Non-co-located AP MLD reconfiguration

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer readable medium for non-co-located AP multi-link device (MLD) reconfiguration in which an apparatus of a first AP of a non-co-located AP MLD includes processing circuitry configured to encode a link reconfiguration notification frame, the link reconfiguration notification frame including a reconfiguration multi-link element, the reconfiguration multi-link element including at least one of a first AP and a second AP of the non-co-located AP MLD; the reconfigured multi-link element comprises a per-station (STA) sub-element, the per-STA sub-element comprises an indication of a non-co-located link of a second AP of the non-co-located AP MLD and an operation update type sub-field, the operation update type sub-field indicates whether the second AP is to be added or deleted, and the processing circuit is further configured to: configure a first AP of the non-co-located AP MLD, and sending a link reconfiguration notification frame to the non-AP MLD.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments relate to non-co-located access point (AP) multi-link devices (MLDs) for wireless local area networks (WLANs) and Wi-Fi networks, including networks operating according to different versions or generations of the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. Background Art

[0002] Efficient use of the resources of a wireless local area network (WLAN) is important for providing bandwidth and acceptable response times to users of the WLAN. However, there are often many devices trying to share the same resources, and some devices may be limited by the communication protocols they use or their hardware bandwidth. In addition, wireless devices may need to operate with both newer protocols and legacy device protocols. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like elements and in which:

[0004] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a radio architecture according to some embodiments;

[0005] Figure 2 A method for Figure 1 Front-end module circuits in radio architectures;

[0006] Figure 3 A method for Figure 1 Radio IC circuits in the radio architecture;

[0007] Figure 4 A method for Figure 1 Baseband processing circuits in the radio architecture of the present invention;

[0008] Figure 5 illustrates a WLAN according to some embodiments;

[0009] Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating an example machine on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies) discussed herein may be performed;

[0010] Figure 7 A block diagram illustrating an example wireless device upon which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods or operations) discussed herein may be performed;

[0011] Figure 8 illustrates a multi-link device (MLD) according to some embodiments;

[0012] Fig. 9Co-located and non-co-located MLDs according to some embodiments are shown;

[0013] Fig.10 shows a non-co-located MLD with signal arrival according to some embodiments;

[0014] Fig.11 shows a management frame for non-co-located AP MLD reconfiguration according to some embodiments;

[0015] Fig.12 illustrates a delay request according to some embodiments;

[0016] Fig.13 A method for non-co-located AP MLD reconfiguration according to some embodiments is shown.

[0017] Fig.14 A method for non-co-located AP MLD reconfiguration according to some embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following description and accompanying drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may include structural changes, logical changes, electrical changes, process changes, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in or substituted for portions and features of other embodiments. The embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.

[0019] Some embodiments relate to methods, computer-readable media, and apparatus for adjusting a duration field on a CTS frame. Some embodiments relate to methods, computer-readable media, and apparatus for responding to an adjustment to a duration field of a CTS frame.

[0020] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram of a radio architecture 100 according to some embodiments. The radio architecture 100 may include a radio front end module (FEM) circuit 104, a radio IC circuit 106, and a baseband processing circuit 108. The illustrated radio architecture 100 includes wireless local area network (WLAN) functionality and (BT) functions, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. In the present disclosure, "WLAN" and "Wi-Fi" may be used interchangeably.

[0021] The FEM circuit 104 may include a WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuit 104A and (BT) FEM circuitry 104B. The WLAN FEM circuitry 104A may include a receive signal path including circuitry configured to operate on WLAN RF signals received from one or more antennas 101, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the WLAN radio IC circuitry 106A for further processing. The BT FEM circuitry 104B may include a receive signal path including circuitry configured to operate on BT RF signals received from one or more antennas 101, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the BT radio IC circuitry 106B for further processing. The FEM circuitry 104A may also include a transmit signal path including circuitry configured to amplify WLAN signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 106A for wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 101. Additionally, the FEM circuitry 104B may also include a transmit signal path including circuitry configured to amplify BT signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 106B for wireless transmission by the one or more antennas. Figure 1 In the embodiment, although the FEM circuit 104A and the FEM circuit 104B are shown as being different from each other, the embodiments are not limited thereto and include within their scope: using a FEM (not shown) that includes a transmit signal path and / or a receive signal path for both WLAN and BT signals; or using one or more FEM circuits, wherein at least some of the FEM circuits share a transmit signal path and / or a receive signal path for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0022] The illustrated radio IC circuit 106 may include a WLAN radio IC circuit 106A and a BT radio IC circuit 106B. The WLAN radio IC circuit 106A may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry for down-converting a WLAN RF signal received from the FEM circuit 104A and providing a baseband signal to the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A. The BT radio IC circuit 106B may in turn include a receive signal path that may include circuitry for down-converting a BT RF signal received from the FEM circuit 104B and providing a baseband signal to the BT baseband processing circuit 108B. The WLAN radio IC circuit 106A may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry for up-converting a WLAN baseband signal provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and providing a WLAN RF output signal to the FEM circuit 104A for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 101. The BT radio IC circuit 106B may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry for up-converting a BT baseband signal provided by the BT baseband processing circuit 108B and providing a BT RF output signal to the FEM circuit 104B for subsequent wireless transmission by one or more antennas 101. Figure 1 In the embodiment, although the radio IC circuits 106A and 106B are shown as being different from each other, the embodiments are not limited to this and include within their scope: using a radio IC circuit (not shown) that includes a transmit signal path and / or a receive signal path for both WLAN and BT signals; or using one or more radio IC circuits, wherein at least some of the radio IC circuits share a transmit signal path and / or a receive signal path for both WLAN and BT signals.

[0023] The baseband processing circuit 108 may include a WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and a BT baseband processing circuit 108B. The WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A may include a memory, such as a set of RAM arrays in a fast Fourier transform or inverse fast Fourier transform block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A. Each of the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and the BT baseband processing circuit 108B may also include one or more processors and control logic for processing signals received from a corresponding WLAN or BT receive signal path of the radio IC circuit 106, and also generating corresponding WLAN or BT baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 106. Each of the baseband processing circuits 108A and 108B may also include a physical layer (PHY) and a medium access control layer (MAC) circuit, and may also interface with the application processor 111 for generating and processing baseband signals and controlling the operation of the radio IC circuit 106.

[0024] Still refer to Figure 1 According to the illustrated embodiment, the WLAN-BT coexistence circuit 113 may include logic to provide an interface between the WLAN baseband processing circuit 108A and the BT baseband processing circuit 108B to implement use cases requiring WLAN and BT coexistence. In addition, a switch 103 may be provided between the WLAN FEM circuit 104A and the BT FEM circuit 104B to allow switching between the WLAN radio and the BT radio as required by the application. In addition, although the antenna 101 is depicted as being connected to the WLAN FEM circuit 104A and the BT FEM circuit 104B, respectively, embodiments include within their scope: sharing one or more antennas between the WLAN FEM and the BT FEM; or providing more than one antenna connected to each of the FEM circuit 104A or the FEM circuit 104B.

[0025] In some embodiments, the front end module circuit 104, the radio IC circuit 106, and the baseband processing circuit 108 may be disposed on a single radio card (e.g., wireless radio card 102). In some other embodiments, one or more antennas 101, the FEM circuit 104, and the radio IC circuit 106 may be disposed on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuit 106 and the baseband processing circuit 108 may be disposed on a single chip or IC (e.g., IC 112).

