Method and apparatus for wireless communication

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus for wireless communication. In an aspect, an apparatus may acquire, for a first access point (AP), a first service set identifier (SSID) associated with a single link communication and acquire, for a second AP, a second SSID associated with a multi-link communication. The apparatus may obtain, from a wireless communication device, a management frame including a multi-link operation information field carrying a first SSID and obtain a multi-link indication of the wireless communication device based at least in part on the first SSID, the multi-link indication indicating whether the wireless communication device includes an AP capable of link aggregation; and selectively associating with the wireless communication device based on the multilink indication.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of an application with a filing date of February 18, 2021, application number 202180015155.0 (international application number PCT / US2021 / 018470), and name “Methods and Devices for Wireless Communications”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 981,006, filed on February 24, 2020, entitled “SERVICE SET IDENTIFIER (SSID) FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS USING MULTIPLE LINK AGGREGATION” and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 177,670, filed on February 17, 2021, entitled “SERVICE SET IDENTIFIER (SSID) FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS USING MULTIPLE LINK AGGREGATION”, both of which are assigned to the assignee of this application. The disclosures of all prior applications are considered part of this patent application and are each incorporated by reference into this patent application in their entirety. Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and, more particularly, to a service set identifier (SSID) for wireless communications using multi-link aggregation. Background Art

[0005] A wireless local area network (WLAN) may be formed by one or more access points (APs) that provide a shared wireless communication medium for use by several client devices, also referred to as stations (STAs). The shared wireless medium may contain multiple frequency bands (such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz bands) or multiple channels of one or more frequency bands. Link aggregation is a technology that allows an AP to communicate with a specific STA via multiple concurrent communication "links." For example, in order to increase data throughput, the shared wireless medium may be divided into a main link and one or more secondary links. The main link and the secondary link may have various bandwidths, for example, by combining several 20 MHz wide channels together to form a 40 MHz wide channel, an 80 MHz wide channel, or a 160 MHz wide channel.

[0006] The basic building block of a WLAN that complies with the Institute of Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards is a basic service set (BSS) managed by an AP. Each BSS is identified by a service set identifier (SSID) announced by the AP. Each AP periodically broadcasts a beacon frame on the primary link to enable any STA within the wireless range of the AP to establish and maintain a communication link with the WLAN. However, the beacon frame may not provide enough information to enable a multi-link (ML) capable STA to identify and associate with an ML capable AP. Summary of the invention

[0007] The systems, methods, and devices of the disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.

[0008] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented as a method for wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device. In some implementations, the method may include obtaining a first service set identifier (SSID) associated with single-link communication for a first access point (AP) of the wireless communication device, obtaining a second SSID associated with multi-link (ML) communication for a second AP of the wireless communication device, and transmitting one or more management frames carrying the first SSID and the second SSID to one or more wireless stations (STAs).

[0009] In some implementations, the second SSID may be carried in a multi-link operation (MLO) information field of a management frame. In some other implementations, the first SSID and the second SSID may be carried in respective information elements of a management frame. In some implementations, the first SSID may be transmitted in a first management frame and the second SSID may be transmitted in a second management frame different from the first management frame. In some implementations, the method may include establishing a primary communication link with a first STA of the one or more STAs based on the first SSID and establishing a secondary communication link with the first STA based on the second SSID.

[0010] In some implementations, the first SSID may be associated with a first password and the second SSID may be associated with a second password different from the first password. The first SSID and the second SSID may be the same value. In some other implementations, the first SSID and the second SSID may be associated with the same password. In some implementations, the first SSID and the second SSID may be obtained from a user. In some implementations, the one or more management frames may include a beacon frame, a probe response frame, or a combination thereof.

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented as a wireless communication device. The wireless communication device may include at least one transceiver, at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code, which, when executed by the at least one processor in combination with the at least one transceiver, causes a wireless node to perform operations including: obtaining a first service set identifier (SSID) associated with a single-link communication for a first access point (AP) of the wireless communication device, obtaining a second SSID associated with a multi-link (ML) communication for a second AP of the wireless communication device, and transmitting one or more management frames carrying the first SSID and the second SSID to one or more wireless stations (STAs).

[0012] In some implementations, the second SSID may be carried in a management frame. In some implementations, the second SSID may be carried in a multi-link operation (MLO) field of the management frame. In some implementations, the first SSID and the second SSID are carried in respective information elements of the management frame. In some implementations, the first SSID is transmitted in a first management frame and the second SSID is transmitted in a second management frame different from the first management frame.

[0013] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may establish a primary communication link with a first STA of the one or more STAs based on a first SSID and establish a secondary communication link with the first STA based on a second SSID. In some aspects, the first SSID is associated with a first password, and the second SSID is associated with a second password different from the first password. In some implementations, the first SSID and the second SSID may have the same value. In some aspects, the first SSID and the second SSID may be associated with the same password.

[0014] In some implementations, the first SSID and the second SSID are acquired from a user.In some other implementations, the one or more management frames include a beacon frame, a probe response frame, or a combination thereof.

