Apparatus and method for energy-efficient multi-link communication in wireless networks

Abstract

A multi-link wireless AP (110) is configured to exchange a plurality of frames with a plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations (120) in a wireless communication network (100) via a plurality of established links. The multi-link wireless AP (110) includes a communication interface (113) configured to transmit a management frame to at least one of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations (120) operating on a first established link, wherein the management frame includes information for the at least one of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations (120) to identify at least a first established link of the plurality of established links to disable. The multi-link wireless AP (110) further includes a processing circuit (111) configured to disable the at least first established link in response to transmitting the management frame to reduce power required to operate the at least first established link.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The original application has the application number 202180094722.6 and the original application date is May 4, 2021. The entire contents of the original application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to wireless communication. More specifically, this application relates to apparatus and methods for energy-efficient wireless communication in IEEE-802.11-based wireless communication networks. Background Technology

[0003] Wireless local area networks (WLANs) based on IEEE-802.11 have become increasingly popular than ever before. WLANs support a variety of data transmission modes, including (but not limited to) file transfer, email, web browsing, and real-time applications such as audio and video applications. To effectively support high throughput, IEEE-802.11be introduced a new feature known as "multilink." Multilink is based on the idea of ​​establishing and using multiple links for frame switching between a wireless access point (AP) and one or more non-AP stations.

[0004] However, increasing the number of links between a multi-link wireless AP and one or more non-AP stations leads to increased power consumption, especially for the multi-link wireless AP (which can operate with links to multiple multi-link wireless non-AP stations). One reason for the increased power consumption is that, for example, a multi-link wireless AP will require more power amplifiers to support communication via a larger number of links.

[0005] Energy efficiency is a critical issue for wireless devices in both the consumer and enterprise markets. In the consumer electronics market, "power consumption level" certification may become a de facto mandatory certification for every product. For example, from 2022 onwards, all products in the European market will be required to have AP power-saving functionality. Any new device sold in the European Union (EU) must comply with specific total power consumption regulations when not in use.

[0006] In the enterprise market, access points (APs) typically use Power over Ethernet (PoE), which limits the AP's power consumption to between 15W and 75W (depending on the cable and PoE type). This limitation severely restricts the hardware of enterprise APs, such as the number of power amplifiers per AP, the number of wireless devices, the modems, and the antenna ports per wireless device. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide devices and methods for more energy-efficient wireless communication in IEEE-802.11-based wireless communication networks.

[0008] The above and other objectives are achieved through the subject matter of the independent claims. Other embodiments will be apparent from the dependent claims, the description, and the drawings.

[0009] According to the first aspect, the multilink wireless access point (AP) is configured to exchange multiple frames, including management frames, control frames, and data frames, with multiple multilink wireless non-AP stations in a wireless communication network via multiple established links.

[0010] A multi-link wireless access point (AP) includes a communication interface configured to send a link disable notification management frame to at least one of a plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations operating on a first, i.e., the same, established link. The link disable notification management frame includes information for at least one of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations, such as one or more information elements and fields, for identifying at least the first established link among the plurality of established links to be temporarily disabled by the multi-link wireless AP.

[0011] Furthermore, the multi-link wireless AP includes processing circuitry configured to temporarily disable at least the first established link in response to sending a link disable notification management frame, i.e., to prevent the exchange of other frames via at least the first established link, thereby reducing the power required to operate at least the first established link. A multi-link wireless non-AP station can maintain its association with the multi-link wireless AP using a second of the multiple established links between the multi-link wireless AP and the multi-link wireless non-AP station, while the first established link is disabled.

[0012] Therefore, this advantageously provides a more energy-efficient multi-link wireless AP because it is able to suspend all traffic activity on any of its enabled links (i.e., in the DL and UL directions) while maintaining the operation of its associated multi-link wireless non-AP stations on other enabled links. This link-disabling operation may not be limited to fixed, predefined time intervals, but is typically a finite time interval.

[0013] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the plurality of established links includes at least one disabled established link, and the communication interface is further configured to send another management frame (referred to herein as a "link enable notification management frame") to at least one of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations. This other management frame, i.e., the link enable notification management frame, includes information for at least one of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations, such as one or more information elements and fields, for identifying at least one disabled link to be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP. The processing circuitry of the multi-link wireless AP is also configured to, in response to sending the other management frame, (re)allow frame switching on the at least one enabled link.

[0014] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the communication interface of the multilink wireless AP is configured to send a link disabling notification management frame to at least one of a plurality of multilink wireless non-AP stations operating on the first established link via a first established link to be disabled by the multilink wireless AP.

[0015] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the link disable notification management frame and / or link enable notification management frame are unicast management frames sent to one of a plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations. The communication interface of the multi-link wireless AP is configured to receive an acknowledgment frame, such as an ACK frame or a block ACK frame, from the aforementioned multi-link wireless non-AP station in response to the transmission of the link disable notification management frame and / or link enable notification management frame to the aforementioned multi-link wireless non-AP station.

[0016] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the processing circuit is configured to: temporarily disable at least the first established link in response to sending a link disable notification management frame to the aforementioned multi-link wireless non-AP station, i.e., prevent the exchange of other frames via at least the first established link to reduce the power required to operate the first established link; and receive an acknowledgment frame, such as an ACK frame or a block ACK frame, from the multi-link wireless non-AP station.

[0017] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the link disable notification management frame is a broadcast management frame, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to temporarily disable, i.e., prevent the exchange of other frames via at least the first established link, in response to sending the link disable notification management frame to all multi-link wireless non-AP stations operating on the first established link, thereby reducing the power required to operate the first established link.

