Critical update of non-collocated AP MLD

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to critical updates for non-collocated AP MLDs, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for critical updates for access points (APs). In one embodiment, an apparatus for a first AP of a non-collocated AP MLD includes processing circuitry configured to set a value of a non-collocated AP MLD key update flag subfield to indicate 1 in the event that a value in a basic service set (BSS) parameter change count subfield of an MLD parameter field in a reduced neighbor report element of a second AP to which the second AP is affiliated, the first AP and the second AP have a setup link of a non-AP MLD associated with a non-collocated AP MLD, and wherein the first AP and the second AP are part of a different collocated set, and the processing circuitry is further configured to encode for transmission a capability information field, the capability information field comprising a critical update flag subfield.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments relate to critical updating of non-collocated access point (AP) multi-link devices (MLDs) for wireless local area networks (WLANs) and Wi-Fi networks, including networks operating according to different versions or generations of the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. Background Art

[0002] Efficient use of the resources of a wireless local area network (WLAN) is very important to provide bandwidth and acceptable response times to users of the WLAN. However, there are often many devices trying to share the same resources, and some devices may be limited by the communication protocols they use or by their hardware bandwidth. In addition, wireless devices may need to operate using both newer protocols and older device protocols. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which:

[0004] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a radio architecture according to some embodiments.

[0005] Figure 2 According to some embodiments, a Figure 1 Front-end module circuits in radio architectures.

[0006] Figure 3 According to some embodiments, a Figure 1 Radio IC circuit in the radio architecture.

[0007] Figure 4 A method for Figure 1 Baseband processing circuitry in a radio architecture.

[0008] Figure 5 A WLAN according to some embodiments is shown.

[0009] Figure 6 A block diagram of an example machine is shown upon which any one or more of the techniques (eg, methodologies) discussed herein may be performed.

[0010] Figure 7 A block diagram of an example wireless device is shown upon which any one or more of the techniques (eg, methods, or operations) discussed herein may be performed.

[0011] Figure 8 A multi-link device (MLD) is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0012] Fig. 9Collocated MLDs and non-collocated MLDs are shown according to some embodiments.

[0013] Fig.10 Non-collocated MLDs with signal reach in accordance with some embodiments are shown.

[0014] Fig.11 Capability information fields according to some examples are shown.

[0015] Fig.12 A reduced neighbor report element according to some examples is shown.

[0016] Fig.13 A method for critical update of non-collocated AP MLD according to some embodiments is shown.

[0017] Fig.14 A method for critical update of non-collocated AP MLD according to some embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following description and accompanying drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice these embodiments. Other embodiments may include structural, logical, electrical, process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in portions and features of other embodiments, or may replace portions and features of other embodiments. The embodiments set forth in the claims include all available equivalents of these claims.

[0019] Some embodiments relate to methods, computer-readable media, and apparatus for adjusting a duration field of a CTS frame. Some embodiments relate to methods, computer-readable media, and apparatus for responding to an adjustment to a duration field of a CTS frame.

[0020] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram of a radio architecture 100 according to some embodiments. The radio architecture 100 may include a radio front end module (FEM) circuit 104, a radio IC circuit 106, and a baseband processing circuit 108. The radio architecture 100 as shown includes wireless local area network (WLAN) functionality and (BT) functionality, although embodiments are not limited thereto. In the present disclosure, "WLAN" and "Wi-Fi" may be used interchangeably.

[0021] The FEM circuit 104 may include a WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuit 104A and (BT) FEM circuitry 104B. The WLAN FEM circuitry 104A may include a receive signal path including circuitry configured to operate on WLAN RF signals received from one or more antennas 101, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the WLAN radio IC circuitry 106A for further processing. The BT FEM circuitry 104B may include a receive signal path including circuitry configured to operate on BT RF signals received from one or more antennas 101, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the BT radio IC circuitry 106B for further processing. The FEM circuitry 104A may also include a transmit signal path including circuitry configured to amplify WLAN signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 106A for wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 101. Additionally, the FEM circuitry 104B may also include a transmit signal path including circuitry configured to amplify BT signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 106B for wireless transmission by the one or more antennas. Figure 1 In the embodiments, although FEM circuit 104A and FEM circuit 104B are shown as being different from each other, the embodiments are not limited thereto and include within their scope the use of a FEM (not shown) that includes a transmit path and / or receive path for both WLAN signals and BT signals, or the use of one or more FEM circuits where at least some of the FEM circuits share transmit and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN signals and BT signals.

[0022] The radio IC circuit 106 as shown may include a WLAN radio IC circuit 106A and a BT radio IC circuit 106. The WLAN radio IC circuit 106A may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting a WLAN RF signal received from the FEM circuit 104A and providing a baseband signal to the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A. The BT radio IC circuit 106B may in turn include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting a BT RF signal received from the FEM circuit 104B and providing a baseband signal to the BT baseband processing circuit 108B. The WLAN radio IC circuit 106A may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry for up-converting a WLAN baseband signal provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and providing a WLAN RF output signal to the FEM circuit 104A for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 101. The BT radio IC circuit 106B may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry for up-converting the BT baseband signal provided by the BT baseband processing circuit 108B and providing a BT RF output signal to the FEM circuit 104B for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 101. Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, although the radio IC circuits 106A and 106B are shown as being different from each other, the embodiments are not limited thereto and include within their scope the use of a radio IC circuit (not shown) that includes a transmit signal path and / or receive signal path for both WLAN signals and BT signals, or includes the use of one or more radio IC circuits in which at least some of the radio IC circuits share transmit and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN signals and BT signals.

[0023] The baseband processing circuit 108 may include a WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and a BT baseband processing circuit 1080B. The WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A may include a memory, such as a set of RAM arrays in a fast Fourier transform or inverse fast Fourier transform block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing system 108A. Each of the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and the BT baseband processing circuit 108B may further include one or more processors and control logic to process signals received from a corresponding WLAN receive signal path or BT receive signal path of the radio IC circuit 106, and also generate corresponding WLAN baseband signals or BT baseband signals for use in a transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 106. Each of the baseband processing circuits 108A and 108B may further include a physical layer (PHY) and a medium access control layer (MAC) circuit, and may further interface with the application processor 111 for baseband signal generation and processing and for controlling the operation of the radio IC circuit 106.

[0024] Still reference Figure 1 According to the illustrated embodiment, the WLAN-BT coexistence circuit 113 may include logic to provide an interface between the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and the BT baseband processing circuit 108B to enable use cases requiring WLAN and BT coexistence. In addition, a switch 103 may be provided between the WLAN FEM circuit 104A and the BT FEM circuit 104 to allow switching between WLAN and BT radios as required by the application. Furthermore, although the antenna 101 is depicted as being connected to the WLAN FEM circuit 104A and the BT FEM circuit 104, respectively, embodiments include within their scope sharing one or more antennas between the WLAN FEM and the BT FEM, or providing more than one antenna connected to each of the FEM circuit 104A or the FEM circuit 104B.

[0025] In some embodiments, the front end module circuit 104, the radio IC circuit 106, and the baseband processing circuit 108 may be provided on a single radio card, such as the wireless radio card 102. In some other embodiments, the one or more antennas 101, the FEM circuit 104, and the radio IC circuit 106 may be provided on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuit 106 and the baseband processing circuit 108 may be provided on a single chip or IC, such as on IC 112.

