΤΊΜ frame. In some embodiments, the downlink data may be transmitted on one or more channels indicated by the CB configuration.

[00104] AT operation 835, the AP 102 may receive a second uplink frame from the STA 103 during the CBAP after the transmission of the downlink data. The second uplink frame may indicate an intention of the ST A 103 to enter a doze mode (such as a sleep mode, mode of reduced operation and/or similar) during a remaining portion of the CBAP. The AP 102 may transmit, to the STA 103 during the CBAP and after reception of the second uplink frame, an acknowledgement (ACK) frame for the second uplink frame. In some embodiments, the second uplink frame may be a management frame, extension frame or data frame. The management frame, extension frame or data frame may be included in a WL AN standard and/or other standard, in some embodiments, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. Any suitable frame, which may or may not be included in a standard, may be used.

[00105] It should be noted that one or more of the frames exchanged in operations described herein (including but not limited to operations of the methods 800 and/or 1300) may not necessarily be dedicated for the CB communication, for communication of CB configuration information and/or for communication of information related to the doze mode. In some embodiments, the information related to the CB configuration and/or doze mode may be included in a management frame used for one or more other purposes.

[00106] In some embodiments, an apparatus of the AP 102 may comprise memory. The memory may be configurable to store the predetermined mapping between the CB configuration indicator and a plurality of candidate CB configurations. The memory may store one or more other elements and the apparatus may use them for performance of one or more operations. In some embodiments, the apparatus of the AP 102 may include a transceiver to transmit the ATIM frame, receive uplink frame(s), and transmit the downlink data The transceiver may' transmit and/or receive other frames, PPDTJs and/or other elements. The apparatus may include processing circuitry, which may perform one or more operations (including but not limited to operation(s) of the method 800 and/or other methods described herein). The processing circuitry may include a baseband processor to encode the ATIM frame, decode the uplink frame, and encode the downlink data and/or to perform other operations.

[00107] In some embodiments, channel bonding (CB) may be used. In a non-limiting example, channel bonding may be used in a standard such as IEEE 802.1 lay. In some cases, the channel bonding feature may be mandatory, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00108] A CB-capable STA 103 may or may not use channel bonding in communication, which may depend on the capability of a device (STA 103, AP 102 and/or other) to which the STA 103 communicates. When channel bonding is used, the STA 103 may stay on a wideband channel in the analog domain. When channel bonding is not used, the STA 103 may either stay on a wideband channel in the analog domain, but filter the received signal in the digital domain in order to communicate on the primary' channel (digital channel switch may be performed in a relatively short time, in some cases), or stay on the primary channel in the analog domain (analog channel switch may be performed in a time period that is longer than for the digital channel switch, in some cases). However, staying on a wideband channel in the analog domain may consume more power than staying on the primary channel only in the analog domain.

[00109] In some embodiments, a standard, protocol and/or specification may include mechanism(s) to enable CB-capable ST As 103 to switch its BW configuration (instead of being restricted to operation on the wideband channel), which may result in a power savings, in some cases. In a non-limiting example, an IEEE 802.1 lay standard, protocol and/or specification may include one or more such mechanisms.

[00110] In some embodiments, a Grant Frame may be used to inform a STA 103 to switch BW configuration. However, support of a Grant Frame may be optional, in some cases, and hence all implementations may not necessarily support usage of the Grant Frame. For instance, one or more vendors may not necessarily support Ihe usage of the Grant Frame in one or more of their products, designs and/or implementations.

[00111] In some embodiments, BW information may be included in an Announcement of Traffic Indication Message (ΑΤΊΜ) frame, which may be transmitted in an Awake Window (AW) to signal buffered data for STAs 103 that are in a power saving (PS) mode. Accordingly, an STA 103 that receives an ATTM frame may wake up with the expected BW indicated in the ΑΤΪΜ frame. It should be noted that in comparison to usage of the Grant Frame described above, the inclusion of the BW information in the ATIM frame may provide one or more of the following advantages, in some cases: no overhead (and or little overhead) is introduced, while the Grant Frame and an ACK of the Grant Frame may be considered as overhead; usage of the AT1M Frame may be mandated for certain compliances (such as WiGig Rl certification) while the Grant Frame may not necessarily be mandated for the same compliances.