[0018] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the link enable notification management frame is a broadcast management frame, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to temporarily enable at least one disabled establishment link in response to sending the link enable notification management frame to all multilink wireless non-AP stations to operate on at least one disabled establishment link, i.e., to allow the exchange of other frames via at least one disabled establishment link.

[0019] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the multiple frames include multiple data frames, wherein each data frame includes a corresponding transmission identifier (TID) (from multiple possible TIDs, up to eight), wherein the processing circuitry is configured to individually map the TID of each corresponding data frame to one or more of the multiple established links of each of the one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations.

[0020] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the communication interface is configured to send each data frame via an established link mapped to the TID, based on the TID corresponding to the data frame. The data frame may include one or more MSDUs.

[0021] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, for one or more of a plurality of TIDs, the link disable notification management frame includes a corresponding bitmap that defines one or more of a plurality of established links to which each TID is mapped (also referred to as: TID to link mapping) for at least one of a plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations.

[0022] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, a bitmap defining one or more of the multiple established links to which each TID is mapped (i.e., TID-to-link mapping) is valid until the communication interface sends a notification management frame for another link disable or enable to at least one of the one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations, which may define different TID-to-link mappings.

[0023] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, for at least the first established link to be disabled by the multi-link wireless AP, each corresponding bitmap definition has no TID mapped to the at least first established link to be disabled by the multi-link wireless AP. For example, if a specific bit in all bitmaps is zero, the station can infer that the corresponding link is about to be disabled.

[0024] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the plurality of TIDs includes 8 TIDs, wherein the bitmap of each TID includes 2 octets.

[0025] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, another management frame, namely a link enable notification management frame, includes a default mapping indication for notifying at least one of a plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations of a default TID-to-link mapping of a plurality of TIDs to a plurality of established links, wherein, if the default mapping indication is set, the default mapping defines that all TIDs of the plurality of TIDs are mapped to all established links of the plurality of established links, i.e., all established links are enabled.

[0026] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the link disable notification management frame also includes information, such as a direction field, for defining whether the TID-to-link mapping defined by one or more bitmaps is for downlink (DL) communication direction or uplink (UL) communication direction between a multilink wireless AP and multiple multilink wireless non-AP stations.

[0027] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the link disable notification management frame also includes information for identifying one or more of the multiple TIDs, such as a TID presence indication field, wherein one or more bitmaps included in the management frame define a TID-to-link mapping of the corresponding TID to one or more of the multiple established links.

[0028] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, for one or more of a plurality of TIDs and for at least two of a plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations, a plurality of bitmaps define one or more of a plurality of established links to which the TID of the respective multi-link wireless non-AP station is mapped. The plurality of bitmaps included in the management frame may include one or more bitmaps and information for associating the one or more bitmaps with each of the at least two of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations, specifically an association identifier (AID), wherein each bitmap defines one or more of the plurality of established links to which the respective TID is mapped. For example, each AID may be associated with up to eight link bitmaps (each link bitmap is for a specific TID of the respective multi-link wireless non-AP station).

[0029] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the multiple bitmaps included in the management frame include a single bitmap for each of one or more of a plurality of TIDs, defining one or more of a plurality of established links to which the corresponding TID is mapped for all stations in the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations.

[0030] According to a second aspect, a method for operating a multi-link wireless access point (AP) is provided, wherein the multi-link wireless AP is configured to exchange multiple frames, including management frames, control frames, and data frames, with multiple multi-link wireless non-AP stations in a wireless communication network via multiple established links. The method includes the following steps:

[0031] A link disable notification management frame is sent to at least one of a plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations operating on a first establishment link (i.e., the same establishment link) among a plurality of establishment links, wherein the link disable notification management frame includes information for at least one of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations, such as one or more information elements, for identifying at least the first establishment link among the plurality of establishment links to be temporarily disabled by the multi-link wireless AP; and

[0032] In response to sending a link disable notification management frame, at least the first established link is temporarily disabled, i.e., other frames are prevented from being exchanged via the first established link, in order to reduce the power required to operate the first established link, wherein at least one multi-link wireless non-AP station maintains association using the second of the multiple established links while the first established link is disabled.

[0033] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, the link disable notification management frame is a broadcast frame, and the step of disabling at least the first established link includes immediately disabling at least the first established link in response to sending the broadcast management frame.

[0034] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, the link disable notification management frame is a unicast frame, and the method further includes receiving an acknowledgment frame, wherein the step of disabling at least the first established link includes disabling at least the first established link in response to sending the unicast management frame and receiving the acknowledgment frame.

[0035] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, the plurality of established links includes at least one disabled established link, wherein the method further includes sending another management frame (referred to herein as a link enable notification management frame) to at least one of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations. This other management frame, i.e., the link enable notification management frame, includes information for at least one of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations, such as one or more information elements, for identifying at least one disabled established link to be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP and enabling at least one disabled established link in response to sending the other management frame.

[0036] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, the link enable notification management frame is a broadcast management frame, wherein the step of enabling at least one disabled link establishment includes immediately enabling at least one disabled link establishment in response to sending the link enable notification management frame.

[0037] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, the link enable notification management frame is a unicast management frame, wherein the method further includes the step of receiving another acknowledgment frame, wherein the step of enabling at least one disabled link establishment includes enabling at least one disabled link establishment in response to sending the link enable notification management frame and receiving another acknowledgment frame.