[0026] In some embodiments, wireless radio card 102 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, radio architecture 100 may be configured to receive and transmit orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication signals over a multi-carrier communication channel. OFDM or OFDMA signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0027] In some of these multi-carrier embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be part of a Wi-Fi communication station (STA), such as a wireless access point (AP), a base station, or a mobile device including a Wi-Fi device. In some of these embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to send and receive signals according to a specific communication standard and / or protocol, such as any one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards (including IEEE 802.11n-2009, IEEE 802.11-2012, IEEE 802.11-2016, IEEE 802.11ac, and / or IEEE 802.11ax standards) and / or specifications proposed for WLAN. The radio architecture 100 may also be suitable for sending and / or receiving communications according to other technologies and standards.

[0028] In some embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured for high-efficiency (HE) Wi-Fi (HEW) communications in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard. In these embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to communicate in accordance with OFDMA techniques, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0029] In some other embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to transmit and receive signals transmitted using one or more other modulation techniques, including, for example, 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.

[0030] In some embodiments, Figure 1 As further shown in FIG. 1 , the BT baseband circuit 108B may comply with (BT) connection standards, e.g. 4.0, or 5.0, or any other iteration of the standard. In embodiments including BT functionality, for example Figure 1As shown, the radio architecture 100 can be configured to establish a BT synchronous connection oriented (SCO) link and / or a BT low energy (BT LE) link. In some embodiments including functionality, the radio architecture 100 can 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 including BT functionality, the radio architecture can be configured to participate in BT asynchronous connectionless (ACL) communications, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, as Figure 1 As shown, the functionality of a BT radio card and a WLAN radio card may be combined on a single wireless radio card, such as on a single wireless radio card 102, although embodiments are not so limited and include separate WLAN radio cards and BT radio cards within their scope.

[0031] In some embodiments, the radio architecture 100 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).

[0032] In some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, the radio architecture 100 can be configured to communicate over a variety of channel bandwidths, including bandwidths with center frequencies of about 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and bandwidths of about 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 4 MHz, 5 MHz, 8 MHz, 10 MHz, 16 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz (with continuous bandwidth), or 80+80 MHz (160 MHz) (with non-continuous bandwidth). In some embodiments, a channel bandwidth of 320 MHz can be used. However, the scope of the embodiments is not limited to the above center frequencies.

[0033] Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a FEM circuit 200 according to some embodiments. The FEM circuit 200 is a circuit that can be suitable for use as a WLAN FEM circuit 104A and / or a BT FEM circuit 104B ( Figure 1 ) is an example of a circuit, although other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

[0034] In some embodiments, the FEM circuit 200 may include a TX / RX switch 202 for switching between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit 200 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit 200 may include a low noise amplifier (LNA) 206 to amplify the received RF signal 203 and provide the amplified received RF signal 207 as an output (e.g., to the radio IC circuit 106 ( Figure 1)). The transmit signal path of circuit 200 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal 209 (e.g., provided by radio IC circuit 106), and may include one or more filters 212, such as a bandpass filter (BPF), a lowpass filter (LPF), or other types of filters, to generate a signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more antennas 101 ( Figure 1 ) transmits an RF signal 215.

[0035] In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communications, the FEM circuit 200 can be configured to operate in the 2.4 GHz spectrum or the 5 GHz spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuit 200 can include a receive signal path duplexer 204 to separate the signals from each spectrum and provide a separate LNA 206 for each spectrum, as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 200 can also include a power amplifier 210 and a filter 212 (e.g., a BPF, LPF, or another type of filter) for each spectrum and provide the signal of one of the different spectrums to a single transmit path for one or more antennas 101 ( Figure 1 ) The transmit signal path duplexer 214 for subsequent transmissions. In some embodiments, BT communications may utilize a 2.4 GHZ signal path and may utilize the same FEM circuit 200 as the FEM circuit used for WLAN communications.

[0036] Figure 3 1 shows a radio integrated circuit (IC) circuit 300 according to some embodiments. The radio IC circuit 300 is a circuit that can be suitable for use as a WLAN radio IC circuit 106A or a BT radio IC circuit 106B ( Figure 1 ) is an example of a circuit, although other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

[0037] In some embodiments, the radio IC circuit 300 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the radio IC circuit 300 may include at least a mixer circuit 302 (e.g., a down-conversion mixer circuit), an amplifier circuit 306, and a filter circuit 308. The transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 300 may include at least a filter circuit 312 and a mixer circuit 314 (e.g., an up-conversion mixer circuit). The radio IC circuit 300 may also include a synthesizer circuit 304 for synthesizing a frequency 305 for use by the mixer circuit 302 and the mixer circuit 314. According to some embodiments, each of the mixer circuits 302 and / or 314 may be configured to provide a direct conversion function. The latter type of circuit presents a much simpler architecture than a standard superheterodyne mixer circuit, and any flicker noise introduced therefrom may be mitigated, for example, by using OFDM modulation. Figure 3 Only a simplified version of the radio IC circuit is shown, and may include (although not shown) embodiments in which each of the shown circuits may include more than one component. For example, as required by the application, mixer circuits 320 and / or 314 may each include one or more mixers, and filter circuits 308 and / or 312 may each include one or more filters, such as one or more BPFs and / or LPFs. For example, when the mixer circuits are of the direct conversion type, they may each include two or more mixers.

[0038] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 may be configured to generate a synthesized frequency 305 from FEM circuit 104 based on the synthesized frequency 305 provided by synthesizer circuit 304. Figure 1 ) down-converts the received RF signal 207. The amplifier circuit 306 may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 308 may include an LPF configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal 307. The output baseband signal 307 may be provided to the baseband processing circuit 108 ( Figure 1 ) for further processing. In some embodiments, output baseband signal 307 may be a zero frequency baseband signal, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 may include a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0039] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 314 may be configured to up-convert input baseband signal 311 based on synthesized frequency 305 provided by synthesizer circuit 304 to generate RF output signal 209 for FEM circuit 104. Baseband signal 311 may be provided by baseband processing circuit 108 and may be filtered by filter circuit 312. Filter circuit 312 may include an LPF or a BPF, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0040] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 may each include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and / or up-conversion, respectively, with the aid of synthesizer circuit 304. In some embodiments, each of mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 may include two or more mixers, each mixer being configured for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 may be arranged for direct down-conversion and / or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 may be configured for superheterodyne operation, although this is not a requirement.

[0041] According to one embodiment, mixer circuit 302 may include quadrature passive mixers (e.g., for an in-phase (I) path and a quadrature-phase (Q) path). In such an embodiment, Figure 3 The RF input signal 207 in is down-converted to provide an I baseband output signal and a Q baseband output signal for transmission to a baseband processor.

[0042] The quadrature passive mixers can be driven by 0 and 90 degree time-varying LO switching signals provided by a quadrature circuit that can be configured to receive LO frequencies (f LO ), for example, synthesizer 304 ( Figure 3 ) LO frequency 305. In some embodiments, the LO frequency can be the carrier frequency, while in other embodiments the LO frequency can be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the 0 degree and 90 degree time-varying switching signals can be generated by a synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0043] In some embodiments, the duty cycle (percentage of a period that the LO signal is high) and / or the offset (difference between the starting points of the period) of the LO signal may be different. In some embodiments, the LO signal may have a 25% duty cycle and a 50% offset. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuit (e.g., the in-phase (I) path and the quadrature-phase (Q) path) may operate at a 25% duty cycle, which may result in a significant reduction in power consumption.