[00112] In some embodiments, a power saving mechanism (and/or power saving operation(s)) described below may be used. Tn a non-limiiing example, an IEEE 802.1 lad standard, protocol and/or specification may support (at least partly) the power saving mechanism (and/or power saving operation(s)) described below. A standard, protocol and/or specification may use scheduled and unscheduled power saving (PS) mechanisms. In a scheduled PS, a wakeup schedule may be used to indicate an awake Beacon interval (BI) and a doze BI. In an unscheduled PS, a Power Management (PM) bit in a management, extension or data frame may be used to indicate a request to enter or exit PS mode. An AP 102 may enable an Awake Window as long as at least one ST A 103 is in doze using unscheduled PS. An ST A 103 may transmit an ΑΠΜ frame in the Awake Window to inform a peer STA 103 to become active for buffered data. Both the AP 102 and the STA 103 may stay awake during the Awake Window. An ΑΤΊΜ frame may be a management frame with no frame body. After receiving an ATIM frame, an STA 103 in an unscheduled PS mode may (and/or shall) enter an active mode in a current BI and may (and/or shall) inform the AP 102 of the status change. The STA 103 may (and/or shall) stay active in current BI until all transactions with peer STAs 103 are completed. It should be noted that implementation of PS, Awake Window, and ATIM may be mandatory in some standard(s), protocol(s) and/or specification(s) (including but not limited to the WiGig Rl certification program), although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00113] In some embodiments, ATIM frames may be restricted to transmission on the primary channel. An ATIM frame may include BW information for the transmission of buffered data between the transmitter and receiver of the ATIM frame. When an STA 103 becomes active in an unscheduled PS mode, the STA 103 may (and/or should) be on the widest BW among all the BWs that are signaled in the ATIM frames it received in the Awake Window. For instance, the STA 103 may select the BW to accommodate a widest BW signaled when multiple BWs are signaled (by different ATIM frames).

[00114] In some embodiments, when an ATIM frame is transmitted using a control PHY mode, one or more scrambler bits of a header may be used to signal the bandwidth. In anon-limiting example, when an ATIM frame is transmitted using the control PHY mode, the scrambler bits (for instance Bl. B2, B3) in the L-header may be used to signal the bandwidth. Embodiments are not limited to 3 bits and are not limited to the three particular scrambler bits Bl, B2 and B3. In some embodiments, when an ATIM frame is transmitted using a single carrier (SC) PHY mode, one or more bits of a length field of a header may be used to signal the bandwidth. In a non-limiting example, when an ATIM frame is transmitted using the single carrier (SC) PHY mode, 3 bits of the length field (such as the lowest 3 bits of the length field) of the L-header may be used to signal the bandwidth. Embodiments are not limited to 3 bits and are not limited to the three particular scrambler bits Bl, B2 and B3.

[00115] In some embodiments, the STA 103 may assume that CB-capable STAs 103 are to use a widest bandwidth that can be used with its peer STA 103. ΑΠΜ frames may (and'or shall) be transmitted on the primary channel (and may be restricted to the primary channel, in some cases). In a non-limiting example, the ATIM frame may be the same as or similar to an ATIM frame used in a standard such as IEEE 802.1 lad, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. One or more STAs 103 may announce their BW capabilities in DMG capabilities element(s)/message(s). The AP 102 may collect and'or distribute such information throughout the BSS/PBSS. The receiver of an ATIM frame may (and/or shall) switch to the BW that covers the common channels that both itself and the transmitter of the ATIM frame are capable of using when it transitions to active mode.

[00116] FIG. 9 illustrates an example mapping between channels and an indicator in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 10 illustrates an example scenario in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 1 1 illustrates another example scenario in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 12 illustrates example frames in accordance with some embodiments. It should be noted that the examples shown in FIGs. 9-12 may illustrate some or all of the concepts and techniques described herein in some cases, but embodiments are not limited by the examples. For instance, embodiments are not limited by the name, number, type, size, ordering, arrangement and/or other aspects of the operations, frames, packets, headers, intervals (beacon interval, CBAP, AW and/or others), modes, data portions, fields and other elements as shown in FTGs. 9-12. Although some of the elements shown in the examples of FIGs. 9-12 may be included in a standard, such as 802.11, 802.1 lay, WLAN and/or other, embodiments are not limited to usage of such elements that are included in standards.

[00117] In a non-limiting example shown in FIG. 9, the bits used to indicate the BW information may be coded using same or similar techniques mat may be used for BW signaling in RTS and DMG CTS using the scrambler bits. Embodiments are not limited by this example, however, as any suitable mapping/formula/relationship between the bits and the BW information may be used. The example mapping shown in FIG. 9 may be used in some

embodiments, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00118] In the example scenarios of FIGs. 10 and 11 , operations of both an AP 102 and ST As 103 are shown. It is understood that embodiments are not limited to the operations shown. In some embodiments, a method practiced by an AP 102 may include transmission and/or reception of some (or all) of the signals, frames and/or elements shown in FIG. 10 (and may include additional operations, in some embodiments). In some embodiments, a method practiced by an AP 102 may include transmission and/or reception of some (or all) of the signals, frames and/or elements shown in FIG. 11 (and may include additional operations, in some embodiments). In some embodiments, a method practiced by an AP 102 may include one or more operations shown in any of FIGs. 8, 10, and 11 (and may include additional operations, in some embodiments).

[00119] In some embodiments, a method practiced by an STA 103 may include transmission andV^'or reception of some (or all) of the signals, frames and'or elements shown in FIG. 10 (and may include additional operations, in some embodiments). In some embodiments, a method practiced by an STA 103 may include transmission and/or reception of some (or all) of the signals, frames and/or elements shown in FIG. 11 (and may include additional operations, in some embodiments). In some embodiments, a method practiced by an STA 103 may include one or more operations shown in any of FIGs. 12, 10, and 11 (and may include additional operations, in some embodiments).