[0038] The method according to the second aspect of this disclosure can be performed by a multi-link wireless AP according to the first aspect of this disclosure. Therefore, according to the second aspect of this disclosure, other features of the method directly derive from the functionality of the multi-link wireless AP according to the first aspect of this disclosure and its various implementations described above and below.

[0039] According to a third aspect, a multi-link wireless non-access point (non-AP) station is provided, configured to exchange multiple frames, including management frames, control frames, and data frames, with a multi-link wireless AP in a wireless communication network via multiple enabled established links. The multi-link wireless non-AP station includes a communication interface configured to receive link disable notification management frames from the multi-link wireless AP. Furthermore, the multi-link wireless non-AP station includes processing circuitry configured to extract (i.e., parse) information, such as one or more information elements, from the link disable notification management frames to identify at least a first established link among the multiple established links to be temporarily disabled by the multi-link wireless AP. The processing circuitry is also configured to disable at least the first established link, i.e., to prevent the exchange of other frames via the at least first established link identified by the information extracted from the link disable notification management frames.

[0040] In another possible implementation of the third aspect, the link disable management frame is a unicast frame, and the communication interface is also configured to send an acknowledgment frame, such as an ACK frame or a block ACK frame, to the multilink wireless AP in response to receiving a separately addressed link disable notification management frame from the multilink wireless AP.

[0041] In another possible implementation of the third aspect, the multiple establishment links include at least one disabled establishment link, and the communication interface is configured to receive another management frame (referred to herein as a link enable notification management frame) from the multi-link wireless AP. The processing circuitry is configured to extract (i.e., parse) additional information, such as one or more other information elements, from the other management frame (i.e., the link enable notification management frame) to identify the at least one disabled establishment link to be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP. The processing circuitry is also configured to enable the at least one disabled establishment link, i.e., to allow the exchange of other frames via the at least one disabled establishment link identified by the additional information extracted from the link enable notification management frame.

[0042] In another possible implementation of the third aspect, the link enable notification management frame is a unicast management frame, and the communication interface is also configured to send another acknowledgment frame, such as another ACK frame or a block ACK frame, to the multilink wireless AP in response to receiving a separately addressed link enable notification management frame from the multilink wireless AP.

[0043] In another possible implementation of the third aspect, the multiple frames include multiple data frames, and each data frame includes a corresponding transmission identifier (TID) in a plurality of TIDs, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to map each TID to one or more of the plurality of established links.

[0044] In another possible implementation of the third aspect, the communication interface is configured to send each data frame via one or more established links mapped to the TID, based on the TID of the data frame.

[0045] In another possible implementation of the third aspect, for one or more of the multiple TIDs, the information of the management frame includes a bitmap defining one or more of the multiple established links to which each TID is mapped.

[0046] In another possible implementation of the third aspect, the processing circuitry is configured to identify at least a first established link based on a plurality of bitmaps, by determining that for at least a first established link to be disabled by the multi-link wireless AP, each bitmap defines a plurality of TIDs, none of which are mapped to the at least first established link to be disabled by the multi-link wireless AP.

[0047] In another possible implementation of the third aspect, the processing circuitry is configured to identify at least one disabled establishment link based on a plurality of bitmaps, wherein, by determining at least one disabled establishment link to be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP, at least one bitmap in the plurality of bitmaps defines at least one of a plurality of TIDs to be mapped to at least one disabled establishment link to be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP.

[0048] In another possible implementation of the third aspect, the management frame is a broadcast management frame, and the processing circuitry is further configured to extract the associated identifier of the multilink wireless non-AP station from the broadcast management frame, for identifying a subset of multiple bitmaps of the multilink wireless non-AP station, wherein, for one or more of the multiple TIDs, the subset of the multiple bitmaps defines one or more of the multiple established links to which the TID is mapped.

[0049] In another possible implementation of the third aspect, the processing circuitry is configured to extract a subset of multiple bitmaps from the management frame, if the broadcast management frame includes an association identifier for a multi-link wireless non-AP station, to identify at least the first established link among the multiple established links to be disabled.

[0050] In another embodiment of the third aspect, the multi-link wireless non-AP station further includes a memory configured to maintain a plurality of bitmaps defining one or more of the plurality of established links to which each TID is mapped (i.e., TID-to-link mapping), wherein the processing circuitry is configured to: update the plurality of bitmaps stored in the memory based on new bitmaps included in a link disable management frame and / or a link enable management frame; and identify at least a first established link to be temporarily disabled by the multi-link wireless AP and / or at least one disabled established link to be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP based on the plurality of bitmaps stored in the memory and the currently received link disable management frame and / or link enable management frame.

[0051] According to the fourth aspect, a method is provided for operating a multi-link wireless non-access point (non-AP) station, the non-AP station being configured to exchange multiple frames, including management frames, control frames, and data frames, with a multi-link wireless AP in a wireless communication network via multiple enabled established links. The method according to the fourth aspect includes the following steps:

[0052] Receive link disable notification management frames from multi-link wireless APs;

[0053] Extract (i.e., parse) information, such as one or more information elements, from the link disable notification management frame to identify at least the first established link among multiple established links to be temporarily disabled by the multi-link wireless AP; and

[0054] Disable at least the first established link, that is, prevent the exchange of other frames via at least the first established link identified by information extracted from the link disable notification management frame.

[0055] In another possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the management frame is a broadcast management frame, and the step of disabling at least the first established link includes disabling at least the first established link in response to receiving the broadcast management frame.

