Method and device for channel access in multi-link wireless system

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for channel access in multi-link wireless communication are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a wireless communication device is disclosed. The method includes: transmitting first capability information to a wireless communication node, the first capability information regarding simultaneous transmission and reception (STR) capability of the wireless communication device on each basic bandwidth of a wireless link pair, wherein the wireless link pair includes a first link and a second link, the first link and the second link each having multiple basic bandwidths, and the first link and the second link having different frequency ranges.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to methods, apparatuses, and systems for channel access in multi-link wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communications have a wide impact on society and people’s lives. Many new use cases, such as factory automation, gaming, emergency communications, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), etc., require the rapid development of wireless communications to provide low latency and high throughput for such services.

[0003] A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that uses wireless communications to connect two or more devices to form a local area network (LAN) within a limited area such as a home, school, campus, or office building. Most modern WLANs are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. The Basic Service Set (BSS) is the basic building block of an IEEE 802.11 LAN. An infrastructure BSS includes a BSS with stations (STAs) associated with an access point (AP) to connect to the Internet.

[0004] The basic medium access protocol is a distributed coordination function (DCF) that allows for automatic media sharing using carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) and random backoff time. Enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) provides different priority access for different services. With EDCA, high priority traffic has a higher chance of being transmitted than low priority traffic. Channel access and transmission in a multi-link system is an important technology in the next generation WLAN to provide high throughput and low latency. Summary of the invention

[0005] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are intended to solve problems related to one or more problems existing in the prior art, as well as to provide additional features that will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description when combined with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented as examples rather than limitations, and it is obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art who read this disclosure that various modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments while remaining within the scope of this disclosure.

[0006] In one embodiment, a method performed by a wireless communication device is disclosed. The method includes: transmitting first capability information to a wireless communication node, the first capability information regarding simultaneous transmission and reception (STR) capability of the wireless communication device on each basic bandwidth of a wireless link pair, wherein the wireless link pair includes a first link and a second link, the first link and the second link each having a plurality of basic bandwidths, and the first link and the second link having different frequency ranges.

[0007] In another embodiment, a method performed by a wireless communication node is disclosed. The method includes: receiving first capability information from a wireless communication device, the first capability information regarding simultaneous transmission and reception (STR) capability of the wireless communication device on each basic bandwidth of a wireless link pair, wherein the wireless link pair includes a first link and a second link, the first link and the second link each having a plurality of basic bandwidths, and the first link and the second link having different frequency ranges.

[0008] In another embodiment, a method performed by a wireless communication node is disclosed. The method includes: transmitting capability information to a first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device, the capability information regarding simultaneous transmit and receive (STR) capability on each basic bandwidth of a wireless link pair supported by the wireless communication node, wherein the wireless link pair includes a first link and a second link, the first link and the second link each having a plurality of basic bandwidths, the first link and the second link having different frequency ranges, the first link connecting the wireless communication node with the first wireless communication device, and the second link connecting the wireless communication node with the second wireless communication device.

[0009] In various embodiments, a wireless communication node is disclosed, configured to perform the methods disclosed in some embodiments. In yet another embodiment, a wireless communication device is disclosed, configured to perform the methods disclosed in some embodiments. In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is disclosed, having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing the methods disclosed in some embodiments. The above and other aspects and implementations thereof are described in more detail in the drawings, the specification, and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and only depict exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present disclosure. Therefore, the accompanying drawings should not be considered as limiting the breadth, scope or applicability of the present disclosure. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of description, these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0011] Figure 1An exemplary infrastructure of a communication network is illustrated in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 2 Illustrated is a block diagram of an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) and a non-AP MLD according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 3A An example of transmit power leakage according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 3B An example of variation of transmit power leakage in the frequency domain according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0015] Figure 4 A block diagram of a non-AP MLD according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0016] Figure 5 A flow chart of a method performed by a non-AP MLD according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0017] Figure 6 A block diagram of an AP MLD according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0018] Figure 7 A flow chart of a method performed by an AP MLD according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0019] Figure 8 An example of selecting a 20 MHz primary channel when all links operate on continuous frequencies according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0020] Fig. 9 An example of how to indicate the simultaneous transmit and receive (STR) capability of a link when all links operate on continuous frequencies according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0021] Fig.10 An example of how to select a 20 MHz primary channel when some links operate on non-contiguous frequencies according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0022] Fig.11 An example of how to indicate the STR capability of a link when some links operate on non-contiguous frequencies according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0023] Fig.12 An example of how to indicate STR capability and a 20 MHz primary channel when the number of links is greater than two is illustrated according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Fig.13 An example of a non-AP MLD accessing a channel based on accurate STR capability reporting according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0025] Fig.14 An example of an element indicating STR information according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0026] Fig.15 Another example of an element indicating STR information according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0027] Fig.16 An example of multi-link operation for AP MLD according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0028] Fig.17 An example of multi-link operation for non-AP MLD according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0029] Fig.18 Another example of multi-link operation for non-AP MLD according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that a person of ordinary skill in the art can make and use the present disclosure. As will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, after reading the present disclosure, various changes or modifications may be made to the examples described herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. In addition, the specific order and / or hierarchy of the steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely exemplary methods. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of the steps of the disclosed methods or processes may be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or actions in an example order, and unless otherwise expressly stated, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0031] In next generation wireless communication technologies, such as fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) networks or next generation wireless local area network (LAN) technologies, a multi-link device (MLD) can communicate with other MLDs on multiple links to support high throughput and low latency. For example, an MLD can include more than one attached station (STA), where each STA operates on a corresponding link.

[0032] The simultaneous transmit and receive (STR) capabilities of MLDs are different. That is, each MLD can be a STR MLD or a non-STR MLD, depending on whether the MLD supports simultaneous transmit and receive operations. IEEE 802.11 specifies access protocols for wireless LANs on unlicensed and / or shared spectrum. The main unlicensed and / or shared spectrum includes the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands.

[0033] Since the distances between the channel center frequencies of the enabled links are different, even if the MLD is a STR MLD, its operation requirements may be different. When the non-AP MLD is a non-STR device, the device cannot independently access channels between multiple links using the existing DCF or EDCA protocol. The present teaching discloses a method for indicating STR capability information to distinguish STR capabilities with smaller granularity, ensure fairness of channel access through rules and configurations, and reduce cross-channel or cross-link interference.

[0034] The method disclosed in the present teaching can be implemented in a wireless communication network, where the BS and the UE can communicate with each other via a communication link, for example, via a downlink radio frame from the BS to the UE or via an uplink radio frame from the UE to the BS. In various embodiments, the base station in the present disclosure can be referred to as the network side, and can include or be implemented as a next-generation base station (gNB), an E-UTRAN base station (eNB), a transmit / receive point (TRP), an access point (AP), an AP MLD, a non-ground receiving point for satellite / fireball / unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication, a radio transceiver in a vehicle of a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) wireless network, etc.; and the UE in the present disclosure can be referred to as a terminal, and can include or be implemented as a mobile station (MS), a station (STA), a non-AP MLD, a ground device for satellite / fireball / unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication, a radio transceiver in a vehicle of a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) wireless network, etc.