[0015] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented as another method for wireless communication. In some implementations, the method may include receiving a management frame including a multi-link operation (MLO) information field carrying a first service set identifier (SSID) from a wireless communication device; obtaining a multi-link indication of the wireless communication device based at least in part on the first SSID, the multi-link indication indicating whether the wireless communication device is capable of link aggregation; and selectively associating with the wireless communication device based on the obtained multi-link indication.

[0016] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may include an AP capable of link aggregation. In some implementations, the management frame may be a beacon frame or a probe response frame. In some other implementations, the management frame may carry a second SSID. In some implementations, the wireless communication device may obtain an indication that the second SSID is associated with an AP capable of single-link communication. In some implementations, the management frame may be a beacon frame or a probe response frame. In some other implementations, the management frame may carry a second SSID. In some implementations, the wireless communication device may obtain an indication that the wireless communication device is capable of single-link communication based on the second SSID. In some implementations, the method may include establishing a primary communication link with the wireless communication device based on the second SSID; and establishing a second communication link with the wireless communication device based on the first SSID.

[0017] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented as a first wireless communication device. The first wireless communication device may include at least one transceiver, at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code, which, when executed by the at least one processor in combination with the at least one transceiver, can cause the first wireless communication device to perform operations including: receiving a management frame including a multi-link operation (MLO) information field carrying a first service set identifier (SSID) from a second wireless communication device; obtaining a multi-link indication of the second wireless communication device based at least in part on the first SSID, the multi-link indication indicating whether the second wireless communication device is capable of link aggregation; and selectively associating with the second wireless communication device based on the obtained multi-link indication.

[0018] In some aspects, the management frame may be a beacon frame or a probe response frame. In some other implementations, the management frame may also carry a second SSID. In some aspects, the first wireless communication device may obtain an indication that the second wireless communication device is capable of single-link communication based on the second SSID. In some implementations, the first wireless communication device may establish a primary communication link with the wireless communication device based on the second SSID and establish a second communication link with the second wireless communication device based on the first SSID.

[0019] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in the present disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. It should be noted that the relative sizes of the following drawings may not be drawn to scale. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 A block diagram of an example wireless system is shown.

[0021] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example wireless station (STA) is shown.

[0022] Figure 3 A block diagram of an example access point (AP) is shown.

[0023] Figure 4 A block diagram of another example wireless system is shown.

[0024] Figure 5 An example management frame is shown.

[0025] Figure 6 An example diagram of a multilink service set identifier (SSID) information element is shown.

[0026] Figure 7 An illustrative flow diagram depicting example operations for wireless communications is shown.

[0027] Figure 8 An illustrative flow diagram depicting another example operation for wireless communications is shown.

[0028] Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following description is directed to certain implementations in order to describe the innovative aspects of the present disclosure. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. The described implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals in accordance with any of the IEEE 16.11 standards or any of the IEEE 802.11 standards, (Bluetooth) standard, code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), GSM / general packet radio service (GPRS), enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE), terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA), wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), evolution data optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Revision A, EV-DO Revision B, high speed packet access (HSPA), high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), high speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), evolved high speed packet access (HSPA+), long term evolution (LTE), AMPS, or other known signals for communication within a wireless network, cellular network, or Internet of Things (IoT) network (such as, a system utilizing 3G, 4G or 5G or further implementations thereof).

[0030] The term "multi-link" or "ML" may refer to various link aggregation technologies that may be used to aggregate transmissions across multiple communication links. A multi-link device (MLD) may be any device capable of multi-link communication. Thus, the terms "ML AP" and "AP MLD" may be used interchangeably to refer to an access point (AP) capable of link aggregation. Similarly, the terms "ML STA" and "STA MLD" (also referred to as "non-AP MLD") may be used interchangeably to refer to a wireless station (STA) capable of link aggregation. The term "ML SSID" may refer to a service set identifier (SSID) associated with an AP capable of link aggregation. The term "legacy STA" may refer to any STA that does not support link aggregation. The term "legacy AP" may refer to any AP that is not capable of link aggregation. The term "legacy SSID" may refer to an SSID associated with an AP that is not capable of link aggregation. The term "primary link" or "primary communication link" may refer to a set or subset of wireless channels on which peer devices (such as STAs and APs) contend for access to a shared wireless medium. The term "secondary link" or "secondary communication link" may refer to any set or subset of wireless channels that can be accessed by a peer device for the purpose of link aggregation.

[0031] Implementations of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be used to transmit and receive management frames that include legacy SSID and ML SSID information. In some implementations, the legacy SSID may be associated with a BSS capable of single-link communication between wireless devices, while the ML SSID may be associated with a BSS capable of multi-link communication. Example suitable management frames may include beacon frames and probe response frames. For example, each AP of an AP MLD may broadcast a beacon frame carrying legacy SSID information indicating the SSID for the BSS with which it is associated. Each beacon frame may also carry ML SSID information indicating the SSID assigned to the AP MLD. The ML SSID information may be common to all APs associated with the AP MLD. Therefore, beacon frames broadcast by different APs of the AP MLD may carry the same ML SSID information, but different legacy SSID information.