[0056] In another possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the management frame is a unicast management frame, and the method further includes the step of sending an acknowledgment frame to the multilink wireless AP, wherein the step of disabling at least the first established link includes disabling at least the first established link in response to receiving the unicast management frame and sending an acknowledgment frame to the multilink wireless AP.

[0057] In another possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the plurality of establishment links includes at least one disabled establishment link, and the method further includes the following steps:

[0058] Receive another management frame (referred to here as the link enable notification management frame) from the multi-link wireless AP;

[0059] Extract (i.e., parse) other information, such as one or more other information elements, from another management frame (i.e., the link enable notification management frame) to identify at least one disabled link establishment to be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP; and

[0060] Enable at least one disabled establishment link, that is, allow the exchange of other frames via at least one disabled establishment link identified by other information extracted from another management frame (i.e., the link enable notification management frame).

[0061] In another possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the other management frame is a broadcast management frame, and the step of enabling at least one disabled link establishment includes the step of enabling at least one disabled link establishment in response to receiving the broadcast management frame.

[0062] In another possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the other management frame is a unicast management frame, and the method further includes sending another acknowledgment frame to the multilink wireless AP, wherein the step of enabling at least one disabled link establishment includes the step of enabling at least one disabled link establishment in response to receiving the other management frame and sending another acknowledgment frame to the multilink wireless AP.

[0063] The method according to the fourth aspect of this disclosure can be performed by a multi-link wireless non-AP station according to the third aspect of this disclosure. Therefore, other features of the method according to the fourth aspect of this disclosure arise directly from the functionality of the multi-link wireless non-AP station according to the third aspect of this disclosure and its various implementations described above and below.

[0064] According to the fifth aspect, a computer program product is provided, including program code, which, when executed by a computer or processor, causes the computer or processor to perform the method according to the second aspect or the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0065] The following drawings and description illustrate one or more embodiments in detail. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0066] The embodiments of this disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0067] Figure 1 A wireless communication system is shown, including a multi-link wireless AP according to an embodiment and a plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations according to an embodiment;

[0068] Figure 2 A multi-link wireless AP according to an embodiment is shown communicating with a multi-link wireless non-AP station according to an embodiment;

[0069] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating the steps of a method for operating a multi-link wireless AP according to an embodiment is shown; and

[0070] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the steps of a method for operating a multi-link wireless non-AP station according to an embodiment is shown.

[0071] In the following text, the same reference numerals refer to the same or at least functionally equivalent features. Detailed Implementation

[0072] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this disclosure, which illustrate by way of description specific aspects of embodiments of the disclosure or aspects that may be used with respect to embodiments of the disclosure. It should be understood that embodiments of the disclosure can be used in other ways and include structural or logical variations not depicted in the drawings. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be construed in a limiting sense, and the scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

[0073] For example, it should be understood that the disclosure relating to the described method can also apply to the corresponding device or system used to perform the method, and vice versa. For example, if one or more specific method steps are described, the corresponding device may include one or more units (e.g., functional units) to perform the described one or more method steps (e.g., one unit performs one or more steps, or multiple units perform one or more of multiple steps respectively), even if the one or more units are not explicitly described or shown in the drawings. On the other hand, for example, if a specific apparatus is described based on one or more units (e.g., functional units), the corresponding method may include a step to perform the function of one or more units (e.g., one step performs the function of one or more units, or multiple steps perform the function of one or more of multiple units respectively), even if the one or more units are not explicitly described or shown in the drawings. Furthermore, it should be understood that, unless otherwise expressly stated, features of the various exemplary embodiments and / or aspects described herein can be combined with each other.

[0074] In the following different embodiments of wireless devices, particularly wireless devices conforming to the IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard family, one or more of the following abbreviations will be used to describe them:

[0075] DL downlink

[0076] UL Uplink

[0077] BSS Basic Serving Set

[0078] AP (Access Point)

[0079] CSA Channel Switch Announcement

[0080] Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS)

[0081] PHY (Physical Layer)

[0082] MAC Media Access Control (Medium Access Control)

[0083] Multi-link (ML)

[0084] MLD (Multi-Link Device)

[0085] MSDU MAC Service Data Unit

[0086] MPDU (Macro Protocol Data Unit)

[0087] PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit)

[0088] PoE (Power Over Ethernet)

[0089] STA station (typically, it can be an AP STA or a non-AP STA)

[0090] OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access)

[0091] TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access)

[0092] TID (Traffic Identifier): Any identifier that a higher-level entity can use to distinguish a Media Access Control (MAC) Service Data Unit (MSDU) from a MAC entity that supports Quality of Service (QoS) in MAC data services.

[0093] TXOP (Transmit Opportunity)

[0094] Block-Acknowledge (BA) – In 802.11, it is generally expected that the receiver responds to data transmission with an ACK response; if multiple frames are transmitted in a single PPDU, each frame must be acknowledged.

[0095] Figure 1A wireless communication system 100 is illustrated, including a multi-link wireless AP 110 according to an embodiment and a plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 according to an embodiment. As will be described in more detail below, the multi-link wireless AP 110 is configured to exchange multiple frames, including management frames, control frames, and data frames, with the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 in the wireless communication network 100 via multiple established links. In one embodiment, the multi-link wireless AP 110 and the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 conform to one or more requirements defined by the IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard family. The multiple established links between the multi-link wireless AP 110 and the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 can be established through a prior establishment process.