[00120] Referring to FIG. 10, an example scenario 1000 illustrates usage of AT1M with BW information to help a CB-capable STA 103 to save power. In the example, there is one AP 102 and one STA 103, but embodiments are not limited as such. During beacon interval (Bl) 1010, the AP 102 includes an Awake Window (AW) 1014 in the starting of the CBAP-only DTI of the BI 1010. The STA 103 is in the unscheduled PS mode. During the ΒΉ 1012 and the Awake Window 1014, the STA 103 may stay awake on the primary channel. The AP 102 may send an ATIM frame 1021 to the STA 103 in the Awake Window 1014 of BI 0 (1010). This ATIM frame 1021 may include a BW indication of channel bonding of 2 (which may be mapped to a particular channel bonding configuration). The STA 103 may acknowledge 1022 the ATIM 1021 during the Awake Window 1014. When the STA 103 decides to wake up during the CBAP 1016, it may send a management, extension or data frame 1023 to the AP 102 with the PM bit set to 0 (in some cases, to indicate that it is available for the data). After the STA 103 receives the ACK 1024 from the AP 102, the STA 103 may transition to an active mode (as indicated by 1044) and may stay on the bonded channel as the ATIM indicated. Then the AP

102 may send bonded (via the channel bonding) data 1025 to the STA 103, and when Ihe transaction is done, the STA 103 may send a management, extension or data frame 1027 with the PM bit set to 1, which may indicate its intention to return to doze. After reception of the acknowledgment 1028 from the AP 102, the STA 103 may enter the unscheduled PS mode again (as indicated by 1030). In the next BI 1050, the AP 102 may send an ATIM frame 1051 with BW information of the primary channel (in some cases, the primary channel only). When the STA 103 wakes up in the CBAP 1052 of BI #1 1050, the STA 103 may stay on the primary channel (as indicated by 1054), may complete the data transaction with the AP 102 on the primary' channel, and may return to doze. Since after reception of an ATIM frame 1021, 1051 by the STA 103, the STA

103 may control when to wake up during the CBAP, the STA 103 may be able to take as much time as it needs (and/or any suitable amount of time) to switch from one BW configuration to another BW configuration in Ihe analog domain. As a result, the STA 103 may have flexibility to be ready for the bonded transaction. In addition, a CB-capable STA 103 that sends the AT1M frame may choose a bandwidth that is narrower than the widest bandwidth that can be used with its peer STA 103, in some cases.

[00121] Referring to example of FTG. 11 , there are one AP 102 and two STAs 103, although embodiments are not limited to these numbers. In the example, STA2 is in an unscheduled PS mode. The AP 102 has data buffered for STA2 in BT #0 1110, and STA1 has data buffered for ST A2 in BI #1 1 150. By receiving the ΑΤΊΜ frame 1122 from the AP 102, STA2 may determine andOr know that the common channels that both itself and the AP 102 may support are channel bonding of 2 (for instance, channel 1 and channel 2). So, STA2 may wake up in BT #0 1110 on the bonded channel of channel 1 and channel 2. In BT #1 (1150), STA2 may receive an ATIM frame 1152 from STA1, which supports only Ihe primary channel. So, when STA2 wakes up in BT #1 (1150), it stays on the primary channel (and may be restricted to stay on the primary channel only, in some cases).

[00122] Referring to FIG. 12, the example frames 1200, 1250 may be included in an 802.11 ay standard, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in mis respect. Some embodiments may not necessarily include all elements shown in the example frames 1200, 1250 shown in FIG. 12. Some embodiments may include one or more elements in addition to those shown in FIG. 12. Embodiments are not limited to the ordering or arrangement of fields shown in the example frames 1200, 1250. In addition, embodiments are not limited to the particular fields shown in FIG. 12, as one or more similar and/or related fields may be used, in some embodiments.

[00123] The SC PHY frame 1200 may include one or more of the following fields: scrambler initialization 1202, base MCS 1204, length 1206, additional PPDU 1208, packet type 1210, training length 1212, aggregation 1214, beam tracking request 1216, last RSSI 1218, turnaround 1220, extended

SC MCS indication 1222, reserved bits 1224, and HCS 1226. The SC PHY frame 1200 may include any number (including zero) of olher parameters and/or information 1228, which may or may not be related to channel bonding. In some embodiments, one or more fields of the SC PHY frame 1200 may be included in an 802.1 lay standard and/or olher standard, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, one or more fields of the SC PHY frame 1200 may be similar to, related to or the same as fields mat are included in an 802.11 ay standard and/or other standard.

[00124] In some embodiments, an ATIM frame may be formatted in an SC PHY format. For instance, the length field 1206 shown in the SC PHY frame 1200 may be used to indicate a CB configuration indicator. As an example, three bits of the length field 1206 may be used to indicate the CB configuration indicator. LSBs may be used, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in mis respect.