[0032] Specific implementations of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. By including ML SSID information in a management frame, an AP MLD may announce its ability to support multi-link communications to STAs that are not yet associated with the AP MLD (or a BSS provided by the AP MLD). A STA MLD may look for ML information in a management frame when scanning for a BSS to associate with. For example, a STA MLD may preferably associate with an AP MLD to take advantage of the higher throughput afforded by multi-link communications. Thus, in some aspects, the ML SSID information carried in a management frame may help facilitate or streamline the process of establishing multiple communication links between a STA MLD and an AP MLD. In addition, by including legacy SSID information (in addition to the ML SSID information) in a management frame, an AP MLD may maintain support for legacy STAs that are not capable of multi-link communications.

[0033] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram of an example wireless system 100. The wireless system 100 is shown as including a wireless access point (AP) 110 and a number of wireless stations (STAs) 120a-120i. Figure 1 1 . An AP 110 is shown in FIG. 1 . The AP 110 may form a wireless local area network (WLAN) that allows the AP 110, STAs 120a–120i, and other wireless devices (not shown for simplicity) to communicate with each other over a wireless medium. The wireless medium, which may be divided into a number of channels or divided into a number of resource units (RUs), may facilitate wireless communications between the AP 110, the STAs 120a–120i, and other wireless devices connected to the WLAN. In some implementations, the STAs 120a–120i may communicate with each other using peer-to-peer communications (such as without or involving the AP 110). The AP 110 may be assigned a unique MAC address, which is programmed in the AP 110, for example, by the manufacturer of the access point. Similarly, each of the STAs 120a–120i may also be assigned a unique MAC address.

[0034] In some implementations, the wireless system 100 may correspond to a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless network and may support single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) and multi-user (MU-MIMO) communications. In some implementations, the wireless system 100 may support orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communications. Figure 1, but in some other implementations, the WLAN can be an independent basic service set (IBSS), an extended service set (ESS), an ad-hoc network, or a peer-to-peer (P2P) network (such as, operating according to one or more Wi-Fi Direct protocols).

[0035] The STAs 120a-120i may be any suitable Wi-Fi enabled wireless devices including, for example, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet devices, laptop computers, etc. The STAs 120a-120i may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, wireless units, remote units, mobile devices, wireless devices, wireless communication devices, remote devices, mobile subscriber stations, access terminals, mobile terminals, wireless terminals, remote terminals, handsets, user agents, mobile clients, clients, or some other suitable terminology.

[0036] The AP 110 may be any suitable device that allows one or more wireless devices (such as STAs 120a-120i) to connect to another network (such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or the Internet). In some implementations, the system controller 130 may facilitate communications between the AP 110 and one or more other APs (not shown for simplicity) that may be associated with other wireless networks. Additionally or alternatively, the AP 110 may exchange signals and information with one or more other APs using wireless communications.

[0037] The AP 110 may periodically broadcast beacon frames to enable the STAs 120a-120i and other wireless devices within the wireless range of the AP 110 to establish and maintain a communication link with the AP 110. The beacon frames are typically broadcast according to a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) schedule, which may indicate downlink (DL) data transmissions to the STAs 120a-120i and request or schedule uplink (UL) data transmissions from the STAs 120a-120i. The beacon frames may include a timing synchronization function (TSF) value of the AP 110. The STAs 120a-120i may synchronize their own local TSF values ​​with the broadcasted TSF value, for example, so that all STAs 120a-120i are synchronized with each other and with the AP 110.

[0038] In some implementations, each of the stations STA 120a–120i and the AP 110 may include one or more transceivers, one or more processing resources (such as a processor or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), one or more memory resources, and a power source (such as a battery). The one or more transceivers may include a Wi-Fi transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a cellular transceiver, or other suitable radio frequency (RF) transceiver (not shown for simplicity) to transmit and receive wireless communication signals. In some implementations, each transceiver may communicate with other wireless devices in different frequency bands or using different communication protocols. The memory resources may include non-transitory processor-readable media (such as one or more non-volatile memory elements (such as EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, hard drive, etc.)) that store information used to execute reference Figure 7 and 8 An instruction that describes one or more operations.

[0039] Figure 2 An example wireless station (STA) 200 is shown. STA 200 may be Figure 1 STA 200 may include one or more transceivers 210, a processor 220, a user interface 230, a memory 240, and a plurality of antennas ANT1-ANTn. Transceiver 210 may be coupled to antennas ANT1-ANTn directly or through an antenna selection circuit (not shown for simplicity). Transceiver 210 may be used to transmit signals to and receive signals from other wireless devices, including, for example, a plurality of APs and a plurality of other STAs. Although for simplicity in Figure 2 Although not shown in the figure, the transceiver 210 may include any number of transmit chains to process signals and transmit signals to other wireless devices via antennas ANT1-ANTn, and may include any number of receive chains to process signals received from antennas ANT1-ANTn. Therefore, STA 200 may be configured for MIMO communication and OFDMA communication. MIMO communication may include SU-MIMO communication and MU-MIMO communication. In some implementations, STA 200 may use multiple antennas ANT1-ANTn to provide antenna diversity. Antenna diversity may include polarization diversity, pattern diversity, and spatial diversity.

