Mechanism for indicating simultaneous or non-simultaneous transmission and reception constraints

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatuses related to Simultaneous Transmit & Receive (STR) / Non-Simultaneous Transmit & Receive (NSTR) identification. An apparatus can establish multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD includes one or more logical entities defining individual stations (STAs). The apparatus can establish multiple links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each of the multiple links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD to an individual AP of the AP MLD. The apparatus can generate frames including a multi-link (ML) element, the ML element including an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field includes information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD. The apparatus can indicate to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the multiple links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit & Receive (STR) or Non-Simultaneous Transmit & Receive (NSTR). The apparatus can cause the frame to be sent to the non-AP MLD.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 052,112, filed July 15, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if it were fully recorded. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for wireless communication, and more specifically to mechanisms for indicating simultaneous transmit-receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit-receive (NSTR) constraints. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless devices are becoming increasingly popular and are requesting access to wireless channels more and more. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is developing one or more standards that utilize Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) in channel allocation. Attached Figure Description

[0005] Figure 1 This is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment for STR / NSTR identification according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0006] Figure 2 An illustrative schematic diagram depicts a multi-link device (MLD) between two logical entities according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0007] Figure 3 An illustrative schematic diagram depicts a multi-link device (MLD) between an AP with a logical entity and a non-AP with a logical entity, according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] Figure 4 An illustrative schematic diagram depicts STR / NSTR designations according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 5 An illustrative schematic diagram depicts STR / NSTR designations according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 6 The illustration shows a flowchart of a process for an illustrative STR / NSTR identification system according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 7The illustration shows a functional diagram of an exemplary communication station that can be used as a user equipment according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example machine that can perform any of one or more technologies (e.g., methods) according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 9 It is a block diagram of a radio architecture based on some examples.

[0014] Figure 10 The illustration depicts one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure for use with Figure 9 Example front-end module circuitry in a radio architecture.

[0015] Figure 11 The illustration depicts one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure for use with Figure 9 Example radio IC circuit in a radio architecture.

[0016] Figure 12 The illustration depicts one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure for use with Figure 9 Example baseband processing circuitry in a radio architecture. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The following description and accompanying drawings fully illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may be combined with structural, logical, electrical, process, algorithmic, and other variations. Parts and features of some embodiments may be included in, or replaced by, those parts and features of other embodiments. The embodiments set forth in the claims cover all available equivalents of those claims.

[0018] Multi-link operation (MLO) allows a multi-link device (MLD) to operate on multiple links and communicate with another device that also has multi-link capabilities. Several different modes of MLO operation are possible, for example:

[0019] Single radio / link device: A mode in which data frames can only be exchanged with the access point (AP) MLD on one link at a time.

[0020] Multiple radio devices: A mode that allows simultaneous transmission over multiple links. This can be further divided into two types:

[0021] Simultaneous transmit-receive (STR): A mode in which each link can be used to simultaneously transmit and receive data frames.

[0022] Non-simultaneous transmit-receive (NSTR): There exists at least one pair of links in a mode in which it is impossible to transmit a data frame on one link and receive it on the other link simultaneously.

[0023] Importantly, the AP MLD knows the exact capabilities of the peer MLD and vice versa, in order to determine its transmission mode (e.g., modulation and coding scheme, number of spatial streams (NSS) to use), scheduling, whether to align physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) transmissions, and so on.

[0024] Example embodiments of this disclosure relate to systems, methods, and apparatus for identifying simultaneous transmit-receive (STR) / non-simultaneous transmit-receive (NSTR) constraints.

[0025] In one embodiment, the STR / NSTR identification system facilitates the identification of specific MLO capabilities of MLDs in multiple link (ML) elements exchanged between APs and non-AP MLDs as follows:

[0026] - The maximum number of links in which frames can be exchanged simultaneously in an MLD is indicated in the common part of the ML element.

[0027] - The bitwise identifier in the ML element indicates that each bit represents the STR / NSTR capability of a pair of links.

[0028] In one embodiment, the STR / NSTR identification system can provide an easy-to-implement and low-overhead solution for identifying STR / NSTR constraints.

[0029] The above description is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. Many other examples, configurations, processes, algorithms, etc., may exist, some of which are described in more detail below. Example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Figure 1This is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment designated by STR / NSTR according to some example embodiments of this disclosure. Wireless network 100 may include one or more user equipments 120 and one or more access points (APs) 102, which can communicate according to the IEEE 802.11 communication standard. User equipment 120 may be a non-fixed (e.g., not having a fixed location) mobile device or a fixed device.

[0031] In some embodiments, user equipment 120 and AP 102 may include one or more computer systems, similar to Figure 7 Functional diagrams and / or Figure 8 The example machine / system is shown below.

[0032] One or more illustrative user equipment 120 and / or AP 102 may be operated by one or more users 110. It should be noted that any addressable unit can be a station (STA). An STA may have several different characteristics, each shaping its functionality. For example, a single addressable unit may simultaneously be a portable STA, a Quality of Service (QoS) STA, a subordinate STA, and a hidden STA. One or more illustrative user equipment 120 and AP 102 may be STAs. One or more illustrative user equipment 120 and / or AP 102 may operate as a Personal Basic Service Set (PBSS) control point / access point (PCP / AP). User equipment 120 (e.g., 124, 126, or 128) and / or AP 102 may include any suitable processor-driven device, including but not limited to mobile or non-mobile devices, such as static devices. For example, user equipment 120 and / or AP 102 may include user equipment (UE), station (STA), access point (AP), software-enabled AP (SoftAP), personal computer (PC), wearable wireless device (e.g., wristband, watch, glasses, ring, etc.), desktop computer, mobile computer, laptop computer, ultrabook TMComputers, laptops, tablets, server computers, handheld computers, handheld devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, sensor devices, PDA devices, handheld PDA devices, in-vehicle devices, non-in-vehicle devices, hybrid devices (e.g., combining cellular phone functionality with PDA device functionality), consumer devices, in-vehicle devices, non-in-vehicle devices, mobile or portable devices, non-mobile or non-portable devices, mobile phones, cellular phones, PCS devices, PDA devices incorporating wireless communication devices, mobile or portable GPS devices, DVB devices, relatively small computing devices, non-desktop computers, "Lightweight, Enjoy Life" (CSLL) devices, Ultra Mobile Devices (UMDs), Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs), Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), "origami" devices or computing devices, devices supporting Dynamic Combination Computing (DCC), context-aware devices, video devices, audio devices, A / V devices, set-top boxes (STBs), Blu-ray Disc (BD) players, BD burners, Digital Video Disc (DVD) players, High Definition (HD) DVD players, DVD burners, HD DVD burners, personal video recorders (PVRs), broadcast HD receivers, video sources, audio sources, video receivers, audio receivers, stereo tuners, broadcast radio receivers, flat panel displays, personal media players (PMPs), digital video cameras (DVCs), digital audio players, speakers, audio receivers, audio amplifiers, gaming devices, data sources, data receivers, digital cameras (DSCs), media players, smartphones, televisions, music players, etc. Other devices, including smart devices such as lighting fixtures, climate control systems, automotive parts, home appliances, etc., may also be included in this list.

[0033] As used herein, the term "Internet of Things (IoT) device" refers to any object (e.g., appliance, sensor, etc.) that has an addressable interface (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) address, Bluetooth identifier (ID), Near Field Communication (NFC) ID, etc.) and can transmit information to one or more other devices via wired or wireless connections. IoT devices can have passive communication interfaces, such as Quick Response (QR) codes, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, NFC tags, etc., or active communication interfaces, such as modems, transceivers, transmitter-receivers, etc. IoT devices can have a specific set of attributes (e.g., device status, such as whether the IoT device is on or off, idle or active, available for task execution or busy, etc., cooling or heating functions, environmental monitoring or recording functions, light emission functions, sound emission functions, etc.), which can be embedded in and / or controlled / monitored by a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, ASIC, etc., and configured to connect to an IoT network, such as a local self-organizing network or the Internet. For example, IoT devices can include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, toasters, ovens, microwave ovens, freezers, dishwashers, tableware, hand tools, washing machines, dryers, stoves, air conditioners, thermostats, televisions, lamps, vacuum cleaners, sprinklers, electricity meters, gas meters, etc., as long as these devices are equipped with addressable communication interfaces for communicating with IoT networks. IoT devices can also include mobile phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. Therefore, IoT networks can include a combination of "traditional" internet-accessible devices (e.g., laptops or desktop computers, mobile phones, etc.) and devices that typically do not have internet connectivity (e.g., dishwashers, etc.).