[00125] The control PHY frame 1250 may include one or more of the following fields: differential encoder initialization 1252, scrambler initialization 1254, length 1256, packet type 1258, training length 1260, turnaround 1262, reserved bits 1264, and HCS 1266. The control PHY frame 1250 may include any number (including zero) of other parameters and/or information 1268, which may or may not be related to channel bonding. In some embodiments, one or more fields of the control PHY frame 1250 may be included in an 802.1 lay standard and/or other standard, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, one or more fields of the control PHY frame 1250 may be similar to, related to or the same as fields that are included in an 802.1 lay standard and/or other standard.

[00126] In some embodiments, an ATIM frame may be formatted in a control PHY format. For instance, the scrambler initialization field 1254 shown in the control frame 1250 may be used to indicate a CB configuration indicator. As an example, three bits of the scrambler initialization field 1254 may be used to indicate the CB configuration indicator. LSBs may be used, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00127] FIG. 13 illustrates the operation of another method of communication in accordance with some embodiments. As mentioned previously regarding the method 800, embodiments of the method 1300 may include additional or even fewer operations or processes in comparison to what is illustrated in FIG. 8 and embodiments of the method 1300 are not necessarily limited to the chronological order that is shown in FIG. 13. In describing the method 1300, reference may be made to FIGs. 1-12, although it is understood that the method 1300 may be practiced with any other suitable systems, interfaces and components. In addition, embodiments of the method 1300 may be applicable to ST As 103, APs 102, UEs, eNBs and/or other wireless or mobile devices. The method 1300 may also be applicable to an apparatus of an STA 103, AP 102 and/or other device, in some embodiments.

[00128] In some embodiments, one or more operations of the method 1300 may be the same as or similar to one or more operations described herein, including but not limited to one or more operations of the method 800. In addition, previous discussion of various techniques and concepts may be applicable to the method 1300 in some cases, including PS mode, doze mode, beacon interval (BI), channel bonding (CB), primary channel, secondary channel, awake window (AW), contention based access period (CBAP), CB configuration, CB configuration indicator, AT1M frame, uplink frames, downlink data, channel contention, TXOP and/or others. In addition, one or more examples shown in any of FIGs. 1-12 may be applicable, in some cases, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00129] It should be noted that the method 1300 may be practiced by an STA 103 and may include exchanging of elements, such as frames, signals, messages, fields and/or other elements, with an AP 102. Similarly, the method 800 may be practiced by an AP 102 and may include exchanging of such elements with an STA 103. In some cases, operations and techniques described as part of the method 800 may be relevant to the method 1300. In addition, embodiments of the method 1300 may include operations performed by the STA 103 that are reciprocal to or similar to other operations described herein performed at the AP 102. For instance, an operation of the method 1300 may- include transmission of a message by the STA 103 while an operation of the melhod 800 may include reception of the same message or similar message by the AP 102.

[00130] At operation 1305, the STA 103 may, during an awake window

(AW) of a beacon interval (BI), monitor a primary channel for announcement traffic indication message (ATIM) frames. The primary channel may be included in channel resources that are configurable for channel bonding (CB) of multiple channels. In some embodiments, the STA 103 may monitor for ATM frames from the AP 102. although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the STA 103 may monitor for AT1M frames from multiple devices, such as one or more APs 102 and/or STAs 103. In some embodiments, the STA 103 may monitor for ATTM frames from any device, such as one or more APs 102 and/or STAs 103.

[00131] At operation 1310, the STA 103 may receive an ΑΠΜ frame from the AP 102 during the AW on the primary channel. The ATTM frame may indicate an intention of the AP 102 to transmit downlink data to the STA 103 during a contention based access period (CBAP) of the BI. In some

embodiments, the STA 103 may receive an ATTM frame from another STA 103, which may indicate an intention of the other STA 103 to transmit data to the STA 103. In some embodiments, the STA 103 may receive multiple ATIM frames from other devices, including the AP 102, other APs 102 and/or other STAs 103. The multiple ATIM frames may indicate intentions, by the multiple devices, to transmit data to82 the STA 103.

[00132] At operation 1315, the STA 103 may transmit an uplink frame during the CBAP that indicates an availability of the STA 103 to receive the downlink data. In a non-limiting example, the uplink frame may include a power management (I'M) bit that indicates whether the STA 103 is available to receive the downlink data. In some embodiments, the uplink frame may be transmitted to the AP 102. For instance, the STA 103 may receive an ATIM frame from the AP 102 during the AW, and the uplink frame may be transmitted based on the ATIM frame. The uplink frame may be a management frame, extension frame or data frame, in some embodiments. Embodiments are not limited to these frame types, however, as any suitable frame and/or frame type may be used.

[00133] At operation 1320, the STA 103 may determine, based on a CB configuration indicator included in the received ATIM frame, a CB

configuration to be used for reception of the downlink data The determination may be based at least partly on a mapping between the CB configuration indicator and a plurality of candidate CB configurations, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in mis respect.

