Multi-link management

Abstract

Aspects relate to multi-link communications. In some examples, the communication frame carries a multilink information element (ML IE). The ML IE includes a bitmap and one or more information sub-elements. In some examples, the bitmap indicates a link of a set of radio links to which the information sub-element is applied. In some examples, a frame may carry a plurality of ML IEs. In some examples, different ML IEs in the same frame may include the same bitmap, where the different ML IEs may carry different information sub-elements of the radio links indicated by the bitmap. In some examples, an ML IE is used to indicate that an information sub-element located in a frame body of a frame and at a location in the frame body that precedes the ML IE applies to a radio link that is different from a radio link indicated by a bitmap of the ML IE.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to pending U.S. non-provisional application No. 17 / 946,966, filed on September 16, 2022, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The techniques discussed below relate generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to managing multilink transmissions. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide a variety of communication services. Some of these networks may be multiple access networks that support communications for multiple users by sharing available network resources. For example, a wireless communication device (e.g., a station) may communicate with another wireless communication device (e.g., an access point or station) of a network to obtain access to the communication services provided by the network. Summary of the invention

[0005] An overview of one or more aspects of the present disclosure is presented below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This overview is not an extensive review of all expected features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to describe the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in a form as a preface to a more detailed description presented later.

[0006] In some examples, a first device for wireless communication may include a processing system. The processing system may be configured to generate a first frame including a first information element. In some examples, the first information element includes a first bitmap. In some examples, the first information element also includes a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. The processing system may also be configured to output the first frame for transmission to a second device.

[0007] In some examples, a method for wireless communication at a first device is disclosed. The method may include generating a first frame including a first information element. In some examples, the first information element includes a first bitmap. In some examples, the first information element also includes a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. The method may also include outputting the first frame for sending to a second device.

[0008] In some examples, a first device for wireless communication may include components for generating a first frame including a first information element. In some examples, the first information element includes a first bitmap. In some examples, the first information element also includes a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. The first device may also include components for outputting the first frame for transmission to a second device.

[0009] In some examples, a non-transitory computer-readable medium has stored therein instructions executable by a processing system of a first device to generate a first frame including a first information element. In some examples, the first information element includes a first bitmap. In some examples, the first information element also includes a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. The computer-readable medium may also have stored therein instructions executable by the processing system of the first device to output the first frame for sending to a second device.

[0010] In some examples, a first apparatus for wireless communication may include a processing system. The processing system may be configured to obtain a first frame including a first information element. In some examples, the first information element includes a first bitmap. In some examples, the first information element also includes a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. The processing system may also be configured to output at least one second frame for transmission via the first plurality of links based on the first information element.

[0011] In some examples, a method for wireless communication at a first device is disclosed. The method may include obtaining a first frame including a first information element. In some examples, the first information element includes a first bitmap. In some examples, the first information element also includes a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. The method may also include outputting at least one second frame for transmission via the first plurality of links based on the first information element.

[0012] In some examples, a first apparatus for wireless communication may include a component for obtaining a first frame including a first information element. In some examples, the first information element includes a first bitmap. In some examples, the first information element also includes a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. The first apparatus may also include a component for outputting at least one second frame based on the first information element for transmission via the first plurality of links.

[0013] In some examples, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores therein instructions executable by a processing system of a first device to obtain a first frame including a first information element. In some examples, the first information element includes a first bitmap. In some examples, the first information element also includes a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. The computer-readable medium may also store therein instructions executable by the processing system of the first device to output at least one second frame for transmission via the first plurality of links based on the first information element.

[0014] In some examples, a station may include a transceiver and a processing system. The processing system may be configured to generate a first frame including a first information element. In some examples, the first information element includes a first bitmap. In some examples, the first information element also includes a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. The transceiver may be configured to send the first frame to a wireless node.

[0015] In some examples, an access point may include a transceiver and a processing system. The transceiver may be configured to receive a first frame including a first information element. In some examples, the first information element includes a first bitmap. In some examples, the first information element also includes a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. The transceiver may also be configured to send at least one second frame via the first plurality of links based on the first information element.