[0035] In various embodiments of the present teachings, both ends of the communication may be described herein as non-limiting examples of "wireless communication nodes" and "wireless communication devices", respectively, which may practice the methods disclosed herein and may be capable of wireless and / or wired communication according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, in a wireless LAN, a non-AP MLD may communicate with an AP MLD or with another non-AP MLD; a STA may communicate with an AP or with another STA.

[0036] Figure 1 1 illustrates an exemplary infrastructure of a communication network 100 in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1As shown in , the exemplary communication network 100 is an infrastructure basic service set (BSS) that includes multiple stations (e.g., STAs and non-AP STAs) and access points (APs), each of which contains a station (STA) and provides station management and access to the network. In one example, the AP can be a wireless router; the STA can be a smart phone, a tablet, or a laptop. Different APs can be connected to the Internet via a distributed service (DS).

[0037] Figure 2 FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) and a non-AP MLD according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As shown in FIG, the AP MLD 210 has more than one subordinate AP (AP1, AP2, AP3); the non-AP MLD 220 has more than one subordinate STA (STA1, STA2, STA3). Each STA works on a corresponding wireless link (link 1, link 2 or link 3) to communicate with the corresponding AP of the AP MLD 210. Different links have different frequency ranges in the frequency domain.

[0038] Figure 3A An example of transmit power leakage according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3A As shown in FIG, non-AP MLD 310 may transmit data to AP MLD 320 and receive a block acknowledgement (BA) on link 1. When non-AP MLD 310 transmits data to AP MLD 320 on link 1, transmit power 330 from link 1 may seriously interfere with frame reception on link 2. Due to power leakage on link 1, transmission on link 1 and reception on link 2 may not be performed at the same time, and vice versa. In this case, non-AP MLD 310 is referred to as a constrained MLD or non-STR MLD. If transmit power leakage from link 1 does not interfere with frame reception on link 2, and vice versa, non-AP MLD 310 is referred to as an unconstrained MLD or STR MLD.

[0039] Figure 3B FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the variation of transmit power leakage in the frequency domain according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In a larger bandwidth, the transmit power leakage from link 1 to link 2 is not constant at all frequencies. Figure 3BAs shown in , Link 1 and Link 2 are located continuously on the spectrum. On Link 2, the frequencies closer to Link 1 receive more severe interference; and the frequencies farther away from Link 1 receive less interference. The wider the bandwidth of Link 2, the more obvious this situation is. In this example, the part of Link 2 close to Link 1 cannot perform STR operation with respect to Link 1, but the part of Link 2 far away from Link 1 can perform STR operation with respect to Link 1. Therefore, the STR capability should be indicated with finer granularity.

[0040] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a non-AP MLD 400 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The non-AP MLD 400 is an example of a device that can be configured to implement the various methods described herein. Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the non-AP MLD 400 includes a housing 440, which contains a system clock 402, a processor 404, a memory 406, a transceiver 410 including a transmitter 412 and a receiver 414, a power module 408, a capability information generator 420, an operating parameter generator 422, an information element generator 424, a capability information analyzer 426, a link status indicator 428 and a channel access controller 429.

[0041] In this embodiment, the system clock 402 provides timing signals to the processor 404 for controlling the timing of all operations of the non-AP MLD 400. The processor 404 controls the general operation of the non-AP MLD 400 and may include any combination of one or more processing circuits or modules such as a central processing unit (CPU) and / or a general purpose microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic device (PLD), controller, state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware components, dedicated hardware finite state machine, or any other suitable circuits, devices, and / or structures that can perform data computation or other operations.

[0042] The memory 406, which may include a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM), may provide instructions and data to the processor 404. A portion of the memory 406 may also include a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). The processor 404 typically performs logic and arithmetic operations based on program instructions stored in the memory 406. The instructions (also referred to as software) stored in the memory 406 may be executed by the processor 404 to perform the methods described herein. The processor 404 and the memory 406 together form a processing system for storing and executing software. As used herein, "software" means any type of instruction, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, etc., which can configure a machine or device to perform one or more desired functions or processes. Instructions may include code (e.g., source code format, binary code format, executable code format, or any other suitable code format). Instructions cause the processing system to perform various functions described herein when executed by one or more processors.

[0043] The transceiver 410 including a transmitter 412 and a receiver 414 allows the non-AP MLD 400 to transmit data to and receive data from a remote device (e.g., a BS or another UE). The antenna 450 is typically attached to the housing 440 and electrically coupled to the transceiver 410. In various embodiments, the non-AP MLD 400 includes (not shown) multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, and multiple transceivers. In one embodiment, the antenna 450 is replaced by a multi-antenna array 450, which can form multiple beams, each beam pointing in a different direction. The transmitter 412 can be configured to wirelessly transmit packets with different packet types or functions, such packets are generated by the processor 404. Similarly, the receiver 414 is configured to receive packets with different packet types or functions, and the processor 404 is configured to process packets of multiple different packet types. For example, the processor 404 can be configured to determine the type of the packet and process the packet and / or the field of the packet accordingly.

[0044] In wireless communication, the non-AP MLD 400 may include multiple STAs. In one embodiment, the capability information generator 420 may generate first capability information related to the simultaneous transmission and reception (STR) capability of the non-AP MLD 400 on each basic bandwidth of the wireless link pair. The wireless link pair includes a first link and a second link, each link having multiple basic bandwidths. The first link and the second link have different frequency ranges. The capability information generator 420 may transmit the first capability information to the AP MLD (or another non-AP MLD) via the transmitter 412 to indicate the STR capability of the non-AP MLD 400.

[0045] In one embodiment, the STR capability of the non-AP MLD 400 indicates whether the non-AP MLD 400 is capable of performing STR operations on the wireless link pair. The STR operations include, for each basic bandwidth of the first link, at least one of: transmitting information on the basic bandwidth of the first link when the non-AP MLD 400 simultaneously receives information on the second link, or receiving information on the basic bandwidth of the first link when the non-AP MLD 400 simultaneously transmits information on the second link.

[0046] In one embodiment, the first capability information includes a plurality of bits, each bit indicating whether the non-AP MLD 400 can perform an STR operation on a corresponding basic bandwidth of the first link in relation to the second link. In another embodiment, the first capability information indicates an STR bandwidth or a non-STR bandwidth. The STR bandwidth indicates a bandwidth range among a plurality of basic bandwidths of the first link on which the non-AP MLD 400 can perform an STR operation in relation to the second link. The non-STR bandwidth indicates a bandwidth range among a plurality of basic bandwidths of the first link on which the non-AP MLD 400 cannot perform an STR operation in relation to the second link. The non-STR bandwidth may be closer to the second link in the frequency domain than the STR bandwidth.

[0047] In one embodiment, the first capability information includes a single bit indicating that the non-AP MLD 400 is capable of performing the STR operation on each basic bandwidth of the wireless link pair, or the non-AP MLD 400 is not capable of performing the STR operation on any basic bandwidth of the wireless link pair. In one embodiment, for each of the first link and the second link, the primary channel is in the basic bandwidth on which the non-AP MLD 400 is capable of performing the STR operation.

