Wireless communication method and device

Abstract

The present invention provides a wireless communication method and apparatus. The method includes establishing communication between an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) and a non-AP STA (STA) of the MLD on one or more of multiple links; the non-AP STA receiving a frame sent by the AP on a first link of the multiple links; and the non-AP STA sending a response to the AP on the first link in response to the frame received from the AP, or the non-AP STA performing a listening operation on the multiple links. According to the present invention, enhanced SST (SST) operation (EHT) can be performed in wireless communication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to extremely-high-throughput (EHT) enhanced subchannel selective transmission (SST) operation in wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0003] In a wireless local area network (WLAN) according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, a 20 MHz-only non-AP high-efficiency (HE) station (STA) indicates in the Supported Channel Width Set subfield of the HE Physical Layer (PHY) Capabilities Information field of the HE Capabilities element transmitted by the STA that the STA only supports a 20 MHz channel width as a frequency band in which the STA operates. A 20 MHz-only non-AP HE STA is a non-AP HE STA operating in a 20 MHz channel width mode (e.g., a 20 MHz-only non-AP HE STA) or a HE STA that reduces the operating channel width to 20 MHz using an operating mode indication (OMI). A non-AP HE STA operating in 20 MHz shall operate in the primary 20 MHz channel unless the non-AP HE STA operating in 20 MHz is a 20 MHz-only non-AP HE STA for which dot11HESubchannelSelective-TransmissionImplemented is true. In this case, the 20 MHz-only non-AP HE STA may operate in any 20 MHz channel within the basic service set (BSS) bandwidth by following the predefined procedures of the HE SST. However, if a non-AP HE STA operating at 20 MHz is a receiver of a 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 80+80 MHz, or 160 MHz HE multi-user (MU) Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) or a transmitter of a 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 80+80 MHz, or 160 MHz trigger-based (TB) PPDU, the resource unit (RU) tone mapping in the 20 MHz band is not aligned with the 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 80+80 MHz, or 160 MHz RU tone mapping.Therefore, a solution is needed for EHT-enhanced SST operation in wireless communications. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary is provided to introduce the concepts, highlights, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious technologies described herein. Selected implementations are further described in the detailed description below. Accordingly, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] One objective of the present invention is to provide schemes, concepts, designs, techniques, methods, and apparatuses related to EHT-enhanced SST operation in wireless communications. Various proposed schemes according to the present invention can address the problems described herein. For example, various proposed schemes can be implemented to support EHT SST operation for STAs operating at 20 MHz, STAs operating at 80 MHz, and STAs operating at 160 MHz in an EHT 320 MHz BSS.

[0006] In one aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, the method including establishing communication between an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) and a non-AP STA of a station (STA) MLD on one or more links among multiple links; the non-AP STA receiving a frame sent by the AP on a first link among the multiple links; and the non-AP STA sending a response to the AP on the first link in response to the frame received from the AP, or the non-AP STA performing a listening operation on the multiple links.

[0007] In another aspect, an apparatus implemented in a STA MLD is provided, the apparatus comprising a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver is configured to perform wireless communication, and the processor is coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations including: establishing communication between an AP of an AP MLD and a non-AP STA of a STA MLD via the transceiver on one or more links among a plurality of links; receiving, by the non-AP STA, a frame transmitted by the AP on a first link among the plurality of links; and transmitting, by the non-AP STA, a response to the AP on the first link in response to the frame received from the AP, or performing a listening operation on the plurality of links.

[0008] It is worth noting that although the description provided herein may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies (e.g., Wi-Fi), the concepts, solutions, and any variants / derivatives thereof may be implemented in, for, and through other types of radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as, but not limited to, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, 5G, New Radio (NR), Internet of Things (IoT), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the examples described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this invention. The drawings illustrate implementations of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to their actual dimensions in order to clearly illustrate the concepts of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 1 An example network environment is illustrated in which various solutions according to the present invention may be implemented.

[0011] Figure 2 is a diagram of an example scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 3 is a diagram of an example scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 4 is a diagram of an example scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 5 is a diagram of an example scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 6 is a diagram of an example design according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 7 is a diagram of an example design according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 8 is a diagram of an example scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 9is a diagram of an example design according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 10 is a diagram of an example scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 11 is a diagram of an example scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 12 is a diagram of an example scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 13 is a block diagram of an example communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 14 is a flow chart of an example process according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed detailed embodiments and implementations are merely examples of the claimed subject matter embodied in various forms. However, the present invention can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the illustrative embodiments and implementations. These illustrative embodiments and implementations are provided to make the description of the present invention comprehensive and complete and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. In the following description, details of known features and technologies are omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments and implementations of the present invention.

[0025] Overview

[0026] Embodiments according to the present invention relate to various technologies, methods, schemes, and / or solutions related to EHT-enhanced SST operation in wireless communications. According to the present invention, multiple possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions may be described separately below, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or another.

[0027] Figure 1 An example network environment 100 is illustrated in which various solutions according to the present invention may be implemented. Figures 2 to 14 The examples of implementation of various proposed solutions in the network environment 100 according to the present invention are illustrated. Figures 1 to 14 The following description of various proposed solutions is provided.

[0028] like Figure 1As shown, network environment 100 may involve STA 110 and STA 120 communicating wirelessly over multiple links (e.g., link 1, link 2, and link 3) or in multiple frequency bands in accordance with one or more IEEE 802.11 standards (e.g., IEEE 802.11be and later). Each of STA 110 and STA 120 may function as a multi-link device (MLD). For example, STA 110 may function as a non-AP MLD with multiple virtual STAs (e.g., STA 1, STA 2, and STA 3) operating within STA 110. Accordingly, STA 120 may function as an AP MLD with multiple virtual APs (e.g., AP 1, AP 2, and AP 3) operating within STA 120. For example, when implementing various proposed schemes described herein, STA 110 may function as a HE SST non-AP STA, an EHT single-radio SST non-AP STA, or an EHT multi-link SST non-AP STA. Accordingly, when implementing the various proposed solutions described herein, STA 120 can function as a HE SST AP or an EHT multi-link SST AP. According to the various proposed solutions of the present invention, STA 110 and STA 120 can be configured to perform EHT-enhanced SST operations in wireless communications according to the various proposed solutions described herein.