[0040] The processor 220 may be any suitable one or more processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in the STA 200 (such as within the memory 240). In some implementations, the processor 220 may be or include one or more microprocessors that provide processor functionality and an external memory that provides at least a portion of a machine-readable medium. In other implementations, the processor 220 may be or include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having a processor, a bus interface, a user interface, and at least a portion of a machine-readable (such as a processor-readable) medium integrated into a single chip. In some other implementations, the processor 220 may be or include one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or programmable logic devices (PLDs).

[0041] The user interface 230 coupled to the processor 220 may be or represent a number of suitable user input devices, such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a display device, a keyboard, a touch screen, etc. In some implementations, the user interface 230 may allow a user to control a number of operations of the STA 200 to interact with one or more applications executable by the STA 200, as well as other suitable functions.

[0042] In some implementations, STA 200 may include a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 250. The SPS receiver 250 coupled to the processor 220 may be used to capture and receive signals transmitted from one or more satellites or satellite systems via an antenna (not shown for simplicity). The signals received by the SPS receiver 250 may be used to determine (or at least assist in determining) the location of STA 200.

[0043] The memory 240 may include a device database 241, which may store location data, configuration information, data rates, media access control (MAC) addresses, timing information, modulation and coding schemes (MCS), traffic indication (TID) queue sizes, ranging capabilities, and other suitable information about (or related to) STA 200. The device database 241 may also store profile information for several other wireless devices. The profile information for a given wireless device may include, for example, a service set identifier (SSID) for the wireless device, a basic service set identifier (BSSID), an operating channel, a TSF value, a beacon interval, a ranging schedule, a channel state information (CSI), a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value, an actual throughput value, and a connection history with STA 200. In some implementations, the profile information for a given wireless device may also include a clock offset value, a carrier frequency offset value, and ranging capabilities.

[0044] The memory 240 may also be or include a non-volatile processor-readable storage medium (such as, one or more non-volatile memory elements such as EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, hard drive, etc.) that may store processor-executable instructions 242 for performing all or a portion of one or more operations described in the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 3 An example access point (AP) 300 is shown. The AP 300 may be Figure 1 1. The AP 300 may include one or more transceivers 310, a processor 320, a memory 330, a network interface 340, and a number of antennas ANT1-ANTn. The transceiver 310 may be coupled to the antennas ANT1-ANTn directly or through antenna selection circuits (not shown for simplicity). The transceiver 310 may be used to transmit signals to and receive signals from other wireless devices, including, for example, Figure 1 One or more of the STAs 120a-120i and other APs. Although not shown in the figure for simplicity Figure 3 , but the transceiver 310 may include any number of transmit chains to process signals and transmit signals to other wireless devices via antennas ANT1-ANTn, and may include any number of receive chains to process signals received from antennas ANT1-ANTn. Therefore, the AP 300 may be configured for MIMO communication and OFDMA communication. MIMO communication may include SU-MIMO communication and MU-MIMO communication. In some implementations, the AP 300 may use multiple antennas ANT1-ANTn to provide antenna diversity. Antenna diversity may include polarization diversity, pattern diversity, and spatial diversity.

[0046] The network interface 340 coupled to the processor 320 can be used to communicate with Figure 1 The network interface 340 may also allow the AP 300 to communicate with other wireless systems, with other APs, with one or more backhaul networks, or any combination thereof, either directly or via one or more intervening networks.

[0047] Memory 330 may include a device database 331 that may store location data, configuration information, data rates, MAC addresses, timing information, MCS, ranging capabilities, and other suitable information about (or relating to) AP 300. Device database 331 may also store information for a number of other wireless devices, such as Figure 1The profile information for a given wireless device may include, for example, the SSID, BSSID, operating channel, CSI, received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value, actual throughput value, and connection history with the AP 300 for the wireless device. In some implementations, the profile information for a given wireless device may also include a TID queue size, a preferred packet duration for triggered-based UL transmission, and a maximum amount of queued UL data that the wireless device can insert into a TB PPBU.

[0048] The memory 330 may also be or include a non-volatile processor-readable storage medium (such as, one or more non-volatile memory elements such as EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, hard drive, etc.) that may store computer-executable instructions 332 for performing all or a portion of one or more operations described in the present disclosure.

[0049] Figure 4 4 shows a block diagram of another example wireless system 400. The wireless system 400 includes an ML AP 410 and several wireless stations STA1-STA3. Figure 4 In the example of FIG. 4 , three wireless stations STA1-STA3 are shown, but it will be understood that the wireless system 400 may include any number of STAs. ML AP 410 may be a wireless communication device including two or more APs (such as AP 411 and AP 412). Each of AP 411 and 412 may be Figure 1 110. In some implementations, APs 411 and 412 may be implemented as soft APs. Wireless stations STA 1 and STA 2 may be ML STAs (also referred to as STAMLDs) or wireless communication devices capable of communicating with other wireless communication devices over multiple concurrent communication links. In contrast, wireless station STA 3 may be a wireless communication device operating as a legacy STA capable of communicating over a single communication link.

