Enhanced multilink device operation in access point multilink devices and mobile environments with enhanced multilink single radio

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus associated with an enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR). In some embodiments, an apparatus may initiate a frame exchange using an initial control frame with constraints on transport format and data rate to initiate a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in EMLSR operation. An apparatus may select a communication link from a plurality of available links based on link availability and / or out-of-band station (OBSS) transmission status. The apparatus may define a predetermined period of time for the EMLSR service and manage the frame exchange within the period of time. Upon completion of the predetermined EMLSR service period, the device may transition to a listening operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for wireless communications, and more particularly, to enhanced multi-link device operations in an access point multi-link device with an enhanced multi-link single radio and a mobile environment. Background Art

[0002] As the demand for faster and more reliable Wi-Fi networks continues to increase, managing multiple transmission opportunities in a multi-link setup becomes challenging. This complexity highlights the need for innovative technologies to optimize the use of these links to enhance network performance and reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] Figure 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment for Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0004] Figures 2 to 7 An illustrative schematic diagram of an EMLSR is depicted, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0005] Figure 8 A flow chart of a process for an illustrative EMLSR system is shown, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0006] Fig. 9 A functional diagram of an exemplary communication station that may be suitable for use as user equipment according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0007] Fig.10 A block diagram of an example machine is shown on which any of the one or more techniques (eg, methodologies) may be performed according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] Fig.11 is a block diagram of a radio architecture according to some examples.

[0009] Fig.12 A method for performing a multi-function circuit according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Fig.11 Example front-end module circuit system in a radio architecture of FIG.

[0010] Fig.13 A method for performing a multi-function circuit according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Fig.11 Example radio IC circuit system in a radio architecture of FIG.

[0011] Fig.14 A method for performing a multi-function circuit according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Fig.11Example baseband processing circuit system in a radio architecture of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The following description and drawings sufficiently illustrate the specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, algorithmic and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, or replace, portions and features of other embodiments. The embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims. Wi-Fi 8 is the next generation of Wi-Fi and the successor to the IEEE802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) standard. Consistent with all previous Wi-Fi standards, Wi-Fi 8 will focus on improving wireless performance while introducing new and innovative features to further advance Wi-Fi technology.

[0013] In 802.11be, Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) mode has been adopted as a feature to enhance throughput and reduce latency for single-radio non-AP MLDs.

[0014] When a non-AP MLD operates in EMLSR mode, the non-AP MLD listens on multiple enabled links using one antenna / RF chain per enabled link (EMLSR link) and waits for an initial control frame from its associated AP MLD. In 802.11be, the AP MLD supports simultaneous transmit-receive (STR) and transmits an initial control frame on any available link.

[0015] Although AP MLDs can provide higher cost and complexity compared to non-AP MLDs, supporting STR for adjacent channels / bands at the AP MLD significantly increases the cost. In addition, when a non-AP MLD is used as a mobile / soft AP MLD, it cannot support STR across a pair of links (usually a non-AP MLD supports 2 links).

[0016] Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems, methods, and apparatus for AP MLD and mobile AP MLD EMLSR operations.

[0017] The main goal of the EMLSR system involves the implementation of Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) operation in Access Points (APs), including mobile and soft APs. EMLSR is an innovative technology that utilizes multiple links in a time-sharing manner, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the network. This approach proves to be very beneficial in situations where simultaneous transmission and reception (STR) across multiple links poses complexity and cost challenges.

[0018] The EMLSR system proposes a model where an AP operates in EMLSR mode despite having the capability to support STR. This model is relevant even for devices lacking STR capabilities as it aims to enhance network efficiency by judiciously sharing airtime across multiple links.

[0019] In addition, the EMLSR system highlights the potential for improving peer-to-peer communications within the EMLSR context. When APs and stations operate in EMLSR mode, it creates opportunities for peer stations to utilize unoccupied links, potentially improving the efficiency of peer-to-peer communications—a critical factor in wireless networks.

[0020] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system may allocate a fixed duration for EMLSR operation on a selected link. After the fixed duration, the AP reverts to listening operation, enabling other stations to utilize unoccupied links and further contributing to improving network efficiency.

[0021] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system solves the "blind" link problem during the EMLSR service period by proposing a medium access control (MAC) recovery procedure that can resolve potential conflicts, ensure network stability and robustness, and emphasize the potential advantages of EMLSR.

[0022] Overall, the EMLSR system contributes to the evolution of Wi-Fi technology, especially enhancing the performance and capabilities of Wi-Fi 8.

[0023] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system may support EMLSR at AP MLDs including mobile / soft AP MLDs so that the AP MLDs may also benefit from higher throughput and low latency from EMLSR operations, as well as better support P2P communications during EMLSR operations.

[0024] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system can enable EMLSR operation on a pair of enabled links (EMLSR links) at a (mobile) AP MLD, on which STR is not supported. When a non-AP MLD initiates a TXOP, it transmits a MU-RTS trigger frame with a padding field, giving the AP MLD a link switching time. When initiating a TXOP, the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD set a fixed duration (EMLSR SP) for EMLSR operation on the selected link and return to listening operation at the end of the EMLSR SP.

[0025] During an EMLSR SP on one of the EMLSR links, the other link can be used by a pair of P2P STAs for P2P communication (because the AP MLD is unavailable); the AP MLD can indicate in the initial control frame which P2P STAs can use the other link for P2P during the EMLSR SP. When the other link is a blind link during frame exchange on one of the EMLSR links, medium access recovery is performed on the blind link.

[0026] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system may enable EMLSR mode at a (mobile) AP MLD and enhance throughput and reduce latency without significantly increasing cost / complexity at the AP MLD.

[0027] The above description is for the purpose of illustration and is not meant to be limiting. There may be many other examples, configurations, processes, algorithms, etc., some of which are described in more detail below. Example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment of an EMLSR according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. A wireless network 100 may include one or more user devices 120 and one or more access points (APs) 102, which may communicate according to the IEEE 802.11 communication standard. (Multiple) user devices 120 may be non-stationary (e.g., not having a fixed location) mobile devices, or may be stationary devices.

[0028] In some embodiments, user equipment 120 and AP 102 may include one or more computer systems, such as Fig. 9 Functional diagram and / or Fig.10 An example of a machine / system is a computer system.

[0029] One or more illustrative user devices 120 and / or AP 102 may be operated by one or more users 110. It should be noted that any addressable unit may be a station (STA). A STA may have a plurality of different characteristics, each of which shapes its functionality. For example, a single addressable unit may be a portable STA, a quality of service (QoS) STA, a dependent STA, and a hidden STA at the same time. One or more illustrative user devices 120 and AP 102 may be STAs. One or more illustrative user devices 120 and / or AP 102 may operate as a personal basic service set (PBSS) control point / access point (PCP / AP). (Multiple) user devices 120 (e.g., 124, 126, or 128) and / or (multiple) AP 102 may include any suitable processor-driven device, including but not limited to mobile devices or non-mobile devices, such as static devices. For example, the user device(s) 120 and / or the AP(s) 102 may include a user equipment (UE), a station (STA), an access point (AP), a software enabled AP (SoftAP), a personal computer (PC), a wearable wireless device (e.g., a bracelet, a watch, glasses, a ring, etc.), a desktop computer, a mobile computer, a laptop computer, an ultrabook, or a wireless communication device. TMComputer, Laptop Computer, Tablet Computer, Server Computer, Handheld Computer, Handheld Device, Internet of Things (IoT) Device, Sensor Device, PDA Device, Handheld PDA Device, In-Vehicle Device, Non-In-Vehicle Device, Hybrid Device (e.g., Combining Cell Phone Functionality with PDA Device Functionality), Consumer Device, Vehicle Device, Non-Vehicle Device, Mobile or Portable Device, Non-Mobile or Non-Portable Device, Mobile Phone, Cell Phone, PCS Device, PDA Device Combined with Wireless Communication Device, Mobile or Portable GPS Device, DVB Device, Relatively Small Computing Device, Non-Desktop Computer, "Carry Small Live" Device The present invention relates to a computer system comprising: a computer (computer-aided design) and a computer (computer-aided design) ...