[00134] In some embodiments, if the received ATIM frame is formatted in a single carrier physical layer (SC-PHY) format, the STA 103 may decode the CB configuration indicator as a predetermined number of bits of a length field included in a legacy header (L-header) of the received ATIM frame. If the received ATIM frame is formatted in a control physical layer (control PHY) format, the STA 103 may decode the CB configuration indicator as a predetermined number of bits of a scrambling sequence included in the received ATIM frame. Embodiments are not limited by these examples, however, as the CB configuration indicator may be indicated using any suitable techniques).

[00135] At operation 1325, the STA 103 may receive one or more frames that include capability information. In a non-limiting example, the frames may include channel information related to channels supported by one or more APs 102 and/or STAs 103. At operation 1330, the STA 103 may determine, based at least partly on the channel information included in the frames that include the capability information, a CB configuration to be used for reception of the downlink data In some embodiments, the AP 102 may transmit a frame (capability frame and/or other) that may indicate capabilities of one or more STAs 103 (such as other associated STAs 103).

[00136] In a non-limiting example, the STA 103 may receive one or more frames that include capability information. In a non-limiting example, the frames may indicate per-STA channel bonding (CB) configurations supported by the other STAs 103. During the AW, the STA 103 may detect one or more ATIM frames from one or more of the other STAs 103 on the primary channel. The primary channel may be included in channel resources that are configurable for CB of multiple channels. The STA 103 may determine, based on a union of channels included in the CB configurations supported by the other STAs 103 from which the ATIM frames are detected, a set of one or more channels that are to be monitored by the STA 103 during the CBAP. The STA 103 may monitor the one or more channels of the set during the CBAP for data transmissions by the other STAs 103. [00137] Continuing Ihe above example, to determine Ihe set of one or more channels to be monitored, the STA 103 may: include, in the set, each channel of the channel resources that is supported by at least one of the STAs 103 from which the ATIM frames are detected; and may exclude, from the set, each channel of the channel resources that is not supported by at least one of the STAs 103 from which the ATTM frames are detected.

[00138] The above example may be extended to include reception of ATIM frames from the AP 102 and one or more other STAs 103, determination of a set of channels based on channels (and/or CB configurations) supported by the AP 102 and one or more other STAs 103, and monitoring of the set of channels.

[00139] In some embodiments, the STA 103 may determine which channels are supported by the devices from which ATIM frames are received. The STA 103 may attempt to receive (monitor) a set of channels that is based on a union of the channels supported by those individual devices.

[00140] It should be noted that some embodiments may not necessarily include all operations shown in FIG. 13. In anon-limiting example, the STA 103 may determine the CB configuration to be used for downlink reception based on the CB configuration indicator in the ATIM frame. In this case, the STA 103 may not necessarily perform operations 825 and 830. In another non- limiting example, the STA 103 may use the capabilities message(s) to determine a set of channels to monitor based on the CB configuration of devices from which ATIM frames are received. The ATIM frame may not necessarily include this information. In this case, the STA 103 may not necessarily perform operation 820.

[00141] At operation 1335, the STA 103 may monitor one or more channels (such as a set of channels determined by one or more of operations 1320-1330 and/or other operations) for the downlink data. The STA 103 may- monitor in accordance with a channel bonding configuration that includes the channel(s) of the set, in some embodiments.

[00142] At operation 1340, the STA 103 may receive the downlink data during the CBAP. In some embodiments, the downlink data may be received in accordance with a CB configuration indicated in the received ATIM frame. In some embodiments, the downlink data may be received in accordance with a CB configuration that includes the channels of the set determined at operation 1330.

[00143] At operation 1345, the STA 103 may transmit a second uplink frame to the AP 102 during the CBAP after Ihe reception of the downlink data. The second uplink frame may indicate an intention of the STA 103 to enter a doze mode during a remaining portion of the CBAP, in some cases. At operation 1350, the STA 103 may receive an acknowledgement (ACK) frame for the second uplink frame from the AP 102 during the CBAP. The second uplink frame may be a management frame, extension frame, data frame and/or any suitable frame. At operation 1355, the STA 103 may enter the doze mode during a remaining portion of the CBAP.

[00144] In Example 1, an apparatus of an access point (AP) may comprise memory. The apparatus may further comprise processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may be configured to generate, for transmission on a primary channel during an awake window (AW) of a beacon interval (Bl), an announcement traffic indication message (ATIM) frame to indicate an intention of the AP to transmit downlink data to a station (STA) during a contention based access period (CBAP) of the BI. The primary channel may be included in channel resources that are configurable for channel bonding (CB) of multiple channels. The ATIM frame may include a CB configuration indicator that indicates a CB configuration for the intended data transmission. The processing circuitry may be further configured to decode an uplink frame received from the STA during the CBAP that indicates an availability of the STA to receive the downlink data. The processing circuitry may be further configured to contend for access to at least a portion of Ihe channel resources for transmission of Ihe downlink data during the CBAP. The processing circuitry' may be further configured to encode the downlink data for transmission during the CBAP in accordance with the CB configuration indicated in the ATIM frame.