[0029] Under the current IEEE specification, with respect to non-AP HE STAs operating at 20 MHz, HE APs operating in the 5 GHz or 6 GHz bands can interoperate with non-AP HE STAs regardless of the B1 value indicated in the Supported Channel Width Set subfield in the HE Physical Layer (PHY) Capabilities Information field of the HE Capabilities element. Non-AP HE STAs operating at 20 MHz can support tone mappings of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, and 242-tone RUs for 20 MHz HE PPDUs in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. A non-AP HE STA operating at 20 MHz may use the "20 MHz in 40-MHz HE PPDUs in the 2.4-GHz Band" subfield in the HE PHY Capabilities Information field of the HE Capabilities element to indicate support for tone mapping of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, and 106-tone RUs for 40 MHz HE PPDUs in the 2.4-GHz band, except for RUs that are restricted and cannot be used for operation. In addition, a non-AP HE STA operating at 20 MHz may support tone mapping of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, and 106-tone RUs for 40 MHz HE PPDUs in the 5 GHz band and 80 MHz HE PPDUs in the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands, except for RUs that are restricted and cannot be used for operation. In addition, a non-AP HE STA operating at 20 MHz may use the "20 MHz in 160 / 80+80-MHz HE PPDU" subfield in the HE PHY Capability Information field in the HE Capability element to indicate support for tone mapping of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, and 106-tone RUs for 80+80 MHz and 160 MHz HE PPDUs, except for RUs that are restricted and cannot be used for operation.In addition, non-AP HE STAs operating at 20 MHz may support tone mapping for 242-tone RUs to receive 40 MHz HE PPDUs in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, and 80 MHz, 80+80 MHz, and 160 MHz HE MU PPDUs in the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands. This support may be indicated in the Supported Channel Width Set subfield in the HE PHY Capability Information field of the HE Capability element.

[0030] Regarding RU restrictions for 20 MHz operation, the AP cannot allocate certain RUs to non-AP HE STAs operating at 20 MHz, where these RU indices are defined in Table 27-8 of the IEEE specification for data and pilot subcarrier indices for RUs in 40 MHz HE PPDUs. These RUs may include at least 26-tone RUs 5 and 14 of 40 MHz HE MU PPDUs and HE TB PPDUs. In addition, the AP cannot allocate certain RUs to non-AP HE STAs operating at 20 MHz, where these RU indices are defined in Table 27-9 of the IEEE specification for data and pilot subcarrier indices for RUs in 80 MHz HE PPDUs. These RUs may include at least: 26-tone RUs 5, 10, 14, 19, 24, 28 and 33 of the 80 MHz HE MU PPDU and HE TB PPDU, and 26-tone RUs 5, 10, 14, 19, 24, 28 and 33 of the lower 80 MHz of the 80+80 MHz and 160 MHz HE MU PPDU and HE TB PPDU, and 26-tone RUs 5, 10, 14, 19, 24, 28 and 33 of the upper 80 MHz of the 80+80 MHz HE MU PPDU and HE TB PPDU.

[0031] Regarding non-AP HE STAs operating at 80 MHz, non-AP HE STAs capable of up to 80 MHz channel width, when operating at 80 MHz channel width, can indicate support for receiving 160 MHz or 80 + 80 MHz HE MU PPDUs or transmitting 160 MHz or 80 + 80 MHz HE TB PPDUs in the "80 MHz in the 160 / 80 + 80-MHz HE PPDU" subfield in the HE PHY Capability Information field of the HE Capability element. When allocating RUs in a 160 MHz or 80 + 80 MHz HEMU PPDU or HE TB PPDU to a non-AP HE STA that sets the "80 MHz in 160 / 80 + 80-MHz HE PPDU" subfield in the HE PHY Capabilities Information field in the HE Capabilities element to 1 and operates in 80 MHz channel width mode, the HE AP STA does not allocate RUs located outside the primary 80 MHz.

[0032] With respect to HE SST, an HE STA that supports HE SST operation may set dot11HESubchannelSelectiveTransmissionImplemented to true and may set the HE Subchannel Selective Transmission Support field in the transmitted HE Capabilities element to 1. An HE STA that does not support HE SST operation may set the HE Subchannel Selective Transmission Support field in the transmitted HE Capabilities element to 0. A non-AP HE STA with dot11HESubchannelSelectiveTransmissionImplemented set to true may be an HE SST STA. An HE AP with dot11HESubchannelSelectiveTransmissionImplemented set to true may be a HESST AP. A HE SST STA may set SST operation via a negotiated trigger-enabled target wake time (TWT) as defined in IEEE specification section 26.8.2 (Individual TWT agreements), with some exceptions. The first exception may be that the TWT Channel field of the TWT Request has at least one bit (up to one bit) set to 1 to indicate which secondary channel is requested to contain the RU allocation addressed to the HE SST STA, which is a STA operating at 20 MHz. The second exception may be that all four least-significant bits (LSBs) or all four most-significant bits (MSBs) of the TWT Channel field of the TWT Request are set to 1 to indicate that the primary 80 MHz channel or the secondary 80 MHz channel is requested to contain the RU allocation addressed to the HE SST STA, which is a STA operating at 80 MHz. The third exception may be that at least one bit (up to one bit) in the TWT Channel field of the TWT Response is set to 1 to indicate which secondary channel will contain the RU allocation addressed to the HE SST STA, which is a STA operating at 20 MHz.A fourth exception may be that all four LSBs or all four MSBs of the TWT channel field of the TWT response are set to 1 to indicate that the primary 80 MHz channel or the secondary 80 MHz channel will contain RU allocations allocated to the HE SST STA (the HE SST STA is a STA operating at 80 MHz).

[0033] In addition, with respect to HE SST, a HE SST STA that successfully establishes SST operation needs to follow certain rules. In addition, a HESST AP may follow the rules defined in section 26.8.2 (Individual TWT agreements) of the IEEE specification for frame exchange with a HE SST STA during the negotiated trigger-enabled TWT service period (SP), with some exceptions. One exception may be that the AP needs to ensure that the RUs allocated in the DL MU PPDU and trigger frame sent to the SST STA are within the subchannel indicated in the TWT channel field of the TWT response and follow the RU restriction rules defined in section 27.3.2.8 (RU restrictions for 20MHz operation) of the IEEE specification in case the SST STA is a STA operating at 20MHz. Another exception may be that the AP needs to ensure that the trigger-enabled TWT SP does not overlap with the TBTT that sends the delivery traffic indication map (DTIM) beacon frame. Another exception may be that the AP needs to ensure that the same subchannel is used for all trigger-enabled TWT SPs that overlap in time.

[0034] In addition, with respect to HE SST, an HE SST STA operating on a secondary channel may not perform OMI operations as defined in Section 26.9 (Operating mode indication) of the IEEE specification or OMN operations as defined in Section 11.41 (Notification of operating mode changes) of the IEEE specification to change the operating bandwidth. The HE SST STA may follow the rules defined in Section 26.8.2 (Individual TWT agreements) of the IEEE specification to exchange frames with the HE SST AP during a negotiated trigger-enabled TWT SP, with some exceptions. The first exception may be that at the TWT start times, the STA needs to be available in the subchannel indicated in the TWT channel field of the TWT response. The second exception may be that the STA may not use the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) or the Enhanced Distributed Channel Access Function (EDCAF) to access the medium in the subchannel. A third exception may be that a STA may not respond to a trigger frame addressed to the STA (e.g., Section 26.5 (MU operation) and Section 26.8.2 (Individual TWT agreements) of the IEEE specification) unless the STA has performed a clear channel access (CCA) until a frame in which its network allocation vector (NAV) can be set is detected or until a time period equal to the NAVSyncDelay has elapsed, whichever is earlier. A fourth exception may be that if the STA receives a PPDU in a subchannel, the STA is required to update its NAV according to Section 26.2.4 (Updating two NAVs) of the IEEE specification.