[0096] like Figure 1 As shown, the multi-link wireless AP 110 includes processing circuitry 111 for processing data and a communication interface 113 for sending and receiving frames via multiple established links. It should be understood that the communication interface 113 may, for example, include one or more antennas for wireless communication. The processing circuitry 111 can be implemented in hardware and / or software. The hardware may include digital circuitry, or a combination of analog and digital circuitry. The digital circuitry may include components such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or general-purpose processors. The multi-link wireless AP 110 may also include non-volatile memory 115, such as flash memory 115, configured to store data and executable program code that, when executed by the processing circuitry 111, causes the multi-link wireless AP 110 to perform the functions and operations described herein.

[0097] Similarly, the multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 includes processing circuitry 121 for processing data and a communication interface 123 for receiving and transmitting frames from the multi-link wireless AP 110 via one or more established links. In one embodiment, the communication interface 123 may include one or more antennas for wireless communication. The processing entity 121 may be implemented in hardware and / or software. The hardware may include digital circuitry, or a combination of analog and digital circuitry. The digital circuitry may include components such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or general-purpose processors. The multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 may also include non-volatile memory 125, such as flash memory 125, configured to store data and executable program code that, when executed by the processing circuitry 121, causes the multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 to perform the functions and operations described herein.

[0098] The communication interface 113 of the multi-link wireless AP 110 is configured to send management frames (referred to herein as link disable notification management frames) to one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 operating on the same link among multiple established links (also referred to herein as the "first established link" among the multiple established links, in order to distinguish this established link from the other established links). As will be described in more detail below, the link disable notification management frame sent to one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 includes information for identifying the first established link (and possibly other established links) to be temporarily disabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110, such as one or more information elements or information fields. In other words, the processing circuitry 121 of each multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 (i.e., the intended recipient of the frame) that receives the link disable notification management frame from the multi-link wireless AP 110 is configured to extract (i.e., parse) this information for identifying the first established link (and possibly other established links) to be temporarily disabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110.

[0099] The processing circuitry 111 of the multi-link wireless AP 110 is also configured to, in response to sending a link disable notification management frame to one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120, temporarily disable the first established link (and any other possible established links identified by the link disable notification management frame) by preventing the exchange of other frames via the first established link (and any other possible established links identified by the link disable notification management frame). Similarly, the processing circuitry 121 of each multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 that receives a link disable notification management frame from the multi-link wireless AP 110 is configured to disable (i.e., prevent) the exchange of any other frames via the first established link (and any other possible established links identified by information extracted from the link disable notification management frame).

[0100] However, while the first establishment link is disabled, one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 will maintain association with the multi-link wireless AP 110 using another (i.e., a second) enabled establishment link among the multiple establishment links. In other words, when the first establishment link is disabled, the multi-link wireless AP 110 can still exchange frames with one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 using at least a second establishment link that is still enabled. It should be understood that operating the first establishment link (and any other possible establishment links identified by the link disable notification management frame) in a disabled state will reduce the power consumption of the multi-link wireless AP 110 and the one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120.

[0101] Figure 2 A multi-link wireless AP 110 according to an embodiment is shown communicating with a multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 according to an embodiment. Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the multi-link wireless AP 110 includes three associated "APs" (in...) Figure 2 These are referred to as AP1, AP2, and AP3. For example, a multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 includes three associated "STAs" (in...). Figure 2 (Referring to STA1, STA2, and STA3 in Chinese). Figure 2 The exemplary embodiment shown illustrates the establishment of links through three links ( Figure 2 The links (referred to as Link 1, Link 2, and Link 3) are connections between a multi-link wireless AP 110 (also known as an "AP MLD") and a multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 (also known as a "non-AP MLD"). For example, Link 1 operates in the 2.4 GHz band, Link 2 operates in the 5 GHz band, and Link 3 operates in the 6 GHz band.

[0102] In one embodiment, the communication interface 113 of the multi-link wireless AP 110 is configured to send a link disable notification management frame to one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 operating on the first established link, via the first established link to be disabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110 itself. In another embodiment, one or more other enabled established links may be used to send the link disable notification management frame to one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 (provided that one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 are also operating on these one or more other enabled established links).

[0103] In one embodiment, the link disable notification management frame may be a unicast management frame sent to a single individually addressed multilink wireless non-AP station 120 operating on the link, or a broadcast management frame sent to a group or all of the multilink wireless non-AP stations 120 operating on the link.

[0104] When the disabling notification management frame is a unicast management frame, the communication interface 123 of the multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 is also configured to send an acknowledgment frame, such as an ACK frame or a block ACK frame, to the multi-link wireless AP 110 in response to receiving a separately addressed link disabling notification management frame from the multi-link wireless AP 110. In this embodiment, the processing circuitry 111 of the multi-link wireless AP 110 can be configured to temporarily disable the first established link in response to sending a unicast link disabling notification management frame to the separately addressed multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 and receiving an acknowledgment frame from the multi-link wireless non-AP station 120, i.e., to prevent the exchange of other frames via the first established link (and any other possible established links identified by the link disabling notification management frame).

[0105] In the case that the disable notification management frame is a broadcast management frame, the processing circuitry 111 of the multilink wireless AP 110 is configured to temporarily disable the first established link (and any other possible established links identified by the link disable notification management frame) in response to sending a broadcast link disable notification management frame to all of the plurality of multilink wireless non-AP stations 120 operating on the first established link.