[0030] As used herein, the term "Internet of Things (IoT) device" is used to refer to any object (e.g., an appliance, a sensor, etc.) that has an addressable interface (e.g., an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Bluetooth identifier (ID), a near field communication (NFC) ID, etc.) and can transmit information to one or more other devices through a wired or wireless connection. IoT devices may have a passive communication interface, such as a quick response (QR) code, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, an NFC tag, etc., or an active communication interface, such as a modem, a transceiver, a transmitter-receiver, etc. IoT devices may have a set of specific attributes (e.g., device state or condition, such as whether the IoT device is on or off, open or closed, idle or active, available for task execution or busy, etc., cooling or heating function, environmental monitoring or recording function, light emission function, sound emission function, etc.), which may be embedded in and / or controlled / monitored by a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an ASIC, etc., and configured to connect to an IoT network such as a local ad hoc network or the Internet. For example, IoT devices may include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, toasters, ovens, microwave ovens, freezers, dishwashers, dishes, hand tools, washers, dryers, stoves, air conditioners, thermostats, televisions, lamps, vacuum cleaners, sprinklers, electric meters, gas meters, etc., as long as the device is equipped with an addressable communication interface for communicating with the IoT network. IoT devices may also include cellular phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. Therefore, in addition to devices that do not typically have Internet connections (such as dishwashers, etc.), IoT networks may also be composed of a combination of "traditional" Internet-accessible devices (e.g., laptop or desktop computers, cellular phones, etc.).

[0031] The user equipment(s) 120 and / or the AP(s) 102 may also include, for example, mesh stations in a mesh network in accordance with one or more IEEE 802.11 standards and / or 3GPP standards.

[0032] Any of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and the APs 102 may be configured to communicate wirelessly or wired with each other via one or more communication networks 130 and / or 135. The user devices 120 may also communicate with each other peer-to-peer or directly with or without the APs 102. Any of the communication networks 130 and / or 135 may include, but are not limited to, any of a combination of different types of suitable communication networks, such as, for example, a broadcast network, a wired network, a public network (e.g., the Internet), a private network, a wireless network, a cellular network, or any other suitable private and / or public network. In addition, any of the communication networks 130 and / or 135 may have any suitable communication range associated therewith, and may 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, either of the communication networks 130 and / or 135 may include any type of medium that can carry network traffic, including but not limited to coaxial cable, twisted pair, optical fiber, hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) medium, microwave ground transceivers, radio frequency communication medium, white space communication medium, ultra-high frequency communication medium, satellite communication medium, or any combination thereof.

[0033] Any of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and the APs 102 (multiple) 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 the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, and 128) and the APs 102 (multiple). Some non-limiting examples of suitable communication antennas include Wi-Fi antennas, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard compliant antenna families, directional antennas, non-directional antennas, dipole antennas, folded dipole antennas, patch antennas, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, omnidirectional antennas, quasi-omnidirectional antennas, and the like. The one or more communication antennas may be communicatively coupled to a radio component to transmit and / or receive signals, such as communication signals, to and / or from the user devices 120 and / or the APs 102.

[0034] Any of the (multiple) user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and (multiple) APs 102 can be configured to perform directional transmission and / or directional reception in conjunction with wireless communications in a wireless network. Any of the (multiple) user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and (multiple) APs 102 can be configured to use a set of multiple antenna arrays (e.g., DMG antenna arrays, etc.) to perform such directional transmission and / or reception. Each of the multiple antenna arrays can be used for transmission and / or reception in a specific corresponding direction or range of directions. Any of the (multiple) user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and (multiple) APs 102 can be configured to perform any given directional transmission toward one or more defined transmission sectors. Any of the user equipment(s) 120 (eg, user equipment 124, 126, 128) and AP(s) 102 may be configured to perform any given directional reception from one or more defined reception sectors.

[0035] MIMO beamforming in a wireless network can be implemented using RF beamforming and / or digital beamforming. In some embodiments, when performing a given MIMO transmission, user equipment 120 and / or (multiple) APs 102 can be configured to use all or a subset of one or more of their communication antennas to perform MIMO beamforming.

[0036] Any of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and the AP(s) 102 may include any suitable radios and / or transceivers for transmitting and / or receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in a bandwidth and / or channel corresponding to the communication protocol utilized by the user device(s) 120 and the AP(s) 102 to communicate with each other. The radio may include hardware and / or software to modulate and / or demodulate communication signals according to a pre-established transmission protocol. The radio may further have hardware and / or software instructions to communicate via one or more Wi-Fi and / or Wi-Fi Direct protocols standardized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard. In certain example embodiments, the radio component cooperates with the communication antenna and can be configured to communicate via a 2.4 GHz channel (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ax), a 5 GHz channel (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, etc.), a 6 GHz channel (e.g., 802.11ax, 802.11be, etc.), or a 60 GHZ channel (e.g., 802.11ad, 802.11ay), an 800 MHz channel (e.g., 802.11ah). The communication antenna can operate at 28 GHz and 40 GHz. It should be understood that this 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 may 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), white band frequencies (e.g., whitespaces), or other packet radio communications. The radio component may include any known receiver and baseband suitable for communicating via a communication protocol. The radio component may also include a low noise amplifier (LNA), an additional signal amplifier, an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter, one or more buffers, and a digital baseband.

[0037] In one embodiment, and with reference to Figure 1, the user equipment 120 may communicate with one or more APs 102. For example, the one or more APs 102 may implement EMLSR 142 with the one or more user equipment 120. The one or more APs 102 may be a multi-link device (MLD), and the one or more user equipment 120 may be a non-AP MLD. Each of the one or more APs 102 may include a plurality of separate APs (e.g., AP1, AP2, ..., APn, where n is an integer), and each of the one or more user equipment 120 may include a plurality of separate STAs (e.g., STA1, STA2, ..., STAn). The AP MLD and the non-AP MLD may establish one or more links (e.g., Link1, Link2, ..., Linkn) between each of the separate APs and STAs. It should be understood that the above description is for illustrative purposes and is not meant to be limiting.

[0038] Figures 2 to 7 Depicted is a schematic diagram of an EMLSR according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system may facilitate that the AP MLD may operate in EMLSR mode on a link pair that does not support simultaneous transmit-receive (STR).

[0040] In one or more embodiments, the AP MLD listens on the link pair (EMLSR links). When an AP MLD or non-AP MLD initiates a TXOP on one of the EMLSR links, it starts with an initial control frame. Initial control frame: Multi-User Request to Send (MU-RTS) trigger frame (with MAC padding), non-HT PPDU, <= 24Mbps.