[0034] According to one or more IEEE 802.11 standards and / or 3GPP standards, user equipment 120 and / or AP 102 may also include, for example, mesh stations in a mesh network.

[0035] Any of the user equipment 120 (e.g., user equipment 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 can be configured to communicate with each other wirelessly or via one or more communication networks 130 and / or 135. The user equipment 120 can also communicate with each other peer-to-peer or directly, with or without AP 102. Any of the communication networks 130 and / or 135 can include, but is not limited to, any combination of suitable communication networks of any different type, such as broadcast networks, wired networks, public networks (e.g., the Internet), private networks, wireless networks, cellular networks, or any other suitable private and / or public networks. Furthermore, any communication network 130 and / or 135 can have any suitable communication range associated with it and can include, for example, a global network (e.g., the Internet), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), or a personal area network (PAN). In addition, any communication network 130 and / or 135 may include any type of medium capable of carrying network services, including but not limited to coaxial cable, twisted pair, optical fiber, hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) medium, microwave terrestrial transceiver, radio frequency communication medium, white space communication medium, ultra-high frequency communication medium, satellite communication medium, or any combination thereof.

[0036] Either user equipment 120 (e.g., user equipment 124, 126, 128) or AP 102 may include one or more communication antennas. The one or more communication antennas may be any suitable type of antenna corresponding to the communication protocol used by user equipment 120 (e.g., user equipment 124, 126, and 128) and AP 102. Some non-limiting examples of suitable communication antennas include Wi-Fi antennas, IEEE 802.11 series standard compliant antennas, directional antennas, non-directional antennas, dipole antennas, folded dipole antennas, patch antennas, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, omnidirectional antennas, quasi-omnidirectional antennas, etc. The one or more communication antennas may be communicatively coupled to radio components to transmit and / or receive signals, such as communication signals, to and / or from user equipment 120 and / or AP 102.

[0037] Any of User Equipment 120 (e.g., User Equipment 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 can be configured to perform directed transmission and / or directed reception in conjunction with wireless communication in a wireless network. Any of User Equipment 120 (e.g., User Equipment 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 can be configured to perform such directed transmission and / or reception using a set of multiple antenna arrays (e.g., DMG antenna arrays, etc.). Each of the multiple antenna arrays can be used for transmission and / or reception in a specific corresponding direction or directional range. Any of User Equipment 120 (e.g., User Equipment 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 can be configured to perform any given directed transmission to one or more defined transmission sectors. Any of User Equipment 120 (e.g., User Equipment 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 can be configured to perform any given directed reception from one or more defined reception sectors.

[0038] MIMO beamforming in a wireless network can be implemented using RF beamforming and / or digital beamforming. In some embodiments, in performing a given MIMO transmission, user equipment 120 and / or AP 102 can be configured to perform MIMO beamforming using all or a subset of its one or more communication antennas.

[0039] Either user equipment 120 (e.g., user equipment 124, 126, 128) or AP 102 may include any suitable radio and / or transceiver for transmitting and / or receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in a bandwidth and / or channel corresponding to a communication protocol used by either user equipment 120 or AP 102 for communicating with each other. The radio components may include hardware and / or software to modulate and / or demodulate communication signals according to a pre-established transmission protocol. The radio components may also have hardware and / or software instructions for communicating via one or more Wi-Fi and / or Wi-Fi Direct protocols, as standardized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard. In some example embodiments, the radio components cooperating with the communication antenna can be configured to communicate via 2.4 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ax), 5 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax), or 60 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11ad, 802.11ay), or 800 MHz channels (e.g., 802.11ah). The communication antenna can operate at 28 GHz and 40 GHz. It should be understood that the list of communication channels according to certain 802.11 standards is only a partial list, and other 802.11 standards (e.g., next-generation Wi-Fi or other standards) can be used. In some embodiments, non-Wi-Fi protocols can be used for communication between devices, such as Bluetooth, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), Ultra High Frequency (UHF) (e.g., IEEE 802.11af, IEEE 802.22), whiteband frequencies (e.g., whitespace), or other packet radio communications. The radio components may include any known receiver and baseband suitable for communication via a communication protocol. The radio components may also include a low-noise amplifier (LNA), additional signal amplifiers, an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter, one or more buffers, and a digital baseband.

[0040] In one embodiment, reference Figure 1User equipment 120 can communicate with one or more APs 102. For example, one or more APs 102 can implement STR / NSTR identification 142 with one or more user equipment 120. One or more APs 102 can be multi-link devices (MLDs), and one or more user equipment 120 can be non-AP MLDs. Each of the one or more APs 102 can include multiple individual APs (e.g., AP1, AP2, ..., APn, where n is an integer), and each of the one or more user equipment 120 can include multiple individual STAs (e.g., STA1, STA2, ..., STAn). AP MLDs and non-AP MLDs can establish one or more links (e.g., Link1, Link2, ..., Linkn) between each individual AP and STA. The above description is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be restrictive.

[0041] Figure 2 An illustrative schematic diagram depicts a multi-link device (MLD) between two logical entities according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0042] refer to Figure 2 This illustrates two multilink logical entities on either side, comprising multiple STAs that can establish links with each other. A multilink device (MLD) can be a logical entity containing one or more STAs. This logical entity has a MAC data service interface and primitive to the logical link control (LLC), and a single address associated with that interface, which can be used for communication over the distribution system medium (DSM). It should be noted that multilink entities allow STAs within a multilink logical entity to have the same MAC address. It should also be noted that the exact name can be changed.

[0043] exist Figure 2 In this example, multi-link logical entity 1 and multi-link logical entity 2 can be two separate physical devices, each comprising several virtual or logical devices. For example, multi-link logical entity 1 may include three STAs, STA1.1, STA1.2, and STA1.3, while multi-link logical entity 2 may include three STAs, STA2.1, STA2.2, and STA2.3. This example shows that logical device STA1.1 communicates with logical device STA2.1 via link 1, logical device STA1.2 communicates with logical device STA2.2 via link 2, and device STA1.3 communicates with logical device STA2.3 via link 3.

[0044] Figure 3An illustrative schematic diagram depicts a multi-link device (MLD) between an AP with a logical entity and a non-AP with a logical entity, according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] refer to Figure 3 This illustrates two multi-link logical entities on either side, including multiple STAs that can establish links with each other. For an infrastructure framework, a multi-link AP logical entity may include APs on one side (e.g., AP1, AP2, and AP3) and a multi-link non-AP logical entity, which may include non-APs on the other side (STA1, STA2, and STA3). Multi-link AP device (APMLD): A multi-link device where each STA within the multi-link device is an EHT AP. It should be noted that the terms multi-link logical entity and MLD are interchangeable and refer to the same type of entity. Multi-link non-AP device (Non-AP MLD): A multi-link device where each STA within the multi-link device is a non-AP EHT STA. It should be noted that this framework is a natural extension of a link operation between two STAs, which are APs and non-AP STAs within the infrastructure framework (e.g., when an AP is used as a medium for communication between STAs).

[0046] exist Figure 3 In the example, the multi-link AP logical entity and the multi-link non-AP logical entity can be two separate physical devices, each comprising several virtual or logical devices. For example, the multi-link AP logical entity may include three APs: AP1 operating on 2.4 GHz, AP2 operating on 5 GHz, and AP3 operating on 6 GHz. Additionally, the multi-link non-AP logical entity may include three non-AP STAs: STA1 communicating with AP1 on link 1, STA2 communicating with AP2 on link 2, and STA3 communicating with AP3 on link 3.

[0047] Multi-link AP logical entity in Figure 3 The image is shown as being able to access a distribution system (DS), a system used to interconnect a group of BSSs to create an extended service set (ESS). The multi-link AP logical entity is... Figure 3 It is also shown as being able to access the distribution system medium (DSM), which is a medium used by the DS for BSS interconnection. Simply put, the DS and DSM allow the AP to communicate with different BSSs.