[0106] In the following description, other embodiments of the multi-link wireless AP 110 and the multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 will be described in more detail, which advantageously utilize a mechanism for mapping a transmission identifier (TID) corresponding to a data frame to one or more of a plurality of established links. More specifically, in one embodiment, each data frame includes its corresponding TID, and the processing circuitry 111 of the multi-link wireless AP 110 is configured to individually map each TID to one or more of a plurality of established links for each of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120. In other words, the multi-link wireless AP 110 can implement different TID-to-link mappings for each of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120. Based on the TID-to-link mappings defined for each of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120, the communication interface 113 of the multi-link wireless AP 110 is configured to transmit the corresponding data frame, in particular the MSDU, via the one or more established links to which the TID is mapped, according to the TID of the data frame.

[0107] In one embodiment, for one or more of a plurality of TIDs, the link disable notification management frame includes a corresponding bitmap (for at least one of a plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120) defining one or more of the plurality of established links to which each TID is mapped. In one embodiment, the bitmap defining one or more of the plurality of established links to which each TID is mapped is valid until the communication interface 113 of the multi-link wireless AP 110 sends another link disable notification management frame (or another link enable notification management frame) to one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120.

[0108] In one embodiment, multiple bitmaps included in the link disable notification management frame can define a first established link (and possibly other established links) to be disabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110, where none of the multiple TIDs is mapped to the first established link (and possibly other established links) to be disabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110. In one embodiment, the multiple TIDs can include up to eight TIDs, where the bitmap of each TID includes two octets, allowing up to eight TIDs to be mapped to up to 16 established links. In one embodiment, to disable a link, all bitmaps associated with a particular non-AP multi-link station contain a zero bit at the position corresponding to the established link to be disabled.

[0109] In one embodiment, the link disable notification management frame may further include a direction field for defining whether the TID-to-link mapping defined by one or more bitmaps is for downlink (DL) communication direction or uplink (UL) communication direction between the multi-link wireless AP 110 and the multiple multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120. In one embodiment, the link disable notification management frame may further include a TID presence indication field for identifying which TIDs, for which one or more bitmaps define a mapping of the corresponding TID to one or more of the multiple established links.

[0110] In one embodiment, a link disable notification management frame may include multiple bitmaps for each of the multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120, wherein for one or more of a plurality of TIDs and for each of the multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120, the multiple bitmaps define one or more of a plurality of established links to which the TID of the respective multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 is mapped. For example, in one embodiment, the link disable notification management frame may include tuples or groups consistent with the respective multiple bitmaps (defining TID-to-link mappings) and the identifier (e.g., AID) of the respective multi-link wireless non-AP station 120. In another embodiment, the link disable notification management frame may include only a single set of bitmaps defining the TID-to-link mappings for all of the multiple multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 operating on the same set of established links.

[0111] Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein "indirectly" and advantageously utilize the TID-to-link mapping mechanism by mapping a specific established link to one without a TID, thereby substantially disabling the link to reduce power consumption, especially for the multi-link wireless AP110.

[0112] In one embodiment, the plurality of establishment links includes at least one disabled establishment link, such as a previously enabled establishment link that has been disabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110 as described above. In such an embodiment, the communication interface 113 of the multi-link wireless AP 110 is configured to send another management frame (referred to herein as a link enable notification management frame) to one or more of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120. The link enable notification management frame includes information for one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120, such as one or more information elements or information fields, for identifying at least one disabled establishment link to be immediately enabled by the multi-link wireless AP. The processing circuitry 121 of one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 is configured to extract (i.e., parse) this information from the link enable notification management frame and identify, based on this information, at least one disabled establishment link to be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110. In response to sending the link enable notification management frame to one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120, the processing circuitry 111 of the multi-link wireless AP 110 is also configured to enable at least one disabled establishment link.

[0113] In one embodiment, the link enable notification management frame may have the same format and structure as the link disable notification management frame. Furthermore, the link enable notification management frame may include one or more information elements from the aforementioned link disable notification management frame, such as multiple bitmaps for defining TID-to-link mappings. In one embodiment, the link enable notification management frame may include a default mapping indication for notifying one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 of the default mappings of multiple TIDs to multiple established links. If the default mapping indication is set, the default mapping defines that all TIDs among the multiple TIDs are mapped to all established links among the multiple established links, i.e., all established links are enabled.

[0114] In one embodiment, the processing circuitry 121 of the multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 is configured to identify a first established link (and possibly other established links) that will be temporarily disabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110 and / or at least one disabled established link that will be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110, based on the most recent link disable / enable management frame and one or more previously received link disable / enable management frames. In one embodiment, the multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 may maintain a TID-to-link mapping for all TIDs in its memory 125 and update these TID-to-link mappings based on the most recently received link disable / enable management frames. For example, the most recently received link disable / enable management frame may contain TID-to-link mappings for only two of the eight TIDs, such as for TID 1 and TID 3 (also as indicated in the TID Presence Indication field mentioned above). In this scenario, the processing circuitry 121 of the multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 can update the TID-to-link mappings of TID 1 and TID 3 in the memory 125, and maintain the TID-to-link mappings of other TIDs (based on one or more previously received link disable / enable management frames). If the multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 has not yet received any information about the TID-to-link mappings of one or more TIDs, it will apply the default TID-to-link mappings to these TIDs.