[0041] The initial control frame may include the duration of the EMLSR operation on the link (EMLSR SP). If the other link is busy, the EMLSR SP may be set to the duration of the network allocation vector (NAV) of the link. During the EMLSR service period (SP), other associated STAs may utilize another link for, for example, P2P; the AP MLD may indicate in the initial control frame which P2P STAs may use another link for P2P during the EMLSR SP. Other (multiple) non-AP MLDs know when the AP MLD returns to listening by receiving the initial control frame and the response. In one embodiment, the initial control frame sent from the EMLSR AP MLD on link 1 indicates that all associated STAs are to switch to the link and are ready to receive frames from the AP MLD on the link without any previous initial control frame explicitly sent for the STA. That is, the initial control frame provides broadcast signaling of the switch to all associated STAs to some extent, not just the STAs addressed in the user information of the MU-RTS or BSRP TF. This also provides power saving advantages. If the AP MLD has a legacy STA-1 (e.g., a wifi-6 STA) associated with it on one of the links (e.g., link 1), the EMLSR APMLD may choose not to respond to the initial control frame sent by another STA on link 2 if doing so would interrupt an ongoing or planned frame exchange to / from STA-1.

[0042] During the frame exchange on one link, if the EMLSR SP is not equal to the NAV of the other link, the other link is blind. At the end of the EMLSR SP on the other blind link, the AP and STA on the link follow the medium access recovery process. In one embodiment, the AP and STA on the link may follow the medium access recovery process defined for 11be EMLSR non-AP STAs. In one embodiment, during medium access recovery, the AP and / or STA may attempt to request a frame from a STA on another link that is synchronized with the link (e.g., send an RTS to request a CTS) to regain synchronization on the link. This may be an associated STA that is not switched on the link, or an unassociated STA (e.g., a basic STR AP). Another non-AP MLD that is synchronized to the medium may initiate a TXOP on the link at the end of the EMLSR SP (the other non-AP MLD receives the initial control frame and knows when the EMLSR operation will end). This enables the AP and STA that are blind on the link to resynchronize to the medium (link).

[0043] Figures 2 to 7 The example in shows the EMLSR operation at a (mobile) AP MLD:

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, AP1 initiates a TXOP on any available link (Link 1 in this example), AP2 and STA2 are blind on Link 2, and perform medium access recovery after returning to the listening operation after a transition delay (TD) time.

[0045] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system may encounter a situation where both links are available. The AP MLD chooses to utilize Link 1 and performs a frame exchange sequence for a set duration. The system does not face any restrictions on Link 2 and is therefore able to implement unrestricted frame exchanges. For example, the AP MLD performs frame exchanges for a defined duration and transitions back to listening operation upon completion.

[0046] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system may need to address potential "blind" spots when the AP MLD and STA revert to listening operations. Since they may not be aware of any activity going on on the other link during their transmission, the system introduces a medium synchronization (medium synchronization) recovery procedure to address this problem. For example, the recovery procedure may involve waiting for a certain period of time (e.g., a few milliseconds) before attempting to transmit a frame to determine that the medium is idle. Alternatively, the AP MLD or STA may transmit a control frame or a test frame and wait for a response.

[0047] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system can utilize a medium synchronization recovery procedure to regain synchronization with the medium and ensure smooth continuation of operation. For example, through this process, the system can successfully recover from a "blind" period, thereby enhancing overall network efficiency and performance.

[0048] like Figure 3 As shown, AP2 decodes the frame from OBSS and sets NAV on Link 2. AP2 initiates TXOP on Link 1 for an EMLSR duration (EMLSR SP) equal to the NAV set on Link 1. At the end of the EMLSR SP, AP MLD returns to listening operation and does not need to perform medium synchronization recovery on both links.

[0049] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system may initiate a frame exchange and start a transmission opportunity (TXOP) via an initial control frame. The initial control frame is defined as a multi-user request to send (MU-RTS) frame trigger frame or a basic service set report poll (BSRP) trigger frame, indicating the start of a TXOP in an enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) operation. The control frame is subject to specific constraints consistent with 11Be, such as requiring transmission in a non-high throughput physical layer protocol data unit (HT-PPDU) format and at a data rate of less than 24 megabits per second. The system utilizes the term "initial control frame" to represent these control frames and uses the same definition as applied in Wi-Fi 11bn. For example, the initial control frame can be any type of control frame that conforms to the system specification.

[0050] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system may include an access point multi-link device (APMLD) that initiates the transmission. The AP MLD cannot transmit and receive simultaneously (STR), which means that it cannot transmit while receiving. If a scenario occurs where a selected link (e.g., link 2) is occupied by an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) transmission, the AP MLD will switch to another available link (e.g., link 1) for transmission. For example, the transmission begins with a MU-RTS frame and sets a predefined time period for the EMLSR duration or service period during which frame exchange occurs.

[0051] In one or more embodiments, the EMLSR system can determine the duration of the EMLSR based on the network allocation vector (NAV) on the occupied link (Link 2 in this scenario). If the AP MLD can decode the frame that starts or occupies Link 2, it can access the NAV information of the frame to determine how long these frame exchanges will last. Therefore, the AP sets the EMLSR duration to be the same as or shorter than the NAV set in Link 2. Once the EMLSR duration ends, the system switches back to listening operation at the end of the NAV or EMLSR time.

[0052] For example, while AP1 and station 1 (STA 1) are exchanging frames, they may not be aware of activity on link 2. However, since the frames on link 2 indicate that frame exchange will continue until the NAV duration, the AP MLD and non-AP MLD remain synchronized with the medium even though they have not received any frames on link 2.

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, AP MLD chooses not to use the idle link 1, but decides to use link 2 when link 2 becomes idle.

[0054] like Figure 5As shown, AP MLD decides to use Link 1 for the fixed EMLSR duration because Link 2 is busy and it is unknown how long the busy state will last. At the end of the EMLSR duration, AP1 can continue to use Link 1 to access the medium because it is still synchronized with the medium, or perform medium synchronization recovery on Link 2.

[0055] like Figure 6 As shown, at the end of the EMLSR duration, when another non-AP MLD (non-AP MLD 2) initiates a TXOP (because it has been synchronized to the medium), AP2 and STA2 can resynchronize to the medium without going through the medium access recovery process.

[0056] like Figure 7 As shown, during the EMLSR duration on one link used as AP MLD and non-AP MLD, the APMLD is not available for communication with the other non-AP MLD. Therefore, during the EMLSR duration, the other link can be used for P2P. This makes better use of the two links that cannot be operated at the AP MLD at the same time.

[0057] It should be understood that the above description is for illustration purposes only, and is not intended to be limiting.

[0058] Figure 8 A flow chart is shown of an illustrative process 800 of an EMLSR system in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0059] At block 802, a device (e.g., Figure 1 (multiple) user equipment 120 and / or AP 102 and / or Fig.10 The EMLSR device 1019) can initiate a frame exchange using an initial control frame with constraints on the transmission format and data rate, thereby starting a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in an enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) operation.

[0060] At block 804, the device may select a communication link from a plurality of available links based on link availability and / or out-of-band station (OBSS) transmission status.

[0061] At block 806, the device may define a predetermined time period for the EMLSR service and manage frame exchanges during the time period.

[0062] At block 808, once the scheduled EMLSR service period is complete, the device may transition to listening operation.

[0063] The device may have an initial control frame configured as a MU-RTS frame or a BSRP trigger frame. The device may also be designed to set the time period of EMLSR service to be equal to or shorter than the NAV associated with another communication link. After EMLSR service, if the EMLSR service period has been completed, the device may switch back to listening operation at the end of the NAV duration.