[0044] RF input signal 207 ( Figure 2 ) may include balanced signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The I baseband output signal and the Q baseband output signal may be provided to amplifier circuit 306 ( Figure 3 ) or provided to a filter circuit 308 ( Figure 3 ).

[0045] In some embodiments, output baseband signal 307 and input baseband signal 311 may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, output baseband signal 307 and input baseband signal 311 may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the radio IC circuit may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits.

[0046] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, or for other spectrums not mentioned herein, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0047] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 304 may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 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 circuit 304 may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. According to some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 304 may include a digital synthesizer circuit. One advantage of using a digital synthesizer circuit is that, although it may still include some analog components, its footprint may be much smaller than the footprint of an analog synthesizer circuit. In some embodiments, the frequency input to synthesizer circuit 304 may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not a requirement. Depending on the desired output frequency 305, the divider control input may be further controlled by baseband processing circuit 108 ( Figure 1 ) or application processor 111 ( Figure 1 ) is provided. In some embodiments, the divider control input (eg, N) may be determined from a lookup table (eg, within a Wi-Fi card) based on the channel number and channel center frequency determined or indicated by the application processor 111.

[0048] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 304 can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency 305, while in other embodiments, the output frequency 305 can be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half of the carrier frequency, one-third of the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the output frequency 305 can be the LO frequency (f LO ).

[0049] Figure 4 4 is a functional block diagram of a baseband processing circuit 400 according to some embodiments. The baseband processing circuit 400 is a circuit that can be suitable for use as the baseband processing circuit 108 ( Figure 1) is an example of a circuit that may be used to process signals received by radio IC circuit 106 ( Figure 1 ) and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 404 for generating a transmit baseband signal 311 for the radio IC circuit 106. The baseband processing circuit 400 may also include control logic 406 for coordinating the operation of the baseband processing circuit 400.

[0050] In some embodiments (e.g., when analog baseband signals are exchanged between baseband processing circuit 400 and radio IC circuit 106), baseband processing circuit 400 may include ADC 410 to convert analog baseband signals received from radio IC circuit 106 into digital baseband signals for processing by RX BBP 402. In these embodiments, baseband processing circuit 400 may also include DAC 412 to convert digital baseband signals from TX BBP 404 into analog baseband signals.

[0051] In some embodiments, for example, in which an OFDM signal or an OFDMA signal is transmitted by the baseband processing circuit 108A, the transmit baseband processor 404 may be configured to generate an OFDM or OFDMA signal suitable for transmission by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). The receive baseband processor 402 may be configured to process the received OFDM signal or OFDMA signal by performing an FFT. In some embodiments, the receive baseband processor 402 may be configured to detect the presence of an OFDM signal or OFDMA signal by performing an autocorrelation to detect a preamble (e.g., a short preamble) and by performing a cross-correlation to detect a long preamble. The preamble may be part of a predetermined frame structure for Wi-Fi communication.

[0052] refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, antenna 101 ( Figure 1 ) can each include 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 can be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result. Each of the antennas 101 can include a set of phased array antennas, although the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0053] Although the radio architecture 100 is shown as having several separate functional elements, one or more of these functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by a combination of software-configured elements, for example, a processing element including a digital signal processor (DSP) and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include 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 circuits for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, a functional element may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0054] Figure 5 A WLAN 500 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. The WLAN 500 may include a basic service set (BSS), which may include an access point (AP) 502, a plurality of stations (STAs) 504, and a plurality of legacy devices 506. In some embodiments, the STA 504 and / or the AP 502 are configured to operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT) and / or High Efficiency (HE) IEEE 802.11ax. In some embodiments, the STA 504 and / or the AP 502 are configured to operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11az. In some embodiments, the STA 504 and / or the AP 502 are configured to operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11EHT, which may be referred to as Next Generation 802.11 and / or IEEE P802.11be TM / D3.0 (January 2023) and / or IEEE P802.11-REVme TM / D2.0 (October 2022), which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0055] AP 502 may be an AP that transmits and receives using IEEE 802.11. AP 502 may be a base station. AP 502 may use other communication protocols as well as IEEE 802.11 protocols. According to some embodiments, the EHT protocol may be referred to by different names. The IEEE 802.11 protocol may include the use of orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and / or code division multiple access (CDMA). The IEEE 802.11 protocol may include multiple access technologies. For example, the IEEE 802.11 protocol may include space division multiple access (SDMA) and / or multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO). There may be more than one EHT AP 502, which are part of an extended service set (ESS). A controller (not shown) may store information common to more than one AP 502, and may control more than one BSS, for example, assigning a primary channel, color, etc. AP 502 may be connected to the Internet.

[0056] The legacy device 506 may operate according to one or more of IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ad / af / ah / aj / ay / ax or another legacy wireless communication standard. The legacy device 506 may be a STA or an IEEE STA. The STA 504 may be a wireless transmitting and receiving device, such as a cellular phone, a portable electronic wireless communication device, a smart phone, a handheld wireless device, wireless glasses, a wireless watch, a wireless personal device, a tablet device, or another device that can transmit and receive using an IEEE 802.11 protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.11be) or another wireless protocol.

[0057] The AP 502 may communicate with the legacy device 506 according to conventional IEEE 802.11 communication techniques. In an example embodiment, the AP 502 may also be configured to communicate with the STA 504 according to conventional IEEE 802.11 communication techniques.

[0058] In some embodiments, the HE or EHT frame may be configured to have the same bandwidth as the channel. The HE or EHT frame may be a physical layer convergence process (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU). In some embodiments, PPDU may be an abbreviation for a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU). In some embodiments, there may be different types of PPDUs, which may have different fields and different physical layers and / or different media access control (MAC) layers. For example, a single user (SU) PPDU, a multi-user (MU) PPDU, an extended range (ER) SU PPDU, and / or a trigger-based (TB) PPDU. In some embodiments, the EHT may be the same or similar to the HE PPDU.

[0059] The bandwidth of the channel can be 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 80+80MHz, 160MHz, 160+160MHz, 320MHz, 320+320MHz, 640MHz bandwidth. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of a channel less than 20MHz can be 1MHz, 1.25MHz, 2.03MHz, 2.5MHz, 4.06MHz, 5MHz, 10MHz, or a combination thereof, or another bandwidth less than or equal to the available bandwidth can also be used. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channel can be based on the number of active data subcarriers. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channel is based on 26, 52, 106, 242, 484, 996, or 2x996 active data subcarriers or tones spaced 20MHz apart. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channel is 256 tones spaced 20MHz apart. In some embodiments, the channel is a multiple of 26 tones or a multiple of 20MHz. In some embodiments, a 20 MHz channel may include 242 active data subcarriers or tones, which may determine the size of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).According to some embodiments, the allocation of bandwidth or number of tones or subcarriers may be referred to as a Resource Unit (RU) allocation.

[0060] In some embodiments, RUs of 26 subcarriers and RUs of 52 subcarriers are used for 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz OFDMA HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, RUs of 106 subcarriers are used for OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats of 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz. In some embodiments, RUs of 242 subcarriers are used for OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats of 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz. In some embodiments, RUs of 484 subcarriers are used for 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, RUs of 996 subcarriers are used for OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats of 160MHz and 80+80MHz.