[0035] Regarding multi-link operation, the multi-link framework may involve a multi-link device (MLD), which has a medium access control (MAC) address that uniquely identifies the MLD management entity. For example, a MAC address can be used for multi-link setup between a non-AP MLD and an AP MLD. At a high level, the MLD MAC address can be used to identify and distinguish different MLDs. The wireless medium (WM) MAC address of a STA can be used for over-the-air (OTA) transmissions on the corresponding wireless medium. In order for the AP MLD to continue to serve legacy non-high-throughput (non-HT), high-throughput (HT), very high-throughput (VHT), and HE STAs, each affiliated AP of the AP MLD can use a different MAC address, as ambiguity may arise when two affiliated APs use the same MAC address. For example, if a first AP (AP1) and a second AP (AP2) use the same MAC address, a legacy STA would have difficulty discerning whether AP2 is a different AP from AP1 or whether AP2 is actually AP1 performing a channel switch. A non-AP MLD can also operate symmetrically if the AP MLD uses different MAC addresses for attached STAs. For example, a non-AP MLD can function as a soft AP for point-to-point communications, as symmetrical operation simplifies implementation considerations. Furthermore, if attached non-AP STAs have the same MAC address under the same PN space / PTK, transmissions from the non-AP MLD to the AP MLD over different links may use the same nonce for different messages, compromising security properties.

[0036] For legacy associations, the AP can distinguish different associated non-AP STAs by their MAC addresses. For multi-link establishment, different non-AP MLDs may require similar identifiers, and the MAC addresses of the non-AP MLDs can be used for similar purposes. On the one hand, if such identifiers are small, the small size may lead to identifier conflicts and confusion during establishment. On the other hand, without any identifiers, different non-AP MLDs need to be distinguished based on all their configuration details, but determining the differences between different configurations is difficult. Knowing the MAC address of the non-AP MLD after establishment facilitates subsequent negotiations, such as security and beacon announcement (BA) negotiations. The MAC address of the non-AP MLD can be indicated during the multi-link establishment process.

[0037] For traditional association, the MAC address of the associated AP can be known before association. For multilink establishment, it is undefined whether AP MLD discovery can provide the AP MLD's MAC address. If the AP MLD's address is not known before multilink establishment, having the AP MLD's address during multilink establishment may be useful for subsequent negotiation. If the AP MLD's address is known before multilink establishment, having the AP MLD's address during multilink establishment may help confirm the target MLD and avoid unknown corner cases. For example, the AP MLD's MAC address can be indicated during multilink establishment.

[0038] Under the proposed solution according to the present invention, for efficient frequency utilization of the EHT 320 MHz BSS, STAs operating at 160 MHz can operate in either the primary 160 MHz channel or the secondary 160 MHz channel within the 320 MHz BSS bandwidth. Figure 2 An example scenario 200 illustrating an example implementation of the proposed solution is shown.

[0039] Under the proposed solution according to the present invention, for efficient frequency utilization of the EHT 320 MHz BSS, STAs operating at 80 MHz or 20 MHz can operate in any 80 MHz or 20 MHz channel within the 320 MHz BSS bandwidth. Figure 3 An example scenario 300 illustrating an example implementation of the proposed solution is shown.

[0040] Under the proposed scheme according to the present invention, for the EHT SST operation of the STA operating at 160 MHz, for the EHT SST AP (e.g., AP 110) and the EHT SST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120), during the negotiated TWT SP, the positions of the first 80 MHz frequency segment and the second 80 MHz frequency segment of the EHT SST non-AP STA can be switched to their respective negotiated positions. Figure 4 An example scenario 400 illustrating an example implementation of the proposed solution is shown.

[0041] Under the proposed scheme according to the present invention, regarding the EHT SST operation of the STA operating at 80 MHz or 20 MHz, for the EHT SST AP (e.g., AP 110) and the EHT SST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120), during the negotiated TWT SP, the position of the 80 MHz or 20 MHz frequency segment of the EHT SST non-AP STA can be switched to the negotiated position. Figure 5 An example scenario 500 illustrating an example implementation of the proposed solution is shown.

[0042] Figure 6 An example design 600 of an example TWT element for an EHT SST according to the proposed scheme of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 6 Under the proposed scheme, a TWT element may include an octet-long element identifier (ID) field, an octet-long length (Length) field, an octet-long control (Control) field, and a variable-length TWT parameter information (Parameter Information) field. The control field may include several subfields, including: a 1-bit-long Null Data Packet (NDP) paging indicator subfield, a 1-bit-long Responder PM Mode subfield, a 2-bit-long Negotiation Type subfield, a 1-bit-long TWT Information Frame Disabled subfield, a 1-bit-long Wake Duration Unit subfield, a 1-bit-long TWT Channel Length (ChannelLength) subfield, and a 1-bit-long Reserved (Reserved) subfield.

[0043] Figure 7 FIG. 7 shows an example design 700 of another example TWT element for an EHT SST according to the proposed solution of the present invention. Figure 7As shown, under the proposed scheme, the TWT element may include an element ID field of 1 octet long, a length field of 1 octet long, a control field of 1 octet long, a request type field of 2 octets long, an optional target wake time field of 8 or 0 octets long, an optional TWT group assignment field of 9 or 3 or 0 octets long, a nominal minimum TWT wake duration field of 1 octet long, a TWT wake interval mantissa field of 2 octets long, a TWT channel field of 1 or 2 octets long, and an optional NDP paging field of 0 or 4 octets long. For example, the TWT channel field may include an operating channel bitmap subfield of 1 octet long and a packet detection channel bitmap subfield of 1 octet long. Under the proposed scheme, the length of the TWT Channel field in the TWT Parameter Set field can be determined by the TWT Channel Length subfield in the Control field in the TWT element. The TWT Channel Length subfield in the Control field in the TWT element can indicate the length of the TWT Channel field in the TWT Parameter Set field. In the case where the length of the TWT Channel field is 1 byte, the TWT Channel Length subfield can be set to 0, or in the case where the length of the TWT Channel field is 2 bytes, the TWT Channel Length subfield can be set to 1. A non-EHT non-AP STA can set the TWT Channel Length subfield to 0.