[0026] In some embodiments, the wireless radio card 102 may include a WLAN radio card and may be configured for Wi-Fi communications, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some of these embodiments, the radio architecture 100 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. The OFDM or OFDMA signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0027] In some of these multi-carrier embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be part of a Wi-Fi communication station (STA) (e.g., 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 100 may be configured to send and receive signals according to a specific communication standard and / or protocol (e.g., any one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards, including IEEE 802.11n-2009, IEEE 802.11-2012, IEEE802.11-2016, IEEE 802.11ac, and / or IEEE 802.11ax standards and / or specifications proposed for WLAN), but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this regard. The radio architecture 100 may also be suitable for sending and / or receiving communications according to other technologies and standards.

[0028] In some embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured for high efficiency (HE) Wi-Fi (HEW) communications according to the IEEE 802.11ax standard. In these embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to communicate according to OFDMA technology, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this regard.

[0029] In some other embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may be configured to send signals using one or more other modulation techniques and receive signals sent using one or more other modulation techniques, such as spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) and / or frequency hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA)), time division multiplexing (TDM) modulation, and / or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) modulation, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0030] In some embodiments, Figure 1 As further shown in FIG. 1 , the BT baseband processing circuit 108B may comply with (BT) connection standards, such as or or Any other generation of the standard. In the case of including e.g. Figure 1 In the embodiments of the BT functionality shown in , the radio architecture 100 can be configured to establish a BT synchronous connection-oriented (SCO) link and / or a BT low energy (BT LE) link. In some embodiments including BT functionality, the radio architecture 100 can be configured to establish an extended SCO (eSCO) link for BT communications, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments of these embodiments including BT functionality, the radio architecture can be configured to participate in BT asynchronous connectionless (ACL) communications, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, as Figure 1 As shown, the functionality of a BT radio card and a WLAN radio card may be combined on a single wireless radio card (eg, a single wireless radio card 102), but embodiments are not so limited and include separate WLAN and BT radio cards within their scope.

[0031] In some embodiments, the radio architecture 100 may include other radio cards, such as a cellular radio card configured for cellular (e.g., 3GPP, such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, or 5G communications).

[0032] In some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, the radio architecture 100 can be configured to communicate over a variety of channel bandwidths, including bandwidths having a center frequency of about 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and a bandwidth of about 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 4 MHz, 5 MHz, 8 MHz, 10 MHz, 16 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz (continuous bandwidth) or 80+80 MHz (160 MHz) (non-continuous bandwidth). In some embodiments, a channel bandwidth of 320 MHz can be used. However, the scope of the embodiments is not limited to the above center frequencies.

[0033] Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a FEM circuit 200 according to some embodiments. The FEM circuit 200 is a circuit that can be suitable for use as a WLAN and / or BT FEM circuit 104A / 104B ( Figure 1 ) is an example of a circuit, but other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

[0034] In some embodiments, the FEM circuit 200 may include a TX / RX switch 202 for switching between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit 200 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit 200 may include a low noise amplifier (LNA) 206 for amplifying the received RF signal 203 and (e.g., providing the radio IC circuit 106 with a signal) transmitted to the receiver. Figure 1 )) provides an amplified received RF signal 207 as an output. The transmit signal path of the circuit 200 may include: a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal 209 (e.g., provided by the radio IC circuit 106); and one or more filters 212, such as a bandpass filter (BPF), a lowpass filter (LPF), or other types of filters, for generating an RF signal 215 for subsequent (e.g., by one or more antennas 101 ( Figure 1 ) to send.

[0035] In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communications, the FEM circuit 200 can be configured to operate in the 2.4 GHz spectrum or the 5 GHz spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuit 200 can include a receive signal path duplexer 204 for separating the signals from each spectrum and providing a separate LNA 206 for each spectrum, as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 200 can also include: a power amplifier 210 and a filter 212 (e.g., a BPF, LPF, or other type of filter for each spectrum); and a transmit signal path duplexer 214 for providing a signal of one of the different spectrums onto a single transmit path for subsequent transmission by one or more antennas 101 ( Figure 1 In some embodiments, BT communication may utilize a 2.4 GHZ signal path and may utilize the same FEM circuit 200 as the FEM circuit used for WLAN communication.

[0036] Figure 3 1 shows a radio integrated circuit (IC) circuit 300 according to some embodiments. The radio IC circuit 300 is a circuit that can be suitable for use as a WLAN or BT radio IC circuit 106A / 106B ( Figure 1 ) is an example of a circuit, but other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

[0037] In some embodiments, the radio IC circuit 300 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the radio IC circuit 300 may include at least a mixer circuit 302 (e.g., a down-conversion mixer circuit), an amplifier circuit 306, and a filter circuit 308. The transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 300 may include at least a filter circuit 312 and a mixer circuit 314 (e.g., an up-conversion mixer circuit). The radio IC circuit 300 may also include a synthesizer circuit 304 for synthesizing a frequency 305 for use by the mixer circuit 302 and the mixer circuit 314. According to some embodiments, the mixer circuits 302 and / or 314 may each be configured to provide a direct conversion function. The latter type of circuit presents a much simpler architecture than a standard superheterodyne mixer circuit, and any flicker noise introduced thereby may be mitigated, for example, by using OFDM modulation. Figure 3Only a simplified version of the radio IC circuit is shown, and may include (although not shown) embodiments in which each of the depicted circuits may include more than one component. For example, as required by the application, mixer circuits 302 and / or 314 may each include one or more mixers, and filter circuits 308 and / or 312 may each include one or more filters, such as one or more BPFs and / or LPFs. For example, when the mixer circuits are of the direct conversion type, they may each include two or more mixers.

[0038] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 may be configured to down-convert the synthesized frequency 305 provided by synthesizer circuit 304 from FEM circuit 104 ( Figure 1 ) received RF signal 207. Amplifier circuit 306 may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuit 308 may include an LPF configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate output baseband signal 307. Output baseband signal 307 may be provided to baseband processing circuit 108 ( Figure 1 ) for further processing. In some embodiments, output baseband signal 307 may be a zero frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0039] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 314 may be configured to up-convert input baseband signal 311 based on synthesized frequency 305 provided by synthesizer circuit 304 to generate RF output signal 209 for FEM circuit 104. Baseband signal 311 may be provided by baseband processing circuit 108 and may be filtered by filter circuit 312. Filter circuit 312 may include an LPF or a BPF, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0040] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 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 circuit 304. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 may each include two or more mixers, each mixer being configured for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 may each be arranged for direct down-conversion and / or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 302 and mixer circuit 314 may be configured for superheterodyne operation, but this is not a requirement.

[0041] According to one embodiment, mixer circuit 302 may include: a quadrature passive mixer (eg, for an in-phase (I) path and a quadrature-phase (Q) path). In such an embodiment, the mixer circuit 302 may include: a quadrature passive mixer (eg, for an in-phase (I) path and a quadrature-phase (Q) path). Figure 3 The RF input signal 207 is down converted to provide I and Q baseband output signals to be sent to the baseband processor.

[0042] The quadrature passive mixers can be driven by zero-degree and ninety-degree time-varying LO switching signals provided by a quadrature circuit that can be configured to receive the LO frequency (f LO ), such as synthesizer circuit 304 ( Figure 3 ) 305. 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., 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.

[0043] In some embodiments, the LO signal can differ in duty cycle (the percentage of a cycle that the LO signal is high) and / or offset (the difference between the start points of the cycle). In some embodiments, the LO signal can have a 25% duty cycle and a 50% offset. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuit (e.g., the in-phase (I) path and the quadrature-phase (Q) path) can operate at a 25% duty cycle, which can result in significant reductions in power consumption.