[0048] It should be understood that although this example shows three logical entities within a multi-link AP logical entity and three logical entities within a multi-link non-AP logical entity, this is merely for illustration, and other numbers of logical entities for each of the multi-link AP and non-AP logical entities can be envisioned.

[0049] Figures 4 to 5 An illustrative schematic diagram depicts STR / NSTR designations according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0050] refer to Figure 4 This shows an example of STR capability marking in the common part of an ML element.

[0051] Suppose that the ML element contains an identifier that allows the receiver of the ML element to determine the number of STA profiles (e.g., field 404) included. This can be done through explicit or implicit identifiers. When exchanged in association request / response frames during ML establishment, the number of such STA profiles (e.g., N, where N is a positive integer) indicates the number of links established between a pair of MLDs.

[0052] In one or more embodiments, the STR / NSTR identification system can facilitate the following:

[0053] The -ML element contains a field that indicates the maximum number of links (e.g., M, where M is a positive integer) in which the MLD can simultaneously exchange data frames. This can be indicated in the common section of the ML element. For example, for a single-link / single-radio STA, this value could be 1. For a dual-radio STA, this value could be 2.

[0054] In one embodiment, instead of specifying a single value, the ML element may include a bit that indicates whether it is a single-radio STA MLD. If the bit indicates that the MLD is not a single-radio, then there may be an optional field indicating the exact number of links in which the MLD can exchange data frames simultaneously.

[0055] Simultaneous Send-Receive (STR): A mode in which each link can be used to send and receive data frames simultaneously.

[0056] Non-simultaneous transmit-receive (NSTR): There exists at least one pair of links in which it is impossible to transmit a data frame on one link and receive it on the other link simultaneously.

[0057] In one or more embodiments, the ML element contains an STR capability bitmap, which identifies a pair of links as either STR or non-STR.

[0058] In one embodiment, the bitmap exists if M > 1.

[0059] In one embodiment, the indication may be in the common part of the ML element. In Figure 4 shows an example in this regard. All possible link combinations are sorted as: (Link 1, Link 2),... (Link 1, Link N-1), (Link 2, Link 3),... (Link N-1, Link N). If the corresponding link pair is STR, the bit is set to 1, otherwise if the bit is set to 0, then the corresponding link pair is considered non-STR.

[0060] Figure 5 Depicts an illustrative schematic diagram of the STR / NSTR indication according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0061] Refer to Figure 5 , shows an example of the STR capability indication in the STA profile part of the ML element.

[0062] In one embodiment, the indication may be in the STA profile part of the ML element (e.g., information field 504 regarding the STA). In Figure 5 shows an example in this regard. Each STA profile has a bitmap of length N-1, where the j-th bit corresponds to the link pair in the STA profile, and i corresponds to the link pair: if j < i, then (Link i, Link j), and if j > i, then (Link i, Link j+1).

[0063] Simultaneous Transmit-Receive (STR): A mode in which each pair of links can be used to simultaneously transmit and receive data frames.

[0064] Non-Simultaneous Transmit-Receive (NSTR): A mode in which there is at least one pair of links as follows: in this pair of links, it is impossible to simultaneously transmit a data frame on one link and receive on the other link.

[0065] In one embodiment, if M > 1, then the bitmap exists.

[0066] In one embodiment, the indication may be in the common part of the ML element. In Figure 5 shows an example in this regard. All possible link combinations are sorted as: (Link 1, Link 2),... (Link 1, Link N-1), (Link 2, Link 3),... (Link N-1, Link N). If the corresponding link pair is STR, the bit is set to 1, otherwise if the bit is set to 0, then the corresponding link pair is considered non-STR.

[0067] In one embodiment, for an STR AP, the STR capability bitmap may not be included because by default, it is implicitly assumed to be STR on all N or M links.

[0068] In one embodiment, for MLD, the STR capability bitmap may not be included because it is implicitly assumed to be STR on all M links by default.

[0069] The ML element may contain additional fields that indicate whether the MLD can receive frames to indicate dynamic changes in the STR status (e.g., via operation mode indication (OMI)).

[0070] In one embodiment, this identifier may be included in the common portion of the ML element. This field will indicate whether an identifier for changes in STR status can be made in any link of the MLD.

[0071] In one embodiment, this identifier may be included in the STA profile section of the ML element. It indicates whether the STR capabilities of any link pair to which the corresponding link is part can be dynamically changed.

[0072] In addition to the STR capability bitmap, the STA MLD can also indicate additional information about cross-link interference between its different links. This information helps the AP MLD derive the correct MCS and other transmission parameters.

[0073] In one embodiment, cross-link interference can be identified by adding an element similar to a co-location interference reporting element. Note that currently, this element primarily reports the co-location interference level and the center frequency of the interference source on a given link. The baseline co-location interference reporting element can be extended to identify additional interference levels for multiple interference sources.

[0074] This element can be identified as a child element within an ML element, or it can be reused as a co-occurrence request / response frame or a new frame or element.

[0075] In one embodiment, cross-link interference estimation is implicitly indicated as the maximum receive (Rx) modulation and coding scheme (MCS) value that will be used for a given combination of (bandwidth (BW), number of spatial streams (NSS)) for downlink (DL) transmission (Tx) on one link when the STA MLD is simultaneously transmitted on another link. This can be indicated in the ML element or different elements during MLO setup or at any time during operation. Additionally, the STA can also indicate the Tx power level (e.g., maximum, average, or standard-defined Tx power level) relative to which this maximum Rx MCS value is calculated. It is to be understood that the above description is illustrative and not intended to be limiting.

[0076] Figure 6A flowchart illustrating an illustrative process 600 for a STR / NSTR identification system according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0077] In block 602, the device (e.g., Figure 8 Equipment 819 Figure 1 One or more user equipment 120 and / or AP 102 can establish multilink operation with a non-AP multilink device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD includes one or more logical entities that define separate station devices (STAs).

[0078] In block 604, the device can establish multiple links between AP MLD and non-AP MLD, wherein multi-link operation allows each of the multiple links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD to an individual AP of the AP MLD.

[0079] In block 608, the device can generate a frame that includes a multi-link (ML) element, which includes an MLD common information field, where the MLD common information field includes information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD. The MLD common information field includes the number of supported links and the maximum number of simultaneous links.

[0080] In block 610, the device can indicate to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of multiple links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit & Receive (STR) or Non-Simultaneous Transmit & Receive (NSTR). Indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of multiple links is compatible with STR or NSTR includes a STR capability bitmap. The STR capability bitmap includes one or more bits associated with the subset of multiple links. When the maximum number of simultaneous links is greater than 1, the subset of multiple links includes: a first set including the first and second links, and a second set including the first and third links. When the number of multiple links is equal to 3, the subset of multiple links includes: a first set including the first and second links, and a second set including the first and third links. When the maximum number of simultaneous links is equal to 2, the subset of multiple links includes the first set including the first and second links. When the number of multiple links is equal to 2, the subset of multiple links includes the first set including the first and second links. The first bit of this one or more bits is set to 1 to indicate that the subset is STR, or set to 0 to indicate that the subset is NSTR.

[0081] In block 612, the device can enable the frame to be sent to a non-AP MLD.

[0082] The above description is for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be restrictive.

[0083] Figure 7A functional diagram of an exemplary communication station 700 according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In one embodiment, Figure 7 The illustration shows a device suitable for use as AP 102 according to some embodiments. Figure 1 ) or user equipment 120 ( Figure 1 The communication station 700 is a functional block diagram. The communication station 700 can also be used as a handheld device, mobile device, cellular phone, smartphone, tablet computer, netbook, wireless terminal, laptop computer, wearable computing device, femtocell, high data rate (HDR) user station, access point, access terminal, or other personal communication system (PCS) device.

[0084] Communication station 700 may include communication circuitry 702 and transceiver 710 for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from other communication stations using one or more antennas 701. Communication circuitry 702 may include circuitry capable of operating physical layer (PHY) communication and / or media access control (MAC) communication for controlling access to a wireless medium, and / or any other communication layer for transmitting and receiving signals. Communication station 700 may also include processing circuitry 706 and memory 708, arranged to perform the operations described herein. In some embodiments, communication circuitry 702 and processing circuitry 706 may be configured to perform the operations detailed in the foregoing figures, illustrations, and flowcharts.