[00145] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1, wherein the processing rircuitry may be further configured to encode the ATIM frame in a single carrier physical layer (SC-PHY) format that includes a legacy header (L- header). The L-header may include a length field that indicates a length of a payload of the ATIM frame. The processing circuitry may be further configured to encode Ihe CB configuration indicator to replace a predetermined number of bits of the length field.

[00146] In Example 3, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-2, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to encode the CB configuration indicator to replace three least significant bits (LSBs) of the length field.

[00147] In Example 4, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-3, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to encode the ATIM frame in a control physical layer (control PHY) format that includes a legacy header (L-headcr). The L-header may include a scrambling sequence for scrambling of at least a payload of the ΑΊΊΜ frame. The processing circuitry may be further configured to encode the CB configuration indicator as a predetermined number of bits of the scrambling sequence.

[00148] In Example 5, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-4, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to encode the CB configuration indicator as three bits in predetermined positions of the scrambling sequence.

[00149] In Example 6, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-5, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to determine the CB configuration indicator based at least partly on a

predetermined mapping between the CB configuration indicator and a plurality of candidate CB configurations. At least some of the candidate CB

configurations may be configured for different numbers of channels.

[00150] In Example 7, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-6, wherein the channel resources may include the primary channel and one or more secondary channels. At least one of the candidate CB configurations may include the primary channel and excludes the one or more secondary channels.

[00151] In Example 8, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-7, wherein the memory may be configurable to store the predetermined mapping.

[00152] In Example 9, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-8, wherein the AP may be arranged to operate in accordance with a wireless local area network (WL AN) protocol. The ATIM frame may be a management frame mat excludes a data payload.

[00153] In Example 10, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-9, wherein the AP may be arranged to operate in accordance with a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol. The AW may be reserved at least partly for transmission of ATIM frames to STAs operating in a power saving (PS) mode.

[00154] In Example 11, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-10, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to decode, in the uplink frame from the STA, a power management (PM) bit that indicates whether me STA is available to receive the downlink data. The uplink frame may be a management frame, extension frame or data frame.

[00155] Tn Example 12, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-11, wherein the uplink frame is a first uplink frame. The processing circuitry may be further configured to decode, in a second uplink frame received from the STA during the CBAP after the transmission of the downlink data, a second uplink frame that indicates an intention of the STA to enter a doze mode during a remaining portion of the CBAP. The processing circuitry may be further configured to encode, for transmission to the STA during the CBAP, an acknowledgement (ACK) frame for the second uplink frame. The second uplink frame may be a management frame, extension frame or data frame.

[00156] In Example 13, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-12, wherein the apparatus may further include a transceiver to transmit the ATIM frame, receive the uplink frame, and transmit the downlink data.

[00157] In Example 14, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-13, wherein the processing circuitry may include a baseband processor to encode the ATIM frame, decode the uplink frame, and encode the downlink data.

[00158] In Example 15, anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform operations for communication by a station (STA). The operations may configure the one or more processors to during an awake window (AW) of a beacon interval (BI), monitor a primary channel for announcement traffic indication message (ΑΉΜ) frames. The primary channel may be included in channel resources that are configurable for channel bonding (CB) of multiple channels. The operations may further configure Ihe one or more processors to decode an ATIM frame received from an access point (AP) during the AW on the primary channel. The ΑΤΊΜ frame may indicate an intention of the AP to transmit downlink data to the STA during a contention based access period (CBAP) of the BI. The operations may further configure the one or more processors to encode an uplink frame for transmission during the CBAP that indicates an availability of the STA to receive the downlink data The operations may further configure the one or more processors to determine, based on a CB configuration indicator included in the received ATIM frame, a CB

configuration to be used for reception of the downlink data. The operations may further configure the one or more processors to decode the downlink data, the downlink data received during the CBAP in accordance with the CB

configuration indicated in the received ATIM frame.

[00159] In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15, wherein the operations may further configure the one or more processors to, if the received ATIM frame is formatted in a single carrier physical layer (SC-PHY) format: decode the CB configuration indicator as a predetermined number of bits of a length field included in a legacy header (L-header) of the received ATIM frame. The operations may further configure the one or more processors to, if the received ATIM frame is formatted in a control physical layer (control PHY) format: decode the CB configuration indicator as a predetermined number of bits of a scrambling sequence included in the received ATIM frame.

[00160] In Example 17, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 15-16, wherein the operations may further configure the one or more processors to encode, for transmission to the AP during the AW, an uplink frame that includes a power management (PM) bit that indicates whether the STA is available to receive the downlink data. The uplink frame may be a management frame, extension frame or data frame.