[0016] After studying the specific embodiments below, these and other aspects of the present disclosure will become more fully understood. After studying the description of the specific example aspects of the present disclosure below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other aspects, features and examples of the present disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Although the features of the present disclosure may be discussed below with respect to certain examples and drawings, all examples of the present disclosure may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more examples may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used according to the various examples of the present disclosure discussed herein. In a similar manner, although the example aspects may be discussed below as device, system or method examples, it should be understood that such example aspects may be implemented in various devices, systems and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a conceptual illustration of an example of a wireless communication system in accordance with some aspects.

[0018] Figure 2 is a conceptual illustration of another example of a wireless communication system in accordance with some aspects.

[0019] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an example of an apparatus (eg, a wireless communication device) in accordance with some aspects.

[0020] Figure 4 According to some aspects, a method for transmitting wireless communication signals is provided. Figure 3 A block diagram of example components of an apparatus.

[0021] Figure 5 According to some aspects, a method for receiving wireless communication signals is provided. Figure 3 A block diagram of example components of an apparatus.

[0022] Figure 6 is a block diagram of an example of an apparatus (eg, an integrated circuit) in accordance with some aspects.

[0023] Figure 7 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example of signaling between an access point and stations according to some aspects.

[0024] Figure 8 is a conceptual illustration of an example of a frame format in accordance with some aspects.

[0025] Fig. 9 is a conceptual illustration of an example of a target wake time (TWT) element in accordance with some aspects.

[0026] Fig.10 is a conceptual illustration of an example of a multi-link link information element in accordance with some aspects.

[0027] Fig.11 is a conceptual illustration of another example of a multi-link link information element in accordance with some aspects.

[0028] Fig.12 is a conceptual illustration of an example of a management frame in accordance with some aspects.

[0029] Fig.13 is a conceptual illustration of an example of a protocol data unit in accordance with some aspects.

[0030] Fig.14 is a conceptual illustration of an example of a multilink element type field in accordance with some aspects.

[0031] Fig.15 is a conceptual illustration of another example of a multilink element in accordance with some aspects.

[0032] Fig.16 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus (eg, a wireless node such as a station) employing a processing system in accordance with some aspects.

[0033] Fig.17 is a flow chart illustrating an example communication method involving generating a frame in accordance with some aspects.

[0034] Fig.18 is a flow chart illustrating an example communication method involving generating a frame in accordance with some aspects.

[0035] Fig.19 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus (eg, a wireless node such as an access point) employing a processing system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0036] Fig. 20 is a flow chart illustrating an example communication method involving obtaining a frame in accordance with some aspects.

[0037] Fig.21 is a flow chart illustrating an example communication method involving obtaining a frame in accordance with some aspects. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The specific embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are intended as descriptions of various configurations and are not intended to represent the only configurations with which the concepts described herein can be practiced. In order to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the specific embodiments include specific details. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid blurring these concepts.

[0039] Although various aspects and examples are described in this application by illustrating some examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that additional specific implementations and use cases can be generated in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovation described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, various aspects and / or use can be generated via integrated chip examples and other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication equipment, computing equipment, industrial equipment, retail / shopping equipment, medical equipment, artificial intelligence (AI) enabled devices, etc.). Although some examples may or may not specifically point to use cases or applications, the applicability of a wide range of described innovations may occur. Specific implementations can range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level specific implementations, and further to the range of aggregated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems in conjunction with one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some actual settings, the device incorporating the described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for the implementation and implementation of the claimed and described examples. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily include several components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.). It is intended that the innovations described herein may be practiced in a variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, end-user devices, etc., having various sizes, shapes, and configurations.

[0040] Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to multi-link communications in a wireless local area network (WLAN). In some examples, a first multi-link device (MLD) can communicate with multiple devices via multiple radio links. In some examples, the first MLD can communicate with a second MLD via multiple radio links. In some examples, the radio links are carried on the same radio frequency (RF) channel or RF band. In some examples, the radio links are carried on different RF channels or RF bands.

[0041] In some aspects, the present disclosure relates to a communication frame (e.g., a WLAN frame) carrying a multi-link information element (ML IE). The ML IE includes a bitmap and one or more information sub-elements. In some examples, the bitmap indicates a link of a set of radio links to which the information sub-element applies.

[0042] In some examples, a frame may carry multiple ML IEs. In some examples, different ML IEs in the same frame may include the same bitmap. In this case, different ML IEs may carry different information sub-elements of the radio link indicated by the bitmap.