[0050] In some implementations, the ML AP 410 may be capable of establishing multiple concurrent communication links with each of the wireless stations STA1 and STA2 via APs 411 and 412. For example, the AP 411 may communicate with the wireless stations STA1 and STA2 via a primary link and the AP 412 may communicate with the wireless stations STA1 and STA2 via a secondary link. In some other implementations, the AP 412 may communicate via the primary link and the AP 411 may communicate via the secondary link. Figure 4In the example of FIG. 4 , each of the wireless stations STA1 and STA2 is shown as having only one secondary link. However, in some implementations, the ML AP 410 may establish any number of secondary links with any of the wireless stations STA1 and STA2.

[0051] In some implementations, the communication link may cover different frequency bands. For example, the main link may include one or more channels of the 5 GHz frequency band and the secondary link may include one or more channels of the 6 GHz frequency band. In some other implementations, the communication link may cover different channels of the same frequency band. For example, the main link may include a first subset of channels in the 6 GHz frequency band and the secondary link may include a second subset of channels in the 6 GHz frequency band. In addition, in some implementations, the communication link may cover different channels of different frequency bands. For example, the main link may include a first subset of channels in the 5 GHz frequency band and a first subset of channels in the 6 GHz frequency band, while the secondary link may include a second subset of channels in the 5 GHz frequency band and a second subset of channels in the 6 GHz frequency band. The 5 GHz and 6 GHz frequency bands are used here to illustrate rather than limit possible implementations. In some other implementations, the main link and the secondary link may use any feasible frequency band and any feasible channel set or subset within these frequency bands.

[0052] In some implementations, ML AP 410 may also be capable of establishing a single communication link (such as a legacy communication link) with wireless station STA3. In some implementations, the single communication link may include one or more channels of the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, or any other feasible band. For example, AP 411 or AP 412 may communicate with wireless station STA3 via any feasible band or channel.

[0053] In some implementations, the ML AP 410 may transmit a management frame including a first service set identifier (SSID) associated with single-link communication (such as communication over a single communication link) and a second SSID associated with multi-link communication (such as communication over a primary communication link and one or more secondary communication links). Example management frames may include, but are not limited to, beacon frames or probe response frames. For example, the first SSID may be associated with a basic service set (BSS) including AP 411 that serves legacy STAs (such as wireless station STA3) over a primary link. The second SSID may be associated with a BSS including ML AP 410 (including each of APs 411 and 412) that serves ML STAs (such as wireless stations STA1 and STA2) over a primary link and a secondary link. In some other implementations, either AP 411 or 412 of the ML AP 410 may be associated with the primary link and the secondary link. In some implementations, the first SSID may be transmitted in a first management frame and the second SSID may be transmitted in a second management frame separate from the first management frame. Additionally, in some implementations, the second SSID may be included in one or more multi-link operations (MLO) information fields of the management frame. In some other implementations, the first SSID and the second SSID may be included in one or more information elements of the management frame.

[0054] In some implementations, the legacy STA may not be aware of the second SSID. That is, the legacy STA may receive a management frame including the second SSID, but may ignore the second SSID and any associated data. In this way, the operation of the legacy STA may not be affected by any second SSID information and the legacy STA may continue to associate with a single-link capable AP (such as AP 410). The first SSID and the second SSID may be alphanumeric characters provided by the user to help identify the BSS as a legacy or multi-link capable BSS, respectively. In some implementations, the first SSID may be equivalent to the second SSID. The shared SSID may enable a user with an ML-capable STA to have an improved user experience when roaming between ML and legacy APs. When the same SSID is used for both the first and second SSIDs (in other words, both the first and second SSIDs have the same value), the roaming STA may associate with the ML AP and the legacy AP more quickly. In some implementations, the first SSID and the second SSID may be associated with the same password. The password may be one or more words or symbols used to grant access to the associated BSS. The shared password may enable the STA to associate more quickly between the first and second SSIDs. In some other implementations, each SSID may be associated with a different password. For example, a first SSID may be associated with a first password and a second SSID may be associated with a second password.

[0055] Figure 5 An example management frame 500 is shown. The management frame 500 includes a MAC header 510, a frame body 530, and a frame check sequence (FCS) 540. The MAC header 510 may include a frame control field 520, a duration field 522, a first address field 524, a second address field 526, and a third address field 528. In some implementations, the MAC header 510 may include other fields, fewer fields, or more fields.

[0056] The frame control field 520 may describe the form or function of the management frame 500. For example, the frame control field 520 may identify the management frame 500 as a particular type of management frame. In some instances, the frame control field 520 may identify the management frame 500 as a beacon frame or a probe response frame. The duration field 522 may describe the duration of the management frame 500 in milliseconds. The first address field 524 may describe the destination address of the management frame 500. In some implementations, the first address field 524 may include a broadcast or multicast address. The broadcast or multicast address may indicate that the management frame 500 is intended for multiple wireless communication devices. The second address field 526 may describe the source address of the management frame 500. For example, the second address field 526 may include a MAC address of the wireless device transmitting the management frame 500. The third address field 528 may include a BSSID. In some implementations, the BSSID may be the MAC address of the wireless device transmitting the management frame 500. Thus, the BSSID of the third address field 528 may correspond to the first SSID, as described with reference to Figure 4 FCS 540 may include an error detection code that enables error detection of data in management frame 500.