[0044] RF input signal 207 ( Figure 2 ) may include balanced signals, but 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 (eg, amplifier circuit 306 ( Figure 3 )) or filter circuit 308 ( Figure 3 ).

[0045] In some embodiments, output baseband signal 307 and input baseband signal 311 may be analog baseband signals, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, output baseband signal 307 and input baseband signal 311 may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the radio IC circuit may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits.

[0046] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum or other spectrums not mentioned herein, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0047] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 304 may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 304 may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. According to some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 304 may include a digital synthesizer circuit. An advantage of using a digital synthesizer circuit is that, while it may still include some analog components, its footprint may be much reduced than that of an analog synthesizer circuit. In some embodiments, the frequency input to synthesizer circuit 304 may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), but this is not a requirement. Depending on the desired output frequency 305, the divider control input may also be provided by baseband processing circuit 108 ( Figure 1 ) or application processor 111 ( Figure 1 ) is provided. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may 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 application processor 111.

[0048] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 304 may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as output frequency 305, while in other embodiments, output frequency 305 may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., half the carrier frequency, one third the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, output frequency 305 may be the LO frequency (f LO ).

[0049] Figure 4 4 is a functional block diagram of a baseband processing circuit 400 according to some embodiments. The baseband processing circuit 400 is a circuit that can be suitable for use as the baseband processing circuit 108 ( Figure 1 ), but other circuit configurations may also be suitable. Baseband processing circuit 400 may include circuitry for processing signals received by radio IC circuit 106 ( Figure 1 ) and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 404 for generating a transmit baseband signal 311 for the radio IC circuit 106. The baseband processing circuit 400 may also include control logic 406 for coordinating the operation of the baseband processing circuit 400.

[0050] In some embodiments (e.g., when analog baseband signals are exchanged between baseband processing circuitry 400 and radio IC circuitry 106), baseband processing circuitry 400 may include ADC 410 for converting analog baseband signals received from radio IC circuitry 106 into digital baseband signals for processing by RX BBP 402. In these embodiments, baseband processing circuitry 400 may also include DAC 412 for converting digital baseband signals from TX BBP 404 into analog baseband signals.

[0051] In some embodiments, for example, in which OFDM signals or OFDMA signals are communicated via baseband processing circuitry 108A, transmit baseband processor 404 may be configured to generate an OFDM or OFDMA signal suitable for transmission by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). Receive baseband processor 402 may be configured to process the received OFDM or OFDMA signal by performing an FFT. In some embodiments, receive baseband processor 402 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.

[0052] Reference Figure 1 In some embodiments, antenna 101 ( Figure 1 ) 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 possible different channel characteristics. Antennas 101 can each include a set of phased array antennas, but embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0053] Although the radio architecture 100 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 (e.g., 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 various combinations of hardware and logic circuits 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.

[0054] Figure 5A WLAN 500 according to some embodiments is shown. The WLAN 500 may include a basic service set (BSS), which may include an access point (AP) AP 502, a plurality of stations (STAs) STA 504, and a plurality of legacy devices 506. In some embodiments, the STA 504 and / or the AP 502 are configured to operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT) and / or High Efficiency (HE) IEEE 802.11ax. In some embodiments, the STA 504 and / or the AP 502 are configured to operate in accordance with IEEE802.11az. In some embodiments, the STA 504 and / or the AP 502 are configured to operate in accordance with IEEEP802.11be TM / D3.2 (May 2023) and / or IEEE P802.11-REVme TM / D2.0 (October 2022), both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0055] AP 502 may be an AP that transmits and receives using IEEE 802.11. AP 502 may be a base station. AP 502 may use other communication protocols as well as IEEE 802.11 protocols. According to some embodiments, the EHT protocol may be referred to by different names. The IEEE 802.11 protocol may include the use of orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and / or code division multiple access (CDMA). The IEEE 802.11 protocol may include multiple access technologies. For example, the IEEE 802.11 protocol may include space division multiple access (SDMA) and / or multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO). There may be more than one EHT AP 502, which is part of an extended service set (ESS). A controller (not shown) may store information common to more than one AP 502, and may control more than one BSS (e.g., assigning primary channels, colors, etc.). AP 502 may be connected to the Internet.

[0056] The legacy device 506 may operate according to one or more of IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ad / af / ah / aj / ay / ax or other legacy wireless communication standards. The legacy device 506 may be a STA or an IEEE STA. The STA 504 may be a wireless transmitting and receiving device, such as a cellular phone, a portable electronic wireless communication device, a smart phone, a handheld wireless device, wireless glasses, a wireless watch, a wireless personal device, a tablet, or other devices that can transmit and receive using the IEEE 802.11 protocol (e.g., IEEE802.11be) or other wireless protocols.

[0057] The AP 502 may communicate with the legacy device 506 according to the legacy IEEE 802.11 communication technology. In an example embodiment, the AP 502 may also be configured to communicate with the STA 504 according to the legacy IEEE 802.11 communication technology.

[0058] In some embodiments, the HE or EHT frame may be configured to have the same bandwidth as the channel. The HE or EHT frame may be a physical layer convergence process (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU). In some embodiments, PPDU may be an abbreviation of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU). In some embodiments, there may be different types of PPDUs, which may have different fields and different physical layers and / or different medium access control (MAC) layers. For example, a single user (SU) PPDU, a multi-user (MU) PPDU, an extended range (ER) SU PPDU, and / or a trigger-based (TB) PPDU. In some embodiments, the EHT may be the same or similar to the HE PPDU.

[0059] The bandwidth of the channel can be 20MHz, 40MHz or 80MHz, 80+80MHz, 160MHz, 160+160MHz, 320MHz, 320+320MHz, 640MHz bandwidth. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of a channel less than 20MHz can be 1MHz, 1.25MHz, 2.03MHz, 2.5MHz, 4.06MHz, 5MHz and 10MHz or a combination thereof, or other bandwidths less than or equal to the available bandwidth can also be used. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channel can be based on the number of active data subcarriers. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channel is based on 26, 52, 106, 242, 484, 996 or 2x996 active data subcarriers or tones, which are spaced 20MHz apart. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the channel is 256 tones spaced 20MHz apart. In some embodiments, the channel is a multiple of 26 tones or a multiple of 20MHz. In some embodiments, a 20 MHz channel may include 242 active data subcarriers or tones, which may determine the size of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).According to some embodiments, the allocation of bandwidth or number of tones or subcarriers may be referred to as a resource unit (RU) allocation.

[0060] In some embodiments, 26 subcarrier RUs and 52 subcarrier RUs are used in 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz OFDMA HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, 106 subcarrier RUs are used in 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, 242 subcarrier RUs are used in 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, 484 subcarrier RUs are used in 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats. In some embodiments, 996 subcarrier RUs are used in 160MHz and 80+80MHz OFDMA and MU-MIMO HE PPDU formats.

[0061] HE or EHT frames may be configured to transmit multiple spatial streams, the number of which may be based on MU-MIMO and may be based on OFDMA. In other embodiments, the AP 502, the STA 504, and / or the legacy device 506 may also implement different technologies, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000, CDMA 2000 IX, CDMA 2000 Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), Low power consumption or other techniques.