[0064] In addition, the device can restore synchronization with the communication medium after switching back to listening operation. To restore synchronization with the communication medium, the device can wait for a predetermined period of time or transmit a control or test frame. The device can also have the ability to prioritize communication links based on the availability of the communication links and / or the OBSS transmission status.

[0065] To further enhance its performance, devices can manage frame exchanges without being aware of activity on other links during EMLSR service periods. Finally, during EMLSR service periods, devices can transmit initial control frames using a non-HT PPDU format with a data rate below a certain threshold. This comprehensive combination of features enables devices to effectively manage communications and synchronization under a variety of networking conditions.

[0066] It should be understood that the above description is for illustration purposes only, and is not intended to be limiting.

[0067] Fig. 9 900 according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 1 shows a functional block diagram of a communication station according to some embodiments, which may be suitable for use as an AP 102 ( Figure 1 ) or user equipment 120( Figure 1 The communication station 900 may also be suitable for use as a handheld device, a mobile device, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a netbook, a wireless terminal, a laptop computer, a wearable computer device, a femtocell, a high data rate (HDR) subscriber station, an access point, an access terminal, or other personal communication system (PCS) device.

[0068] The communication station 900 may include a communication circuit system 902 and a transceiver 910 for transmitting signals to other communication stations and receiving signals from other communication stations using one or more antennas 901. The communication circuit system 902 may include a circuit system that can operate to control physical layer (PHY) communication and / or medium access control (MAC) communication for access to a wireless medium, and / or any other communication layer for transmitting and receiving signals. The communication station 900 may also include a processing circuit system 906 and a memory 908 arranged to perform the operations described herein. In some embodiments, the communication circuit system 902 and the processing circuit system 906 may be configured to perform the operations described in detail in the above figures, diagrams, and processes.

[0069] According to some embodiments, the communication circuit system 902 may be arranged to compete for a wireless medium and configure a frame or packet for communication on the wireless medium. The communication circuit system 902 may be arranged to send and receive signals. The communication circuit system 902 may also include circuit systems for modulation / demodulation, up-conversion / down-conversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some embodiments, the processing circuit system 906 of the communication station 900 may include one or more processors. In other embodiments, two or more antennas 901 may be coupled to the communication circuit system 902 arranged to send and receive signals. The memory 908 may store information for configuring the processing circuit system 906 to perform operations for configuring and transmitting message frames and performing various operations described herein. The memory 908 may include any type of memory, including non-temporary memory, for storing information in a machine (e.g., computer) readable form, for example, the memory 908 may include a computer-readable storage device, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a disk storage medium, an optical storage medium, a flash memory device, and other storage devices and media.

[0070] In some embodiments, the communication station 900 can 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 web tablet, a wireless telephone, a smart phone, 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 another device that can wirelessly receive and / or transmit information.

[0071] In some embodiments, the communication station 900 may include one or more antennas 901. 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 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 different channel characteristics that may occur between each of the antennas and the antennas of the transmission station.

[0072] In some embodiments, the communication station 900 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 elements. The display may be an LCD screen including a touch screen.

[0073] Although the communication station 900 is shown as having several separate functional elements, two or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by a combination of software-configured elements, such as a processing element including a digital signal processor (DSP), and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), and a combination of various hardware and logic circuit systems to perform at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements of the communication station 900 may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0074] Certain 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, which may 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 (e.g., computer) readable form. For example, a computer-readable storage device may include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a disk storage medium, an optical storage medium, a flash memory device, and other storage devices and media. In some embodiments, the communication station 900 may include one or more processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device.

[0075] Fig.10A block diagram of an example of a machine 1000 or system is shown, on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods) discussed herein can be performed. In other embodiments, the machine 1000 can operate as a standalone device, or can be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 1000 can operate in a server-client network environment as a server machine, a client machine, or both. In an example, the machine 1000 can act as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The machine 1000 can be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a wearable computer device, a network appliance, a network router, a switch or a bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequentially or otherwise) specifying the actions to be taken by the machine, such as a base station. In addition, although only a single machine is shown, the term "machine" should also be deemed to include any collection of machines that execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions individually or jointly to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS) or other computer cluster configurations.

[0076] As described herein, examples may include logic or multiple components, modules or mechanisms or may operate on them. A module is a tangible entity (e.g., hardware) that can perform a specified operation when in operation. A module includes hardware. In an example, the hardware may be specifically configured to perform a specific operation (e.g., hard wiring). In another example, the hardware may include a configurable execution unit (e.g., a transistor, a circuit, etc.) and a computer-readable medium containing instructions, wherein the instructions configure the execution unit to perform a specific operation when in operation. The configuration may be performed under the guidance of the execution unit or a loading mechanism. Therefore, when the device is in operation, the execution unit is communicatively coupled to the computer-readable medium. In this example, the execution unit may be a member of more than one module. For example, under operation, the execution unit 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.

[0077] The machine (e.g., computer system) 1000 may include a hardware processor 1002 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 1004, and a static memory 1006, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnect (e.g., a bus) 1008. The machine 1000 may also include a power management device 1032, a graphics display device 1010, an alphanumeric input device 1012 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 1014 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the graphics display device 1010, the alphanumeric input device 1012, and the UI navigation device 1014 may be a touch screen display. The machine 1000 may additionally include a storage device (i.e., a drive unit) 1016, a signal generating device 1018 (e.g., a speaker), an EMLSR device 1019, a network interface device / transceiver 1020 coupled to (multiple) antennas 1030, and one or more sensors 1028, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensors. The machine 1000 may include an output controller 1034, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., printer, card reader, etc.). Operations according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed by a baseband processor. The baseband processor may be configured to generate corresponding baseband signals. The baseband processor may also include a physical layer (PHY) and a media access control layer (MAC) circuit system, and may further interface with the hardware processor 1002 for generating and processing baseband signals and for controlling the operation of the main memory 1004, the storage device 1016 and / or the EMLSR device 1019. The baseband processor may be provided on a single radio card, a single chip or an integrated circuit (IC).

[0078] The storage device 1016 may include a machine-readable medium 1022 having stored thereon one or more sets of data structures or instructions 1024 (e.g., software) that embody or are utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functionality described herein. The instructions 1024 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 1004, within the static memory 1006, or within the hardware processor 1002 during execution of the instructions 1024 by the machine 1000. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 1002, the main memory 1004, the static memory 1006, or the storage device 1016 may constitute a machine-readable medium.

[0079] The EMLSR device 1019 may perform or execute any of the operations and processes described and illustrated above (eg, process 800 ).

[0080] It should be understood that the above is merely a subset of the functions that the EMLSR device 1019 may be configured to perform, and other functions included throughout the present disclosure may also be performed by the EMLSR device 1019 .

[0081] Although the machine-readable medium 1022 is illustrated as a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (eg, a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 1024 .

[0082] Various embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in software and / or firmware. The software and / or firmware may take the form of instructions contained in or on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Those instructions may then be read and executed by one or more processors to enable the operations described herein to be performed. The instructions may be in any suitable form, such as, but not limited to, source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, etc. Such computer-readable media may include any tangible, non-transitory media for storing information in one or more computer-readable forms, such as, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory, etc.

[0083] The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 1000 and causing the machine 1000 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting examples of machine-readable media may include solid-state memory and optical and magnetic media. In an example, a large number of machine-readable media include machine-readable media with multiple particles having a rest mass. Specific examples of a large number of machine-readable media may 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; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0084] The instructions 1024 may further be transmitted or received over a communication network 1026 using a transmission medium via the network interface device / transceiver 1020 using any of a number 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 a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), a mobile telephone network (e.g., a cellular network), a plain old telephone (POTS) network, a wireless data network (e.g., the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series of standards known as The IEEE 802.16 series of standards is called ), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others. In an example, the network interface device / transceiver 1020 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communication network 1026. In an example, the network interface device / transceiver 1020 may include multiple antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) technology. The term "transmission medium" shall be deemed to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 1000, and includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media to facilitate the communication of such software.