[0115] The above-described embodiments for enabling disabled link establishment can be advantageously used to improve dynamic frequency selection (DFS). It should be understood that DFS is primarily used in the 802.11 specification for radar detection on 5 GHz (UNII-2 band) channels. Currently, if radar is detected on a 5 GHz channel, those channels are disabled. The current standardized approach is channel switching (the only solution in the single-link scenario). Radar detection on a specific channel initiates evacuation of that channel in the BSS (using a CSA procedure), which is relatively long (3 to 10 beacon cycles).

[0116] However, the embodiments disclosed herein can provide a very short recovery after radar detection on the 5 GHz channel by establishing several links on the "DFS channel" while using only a subset of these established links. Other unused links are disabled and used only as "backup links" if radar is detected on any operational enabled link. This facilitates a rapid transition of one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 to a "clean" backup link while the "DFS channel" is disabled during radar detection.

[0117] Figure 3A flowchart illustrating the steps of a method 300 for operating a multi-link wireless AP 110 according to an embodiment is shown.

[0118] Method 300 includes a first step 301, sending a link disable notification management frame to one or more of a plurality of multilink wireless non-AP stations 120 operating on a first establishment link of a plurality of establishment links, wherein the link disable notification management frame includes information for the one or more multilink wireless non-AP stations 120, such as one or more information elements and fields, for identifying a first establishment link (and possibly other establishment links among the plurality of establishment links) that will be temporarily disabled by the multilink wireless AP 110.

[0119] In addition, in response to sending a link disable notification management frame, method 300 includes another step 303, temporarily disabling the first establishment link, i.e., preventing the exchange of other frames via the first establishment link (and possible other establishment links identified by the link disable notification management frame), wherein, when the first establishment link is disabled, one or more second establishment links among the plurality of establishment links are used to maintain association with one or more multilink wireless non-AP stations 120.

[0120] In one embodiment, the link disable notification management frame is a broadcast management frame, and step 303 of disabling at least the first established link includes immediately disabling at least the first established link in response to sending a broadcast management frame to one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120 operating on the first established link.

[0121] In another embodiment, the link disable notification management frame may be a unicast management frame, wherein method 300 further includes the step of receiving an acknowledgment frame from the multilink wireless non-AP station 120 individually addressed by the unicast management frame. In this case, the step 303 of disabling at least the first established link includes disabling at least the first established link in response to sending the unicast management frame and receiving the acknowledgment frame from the multilink wireless non-AP station 120 individually addressed by the unicast management frame.

[0122] In one embodiment, where the plurality of established links includes at least one disabled established link, method 300 further includes the step of sending another management frame (referred to as a link enable notification management frame) to one or more of the plurality of multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120, wherein the link enable notification management frame includes information for the one or more multi-link wireless non-AP stations 120, such as one or more information elements or fields, for identifying at least one disabled established link to be immediately enabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110.

[0123] In one embodiment, the link enable notification management frame is a broadcast management frame, and the step of enabling at least one disabled link establishment includes immediately enabling at least one disabled link establishment in response to sending the link enable notification management frame.

[0124] In another embodiment, the management frame may be a unicast management frame, and method 300 further includes the step of receiving another acknowledgment frame from the multilink wireless non-AP station 120 individually addressed by the unicast management frame. In this case, enabling at least one disabled link establishment step includes enabling at least one disabled link establishment step in response to sending the unicast management frame and receiving another acknowledgment frame from the multilink wireless non-AP station 120 individually addressed by the unicast management frame.

[0125] Since method 300 can be implemented by multi-link wireless AP 110, other features of method 300 are derived directly from the functionality of multi-link wireless AP 110 and its various embodiments described above and below.

[0126] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the steps of a method 400 for operating a multi-link wireless non-AP station 120 according to an embodiment is shown.

[0127] Method 400 includes a first step 401 of receiving a link disable notification management frame from the multi-link wireless AP 110. Furthermore, method 400 includes a step 403 of extracting (i.e., parsing) information from the link disable notification management frame that identifies a first establishment link (and possibly other establishment links) among a plurality of establishment links to be temporarily disabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110, such as one or more information elements or fields. Method 400 also includes a step 405 of disabling (i.e., preventing) the exchange of other frames via the first establishment link (and possibly other establishment links identified by the link disable notification management frame).

[0128] In one embodiment, the link disable notification management frame is a broadcast management frame, and step 405 of disabling at least the first established link includes disabling at least the first established link in response to receiving the link disable notification management frame.

[0129] In another embodiment, the link disable notification management frame is a unicast management frame, and method 400 further includes the step of sending an acknowledgment frame to the multi-link wireless AP 110. In this case, the step 405 of disabling at least the first established link includes disabling at least the first established link in response to receiving a separately addressed link disable notification management frame and sending an acknowledgment frame to the multi-link wireless AP 110.

[0130] In one embodiment, where the plurality of established links includes at least one disabled established link, method 400 further includes the steps of receiving a link enable notification management frame from the multi-link wireless AP 110, and extracting (i.e., parsing) other information (e.g., one or more other information elements or fields) from the link enable notification management frame to identify at least one disabled established link to be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP 110. Furthermore, method 400 includes enabling (i.e., allowing) the exchange of other frames via the at least one disabled established link identified by the other information extracted from the link enable notification management frame.

[0131] In one embodiment, the link enable notification management frame is a broadcast management frame, and the step of enabling at least one disabled link establishment includes enabling at least one disabled link establishment in response to receiving the link enable notification management frame.

[0132] In another embodiment, the link enable notification management frame is a unicast management frame, and method 400 further includes sending another acknowledgment frame to the multi-link wireless AP 110. In this case, the step of enabling at least one disabled link establishment includes enabling at least one disabled link establishment in response to receiving a separately addressed link enable notification management frame and sending another acknowledgment frame to the multi-link wireless AP 110.