[0048] In one embodiment, the non-AP MLD 400 and the AP MLD (or another non-AP MLD) are connected through at least three wireless links having different frequency ranges. In this case, the capability information generator 420 may generate and transmit capability information related to the STR capability of the non-AP MLD 400 on each basic bandwidth of each pair of frequency-adjacent wireless links among the at least three wireless links to the AP MLD (or another non-AP MLD) via the transmitter 412.

[0049] In one embodiment, the first capability information includes a threshold value, so that for each of the multiple basic bandwidths of the first link, the first capability information indicates whether an STR operation can be performed on the basic bandwidth with respect to the second link based on the distance between the center frequency of the basic bandwidth and the center frequency of the used bandwidth of the second link. For example, when the distance is greater than the threshold value, the STR operation can be performed; when the distance is less than the threshold value, the STR operation cannot be performed. In other embodiments, the threshold value can be compared with the distance between the boundary frequency of the basic bandwidth and the boundary frequency of the used bandwidth of the second link to determine whether the STR operation can be performed.

[0050] The operating parameter generator 422 in this example can generate at least one operating parameter for the wireless link pair and transmit the at least one operating parameter to the AP MLD (or another non-AP MLD) via the transmitter 412. In one embodiment, the at least one operating parameter includes information related to at least one of the following: an STR mode indicating whether simultaneous transmission and reception on the link pair is allowed; a constrained modulation and coding scheme (MCS), indicating a maximum MCS order used by the AP MLD to transmit information on the first link when the AP MLD receives information on the second link; a constrained transmission power, indicating a maximum transmission power used by the AP MLD to transmit information on the first link when the AP MLD receives information on the second link; a constrained transmission bandwidth, indicating a maximum transmission bandwidth used by the AP MLD to transmit information on the first link when the AP MLD receives information on the second link; a constrained data unit length, indicating a maximum data unit length used by the AP MLD to transmit information on the first link when the AP MLD receives information on the second link.

[0051] The information element generator 424 in this example may generate an information element indicating STR information and transmit the information element to the AP MLD (or another non-AP MLD) via the transmitter 412. In one embodiment, the information element includes: an element identification (ID) field indicating an ID of the information element; a length field indicating the number of octets following the length field in the information element; a first link ID field indicating an ID of the first link; a second link ID field indicating an ID of the second link; an STR bitmap field indicating an STR capability in each basic bandwidth of the first link related to the second link; an STR constraint field indicating at least one constraint parameter of STR operation on the first link related to the second link. In one embodiment, the information element may also include: an STR control field indicating, for each constraint parameter, whether a constraint parameter is present in the STR constraint field of the information element.

[0052] In another embodiment, the information element further includes: an element identification (ID) field indicating an ID of the information element; a length field indicating the number of octets following the length field in the information element; a first link ID field indicating an ID of the first link; a second link ID field indicating an ID of the second link; a non-STR bandwidth field indicating a bandwidth range among a plurality of basic bandwidths of the first link on which the wireless communication device cannot perform an STR operation with respect to the second link (or on which the wireless communication device can perform an STR operation with respect to the second link); an STR constraint field indicating at least one constraint parameter of an STR operation on the first link with respect to the second link. In one embodiment, the information element may further include: an STR control field indicating, for each constraint parameter, whether a constraint parameter is present in the STR constraint field of the information element.

[0053] The capability information analyzer 426 in this example may receive and analyze second capability information related to the STR capability of the AP MLD on each basic bandwidth of the wireless link pair between the non-AP MLD 400 and the AP MLD from the AP MLD (or another non-AP MLD) via the receiver 414. In one embodiment, the STR capability of the AP MLD indicates, for each basic bandwidth of the first link, at least one of the following: whether the AP MLD is capable of transmitting information on the basic bandwidth of the first link when the AP MLD is simultaneously receiving information on the second link; or whether the AP MLD is capable of receiving information on the basic bandwidth of the first link when the AP MLD is simultaneously transmitting information on the second link.

[0054] In one embodiment, the non-AP MLD 400 may receive data from the AP MLD on the first link. Then, the link status indicator 428 may generate a first indication during the reception indicating that the first link is busy. Based on the first indication, the channel access controller 429 may stop the non-AP MLD 400 from contending for channel access on the non-STR bandwidth of the second link.

[0055] In one embodiment, the non-AP MLD 400 may stop receiving data from the AP MLD on the first link, for example, after determining that no data is being transmitted for the non-AP MLD 400. Then, the link status indicator 428 may generate a second indication indicating that the first link is idle. Based on the second indication, for example, when the backoff timer reaches zero, the channel access controller 429 may control the transmitter 412 to transmit data to the AP MLD on the non-STR bandwidth of the second link.

[0056] The power module 408 may include a power source such as one or more batteries and a power regulator to provide power to the Figure 4Each of the above modules in provides regulated power. In some embodiments, if non-AP MLD 400 is coupled to a dedicated external power source (eg, a wall outlet), power module 408 may include a transformer and a power regulator.

[0057] The various modules discussed above are coupled together via a bus system 430. The bus system 430 may include a data bus, for example, a power bus, a control signal bus, and / or a status signal bus in addition to the data bus. It will be appreciated that the modules of the non-AP MLD 400 may be operably coupled to each other using any suitable technology and medium.

[0058] Despite Figure 4 Many separate modules or components are illustrated in FIG. 4 , but those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more modules may be combined or implemented together. For example, processor 404 may implement not only the functionality described above with respect to processor 404, but may also implement the functionality described above with respect to capability information generator 420. Conversely, multiple separate components or elements may be used to implement Figure 4 Each module is shown in the figure.

[0059] Figure 5 The present disclosure illustrates a method for performing a multi-level access control (MLD) by a non-AP MLD (e.g. Figure 4 4. A flowchart of a method 500 for channel access in multi-link wireless communication performed by a non-AP MLD 400 in a wireless communication system. At operation 502, the non-AP MLD exchanges capability information related to simultaneous transmit and receive (STR) capability on each basic bandwidth of a wireless link pair with an AP MLD. This may include transmitting the STR capability information of the non-AP MLD to the AP MLD, and receiving the STR capability information of the AP MLD from the non-AP MLD. At operation 504, the non-AP MLD receives data on a first link of the wireless link pair. The non-AP MLD generates a first indication indicating that the first link is busy during reception at operation 506. Based on the first indication, the non-AP MLD stops contention for channel access on the non-STR bandwidth of a second link of the wireless link pair at operation 508. Optionally, for example, because the non-AP MLD determines that the data is not from the AP MLD, at operation 510, the non-AP MLD stops receiving data on the first link. Optionally, at operation 512, the non-AP MLD generates a second indication indicating that the first link is idle. Optionally, at operation 514, the non-AP MLD transmits data to the AP MLD on the non-STR bandwidth of the second link based on the second indication. Figure 5 The order of operations shown in the drawings may be changed according to different embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0060] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an AP MLD 600 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The AP MLD 600 is an example of a device that can be configured to implement the various methods described herein. Figure 6 As shown in , the AP MLD 600 includes a housing 640, which contains a system clock 602, a processor 604, a memory 606, a transceiver 610 including a transmitter 612 and a receiver 614, a power module 608, a capability information generator 620, an operating parameter generator 622, an information element generator 624, a capability information analyzer 626, a link status indicator 628 and a channel access controller 629.