[0085] According to some embodiments, communication circuitry 702 may be arranged to compete for a wireless medium and configure frames or packets for communication over the wireless medium. Communication circuitry 702 may be arranged for transmitting and receiving signals. Communication circuitry 702 may also include circuitry for modulation / demodulation, up-conversion / down-conversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 706 of communication station 700 may include one or more processors. In other embodiments, two or more antennas 701 may be coupled to communication circuitry 702 arranged for transmitting and receiving signals. Memory 708 may store information for configuring processing circuitry 706 to perform operations for configuring and transmitting message frames and for performing the various operations described herein. Memory 708 may include any type of memory, including non-transitory memory, for storing information in a machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) form. For example, memory 708 may include computer-readable storage devices, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, and other storage devices and media.

[0086] In some embodiments, communication station 700 may be part of a portable wireless communication device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer with wireless communication capabilities, a network tablet, a cordless phone, a smartphone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, a television, a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), a wearable computer device, or other devices capable of wirelessly receiving and / or transmitting information.

[0087] In some embodiments, communication station 700 may include one or more antennas 701. Antenna 701 may include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for transmitting RF signals. In some embodiments, a single antenna with multiple apertures may be used instead of two or more antennas. In these embodiments, each aperture may be considered a separate antenna. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated for spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may arise between each antenna and the antennas of the transmitting station.

[0088] In some embodiments, the communication station 700 may include one or more of a keyboard, a display, a non-volatile memory port, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, an application processor, a speaker, and other mobile device components. The display may be an LCD screen including a touchscreen.

[0089] Although the communication station 700 is shown as having several individual functional elements, two or more functional elements can be combined and implemented by a combination of software-configurable elements (e.g., processing elements including a digital signal processor (DSP)) and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), and combinations of various hardware and logic circuits for implementing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, a functional element of the communication station 700 may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0090] Some embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. Other embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device that can be read and executed by at least one processor to perform the operations described herein. A computer-readable storage device may include any non-transitory memory mechanism for storing information in a machine-readable (e.g., computer) form. For example, a computer-readable storage device may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, and other storage devices and media. In some embodiments, communication station 700 may include one or more processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device.

[0091] Figure 8 The diagram illustrates an example of a machine 800 or system on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods) discussed herein can be performed. In other embodiments, machine 800 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, machine 800 may operate as a server machine, a client machine, or both in a server-client network environment. In the example, machine 800 may act as a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. Machine 800 may be a personal computer (PC), tablet PC, set-top box (STB), personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone, wearable computing device, network device, network router, switch, or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify the actions to be taken by the machine (e.g., a base station). Furthermore, although only a single machine is shown, the term "machine" should also be understood to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or more sets) of instructions to perform any one or more methods discussed herein, such as cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS), or other computer cluster configurations.

[0092] As described herein, examples may include logic or multiple components, modules, or mechanisms, or may operate on logic or multiple components, modules, or mechanisms. A module is a tangible entity (e.g., hardware) capable of performing a specified operation at runtime. Modules include hardware. In one example, the hardware may be specifically configured to perform a particular operation (e.g., hardwired). In another example, the hardware may include configurable execution units (e.g., transistors, circuits, etc.) and a computer-readable medium containing instructions that configure the execution units to perform a specific operation at runtime. Configuration may occur under the guidance of the execution units or loading mechanisms. Thus, when the device is running, the execution units are communicatively coupled to the computer-readable medium. In this example, the execution units may be members of more than one module. For example, in operation, the execution units may be configured by a first set of instructions to implement a first module at a point in time, and reconfigured by a second set of instructions to implement a second module at a second point in time.

[0093] Machine (e.g., computer system) 800 may include a hardware processor 802 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), main memory 804, and static memory 806, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnect link (e.g., a bus) 808. Machine 800 may also include a power management device 832, a graphics display device 810, an alphanumeric input device 812 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 814 (e.g., a mouse). In this example, the graphics display device 810, the alphanumeric input device 812, and the UI navigation device 814 may be a touchscreen display. Machine 800 may also include a storage device (i.e., a drive unit) 816, a signal generation device 818 (e.g., a speaker), a STR / NSTR identification device 819, a network interface device / transceiver 820 coupled to an antenna 830, and one or more sensors 828, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensors. Machine 800 may include an output controller 834, which may be serially (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB)), parallelly, or otherwise wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connected to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., printers, card readers, etc.). Operation according to one or more exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may be performed by a baseband processor. The baseband processor may be configured to generate appropriate baseband signals. The baseband processor may also include physical layer (PHY) and media access control layer (MAC) circuitry and may further interface with hardware processor 802 for the generation and processing of baseband signals, and for controlling the operation of main memory 804, memory device 816, and / or STR / NSTR identification device 819. The baseband processor may be located on a single radio card, a single chip, or an integrated circuit (IC).

[0094] Storage device 816 may include machine-readable medium 822 on which one or more sets of data structures or instructions 824 (e.g., software) embodying any one or more technologies or functions described herein or utilized by any one or more technologies or functions described herein may be stored. Instructions 824 may also reside wholly or at least partially within main memory 804, static memory 806, or hardware processor 802 during execution by machine 800. In the example, one or any combination of hardware processor 802, main memory 804, static memory 806, or storage device 816 may constitute a machine-readable medium.

[0095] The STR / NSTR device 819 can perform or implement any of the operations and processes described and shown above (e.g., process 600).

[0096] It should be understood that the above is only a subset of the functions that the STR / NSTR identification device 819 can be configured to perform, and other functions included throughout this disclosure can also be performed by the STR / NSTR identification device 819.

[0097] Although machine-readable medium 822 is illustrated as a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" can include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 824.

[0098] Various embodiments can be implemented entirely or partially in software and / or firmware. The software and / or firmware may take the form of instructions contained in or on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. These instructions can then be read and executed by one or more processors to allow the execution of the operations described herein. The instructions can be in any suitable form, such as, but not limited to, source code, compiled code, parsed code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, etc. Such computer-readable medium can include any tangible non-transitory medium for storing information in a form readable by one or more computers, such as, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory, etc.

[0099] The term "machine-readable medium" can include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by machine 800 and causing machine 800 to perform any one or more of the techniques disclosed herein, or a data structure capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data used by or associated with such instructions. Examples of non-limiting machine-readable media can include solid-state memory as well as optical and magnetic media. In one example, mass machine-readable media includes machine-readable media having multiple particles with rest masses. Specific examples of mass machine-readable media can include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs.

[0100] Instruction 824 can also be sent or received on communication network 826 via a transmission medium using a network interface device / transceiver 820, which utilizes any of a variety of transmission protocols (e.g., Frame Relay, Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), packet data networks (e.g., the Internet), mobile phone networks (e.g., cellular networks), conventional telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series standards, referred to as…). The IEEE 802.16 series of standards are called This includes standards such as the IEEE 802.15.4 series and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. In the example, network interface device / transceiver 820 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to communication network 826. In the example, network interface device / transceiver 820 may include multiple antennas to perform wireless communication using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) technologies. The term "transmission medium" should be understood to include any intangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions executable by machine 800, and includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media to facilitate communication of such software.

[0101] The operations and processes described and illustrated above can be performed or implemented in any suitable order as needed in various embodiments. Furthermore, in some embodiments, at least some operations can be performed in parallel. Additionally, in some embodiments, fewer or more operations than described can be performed.

[0102] Figure 9 It is based on the fact that it can be Figure 1 Block diagrams of radio architectures 105A, 105B implemented in any of the example AP 102 and / or example STA 120. Radio architectures 105A, 105B may include radio front-end module (FEM) circuitry 904a-b, radio IC circuitry 906a-b, and baseband processing circuitry 908a-b. The illustrated radio architectures 105A, 105B include wireless local area network (WLAN) functionality and Bluetooth (BT) functionality, but the embodiments are not limited thereto. In this disclosure, "WLAN" and "Wi-Fi" are used interchangeably.