[0061] HE or EHT frames may be configured to transmit multiple spatial streams, which may be based on MU-MIMO and may be based on OFDMA. In other embodiments, the AP 502, STA 504, and / or legacy device 506 may also implement different technologies, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000, CDMA 2000 IX, CDMA 2000 Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), Low Power or other techniques.

[0062] According to some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, for example, IEEE 802.11 EHT / ax / be embodiments, the HE AP 502 may operate as a master station that may be arranged to contend for the wireless medium (e.g., during a contention period) to receive exclusive control of the medium for a transmission opportunity (TXOP). The AP 502 may send an EHT / HE trigger frame transmission, which may include a schedule for simultaneous UL / DL transmissions from the STA 504. The AP 502 may send the duration and subchannel information of the TXOP. During the TXOP, the STA 504 may communicate with the AP 502 based on a non-contention-based multiple access technology such as OFDMA or MU-MIMO. This is different from traditional WLAN communications, in which devices communicate based on contention-based communication technologies rather than multiple access technologies. During the HE or EHT control period, the AP 502 may communicate with the station 504 using one or more HE or EHT frames. During the TXOP, the HE STA 504 may operate on a subchannel that is smaller than the operating range of the AP 502. During the TXOP, legacy stations refrain from communicating. Legacy stations may need to receive communications from the HE AP 502 to defer communications.

[0063] According to some embodiments, during the TXOP, the STA 504 may contend for the wireless medium, while during the primary synchronization transmission, the legacy device 506 is excluded from contending for the wireless medium. In some embodiments, the trigger frame may indicate a UL-MU-MIMO and / or UL OFDMA TXOP. In some embodiments, the trigger frame may include a DL UL-MU-MIMO and / or DL ​​OFDMA, wherein the scheduling is indicated in the preamble of the trigger frame.

[0064] In some embodiments, the multiple access technology used during the HE or EHT TXOP may be a scheduled OFDMA technology, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the multiple access technology may be a time division multiple access (TDMA) technology or a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) technology. In some embodiments, the multiple access technology may be a space division multiple access (SDMA) technology. In some embodiments, the multiple access technology may be a code division multiple access (CDMA).

[0065] AP 502 may also communicate with legacy devices 506 and / or STA 504 according to conventional IEEE 802.11 communication techniques. In some embodiments, AP 502 may also be configured to communicate with STA 504 outside of a TXOP according to conventional IEEE 802.11 or IEEE 802.11 EHT / ax communication techniques, although this is not a requirement.

[0066] In some embodiments, STA 504 may be a group owner (GO) of peer-to-peer operation mode. The wireless device may be STA 504 or HE AP 502. According to some embodiments, STA 504 may be referred to as non-access point (AP) STA 504.

[0067] In some embodiments, STA 504 and / or AP 502 may be configured to operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11mc. In an example embodiment. Figure 1 The radio architecture of is configured to implement STA 504 and / or AP 502. In an example embodiment, Figure 2 The front-end module circuit is configured to implement STA 504 and / or AP 502. In an example embodiment, Figure 3 The radio IC circuit is configured to implement the HE station 504 and / or the AP 502. In an example embodiment, Figure 4 The baseband processing circuit is configured to implement STA 504 and / or AP 502.

[0068] In an example embodiment, the STA 504, the AP 502, the apparatus of the STA 504, and / or the apparatus of the AP 502 may include one or more of the following: Figure 1 The radio architecture Figure 2 Front-end module circuit, Figure 3 Radio IC circuits, and / or Figure 4 Baseband processing circuit.

[0069] In an example embodiment, Figure 1 The radio architecture Figure 2 Front-end module circuit, Figure 3Radio IC circuits, and / or Figure 4 The baseband processing circuitry may be configured to perform the Figures 1 to 14 Describes the method and operation / function.

[0070] In an example embodiment, STA 504 and / or AP 502 are configured to perform the Figures 1 to 14 In an example embodiment, the apparatus of STA 504 and / or the apparatus of AP 502 are configured to perform the methods and operations / functions described herein. Figures 1 to 14 The term Wi-Fi may refer to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 communication standards. AP and STA may refer to EHT / HE access points and / or EHT / HE stations as well as legacy devices 506.

[0071] In some embodiments, HE AP STA may refer to AP 502 and / or STA 504 operating as EHT AP 502. In some embodiments, when STA 504 does not operate as an AP, it may be referred to as a non-AP STA or a non-AP. In some embodiments, STA 504 may be referred to as an AP STA or a non-AP. AP 502 may be part of a non-collocated AP MLD (e.g., non-collocated AP MLD3 912), collocated AP MLD1 904, or collocated AP MLD2 908. STA 504 may be part of a non-AP MLD such as ML non-AP logical entity 809. A BSS may be part of an extended service set (ESS), which may include multiple APs and may include one or more management devices.

[0072] Figure 6A block diagram of an example machine 600 is shown on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods) discussed herein may be performed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 600 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 600 may operate in the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both in a server-client network environment. In one example, the machine 600 may operate as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The machine 600 may be a HE AP 502, an EVT station 504, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable communication device, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a network appliance, a network router, a switch or a bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (in sequence or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by the machine. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines (e.g., cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS), other computer cluster configurations) that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

[0073] The machine (e.g., computer system) 600 may include a hardware processor 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 604, and a static memory 606, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnect (e.g., a bus) 608.

[0074] Specific examples of main memory 604 include random access memory (RAM) and semiconductor memory devices, which in some embodiments may include storage locations in a semiconductor, such as registers. Specific examples of static memory 606 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; RAM; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0075] The machine 600 may also include a display device 610, an input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 614 (e.g., a mouse). In one example, the display device 610, the input device 612, and the UI navigation device 614 may be a touch screen display. The machine 600 may also include a mass storage device (e.g., a drive unit) 616, a signal generating device 618 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 620, and one or more sensors 621 (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensors). The machine 600 may include an output controller 628, for example, a serial (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB)), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.). In some embodiments, the processor 602 and / or the instruction 624 may include a processing circuit and / or a transceiver circuit.

[0076] The mass storage device 616 may include a machine-readable medium 622 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 624 (e.g., software) that embody or are utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functionality described herein. The instructions 624 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 604, within the static memory 606, or within the hardware processor 602 during execution of the instructions 624 by the machine 600. In one example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 602, the main memory 604, the static memory 606, or the mass storage device 616 may constitute a machine-readable medium.

[0077] Specific examples of machine-readable media may include: nonvolatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., EPROM or EEPROM) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; RAM; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0078] Although the machine-readable medium 622 is illustrated as a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (eg, a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 624 .

[0079] The apparatus of the machine 600 may be one or more of the following: a hardware processor 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 604, a static memory 606, a sensor 621, a network interface device 620, an antenna 660, a display device 610, an input device 612, a UI navigation device 614, a mass storage device 616, instructions 624, a signal generation device 618, and an output controller 628. The apparatus may be configured to perform one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein. The apparatus may be intended to be a component of the machine 600 to perform one or more of the methods and / or operations disclosed herein, and / or to perform a portion of one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include a pin or other means for receiving power. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include power regulation hardware.

[0080] The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 600 and causing the machine 600 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or associated with these instructions. Non-limiting machine-readable medium examples may include solid-state memory 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, the machine-readable medium may include non-transitory machine-readable media. In some examples, the machine-readable medium may include machine-readable media that is not a transient propagation signal.