[0061] In this embodiment, the operation of the system clock 602, processor 604, memory 606, transceiver 610, and power module 608 is similar to the system clock 402, processor 404, memory 406, transceiver 410, and power module 408 in the non-AP MLD 400. The antenna 650 or multiple antenna array 650 is typically attached to the housing 640 and electrically coupled to the transceiver 610. In various embodiments, the operation of the capability information generator 620, operating parameter generator 622, information element generator 624, capability information analyzer 626, link status indicator 628, and channel access controller 629 is similar to (or symmetric to) the capability information generator 420, operating parameter generator 422, information element generator 424, capability information analyzer 426, link status indicator 428, and channel access controller 429 in the non-AP MLD 400.

[0062] In one embodiment, the AP MLD 600 may include a plurality of APs. In one embodiment, the capability information analyzer 626 may receive and analyze first capability information related to simultaneous transmission and reception (STR) capability of the non-AP MLD on each basic bandwidth of the wireless link pair from the non-AP MLD via the receiver 614. The wireless link pair includes a first link and a second link, each link having a plurality of basic bandwidths. The first link and the second link have different frequency ranges.

[0063] In one embodiment, the AP MLD 600 may receive data from the non-AP MLD on the second link. The capability information analyzer 626 may determine the STR bandwidth among the multiple basic bandwidths of the first link based on the first capability information. The AP MLD 600 may transmit data to the non-AP MLD on the STR bandwidth of the first link during reception of data on the second link.

[0064] In one embodiment, the AP MLD 600 may receive data from the non-AP MLD on the first link. The channel access controller 629 may control the AP MLD 600 to recover contention for channel access on the second link during reception, and transmit data to another non-AP MLD on the second link based on at least one constraint parameter when the backoff timer reaches zero. The at least one constraint parameter may include at least one of: a constrained modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a constrained transmit power, a constrained transmit bandwidth, and a constrained data unit length.

[0065] In one embodiment, the capability information generator 620 may generate capability information regarding the simultaneous transmission and reception (STR) capability with the APMLD 600 on each basic bandwidth of a wireless link pair supported by the AP MLD 600. The capability information generator 620 may transmit the capability information to the first non-AP MLD and the second non-AP MLD (or to the first STA in the first non-AP MLD and the second STA in the second non-AP MLD) via the transmitter 612. The wireless link pair includes a first link and a second link, each having a plurality of basic bandwidths. The first link and the second link have different frequency ranges. The first link connects the AP MLD 600 with the first STA in the first non-AP MLD. The second link connects the AP MLD 600 with the second STA in the second non-AP MLD.

[0066] The various modules discussed above are coupled together via a bus system 630. The bus system 630 may include a data bus, for example, a power bus, a control signal bus, and / or a status signal bus in addition to a data bus. It should be understood that the modules of the AP MLD 600 may be operably coupled to each other using any suitable technology and medium.

[0067] Despite Figure 6 Many separate modules or components are illustrated in FIG. 1 , but those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more modules may be combined or implemented together. For example, processor 604 may implement not only the functionality described above with respect to processor 604, but may also implement the functionality described above with respect to capability information generator 620. Conversely, multiple separate components or elements may be used to implement Figure 6 Each module is shown in the figure.

[0068] Figure 7 The diagram illustrates the AP MLD (eg Figure 6600 in FIG. 1 . At operation 702, the AP MLD exchanges capability information related to simultaneous transmit and receive (STR) capability on each basic bandwidth of a wireless link pair with a non-AP MLD. At operation 704, the AP MLD receives data from the AP MLD on a second link of the wireless link pair. At operation 706, the AP MLD determines a STR bandwidth among a plurality of basic bandwidths of the first link. At operation 708, the AP MLD transmits data to the non-AP MLD on the STR bandwidth of the first link while the AP MLD is receiving data on the second link. Optionally, at operation 710, the AP MLD transmits data to another non-AP MLD on any bandwidth of the first link while the AP MLD is receiving data on the second link. Figure 7 The order of operations shown in the drawings may be changed according to different embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0069] Different embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below. It should be noted that the features of the embodiments and examples in the present disclosure can be combined with each other in any way without conflict.

[0070] Figure 8 An example of an AP MLD operating on two links (Link 1 and Link 2) is illustrated. In this example, the channel of Link 1 is a 160 MHz bandwidth channel, and the channel of Link 2 is a 160 MHz bandwidth channel. Other channel bandwidth combinations are also within the scope of the present teachings. In this example, the 20 MHz primary channel of Link 1 should be selected within a frequency range away from Link 2; and the 20 MHz primary channel of Link 2 should be selected within a frequency range away from Link 1.

[0071] Fig. 9 An example of an AP MLD or non-AP MLD operating on two links (Link 1 and Link 2) is illustrated. The channel of Link 1 is a 160 MHz bandwidth channel, and the channel of Link 2 is a 160 MHz bandwidth channel. Other channel bandwidth combinations are also within the scope of the present teachings. Due to the effect of transmit power leakage, when the AP MLD receives or transmits on Link 2, the AP MLD cannot simultaneously transmit or receive on the higher 40 MHz bandwidth of Link 1 (this 40 MHz bandwidth may be referred to as non-STR bandwidth (non-STRBW)), but may simultaneously transmit or receive on the lower 120 MHz bandwidth of Link 1 (this 120 MHz bandwidth may be referred to as STR BW).

[0072] The AP MLD can indicate the location of the non-STR BW and STR BW of each pair of multilinks. The AP MLD can broadcast or unicast STR capability information. The STR capability includes the STR capability of each basic bandwidth. Fig. 9As shown in , the AP MLD uses a bitmap to indicate the STR capability of each basic bandwidth. In this case, the basic bandwidth is 20MHz. Thus, the 160MHz bandwidth channel of link 1 requires an 8-bit bitmap, where each bit indicates the STR capability of 20MHz. If a bit is set to 1, the corresponding 20MHz can perform STR operation with respect to link 2. Otherwise, the corresponding 20MHz cannot perform STR operation with respect to link 2.

[0073] In one embodiment, the AP MLD may only broadcast the (non-STR) bandwidth of a link over which STR operations cannot be performed. Fig. 9 In the example shown in , the AP MLD indicates that 40 MHz of Link 1 cannot be used for STR operation, which means that 40 MHz of Link 1 close to Link 2 cannot be used for STR operation.

[0074] If the interaction of the two links in the link pair is equivalent or reciprocal, the AP MLD can only broadcast the (non-STR) bandwidth on which the STR operation cannot be performed. For example, if the AP MLD indicates that the non-STR bandwidth is 40MHz, it means that: when the AP MLD is receiving or transmitting on link 2 at the same time, the AP MLD cannot transmit or receive on the higher 40MHz bandwidth of link 1; when the AP MLD is receiving or transmitting on link 1 at the same time, the AP MLD cannot transmit or receive on the lower 40MHz bandwidth of link 2.