[0057] In some implementations, the frame body 530 may include an ML SSID. The ML SSID may be a user-provided identifier for an MLAP (such as Figure 4 The ML SSID may be an alphanumeric identifier of an ML AP 410) or an associated BSS. Thus, the ML SSID may be associated with an AP that supports concurrent multi-link communications. Additionally, the field of the frame body 530 that includes the ML SSID may be referred to as an MLO information field. The ML SSID may correspond to a second SSID, such as that shown in FIG. Figure 4 The frame body 530 may also include a legacy SSID. The legacy SSID may be an alphanumeric identifier provided by another user that can identify the BSS associated with the single-link communication. In some implementations, the legacy SSID within the frame body 530 may be equivalent to the SSID included within the third address field 528.

[0058] Figure 6An example diagram of an ML SSID information element 600 is shown. The ML SSID information element 600 may include an element ID field 610, a length field 620, and an ML SSID field 630. The ML SSID information element 600 may be included in Figure 5 In the frame body 530 of the management frame 500.

[0059] The element ID field 610 may identify the associated information element as an ML SSID information element. The length field 620 may describe the length of the ML SSID information element 600. In some implementations, the size of the element ID field 610 and the length field 620 may be one octet. In some other implementations, the element ID field 610 and the length field 620 may be any feasible size. The ML SSID field 630 may be any feasible descriptor assigned by the user for the ML AP. In some implementations, the size of the ML SSID field 630 may be between zero and thirty-two octets. In some other implementations, the ML SSID field 630 may be any feasible size. In addition, in some implementations, the ML SSID information element 600 may be similar to the legacy SSID information element.

[0060] Figure 7 An illustrative flow chart depicting example operations 700 for wireless communication is shown. Example operations 700 may be performed by, for example, Figure 4 The operations described herein may be performed by an ML AP such as ML AP 410 or any other suitable AP, wireless communication device, or wireless node. Some implementations may perform the operations described herein by performing more operations, performing fewer operations, performing operations in a different order, performing operations in parallel, and performing some operations differently.

[0061] The ML AP obtains a first SSID associated with single-link communication (702). In some implementations, the first SSID may be a legacy SSID associated with an AP capable of single-link communication. In some implementations, the value of the first SSID may be obtained from a user through a suitable user interface.

[0062] The ML AP obtains a second SSID associated with the ML communication (704). In some implementations, the second SSID may be an ML SSID associated with the ML AP capable of link communication. In some implementations, the value of the second SSID may be obtained from a user through a suitable user interface.

[0063] The ML AP transmits one or more management frames carrying the first SSID and the second SSID to one or more STAs (706). In some implementations, the first SSID and the second SSID may be included in any feasible information element or field of the management frame, including the MLO field. For example, the first SSID may be a legacy SSID included in the third address field 528 and the second SSID may be an ML SSID included in the frame body of the management frame 500. In addition, the first SSID and the second SSID may be transmitted in the same management frame or in separate management frames. In addition, in some implementations, the one or more management frames may include a beacon frame, a probe response frame, or a combination thereof. The values ​​of the first SSID and the second SSID may be the same or may be different. In addition, the passwords associated with the first SSID and the second SSID may be the same or different.

[0064] In some implementations, the ML AP may establish a communication link with one or more STAs based on the first and second SSIDs. For example, the ML AP may establish a primary communication link with a first ML STA based on the first SSID and establish a secondary communication link with the first ML STA based on the second SSID.

[0065] In some implementations, an ML AP may include multiple physical, logical, or virtual APs that operate as one or more single-link APs and ML APs. For example, an ML AP may include a first physical, logical, or virtual AP that operates as a legacy (such as a single-link) AP and transmits a legacy SSID and a second physical, logical, or virtual AP that operates as an ML AP and transmits an ML SSID.

[0066] Figure 8 An illustrative flow chart depicting another example operation 800 for wireless communication is shown. The example operation 800 may be performed by, for example, Figure 4 The ML STA such as wireless stations STA1 and STA2 or any suitable STA or wireless communication device may be used for execution.

[0067] The ML STA obtains a management frame including an MLO information field carrying a first SSID from a wireless communication device (802). The management frame may be provided by a server such as Figure 4 The management frame may be transmitted to an AP such as ML AP 410 or any other suitable AP, wireless communication device, or wireless node. The first SSID may be an ML SSID, which is an alphanumeric identifier associated with an AP capable of link aggregation. In some implementations, the management frame may be a beacon frame and a probe response frame. The MLO information field may be any feasible information element or field in the management frame, including ML SSID information.

[0068] The ML STA obtains an ML indication for the wireless communication device based at least in part on the first SSID, the ML indication being an indication of whether the wireless communication device includes an AP capable of link aggregation (804). In some implementations, the ML STA may locate one or more MLO information fields or other information elements in a management frame including the first SSID. The presence of the first SSID may indicate that the associated AP is an ML AP.