[0085] The operations and processes described and shown above can be implemented or performed in any suitable order desired in various implementations. In addition, in some embodiments, at least a portion of the operations can be performed in parallel. In addition, in some embodiments, less than or more than the described operations can be performed.

[0086] Fig.11 is a block diagram of a radio architecture 105A, 105B according to some embodiments, which may be in Figure 1 The example AP 102 and / or example STA 120 of the present invention are implemented in any one of the examples. The radio architecture 105A, 105B may include a radio front end module (FEM) circuit system 1104a-b, a radio IC circuit system 1106a-b, and a baseband processing circuit system 1108a-b. As shown, the radio architecture 105A, 105B includes both a wireless local area network (WLAN) function and a Bluetooth (BT) function, although the embodiments are not limited thereto. In the present disclosure, "WLAN" and "Wi-Fi" may be used interchangeably.

[0087] The FEM circuitry 1104a-b may include a WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuitry 1104a and a Bluetooth (BT) FEM circuitry 1104b. The WLAN FEM circuitry 1104a may include a receive signal path including circuitry configured to operate on WLAN RF signals received from one or more antennas 1101 to amplify the received signals and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the WLAN radio IC circuitry 1106a for further processing. The BT FEM circuitry 1104b may include a receive signal path including circuitry configured to operate on BT RF signals received from one or more antennas 1101 to amplify the received signals and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the BT radio IC circuitry 1106b for further processing. The FEM circuitry 1104a may also include a transmit signal path including circuitry configured to amplify WLAN signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 1106a for wireless transmission by one or more of the antennas 1101. Additionally, the FEM circuitry 1104b may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify BT signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 1106b for wireless transmission by one or more antennas. Fig.11 In the embodiment of the present invention, although FEM 1104a and FEM 1104b are shown as being different from each other, the embodiments are not limited thereto and include within their scope the use of a FEM (not shown) that includes transmit paths and / or receive paths for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more FEM circuit systems, wherein at least some of the FEM circuit systems share transmit and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0088] The radio IC circuitry 1106a-b as shown may include a WLAN radio IC circuitry 1106a and a BT radio IC circuitry 1106b. The WLAN radio IC circuitry 1106a may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry to down-convert WLAN RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 1104a and provide a baseband signal to the WLAN baseband processing circuitry 1108a. The BT radio IC circuitry 1106b may in turn include a receive signal path that may include circuitry to down-convert BT RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 1104b and provide a baseband signal to the BT baseband processing circuitry 1108b. The WLAN radio IC circuitry 1106a may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry to up-convert WLAN baseband signals provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuitry 1108a and provide a WLAN RF output signal to the FEM circuitry 1104a for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 1101. The BT radio IC circuitry 1106b may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry to up-convert the BT baseband signal provided by the BT baseband processing circuitry 1108b and provide a BT RF output signal to the FEM circuitry 1104b for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 1101. Fig.11 In the embodiments, although the radio IC circuit systems 1106a and 1106b are shown as being different from each other, the embodiments are not limited to this and include within their scope the use of a radio IC circuit system (not shown) that includes a transmit signal path and / or receive signal path for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more radio IC circuit systems wherein at least some of the radio IC circuit systems share transmit and / or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0089] The baseband processing circuit systems 1108a-b may include WLAN baseband processing circuit systems 1108a and BT baseband processing circuit systems 1108b. The WLAN baseband processing circuit system 1108a may include a memory, such as, for example, a set of RAM arrays in a fast Fourier transform or inverse fast Fourier transform block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing circuit system 1108a. Each of the WLAN baseband circuit system 1108a and the BT baseband circuit system 1108b may also 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 system 1106a-b, and also generate corresponding WLAN or BT baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit system 1106a-b. Each of the baseband processing circuit systems 1108a and 1108b may also include physical layer (PHY) and medium access control layer (MAC) circuit systems, and may further interface with devices for generating and processing baseband signals and for controlling the operation of the radio IC circuit system 1106a-b.

[0090] Still reference Fig.11 According to the illustrated embodiment, the WLAN-BT coexistence circuit system 1113 may include logic for providing an interface between the WLAN baseband circuit system 1108a and the BT baseband circuit system 1108b to implement use cases requiring WLAN and BT coexistence. In addition, a switch 1103 may be provided between the WLAN FEM circuit system 1104a and the BT FEM circuit system 1104b to allow switching between the WLAN and BT radios as required by the application. In addition, although the antenna 1101 is depicted as being connected to the WLAN FEM circuit system 1104a and the BT FEM circuit system 1104b, respectively, embodiments include within their scope sharing one or more antennas between the WLAN and BT FEMs, or providing more than one antenna connected to each of the FEMs 1104a or 1104b.

[0091] In some embodiments, the front end module circuitry 1104a-b, the radio IC circuitry 1106a-b, and the baseband processing circuitry 1108a-b may be provided on a single radio card, such as the wireless radio card 1102. In some other embodiments, one or more antennas 1101, the FEM circuitry 1104a-b, and the radio IC circuitry 1106a-b may be provided on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuitry 1106a-b and the baseband processing circuitry 1108a-b may be provided on a single chip or integrated circuit system (IC), such as the IC 1112.

[0092] In some embodiments, wireless radio card 1102 may include a WLAN radio card and may be configured for Wi-Fi communications, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some of these embodiments, radio architecture 105A, 105B may be configured to receive and transmit orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication signals over a multi-carrier communication channel. OFDM or OFDMA signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0093] In some of these multi-carrier embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may be part of a Wi-Fi communication station (STA), such as a wireless access point (AP), a base station, or a mobile device including a Wi-Fi device. In some of these embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may be configured to transmit and receive signals according to a specific communication standard and / or protocol, such as any of the standards of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), including 802.11n-2009, IEEE802.11-2012, IEEE 802.11-2016, 802.11n-2009, 802.11ac, 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay and / or 802.11ax standards and / or proposed specifications for WLANs, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this regard. The radio architecture 105A, 105B may also be adapted to send and / or receive communications according to other technologies and standards.

[0094] In some embodiments, the radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured for high-efficiency Wi-Fi (HEW) communications in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard. In these embodiments, the radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured for communications in accordance with OFDMA technology, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0095] In some other embodiments, the radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured to transmit and receive signals transmitted 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, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0096] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As further shown, the BT baseband circuitry 1108b may conform to a Bluetooth (BT) connectivity standard, such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth 8.0, or Bluetooth 6.0, or any other iteration of the Bluetooth standard.

[0097] In some embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may include other radio cards, such as a cellular radio card configured for cellular (e.g., 5GPP such as LTE, LTE Advanced, or 7G communications).

[0098] In some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, the radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured to communicate over a variety of channel bandwidths, including bandwidths with center frequencies of about 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and bandwidths of about 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 5 MHz, 5.5 MHz, 6 MHz, 8 MHz, 10 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz (with continuous bandwidth) or 80+80 MHz (160 MHz) (with non-continuous bandwidth). In some embodiments, a 920 MHz channel bandwidth may be used. However, the scope of the embodiments is not limited to the above center frequencies.