[0075] Each non-AP MLD also reports the STR capability information of each link pair to the AP MLD accessed through the non-AP MLD. Fig. 9 As shown in , non-AP MLDs can also use a bitmap to indicate the STR capability of each basic bandwidth. In this case, the basic bandwidth is 20MHz. Thus, the 160MHz bandwidth channel of link 1 requires an 8-bit bitmap, where each bit indicates the STR capability of 20MHz bandwidth. If a bit is set to 1, the corresponding 20MHz bandwidth can perform STR operation with respect to link 2. Otherwise, the corresponding 20MHz bandwidth cannot perform STR operation with respect to link 2.

[0076] Non-AP MLD can report only the (non-STR) bandwidth of one link, on which STR operation cannot be performed. For example, non-AP MLD indicates that the 40MHz bandwidth of link 1 cannot be used for STR operation, which means that the 40MHz bandwidth of link 1 close to link 2 cannot be used for STR operation.

[0077] If the interactions of both links of a link pair are equivalent or reciprocal, the non-AP MLD may only report the (non-STR) bandwidth on which the STR operation cannot be performed. For example, if the non-AP MLD indicates that the non-STR bandwidth is 40 MHz, it means that: when the non-AP MLD is simultaneously receiving or transmitting on link 2, the non-AP MLD cannot transmit or receive on the higher 40 MHz bandwidth of link 1; when the non-AP MLD is simultaneously receiving or transmitting on link 1, the AP MLD cannot transmit or receive on the lower 40 MHz bandwidth of link 2.

[0078] After the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD exchange STR capability information of each pair of links, the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD can schedule channel access and transmission more efficiently and use applicable channel bandwidth for STR operation to enhance network throughput and reduce channel access and transmission delays.

[0079] Fig.10 The figure shows an example of an AP MLD operating on two links (Link 1 and Link 2). The channel of Link 2 is a 320MHz bandwidth channel, and the channel of Link 1 is a 160+160MHz bandwidth channel. In this case, the 20MHz main channel of Link 1 should be selected in a frequency range far away from Link 2; and the 20MHz main channel of Link 2 should be selected in a frequency range far away from Link 1.

[0080] For 80+80MHz, 160+80MHz, or 160+160MHz BSS bandwidths, channel center frequency segment 0 indicates the channel center frequency index of the 80MHz or 160MHz channel of frequency segment 0 on which the BSS operates. For 80+80MHz, 160+80MHz, or 160+160MHz BSS bandwidths, channel center frequency segment 1 indicates the channel center frequency index of the 80MHz or 160MHz channel of frequency segment 1 on which the BSS operates.

[0081] In one embodiment, the AP MLD broadcasts STR capability information to indicate the STR capability of each basic bandwidth. The AP MLD uses a bitmap to indicate the STR capability of each basic bandwidth. In this example, the basic bandwidth is 20 MHz. Thus, the 320 MHz channel of link 2 requires a 16-bit bitmap, with each bit representing the STR capability of a 20 MHz bandwidth. If a bit is set to 1, the corresponding 20 MHz bandwidth can perform STR operations with respect to link 1. Otherwise, the corresponding 20 MHz bandwidth cannot perform STR operations with respect to link 1. If the AP MLD can perform STR operations between link 1 and link 2, each bit of the 16-bit bitmap is set to 1.

[0082] In one embodiment, the non-AP MLD reports the STR capability information for each pair of multilinks. Fig.11 As shown in , non-APMLD uses a bitmap to indicate the STR capability of each basic bandwidth. In this example, the basic bandwidth is a 20MHz bandwidth. Thus, the 320MHz bandwidth channel of link 2 requires a 16-bit bitmap, with each bit indicating the STR capability of a 20MHz bandwidth. If a bit is set to 1, the corresponding 20MHz bandwidth can perform STR operations with respect to link 1. Otherwise, the corresponding 20MHz cannot perform STR operations with respect to link 1.

[0083] In one embodiment, the non-AP MLD uses a 16-bit bitmap to indicate the STR capability of link 1 relative to link 2 for a 320 MHz (160+160 MHz) bandwidth channel. In this example, when the non-AP MLD transmits or receives on link 2 at the same time, frequency segment 1 cannot be used for STR operation; but when the non-AP MLD transmits or receives on link 2 at the same time, frequency segment 0 can be used for STR operation. Thus, the 16-bit bitmap is set to 1111111100000000. The non-AP MLD also uses a 16-bit bitmap to indicate the STR capability of link 2 relative to link 1. Because the 160 MHz bandwidth of link 2 close to link 1 cannot be used for STR operation, the 16-bit bitmap is set to 00000000111111111.

[0084] In one embodiment, the non-AP MLD may report only a portion of the bandwidth of a link on which the STR operation cannot be performed. For example, the non-AP MLD indicates that the 160 MHz bandwidth of link 1 cannot be used for STR operation, which means that the 160 MHz bandwidth of link 1 in the channel close to link 2 cannot be used for STR operation.

[0085] If the interactions of both links of a link pair are equivalent or reciprocal, the non-AP MLD can only report the bandwidth on which the STR operation cannot be performed. For example, if the non-AP MLD indicates that the bandwidth is 160MHz, it means: when the non-AP MLD is simultaneously receiving or transmitting on link 2, the non-AP MLD cannot transmit or receive on the higher 160MHz bandwidth of link 1; when the non-AP MLD is simultaneously receiving or transmitting on link 1, the non-AP MLD cannot transmit or receive on the lower 160MHz bandwidth of link 2.

[0086] In various embodiments, there are two special case bit indications to reduce overhead. In the first case, all frequency segments of the paired link cannot perform STR operations. In the second case, all frequency segments of the paired link can perform STR operations. In both cases, the non-AP MLD can use a single bit to indicate STR capability.

[0087] Fig.12 The figure shows an example of multi-link operation of an AP MLD operating on three links (Link 1, Link 2, and Link 3). Link 2 is located between Link 1 and Link 3 in the frequency domain. Fig.12 . In this example, Link 2 has a non-STR BW utilizing Link 1 and a non-STR BW utilizing Link 3. The 20 MHz primary channel of Link 2 should be selected in the channel indicated by the STR BW, which in this example is between the non-STR BW utilizing Link 1 and the non-STR BW utilizing Link 3. AP MLD or non-AP MLD can enhance network throughput and reduce network latency by accurate capability indication between each pair of frequency segments. Based on accurate STR capability reporting, AP MLD or non-AP MLD can enhance network throughput and reduce channel access and transmission latency.