[0103] FEM circuits 904a-b may include a WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuit 904a and a Bluetooth (BT) FEM circuit 904b. The WLAN FEM circuit 904a may include a receive signal path that includes circuitry configured to operate on WLAN RF signals received from one or more antennas 901, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the WLAN radio IC circuit 906a for further processing. The BT FEM circuit 904b may include a receive signal path that includes circuitry configured to operate on BT RF signals received from one or more antennas 901, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the BT radio IC circuit 906b for further processing. The FEM circuit 904a may also include a transmit signal path that includes circuitry configured to amplify the WLAN signals provided by the radio IC circuit 906a for wireless transmission by one or more of the antennas 901. Furthermore, the FEM circuit 904b may also include a transmission signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify the BT signal provided by the radio IC circuit 906b for wireless transmission by one or more antennas. Figure 9 In the embodiments, although FEM 904a and FEM 904b are shown to be different from each other, the embodiments are not limited thereto, and within their scope include the use of FEMs (not shown) that include transmission and / or reception paths for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more FEM circuits in which at least some FEM circuits share transmission and / or reception signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0104] The illustrated radio IC circuits 906a-b may include a WLAN radio IC circuit 906a and a BT radio IC circuit 906b. The WLAN radio IC circuit 906a may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting the WLAN RF signal received from the FEM circuit 904a and providing the baseband signal to the WLAN baseband processing circuit 908a. The BT radio IC circuit 906b may further include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting the BT RF signal received from the FEM circuit 904b and providing the baseband signal to the BT baseband processing circuit 908b. The WLAN radio IC circuit 906a may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry for up-converting the WLAN baseband signal provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuit 908a and providing the WLAN RF output signal to the FEM circuit 904a for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 901. The BT radio IC circuit 906b may also include a transmission signal path, which may include circuitry for up-converting the BT baseband signal provided by the BT baseband processing circuit 908b and providing the BT RF output signal to the FEM circuit 904b for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 901. Figure 9 In the embodiments, although radio IC circuits 906a and 906b are shown as different from each other, the embodiments are not limited thereto, and within their scope include the use of radio IC circuits (not shown) that include transmit signal paths and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more radio IC circuits, wherein at least some radio IC circuits share transmit and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0105] The baseband processing circuits 908a-b may include a WLAN baseband processing circuit 908a and a BT baseband processing circuit 908b. The WLAN baseband processing circuit 908a may include a memory, such as a set of RAM arrays in a Fast Fourier Transform or Inverse Fast Fourier Transform block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing circuit 908a. Each of the WLAN baseband circuit 908a and the BT baseband circuit 908b may further include one or more processors and control logic to process signals received from the corresponding WLAN or BT receive signal path of the radio IC circuit 906a-b, and also generate corresponding WLAN or BT baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 906a-b. Each of the baseband processing circuits 908a and 908b may further include physical layer (PHY) and media access control layer (MAC) circuitry, and may further interface with devices for baseband signal generation and processing, and for controlling the operation of the radio IC circuit 906a-b.

[0106] Still referencing Figure 9 According to the illustrated embodiment, the WLAN-BT coexistence circuit 913 may include logic that provides an interface between the WLAN baseband circuit 908a and the BT baseband circuit 908b to implement use cases requiring WLAN and BT coexistence. Furthermore, a switch 903 may be provided between the WLAN FEM circuit 904a and the BT FEM circuit 904b to allow switching between WLAN and BT radios as needed by the application. Additionally, although the antenna 901 is depicted as being connected to the WLAN FEM circuit 904a and the BT FEM circuit 904b respectively, embodiments within their scope include sharing one or more antennas between the WLAN and BT FEMs, or providing more than one antenna connected to each FEM 904a or 904b.

[0107] In some embodiments, the front-end module circuitry 904a-b, the radio IC circuitry 906a-b, and the baseband processing circuitry 908a-b may be housed on a single radio card, such as radio card 902. In other embodiments, one or more antennas 901, FEM circuitry 904a-b, and radio IC circuitry 906a-b may be housed on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuitry 906a-b and the baseband processing circuitry 908a-b may be housed on a single chip or integrated circuit (IC), such as IC 912.

[0108] In some embodiments, radio card 902 may include a WLAN radio card and may be configured for Wi-Fi communication, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments of these embodiments, radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured to receive and transmit orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication signals on a multi-carrier communication channel. OFDM or OFDMA signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0109] In some embodiments of these multi-carrier implementations, radio architectures 105A and 105B may be part of a Wi-Fi communication station (STA), such as a wireless access point (AP), base station, or mobile device including Wi-Fi devices. In some embodiments of these implementations, radio architectures 105A and 105B may be configured to transmit and receive signals according to specific communication standards and / or protocols, such as any Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards, including 802.11n-2009, IEEE 802.11-2012, IEEE 802.11-2016, 802.11n-2009, 802.11ac, 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, and / or 802.11ax standards and / or proposed WLAN specifications, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. Radio architectures 105A and 105B may also be adapted to transmit and / or receive communications according to other technologies and standards.

[0110] In some embodiments, radio architectures 105A and 105B can be configured for efficient Wi-Fi (HEW) communication according to the IEEE 802.11ax standard. In these embodiments, radio architectures 105A and 105B can be configured to communicate according to OFDMA technology, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0111] In some other embodiments, radio architectures 105A and 105B may be configured to transmit and receive signals using one or more other modulation techniques such as spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) and / or frequency hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA)), time division multiplexing (TDM) modulation, and / or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) modulation, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0112] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As further shown, the BT baseband circuit 908b can conform to Bluetooth (BT) connectivity standards, such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth 8.0 or Bluetooth 6.0, or any other iteration of the Bluetooth standard.

[0113] In some embodiments, radio architectures 105A and 105B may include other radio cards, such as cellular radio cards configured for cellular use (e.g., 5GPP such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, or 5G communications).

[0114] In some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, radio architectures 105A and 105B can be configured for communication over a variety of channel bandwidths, including bandwidths with center frequencies of approximately 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5 GHz, and approximately 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 5 MHz, 5.5 MHz, 6 MHz, 8 MHz, 10 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz (with continuous bandwidth) or 80+80 MHz (160 MHz) (with discontinuous bandwidth). In some embodiments, a channel bandwidth of 920 MHz can be used. However, the scope of the embodiments is not limited to the aforementioned center frequencies.

[0115] Figure 10 The illustration shows a WLAN FEM circuit 904a according to some embodiments. Although Figure 10 The example is described in conjunction with the WLAN FEM circuit 904a, but it can also be described in conjunction with the example BT FEM circuit 904b. Figure 9 To describe Figure 10 This is an example, although other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

[0116] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 904a may include a TX / RX switch 1002 to switch between transmit and receive mode operation. FEM circuit 904a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuit 904a may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 1006 to amplify the received RF signal 1003 and provide the amplified received RF signal 1007 as an output (e.g., provided to radio IC circuits 906a-b). Figure 9 The transmission signal path of circuit 904a may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify the input RF signal 1009 (e.g., provided by radio IC circuits 906a-b), and one or more filters 1012, such as a bandpass filter (BPF), a low-pass filter (LPF), or other types of filters, to generate an RF signal 1015 for subsequent transmission via example duplexer 1014 (e.g., via one or more antennas 901). Figure 9 )).

[0117] In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communication, the FEM circuit 904a can be configured to operate in either the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuit 904a may include a receive signal path duplexer 1004 to separate the signal from each spectrum and provide a separate LNA 1006 for each spectrum, as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 904a may also include a power amplifier 1010 and a filter 1012, such as a BPF, LPF, or other type of filter for each spectrum, and the transmit signal path duplexer 1004 to provide signals from one of the different spectra onto a single transmit path for subsequent transmission by one or more antennas 901 (…). Figure 9 Transmission. In some embodiments, BT communication may utilize a 2.4 GHz signal path and may utilize the same FEM circuit 904a used for WLAN communication.

[0118] Figure 11 The illustration shows a radio IC circuit 906a according to some embodiments. Radio IC circuit 906a is suitable for use as a WLAN or BT radio IC circuit 906a / 906b. Figure 9 This is one example of a circuit, but other circuit configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, Figure 11 An example can be described in conjunction with the example BT radio IC circuit 906b.