[0062] According to some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, such as IEEE 802.11 EHT / ax / be embodiments, HE AP 502 may operate as a master station, which may be arranged to contend for the wireless medium (e.g., during a contention period) to receive an exclusive control continuous transmission opportunity (TXOP) for the medium. AP 520 may send an EHT / HE trigger frame transmission, which may include a schedule for simultaneous UL / DL transmissions of STA 504. AP 502 may send the duration and subchannel information of the TXOP. During the TXOP, STA 504 may communicate with AP 502 according to a non-contention-based multiple access technology (e.g., OFDMA or MU-MIMO). This is different from conventional WLAN communications, in which devices communicate according to contention-based communication technologies rather than multiple access technologies. During the HE or EHT control period, AP 502 may communicate with STA 504 using one or more HE or EHT frames. During the TXOP, HE STA 504 may operate on a subchannel that is less than the operating distance of AP 502. During the TXOP, legacy stations refrain from communicating. Legacy stations may need to receive communications from HE AP 502 to defer delivery.

[0063] According to some embodiments, during the TXOP, the STA 504 may contend for the wireless medium, wherein the legacy device 506 is excluded from contending for the wireless medium during the primary synchronization transmission. In some embodiments, the trigger frame may indicate a UL-MU-MIMO and / or UL OFDMA TXOP. In some embodiments, the trigger frame may include a DL UL-MU-MIMO and / or DL ​​OFDMA, wherein the scheduling is indicated in the preamble of the trigger frame.

[0064] In some embodiments, the multiple access technology used during the HE or EHT TXOP may be a scheduled OFDMA technology, but this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the multiple access technology may be a time division multiple access (TDMA) technology or a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) technology. In some embodiments, the multiple access technology may be a space division multiple access (SDMA) technology. In some embodiments, the multiple access technology may be a code division multiple access (CDMA).

[0065] The AP 502 may also communicate with legacy devices 506 and / or STAs 504 according to legacy IEEE 802.11 communication techniques. In some embodiments, the AP 502 may also be configured to communicate with STAs 504 outside of a TXOP according to legacy IEEE 802.11 or IEEE 802.11 EHT / ax communication techniques, but this is not a requirement.

[0066] In some embodiments, for the ad hoc mode of operation, the STA 504 may be a "Group Owner" (GO). The wireless device may be a STA 504 or a HE AP 502. According to some embodiments, the STA 504 may be referred to as a non-AP STA 504.

[0067] In some embodiments, STA 504 and / or AP 502 may be configured to operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11mc. Figure 1 The radio architecture of is configured to implement STA 504 and / or AP 502. In an example embodiment, Figure 2 The front-end module circuit is configured to implement STA 504 and / or AP 502. In an example embodiment, Figure 3 The radio IC circuit is configured to implement STA 504 and / or AP 502. In an example embodiment, Figure 4 The baseband processing circuit is configured to implement STA 504 and / or AP 502.

[0068] In an example embodiment, the STA 504, the AP 502, the apparatus of the STA 504, and / or the apparatus of the AP 502 may include one or more of the following: Figure 1 The radio architecture Figure 2 Front-end module circuit, Figure 3 The radio IC circuit and / or Figure 4 Baseband processing circuit.

[0069] In an example embodiment, Figure 1 The radio architecture Figure 2 Front-end module circuit, Figure 3 The radio IC circuit and / or Figure 4 The baseband processing circuitry may be configured to perform the Figure 1-14 Describes the method and operation / function.

[0070] In an example embodiment, STA 504 and / or AP 502 are configured to perform the Figure 1-14 In an example embodiment, the apparatus of STA 504 and / or the apparatus of AP 502 are configured to perform the methods and operations / functions described herein. Figure 1-14 The term Wi-Fi may refer to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 communication standards. AP and STA may refer to EHT / HE access points and / or EHT / HE stations as well as legacy devices 506.

[0071] In some embodiments, HE AP STA may refer to AP 502 and / or STA 504 operating as EHT AP 502. In some embodiments, when STA 504 does not operate as an AP, it may be referred to as non-AP STA or non-AP. In some embodiments, STA 504 may be referred to as AP STA or non-AP. AP 502 may be part of a non-co-located AP MLD (e.g., non-co-located AP MLD3 912), a co-located AP MLD1 904, or a co-located AP MLD2 908. STA 504 may be part of non-AP MLD 809 (which may be referred to as an ML non-AP logical entity). A BSS may be part of an extended service set (ESS), which may include multiple APs and may include one or more management devices.

[0072] Figure 6 A block diagram of an example machine 600 is shown on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods) discussed herein may be performed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 600 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 600 may operate in the role of a server machine, a client machine, or both in a server-client network environment. In an example, the machine 600 may function as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The machine 600 may be a HE AP 502, an EVT STA 504, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable communication device, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a network appliance, a network router, a switch or a bridge, or any machine capable of executing (sequentially or otherwise) instructions that specify actions to be taken by the machine. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS), and other computer cluster configurations.

[0073] The machine (e.g., computer system) 600 may include a hardware processor 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 604, and a static memory 606, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnection link (e.g., a bus) 608.

[0074] Specific examples of main memory 604 include random access memory (RAM) and semiconductor memory devices, which in some embodiments may include storage locations in a semiconductor, such as registers. Specific examples of static memory 606 include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magnetic optical disks; RAM; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0075] The machine 600 may also include a display device 610, an input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 614 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display device 610, the input device 612, and the UI navigation device 614 may be a touch screen display. The machine 600 may additionally include a mass storage (e.g., a drive unit) 616, a signal generating device 618 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 620, and one or more sensors 621 (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensors). The machine 600 may include an output controller 628 (e.g., a serial connection (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB)), a parallel connection, or other wired or wireless connection (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.)) for communicating with or controlling one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.). In some embodiments, the processor 602 and / or the instructions 624 may constitute a processing circuit and / or a transceiver circuit.

[0076] The mass storage device 616 may include a machine-readable medium 622 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 624 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functionality described herein. The instructions 624 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 604, within the static memory 606, or within the hardware processor 602 during execution thereof by the machine 600. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 602, the main memory 604, the static memory 606, and the mass storage device 616 may constitute a machine-readable medium.

[0077] Specific examples of machine-readable media may include: nonvolatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., EPROM or EEPROM) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; RAM; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0078] Although the machine-readable medium 622 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 624 .

[0079] The device of the machine 600 can be one or more of a hardware processor 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 604 and a static memory 606, a sensor 621, a network interface device 620, an antenna 660, a display device 610, an input device 612, a UI navigation device 614, a mass storage 616, an instruction 624, a signal generation device 618, and an output controller 628. The device can be configured to perform one or more methods and / or operations disclosed herein. The device can be used as a component of the machine 600 to perform one or more methods and / or operations disclosed herein, and / or perform a portion of one or more methods and / or operations disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the device may include a pin or other means for receiving power. In some embodiments, the device may include power regulation hardware.

[0080] The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions executed by the machine 600 and causing the machine 600 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 these instructions. Non-limiting examples of machine-readable media may include solid-state memory and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable media may include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magnetic optical disks; random access memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, the machine-readable medium may include non-transitory machine-readable media. In some examples, the machine-readable medium may include machine-readable media that is not a transient propagating signal.

[0081] Instructions 624 may also be sent or received over a communication network 626 using a transmission medium via the network interface device 620 using any of a variety of transmission protocols (e.g., frame relay, Internet Protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include 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, and a wireless data network (e.g., a wireless network called The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, known as IEEE 802.16 family of standards), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, Long Term Evolution (LTE) family of standards, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, point-to-point (P2P) networks, etc.