[0088] Fig.13 An example of channel access of a non-STR non-AP MLD using accurate STR capability reporting is illustrated. AP MLD 1310 and non-AP MLD 1320 operate on two links (Link 1 and Link 2). AP MLD 1310 is a STR AP MLD, and when AP MLD 1310 is receiving or transmitting on Link 2, AP MLD 1310 can simultaneously transmit or receive on Link 1. However, when non-AP MLD 1320 is receiving or transmitting on Link 2, non-AP MLD 1320 can only simultaneously transmit or receive on a portion of the bandwidth of Link 1. After non-AP MLD 1320 transmits an accurate STR capability report to AP MLD 1310, non-AP MLD 1310 can transmit and receive on both links simultaneously. Fig.13 As shown in FIG, when the AP MLD 1310 receives data from the non-AP MLD 1320 on the link 2, the AP MLD 1310 can determine the bandwidth in the link 1 (i.e., the STR BW related to the link 2) based on the STR capability report. Thus, while the AP MLD 1310 receives data from the non-AP MLD 1320 on the link 2, the AP MLD 1310 can transmit data to the non-AP MLD 1320 on the STR BW of the link 1.

[0089] For ease of operation, power leakage can be quantified to a certain extent. For example, the channel center frequency of link 1 is A, and the channel center frequency of link 2 is B. If the distance between the two channel center frequencies is less than the first threshold, that is, |AB|<threshold 1, the power leakage from link 1 will seriously interfere with the frame reception on link 2, which means that the MLD is non-STRMLD.

[0090] If the distance between the two channel center frequencies is greater than the first threshold but less than the second threshold, that is, threshold 1 <|AB| < threshold 2, the power leakage from link 1 will interfere with frame reception. However, due to restrictions on some operating parameters on the link, MLD can also transmit on one link and receive on another link at the same time.

[0091] If the distance between the two channel center frequencies is greater than the second threshold, ie, |AB|>threshold 2, power leakage from one link will not interfere with frame reception on the other link.

[0092] The AP MLD may indicate the maximum and / or minimum self-interference values ​​for each pair of links in a beacon, a probe response, a fast initial link setup (FILS) discovery frame, or other frames. The AP MLD may broadcast the operating parameters of each pair of links, as well as the frequency information of each pair of links.

[0093] When the non-AP MLD associates or re-associates with the AP MLD, the non-AP MLD may include the maximum self-interference value and / or the minimum self-interference value for each pair of links in the (re)association request frame. The maximum self-interference value may be measured based on the maximum transmit power; the minimum self-interference value may be measured based on the minimum transmit power. The maximum self-interference value and / or the minimum self-interference value for each pair of links may also be included in the probe request or other frames sent by the non-AP MLD.

[0094] The non-AP MLD may acquire a self-interference state based on the AP MLD with which the non-AP MLD wants to associate. The non-AP MLD includes operating parameters for each pair of links in a (re)association request frame, wherein the operating parameters may include, for example, STR mode, constrained modulation and coding scheme, constrained transmit power, constrained transmit bandwidth, and / or constrained physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) length.

[0095] The STR mode indicates a mode of simultaneous transmission and reception on a link pair. There are two modes: (1) allowing simultaneous transmission and reception on a link pair; and (2) not allowing simultaneous transmission and reception on a link pair.

[0096] The constrained modulation and coding scheme indicates the maximum modulation and coding scheme. The AP MLD is receiving packets on one link, and if the AP MLD wants to transmit other packets on a peer or paired link at the same time, the modulation and coding scheme used by the packets transmitted by the AP MLD cannot be greater than the value indicated by the constrained modulation and coding scheme.

[0097] The constrained transmit power indicates the maximum transmit power. If the AP MLD is receiving packets on one link, and if the AP MLD wants to transmit other packets on a peer or paired link at the same time, the transmit power of the packets transmitted by the AP MLD cannot be higher than the value indicated by the constrained transmit power.

[0098] The constrained transmission bandwidth indicates the maximum transmission bandwidth. If the AP MLD is receiving packets on one link and wants to transmit other packets on a peer or paired link at the same time, the transmission bandwidth of the packets transmitted by the AP MLD cannot be higher than the value indicated by the constrained transmission bandwidth.

[0099] The constrained PPDU length indicates the maximum transmission length. If the AP MLD is receiving packets on one link and wants to transmit other packets on a peer or paired link at the same time, the PPDU length of the packets transmitted by the AP MLD cannot be greater than the value indicated by the constrained PPDU length.

[0100] The non-AP MLD may also update the operating parameters after association or reassociation. The non-AP MLD may update the operating parameters by sending other management frames.

[0101] To support higher throughput, non-AP STAs and APs can support 80+80MHz, 160+80MHz, 160+160MHz, or other bandwidth combinations. For example, if an AP establishes a BSS with a bandwidth set to 160+160MHz, the AP MLD can broadcast channel information including channel width, channel center frequency segment 0, and channel center frequency segment 1. The channel width can indicate the BSS bandwidth.

[0102] Fig.14Information elements indicating STR information are illustrated. Each element is identified by the content of element ID 1410. Length field 1420 specifies the number of octets following length field 1420 in the information element. Link ID1 1430 and link ID2 1440 are identifications of a pair of two links. Link ID1 1430 identifies a link as a primary link. Link ID2 1440 identifies a link as a reference link. STR bitmap field 1450 describes the STR capabilities associated with the link identified by link ID2 1440 in units of the basic bandwidth of the link identified by link ID1 1430. STR constraint field 1460 describes the constraints on the STR operation of the link identified by link ID1 1430. Each non-AP MLD can generate and report multiple information elements, each corresponding to a link pair used by the non-AP MLD.

[0103] Fig.15 Another information element indicating STR information is illustrated. Each element is identified by the content of element ID 1510. Length field 1520 specifies the number of octets following length field 1520. Link ID1 1530 and link ID2 1540 are identifications of a pair of two links. Link ID1 1530 identifies a link as a primary link. Link ID2 1540 identifies a link as a reference link. Non-STR BW field 1550 describes the bandwidth of the link identified by link ID1 1530, in which bandwidth STR operations cannot be performed with respect to the link identified by link ID2 1540. STR constraint field 1560 describes the constraints on STR operations of the link identified by link ID1 1530. STR control field 1525 is a bitmap used to indicate, for each constraint parameter, whether a constraint parameter is present in the STR constraint field 1560 of the information element. Each non-AP MLD may generate and report multiple information elements, each information element corresponding to a link pair used by the non-AP MLD and may have the same or different formats.

[0104] Fig.16 Figure 2 shows an example of multi-link operation for AP MLD. Fig.16As shown in FIG. 1 , AP MLD 1610 has two subordinate stations (AP1 and AP2); each non-AP MLD 1620, 1630 also has two subordinate stations (STA1 and STA2). Each non-AP MLD is a non-STR non-AP MLD. STA1 of non-AP MLD1 1630 is associated with AP1 and communicates with AP1 on link 1. STA2 of non-AP MLD2 1620 is associated with AP2 and communicates with AP2 on link 2. STA1 of non-AP MLD1 1630 transmits data to AP1 on link 1. When AP1 and AP2 contend for the channel, AP1 is triggered to receive packets on link 1. In this case, reception on link 1 cannot stop contending for channel access on link 2. AP2 continues to contend for channel access. When the backoff timer reaches 0, transmission on link 2 can start. But in this example, AP2 cannot transmit packets to STA2 which is not AP MLD1 1630 unless AP2 limits the transmission parameters using constraint parameters, such as constrained transmission power, transmission bandwidth, or other restrictions.