[0119] In some embodiments, the radio IC circuit 906a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the radio IC circuit 906a may include at least a mixer circuit 1102, such as a down-conversion mixer circuit, an amplifier circuit 1106, and a filter circuit 1108. The transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 906a may include at least a filter circuit 1112 and a mixer circuit 1114, such as an up-conversion mixer circuit. The radio IC circuit 906a may also include a synthesizer circuit 1104 for synthesizing a frequency 1105 for use by the mixer circuits 1102 and 1114. According to some embodiments, the mixer circuits 1102 and / or 1114 may be configured to provide direct conversion functionality. Compared to standard superheterodyne mixer circuits, the latter type of circuit exhibits a simpler architecture and can mitigate any flicker noise introduced by it, for example, by using OFDM modulation. Figure 11Only a simplified version of the radio IC circuitry is shown, and embodiments may include (though not shown) more than one component for each depicted circuit. For example, mixer circuitry 1114 may each include one or more mixers, and filter circuitry 1108 and / or 1112 may each include one or more filters, such as one or more BPFs and / or LPFs depending on the application. For example, when the mixer circuitry is of the direct conversion type, they may each include two or more mixers.

[0120] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1102 may be configured to adjust the frequency from FEM circuits 904a-b based on the synthesis frequency 1105 provided by synthesizer circuit 1104. Figure 9 The received RF signal 1007 is down-converted. Amplifier circuit 1106 can be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuit 1108 may include an LPF configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal 1107. The output baseband signal 1107 can be provided to baseband processing circuits 908a-b. Figure 9 This is used for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal 1107 may be a zero-frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1102 may include a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0121] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1114 may be configured to up-convert input baseband signal 1111 based on synthesis frequency 1105 provided by synthesizer circuit 1104 to generate RF output signal 1009 for FEM circuits 904a-b. Baseband signal 1111 may be provided by baseband processing circuits 908a-b and may be filtered by filter circuit 1112. Filter circuit 1112 may include LPF or BPF, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0122] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1102 and mixer circuit 1114 may each include two or more mixers, and may be arranged, with the aid of synthesizer 1104, for quadrature downconversion and / or upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1102 and mixer circuit 1114 may each include two or more mixers, each mixer configured for image suppression (e.g., Hartley image suppression). In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1102 and mixer circuit 1114 may be arranged for direct downconversion and / or direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1102 and mixer circuit 1114 may be configured for superheterodyne operation, but this is not required.

[0123] According to one embodiment, mixer circuit 1102 may include: quadrature passive mixers (e.g., for in-phase (I) and quadrature phase (Q) paths). In such an embodiment, from Figure 11 The RF input signal 1007 can be down-converted to provide I and Q baseband output signals to be sent to the baseband processor.

[0124] The quadrature passive mixer can be driven by zero-degree and ninety-degree time-varying LO switching signals provided by a quadrature circuit, which can be configured to receive the LO frequency (fLO) from a local oscillator or synthesizer, such as the LO frequency 1105 of synthesizer 1104. Figure 11 In some embodiments, the LO frequency may be the carrier frequency, while in other embodiments, the LO frequency may be a portion of the carrier frequency (e.g., half or one-third of the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the zero-degree and ninety-degree time-varying switching signals may be generated by a synthesizer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0125] In some embodiments, the LO signal can vary in terms of duty cycle (the percentage of time the LO signal is high in a cycle) and / or offset (the difference between the start points of the cycle). In some embodiments, the LO signal can have an 85% duty cycle and an 80% offset. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuit (e.g., the in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) paths) can operate with an 80% duty cycle, which can result in a significant reduction in power consumption.

[0126] RF input signal 1007 ( Figure 10 The I and Q baseband output signals may include a balanced signal, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The I and Q baseband output signals can be provided to a low-noise amplifier, such as amplifier circuit 1106. Figure 11 ) or filter circuit 1108 ( Figure 11 ).

[0127] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal 1107 and the input baseband signal 1111 may be analog baseband signals, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal 1107 and the input baseband signal 1111 may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the radio IC circuitry may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry.

[0128] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuitry may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, or for signals for other spectrums not mentioned herein, though the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0129] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1104 may be a fractional N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer; however, the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1104 may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. According to some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1104 may include digital synthesizer circuitry. One advantage of using digital synthesizer circuitry is that, although it may still contain some analog components, its footprint can be significantly smaller than that of analog synthesizer circuitry. In some embodiments, the frequency input to synthesizer circuit 1104 may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. Depending on the desired output frequency 1105, the frequency divider control input may be further controlled by baseband processing circuitry 908a-b (… Figure 9 Provided by [the provider]. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined based on the channel number and channel center frequency determined or indicated by the example application processor 910, according to a lookup table (e.g., within a Wi-Fi card). The application processor 910 may include or otherwise connect to one of the example secure signal converter 101 or the example receive signal converter 103 (e.g., depending on which device the example radio architecture is implemented in).

[0130] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1104 may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as output frequency 1105, while in other embodiments, output frequency 1105 may be a portion of the carrier frequency (e.g., half or one-third of the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, output frequency 1105 may be the LO frequency (fLO).

[0131] Figure 12 The figure illustrates a functional block diagram of a baseband processing circuit 908a according to some embodiments. The baseband processing circuit 908a is suitable for use as a baseband processing circuit 908a. Figure 9 This is an example of a circuit, although other circuit configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, Figure 11 Examples can be used to implement Figure 9 Example BT baseband processing circuit 908b.

[0132] Baseband processing circuitry 908a may include a receiver baseband processor (RX BBP) 1202 for processing data generated by radio IC circuitry 906a-b. Figure 9 The baseband signal 1109 and the transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 1204 provided are used to generate the transmit baseband signal 1111 for the radio IC circuits 906a-b. The baseband processing circuit 908a may also include control logic 1206 for coordinating the operation of the baseband processing circuit 908a.

[0133] In some embodiments (e.g., when exchanging analog baseband signals between baseband processing circuits 908a-b and radio IC circuits 906a-b), baseband processing circuit 908a may include an ADC 1210 to convert analog baseband signals 1209 received from radio IC circuits 906a-b into digital baseband signals for processing by RX BBP 1202. In these embodiments, baseband processing circuit 908a may also include a DAC 1212 to convert digital baseband signals from TX BBP 1204 into analog baseband signals 1211.

[0134] In some embodiments, such as transmitting OFDM or OFDMA signals via baseband processor 908a, transmitting baseband processor 1204 may be configured to generate OFDM or OFDMA signals suitable for transmission by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). Receiving baseband processor 1202 may be configured to process the received OFDM or OFDMA signals by performing an FFT. In some embodiments, receiving baseband processor 1202 may be configured to detect the presence of OFDM or OFDMA signals by performing autocorrelation to detect preambles such as short preambles, and to detect long preambles by performing cross-correlation. The preamble may be part of a predetermined frame structure for Wi-Fi communication.

[0135] Return to reference Figure 9 In some embodiments, antenna 901 ( Figure 9 Each antenna 901 may include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, or other suitable types of antennas for the transmission of radio frequency signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas can be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result. Each antenna 901 may include a set of phased array antennas, but embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0136] Although radio architectures 105A and 105B are shown as having several individual functional elements, one or more of these functional elements can be combined and implemented by software-configurable combinations of elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs) and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include combinations of one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), and various hardware and logic circuits for performing functions at least as described herein. In some embodiments, a functional element may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0137] The term “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments. As used herein, the terms “computing device,” “user equipment,” “communication station,” “station,” “handheld device,” “mobile device,” “wireless device,” and “user equipment” (UE) refer to wireless communication devices such as cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, netbooks, wireless terminals, laptops, femtocell base stations, high data rate (HDR) user stations, access points, printers, point-of-sale equipment, access terminals, or other personal communication system (PCS) devices. Such devices can be mobile or fixed.

[0138] As used herein, the term "communication" is intended to include sending or receiving, or both. This may be particularly useful in the claims when describing an organization of data transmitted by one device and received by another device, but requiring only the functionality of one of these devices would infringe the claims. Similarly, a bidirectional data exchange between two devices (two devices that send and receive during the exchange) can be described as "communication" when requiring only the functionality of one of these devices. As used herein, the term "communication" relating to wireless communication signals includes sending and / or receiving wireless communication signals. For example, a wireless communication unit capable of transmitting wireless communication signals may include a wireless transmitter that sends wireless communication signals to at least one other wireless communication unit, and / or a wireless communication receiver that receives wireless communication signals from at least one other wireless communication unit.