[0082] In an example, the network interface device 620 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet jacks, coaxial jacks, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas for connecting to the communication network 626. In an example, the network interface device 620 may include one or more antennas 660 for wireless communication using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) technology. In some examples, the network interface device 620 may use multi-user MIMO technology for wireless communication. The term "transmission medium" should be understood to include any intangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions executed by the machine 600, and includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media to facilitate such software communications.

[0083] The examples described herein may include logic or multiple components, modules or mechanisms, or may operate thereon. A module is a tangible entity (e.g., hardware) that can perform a specified operation, and may be configured or arranged in a particular manner. In an example, a circuit may be arranged (e.g., internally or relative to an external entity such as other circuits) as a module in a specified manner. In an example, all or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., a stand-alone, client, or server computer system) or one or more hardware processors may be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, application parts, or applications) to operate to perform a specified operation of the module. In an example, the software may reside on a machine-readable medium. In an example, the software causes the hardware to perform a specified operation when executed by the underlying hardware of the module.

[0084] Thus, the term "module" is understood to encompass a tangible entity, whether physically constructed, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transiently) configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or to perform some or all of any operations described herein. Considering the example of temporarily configured modules, it is not necessary to instantiate each module at any one time. For example, where the modules include a general-purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor can be configured as various different modules at different times. The software can accordingly configure the hardware processor to, for example, constitute a particular module at one instance in time and constitute a different module at a different instance in time.

[0085] Some embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part with software and / or firmware. The software and / or firmware may take the form of instructions contained in or on a non-transient computer-readable storage medium. Then, those instructions may 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 a computer-readable medium may include any tangible non-transient medium for storing information in a form readable by one or more computers, such as but not limited to read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage medium, optical storage medium, flash memory, etc.

[0086] Figure 7 A block diagram of an example wireless device 700 is shown on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods or operations) discussed herein may be performed. The wireless device 700 may be a HE device or a HE wireless device. The wireless device 700 may be a HE STA 504, a HE AP 502 and / or a HE STA or HE AP. The HE STA 504, the HE AP 502 and / or the HE AP or HE STA may include Figure 1-7 Some or all of the components shown. The wireless device 700 may be a combination of Figure 6 An example machine 600 is disclosed.

[0087] The wireless device 700 may include processing circuitry 708. The processing circuitry 708 may include a transceiver 702, a physical layer circuitry (PHY circuitry) 704, and a MAC layer circuitry (MAC circuitry) 706, one or more of which may enable the use of one or more antennas 712 to transmit and receive signals to and from other wireless devices 700 (e.g., HE AP 502, HE STA 504, and / or legacy device 506). As an example, the PHY circuitry 704 may perform various encoding and decoding functions, which may include forming baseband signals for transmission and decoding received signals. As another example, the transceiver 702 may perform various transmission and reception functions, such as converting signals between a baseband range and a radio frequency (RF) range.

[0088] Thus, the PHY circuit 704 and the transceiver 702 may be separate components or may be part of a combined component (e.g., the processing circuit 708). In addition, some of the functions related to the transmission and reception of signals may be performed by a combination that may include one, any, or all of the PHY circuit 704, the transceiver 702, the MAC circuit 706, the memory 710, and other components or layers. The MAC circuit 706 may control access to the wireless medium. The wireless device 700 may also include a memory 710 arranged to perform the operations described herein, for example, some of the operations described herein may be performed by instructions stored in the memory 710.

[0089] Antenna 712 (some embodiments may include only one antenna) 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 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, antennas 712 may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and possibly different channel characteristics.

[0090] One or more of the memory 710, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuit 704, the MAC circuit 706, the antenna 712, and / or the processing circuit 708 may be coupled to each other. In addition, although the memory 710, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuit 704, the MAC circuit 706, the antenna 712 are shown as separate components, one or more of the memory 710, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuit 704, the MAC circuit 706, the antenna 712 may be integrated into an electronic package or chip.

[0091] In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may be a combination of Figure 6 In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may be configured to communicate with the user in accordance with one or more wireless communication standards as described herein (e.g., in conjunction with Figure 1-6 In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 may include a combination of Figure 6One or more components described herein (e.g., display device 610, input device 612, etc.). Although wireless device 700 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 (e.g., 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 various combinations of hardware and logic circuits 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.

[0092] In some embodiments, the apparatus of the wireless device 700 or the apparatus used therein may include: Figure 7 The various components of the wireless device 700 are shown and / or may be Figure 1-6 Thus, in some embodiments, the techniques and operations described herein relating to the wireless device 700 may be applicable to an apparatus of the wireless device 700 (e.g., HE AP 502 and / or HE STA 504). In some embodiments, the wireless device 700 is configured to decode and / or encode the signals, packets, and / or frames (e.g., PPDUs) described herein.

[0093] In some embodiments, the MAC circuit 706 may be arranged to contend for the wireless medium during the contention period to receive a control-continuous HE TXOP for the medium and to encode or decode the HE PPDU. In some embodiments, the MAC circuit 706 may be arranged to contend for the wireless medium based on a channel contention setting, a transmit power level, and an idle channel assessment level (e.g., an energy detection level).

[0094] The PHY circuit 704 may be arranged to send signals according to one or more communication standards described herein. For example, the PHY circuit 704 may be configured to send HE PPDUs. The PHY circuit 704 may include circuits for modulation and demodulation, up-conversion / down-conversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 708 may include one or more processors. The processing circuit 708 may be configured to perform functions based on instructions stored in a RAM or ROM or based on a dedicated circuit. The processing circuit 708 may include a processor, such as a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. The processing circuit 708 may implement one or more functions associated with the antenna 712, the transceiver 702, the PHY circuit 704, the MAC circuit 706, and / or the memory 710. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 708 may be configured to perform one or more functions / operations and / or methods described herein.

[0095] In mmWave technology, stations (e.g. Figure 5 HE STA 504 or wireless device 700) and an access point (e.g., Figure 5 Communications between HE AP 502 or wireless device 700) can use an effective wireless channel that is highly dependent on direction. To accommodate the directionality, beamforming techniques can be used to radiate energy in a specific direction with a specific beam width to communicate between the two devices. Directional propagation focuses the transmitted energy toward the target device in order to compensate for the significant energy loss of the channel between the two communicating devices. Using directional transmission can extend the distance of millimeter wave communication compared to using the same transmission energy in omnidirectional propagation.

[0096] The technical problem is how to communicate with STAs and other devices that can only listen to one frequency band at a time but are associated with more than one frequency band. Some embodiments enable the MLD to ensure that STAs and other wireless devices communicating with the MLD do not miss important fields or elements. Some STAs or other wireless devices communicating with the MLD may be associated with the MLD on several different frequency bands, but only receive or listen to one frequency band. However, the MLD and the STAs or other wireless devices may need to follow the procedures for communicating on other frequency bands of the MLD. Embodiments include: a field or element sent by a first AP in the MLD operating on a first frequency band is sent by other APs operating on different frequency bands. In this case, the STAs and other wireless devices can follow the procedures (if any) as if the STA or other wireless device received the field or element from the first AP.

[0097] Figure 8 A multi-link device (MLD) 800 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 8 Shown are ML logical entity 1 806, ML logical entity 2 807, ML AP logical entity 808, and non-AP MLD 809. ML logical entity 1 806 includes three STAs: STA1.1 814.1, STA1.2 814.2, and STA1.3 814.3, which operate according to link 1 802.1, link 2 802.2, and link 3 802.3, respectively.