[0105] Fig.17 An example of multi-link operation for non-AP MLD is shown. Fig.17 As shown in , AP MLD 1720 has two subordinate stations (AP1 and AP2); non-AP MLD 1710 also has two subordinate stations (STA1 and STA2). Non-AP MLD 1710 is a non-STR non-AP MLD. STA1 of non-AP MLD 1710 is associated with AP1 of AP MLD 1720 and communicates with AP1 on link 1. STA2 of non-AP MLD 1710 is associated with AP2 of AP MLD 1720 and communicates with AP2 on link. When STA1 and STA2 contend for channel access, STA1 is triggered to receive on link 1. In this case, the PHY layer of STA1 can send a primitive or a physical clear channel assessment (PHY-CCA) indication to the local MAC of STA1 to indicate that link 1 is busy. When non-AP MLD 1710 receives the primitive, non-AP MLD 1710 will send a primitive to the local MAC layer of STA2. When STA2 receives this primitive, STA2 will stop contending for channel access on link 2. When STA1's PHY layer receives a valid start of PPDU, including a valid PHY header, STA1's PHY layer will send a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive to STA1's local MAC.

[0106] If STA1 of non-AP MLD 1710 determines to continue receiving the packet, non-AP MLD 1710 will send a primitive to STA2. When non-AP MLD 1710 is a non-STR non-AP MLD, STA2 cannot contend for channel access until the period indicated in the primitive. If non-AP MLD 1710 is a STR non-AP MLD, STA2 can contend for channel access using a constrained MCS or transmit power.

[0107] Fig.18 An example of multi-link operation for non-AP MLD is shown. Fig.18 As shown in FIG. 1 , the AP MLD 1820 has two subordinate stations (i.e., AP1 and AP2); each non-AP MLD 1810, 1820 also has two subordinate stations (i.e., STA1 and STA2). Each non-AP MLD is a non-STR non-AP MLD. STA1 of the non-AP MLD1 1810 is associated with AP1 and communicates with AP1 of the APMLD 1820 on link 1. STA2 of the non-AP MLD1 1810 is associated with AP2 and communicates with AP2 on link 2.

[0108] When STA1 and STA2 of non-AP MLD1 1810 contend for channel access, STA1 of non-AP MLD1 1810 is triggered to receive on link 1. In this case, the PHY layer of STA1 can send a primitive (i.e., PHY-CCA.indication) to the local MAC of STA1 to indicate that link 1 is busy. When non-AP MLD1 1810 receives the primitive, non-AP MLD1 1810 will send a primitive to the local MAC layer of STA2. When STA2 receives the primitive, STA2 will stop contending for channel access on link 2.

[0109] In one embodiment, for example, when a packet from STA2 of non-AP MLD2 1830 is not intended for non-AP MLD1 1810, STA1 of non-AP MLD1 1810 determines to stop receiving the packet on Link 1, such as Fig.18 In this case, non-AP MLD1 1810 will send a primitive to STA2 of non-AP MLD1 1810. STA2 of non-AP MLD1 1810 may then resume the backoff process to contend for the channel on Link 2, for example, transmitting data after the backoff timer reaches 0.

[0110] In various embodiments of the present teachings, the AP MLD may broadcast the STR capability of each link pair, wherein the STR capability indication is based on a certain bandwidth. The non-AP MLD may report an accurate capability indication between each pair of frequency segments, wherein the STR capability indication is based on a certain bandwidth. To reduce overhead, the non-AP MLD may only indicate the STR capability between the farthest pairs, or the non-AP MLD may only indicate the STR capability between the closest pairs.

[0111] In various embodiments of the present teachings, when a non-AP MLD (re)associates with an AP MLD, the non-AP MLD includes a self-interference maximum value and / or a self-interference minimum value for each pair of links in a (re)association request frame. The non-AP MLD may include the following operating parameters for each pair of links in the (re)association request frame: STR mode, constrained modulation and coding scheme, constrained transmit power, constrained transmit bandwidth, and / or constrained PPDU length. If the non-AP MLD is a non-STR, the AP MLD may continue to contend for a channel on link 1 while the AP MLD is receiving on link 2. If the non-AP MLD is a non-STR, the non-AP MLD controls operation on link 1 based on instructions from link 2.

[0112] In this teaching, the technical features in various embodiments and examples can be used in combination in one embodiment without conflict. Each embodiment is only an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0113] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented only by way of example and not by way of limitation. Similarly, various figures may depict example architectures or configurations, which are provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the exemplary features and functions of the present disclosure. However, such a person will understand that the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but may be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, one or more features of an embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0114] It should also be understood that any reference to an element using names such as "first", "second", etc. herein does not generally limit the number or order of these elements. On the contrary, these names can be used as a convenient means of distinguishing two or more elements or multiple instances of an element in this article. Therefore, reference to a first and a second element does not mean that only two elements can be used, or that the first element must be before the second element in some way.

[0115] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of a variety of different techniques and technologies may be used to represent information and signals. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols, etc., that may be referenced in the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0116] Those of ordinary skill in the art will also understand that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, components, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented via electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementations, analog implementations, or a combination of both), firmware, various forms of programs or design code combined with instructions (which, for convenience, may be referred to herein as "software" or "software modules"), or any combination of these technologies.

[0117] In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps have been described above generally according to their functionality. Whether this functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, software or a combination of these technologies depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. Skilled technicians can implement the described functionality in various ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions will not lead to deviations from the scope of this disclosure. According to various embodiments, processors, devices, components, circuits, structures, machines, modules, etc. can be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein. As used herein, the term "configured to" or "configured for" regarding a specified operation or function refers to a processor, device, component, circuit, structure, machine, module, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed and / or arranged to perform a specified operation or function.

[0118] In addition, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein may be implemented or performed within an integrated circuit (IC), which may include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, or any combination thereof. The logic blocks, modules, and circuits may also include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within a network or within a device. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration for performing the functions described herein.