[0043] In some examples, the ML IE is used to indicate that an information sub-element located in a frame body of a frame and at a position preceding the ML IE in the frame body applies to a radio link different from the radio link indicated by the bitmap of the ML IE. In some examples, the information sub-element preceding the ML IE applies to a current radio link of the device. In some examples, the information sub-element preceding the ML IE applies at the MLD level.

[0044] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 is illustrated in which an access point (AP) 102 communicates with a first station (STA) 104 and a second STA 106. In some examples, the AP 102 may correspond to Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Fig.16 and Fig.19 In some examples, STAs 104 and 106 may correspond to any of the APs or other devices described in any one or more of . Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Fig.16 and Fig.19 Any of the STAs or other devices described in any one or more of .

[0045] The AP 102 may transmit downlink (DL) transmissions 108 and 110, respectively, to the first STA 104 and the second STA 106 via one or more links. In addition, the first STA 104 may transmit uplink (UL) transmissions 112 to the AP 102 via one or more links, and the second STA 106 may transmit UL transmissions 114 to the AP 102 via one or more links.

[0046] The AP 102, the first STA 104, and the second STA 106 include multi-link management components 116, 118, and 120, respectively. In some examples, the multi-link management component 116 can cooperate with the multi-link management component 118 to exchange management information for multi-link transmissions such as the DL transmission 108 and the UL transmission 112. Similarly, the multi-link management component 116 can cooperate with the multi-link management component 120 to exchange management information for multi-link transmissions such as the DL transmission 110 and the UL transmission 114.

[0047] The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure may be implemented across a wide variety of telecommunication systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Figure 2, various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated with reference to a wireless communication system 200 including various wireless communication nodes, by way of illustrative example and not limitation. For convenience, the wireless communication nodes may be referred to herein as wireless nodes. In some examples, the wireless communication system 200 may operate in accordance with a wireless communication standard, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.

[0048] In some examples, a wireless node is a node (e.g., a device, entity, etc.) that communicates with another node using a wireless spectrum (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) spectrum). In some examples, a wireless node may be a mobile device. A mobile device may be referred to as a STA in IEEE 802.11, but may also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal (AT), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a mobile phone, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology by those skilled in the art.

[0049] A mobile device does not necessarily have the ability to move, and may be stationary. The term mobile device or mobile device refers to a wide variety of devices and technologies. A mobile device may include a plurality of hardware structural components whose size, shape, and arrangement facilitate communication. Such components may include antennas, antenna arrays, RF chains, amplifiers, one or more processors, etc. electrically coupled to each other. For example, some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include mobile devices, cellular (cell) phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smart books, tablet devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and a wide variety of embedded systems, for example, corresponding to the Internet of Things (IoT).

[0050] The mobile device may be a car or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotic device, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a target tracking device, a drone, a multicopter, a quadcopter, a remote control device, a consumer and / or wearable device such as glasses, a wearable camera, a virtual reality device, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, etc. The mobile device may be a digital home or smart home device (such as home audio, video, and / or multimedia devices), an appliance, a vending machine, a smart lighting device, a home security system, a smart meter, etc. The mobile device may be a smart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, a municipal infrastructure device that controls electrical power (e.g., a smart grid), lighting, water supply, etc., an industrial automation and enterprise device, a logistics controller, and / or agricultural equipment, etc. In addition, the mobile device may provide connected medical or telemedicine support, such as health care at a distance. Telehealth devices may include telehealth monitoring devices and telehealth supervisory devices, whose communication information may be given priority or prioritized access over other types of information, for example in the form of prioritized access for critical service data transmission and / or associated quality of service (QoS) for critical service data transmission.

[0051] In some examples, the wireless node may be an access point. In 802.11, an access point may be a network element in a radio access network that is responsible for radio transmission and reception in one or more service sets. In different technologies, standards, or contexts, an access point may be referred to differently by those skilled in the art as a base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a node B (NB), an evolved node B (eNB), a next generation node B (gNB), a transmission and reception point (TRP), or some other suitable term.