[00161] In Example 18, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 15-17, wherein the uplink frame is a first uplink frame. The operations may further configure the one or more processors to encode, for transmission to the AP during the CBAP after the reception of the downlink- data, a second uplink frame that indicates an intention of the ST A to enter a doze mode during a remaining portion of the CBAP. The operations may further configure the one or more processors to decode an acknowledgement (ACK) frame for the second uplink frame received from the AP during the CBAP. The second uplink frame may be a management frame, extension frame or data frame.

[00162] In Example 19, a method of communication at a station (ST A) may comprise decoding capability frames from a plurality of other ST As. The capability frames may indicate per-STA channel bonding (CB) configurations supported by the other ST As. The method may further comprise detecting, during an awake window (AW) of a beacon interval (BI), one or more announcement traffic indication message (AT1M) frames from one or more of the other ST As on a primary channel. The primary channel may be included in channel resources that are configurable for CB of multiple channels. The method may further comprise determining, based on a union of channels included in the CB configurations supported by the olher ST As from which the ATIM frames are detected, a set of one or more channels that are to be monitored by the STA during a contention based access period (CBAP) of the BI. The method may further comprise monitoring the one or more channels of the set during the CBAP for data transmissions by the other ST As.

[00163] In Example 20, the subject matter of Example 19, wherein determining the set of one or more channels to be monitored may include:

including, in the set, each channel of the channel resources lhat is supported by at least one of the STAs from which the ATIM frames are detected; and excluding, from the set, each channel of the channel resources that is not supported by at least one of the STAs from which the ATIM frames are detected.

[00164] In Example 21, an apparatus of a station (STA) may comprise means for monitoring, during an awake window (AW) of a beacon interval (BI), a primary channel for announcement traffic indication message (ATIM) frames. The primary channel may be included in channel resources that are configurable for channel bonding (CB) of multiple channels. The apparatus may further comprise means for decoding an ATIM frame received from an access point (AP) during the AW on the primary channel. The ATIM frame may indicate an intention of the AP to transmit downlink data to the STA during a contention based access period (CBAP) of the BL The apparatus may further comprise means for encoding an uplink frame for transmission during the CBAP that indicates an availability of the STA to receive the downlink data. The apparatus may further comprise means for determining, based on a CB configuration indicator included in the received ATIM frame, a CB configuration to be used for reception of the downlink data. The apparatus may further comprise means for decoding the downlink data, the downlink data received during the CBAP in accordance with the CB configuration indicated in the received ATIM frame.

[00165] In Example 22, the subject matter of Example 21, wherein the apparatus may further comprise means for, if the received ATIM frame is formatted in a single carrier physical layer (SC-PHY) format: decoding the CB configuration indicator as a predetermined number of bits of a length field included in a legacy header (L-header) of the received ATIM frame. The apparatus may further comprise means for, if the received ATIM frame is formatted in a control physical layer (control PHY) format: decoding the CB configuration indicator as a predetermined number of bits of a scrambling sequence included in the received ATIM frame.

[00166] In Example 23, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 21-22, wherein the apparatus may further comprise means for encoding, for transmission to the AP during the AW, an uplink frame that includes a power management (PM) bit that indicates whether the STA is available to receive the downlink data. The uplink frame may be a management frame, extension frame or data frame.

[00167] In Example 24, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 21-23. wherein the uplink frame is a first uplink frame. The apparatus may further comprise means for encoding a second uplink frame for transmission to the AP during the CBAP after the reception of the downlink data, a second uplink frame that indicates an intention of the STA to enter a doze mode during a remaining portion of the CBAP. The apparatus may further comprise means for decoding an acknowledgement (ACK) frame for the second uplink frame received from the AP during the CBAP. The second uplink frame may be a management frame, extension frame or data frame.

[00168] The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section 1.72(b) requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scope or meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims

What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus of an access point (AP), the apparatus comprising:

memory; and processing circuitry, configured to:

generate, for transmission on a primary channel during an awake window (AW) of a beacon interval (BI), an announcement traffic indication message (ATIM) frame to indicate an intention of the AP to transmit downlink data to a station (ST A) during a contention based access period (CBAP) of the Bl,

wherein the primary channel is included in channel resources that are configurable for channel bonding (CB) of multiple channels,

wherein the ATIM frame includes a CB configuration indicator that indicates a CB configuration for the intended data transmission;

decode an uplink frame received from the STA during the CBAP that indicates an availability of the STA to receive the downlink data:

contend for access to at least a portion of the channel resources for transmission of the downlink data during the CBAP; and

encode the downlink data for transmission during the CBAP in accordance with the CB configuration indicated in the ATIM frame.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, Ihe processing circuitry further configured to:

encode the ATIM frame in a single carrier physical layer (SC-PHY) format that includes a legacy header (L-header), wherein the L-header includes a length field that indicates a length of a payload of the ATIM frame; and

encode the CB configuration indicator to replace a predetermined number of bits of the length field.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, the processing circuitry further configured to:

encode the CB configuration indicator to replace three least significant bits (LSBs) of the length field.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , the processing drcuitry further configured to:

encode the ATJM frame in a control physical layer (control PHY) format that includes a legacy header (L-header), wherein the L-header includes a scrambling sequence for scrambling of at least a payload of the ΑΉΜ frame; and

encode the CB configuration indicator as a predetermined number of bits of the scrambling sequence.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, the processing circuitry further configured to:

encode the CB configuration indicator as three bits in predetermined positions of the scrambling sequence.