[0119] If implemented in software, these functions can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, which include any media that can transfer a computer program or code from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. As an example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0120] In this document, the term "module" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the associated functions described herein. In addition, for the purpose of discussion, various modules are described as discrete modules; however, as is apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, two or more modules may be combined to form a single module that performs the associated functions according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0121] In addition, memory or other storage devices and communication components can be used in embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that, for the sake of clarity, the above description has described embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it is clear that any suitable functional distribution between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains can be used without departing from the present disclosure. For example, the functionality illustrated as being performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers can be performed by the same processing logic elements or controllers. Therefore, references to specific functional units are only references to appropriate components for providing the described functionality, rather than indicating a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0122] Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to implementations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but will be consistent with the broadest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein as described in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method performed by a non-access point AP multi-link device MLD, the method comprising: sending a capability indication for a radio link pair in at least one of an association request frame or a reassociation request frame, wherein the capability indication uses a bitmap to indicate the radio link pair as simultaneously transmitting and receiving STR or non-STR, The association request frame or the re-association request frame includes: a minimum value of self-interference between two links of the non-AP MLD.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A management frame is sent that includes updates to STR or non-STR mode operating parameters.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The capability indication indicates whether the non-AP MLD is capable of performing a STR operation on the radio link pair; For each basic bandwidth of a first link in the wireless link pair, the STR operation includes at least one of the following: When the non-AP MLD is simultaneously receiving information on a second link in the wireless link pair, transmitting information on a basic bandwidth of the first link, or When the non-AP MLD simultaneously transmits information on the second link, information is received on a basic bandwidth of the first link.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The capability indication includes a plurality of bits, each of the plurality of bits indicating whether the non-AP MLD is capable of performing an STR operation on a corresponding basic bandwidth of a first link in the pair of wireless links with respect to a second link in the pair of wireless links.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The capability indication indicates STR bandwidth or non-STR bandwidth; The STR bandwidth indicates the following item among a plurality of basic bandwidths of a first link in the wireless link pair: a bandwidth range in which the non-AP MLD can perform a STR operation with respect to a second link in the wireless link pair; or The non-STR bandwidth indicates an item among the plurality of basic bandwidths of the first link: a bandwidth range in which the non-APMLD cannot perform an STR operation with respect to the second link.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The non-STR bandwidth is closer to the second link in the frequency domain than the STR bandwidth.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capability indication comprises a single bit, the single bit indicating: The non-AP MLD is capable of performing STR operations on each basic bandwidth of the wireless link pair, or The non-AP MLD cannot perform STR operations on any primary bandwidth of the wireless link pair.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: For each of the first link and the second link in the wireless link pair, a primary channel is in a basic bandwidth in which the non-AP MLD is able to perform STR operations.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The non-AP MLD is connected to the wireless communication node via at least three wireless links having different frequency ranges; as well as The method includes transmitting, to the wireless communication node, capability information related to the STR capability of the non-AP MLD on each basic bandwidth of each pair of frequency-adjacent wireless links among the at least three wireless links.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: transmitting at least one operating parameter of the radio link pair to a wireless communication node, wherein the at least one operating parameter comprises information related to at least one of: STR mode, indicating whether simultaneous transmission and reception are allowed on the link pair, a constrained modulation and coding scheme MCS indicating a maximum MCS step used by the wireless communication node to transmit information on a first link in the wireless link pair when the wireless communication node receives information on a second link in the wireless link pair, a constrained transmit power indicating a maximum transmit power used by the wireless communication node to transmit information on the first link when the wireless communication node receives information on the second link, a constrained transmission bandwidth indicating a maximum transmission bandwidth used by the wireless communication node to transmit information on the first link when the wireless communication node receives information on the second link, A constrained data unit length indicates a maximum data unit length used by the wireless communication node to transmit information on the first link when the wireless communication node receives information on the second link.

11. The method according to claim 1, comprising: Transmitting an information element indicating STR information to a wireless communication node, wherein the information element comprises: An element identification ID field indicates the ID of the information element; a length field indicating the number of octets following the length field in the information element; A first link ID field, indicating the ID of the first link in the wireless link pair; A second link ID field, indicating the ID of the second link in the wireless link pair; an STR bitmap field indicating STR capabilities of the second link in each basic bandwidth of the first link; The STR constraint field indicates at least one constraint parameter for the STR operation on the first link with respect to the second link.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the information element further comprises: A STR control field indicating, for each constraint parameter, whether the constraint parameter is present in the STR constraint field of the information element.

13. The method according to claim 1, comprising: Transmitting an information element indicating STR information to a wireless communication node, wherein the information element comprises: An element identification ID field indicates the ID of the information element; a length field indicating the number of octets following the length field in the information element; A first link ID field, indicating the ID of the first link in the wireless link pair; A second link ID field, indicating the ID of the second link in the wireless link pair; A non-STR bandwidth field, indicating the following among a plurality of basic bandwidths of the first link: a bandwidth range in which the non-AP MLD cannot perform a STR operation with respect to the second link; An STR constraint field indicates at least one constraint parameter for STR operation on the first link with respect to the second link.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the information element further comprises: A STR control field indicating, for each constraint parameter, whether the constraint parameter is present in the STR constraint field of the information element.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Second capability information is received from a wireless communication node, the second capability information relating to an STR capability of the wireless communication node on each basic bandwidth of the wireless link pair between the non-AP MLD and the wireless communication node.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the STR capability of the wireless communication node indicates at least one of the following for each basic bandwidth of a first link in the wireless link pair: whether the wireless communication node is capable of transmitting information on a basic bandwidth of the first link while the wireless communication node is simultaneously receiving information on a second link of the wireless link pair; or When the wireless communication node is simultaneously transmitting information on the second link, whether the wireless communication node is able to receive information on a basic bandwidth of the first link.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving data from a wireless communication node on a first link of the pair of wireless links; During the receiving, generating a first indication indicating that the first link is busy; Based on the first indication, contention for channel access on the non-STR bandwidth of a second link in the wireless link pair is stopped.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: ceasing to receive data from the wireless communication node on a first link of the wireless link pair; generating a second indication indicating that the first link is idle; Based on the second indication, when a backoff timer reaches zero, data is transmitted to the wireless communication node on the non-STR bandwidth of the second link.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein: The capability indication includes a threshold value; For each of a plurality of base bandwidths of a first link in the wireless link pair, the capability indication indicates: based on a distance between a center frequency of the base bandwidth and a center frequency of a used bandwidth of a second link in the wireless link pair, whether the second link is capable of performing an STR operation on the base bandwidth; When the distance is greater than the threshold, the STR operation can be performed; When the distance is less than the threshold, the STR operation cannot be performed.

20. A method performed by a wireless communication node, the method comprising: receiving, in at least one of an association request frame or a reassociation request frame, a capability indication for a wireless link pair, wherein the capability indication uses a bitmap to indicate the wireless link pair as simultaneously transmitting and receiving STR or non-STR, The association request frame or the re-association request frame includes: a minimum value of self-interference between two links for non-AP MLD.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising: receiving data from a non-AP MLD on a second link in the pair of wireless links; determining, based on the capability indication, a STR bandwidth among a plurality of base bandwidths for a first link in the pair of wireless links; During reception of data on the second link, data is transmitted to the non-AP MLD on the STR bandwidth of the first link.

22. The method according to claim 20, further comprising: receiving data from the non-AP MLD over a first link in the pair of wireless links; recovering contention for channel access on a second link during said receiving; When the backoff timer reaches zero, data is transmitted to the additional non-AP MLD on the second link based on at least one constraint parameter.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one constraint parameter comprises at least one of: a constrained modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a constrained transmit power, a constrained transmit bandwidth, and a constrained data unit length.

24. A wireless communication device, comprising: processor; as well as A memory comprising a computer program stored thereon, wherein the processor is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 19 when executing the computer program.

25. A wireless communication node, comprising: processor; as well as A memory comprising a computer program stored thereon, wherein the processor is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 20 to 23 when executing the computer program.

26. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor of an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

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