[0044] Under the scheme proposed in accordance with the present invention, an EHT SST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) may establish or otherwise establish EHT SST operation by negotiating a trigger-enabled TWT as defined in Section 26.8.2 (Individual TWT agreements) of the IEEE specification, but there are exceptions. One exception may be that when the TWT Channel Length subfield is equal to 1, each bit in the Operating Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field may correspond to an 80 MHz channel. For example, the TWT response may set at least one bit in the Operating Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field to 1 to indicate that the 80 MHz frequency segment will contain RU allocations allocated to the EHT SST non-AP STA (either a STA operating at 20 MHz or a STA operating at 80 MHz). In addition, the operating channel of the STA operating at 20 MHz may be determined within the 80 MHz frequency segment via the Packet Detection Channel Bitmap subfield. As another example, bits B0-B1 or bits B2-B3 in the operating channel bitmap subfield in the TWT channel field of the TWT response are set to 1 to indicate whether the primary 160 MHz channel or the secondary 160 MHz channel contains the RU allocation allocated to the EHT SST non-AP STA (for STA operating at 160 MHz).

[0045] According to the solution proposed in the present invention, the Packet Detection Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field may indicate the location of the packet detection channel of the EHT SST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) during the negotiated trigger-enabled TWT SP. For example, when the TWT Channel Length subfield is equal to 1, the TWT Response may set the Nth bit in the Packet Detection Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field to 1. The EHT SST non-AP STA may perform packet detection on the Nth 20 MHz channel in the operating bandwidth indicated by the Operating Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field. In addition, the TWT Request may indicate one or more channels as preferred packet detection channels. In addition, the TWT Response may indicate multiple channels as packet detection channels.

[0046] Under the scheme proposed in accordance with the present invention, an EHT SST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) that successfully establishes SST operation may follow certain rules, and an EHT SST AP (e.g., AP 110) may follow the rules defined in Section 26.8.2 (Individual TWT agreements) of the IEEE specification for frame exchange with the EHT SST non-AP STA during the negotiated trigger-enabled TWT SP, with some exceptions. One exception may be that the EHT SST AP needs to ensure that the RUs allocated to the EHT SST non-AP STA in the DL MU PPDU and trigger frame are within the subchannels indicated in the Operating Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field of the TWT response, and if the EHT SST non-AP STA is a STA operating at 20 MHz, the EHT SST AP follows the RU restriction rules defined in Section 27.3.2.8 (RU restrictions for 20-MHz operation) of the IEEE specification. Another exception may be that the EHT SST AP needs to ensure that the trigger-enabled TWT SP does not overlap with the TBTT in which the DTIM beacon frame is sent.Another exception may be that the EHT SST AP needs to ensure that the same subchannel is used for all trigger-enabled TWT SPs that overlap in time.

[0047] Under the proposed scheme according to the present invention, an EHT SST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) may follow the rules defined in Section 26.8.2 (Individual TWT Agreements) of the IEEE specification for exchanging frames with an EHT SST AP (e.g., AP 110) during a negotiated trigger-enabled TWTSP, with some exceptions. The first exception may be that the subchannel indicated in the Operating Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field of the TWT response must be available to the EHT SST non-AP STA at the TWT start time. The second exception may be that the EHT SST non-AP STA cannot use DCF or EDCAF to access the medium in a subchannel unless the subchannel includes the primary channel. The third exception may be that the EHT SST non-AP STA cannot respond to a trigger frame addressed to it unless the EHT SST non-AP STA has performed CCA until a frame is detected that the EHT SST non-AP STA can use to set its NAV or until a period of time equal to NAVSyncDelay has elapsed, whichever is earlier. The fourth exception may be that in the case where the EHT SST non-AP STA receives a PPDU in a subchannel, the EHT SST non-AP STA may update its NAV according to Section 26.2.4 (Updating two NAVs) of the IEEE specification. Under the proposed scheme, the EHT SST non-AP STA in the single-radio non-AP MLD may include a Channel Switch Timing element in the Association (or Re-Association) Request frame sent to the HE SST AP in the AP MLD to indicate the time required for the EHT SST non-AP STA to switch between different subchannels.

[0048] Under the proposed scheme regarding EHT multi-link SST according to the present invention, for an EHT SST AP (e.g., AP 110) in an AP MLD and an EHT SST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) in a single-radio non-AP MLD, the position of the 160 MHz, 80 MHz, or 20 MHz frequency segment of the EHT SST non-AP STA in the single-radio non-AP MLD can be switched to the respective negotiated positions in another link during the negotiated TWT SP. Figure 8 An example scenario 800 illustrating an example implementation of the proposed solution is shown. Figure 8As shown, for a first STA (STA1) that is an EHT SST non-AP STA, DL and / or UL data transmission and corresponding acknowledgment (ACK) to and / or from STA1 may initially be performed in the BSS primary 80 MHz frequency segment on link 1. Then, for the negotiated TWT SP, STA1 may switch its operating frequency segment to the BSS primary 80 MHz frequency segment on link 2 during the negotiated TWT SP and perform DL and / or UL data transmission (and corresponding ACK) on link 2. After the negotiated TWT SP, STA1 may switch its operating frequency segment back to the BSS primary 80 MHz frequency segment on link 1 and perform DL and / or UL data transmission (and corresponding ACK) on link 1.

[0049] Figure 9 FIG. 9 shows an example design 900 of another example TWT element for EHT multi-link SST according to the proposed scheme of the present invention. Figure 9 As shown, under the proposed scheme, the TWT element may include an octet-long element ID field, an octet-long length field, an octet-long control field, a 2-octet-long request type field, an optional target wake-up time field of 8 or 0 octets, an optional TWT group assignment field of 9 or 3 or 0 octets, a 1-octet-long nominal minimum TWT wake duration field, a 2-octet-long TWT wake interval mantissa field, a 1 or 2-octet-long TWT channel field, and an optional NDP paging field of 0 or 4 octets. For example, the TWT channel field may include a 4-bit long link ID subfield, a 4-bit long operating channel bitmap subfield, and an 8-bit long packet detection channel bitmap subfield.

[0050] Under the proposed scheme for EHT multi-link SST according to the present invention, an EHT TST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) in a single-radio non-AP MLD may establish or otherwise establish EHT multi-link SST operation through a negotiated trigger-enabled TWT as defined in Section 26.8.2 (Individual TWT agreements) of the IEEE specification, with some exceptions. The first exception may be that when the TWT Channel Length subfield is equal to 1, the TWT Response may have a Link ID subfield in the TWT Channel field to indicate to the link (identified by the Operating Class and Channel Number) that the operating bandwidth indicated by the Operating Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field is to be applied during the negotiated trigger-enabled TWT SP. In addition, the TWT Request may indicate a preferred link through the Link ID subfield in the TWT Channel field. The second exception may be that when the TWT Channel Length subfield is equal to 1, each bit in the Operating Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field may correspond to a corresponding 80 MHz channel. For example, at least one bit in the Operation Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field of the TWT response is set to 1 to indicate an 80 MHz frequency segment that will contain RU allocations assigned to an EHT SST non-AP STA (STA operating at 20 MHz or STA operating at 80 MHz) in a single-radio non-AP MLD. In addition, the Packet Detection Channel Bitmap subfield can be used to determine that the operating channel of the STA operating at 20 MHz is within the 80 MHz frequency segment. A third exception may be that up to two bits in the Operation Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field of the TWT response are set to 1 to indicate two consecutive or non-consecutive 80 MHz frequency segments, wherein the two consecutive or non-consecutive 80 MHz frequency segments contain RU allocations assigned to an EHT SST non-AP STA (STA operating at 80+80 MHz) in a single-radio non-AP MLD. A fourth exception may be that all bits B0-B1 and one of bits B2-B3 in the operating channel bitmap subfield in the TWT channel field of the TWT response are set to 1 to indicate that the primary 160MHz channel or the secondary 160MHz channel contains RU allocations allocated to the EHT SST non-AP STA (for STA operating at 160MHz) in the single radio non-AP MLD.