[0133] Since method 400 can be implemented by multilink wireless non-AP station 120, other features of method 400 come directly from the functionality of multilink wireless non-AP station 120 and its various embodiments described above and below.

[0134] Those skilled in the art will understand that “blocks” (“units”) in the various drawings (methods and apparatuses) represent or describe the functionality of embodiments of this disclosure (and are not necessarily independent “units” in hardware or software), thereby equally describing the functionality or features (unit = step) of apparatus embodiments and method embodiments.

[0135] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the embodiments of the described apparatus are merely exemplary. For example, the unit division is merely a logical functional division, and the actual implementation may involve another division. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted or not performed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be implemented by using some interface. Indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units can be implemented electronically, mechanically, or otherwise.

[0136] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the embodiment solution according to actual needs.

[0137] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of this application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

Claims

1. A communication method for a multi-link wireless access point (AP), characterized in that, The method includes: A management frame is sent to a multi-link wireless non-AP station. The management frame includes a Traffic Identifier (TID) to Link Mapping element, which identifies a first established link among multiple established links to be disabled by the multi-link wireless AP. The Traffic Identifier (TID) to Link Mapping element includes a bitmap defining one or more TIDs mapped to one or more of the multiple established links, wherein no TID among the one or more TIDs is mapped to the first established link. The management frame also includes a direction field, which defines whether the TID to Link Mapping element is used for downlink (DL) communication or uplink (UL) communication. Disable the first established link.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The management frame is a broadcast management frame, and the method further includes: In response to sending the broadcast management frame, the first established link is disabled.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The management frame also includes a TID presence indication field for identifying the one or more TIDs, wherein, for the one or more TIDs, the management frame includes one or more bitmaps defining the corresponding TID to one or more of the multiple established links TID to link mappings.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The one or more TIDs include 8 or fewer TIDs.

5. A communication method for a multi-link wireless access point (AP), characterized in that, The method includes: A management frame is sent to a multi-link wireless non-AP station. The management frame includes a Traffic Identifier (TID) to Link Mapping element, wherein the TID to Link Mapping element identifies a first established link to be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP among multiple established links. The TID to Link Mapping element includes a bitmap defining one or more TIDs mapped to one or more of the multiple established links, wherein at least one of the one or more TIDs is mapped to the first established link. The management frame also includes a direction field defining whether the TID to Link Mapping element is used for downlink (DL) communication or uplink (UL) communication. Enable the first established link.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The management frame is a broadcast management frame.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: enabling the first established link in response to sending the broadcast management frame.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that, The management frame also includes a TID presence indication field for identifying one or more TIDs among a plurality of TIDs, wherein, for the one or more TIDs, the management frame includes one or more bitmaps defining the corresponding TID to link mapping of the one or more TIDs to one or more of the multiple established links.

9. A multi-link wireless access point (AP), characterized in that, The multi-link wireless AP includes: A communication interface is configured to send management frames to a multi-link wireless non-AP station. The management frame includes a Traffic Identifier (TID) to Link Mapping element, which identifies a first established link among multiple established links to be disabled by the multi-link wireless AP. The TID to Link Mapping element includes a bitmap defining one or more TIDs mapped to one or more of the multiple established links, wherein no TID among the one or more TIDs is mapped to the first established link. The management frame also includes a direction field defining whether the TID to Link Mapping element is used for downlink (DL) communication or uplink (UL) communication. The processing circuitry is configured to disable the first established link.

10. The multi-link wireless access point (AP) according to claim 9, characterized in that, The management frame is a broadcast management frame, and the processing circuit is further configured to disable the first established link in response to sending the broadcast management frame.

11. The multi-link wireless access point (AP) according to claim 9, characterized in that, The management frame also includes a TID presence indication field for identifying the one or more TIDs, wherein, for the one or more TIDs, the management frame includes one or more bitmaps defining the corresponding TID to one or more of the multiple established links TID to link mappings.

12. The multi-link wireless access point (AP) according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that, The one or more TIDs include 8 or fewer TIDs.

13. A multi-link wireless access point (AP), characterized in that, The multi-link wireless AP includes: A communication interface is configured to send management frames to a multi-link wireless non-AP station. The management frame includes a Traffic Identifier (TID) to Link Mapping element, which identifies a first established link among multiple established links to be enabled by the multi-link wireless AP. The TID to Link Mapping element includes a bitmap defining one or more TIDs mapped to one or more of the multiple established links, wherein at least one of the one or more TIDs is mapped to the first established link. The management frame also includes a direction field defining whether the TID to Link Mapping element is used for downlink (DL) communication or uplink (UL) communication. The processing circuitry is configured to enable the first established link.

14. The multi-link wireless access point (AP) according to claim 13, characterized in that, The management frame is a broadcast management frame.

15. The multi-link wireless access point (AP) according to claim 13, characterized in that, The management frame also includes a TID presence indication field for identifying one or more TIDs among a plurality of TIDs, wherein, for the one or more TIDs, the management frame includes one or more bitmaps defining the corresponding TID to link mapping of the one or more TIDs to one or more of the multiple established links.

16. A multi-link wireless access point (AP), characterized in that, include: A processor and a memory, the memory being configured to store data and executable program code, wherein when the processor executes the data and executable program code, the multi-link wireless AP causes the multi-link wireless AP to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer-readable storage medium for storing program code, which, when executed by a computer or processor, causes the computer or processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8.

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