[0081] The instructions 624 may also be sent or received using a transmission medium via the network interface device 620 over a communication network 626 using any of a variety of transmission protocols including, for example, frame relay, Internet Protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc. Example communication networks may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), a mobile telephone network (e.g., a cellular network), a plain old telephone (POTS) network, and a wireless data network (e.g., a wireless network known as a Wi-Fi network). The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, known as ), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, Long Term Evolution (LTE) family of standards, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, etc.

[0082] In one example, the network interface device 620 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communication network 626. In one example, the network interface device 620 may include one or more antennas 660 to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) technology. In some examples, the network interface device 620 may use multi-user MIMO technology for wireless communication. The term "transmission medium" should be deemed to include any intangible medium that can store, encode, or carry instructions for execution by the machine 600, and includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media to facilitate the communication of such software.

[0083] As described herein, examples may include logic or multiple components, modules, or mechanisms, or may be operated on them. A module is a tangible entity (e.g., hardware) that can perform a specified operation, and may be configured or arranged in some way. In one example, a circuit may be arranged as a module in a specified manner (e.g., arranged internally, or arranged relative to an external entity such as other circuits). In one example, all or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., independent, client or server computer systems) or one or more hardware processors may be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, application parts, or applications) to operate to perform a specified operation of the module. In one example, the software may reside on a machine-readable medium. In one example, the software, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causes the hardware to perform a specified operation.

[0084] Thus, the term "module" is understood to include a tangible entity, referring to an entity that is physically constructed, specially configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., temporarily) configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a particular manner or to perform part or all of any operation described herein. Considering examples where modules are temporarily configured, each module need not be instantiated at any one time. For example, where a module includes a general-purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor can be configured as corresponding different modules at different times. The software can configure the hardware processor accordingly, for example, to constitute a particular module at one time and to constitute different modules at different times.

[0085] Some embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in software and / or firmware. The software and / or firmware may take the form of instructions contained in or on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. These instructions may then be read and executed by one or more processors to enable the operations described herein to be performed. The instructions may be in any suitable form, such as, but not limited to, source code, compiled code, parsed code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, etc. Such a computer-readable medium may include any tangible, non-transitory medium for storing information in one or more computer-readable forms, such as, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory, etc.

[0086] Figure 7 A block diagram of an example wireless device 700 is shown on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods or operations) discussed herein may be performed. The wireless device 700 may be a HE device or a HE wireless device. The wireless device 700 may be a HE STA 504, a HE AP 502, and / or a HE STA or HE AP. The HE STA 504, the HE AP 502, and / or the HE AP or HE STA may include Figures 1 to 7 Some or all of the components shown in FIG. 700 may be a wireless device incorporating Figure 6 An example machine 600 is disclosed.

[0087] The wireless device 700 may include processing circuitry 708. The processing circuitry 708 may include a transceiver 702, a physical layer circuitry (PHY circuitry) 704, and a MAC layer circuitry (MAC circuitry) 706, one or more of which may enable the transmission and reception of signals to and from other wireless devices 700 (e.g., HE AP 502, HE STA 504, and / or legacy device 506) using one or more antennas 712. For example, the PHY circuitry 704 may perform various encoding and decoding functions, which may include forming baseband signals for transmission and decoding received signals. As another example, the transceiver 702 may perform various transmission and reception functions, such as signal conversion between a baseband range and a radio frequency (RF) range.

[0088] Thus, the PHY circuit 704 and the transceiver 702 may be separate components or may be part of a combined component (e.g., the processing circuit 708). In addition, some of the functions described in connection with the transmission and reception of signals may be performed by a combination that may include one, any one, or all of the PHY circuit 704, the transceiver 702, the MAC circuit 706, the memory 710, and other components or layers. The MAC circuit 706 may control access to the wireless medium. The wireless device 700 may also include a memory 710 that is arranged to perform the operations described herein, for example, some of the operations described herein may be performed by instructions stored in the memory 710.

[0089] Antenna 712 (some embodiments may include only one antenna) may include 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, antennas 712 may be effectively separated to exploit spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result.

[0090] One or more of the memory 710, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuit 704, the MAC circuit 706, the antenna 712, and / or the processing circuit 708 may be coupled to each other. In addition, although the memory 710, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuit 704, the MAC circuit 706, the antenna 712 are shown as separate components, one or more of the memory 710, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuit 704, the MAC circuit 706, and the antenna 712 may be integrated into an electronic package or chip.

[0091] In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may be a combination of Figure 6 In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may be configured to communicate with the user in accordance with one or more wireless communication standards described herein (e.g., in conjunction with Figures 1 to 6 , IEEE 802.11) to operate. In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may include a Figure 6One or more of the components described herein (e.g., display device 610, input device 612, etc.). Although wireless device 700 is shown as having several separate functional elements, one or more of these functional elements can be combined and can be implemented by a combination of software configuration elements (such as, a processing element including a digital signal processor (DSP) and / or other hardware elements). For example, some elements may include 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 circuits for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, a functional element may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0092] In some embodiments, the apparatus of the wireless device 700 or the apparatus used by the wireless device 700 may include Figure 7 The wireless device 700 and / or Figures 1 to 6 Thus, in some embodiments, the techniques and operations described herein involving the wireless device 700 may be applicable to apparatus of the wireless device 700 (e.g., HE AP 502 and / or HESTA 504). In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 is configured to decode and / or encode signals, packets, and / or frames, such as PPDUs, as described herein.

[0093] In some embodiments, the MAC circuit 706 may be arranged to contend for the wireless medium during a contention period to receive control of the medium for the HE TXOP and to encode or decode the HE PPDU. In some embodiments, the MAC circuit 706 may be arranged to contend for the wireless medium based on a channel contention setting, a transmit power level, and a clear channel assessment level (e.g., an energy detection level).

[0094] The PHY circuit 704 may be arranged to send a signal according to one or more communication standards described herein. For example, the PHY circuit 704 may be configured to send a HE PPDU. The PHY circuit 704 may include circuits for modulation / demodulation, up-conversion / down-conversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 708 may include one or more processors. The processing circuit 708 may be configured to perform functions based on instructions stored in a RAM or ROM or based on a dedicated circuit. The processing circuit 708 may include a processor such as a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. The processing circuit 708 may implement one or more functions associated with the antenna 712, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuit 704, the MAC circuit 706, and / or the memory 710. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 708 may be configured to perform one or more of the functions / operations and / or methods described herein.

[0095] In millimeter wave technology, stations (e.g. Figure 5 HE station 504 or wireless device 700) and access point (e.g., Figure 5 The communication between the HE AP 502 or the wireless device 700]) can use the associated effective wireless channel that is highly directionally dependent. In order to adapt to the directionality, beamforming technology can be used to radiate energy in a specific direction with a specific beam width to communicate between the two devices. Directional propagation focuses the transmitted energy to the target device to compensate for the significant energy loss in the channel between the two communicating devices. Compared with using the same transmission energy in omnidirectional propagation, the use of directional transmission can extend the range of millimeter wave communication.

[0096] The technical problem is how to communicate with STAs and other devices that can only listen to one frequency band at a time but are associated with more than one frequency band. Some embodiments enable the MLD to ensure that STAs and other wireless devices communicating with the MLD do not miss important fields or elements. Some STAs or other wireless devices communicating with the MLD may be associated with the MLD on several different frequency bands but only receive or listen to one frequency band. However, the MLD and the STAs or other wireless devices may need to follow the procedures transmitted on other frequency bands of the MLD. An embodiment includes a field or element sent by a first AP operating on a first frequency band of the MLD being sent by other APs operating on different frequency bands. In this case, the STAs and other wireless devices may follow the procedures (if any) as if the STA or other wireless device received the field or element from the first AP.