[0051] Under the scheme regarding EHT multi-link SST proposed according to the present invention, the Packet Detection Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field may indicate the location of the packet detection channel of the EHT SST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) in the single-radio non-AP MLD during the negotiated trigger-enabled TWT SP. Under the proposed scheme, when the TWT Channel Length subfield is equal to 1, the TWT response may set the Nth bit in the Packet Detection Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field to 1. The EHT SST non-AP STA in the single-radio non-AP MLD may perform packet detection on the Nth 20 MHz channel in the operating bandwidth indicated by the Operating Channel Bitmap subfield in the TWT Channel field. In addition, the TWT request may indicate one or more channels as preferred packet detection channels. In addition, the TWT response may indicate multiple channels as packet detection channels.

[0052] Under the proposed solution for EHT multi-link SST according to the present invention, an EHT SST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) in a single-radio non-AP MLD that successfully establishes EHT multi-link SST operation follows certain rules. An EHT SST AP (e.g., AP 110) in an AP MLD may follow the rules defined in Section 26.8.2 (Individual TWT agreements) of the IEEE specification for frame exchange with an EHT SST non-AP STA in a single-radio non-AP MLD during a negotiated trigger-enabled TWT SP, with some exceptions. One exception may be that the EHT SST AP needs to ensure that the RUs allocated in the DL MU PPDU and trigger frame allocated to the EHT SST non-AP STA are within the subchannels indicated in the operating channel bitmap subfield in the TWT channel field in the TWT response, and that the EHT SST AP follows the RU restriction rules defined in Section 27.3.2.8 (RU restrictions for 20-MHz operation) of the IEEE specification when the EHT SST non-AP STA operates at 20 MHz. Another exception may be that the EHT SST AP needs to ensure that the trigger-enabled TWT SP does not overlap with the target beacon transmission times (TBTT) of the DTIM beacon frame. Another exception may be that the EHT SSTAP needs to ensure that the same subchannel is used for all trigger-enabled TWT SPs that overlap in time.

[0053] Under the scheme for EHT multi-link SST proposed in accordance with the present invention, an EHT SST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) in a single-radio non-AP MLD may follow Section 26.8.2 (Individual TWT agreements) of the IEEE specification to exchange frames with an EHT SST AP (e.g., AP 110) in an AP MLD during a trigger-enabled TWT SP, with some exceptions. The first exception may be that the EHT SST non-AP STA needs to be available in the subchannel of the link indicated in the link ID and operating channel bitmap subfield in the TWT channel field of the TWT response at the TWT start time. The second exception may be that the EHT SST non-AP STA cannot use DCF or EDCAF to access the wireless medium in the subchannel unless the subchannel includes the primary channel. A third exception may be that the EHT SST non-AP STA does not respond to a trigger frame addressed to it unless the EHT SST non-AP STA has performed CCA until a frame that can be used to set its NAV is detected or until a time period equal to NAVSyncDelay has elapsed, whichever is earlier. A fourth exception may be that if the EHT SST non-AP STA receives a PPDU in a subchannel, the EHT SST non-AP STA may update its NAV according to Section 26.2.4 (Updating two NAVs) of the IEEE specification.

[0054] According to the proposed solution for EHT multi-link SST according to the present invention, an EHT SST non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) in a single-radio non-AP MLD may include a Channel Switch Timing element in an Association (or Reassociation) Request frame sent to a HE SST AP (e.g., AP 110) in an AP MLD to indicate the time required for the EHT SST non-AP STA to switch between different sub-channels. Alternatively or additionally, the EHT SST non-AP STA may include a Link Switch Timing element in an Association (or Reassociation) Request frame sent to a HE SST AP to indicate the time required for the EHT SST non-AP STA to switch between different links.

[0055] Under the scheme for EHT enhanced multi-link SST operation proposed according to the present invention, when a STA in a STA MLD receives a multi-user request-to-send (MU-RTS) frame and responds with a clear-to-send (CTS) frame because both the virtual carrier sense (CS) (e.g., NAV) and the physical CS are idle, the other STAs in the STA MLD can switch their receive (and transmit) chains to the link on which the STA receives the MU-RTS frame. In this case, the MU-RTS frame can start a frame exchange sequence, and the MU-RTS frame can be sent over a single spatial stream (ss). After responding with a CTS frame, the STA MLD is able to send or receive frames on the link on which the MU-RTS frame is received, and will not send or receive on other links until the frame exchange sequence ends. If the STAMLD does not respond with a CTS frame, the STA MLD may be in a listening operation on multiple links. The AP in the AP MLD that sends the MU-RTS frame and receives the CTS frame may send PPDUs to the STAs in the STA MLD up to the total supported receive (Rx) spatial streams (e.g., R1+R2) of the STA MLD before the end of the frame exchange sequence.

[0056] According to the proposed scheme for EHT-enhanced multi-link SST operation of the present invention, when a STA in a STA MLD receives a Buffer Status Report Poll (BSRP) trigger frame from an AP in an AP MLD and responds with a TB PPDU containing one or more Quality of Service (QoS) Null frames, where the QoS Null frame includes a buffer status in the QoS Control field or the Buffer Status Report (BSR) Control subfield, the other STAs in the STA MLD may switch their receive (and transmit) chains to the link where the STA received the BSRP trigger frame. In this case, the BSRP trigger frame may start a frame exchange sequence, and the BSRP trigger frame may be transmitted on a single spatial stream. After responding with a TB PPDU, the STA MLD may transmit or receive frames on the link where the BSRP trigger frame was received, and may not transmit or receive frames on other links until the frame exchange sequence ends. If the STA MLD does not respond with a TB PPDU, the STA MLD may be in a listening operation on multiple links. The AP in the AP MLD that sends the BSRP trigger frame and receives the TB PPDU may send PPDUs to the STAs in the STA MLD for the total Rx spatial streams supported by the STA MLD (eg, R1+R2) before the frame exchange sequence ends.