[0099] Fig.12 WLAN FEM circuitry 1104a is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Fig.12 The example is described in conjunction with the WLAN FEM circuit system 1104a, but Fig.12 The example can be combined with the example BT FEM circuit system 1104b ( Fig.11 ) is described, although other circuit system configurations may also be suitable.

[0100] In some embodiments, FEM circuitry 1104a may include a TX / RX switch 1202 to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. FEM circuitry 1104a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuitry 1104a may include a low noise amplifier (LNA) 1206 to amplify received RF signal 1203 and provide an amplified received RF signal 1207 as an output (e.g., to radio IC circuitry 1106a-b ( Fig.11 )). The transmit signal path of the circuit system 1104a may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify an incoming RF signal 1209 (e.g., provided by the radio IC circuit systems 1106a-b), and one or more filters 1212, such as a bandpass filter (BPF), a lowpass filter (LPF), or other type of filter, to generate an RF signal 1215 for subsequent transmission via an example duplexer 1214 (e.g., by one or more of the antennas 1101 ( Fig.11 )).

[0101] In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communications, the FEM circuitry 1104a may be configured to operate in either the 2.4 GHz spectrum or the 5 GHz spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 1104a may include a receive signal path duplexer 1204 to separate the signals from each spectrum, and provide a separate LNA 1206 for each spectrum, as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 1104a may also include a power amplifier 1210 and a filter 1212, such as a BPF, LPF, or another type of filter for each spectrum, and a transmit signal path duplexer 1204 to provide a signal from one of the different spectrums onto a single transmit path for subsequent transmission by one or more of the antennas 1101 ( Fig.11 ) transmission. In some embodiments, BT communications may utilize a 2.4 GHz signal path and may utilize the same FEM circuitry 1104a as used for WLAN communications.

[0102] Fig.13 1 shows a radio IC circuit system 1106a according to some embodiments. The radio IC circuit system 1106a is suitable for use as a WLAN or BT radio IC circuit system 1106a / 1106b ( Fig.11 ) is an example of a circuit system, although other circuit system configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, Fig.13 Examples of may be described in conjunction with example BT radio IC circuitry 1106b.

[0103] In some embodiments, the radio IC circuit system 1106a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the radio IC circuit system 1106a may include at least a mixer circuit system 1302, such as, for example, a down-conversion mixer circuit system, an amplifier circuit system 1306, and a filter circuit system 1308. The transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit system 1106a may include at least a filter circuit system 1312 and a mixer circuit system 1314, such as, for example, an up-conversion mixer circuit system. The radio IC circuit system 1106a may also include a synthesizer circuit system 1304 for synthesizing a frequency 1305 for use by the mixer circuit system 1302 and the mixer circuit system 1314. According to some embodiments, the mixer circuit system 1302 and / or 1314 may each be configured to provide a direct conversion function. Compared to the standard superheterodyne mixer circuit system, the latter type of circuit system presents a much simpler architecture, and any flicker noise introduced therefrom may be mitigated, for example, by using OFDM modulation. Fig.13Only a simplified version of the radio IC circuitry is shown, and although not shown, embodiments may be included in which each of the depicted circuitry may include more than one component. For example, mixer circuitry 1314 may each include one or more mixers, and filter circuitry 1308 and / or 1312 may each include one or more filters, such as one or more BPFs and / or LPFs, as required by the application. For example, when the mixer circuitry is of a direct conversion type, they may each include two or more mixers.

[0104] In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1302 may be configured to synthesize the synthesized frequency 1305 provided by synthesizer circuitry 1304 to generate a signal from FEM circuitry 1104a-b. Fig.11 ) down-converts the received RF signal 1207. Amplifier circuitry 1306 may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuitry 1308 may include an LPF configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate output baseband signal 1307. Output baseband signal 1307 may be provided to baseband processing circuitry 1108a-b ( Fig.11 ) for further processing. In some embodiments, output baseband signal 1307 may be a zero frequency baseband signal, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1302 may include a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0105] In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1314 may be configured to up-convert input baseband signal 1311 based on synthesized frequency 1305 provided by synthesizer circuitry 1304 to generate RF output signal 1209 for FEM circuitry 1104a-b. Baseband signal 1311 may be provided by baseband processing circuitry 1108a-b and may be filtered by filter circuitry 1312. Filter circuitry 1312 may include an LPF or a BPF, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0106] In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1302 and mixer circuitry 1314 may each include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and / or up-conversion, respectively, with the aid of synthesizer 1304. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1302 and mixer circuitry 1314 may each include two or more mixers, each mixer being configured for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1302 and mixer circuitry 1314 may each be arranged for direct down-conversion and / or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1302 and mixer circuitry 1314 may be configured for superheterodyne operation, although this is not a requirement.

[0107] According to one embodiment, mixer circuitry 1302 may include: quadrature passive mixers (e.g., for in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) paths). In such an embodiment, the Fig.13 The RF input signal 1207 may be downconverted to provide I and Q baseband output signals to be sent to a baseband processor.

[0108] The quadrature passive mixers may be driven by zero and ninety degree time varying LO switching signals provided by quadrature circuitry, which may be configured to receive an LO frequency (fLO) from a local oscillator or synthesizer, such as LO frequency 1305 (fLO) of synthesizer 1304. Fig.13 ). In some embodiments, the LO frequency may be the carrier frequency, while in other embodiments, the LO frequency may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half the carrier frequency, one-third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the zero-degree and ninety-degree time-varying switching signals may be generated by a synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0109] In some embodiments, the LO signal can vary in duty cycle (the percentage of a period in which the LO signal is high) and / or offset (the difference between the start points of the periods). In some embodiments, the LO signal can have an 85% duty cycle and an 80% offset. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuitry (e.g., the in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) paths) can operate at an 80% duty cycle, which can result in a significant reduction in power consumption.

[0110] RF input signal 1207 ( Fig.12 ) may include balanced signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The I and Q baseband output signals may be provided to a low noise amplifier, such as amplifier circuitry 1306 ( Fig.13 ) or filter circuit system 1308 ( Fig.13 ).

[0111] In some embodiments, output baseband signal 1307 and input baseband signal 1311 may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, output baseband signal 1307 and input baseband signal 1311 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.

[0112] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, or for other spectrums not mentioned herein, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0113] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 1304 may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 1304 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 circuitry 1304 may include digital synthesizer circuitry. An advantage of using digital synthesizer circuitry is that, although it may still include some analog components, its footprint may be much reduced than that of analog synthesizer circuitry. In some embodiments, the frequency input to synthesizer circuitry 1304 may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not a requirement. The divider control input may be further controlled by baseband processing circuitry 1108a-b ( Fig.11 ) is provided, depending on the desired output frequency 1305. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) can be determined from a lookup table (e.g., within a Wi-Fi card) based on the channel number and channel center frequency determined or indicated by the example application processor 1110. The application processor 1110 can include or otherwise be connected 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).

[0114] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit system 1304 can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as output frequency 1305, while in other embodiments, output frequency 1305 can be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half of the carrier frequency, one-third of the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, output frequency 1305 can be an LO frequency (fLO).

[0115] Fig.141 shows a functional block diagram of baseband processing circuit system 1108a according to some embodiments. Baseband processing circuit system 1108a is a circuit that can be suitable for use as baseband processing circuit system 1108a ( Fig.11 ) is an example of a circuit system, although other circuit system configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, Fig.13 The example can be used to implement Fig.11 Example BT baseband processing circuit system 1108b.