[0069] The ML STA associates with the wireless communication device based on the acquired multi-link indication (806). For example, the ML STA may associate with the ML AP associated with the first SSID using a corresponding password. In some implementations, the ML STA may also receive a second SSID associated with an AP that is not capable of link aggregation (such as a legacy AP capable of single-link communication). The second SSID may be a legacy SSID. The ML STA may also associate with a legacy AP associated with the legacy SSID. The passwords associated with the first SSID and the second SSID may be the same or different. After associating with the ML AP, the ML STA may communicate with the ML AP using a single communication link or multiple communication links. For example, the ML STA establishes a primary communication link with the ML AP based on the second SSID and establishes a secondary communication link with the ML AP based on the first SSID.

[0070] Various implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0071] 1. A method for wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device, comprising:

[0072] acquiring, for a first access point (AP) of the wireless communication device, a first service set identifier (SSID) associated with single-link communication;

[0073] acquiring a second SSID associated with multi-link (ML) communication for a second AP of the wireless communication device; and

[0074] One or more management frames carrying the first SSID and the second SSID are transmitted to one or more wireless stations (STAs).

[0075] 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the second SSID is carried in a multi-link operation (MLO) information field of the management frame.

[0076] 3. A method as described in any of clauses 1 or 2, wherein the first SSID and the second SSID are carried in corresponding information elements of the management frame.

[0077] 4. The method of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the first SSID is transmitted in a first management frame and the second SSID is transmitted in a second management frame different from the first management frame.

[0078] 5. The method as described in any of clauses 1 to 4, further comprising:

[0079] Establishing a primary communication link with a first STA among the one or more STAs based on the first SSID; and

[0080] A secondary communication link is established with the first STA based on the second SSID.

[0081] 6. The method of any of clauses 1-5, wherein the first SSID is associated with a first password and the second SSID is associated with a second password different from the first password.

[0082] 7. The method of any of clauses 1-6, wherein the first SSID and the second SSID have the same value.

[0083] 8. The method of any of clauses 1-5 or 7, wherein the first SSID and the second SSID are associated with the same password.

[0084] 9. The method of any one of clauses 1-8, wherein the first SSID and the second SSID are acquired from a user.

[0085] 10. The method of any of clauses 1-9, wherein the one or more management frames comprise a beacon frame, a probe response frame, or a combination thereof.

[0086] 11. A wireless communication device, comprising:

[0087] at least one transceiver;

[0088] at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver; and

[0089] At least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the at least one processor in combination with the at least one transceiver, causes the wireless node to perform a method as described in any one or more of clauses 1-10.

[0090] 12. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

[0091] receiving a management frame from a wireless communication device, the management frame including a multi-link operation (MLO) information field carrying a first service set identifier (SSID);

[0092] acquiring a multi-link indication of the wireless communication device based at least in part on the first SSID, the multi-link indication indicating whether the wireless communication device is capable of link aggregation; and

[0093] and selectively associating with the wireless communication device based on the obtained multilink indication.

[0094] 13. The method of clause 12, wherein the management frame is a beacon frame or a probe response frame.

[0095] 14. A method as recited in any of clauses 12 or 13, wherein the management frame carries a second SSID.

[0096] 15. The method according to any one of clauses 12 to 14, further comprising:

[0097] An indication that the wireless communication device is capable of single link communication is obtained based on the second SSID.

[0098] 16. The method according to any one of clauses 12 to 15, further comprising:

[0099] establishing a primary communication link with the wireless communication device based on the second SSID; and

[0100] A secondary communication link is established with the wireless communication device based on the first SSID.

[0101] 17. A first wireless communication device, comprising:

[0102] at least one transceiver;

[0103] at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver; and

[0104] At least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the at least one processor in combination with the at least one transceiver, causes the wireless communication device to perform a method as described in any one or more of clauses 12-16.

[0105] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc.

[0106] The various illustrative logics, logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. This interchangeability of hardware and software has been generally described in terms of their functionality and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0107] The hardware and data processing apparatus for implementing the various illustrative logics, logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed with a general purpose single-chip or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in cooperation with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some implementations, specific processes and methods may be performed by circuit systems dedicated to a given function.

[0108] In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware (including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents), or in any combination thereof. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may also be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by a data processing apparatus or for controlling the operation of a data processing apparatus.

[0109] If implemented in software, each function can be stored on a processor-readable medium or transmitted therethrough as one or more instructions or codes. The process of the method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented in a processor-executable software module that can reside on a processor-readable medium. Processor-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that can be implemented to transfer a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not limitation, such processor-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer. Any connection may also be appropriately referred to as a processor-readable medium. As used herein, disks and discs include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and blue-ray discs, wherein disks often reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. The above combination should also be included in the scope of processor-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and instructions on a machine-readable medium and a processor-readable medium which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0110] Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure may be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the universal principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the disclosure, the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0111] In addition, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the terms "upper" and "lower / lower" are sometimes used for convenience in describing the drawings and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the drawings on a correctly oriented page, and may not reflect the actual orientation of any device as implemented.