6. The apparatus according to any of claims 1, 2 or 4, the processing circuitry further configured to:

determine the CB configuration indicator based at least partly on a predetermined mapping between the CB configuration indicator and a plurality of candidate CB configurations,

wherein at least some of the candidate CB configurations are configured for different numbers of channels.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the channel resources include the primary channel and one or more secondary channels, and

at least one of the candidate CB configurations includes the primary channel and excludes the one or more secondary channels.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the memory is configurable to store the predetermined mapping.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the AP is arranged to operate in accordance with a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol, and

the ΑΉΜ frame is a management frame that excludes a data payload.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the AP is arranged to operate in accordance with a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol, and

the AW is reserved at least partly for transmission of ATTM frames to STAs operating in a power saving (PS) mode.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, the processing circuitry further configured to:

decode, in the uplink frame from the STA, a power management (PM) bit that indicates whether the STA is available to receive the downlink data,

wherein the uplink frame is a management frame, extension frame or data frame.

12. The apparatus according to any of claims 9-11, wherein:

the uplink frame is a first uplink frame,

the processing circuitry is further configured to:

decode, in a second uplink frame received from the STA during the CBAP after the transmission of the downlink data, a second uplink frame that indicates an intention of the STA to enter a doze mode during a remaining portion of the CBAP;

encode, for transmission to the STA during the CBAP, an acknowledgement (ACK) frame for the second uplink frame,

wherein the second uplink frame is a management frame, extension frame or data frame.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further includes a transceiver to transmit the ATTM frame, receive the uplink frame, and transmit the downlink data.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry includes a baseband processor to encode the ΑΉΜ frame, decode the uplink frame, and encode the downlink data.

15. A computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform operations for communication by a station (ST A), the operations to configure the one or more processors to: during an awake window (AW) of a beacon interval (BI), monitor a primary channel for announcement traffic indication message (ATIM) frames, wherein the primary channel is included in channel resources that are configurable for channel bonding (CB) of multiple channels;

decode an ATIM frame received from an access point (AP) during the AW on the primary channel, wherein the ATIM frame indicates an intention of the AP to transmit downlink data to the STA during a contention based access period (CBAP) of the BI,

encode an uplink frame for transmission during the CBAP that indicates an availability of the STA to receive the downlink data;

determine, based on a CB configuration indicator included in the received ATIM frame, a CB configuration to be used for reception of the downlink data; and

decode the downlink data, the downlink data received during the CBAP in accordance with the CB configuration indicated in the received ATIM frame.

16. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15. the operations to further configure the one or more processors to:

if the received ATIM frame is formatted in a single carrier physical layer (SC-PHY) format:

decode the CB configuration indicator as a predetermined number of bits of a length field included in a legacy header (L-header) of the received ATIM frame; and

if the received ATIM frame is formatted in a control physical layer (control PHY) format: decode the CB configuration indicator as a predetermined number of bits of a scrambling sequence included in the received ΑΉΜ frame.

17. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15, the operations to further configure the one or more processors to:

encode, for transmission to the AP during the AW, an uplink frame that includes a power management (PM) bit that indicates whether the STA is available to receive the downlink data,

wherein the uplink frame is a management frame, extension frame or data frame.

18. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein:

the uplink frame is a first uplink frame,

the operations are to further configure the one or more processors to: encode, for transmission to the AP during the CBAP after the reception of the downlink data, a second uplink frame that indicates an intention of the STA to enter a doze mode during a remaining portion of the CBAP; and decode an acknowledgement (ACK) frame for the second uplink frame received from the AP during the CBAP,

19. A method of communication at a station (STA), the method comprising:

decoding capability frames from a plurality of other STAs, wherein the capability' frames indicate per-STA channel bonding (CB) configurations supported by the other STAs;

during an awake window (AW) of a beacon interval (BI), detecting one or more announcement traffic indication message (ATIM) frames from one or more of the other STAs on a primary channel, wherein the primary channel is included in channel resources that are configurable for CB of multiple channels; determining, based on a union of channels included in the CB

configurations supported by the other ST As from which the ΑΤΊΜ frames are detected, a set of one or more channels that are to be monitored by the STA during a contention based access period (CBAP) of the BI; and

monitoring the one or more channels of the set during the CBAP for data transmissions by the other STAs.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein determining the set of one or more channels to be monitored includes:

including, in the set, each channel of the channel resources that is supported by at least one of the STAs from which the ATIM frames are detected; and

excluding, from the set, each channel of the channel resources mat is not supported by at least one of the STAs from which the ATIM frames are detected.