[0139] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, the use of ordinal adjectives such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., to describe common objects merely indicates different instances of the similar objects referred to, and is not intended to imply that the objects described in this way must be in a given order, whether temporally, spatially, in rank, or in any other way.

[0140] As used herein, the term "access point" (AP) can refer to a fixed station. An access point may also be referred to as an access node, base station, evolved Node B (eNodeB), or some other similar terminology known in the art. An access terminal may also be referred to as a mobile station, user equipment (UE), wireless communication device, or some other similar terminology known in the art. The embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to wireless networks. Some embodiments may relate to wireless networks operating according to one of the IEEE 802.11 standards.

[0141] Some embodiments can be used with a variety of devices and systems, such as personal computers (PCs), desktop computers, mobile computers, laptop computers, notebook computers, tablet computers, server computers, handheld computers, handheld devices, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, handheld PDA devices, in-vehicle devices, non-in-vehicle devices, hybrid devices, in-vehicle devices, non-in-vehicle devices, mobile or portable devices, consumer devices, non-mobile or non-portable devices, wireless communication stations, wireless communication devices, wireless access points (APs), wired or wireless routers, wired or wireless modems, video devices, audio devices, audio-video (A / V) devices, wired or wireless networks, wireless local area networks, wireless video local area networks (WVANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), personal area networks (PANs), wireless PANs (WPANs), etc.

[0142] Some embodiments can be used in conjunction with the following systems or devices: one-way and / or two-way radio communication systems, cellular radio-telephone communication systems, mobile phones, cellular phones, cordless phones, personal communication system (PCS) devices, PDA devices that include wireless communication devices, mobile or portable global positioning system (GPS) devices, devices that include GPS receivers or transceivers or chips, devices that include RFID elements or chips, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transceivers or devices, single-input multiple-output (SIMO) transceivers or devices, multiple-input single-output (MISO) transceivers or devices, devices with one or more internal antennas and / or external antennas, digital video broadcasting (DVB) devices or systems, multi-standard radio devices or systems, wired or wireless handheld devices (e.g., smartphones), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) devices, etc.

[0143] Some embodiments can be used in conjunction with one or more types of wireless communication signals and / or systems that follow one or more wireless communication protocols, such as radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal FDM (OFDM), time division multiplexing (TDM), time division multiple access (TDMA), extended TDMA (E-TDMA), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), extended GPRS, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA2000, single-carrier CDMA, multi-carrier CDMA, multi-carrier modulation (MDM), and discrete multi-tone (DMT). Global Positioning System (GPS), Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, ZigBee, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, 5G mobile networks, 3GPP, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced, Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), etc. Other embodiments can be used in a variety of other devices, systems, and / or networks.

[0144] The following examples relate to further embodiments.

[0145] Example 1: An apparatus including processing circuitry coupled to a storage device, the processing circuitry being configured to: establish a multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD includes one or more logical entities defining individual stations (STAs); establish a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD to an individual AP of the AP MLD; generate a frame including a multi-link (ML) element, the ML element including an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field includes information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD; indicate to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR); and cause the frame to be transmitted to the non-AP MLD.

[0146] Example 2 may include a device as described in Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the MLD common information field includes the number of links that can be supported and the maximum number of simultaneous links.

[0147] Example 3 may include devices as described in Example 2 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links can be greater than 1, a subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set containing the first link and the second link, and a second set containing the first link and the third link.

[0148] Example 4 may include a device as described in Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 3, a subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second link, and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

[0149] Example 5 may include a device as described in Example 2 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links can be equal to 2, a subset of the plurality of links includes a first set comprising the first link and the second link.

[0150] Example 6 may include a device as described in Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 2, a subset of the plurality of links includes a first set comprising a first link and a second link.

[0151] Example 7 may include a device as described in Example 1 and / or some other examples herein, wherein indicating to the non-APMLD a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with STR or NSTR, including the processing circuitry being configured to include an STR capability bitmap.

[0152] Example 8 may include a device as described in Example 7 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the STR capability bitmap includes one or more bits associated with a subset of the plurality of links.

[0153] Example 9 may include a device as described in Example 8 and / or some other examples herein, wherein a first bit of the one or more bits may be set to 1 to indicate that the subset may be an STR, or set to 0 to indicate that the subset may be an NSTR.

[0154] Example 10 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an Access Point (AP) Multilink Device (MLD), cause to perform operations including: establishing a multilink operation with a non-AP MLD, wherein the non-AP MLD includes one or more logical entities defining Individual Stations (STAs); establishing multiple links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multilink operation allows each of the multiple links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD to an individual AP of the AP MLD; generating a frame including a multilink (ML) element, the ML element including an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field includes information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD; instructing the non-AP MLD that a subset of the multiple links is compatible with simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR); and causing the frame to be transmitted to the non-AP MLD.

[0155] Example 11 may include a nontransitory computer-readable medium as described in Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the MLD common information field includes the number of links that can be supported and the maximum number of simultaneous links.

[0156] Example 12 may include a nontransitory computer-readable medium as described in Example 11 and / or some other examples herein, wherein, when the maximum number of simultaneous links may be greater than 1, a subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second link, and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

[0157] Example 13 may include a nontransitory computer-readable medium as described in Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein, when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 3, a subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second link, and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

[0158] Example 14 may include a nontransitory computer-readable medium as described in Example 11 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links can be equal to 2, a subset of the plurality of links includes a first set comprising the first link and the second link.

[0159] Example 15 may include a nontransitory computer-readable medium as described in Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 2, a subset of the plurality of links includes a first set comprising a first link and a second link.

[0160] Example 16 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Example 10 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the non-AP MLD indicates to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with STR or NSTR, and the processing circuitry is further configured to include an STR capability bitmap.

[0161] Example 17 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Example 16 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the STR capability bitmap includes one or more bits associated with a subset of the plurality of links.

[0162] Example 18 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Example 17 and / or some other examples herein, wherein a first bit of the one or more bits may be set to 1 to indicate that the subset may be an STR, or set to 0 to indicate that the subset may be an NSTR.

[0163] Example 19 may include a method comprising: establishing a multilink operation between one or more processors of an Access Point (AP) Multilink Device (MLD) and a non-AP Multilink Device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD includes one or more logical entities defining Individual Stations (STAs); establishing a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multilink operation allows each of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD to an individual AP of the AP MLD; generating a frame including a multilink (ML) element, the ML element including an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field includes information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD; indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit & Receive (STR) or Non-Simultaneous Transmit & Receive (NSTR); and causing the frame to be transmitted to the non-AP MLD.

[0164] Example 20 may include the method described in Example 19 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the MLD common information field includes the number of links that can be supported and the maximum number of simultaneous links.

[0165] Example 21 may include the method described in Example 20 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links can be greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set containing the first link and the second link, and a second set containing the first link and the third link.

[0166] Example 22 may include the method described in Example 19 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 3, a subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set containing the first link and the second link, and a second set containing the first link and the third link.

[0167] Example 23 may include the method described in Example 20 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links can be equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set comprising the first link and the second link.

[0168] Example 24 may include the method described in Example 19 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 2, a subset of the plurality of links includes a first set comprising the first link and the second link.

[0169] Example 25 may include the method described in Example 19 and / or some other examples herein, wherein indicating to the non-APMLD a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with STR or NSTR, including the processing circuitry being configured to include an STR capability bitmap.

[0170] Example 26 may include the method described in Example 25 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the STR capability bitmap includes one or more bits associated with a subset of the plurality of links.

[0171] Example 27 may include the method described in Example 26 and / or some other examples herein, wherein a first bit of the one or more bits may be set to 1 to indicate that the subset may be an STR, or set to 0 to indicate that the subset may be an NSTR.

[0172] Example 28 may include an apparatus comprising means for performing: establishing a multilink operation with a non-AP multilink device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD includes one or more logical entities defining individual stations (STAs); establishing multiple links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multilink operation allows each of the multiple links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD to an individual AP of the AP MLD; generating a frame including a multilink (ML) element, the ML element including an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field includes information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD; indicating to the non-AP MLD that a subset of the multiple links is compatible with simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR); and causing the frame to be transmitted to the non-AP MLD.