[0098] The links are different frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, etc.). ML logical entity 2 807 includes STA2.1 816.1, STA2.2 816.2, and STA2.3 816.3, which operate according to link 1 802.1, link 2 802.2, and link 3 802.3, respectively. In some embodiments, ML logical entity 1 806 and ML logical entity 2 807 operate according to a mesh network. Using three links enables ML logical entity 1 806 and ML logical entity 2 807 to use a larger bandwidth and operate more reliably because they can switch to using a different link if there is interference or if one link is superior due to operating conditions.

[0099] Distribution system (DS) 810 indicates how communications are distributed, and DS medium (DSM) 812 indicates the medium used for DS 810 (in this case, the wireless spectrum).

[0100] ML AP logical entity 808 includes AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834, which operate on link 1 804.1, link 2 804.2, and link 3 804.3, respectively. ML AP logical entity 808 includes MAC address 854, which can be used by applications to send and receive data on one or more of AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834. Each link can have an associated link ID. For example, as shown, link 3 804.3 has link ID 870,

[0101] 840. AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834 include frequency bands of 2.4 GHz band 836, 5 GHz band 838, and 6 GHz band 840, respectively. AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834 include different BSSIDs, BSSID 842, BSSID 844, and BSSID 846, respectively. AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834 include different medium access control (MAC) addresses (addr), MAC adder 848, MAC addr 850, and MAC addr 852, respectively. According to some embodiments, AP 502 is an ML AP logical entity 808. According to some embodiments, STA 504 is a non-AP MLD 809.

[0102] The non-AP MLD 809 includes non-AP STA1 818, non-AP STA2 820, and non-AP STA3 822. Each non-AP STA may have a MAC address, and the non-AP MLD 809 may have a different MAC address used by an application, wherein data traffic is separated between non-AP STA1 818, non-AP STA2 820, and non-AP STA3 822.

[0103] According to some embodiments, STA 504 is non-AP STA1 818, non-AP STA2 820, or non-AP STA3 822. Non-AP STA1 818, non-AP STA2 820, and non-AP STA3 822 may operate as if they are associated with the BSS of AP1 830, AP2 832, or AP3 834 on link 1 804.1, link 2 804.2, and link 3 804.3, respectively.

[0104] A multi-link device (e.g., ML logical entity 1 806 or ML logical entity 2 807) is a logical entity that includes one or more STAs 814, 816. ML logical entity 1 806 and ML logical entity 2 807 each have a MAC data service interface and primitives for logical link control (LLC), and a single address associated with the interface that can be used to communicate on the DSM 812. The multi-link logical entity allows the STAs 814, 816 within the multi-link logical entity to have the same MAC address. In some embodiments, the same MAC address is used for the application layer, and a different MAC address is used for each link.

[0105] In the infrastructure framework, the ML AP logical entity 808 includes APs 830, 832, 834 on one side and non-AP MLD 809 (which includes non-AP STAs 818, 820, 822) on the other side.

[0106] According to some embodiments, the ML AP device (AP MLD) is an ML logical entity, where each STA within the multi-link logical entity is an EHT AP 502. The ML non-AP device (non-AP MLD) is a multi-link logical entity, where each STA within the multi-link logical entity is a non-AP EHT STA 504. AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834 may be operating on different frequency bands, and there may be fewer or more APs. As part of the non-AP MLD 809, there may be fewer or more STAs.

[0107] In some embodiments, the ML AP logical entity 808 is called an AP MLD or an MLD. In some embodiments, the non-APMLD 809 is called an MLD or a non-AP MLD. Each AP of the MLD (e.g., AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834) sends a beacon frame, which includes: a description of its capabilities, an operational element, and a basic description of other APs co-located in the same MLD (which can be a simplified neighbor report element or a report in another element (e.g., a basic multilink element 1600)). AP1 830, AP2 832, and AP3 834 send information about other APs in the beacon frame and the probe response frame so that the STA of the non-AP MLD can discover the AP of the AP MLD.

[0108] Fig. 9 1 and 10 are shown in accordance with some embodiments. Co-site AP MLD1 904 includes a co-site set 902 of APs, which are AP1, AP2, and AP3. Co-site AP MLD2 908 includes a co-site set 906 of APs, which are AP4, AP5, and AP6. Co-site AP MLD1 904 and co-site AP MLD2 908 are ML AP logical entities 808 and / or as described in conjunction with IEEE P802.11be according to some embodiments. TM / D3.0 (January 2023). AP1...AP6 can be the same as or similar to AP 502. Co-location set 902 can have ID 905, and co-location set 906 can have ID 907. ID 905 and ID 907 can be used as part of the identification of the AP in the field Co-location Set ID or Co-location AP MLD ID 1114.

[0109] The non-co-sited AP MLD3 912 includes AP MLD1 916 (which includes the co-sited set 910) and AP MLD D2 918 (which includes the co-sited set 914). According to some embodiments, the non-co-sited AP MLD3 912 may be implemented as a WLAN in conjunction with IEEE P802.11be. TM / D3.0, January 2023 ("IEEE 802.11be") or Wi-Fi 8. As an example, AP MLD1 916 and AP MLD2 918 may be implemented on separate electronic devices and may be physically separated from each other. Non-co-located AP MLD3 may include hundreds or more AP MLDs. If APs 502 such as AP1, AP2, ..., AP6 are associated with the same MLD, they may be referred to as being affiliated.

[0110] Fig.10 A non-co-located MLD with signal arrivals 1002, 1008 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Signal arrival 1008 is a signal arrival or signal coverage of AP MLD2 918, while signal arrival 1002 is a signal arrival of AP MLD1 916. For non-co-located MLDs: AP MLD1 916 and AP MLD2 918, signal arrival 1002 and signal arrival 1008 may or may not overlap. If signal arrival 1008 and signal arrival 1002 overlap, then co-located set 914 and co-located set 910 are said to overlap.

[0111] In some embodiments, non-co-sited AP MLD3 912 may include many non-co-sited MLDs. In some embodiments, non-co-sited AP MLD3 912 provides more mobility for STA 504, low or near zero latency, and near lossless packet exchange (transtion) between AP502 in different locations. AP 502 and / or STA 504 may be part of an MLD. For example, there may be many APs 502 in an office building. Non-co-sited AP MLD3 912 may include APs 502 from around the building, allowing STA 504 to exchange between APs 502 with less exchange transmission. In some embodiments, a non-co-sited MLD (e.g., non-co-sited AP MLD3912) may include many or even all APs 502 belonging to the same ESS. In some embodiments, the devices or apparatuses described herein are configured to communicate in accordance with IEEE P802.11be. TM / D3.2 (May 2023) and / or IEEE P802.11-REVme TM / D2.0 (October 2022), both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Non-co-located AP MLD3 912, co-located AP MLD1 904, co-located AP MLD2 908, non-AP MLD 809 and / or ML AP logical entity 808 may be configured to operate in accordance with Wi-Fi 8.

[0112] The technical problem is to enable the non-AP MLD 809 to add and remove links for different co-location sets. For example, if the non-AP MLD 809 is associated with the co-location set 910 including AP1, AP2, and AP3, and the non-AP MLD 809 moves to the area within the signal arrival 1008 of the co-location set 914 including AP4, AP5, and AP6, it would be advantageous to implement smooth roaming for the non-AP MLD 809 to add or remove links to its ML settings to include AP4, AP5, and / or AP6. The technical problem is solved by using the ML reconfiguration process to add and remove links for the non-AP MLD 809 to enable smooth roaming between associated subordinate APs while retaining the association with the non-co-location AP MLD3 912.