[0112] Certain features described in this specification in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, while features may be described above as functioning in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be removed from the combination, and a claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination, or variations of a subcombination.

[0113] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or to perform all the operations described in order to achieve the desired result. In addition, the accompanying drawings may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flow chart. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated example process. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously or between any illustrated operations. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of various system components in the implementation described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, other implementations also fall within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions described in the claims may be performed in different orders and still achieve the desired result.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication performed at an access point AP multi-link device MLD, the AP MLD comprising a first AP associated with a first communication link of the AP MLD and a second AP associated with a second communication link of the AP MLD, the method comprising: Associating a first service set identifier SSID with the first AP; outputting one or more management frames for transmission to one or more wireless communication devices, each management frame including a multilink operation information field including the first SSID and another field including the first SSID; and establishing a single-link communication link with the one or more wireless communication devices through the first communication link of the first AP, the establishing being based on the first SSID; or A multi-link communication link is established with the one or more wireless communication devices through the first communication link of the first AP and the second communication link of the second AP, wherein the establishment is based on the first SSID.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first AP has a first basic service set identifier (BSSID), and the second AP has a second BSSID.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the single-link communication link is established, and wherein the establishment of the single-link communication link is further based on a first basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the first AP.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-link communication link is established, and wherein the establishment of the multi-link communication link is further based on a first basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the first AP and a second BSSID of the second AP.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless communication devices include a first station STA, and wherein the single-link communication link is established with the first STA, the method further comprising: An indication is obtained from the first STA that the first STA is a single-link capable wireless device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless communication devices include a first non-AP MLD, and wherein the multi-link communication link is established with the first non-AP MLD, the method further comprising: An indication is obtained from the first non-AP MLD that the first non-AP MLD is a multi-link capable wireless device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: A second SSID is associated with the second AP, wherein the first SSID and the second SSID have the same value.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: A second SSID is associated with the second AP, wherein the first SSID and the second SSID are associated with a same password.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Associating a second SSID with the second AP; as well as establishing a single-link communication link with the one or more wireless communication devices through the second communication link of the second AP, the establishing being based on the second SSID; or A multi-link communication link is established with the one or more wireless communication devices through the first communication link of the first AP and the second communication link of the second AP, wherein the establishment is based on the second SSID.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more management frames include a beacon frame, a probe response frame, or a combination thereof.

11. Access point AP multi-link device MLD, including: at least one transceiver; a first AP associated with a first communication link of the AP MLD; a second AP associated with a second communication link of the AP MLD; one or more processors communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, the first AP, and the second AP; as well as at least one memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the AP MLD to: Associating a first service set identifier SSID with the first AP; transmitting, via the at least one transceiver, to one or more wireless communication devices, one or more management frames, each management frame comprising a multilink operation information field including the first SSID and another field including the first SSID; and establishing a single-link communication link with the one or more wireless communication devices through the first communication link of the first AP, the establishing being based on the first SSID; or A multi-link communication link is established with the one or more wireless communication devices through the first communication link of the first AP and the second communication link of the second AP, wherein the establishment is based on the first SSID.

12. The AP MLD of claim 11, wherein execution of the processor readable code causes the AP MLD to: Associating the first AP with a first basic service set identifier (BSSID); and The second AP is associated with a second BSSID.

13. The AP MLD of claim 11, wherein execution of the processor readable code causes the establishment of the single-link communication link to be further based on a first basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the first AP.

14. The AP MLD of claim 11, wherein execution of the processor readable code causes the establishment of the multi-link communication link to be further based on a first basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the first AP and a second BSSID of the second AP.

15. The AP MLD of claim 11, wherein the one or more wireless communication devices include a first station STA, and wherein execution of the processor readable code causes the AP MLD to: receiving, via the at least one transceiver, from the first STA an indication that the first STA is a single-link capable wireless device; and Establish the single-link communication link with the first STA.

16. The AP MLD of claim 11, wherein the one or more wireless communication devices include a first non-AP MLD, and wherein execution of the processor readable code causes the AP MLD to: receiving, via the at least one transceiver, from the first non-AP MLD an indication that the first non-AP MLD is a multi-link capable wireless device; and The multi-link communication link is established with the first non-AP MLD.

17. The AP MLD of claim 11, wherein execution of the processor readable code causes the AP MLD to associate a second SSID for the second AP, and wherein the first SSID and the second SSID have the same value.

18. The AP MLD of claim 11, wherein execution of the processor readable code causes the AP MLD to associate a second SSID for the second AP, and wherein the first SSID and the second SSID are associated with a same password.

19. The AP MLD of claim 11, wherein execution of the processor readable code causes the AP MLD to: Associating a second SSID with the second AP; and Establishing a single-link communication link with the one or more wireless communication devices through the second communication link of the second AP, wherein the establishing is based on the second SSID; or A multi-link communication link is established with the one or more wireless communication devices through the first communication link of the first AP and the second communication link of the second AP, wherein the establishment is based on the second SSID.

20. The AP MLD of claim 11, wherein the one or more management frames include a beacon frame, a probe response frame, or a combination thereof.

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