[0057] Figure 10 An example scenario 1000 of EHT enhanced multi-link SST operation regarding receive chainswitching according to the proposed scheme of the present invention is illustrated. In the scenario 1000, a first STA (STA1) in a STA MLD may communicate on a first link (link 1), and a second STA (STA2) in the same STA MLD may communicate on a second link (link 2). After STA1 receives an RTS frame addressed to STA1, and when STA1 sends a CTS frame in response to the received RTS frame, STA2 may switch all of its receive chains on link 2 to link 1. The first AP (AP1) in the AP MLD may send a PPDU to the total Rx spatial streams supported by the STA MLD, rather than the supported Rx spatial streams of each link. As Figure 10As shown, during a transmission opportunity (TXOP), AP1 may send one or more aggregated MAC-level protocol data units (A-MPDUs) on link 1, and STA1 may receive such A-MPDUs on link 1. At the end of the TXOP, STA1 may switch at least one of its receive chains from link 1 to link 2.

[0058] Figure 11 An example scenario 1100 of EHT enhanced multi-link SST operation according to the proposed scheme of the present invention is illustrated. When an enhanced multi-link single-radio (EMLSR) MLD has negotiated TWT SPs for each link of the operating link, and these TWT SPs overlap in time (i.e., the start time and end time of these SPs are the same), the TWT scheduling AP MLD performs frame exchange on only one link using one SP of the overlapping TWT SPs. In scenario 1100, the AP MLD first obtains a TXOP on link 2. Then, the APMLD uses only the TWT SP on link 2. The AP MLD does not perform frame exchange on link 1, even though a TWT SP exists on link 1. In scenario 1100, after a STA in the STA MLD receives a MU-RTS on a given link, the other STAs in the STA MLD can switch their receive chains (and transmit chains) to the same link as the STA receiving the MU-RTS. Furthermore, in scenario 1100, the AP associated with other STAs may not send PPDUs to those corresponding STAs even during the negotiated TWT SP. Figure 11 As shown, after receiving a corresponding MU-RTS in each of the primary 160 MHz frequency segment and the secondary 160 MHz frequency segment on link 2 during the negotiated TWT SP, the STA in the STA MLD can respond with a CTS in the primary 160 MHz frequency segment on link 2. At the same time, other STAs in the STA MLD can switch their receive chains from link 1 to link 2. The STA can then receive one or more A-MPDUs in both the primary 160 MHz frequency segment and the secondary 160 MHz frequency segment on link 2, and then the STA sends a corresponding block acknowledgement (BA) in each of the primary 160 MHz frequency segment and the secondary 160 MHz frequency segment on link 2. In addition, as Figure 11As shown, the AP may not send any PPDU on link 1 during the negotiated TWT SP.

[0059] Figure 12 An example scenario 1200 of EHT enhanced multi-link SST operation according to the proposed scheme of the present invention is illustrated. When the EMLSR MLD has negotiated TWT SPs for each link in the operation link and these TWT SPs overlap in time (i.e., the start time of the SP is the same and the end time of the SP is the same), the TWT scheduling AP MLD should perform frame exchange on only one link through one SP of the overlapping TWT SP. In scenario 1200, the AP MLD first obtains TXOP on link 2, and then the AP MLD only uses the TWT SP on link 2. The AP MLD does not perform frame exchange on link 1, although there is a TWT SP on link 1. Figure 12 , after a STA in the STA MLD receives a BSRP trigger frame on a given link, the other STAs in the STA MLD may switch their receive chains (and transmit chains) to the same link as the link on which the STA receives the BSRP trigger frame. In addition, the AP associated with other STAs may not send PPDUs to those corresponding STAs even during the negotiated TWT SP. Figure 12 As shown, after receiving a corresponding BSRP trigger frame in each of the primary 160 MHz frequency segment and the secondary 160 MHz frequency segment on link 2 during the negotiated TWT SP, the STA in the STA MLD can respond with a corresponding TB PPDU in each of the primary 160 MHz frequency segment and the secondary 160 MHz frequency segment on link 2. At the same time, other STAs in the STA MLD can switch their receive chains from link 1 to link 2. Then, the STA can receive one or more A-MPDUs in both the primary 160 MHz frequency segment and the secondary 160 MHz frequency segment on link 2, and then the STA sends a corresponding BA in each of the primary 160 MHz frequency segment and the secondary 160 MHz frequency segment on link 2. In addition, as Figure 12 As shown, the AP does not send any PPDU on link 1.

[0060] Based on the above description, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that by implementing one or more of the proposed solutions described herein, EHT SST operations performed by STAs operating at 20 MHz, STAs operating at 80 MHz, and STAs operating at 160 MHz in an EHT 320 MHz BSS can be supported. For example, a TWT request can indicate a preferred channel in the operating channel bitmap subfield of the TWT channel field. Accordingly, a TWT response can indicate the switched-to channel of the EHT SST non-AP STA during the negotiated trigger-enabled TWT SP.

[0061] Exemplary Implementation

[0062] Figure 13 An example system 1300 is shown having at least an example device 1310 and an example device 1320 according to an implementation of the present invention. Each of device 1310 and device 1320 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods described herein related to EHT-enhanced SST operation in wireless communications, including the various designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods presented above and the processes described below. For example, device 1310 can be an example implementation of STA 110, and device 1320 can be an example implementation of STA 120.

[0063] Each of device 1310 and device 1320 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a STA or AP, such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, each of device 1310 and device 1320 may be implemented in a smartphone, a smartwatch, a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, or a computing device such as a tablet, laptop, or notebook computer. Each of device 1310 and device 1320 may also be part of a machine-type device, which may be an IoT device such as an immovable or fixed device, a home device, a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, each of device 1310 and device 1320 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. When implemented in or as a network device, device 1310 and / or device 1320 may be implemented in a network node (e.g., an AP in a WLAN).

[0064] In some implementations, each of the apparatus 1310 and the apparatus 1320 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction-set-computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors. In the various schemes described above, each of the apparatus 1310 and the apparatus 1320 may be implemented in or as a STA or an AP. Each of the apparatus 1310 and the apparatus 1320 may include Figure 13 , such as processor 1312 and processor 1322. Each of apparatus 1310 and apparatus 1320 may also include one or more other components not related to the proposed solution of the present invention (e.g., an internal power supply, a display device, and / or a user interface device), and therefore, for simplicity and brevity, these components of apparatus 1310 and apparatus 1320 are not shown in FIG. Figure 13 Shown in.

[0065] In one aspect, each of processors 1312 and 1322 may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more RISC processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, even though the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to processors 1312 and 1322, each of processors 1312 and 1322 may include multiple processors in some implementations and a single processor in other implementations. On the other hand, each of processors 1312 and 1322 may be implemented in the form of hardware (and optionally, firmware), the hardware having electronic components including, for example, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors and / or one or more varactors configured and arranged to achieve a specific purpose. In other words, in at least some embodiments, each of processors 1312 and 1322 may be a dedicated device that is specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks, including various tasks related to EHT enhanced SST operations in wireless communications according to various embodiments of the present invention. For example, each of processor 1312 and processor 1322 may be configured as a hardware component or circuit to implement one, some, or all of the examples described herein.