[0052] exist Figure 2 In the example of , an access point (AP) 204 is deployed in a network to provide access (e.g., network connectivity) to one or more services for one or more stations (STAs), such as STAs 206a, 206b, 206c, 206d, 206e, and 206f (which may be collectively referred to herein as STAs 206 or individually as STAs 206), which may be installed within a coverage area of ​​the network or may roam throughout the coverage area. Thus, at various points in time, STAs 206 may be connected to AP 204 or some other access point (not shown) in the network. In some examples, AP 204 may be referred to as an AP STA. In some examples, STAs 206 may be referred to as non-AP STAs.

[0053] Various processes and methods may be used for transmission between AP 204 and STA 206 in wireless communication system 200. For example, signals may be transmitted and received between AP 204 and STA 206 according to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technology and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) technology. In this case, wireless communication system 200 may be referred to as an OFDM / OFDMA system. However, within the scope of the present disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes, and may be provided using time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), space division multiple access (SDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), resource extension multiple access (RSMA) or other suitable multiple access schemes.

[0054] A communication link that facilitates transmissions from AP 204 to one or more of STAs 206 may be referred to as a downlink (DL) (e.g., downlink 208), and a communication link that facilitates transmissions from one or more of STAs 206 to AP 204 may be referred to as an uplink (UL) (e.g., uplink 210). Alternatively, downlink 208 may be referred to as a forward link or forward channel, and uplink 210 may be referred to as a reverse link or reverse channel. In other examples, other terms may be used for these links.

[0055] The AP 204 may act as a base station and provide wireless communication coverage in a basic service area (BSA) 202. The AP 204 and the STAs 206 associated with and using the AP 204 for communication may be referred to as a basic service set (BSS).

[0056] The AP 204 and each STA 206 may exchange data units that may include control information and / or data. At the physical (PHY) layer, such data units (e.g., protocol data units (PDUs)) may be referred to as physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs). In some aspects, a PPDU may be referred to as a packet or a physical layer packet. Each PPDU may include a preamble and a payload. The preamble may include at least one training field (e.g., for synchronization) and at least one signaling (SIG) field (e.g., for control signaling). The payload may include, for example, a medium access control (MAC) header or data of other layers, and / or user data. One or more data symbols may be used to send a payload. The systems, methods, and devices herein may utilize data units having training fields whose peak power ratio has been minimized.

[0057] The wireless communication system 200 may adopt a method for allowing efficient access to the wireless communication medium while avoiding conflicts based on unpredictable data transmission. For example, in order to obtain access to the channel, the device in the wireless communication system 200 may support a medium access control (MAC) distributed coordination function (DCF) using a carrier sense multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) procedure. In other examples, other types of access schemes may be used. More generally, a device (e.g., an AP or STA) with data for transmission listens to the wireless communication medium to determine whether the channel is occupied. If the device senses that the channel is idle, the device may send its data. Otherwise, the device may postpone for a period of time before determining again whether the wireless communication medium is idle for transmission. The method for performing the CSMA / CA procedure may adopt various gaps between consecutive transmissions to avoid conflicts. In one aspect, the transmission may be referred to as a frame, and the gap between frames is referred to as an interframe space (IFS). The frame may be any one of user data, control frames, management frames, etc.

[0058] The IFS duration may vary depending on the type of time gap provided. Some examples of IFS include Short Interframe Space (SIFS), Point Interframe Space (PIFS), and DCF Interframe Space (DIFS), where SIFS is shorter than PIFS, which is shorter than DIFS. Transmissions after a shorter duration will have a higher priority than transmissions that must wait a longer time before attempting to access the channel.

[0059] Some wireless communication systems (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11ax) adopt a target waiting time (TWT) mechanism that schedules STAs to transmit or receive on a wireless communication medium at a specific time. This allows the STA to switch to a low power mode when the STA is not actively sending or receiving information. As a result, the STA can save power (outside of its scheduled transmission time or reception time). In addition, the use of TWT scheduling enables the BSS (e.g., AP) to manage traffic more efficiently (e.g., by preventing communication conflicts between STAs, by prioritizing traffic, etc.).

[0060] In some examples (e.g., if one or more of STAs 206e and 206f are out of range of AP 204 or otherwise have difficulty communicating with AP 204), STA 206d can be configured as a relay device. For example, STA 206d can be configured (e.g., with STA and AP functionality) to relay communications between AP 204 and STA 206e and to relay communications between AP 204 and STA 206f.