[0097] Figure 8 A multi-link device (MLD) 800 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 8ML logical entity 1 806, ML logical entity 2 807, ML AP logical entity 808, and ML non-AP logical entity 809 are shown. ML logical entity 1 806 includes three STAs: STA1.1 814.1, STA1.2 814.2, and STA1.3 814.3, which operate according to link 1 802.1, link 2 802.2, and link 3 802.3, respectively.

[0098] These links are different frequency bands, such as 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, etc. ML logic entity 2 807 includes STA2.1 816.1, STA2.2 816.2, and STA2.3 816.3, which operate according to link 1 802.1, link 2 802.2, and link 3 802.3, respectively. In some embodiments, ML logic entity 1 806 and ML logic entity 2 807 operate according to a mesh network. Using three links enables ML logic entity 1 806 and ML logic entity 2 807 to use a larger bandwidth and operate more reliably because they can switch to using a different link if there is interference or if one link is superior due to operating conditions.

[0099] Distribution system (DS) 810 indicates how communications are distributed, and DS medium (DSM) 812 indicates the medium used for DS 810 (in this case, the wireless spectrum).

[0100] ML AP logical entity 808 includes AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834, which operate on link 1 804.1, link 2 804.2, and link 3 804.3, respectively. ML AP logical entity 808 includes MAC address (ADDR) 854, which can be used to send and receive data on one or more of AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834. Each link can have an associated link ID. For example, as shown, link 3 804.3 has link ID 870.

[0101] 840. AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834 include frequency bands, which are 2.4 GHz band 836, 5 GHz band 838, and 6 GHz band 840, respectively. AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834 include different BSSIDs, which are BSSID 842, BSSID 844, and BSSID 846, respectively. AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834 include different media access control (MAC) addresses (addr), which are MAC addr 848, MAC addr 850, and MAC addr 852, respectively. According to some embodiments, AP 502 is an ML AP logical entity 808. According to some embodiments, STA 504 is an ML non-AP logical entity 809.

[0102] The ML non-AP logical entity 809 includes non-AP STA1 818, non-AP STA2 820, and non-AP STA3 822. Each non-AP STA may have a MAC address, and the ML non-AP logical entity 809 may have different MAC addresses used by applications, where data traffic is divided between non-AP STA1 818, non-AP STA2 820, and non-AP STA3 822.

[0103] According to some embodiments, STA 504 is non-AP STA1 818, non-AP STA2 820, or non-AP STA3 822. Non-AP STA1 818, non-AP STA2 820, and non-AP STA3 822 may operate on link 1 804.1, link 2 804.2, and link 3 804.3, respectively, as if they were associated with the BSS of AP1 830, AP2 832, or AP3 834, respectively.

[0104] A multi-link device such as ML logical entity 1 806 or ML logical entity 2 807 is a logical entity that contains one or more STAs 814, 816. ML logical entity 1 806 and ML logical entity 2 807 each have a MAC data service interface and primitives to a logical link control (LLC) and a single address associated with the interface that can be used to communicate on the DSM 812. The multi-link logical entity allows STAs 814, 816 within the multi-link logical entity to have the same MAC address. In some embodiments, the same MAC address is used for the application layer, and a different MAC address is used for each link.

[0105] In the infrastructure framework, the ML AP logical entity 808 on one side includes APs 830 , 832 , 834 , while the ML non-AP logical entity 809 on the other side includes non-AP STAs 818 , 820 , 822 .

[0106] According to some embodiments, the ML AP device (AP MLD) is an ML logical entity in which each STA within the multi-link logical entity is an EHT AP 502. The ML non-AP device (non-AP MLD) is a multi-link logical entity in which each STA within the multi-link logical entity is a non-AP EHT STA 504. AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834 may operate on different frequency bands, and there may be fewer or more APs. There may be fewer or more STAs as part of the ML non-AP logical entity 809.

[0107] In some embodiments, the ML AP logical entity 808 is referred to as an AP MLD or MLD. In some embodiments, the ML non-AP logical entity 809 is referred to as an MLD or a non-AP MLD. Each AP of the MLD (e.g., AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834) sends a beacon frame that includes: a description of its capabilities, an operational element, a basic description of other co-located APs of the same MLD (which may be a reduced neighbor report element or a report in another element such as the basic multilink element 1600). AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834 send information about other APs in beacons and probe response frames so that STAs of non-AP MLDs can discover APs of AP MLDs.

[0108] Fig. 9 904 includes a collocated set 902 of AP1, AP2, and AP3. Collocated AP MLD2 908 includes a collocated set 906 of AP4, AP5, and AP6. Collocated AP MLD1 904 and collocated AP MLD2 908 are ML AP logical entities 808 and / or non-collocated MLDs as described in conjunction with IEEE P802.11be according to some embodiments. TM / D3.0 (January 2023). AP1 to AP6 may be the same as or similar to AP 502.

[0109] The non-collocated AP MLD3 912 includes AP MLD1 916, which in turn includes collocated set 914, and AP MLD2 918, which in turn includes collocated set 914. According to some embodiments, the non-collocated AP MLD3 912 may be implemented as a IEEE P802.11b protocol.TM / D3.0 (January 2023) ("IEEE 802.11be") or Wi-Fi 8. For example, AP MLD1 916 and AP MLD2 918 can be implemented on separate electronic devices and can be physically separated from each other. Non-collocated AP MLD3 can include hundreds or more AP MLDs. If APs 502 such as AP1, AP2, ..., AP6 are associated with the same MLD, they can be said to belong to the same MLD.

[0110] Fig.10 A non-collocated MLD with signal reach 1002, 1008 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Signal reach 1008 is the signal reach or signal coverage of AP MLD2 918, while signal reach 1002 is the signal reach of AP MLD1 916. For AP MLD1 916 and AP MLD2 918 (which are non-collocated MLDs), signal reach 1002 and signal reach 1008 may or may not overlap. If signal reach 1008 and signal reach 1002 overlap, then collocated set 914 and collocated set 910 are said to overlap.

[0111] In some embodiments, non-collocated AP MLD3 1014 may include many non-collocated MLDs. In some embodiments, non-collocated AP MLD3 1014 provides greater mobility for STA 504, with low or near zero latency and near lossless packet switching between APs 502 in different locations. AP 502 and / or STA 504 may be part of an MLD. For example, there may be many APs 502 in an office building. Non-collocated AP MLD3 1014 may include APs 502 from around the building, allowing STA 504 to switch between APs 502 with fewer switching transmissions. In some embodiments, non-collocated MLDs such as non-collocated AP MLD3 1014 may include many or even all APs 502 belonging to the same ESS. A critical update process for collocated AP MLDs in IEEE 802.11be is disclosed.

[0112] Fig.11 A capability information field 1102 is shown according to some examples. Fig.12 A reduced neighbor report element 1202 is shown according to some examples.

[0113] In some examples, APs with collocated AP MLDs, such as 904 and 908, include the following in their management frames 1206 (e.g., beacon frames and probe response frames): (1) Basic per-AP information about each subordinate AP of the AP MLD in the reduced neighbor report element 1202, which includes a field called the BSS parameter change count field 1204 for each AP, which is incremented each time there is a critical update (for the parameters changed by the corresponding AP). (2) A critical update flag 1104 field in the capability information field 1102 (or the corresponding field if the BSSID is not sent), which is set to 1 for a specific duration when one of the subordinate APs of the AP MLD sending the AP has a new critical update and increments its BSS parameter change count field 1204. These fields or subfields of the capability information field 1102 can be as described in conjunction with IEEE 802.11be. In the event that the duration of the critical change is less than the threshold duration, the non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag subfield is set.