[0173] Example 29 may include an apparatus as described in Example 28 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the MLD common information field includes the number of links that can be supported and the maximum number of simultaneous links.

[0174] Example 30 may include the apparatus described in Example 29 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links can be greater than 1, a subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second link, and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

[0175] Example 31 may include an apparatus as described in Example 28 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 3, a subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second link, and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

[0176] Example 32 may include an apparatus as described in Example 29 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links can be equal to 2, a subset of the plurality of links includes a first set comprising the first link and the second link.

[0177] Example 33 may include an apparatus as described in Example 28 and / or some other examples herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 2, a subset of the plurality of links includes a first set comprising a first link and a second link.

[0178] Example 34 may include apparatus as described in Example 28 and / or some other examples herein, wherein indicating to the non-APMLD a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with STR or NSTR, including the processing circuitry being configured to include an STR capability bitmap.

[0179] Example 35 may include an apparatus as described in Example 34 and / or some other examples herein, wherein the STR capability bitmap includes one or more bits associated with a subset of the plurality of links.

[0180] Example 36 may include the apparatus described in Example 35 and / or some other examples herein, wherein a first bit of the one or more bits may be set to 1 to indicate that the subset may be an STR, or set to 0 to indicate that the subset may be an NSTR.

[0181] Example 37 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, the media including instructions to cause an electronic device, when one or more processors of the electronic device execute the instructions, to perform one or more elements of the method described in or related to any of Examples 1-36 or any other method or process described herein.

[0182] Example 38 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, and / or circuitry of one or more elements for performing a method described in or related to any of Examples 1-36 or any other method or process described herein.

[0183] Example 39 may include a method, technique, or process, or parts thereof, as described in or related to any of Examples 1-36.

[0184] Example 40 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or portions thereof, as described in or related to any of Examples 1-36.

[0185] Example 41 may include methods of communication in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0186] Example 42 may include systems for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0187] Example 43 may include devices for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0188] Embodiments of this disclosure are disclosed, particularly in the appended claims relating to a method, a storage medium, an apparatus, and a computer program product, wherein any feature mentioned in one class of claims (e.g., method) may also be claimed in another class of claims (e.g., system). Dependent or backreferences in the appended claims are chosen solely for formal reasons. However, any subject matter arising from the deliberate backreference of any preceding claim (especially multiple dependents) may also be claimed, so that any combination of claims and their features is disclosed and claimable regardless of the dependents chosen in the appended claims. Claimable subject matter includes not only combinations of features recited in the appended claims but also any other combination of features in the claims, wherein each feature mentioned in a claim may be combined with any other feature or combination of other features in the claims. Furthermore, any embodiments and features described or depicted herein may be claimed in a separate claim and / or in any combination with any embodiment or feature described or depicted herein or with any feature of the appended claims.

[0189] The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustrations and descriptions, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in accordance with the above teachings, or may be obtained by implementing various embodiments.

[0190] The foregoing description of block diagrams and flowcharts of systems, methods, apparatuses, and / or computer program products according to various implementations has described certain aspects of this disclosure. It will be understood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flowcharts, as well as combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowcharts, can be implemented by computer-executable program instructions. Similarly, depending on some implementations, some blocks of the block diagrams and flowcharts may not necessarily need to be executed in the order presented, or may not need to be executed at all.

[0191] These computer-executable program instructions can be loaded onto a special-purpose computer or other specific machine, processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particular machine, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer, processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing one or more functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart. These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or memory, which can direct the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means for implementing one or more functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart. As an example, some implementations may provide a computer program product including a computer-readable storage medium in which computer-readable program code or program instructions are implemented, the computer-readable program code being adapted to be executed to implement one or more functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart. Computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational elements or steps to be executed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide elements or steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart.

[0192] Therefore, the blocks in block diagrams and flowcharts support combinations of means for performing a specified function, combinations of elements or steps for performing a specified function, and program instruction means for performing a specified function. It should also be understood that each block in a block diagram and flowchart, and combinations of blocks in block diagrams and flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based computer system that performs the specified function, element, or step, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0193] Conditional language such as "can," "may," "may," or "can" generally aims to express, unless otherwise specifically stated or understood in the context of its use, that certain implementations may include certain features, elements, and / or operations, while others may not. Therefore, such conditional language generally does not intend to imply that features, elements, and / or operations are required in any way by one or more implementations, or that one or more implementations necessarily include logic for determining whether these features, elements, and / or operations are included in any particular implementation or whether they should be performed in any particular implementation, with or without user input or prompts.

[0194] Many modifications and other implementations of the present disclosure described herein will be apparent from the teachings given in the foregoing description and the associated accompanying drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific implementations disclosed, and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. While specific terminology is used herein, it is used only in a general descriptive sense and not for limitation.

Claims

1. A device of an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), the device comprising processing circuitry coupled with storage, the processing circuitry configured to: establishing multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein, the non-AP MLD comprising one or more logical entities defining individual stations (STAs); establish a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD; generate a frame comprising a multi-link (ML) element, the ML element comprising an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field comprises information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD, and the MLD common information field comprises a number of maximum simultaneous links, indicating a maximum number of links in which the AP MLD can simultaneously exchange frames; indicate to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with simultaneous transmit receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR); and cause the frame to be transmitted to the non-AP MLD.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the MLD common information field comprises a number of supportable links.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the number of maximum simultaneous links is greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links comprises: a first set containing a first link and a second link, and a second set containing the first link and a third link.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the number of the plurality of links is equal to 3, the subset of the plurality of links comprises: a first set containing a first link and a second link, and a second set containing the first link and a third link.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the number of maximum simultaneous links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links comprises a first set containing a first link and a second link.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the number of the plurality of links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links comprises a first set containing a first link and a second link.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, to indicate to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is compatible with STR or NSTR, the processing circuitry is further configured to include a STR capability bitmap.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, the STR capability bitmap comprises one or more bits associated with the subset of the plurality of links.

9. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, a first bit of the one or more bits is set to 1 to indicate that the subset is STR, or set to 0 to indicate that the subset is NSTR.

10. A wireless communication device comprising: means for establishing a multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD comprises one or more logical entities defining individual stations (STAs); means for establishing a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD; An apparatus for generating a frame including a multi-link (ML) element, the ML element including an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field includes information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD, and the MLD common information field includes a number of maximum simultaneous links, indicating a maximum number of links in which the AP MLD can simultaneously exchange frames; An apparatus for indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with simultaneous transmit receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR); and An apparatus for causing the frame to be transmitted to the non-AP MLD.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein, The MLD common information field includes a number of supportable links.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein, When the number of maximum simultaneous links is greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set including a first link and a second link, and a second set including the first link and a third link.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein, When the number of the plurality of links is equal to 3, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set including a first link and a second link, and a second set including the first link and a third link.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein, When the number of maximum simultaneous links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein, When the number of the plurality of links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein, To indicate to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is compatible with STR or NSTR, the wireless communication device further includes a STR capability bitmap.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein, The STR capability bitmap includes one or more bits associated with the subset of the plurality of links.

18. The wireless communication device of any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein, A first bit of the one or more bits is set to 1 to indicate that the subset is STR, or set to 0 to indicate that the subset is NSTR.

19. A method of wireless communication, comprising: establishing, by one or more processors of an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), a multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD includes one or more logical entities defining individual stations (STAs); establishing a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each link of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD; generating a frame including a multi-link (ML) element, the ML element including an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field includes information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD, and the MLD common information field includes a number of maximum simultaneous links, indicating a maximum number of links in which the AP MLD can simultaneously exchange frames; indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with simultaneous transmit receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR); and causing the frame to be transmitted to the non-AP MLD.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The MLD common information field includes a number of supported links and a maximum number of simultaneous links.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein, When the maximum number of simultaneous links is greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link and a second set including the first link and a third link.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein, When the number of the plurality of links is equal to 3, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link and a second set including the first link and a third link.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein, When the maximum number of simultaneous links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein, When the number of the plurality of links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link.

25. The method of any one of claims 19 to 24, wherein, To indicate to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is compatible with a STR or a NSTR, the AP MLD includes a STR capability bitmap.

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