[0061] In some implementations, the wireless communication network may not have a central AP 204, but instead may function as a peer-to-peer network between STAs 206. Thus, in some examples, the functionality of the AP 204 described herein may be performed by one or more of the STAs 206. Additionally, in some examples, a STA may connect to a network served by an AP and also establish a peer-to-peer network with another STA.

[0062] For example, STA 206b may communicate with STA 206c via signaling 214 to form a peer-to-peer network. In this case, STA 206b and 206c may be referred to as peer STAs. In some examples, the communication between STA 206b and 206c may operate according to a wireless communication standard (e.g., the IEEE 802.11 standard or some other standard). For example, a first peer STA having data to send to a second peer STA may perform a CSMA / CA procedure to gain access to a channel. In addition, the peer STA may send a data unit that complies with the 802.11 standard (e.g., the data unit includes a header and a payload that complies with a specific version of the standard).

[0063] An access point in a network may communicate with one or more network entities (for convenience, referred to as Figure 2 212 in the network entities 212 represent) communicating (including with each other) to facilitate wide area network connectivity. The network entities may take various forms, such as, for example, one or more radio and / or core network entities. Thus, in various specific implementations, the network entity 212 may represent functionality such as at least one of: network management (e.g., via an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server), session management, mobility management, gateway functionality, interworking functionality, database functionality, or some other suitable network functionality. Two or more of such network entities may be co-located and / or two or more of such network entities may be distributed throughout the network.

[0064] Figure 3 Several components of an apparatus (e.g., a wireless node) 302 that may be deployed within the wireless communication system 200 are illustrated. The apparatus 302 is an example of a device that may be configured to implement the various methods described herein. For example, the apparatus 302 may be implemented as an AP 204, a repeater (e.g., a STA 206d), or Figure 2 In some examples, the device 302 may correspond to a STA in the other STA 206. Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Fig.16 and Fig.19 Any of the apparatus, AP, AT, STA, transmitting device, or receiving device shown in any of them.

[0065] The apparatus 302 may include a processing system 304 that controls the operation of the apparatus 302. The processing system 304 may also be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU). A memory component 306 (e.g., including at least one memory device), which may include both read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM), provides instructions and data to the processing system 304. A portion of the memory component 306 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). The processing system 304 typically performs logical and arithmetic operations based on program instructions stored in the memory component 306. The instructions in the memory component 306 may be executable to implement the methods described herein. In some aspects, Figure 6 The processing system 304 and the memory component 306 may correspond to Fig.16 of the processing system 1614. In some aspects, Figure 6 The processing system 304 and the memory component 306 may correspond to Fig.19 Processing system 1914.

[0066] When the apparatus 302 is implemented or used as a transmitting node, the processing system 304 may be configured to select one of a plurality of media access control (MAC) header types and generate a packet having the MAC header type. For example, the processing system 304 may be configured to generate a packet including a MAC header and a payload and determine what type of MAC header to use.

[0067] When the apparatus 302 is implemented or used as a receiving node, the processing system 304 can be configured to process packets of a plurality of different MAC header types. For example, the processing system 304 can be configured to determine the type of MAC header used in a packet and process the packet and / or fields of the MAC header.

[0068] The processing system 304 may include or may be a component of a larger processing system implemented using one or more processors. The one or more processors may be implemented using any combination of general purpose microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gated logic units, discrete hardware components, dedicated hardware finite state machines, or any other suitable entity that can perform computations or other manipulations of information.

[0069] The processing system may also include a machine-readable medium for storing software. Software should be broadly understood to mean any type of instructions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other terms. Instructions may include code (e.g., in source code format, binary code format, executable code format, or any other suitable code format). The instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processing system 304 to perform the various functions described herein.

[0070] The apparatus 302 may also include a housing that may include a transmitter 310 and a receiver 312 to allow data to be sent and received between the apparatus 302 and a remote location. The transmitter 310 and the receiver 312 may be combined into a single communication device (e.g., a transceiver 314). In some implementations (e.g., where the transceiver 314 is an RF transceiver), an antenna 316 may be attached to the housing and electrically coupled to the transceiver 314. The apparatus 302 may also include (not shown) multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, multiple transceivers, and / or multiple antennas. The transmitter 310 and the receiver 312 may be implemented as an integrated device (e.g., embodied as a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit of a single communication device) in some implementations, may be implemented as separate transmitter devices and separate receiver devices in some implementations, or may be embodied in other ways in other implementations.