[0113] Fig.11 A management frame 1102 for non-co-located AP MLD reconfiguration according to some embodiments is shown. The management frame 1102 may be a link reconfiguration notification frame or another type of management frame. The management frame 1102 includes a reconfiguration multilink element 1104. The methods described herein enable a multilink reconfiguration process to add / remove links within a non-co-located AP MLD 912 for a non-AP MLD 809 and / or another wireless device. Figure 8 The non-AP MLD 809 can be used with Fig.10 Associated with AP MLD912.

[0114] The non-co-located AP MLD3 912 may recommend one or more links to be added or deleted from the ML setup for the associated non-AP MLD 809. The management frame 1102 may be addressed individually to the non-AP MLD 809. The management frame 1102 includes a reconfigure multilink element 1104, which includes a per-station (STA) profile sub-element 1106 for each subordinate AP (e.g., AP1 to AP6) that the non-co-located AP MLD3 912 recommends the non-AP MLD 809 to add or delete from its ML setup.

[0115] For each per-STA profile sub-element 1106 included in the reconfiguration multilink element 1104, the following applies. If the non-co-located AP MLD3 912 advises the non-AP MLD 809 to add a link in the ML setting, one or more fields of the per-STA profile sub-element 1106 are set to either a distinct non-co-located link ID 1112, or a co-located set ID (or co-located AP MLD ID) and a link ID of the co-located AP MLD 1116. The field may be a link ID subfield or a co-located link ID subfield. The field may be a co-located set ID (or co-located AP MLD ID) field and a link ID of the co-located AP MLD 1116.

[0116] For example, if non-AP MLD 809 is associated with non-co-located AP MLD3 912, and non-AP MLD 809 moves from signal arrival 1002 to an area overlapping with signal arrival 1008, non-co-located AP MLD3 may send a management frame 1102 (e.g., a reconfiguration multilink element). The reconfiguration multilink element 1104 may include a per-STA profile sub-element 1106, which includes a subfield such as an operation update type sub-field 1109, which indicates "addition" in the operation update type sub-field of the per-STA profile sub-element, which may be an integer value (e.g., 2). The unique non-co-located link ID 1112 may be a unique or unique non-co-located link ID of AP4 of the co-located set 914. Alternatively, the co-located set ID or co-located AP MLD ID 1114 may be a co-located set ID of the co-located set 914 or a MAC address of the co-located set 914 (which includes AP4). Conversely, if the operation is to delete AP4 from the ML setup of the non-STA MLD 809, the Operation Update Type subfield 1109 will indicate "Delete", which may be for an AP of the co-location set 914, which may be an integer value (e.g., 3). The operation may be indicated in a different field. In some embodiments, another field such as Add or Delete 1108 indicates that the non-AP MLD 809 is to perform an operation such as adding or deleting a link.

[0117] In some embodiments, the Complete Profile subfield, the STA MAC Address Present subfield, the AP Removal Timer Present subfield, and the Operational Parameters Present subfield of the Per-STA Profile subelement are set to 0.

[0118] This method may be referred to as ML reconfiguration, which allows a non-co-located AP MLD3 912 to recommend adding new links corresponding to neighbor co-site sets 910, 914 within the same non-co-located AP MLD3 912, and deleting links for APs (eg, AP1 to AP6) in the current co-site sets 910, 914.

[0119] The link ID may not be sufficient to identify the AP of the co-located set 910, 914, as the link ID may be unique or specific only within the co-located set 910, 914. In some examples, a unique non-co-located link identification (ID) is defined, such as unique non-co-located link ID 1112, which is then used to identify a link or AP within the non-co-located AP MLD3 for "addition" or "removal".

[0120] In some examples, two known pieces of information are used to identify an AP within a non-co-located AP MLD3 912. An ID of a co-located set 914, which also corresponds to an MLD MAC address or AP MLD ID of an overlapping co-located AP MLD. And a link ID within an overlapping co-located AP MLD or within a co-located set. These fields may be referred to as a link ID of a co-located AP MLD 1116 and a co-located set ID or co-located AP MLD ID 1114, or other terminology may be used. A co-located AP MLD ID may be referred to as an overlapping co-located AP MLD ID.

[0121] The co-location set ID or co-location AP MLD ID 1114 may be set to the AP MLD ID of the co-location AP MLD or the AP MLD MAC address of the co-location AP MLD. For example, if non-co-location AP MLD3 912 sends the "add" per-STA profile sub-element 1106 for AP4, the co-location set ID or co-location AP MLD ID 1114 may be set to the ID of the co-location set 914 or the MAC address of AP MLD2 918. Then, in some examples, the link ID of the co-location AP MLD 1116 field is set to the link ID of AP4. In some embodiments, the non-AP MLD 809 may be STA 504.

[0122] In some examples, the management frame 1102, the reconfigure multilink element 1104, and / or the per-STA profile sub-element 1106 include a field "to be disassociated" 1110, which indicates to the non-AP MLD 809 that the non-co-located AP MLD3 912 will force ML configuration if the non-AP MLD 809 does not initiate the addition and / or deletion of the link indicated by the reconfigure multilink element 1104. The AP MLD3 912 will force ML reconfiguration on the non-AP MLD 809, or the AP MLD3 912 will disassociate the non-AP MLD 809. In some examples, the to be disassociated 1110 field indicates when (time) the non-AP MLD 809 will be disassociated (e.g., disassociated from the AP indicated to be "deleted" in the reconfigure multilink element 1104). AP MLD 912 may disassociate non-AP MLD 809 from, for example, AP MLD1 916 or from non-co-located AP MLD3 912. AP MLD1 916 and AP MLD2 918 need to communicate association information of non-AP MLD 809 with each other.

[0123] Fig.12 1204 . A delay request in accordance with some embodiments is shown. In some examples, non-AP MLD 809 may request a delay 1204 from reconfiguration multilink element 1104. For example, non-AP MLD 809 may be involved in a time-sensitive exchange (where changing the configuration will have a detrimental effect), and non-AP MLD 809 may request that the reconfiguration be delayed for a duration indicated by the delay 1204 field. The duration may indicate a maximum duration. Response frame 1202 may be in response to management frame 1102 and may be a link reconfiguration request frame or another type of frame. Non-co-located AP MLD3 912 may approve delay 1204 or deny delay 1204.

[0124] In some examples, non-co-located AP MLD3 912 sends management frame 1102 in response to AP MLD2 918 detecting that a signal from non-AP MLD 809 is above a threshold.

[0125] In some examples, AP MLD1 916 encodes configuration information of the non-AP MLD for transmission to APMLD2 918. AP MLD1 916 and AP MLD2 918 may be referred to as co-located AP MLD1 916 and / or co-located AP MLD2 918.

[0126] Fig.13A method 1300 for non-co-located AP MLD reconfiguration according to some embodiments is shown. The method 1300 may be performed by an apparatus of a first AP of a non-co-located AP MLD or another device disclosed herein.

[0127] Method 1300 begins at operation 1302: encoding a link reconfiguration notification frame, which includes a reconfiguration multi-link element, which includes a per-STA sub-element, which includes an indication of a non-co-located link of a second AP of the non-co-located AP MLD and an operation update type subfield, which indicates whether the second AP is to be added or deleted.

