Backoff counter and txop duration settings for coordinated access point transmissions

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatuses for wireless communications. In some implementations, a first access point (AP) may identify other APs to participate in a coordinated access point transmission session, may obtain a transmit opportunity (TXOP) for transmitting wireless signals over a frequency bandwidth, may allocate corresponding portions of the frequency bandwidth to the identified APs for downlink (DL) transmissions during the TXOP, may select a duration of the TXOP for the coordinated access point transmission session based at least in part on an amount or percentage of the first AP's frequency bandwidth that is allocated to the one or more identified APs for the coordinated access point transmission session, and may output information indicative of at least one of the selected TXOP duration or the corresponding portions of the frequency bandwidth allocated to the respective identified AP by the first AP.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A first wireless access point (AP), comprising:
 a processing system that includes processor circuitry and memory circuitry that stores code, the processing system configured to cause the first wireless AP to:
 identify one or more other wireless APs to participate with the first wireless AP in a coordinated AP transmission session during which each of the one or more other identified wireless APs has an opportunity to communicate with one or more respective stations (STAs); 
 decrement a first back-off counter of the first wireless AP in association with the first wireless AP contending for access to a wireless channel; 
 transmit, to each of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a respective indication of an ability of the other identified wireless AP to pause decrementing of a respective back-off counter of the other identified wireless AP in accordance with the participation of the other identified wireless AP in the coordinated AP transmission session; and 
 commence the coordinated AP transmission session over the wireless channel in accordance with the first back-off counter being decremented to less than a value. 
   
     
     
         2 . The first wireless AP of  claim 1 , wherein, to identify the one or more other APs to participate, the processing system is configured to cause the first wireless AP to:
 advertise the coordinated AP transmission session;   receive, from each wireless AP of one or more nearby wireless APs, a respective response indicating an intent to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session; and   identify the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session in accordance with the one or more received respective responses.   
     
     
         3 . The first wireless AP of  claim 1 , wherein, to transmit the one or more respective indications of the ability of the one or more other identified wireless APs to pause decrementing of the one or more respective back-off counter, the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to transmit, to each of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a respective indication of an ability of the other identified wireless AP to contend for medium access over a next contention period using a paused value of the respective back-off counter of the other identified wireless AP. 
     
     
         4 . The first wireless AP of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to reset the first back-off counter after an end of a transmission opportunity. 
     
     
         5 . The first wireless AP of  claim 1 , wherein, to transmit the one or more respective indications of the ability of the one or more other identified wireless APs to pause decrementing of the one or more respective back-off counter, the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to transmit, to each of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a respective indication of an ability of the other identified wireless AP to reset the respective back-off counter of the other identified wireless AP after an end of a transmission opportunity. 
     
     
         6 . The first wireless AP of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to temporally align downlink transmissions from the first wireless AP over a transmission opportunity with one or more downlink transmissions from at least one of the one or more other identified wireless APs. 
     
     
         7 . The first wireless AP of  claim 6 , wherein, to temporally align the downlink transmissions, the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to temporally align one or more symbol boundaries of a protocol data unit to be transmitted from the first wireless AP with corresponding symbol boundaries of a protocol data unit to be concurrently transmitted from at least one of the one or more other identified wireless APs. 
     
     
         8 . The first wireless AP of  claim 7 , wherein, to temporally align the downlink transmissions, the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to transmit, to each wireless AP of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a trigger frame indicating timing information of the one or more symbol boundaries of the protocol data unit to be transmitted from the first wireless AP. 
     
     
         9 . The first wireless AP of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to select a duration of a transmission opportunity for the coordinated AP transmission session in accordance with identifying the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session. 
     
     
         10 . The first wireless AP of  claim 9 , wherein the selected transmission opportunity duration is longer than a standard transmission opportunity duration. 
     
     
         11 . The first wireless AP of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first wireless AP to obtain a transmit opportunity in accordance with identifying the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session. 
     
     
         12 . The first wireless AP of  claim 1 , wherein the value is a quantity of one. 
     
     
         13 . A method for wireless communication by a first access point (AP), comprising:
 identifying one or more other wireless APs to participate with the first wireless AP in a coordinated AP transmission session during which each of the one or more other identified wireless APs has an opportunity to communicate with one or more respective stations (STAs);   decrementing a first back-off counter of the first wireless AP in associated with the first wireless AP contending for access to a wireless channel;   transmitting, to each of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a respective indication of an ability of the other identified wireless AP to pause decrementing of a respective back-off counter in accordance with the participation of the other identified wireless AP in the coordinated AP transmission session; and   commencing the coordinated AP transmission session over the wireless channel in accordance with the first back-off counter being decremented to less than a value.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the identifying comprises:
 advertising the coordinated AP transmission session;   receiving, from each wireless AP of one or more nearby wireless APs, a respective response indicating an intent to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session; and   identifying the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session in accordance with the one or more received respective responses.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein transmitting the one or more respective indications of the ability of the one or more other identified wireless APs to pause decrementing of the one or more respective back-off counter further comprises transmitting, to each of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a respective indication of an ability of the other identified wireless AP to contend for medium access over a next contention period using a paused value of the respective back-off counter of the other identified wireless AP. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising resetting the first back-off counter after an end of a transmission opportunity. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein transmitting the one or more respective indications of the ability of the one or more other identified wireless APs to pause decrementing of the one or more respective back-off counter further comprises transmitting, to each of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a respective indication of an ability of the other identified wireless AP to reset the respective back-off counter of the other identified wireless AP after an end of a transmission opportunity. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising temporally aligning downlink transmissions from the first wireless AP over a transmission opportunity with downlink transmissions from at least one of the one or more other identified wireless APs. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein temporally aligning the downlink transmissions comprises temporally aligning one or more symbol boundaries of a protocol data unit to be transmitted from the first wireless AP with corresponding symbol boundaries of a protocol data unit to be concurrently transmitted from at least one of the one or more other identified wireless APs. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein temporally aligning the downlink transmissions further comprises transmitting, to each wireless AP of the one or more other identified wireless APs, a trigger frame indicating timing information of the one or more symbol boundaries of the protocol data unit to be transmitted from the first wireless AP. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising selecting a duration of a transmission opportunity for the coordinated AP transmission session in accordance with identifying the one or more other wireless APs to participate in the coordinated AP transmission session. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the selected transmission opportunity duration is longer than a standard transmission opportunity duration. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising obtaining a transmit opportunity for transmitting wireless signals over a frequency bandwidth. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the value is a quantity of one.