[0066] In some implementations, the device 1310 may further include a transceiver 1316 coupled to the processor 1312. The transceiver 1316 may wirelessly transmit and receive data. In some implementations, the device 1320 may further include a transceiver 1326 coupled to the processor 1322. The transceiver 1326 may include a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. The transceiver 1316 of the device 1310 and the transceiver 1326 of the device 1320 may communicate with each other over one or more links (e.g., a first link and a second link) among a plurality of links (link 1 to link N, where N>1).

[0067] In some implementations, the device 1310 may further include a memory 1314 coupled to the processor 1312 and capable of storing data therein. In some implementations, the device 1320 may further include a memory 1324 coupled to the processor 1322 and capable of storing data therein by the processor 1322. Each of the memory 1314 and the memory 1324 may include a random-access memory (RAM), such as a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), a thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or a zero-capacitance RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively or additionally, each of the memory 1314 and the memory 1324 may include a read-only memory (ROM), such as a mask ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively or additionally, each of memory 1314 and memory 1324 may include non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase change memory.

[0068] Each of device 1310 and device 1320 may be a communication entity capable of communicating with each other using various proposed schemes according to the present invention. For illustrative purposes and not limitation, the following describes the capabilities of device 1310 as STA 110 (restricted non-AP MLD) and device 1320 as STA 120 (restricted AP MLD). It is worth noting that while the example implementations described below are provided in the context of a WLAN, they may also be implemented in other types of networks.

[0069] According to the proposed solution for EHT-enhanced SST operation in wireless communications of the present invention, a non-AP STA of a STA MLD (e.g., STA 110) implemented in the processor 1312 of the device 1310 can establish communication between an AP of an AP MLD (e.g., STA 120) and a non-AP STA via a transceiver 1316 on one or more of a plurality of links. Furthermore, the processor 1312 can perform EHT SST operations in a plurality of frequency segments via the transceiver 1316 by performing certain operations. For example, the processor 1312 can receive a frame transmitted by an AP on a first link of the plurality of links. The processor 1312 can then transmit a response to the AP on the first link in response to the frame received from the AP. Alternatively, the processor 1312 can perform a listening operation on the plurality of links.

[0070] In some implementations, the frame sent by the AP may include a MU-RTS frame, and the response sent by the non-AP STA may include a CTS frame. In this case, the MU-RTS frame may initiate a frame exchange sequence between the AP and the non-AP STA. In addition, the MU-RTS frame may be sent by the AP in a single spatial stream.

[0071] In some implementations, in response to a non-AP STA sending a CTS frame to the AP on a first link, the processor 1312 (as the non-AP STA) may transmit and receive one or more frames on the first link while not transmitting or receiving any frames on other links in the plurality of links until the frame exchange sequence ends. In addition, the processor 1312 (as the non-AP STA) may switch at least one receive chain from the first link to a second link in the plurality of links at the end of the TXOP.

[0072] In some implementations, in response to the non-AP STA sending a CTS frame to the AP on the first link, the processor 1322 (as the AP) may send PPDUs to the non-AP STA for the total supported receive spatial streams of the STA MLD until the frame exchange sequence ends.

[0073] In some implementations, the frame sent by the AP may include a BSRP trigger frame, and the response sent by the non-AP STA may include a TB PPDU. In this case, the BSRP trigger frame may initiate a frame exchange sequence between the AP and the non-AP STA. In addition, the BSRP trigger frame may be sent by the AP in a single spatial stream.

[0074] In some implementations, in response to a non-AP STA sending a TB PPDU to an AP on a first link, the processor 1312 (as the non-AP STA) may transmit and receive one or more frames on the first link, while not transmitting or receiving any frames on other links in the plurality of links until the frame exchange sequence ends. In addition, the processor 1312 (as the non-AP STA) may switch at least one receive chain from the first link to a second link in the plurality of links at the end of the TXOP.

[0075] In some implementations, in response to the non-AP STA sending a TB PPDU to the AP on the first link, the processor 1322 (as the AP) may send PPDUs to the non-AP STA for the total received spatial streams supported by the STA MLD until the frame exchange sequence ends.

[0076] Illustrative Process

[0077] Figure 14 An example process 1400 according to an implementation of the present invention is shown. Process 1400 may represent one aspect of implementing the various designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods proposed above. More specifically, process 1400 may represent one aspect of the proposed concepts and schemes related to EHT enhanced SST operation in wireless communications according to the present invention. Process 1400 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 1410, 1420, 1430, and 1440. Although shown as discrete blocks, the various blocks of process 1400 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. In addition, the blocks / sub-blocks of process 1400 may be arranged as follows: Figure 14 13. The process 1400 may be performed in the order shown or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more of the blocks / subblocks of process 1400 may be repeated or iteratively performed. Process 1400 may be implemented by or in apparatus 1310 and apparatus 1320, and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limiting the scope, process 1400 is described below in the context of apparatus 1310 acting as STA 110 (e.g., STA or AP) and apparatus 1320 acting as STA 120 (e.g., STA or AP) in a wireless network (e.g., WLAN) in accordance with one or more IEEE 802.11 standards. Process 1400 may begin at block 1410.

[0078] At 1410, process 1400 may involve processor 1312 of apparatus 1310 establishing communication between an AP of an AP MLD (e.g., STA 120) and a non-AP STA of a STA MLD (e.g., STA 110) over one or more of a plurality of links via transceiver 1316. Process 1400 may proceed from 1410 to 1420.

[0079] At 1420, process 1400 may involve processor 1312 receiving a frame sent by the AP on a first link of the plurality of links. Process 1400 may proceed from 1420 to 1430 or 1440.

[0080] At 1430 , process 1400 may involve processor 1312 sending a response to the AP over the first link in response to receiving the frame from the AP.

[0081] At 1440 , process 1400 may involve processor 1312 performing a sense operation on the plurality of links.

[0082] In some implementations, the frame sent by the AP may include a MU-RTS frame, and the response sent by the non-AP STA may include a CTS frame. In this case, the MU-RTS frame may initiate a frame exchange sequence between the AP and the non-AP STA. In addition, the MU-RTS frame may be sent by the AP in a single spatial stream.

[0083] In some implementations, in response to a non-AP STA sending a CTS frame to the AP on a first link, the process 1400 may involve the processor 1312 (as the non-AP STA) transmitting and receiving one or more frames on the first link while not transmitting or receiving any frames on other links in the plurality of links until the frame exchange sequence ends. Additionally, the process 1400 may involve the processor 1312 (as the non-AP STA) switching at least one receive chain from the first link to a second link in the plurality of links at the end of the TXOP.

[0084] In some implementations, in response to the non-AP STA sending a CTS frame to the AP on the first link, the process 1400 may involve the processor 1322 (as the AP) sending PPDUs to the non-AP STA for the total supported receive spatial streams of the STA MLD until the frame exchange sequence ends.