[0128] For example, the non-co-located AP MLD3 912 may encode a management frame 1102, which may be a link reconfiguration frame including a reconfigure multilink element 1104, which includes a per-STA profile sub-element 1106, which includes an indication of a non-co-located link of a second AP of the non-co-located AP MLD3 912. For example, the indication may be a unique non-co-located link ID 1112, or a co-located set ID or a co-located AP MLD ID 1114 and a link ID of a co-located AP MLD 1116. The per-STA profile sub-element 1106 may include an operation update type sub-field 1109, which may indicate an operation such as an add or delete 1108.

[0129] The method 1300 continues at operation 1304 by configuring the first AP of the non-co-located AP MLD to send a link reconfiguration notification frame to the non-AP MLD. For example, the non-co-located AP MLD3 912 sends the encoded management frame 1102.

[0130] The method 1300 may be performed by an apparatus of an AP of a non-co-located AP MLD (e.g., non-co-located MLD3 912) or an apparatus of AP 502. The method 1300 may include one or more additional instructions. The method 1300 may be performed in a different order. One or more operations of the method 1300 may be optional.

[0131] Fig.14A method 1400 for non-co-located AP MLD reconfiguration according to some embodiments is shown. The method 1400 begins at operation 1402: decoding a link reconfiguration notification frame of a first AP from a non-co-located AP MLD, the link reconfiguration notification frame comprising a reconfiguration multilink element, the reconfiguration multilink element comprising a per-STA sub-element, the per-STA sub-element comprising an indication of a non-co-located link of a second AP of the non-co-located AP MLD and an operation update type subfield, the operation update type subfield indicating whether the second AP is to be added or deleted.

[0132] For example, the non-AP MLD 809 may decode a management frame 1102 of AP1 from the non-co-located AP MLD3 912, the management frame 1102 may be a link reconfiguration frame including a reconfigure multilink element 1104, the reconfigure multilink element 1104 including a per-STA profile sub-element 1106, the per-STA profile sub-element including an indication of a non-co-located link of a second AP of the non-co-located AP MLD3 912. For example, the indication may be a unique non-co-located link ID 1112, or a co-located set ID or co-located AP MLD ID 1114 and a link ID of the co-located AP MLD 1116. The per-STA profile sub-element 1106 may include an operation update type sub-field 1109, the operation update type sub-field 1109 may indicate an operation such as an add or delete 1108.

[0133] The method 1400 continues at operation 1404: encoding an indication of whether to add or delete a second AP from a multi-link (ML) setup of the non-AP MLD for transmission to the second AP of the non-co-located AP MLD. For example, the non-AP MLD 809 may send an ML reconfiguration frame to the first AP or the second AP to perform the operation indicated in the operation update type subfield 1109.

[0134] The method 1400 may be performed by an apparatus of a STA of a non-AP MLD (e.g., ML non-AP logical entity 808) or an apparatus of STA 504. The method 1400 may include one or more additional instructions. The method 1400 may be performed in a different order. One or more operations of the method 1400 may be optional.

[0135] The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 CFR Section 1.72(b), which requires an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scope or meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a first access point (AP) of a non-co-located AP multi-link device (MLD), the apparatus comprising: Memory; and a processing circuit coupled to the memory, the processing circuit being configured to: encoding a link reconfiguration notification frame, the link reconfiguration notification frame comprising a reconfiguration multilink element, the reconfiguration multilink element comprising a per-station (STA) sub-element (per-STA sub-element), the per-STA sub-element comprising an indication of a non-co-located link of a second AP of the non-co-located AP MLD and an operation update type subfield, the operation update type subfield indicating whether the second AP is to be added or deleted; as well as The first AP of the non-co-located AP MLD is configured to send the link reconfiguration notification frame to the non-AP MLD.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The non-AP MLD is associated with the non-co-located AP MLD.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The operation update type subfield indicates whether the second AP is to be added or deleted from the multi-link (ML) setting of the non-AP MLD, and the ML setting of the non-AP MLD indicates whether the non-AP MLD is associated with the AP of the non-co-located AP MLD.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The indication of the non-co-located link of the second AP is a unique non-co-located link identifier (ID).

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The indication of the non-co-located link of the second AP is an ID of a co-located AP MLD to which the second AP belongs and a link ID of the link of the second AP of the co-located AP MLD.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein: The ID of the co-located AP MLD is a media access control (MAC) address of the co-located AP MLD to which the second AP belongs.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The link reconfiguration notification frame is addressed solely to the non-AP MLD.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The link reconfiguration notification frame, the reconfiguration multilink element, or the per-STA sub-element includes a disassociation-to-be subfield, the disassociation-to-be subfield indicating a duration before the non-AP MLD is to be disassociated from the first AP.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: decoding a response frame from the non-AP MLD, the response frame comprising a delay subfield requesting a duration for which the non-AP MLD is approved to perform an action indicated in the Operation Update Type subfield; as well as The duration is delayed before disassociating the non-AP MLD from the first AP.

10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: In response to the co-located AP MLD to which the second AP belongs detecting a signal higher than a threshold sent by the non-AP MLD, the link reconfiguration notification frame is encoded.

11. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: The configuration information of the non-AP MLD is encoded for transmission to the co-located APMLD to which the second AP belongs.

12. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-5, further comprising a transceiver circuit coupled to the processing circuit, the transceiver circuit coupled to two or more microstrip antennas for receiving signaling according to a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique.

13. The apparatus of any of claims 1-5, further comprising a transceiver circuit coupled to the processing circuit, the transceiver circuit coupled to two or more patch antennas for receiving signaling according to a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by one or more processors of a first access point (AP) of a non-co-located AP multi-link device (MLD), the instructions configuring the one or more processors to: encoding a link reconfiguration notification frame, the link reconfiguration notification frame comprising a reconfiguration multilink element, the reconfiguration multilink element comprising a per-station (STA) sub-element (per-STA sub-element), the per-STA sub-element comprising an indication of a non-co-located link of a second AP of the non-co-located AP MLD and an operation update type sub-field, the operation update type sub-field indicating whether the second AP is to be added or deleted; and The first AP of the non-co-located AP MLD is configured to send the link reconfiguration notification frame to the non-AP MLD.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein: The indication of the non-co-located link of the second AP is an ID of a co-located AP MLD to which the second AP belongs and a link ID of the link of the second AP of the co-located AP MLD.

16. An apparatus of a non-access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) (non-AP MLD), the apparatus comprising: Memory; and a processing circuit coupled to the memory, the processing circuit being configured to: decoding a link reconfiguration notification frame of a first AP from a non-co-located AP MLD, the link reconfiguration notification frame comprising a reconfiguration multilink element, the reconfiguration multilink element comprising a per-station (STA) sub-element (per-STA sub-element), the per-STA sub-element comprising an indication of a non-co-located link of a second AP of the non-co-located AP MLD and an operation update type sub-field, the operation update type sub-field indicating whether the second AP is to be added or deleted; as well as An indication that the second AP is to be added or deleted from a multi-link (ML) setup of the non-AP MLD is encoded for transmission to the second AP of the non-co-located AP MLD.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein: The indication of the non-co-located link of the second AP is a unique non-co-located link identifier (ID).

18. The device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein: The indication of the non-co-located link of the second AP is an ID of a co-located AP MLD to which the second AP belongs and a link ID of the link of the second AP of the co-located AP MLD.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein: The ID of the co-located AP MLD is a media access control (MAC) address of the co-located AP MLD to which the second AP belongs.

20. The device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein: The non-AP MLD is associated with the non-co-located AP MLD.

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