[0114] The technical challenge is how to provide a key update procedure for non-collocated MLDs. There may be many subordinate APs, which may make it impractical to include the above fields.

[0115] In some examples, the subordinate AP 502 of the non-collocated AP MLD 912 sends advertisements of basic per-AP information about the subordinate APs of the non-collocated AP MLD 912 in a reduced neighbor report (RNR) 1202 in management frames 1206 such as beacon frames and probe response frames.

[0116] Some examples require only the inclusion of basic per-AP information about APs (e.g., AP1 ... AP6) that belong to the same collocated set 910, 914 as the AP transmitting the frame (the transmitting AP) that are affiliated with the non-collocated AP MLD 912. Furthermore, since these APs are also all APs affiliated with the overlapping collocated AP MLD, no additional information is required (other than discovering the non-collocated AP MLD). Additionally, and optionally, the AP may include per-AP information for other APs affiliated with the non-collocated AP MLD in the RNR 1202.

[0117] In some examples, the subordinate APs 502 of the non-collocated AP MLD 912 are forced to include basic per-AP information about APs subordinate to the non-collocated AP MLD that belong to the same collocated set as the AP sending the frame (the sending AP). These APs are also all APs subordinate to the overlapping collocated AP MLD. In some examples, the subordinate APs 502 of the non-collocated AP MLD 912 include or are forced to include basic per-AP information about APs subordinate to the non-collocated AP MLD that belong to other / different collocated sets, but only when there is a non-AP MLD associated with the non-collocated AP MLD and it has the link of the sending AP as the setup link and the link of this additional subordinate AP as the setup link. Therefore, the per-AP basic information of the subordinate APs associated or re-associated with the non-AP MLD is included in the RNR 1202, and its critical update operation will be tracked. The AP can include per-AP information of other APs subordinate to the non-collocated AP MLD in the RNR 1202.

[0118] In some examples, a critical update flag is required to signal that a critical update is pending. In some examples, the capability information field 1102 includes a non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag 1106 field (a 1-bit field), which can be bit 14 of the capability information field 1102 or another one or more bits of the capability information field 1102, or another field or element sent by the AP 502 of the non-collocated AP MLD (e.g., non-collocated AP MLD3 912).

[0119] In some examples, in case there is a critical update for a subordinate AP belonging to other / different collocated sets 910, 914, the non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag 1106 field or bit will be set to 1. In case there is a non-AP MLD associated with the non-collocated APMLD and it has the link of the sending AP as the setup link and the link of this additional subordinate AP as the setup link, the non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag 1106 field or bit is set to 1.

[0120] In some examples, a non-AP MLD associated with a non-collocated AP MLD (which has a setup link in the same collocated set as the sending AP and in another collocated set) will track 2 critical update flags: (1) A first critical update flag, referred to as the critical update flag 1104, is used to track whether there is a critical update for a subordinate AP in the same collocated set as the sending AP. (2) A second critical update flag, referred to as the non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag 1106, is used to track whether there is a critical update for a subordinate AP in a different collocated set 910, 914.

[0121] In some examples, in the event that there is a critical update for a subordinate AP in a different collocated set and no per-AP information for that AP exists in the RNR, the non-AP MLD cannot determine which AP has the critical update.

[0122] In some examples, the non-AP MLD may use one or more of the following three methods to determine which AP has a critical update.

[0123] Method 1: In the event that there is a critical update for a subordinate AP in a different collocated set 910, 914 and the critical update is not included in the beacon frame and the probe response frame, during the time when the non-collocated AP MLD Critical Update Flag 1106 field is set to 1 to announce a critical update for the AP MLD: the per-AP basic information of this subordinate AP should be included in the RNR 1202 in the management frame 1206 (e.g., beacon or probe response frame) until the non-collocated AP MLD Critical Update Flag 1106 returns to 0.

[0124] Method 2: In case there is a critical update for a subordinate AP in a different collocated set 910, 914 and the critical update is not included in the beacon frame and the probe response frame, during the time when the non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag 1106 field is set to 1 to announce a critical update for the AP MLD: the identification (ID) 1210 of the subordinate AP or the ID 1210 of the collocated set (corresponding to the ID of the overlapping collocated AP MLD) is included in the multilink element 1208 of the collocated AP MLD of the transmitting AP or the non-collocated AP MLD of the transmitting AP (if defined). The ID 905, 907 of the corresponding collocated set 910, 914 can be the MLD MAC address of the overlapping collocated AP MLD or a unique collocated set ID.

[0125] The ID of the corresponding subordinate AP is derived from the ID of the collocated set and the link ID of the subordinate AP in the collocated set.The BSS parameter change count of the subordinate AP may also be included in the multi-link element 1208 (MLE).

[0126] Method 3: Do not include any other additional information and let the non-AP MLD determine and search for APs with critical updates, because the non-AP MLD is likely to only associate with non-collocated AP MLDs that have setup links on no more than 2 collocation sets.

[0127] In some embodiments, the new flag in the capability information field 1102 is called a non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag 1106 field (a field of 1 or more bits). The AP is configured to set this field to 1 if there is a critical update for a subordinate AP belonging to another or different collocated set 910, 914. In some embodiments, the AP is configured to set this field to 1 if there is a non-AP MLD associated with the non-collocated AP MLD and the non-AP MLD has a link with the sending AP as a setup link and has a link with this additional subordinate AP as a setup link. For example, in the case where non-APSTA1 818 has link 1 804.1 as a setup link and has a link with an AP in the collocated set (not shown). In some examples, the setup link is a link between a non-AP MLD and a non-collocated (or collocated) AP MLD, where a multi-link setup procedure has been performed according to IEEE 802.11be.

[0128] A non-AP MLD associated with a non-collocated AP MLD and having a setup link in the same collocated set as the sending AP and in another collocated set will track 2 critical update flags: (1) The first critical update flag is called the critical update flag 1104, which is used to track whether there is a critical update for a subordinate AP in the same collocated set as the sending AP. (2) The second critical update flag 1104 is called the non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag 1106, which is used to track whether there is a critical update for a subordinate AP in a different collocated set.

[0129] In case there is a critical update for a subordinate AP in a different collocated set, there is per-AP information for that AP in the RNR 1202 and the non-AP MLD will be able to determine which AP has the critical update by checking the BSS parameter change count field 1204 in the per-AP basic information in the RNR 1202.

[0130] In some examples, the field in the capability information field 1102 (or the field in the corresponding unsent BSSID field) is set to 1 for a specific duration that one of the subordinate APs of the sending AP's AP MLD has a new critical update and increments its BSS parameter change count field 1204.

[0131] In some examples, in the event that a value in the BSS parameter change count field 1204 of the MLD parameter field 1205 in the reduced neighbor report element 1202 of any reported AP 502 affiliated to the same non-collocated AP MLD (e.g., 912) corresponding to a link as a setup link of an associated non-AP MLD that also has the link of the sending AP 502 as the setup link changes, the AP 502, e.g., AP1 ... AP6, sets the critical update flag 1104 subfield to 1. Otherwise, the AP 502 sets the subfield to 0. In some examples, the setup link is the link 804 in which a multi-link setup or re-setup procedure according to IEEE 802.11be is successfully performed, e.g., by the non-collocated AP MLD, for APs that are part of the same collocated set 910, 914 and for APs in different collocated sets 910 and 914.

