Apple Inc.
Low latency wireless protocol

Abstract:

This application relates to electronic devices configured to connect to a wireless local area network and communicate using a trigger-based access mechanism. An access point is configured to define a contention-free period associated with a communications medium utilized by the wireless local area network. During the contention-free period, the access point allocates transmission opportunities to each of a number of electronic devices by transmitting trigger frames to the electronic devices via the communications medium. Each trigger frame can be directed to a particular electronic device and indicates to that electronic device that the current transmission opportunity has been allocated to that electronic device to transmit data (e.g., frames) to the access point via the communications medium. The access point implements an algorithm for allocating two or more transmission opportunities within a contention-free period to two or more corresponding electronic devices.