[0116] Baseband processing circuitry 1108a may include circuitry for processing the baseband information received from radio IC circuitry 1106a-b. Fig.11 ) and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 1404 for generating a transmit baseband signal 1311 for the radio IC circuit systems 1106a-b. The baseband processing circuit system 1108a may also include control logic 1406 for coordinating the operation of the baseband processing circuit system 1108a.

[0117] In some embodiments (e.g., when analog baseband signals are exchanged between baseband processing circuitry 1108a-b and radio IC circuitry 1106a-b), baseband processing circuitry 1108a may include ADC 1410 to convert analog baseband signals 1409 received from radio IC circuitry 1106a-b into digital baseband signals for processing by RX BBP 1402. In these embodiments, baseband processing circuitry 1108a may also include DAC 1412 to convert digital baseband signals from TX BBP 1404 into analog baseband signals 1411.

[0118] In some embodiments where OFDM signals or OFDMA signals are transmitted, such as by baseband processor 1108a, transmit baseband processor 1404 may be configured to generate an OFDM or OFDMA signal suitable for transmission by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). Receive baseband processor 1402 may be configured to process the received OFDM or OFDMA signal by performing an FFT. In some embodiments, receive baseband processor 1402 may be configured to detect the presence of an OFDM or OFDMA signal by performing an autocorrelation to detect a preamble, such as a short preamble, and by performing a cross-correlation to detect a long preamble. The preamble may be part of a predetermined frame structure for Wi-Fi communications.

[0119] Come back for reference Fig.11 In some embodiments, antenna 1101 ( Fig.11) can each include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for transmitting RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas can be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result. Antennas 1101 can each include a set of phased array antennas, although embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0120] Although the radio architecture 105A, 105B is shown as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by a combination of software-configured elements, such as a processing element including a digital signal processor (DSP), and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuit systems (ASICs), radio frequency integrated circuit systems (RFICs), and combinations of various hardware and logic circuit systems to perform at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, a functional element may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0121] The word "exemplary" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration". Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The terms "computing device", "user device", "communication station", "station", "handheld device", "mobile device", "wireless device" and "user equipment" (UE) as used herein refer to a wireless communication device such as a cellular phone, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a netbook, a wireless terminal, a laptop computer, a femtocell, a high data rate (HDR) subscriber station, an access point, a printer, a point of sale device, an access terminal or other personal communication system (PCS) device. The device may be mobile or stationary.

[0122] The term "transmit" as used within this document is intended to include sending, or receiving, or both sending and receiving. This may be particularly useful in a claim when describing the organization of data sent by one device and received by another device, but requiring only the functionality of one of those devices infringes the claim. Similarly, a two-way data exchange between two devices (both devices transmit and receive during the exchange) can be described as "transmitting", where only the functionality of one of those devices is required. The term "transmitting" as used herein in connection with wireless communication signals includes sending wireless communication signals and / or receiving wireless communication signals. For example, a wireless communication unit capable of sending wireless communication signals may include a wireless transmitter to send wireless communication signals to at least one other wireless communication unit, and / or a wireless communication receiver to receive wireless communication signals from at least one other wireless communication unit.

[0123] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of ordinal adjectives "first," "second," "third," etc. to describe common objects indicates only that different instances of similar objects are mentioned and is not intended to mean that the objects so described must be in a given sequence in time, space, ranking, or in any other manner.

[0124] As used herein, the term "access point" (AP) may be a fixed station. An access point may also be referred to as an access node, a base station, an evolved Node B (eNodeB), or some other similar terms known in the art. An access terminal may also be referred to as a mobile station, a user equipment (UE), a wireless communication device, or some other similar terms known in the art. Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to wireless networks. Some embodiments may relate to a wireless network operating in accordance with one of the IEEE 802.11 standards.

[0125] Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with various 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, vehicle-mounted devices, non-vehicle-mounted devices, hybrid devices, vehicle devices, non-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 area networks, wireless video area networks (WVANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless LANs (WLANs), personal area networks (PANs), wireless PANs (WPANs), and the like.

[0126] Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with: one-way and / or two-way radio communication systems, cellular radio-telephone communication systems, mobile phones, cellular phones, wireless phones, personal communication system (PCS) devices, PDA devices combined with wireless communication devices, mobile or portable global positioning system (GPS) devices, devices combined with GPS receivers or transceivers or chips, devices combined with 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 such as smart phones, wireless application protocol (WAP) devices, and the like.

[0127] Some embodiments may 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), 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, fifth generation (5G) mobile networks, 3GPP, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced, Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), etc. Other embodiments may be used for various other devices, systems and / or networks.

[0128] The following examples relate to further embodiments.

[0129] Example 1 may include an apparatus comprising a processing circuit system coupled to a storage, the processing circuit system being configured to: initiate a frame exchange using an initial control frame having constraints on a transmission format and a data rate, start a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in an enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) operation; select a communication link from a plurality of available links based on link availability and / or out-of-band station (OBSS) transmission status; define a predetermined time period for EMLSR service and manage frame exchanges within the time period; and transition to a listening operation once the predetermined EMLSR service period can be completed.

[0130] Example 2 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other example herein, wherein the initial control frame may be a MU-RTS frame or a BSRP trigger frame.

[0131] Example 3 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuit system may be further configured to set the time period of the EMLSR service to be equal to or shorter than a network allocation vector (NAV) associated with another communication link.

[0132] Example 4 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to transition back to a listening operation at the end of a NAV duration if the EMLSR service period has completed.

[0133] Example 5 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to restore synchronization with the communication medium after transitioning back to the listening operation.

[0134] Example 6 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to wait for a predetermined period of time or transmit a control or test frame to restore synchronization with the communication medium.

[0135] Example 7 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuit system may be further configured to prioritize the communication links based on availability and / or OBSS transmission status of the communication links.

[0136] Example 8 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to manage frame exchanges without knowledge of activity on other links during the EMLSR service period.

[0137] Example 9 may include the apparatus of Example 1 and / or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to transmit frames using a non-HT PPDU format having a data rate below a certain threshold during the EMLSR service period.

[0138] Example 10 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising: initiating a frame exchange using an initial control frame with constraints on a transmission format and a data rate, starting a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in an enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) operation; selecting a communication link from a plurality of available links based on link availability and / or out-of-band station (OBSS) transmission status; defining a predetermined time period for EMLSR service and managing frame exchanges within the time period; and transitioning to a listening operation once the predetermined EMLSR service period can be completed.

[0139] Example 11 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other example herein, wherein the initial control frame may be a MU-RTS frame or a BSRP trigger frame.

[0140] Example 12 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other example herein, wherein the operations further include setting the time period of the EMLSR service to be equal to or shorter than a network allocation vector (NAV) associated with another communication link.

[0141] Example 13 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other example herein, wherein the operations further comprise transitioning back to listening operations at the end of the NAV duration if the EMLSR service period has completed.

[0142] Example 14 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other example herein, wherein the operations further include resuming synchronization with the communication medium after transitioning back to the listening operation.

[0143] Example 15 may include the non-transitory computer readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other example herein, wherein the operations further include waiting a predetermined period of time or transmitting a control or test frame to restore synchronization with the communication medium.

[0144] Example 16 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other example herein, wherein the operations further comprise prioritizing the communication links based on availability and / or OBSS transmission status of the communication links.

[0145] Example 17 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other example herein, wherein the operations further comprise managing frame exchanges without knowledge of activity on other links during the EMLSR service period.