[0132] Fig.13 A method 1300 for critical update of a non-collocated AP MLD is shown in accordance with some embodiments. The method 1300 begins at operation 1302, wherein an AP of the non-collocated AP MLD sets a value of a non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag subfield to indicate a predetermined value, such as 1, upon a change in a value in a basic service set (BSS parameter change count subfield of an MLD parameter field in a reduced neighbor report element of a second AP, the second AP being affiliated with the non-collocated AP MLD, wherein a first AP and a second AP have a setup link for the non-AP MLD to associate or reassociate with the non-collocated AP MLD, and wherein the first AP and the second AP are part of different collocated sets.

[0133] The method 1300 continues at operation 1304 where a capability information field is encoded for transmission, the capability information field including a critical update flag subfield. The method 1300 may be performed by an apparatus such as a non-collocated AP MLD of non-collocated AP MLD3 912, collocated AP MLD1 904, and / or a first AP of collocated AP MLD2 908.

[0134] The method 1300 may include one or more additional instructions. The method 1300 may be performed in a different order. One or more operations of the method 1300 may be optional.

[0135] Fig.14A method 1400 for critical update of a non-collocated AP MLD according to some embodiments is shown. The method 1400 begins at operation 1402, where a STA of the non-AP MLD decodes a capability information field of a first AP from a collocated set of the non-collocated AP MLD, the capability information field including a critical update flag subfield and a non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag subfield, the critical update flag subfield indicating whether there is a critical update for a second AP of the collocated set, and the non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag subfield indicating whether there is a critical update for a third AP in the non-collocated AP MLD in a collocated set different from the collocated set, and indicating that the non-AP MLD has a setup link for the third AP.

[0136] Method 1400 continues at operation 1404 by re-associating with the third AP if the non-collocated AP MLD Critical Update Flag subfield indicates that there is a critical update for the third AP. In some examples, operation 1304 may decode a beacon frame from the third AP and adjust parameters based on the beacon frame instead of re-associating.

[0137] The method 1400 may be performed by a device of a STA of a non-AP MLD such as the ML non-AP logical entity 808, or by a device of the STA 504. The method 1400 may include one or more additional instructions. The method 1400 may be performed in a different order. One or more operations of the method 1400 may be optional.

[0138] The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 CFR 1.72(b), which requires an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. It should be understood that the Abstract is not intended 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

1. An apparatus of a first access point (AP) of a non-collocated AP multi-link device (MLD), the apparatus comprising a memory and a processing circuit coupled to the memory, the processing circuit being configured to: In case a value in a Basic Service Set (BSS) Parameter Change Count subfield of an MLD Parameter field in a Reduced Neighbor Report element of a second AP changes, setting a value of a Non-collocated AP MLD Critical Update Flag subfield to indicate a predetermined value, the second AP being affiliated with the Non-collocated AP MLD, wherein: The first AP and the second AP have a setup link of a non-AP MLD associated with the non-collocated AP MLD, and wherein the first AP and the second AP are part of different collocated sets; and A capability information field is encoded for transmission, the capability information field including the critical update flag subfield.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The encoding for transmission also includes: A beacon frame or a probe response frame is encoded to include the capability information field for transmission.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: The non-AP MLD is associated or re-associated with the first AP and the second AP, wherein the predetermined value is 1.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: The reduced neighbor report element of the second AP is encoded in a beacon frame or a probe response frame for transmission.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein: Setting the value of the non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag subfield further includes: In a case where a value in the BSS Parameter Change Count subfield of the MLD Parameters field in the Reduced Neighbor Report element of the second AP changes, the value of the Non-Collocated AP MLD Critical Update Flag subfield is set to 1 to indicate that the second AP belongs to the non-collocated AP MLD, wherein the first AP and the second AP have a setup link for a non-AP MLD associated with the non-collocated AP MLD, and wherein a duration since the change is less than a threshold duration.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: A reduced neighbor report element is encoded for transmission for each AP belonging to the non-collocated AP MLD that is part of the collocated set of the first AP and each AP belonging to a different collocated set that overlaps with the collocated set.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: In case the value in the BSS parameter change count subfield of the MLD parameter field in the reduced neighbor report element of an AP belonging to the non-collocated AP MLD, which is part of the collocated set of the first AP, or which is part of a different collocated set that overlaps with the collocated set in terms of signal coverage, changes, the value of the critical update flag subfield is set to indicate 1.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: Reduced neighbor report elements of APs belonging to the non-collocated AP MLD, being part of a collocated set of the first AP, and APs belonging to different collocated sets are encoded for transmission, wherein the first AP and corresponding APs in the different collocated sets have setup links of non-AP MLDs associated with the non-collocated AP MLD, and the value in the corresponding BSS parameter change count subfield is changed.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: A multi-link element (MLE) including an identification (ID) of the second AP is encoded for transmission.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The ID is an MLD media access control (MAC) of the MLD of the second AP, a link ID of the second AP, or an ID of a collocated set of the second APs.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: The MLE is encoded to also include a BSS parameter change count subfield of the second AP for transmission.

12. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The different sets of collocations indicate different physical locations.

13. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a transceiver circuit coupled to the processing circuit, the transceiver circuit coupled to two or more microstrip antennas for receiving signaling according to a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique.

14. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a transceiver circuit coupled to the processing circuit, the transceiver circuit coupled to two or more patch antennas for receiving signaling according to a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by one or more processors of a first access point (AP) of a non-collocated AP multi-link device (MLD), the instructions configuring the one or more processors to: In case a value in a Basic Service Set (BSS) Parameter Change Count subfield of an MLD Parameter field in a Reduced Neighbor Report element of a second AP changes, setting a value of a Non-Collocated AP MLD Critical Update Flag subfield to 1 to indicate that the second AP belongs to the Non-Collocated AP MLD, wherein: The first AP and the second AP have a setup link of a non-AP MLD associated with the non-collocated APMLD, and wherein the first AP and the second AP are part of different collocated sets; and A capability information field is encoded for transmission, the capability information field including the critical update flag subfield.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein: The instructions also include: A beacon frame or a probe response frame is encoded to include the capability information field for transmission.

17. An apparatus of a non-access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) (non-AP MLD), the apparatus comprising a memory and a processing circuit coupled to the memory, the processing circuit being configured to: decoding a capability information field of a first AP of a collocated set from a non-collocated AP MLD, the capability information field comprising a critical update flag subfield and a non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag subfield, the critical update flag subfield indicating whether there is a critical update for a second AP of the collocated set, and the non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag subfield indicating whether there is a critical update for a third AP in the non-collocated AP MLD in a collocated set different from the collocated set, and indicating that the non-AP MLD has a setup link for the third AP; and In a case where the non-collocated AP MLD critical update flag subfield indicates that there is a critical update for the third AP, re-associate with the third AP.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: Decoding a reduced neighbor report element of the third AP in a beacon frame or a probe response frame from the first AP.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: An identity of the third AP is determined based on the reduced neighbor report element.

20. The device according to claim 17 or 18, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: A multilink element from the first AP is decoded, where the multilink element includes an identifier of the third AP.

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