[0085] In some implementations, the frame sent by the AP may include a BSRP trigger frame, and the response sent by the non-AP STA may include a TB PPDU. In this case, the BSRP trigger frame may initiate a frame exchange sequence between the AP and the non-AP STA. In addition, the BSRP trigger frame may be sent by the AP in a single spatial stream.

[0086] In some implementations, in response to a non-AP STA sending a TB PPDU to an AP on a first link, process 1400 may involve the processor 1312 (as the non-AP STA) transmitting and receiving one or more frames on the first link, while not transmitting or receiving any frames on other links in the plurality of links until the frame exchange sequence ends. Additionally, process 1400 may involve the processor 1312 (as the non-AP STA) switching at least one receive chain from the first link to a second link in the plurality of links at the end of the TXOP.

[0087] In some implementations, in response to the non-AP STA sending a TB PPDU to the AP on the first link, the process 1400 may involve the processor 1322 (as the AP) sending PPDUs to the non-AP STA for the total received spatial streams supported by the STA MLD until the frame exchange sequence ends.

[0088] Supplementary Notes

[0089] The subject matter described herein sometimes illustrates different components contained within or connected to different other components. It is to be understood that these depicted architectures are merely examples, and in fact many other architectures that implement the same functionality can be implemented. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components that implement the same functionality is effectively "associated" so that the desired functionality is implemented. Therefore, independent of the architecture or intermediate components, any two components that are combined to implement a specific functionality herein can be considered to be "associated" with each other so that the desired functionality is implemented. Similarly, any two components so associated can also be considered to be "operably connected" or "operably coupled" to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components that can be so associated can also be considered to be "operably couplable" to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operatively couplable include, but are not limited to, components that can physically match and / or physically interact and / or components that can wirelessly interact and / or wirelessly interact and / or components that logically interact and / or logically interactable.

[0090] In addition, regarding the extensive use of any plural and / or singular terms herein, those of ordinary skill in the art can convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural as needed for the context and / or application. For the sake of clarity, various singular / plural reciprocities may be explicitly set forth herein.

[0091] In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that, in general, the terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., the bodies of the appended claims), are generally intended to be "open" terms, e.g., the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "including" should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to," and the like. Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as implying that a claim recitation, by its introduction by the indefinite article "a" or "an," will limit any particular claim encompassing such introduced claim recitation to implementations that include only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a and / or an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"). In addition, even if a specific number of introduced claim recitations is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., an uncensored recitation of "two recitations" means at least two recitations or two or more recitations in the absence of other modifiers). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention similar to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, such interpretation is generally intended in the sense that one skilled in the art would understand this convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but is not limited to systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention similar to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, such interpretation is generally intended in the sense that one skilled in the art would understand this convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but is not limited to systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). One skilled in the art would also understand that any transitional words and / or phrases that actually present two or more alternative items, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one, either, or both of these items. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0092] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various implementations of the present invention have been described herein for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the various implementations disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: Establishing communication between an access point AP multi-link device MLD and a non-AP STA of a station STA MLD on one or more links of the plurality of links; The non-AP STA receives a frame sent by the AP on a first link among the multiple links; as well as When both virtual carrier sensing and physical carrier sensing are idle, the non-AP STA sends a response to the AP on the first link in response to the frame received from the AP, and if the non-AP STA does not respond to the frame received from the AP, the non-AP STA performs a sensing operation on the multiple links.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the frame sent by the AP comprises a Multi-User Request to Send (MU-RTS) frame, and wherein the response sent by the non-AP STA comprises a Clear to Send (CTS) frame.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The MU-RTS frame starts a frame exchange sequence between the AP and the non-AP STA, and wherein the MU-RTS frame is transmitted in a single spatial stream.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: In response to the non-AP STA sending the CTS frame to the AP on the first link, the non-AP STA sends and receives one or more frames on the first link without sending or receiving any frames on other links of the plurality of links until the frame exchange sequence ends.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: The non-AP STA switches at least one receive chain from the first link to a second link among the plurality of links at the end of a transmission opportunity TXOP.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: In response to the non-AP STA sending the CTS frame to the AP on the first link, the AP sends physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data units (PPDUs) to the non-AP STA to the total receive spatial streams supported by the STA MLD until the frame exchange sequence ends.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein The frame sent by the AP includes a buffer status report polling (BSRP) trigger frame, and the response sent by the non-AP STA includes a trigger-based TB protocol data unit (PPDU).

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The BSRP trigger frame starts a frame exchange sequence between the AP and the non-AP STA, and wherein the BSRP trigger frame is transmitted in a single spatial stream.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: In response to the non-AP STA sending the TB PPDU to the AP on the first link, the non-AP STA sends and receives one or more frames on the first link without sending or receiving any frames on other links of the plurality of links until the end of the frame exchange sequence.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: The non-AP STA switches at least one receive chain from the first link to a second link among the plurality of links at the end of a TXOP.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: In response to the non-AP STA sending the TB PPDU to the AP on the first link, the AP sends PPDUs to the non-AP STA to a total receive spatial stream supported by the STA MLD until the frame exchange sequence ends.

12. A wireless communication device, comprising: a transceiver configured to conduct wireless communication; as well as A processor, coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations including: establishing, via the transceiver, communication between an AP of the AP MLD and a non-AP STA of the STA MLD on one or more of the plurality of links; The non-AP STA receives a frame sent by the AP on a first link among the multiple links; and When both virtual carrier sensing and physical carrier sensing are idle, the non-AP STA sends a response to the AP on the first link in response to the frame received from the AP, and if the non-AP STA does not respond to the frame received from the AP, the non-AP STA performs a sensing operation on the multiple links.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the frame sent by the AP comprises a MU-RTS frame, and wherein the response sent by the non-AP STA comprises a CTS frame.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein The MU-RTS frame starts a frame exchange sequence between the AP and the non-AP STA, and wherein the MU-RTS frame is transmitted in a single spatial stream.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein In response to the non-AP STA sending the CTS frame to the AP on the first link, the processor is configured to further perform operations as the non-AP STA including: One or more frames are sent and received on the first link without sending or receiving any frames on other links in the plurality of links until the frame exchange sequence is complete.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein The processor is configured to further perform operations as the non-AP STA including: At least one receive chain is switched from the first link to a second link of the plurality of links at the end of the TXOP.

17. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that The frame sent by the AP includes a BSRP trigger frame, and wherein the response sent by the non-AP STA includes a TB PLCP PPDU.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein The BSRP trigger frame starts a frame exchange sequence between the AP and the non-AP STA, and wherein the BSRP trigger frame is transmitted in a single spatial stream.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein In response to the non-AP STA sending a TB PPDU to the AP on the first link, the processor is configured to further perform operations as the non-AP STA including: One or more frames are sent and received on the first link without sending or receiving any frames on other links in the plurality of links until the end of the frame exchange sequence.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein The processor is configured to further perform operations as the non-AP STA including: At least one receive chain is switched from the first link to a second link of the plurality of links at the end of the TXOP.

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