[0146] Example 18 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 10 and / or some other example herein, wherein the operations further include transmitting frames using a non-HTPPDU format having a data rate below a certain threshold during the EMLSR service period.

[0147] Example 19 may include a method comprising: initiating, by one or more processors, a frame exchange using an initial control frame having constraints regarding a transmission format and a data rate, starting a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in an enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) operation; selecting a communication link from a plurality of available links based on link availability and / or out-of-band station (OBSS) transmission status; defining a predetermined time period for EMLSR service and managing frame exchanges within the time period; and transitioning to a listening operation once the predetermined EMLSR service period can be completed.

[0148] Example 20 may include the method of Example 19 and / or some other example herein, wherein the initial control frame may be a MU-RTS frame or a BSRP trigger frame.

[0149] Example 21 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media that include instructions to cause an electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described or related to any of Examples 1 to 20, or any other method or process described herein, when the instructions are executed by one or more processors of the electronic device.

[0150] Example 22 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, and / or circuit systems to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0151] Example 23 may include a method, technique, or process as described or related to any one of Examples 1 to 20, or portions or parts thereof.

[0152] Example 24 may include a device comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the computer-readable media includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform methods, techniques, or processes described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 20 or portions thereof.

[0153] Example 25 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0154] Example 26 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0155] Example 27 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0156] Embodiments according to the present disclosure are particularly disclosed in the attached claims, which relate to a method, a storage medium, an apparatus, and a computer program product, wherein any feature mentioned in one claim category (e.g., a method) may also be claimed in another claim category (e.g., a system). Dependencies or back references in the attached claims are selected only for formal reasons. However, any subject matter resulting from intentional back reference to any previous claim (in particular, multiple dependencies) may also be claimed, so that any combination of the claims and their features is disclosed and may be claimed, regardless of the dependencies selected in the attached claims. The subject matter that may be claimed includes not only the combination of features described in the attached claims, but also any other combination of features in the claims, wherein each feature mentioned in the claims may be combined with any other feature or combination of other features in the claims. In addition, any of the embodiments and features described or depicted herein may be claimed in a separate claim, and / or in combination with any embodiment or feature described or depicted herein, or in any combination with any of the features of the attached claims.

[0157] The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, 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 light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the various embodiments.

[0158] Certain aspects of the present disclosure are described above with reference to block diagrams and flow charts of systems, methods, devices and / or computer program products according to various implementations. It should be understood that one or more blocks in the block diagrams and flow charts and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flow charts can be implemented by computer executable program instructions, respectively. Likewise, according to some implementations, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow charts may not necessarily need to be executed in the order presented, or may not necessarily need to be executed at all.

[0159] These computer executable program instructions can be loaded onto a special purpose computer or other specific machine, processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a specific machine, so that the instructions executed on the computer, processor or other programmable data processing device create a means for implementing one or more functions specified in one or more flowchart boxes. These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer readable storage medium or memory, which can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer readable storage medium produce a manufactured product including an instruction means for implementing one or more functions specified in one or more flowchart boxes. For example, some implementations can provide a computer program product, which includes a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program code or program instructions implemented therein, and the computer readable program code is suitable for being executed to implement one or more functions specified in one or more flowchart boxes. Computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device to perform a series of operating elements or steps on a computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on a computer or other programmable device provide elements or steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowchart boxes.

[0160] Therefore, the blocks of the block diagrams and flow charts support a combination of means for performing the specified functions, a combination of elements or steps for performing the specified functions, and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flow charts, and a combination of blocks in the block diagrams and flow charts, can be implemented by a dedicated, hardware-based computer system that performs the specified functions, elements or steps, or a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0161] Conditional language, particularly words such as "can," "could," "might," or "may," unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise understood within the context of use, is generally intended to convey that certain implementations may include, while other implementations do not include, certain features, elements, and / or operations. Thus, such conditional language is generally not intended to mean that features, elements, and / or operations are in any way required by one or more implementations, or that one or more implementations necessarily include logic for determining, with or without user input or prompting, that such features, elements, and / or operations are included or to be performed in any particular implementation.

[0162] Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forth herein will be apparent, having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. Therefore, it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the particular implementations disclosed, and modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used only in a general and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a processing circuit system coupled to a storage, the processing circuit system being configured to: Initiating a frame exchange using an initial control frame with constraints on transmission format and data rate, starting a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) operation; selecting a communication link from a plurality of available links based on link availability and / or out-of-band station (OBSS) transmission status; Defines the scheduled time period for EMLSR service and manages frame exchange within that time period; as well as Once the scheduled EMLSR service period is completed, it switches to listening operation. 2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the initial control frame is a MU-RTS frame or a BSRP trigger frame.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to set the time period of EMLSR service to be equal to or shorter than a network allocation vector (NAV) associated with another communication link. 4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: transition back to a listening operation at the end of a NAV duration if the EMLSR service period has completed. 5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to restore synchronization with a communications medium after transitioning back to the listening operation.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to wait for a predetermined period of time or transmit a control or test frame to restore synchronization with the communication medium.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to prioritize the communication links based on their availability and / or OBSS transmission status.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to manage frame exchanges without knowledge of activity on other links during the EMLSR service period.

9. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the processing circuit system is further configured to: transmit an initial control frame during the EMLSR service period using a non-HT PPDU format with a data rate below a certain threshold.

10. A wireless communication device storing computer executable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising: Initiating a frame exchange using an initial control frame with constraints on transmission format and data rate, starting a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) operation; selecting a communication link from a plurality of available links based on link availability and / or out-of-band station (OBSS) transmission status; Defines the scheduled time period for EMLSR service and manages frame exchange within that time period; as well as Once the scheduled EMLSR service period is completed, it switches to listening operation. The wireless communication device according to claim 10 , wherein the initial control frame is a MU-RTS frame or a BSRP trigger frame.

12. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise setting the time period of EMLSR service to be equal to or shorter than a network allocation vector (NAV) associated with another communication link.

13. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise: If the EMLSR service period has been completed, it switches back to listening operation at the end of the NAV duration.

14. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise: Synchronization with the communication medium is restored after switching back to the listening operation.

15. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise: Wait for a predetermined period of time or transmit a control or test frame to regain synchronization with the communications medium.

16. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise: The communication links are prioritized based on their availability and / or OBSS transmission status.

17. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise: Frame exchanges are managed without knowledge of activity on other links during the EMLSR service period.

18. The wireless communication apparatus according to any one of claims 10-17, wherein the operations further comprise: transmitting an initial control frame using a non-HT PPDU format having a data rate lower than a specific threshold during the EMLSR service period.

19. A method comprising: Initiating, by one or more processors, a frame exchange using an initial control frame with constraints on a transmission format and a data rate, starting a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in an enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) operation; selecting a communication link from a plurality of available links based on link availability and / or out-of-band station (OBSS) transmission status; Defines the scheduled time period for EMLSR service and manages frame exchange within that time period; as well as Once the scheduled EMLSR service period is completed, it switches to listening operation.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the initial control frame is a MU-RTS frame or a BSRP trigger frame.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising: The time period of the EMLSR service is set equal to or shorter than a network allocation vector (NAV) associated with another communication link.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising: If the EMLSR service period has been completed, it switches back to listening operation at the end of the NAV duration.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising: Synchronization with the communication medium is restored after switching back to the listening operation.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising: Wait for a predetermined period of time or transmit a control or test frame to regain synchronization with the communications medium.

25. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 24, further comprising: The communication links are prioritized based on their availability and / or OBSS transmission status.

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