[0071] Transmitter 310 may be configured to wirelessly transmit packets according to one or more MAC header types (e.g., corresponding to different versions of the 802.11 standard). For example, transmitter 310 may be configured to transmit packets having a header type generated by processing system 304, as discussed above.

[0072] The receiver 312 may be configured to wirelessly receive packets having one or more MAC header types. In some aspects, the receiver 312 is configured to detect a particular type of MAC header and process the packet accordingly.

[0073] The receiver 312 may be used to detect and quantify the level of the signal received by the transceiver 314. The receiver 312 may detect signals such as total energy, energy per subcarrier per symbol, power spectral density, or detect the signal in some other way. The device 302 may also include a digital signal processor (DSP) 320 for use in processing the signal. In some examples, the DSP 320 may be configured to generate a data unit for transmission. In some aspects, the data unit may include (e.g., may be) a physical layer data unit (PPDU). In some aspects, the PPDU may be referred to as a packet.

[0074] Device 302 may also include an interface 322. In examples where interface 322 is a user interface, interface 322 may include (e.g., may be) a keypad, a microphone, a speaker, a display, etc. Such a user interface may include any element or component that conveys information to a user of device 302 and / or receives input from the user.

[0075] The various components of the device 302 may be coupled together by a bus system 326. The bus system 326 may include, for example, a data bus, as well as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus in addition to the data bus. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the components of the device 302 may be coupled together or accept or provide input to each other using some other mechanism.

[0076] In some examples, apparatus 302 may be an integrated circuit. In some examples, apparatus 302 may be configured to operate in a wireless node (eg, an AP or a STA) and perform one or more of the operations described herein.

[0077] In some implementations, the device 302 communicates with at least one other device (not shown) via an interface 322. To this end, in some implementations, an interface 322 (e.g., a transmit / receive interface) may be coupled to the processing system 304 for outputting and / or obtaining (e.g., transmitting and / or receiving) information (e.g., received information, generated information, decoded information, messages, etc.) between the processing system 304 and the other device. In some implementations, the interface 322 may include an interface bus, a bus driver, a bus receiver, other suitable circuits, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the interface 322 may include a radio frequency (RF) circuit (e.g., an RF transmitter and / or an RF receiver).

[0078] Device 302 can communicate with other devices in various ways. In some examples, the device can send and receive information (e.g., frames, messages, bits, etc.) via RF signaling. In some cases, instead of sending information via RF signaling, device 302 can use interface 322 to provide (e.g., output, transmit, send, etc.) information for RF transmission. For example, processing system 304 can output information to RF front end via bus interface for RF transmission. Similarly, instead of receiving information via RF signaling, device 302 can use interface 322 to obtain information received by another device. For example, processing system 304 can obtain (e.g., receive) information from an RF receiver that receives information via RF signaling via a bus interface. In some specific implementations, the interface may include multiple interfaces. For example, a bidirectional interface may include a first interface for obtaining and a second interface for outputting.

[0079] although Figure 3A number of individual components are illustrated in FIG. 3 , but one or more of these components may be combined or implemented together. For example, processing system 304 may be used to implement not only the functionality described above with respect to processing system 304, but also the functionality described above with respect to transceiver 314 and / or DSP 320. Figure 3 Each of the components illustrated in the example may be implemented using multiple separate elements. In addition, the processing system 304 may be used to implement any of the components, modules, circuits, etc. described below, or each may be implemented using multiple separate elements.

[0080] Figure 3 The components of can be implemented in various ways. In some specific implementations, Figure 3 The components of may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide the functionality. For example, Figure 3 Some or all of the functionalities represented by the blocks may be implemented by the processor and memory components of the device (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). It should be understood that these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), in a system on a chip (SoC), etc.) in different specific implementations.

[0081] An apparatus (e.g., device 302) operating in the wireless communication system 200 may implement only the functionality of a transmitting node, only the functionality of a receiving node, or both the functionality of a transmitting node and a receiving node. For ease of reference, when discussing device 302 operating as a transmitting node, the device may be referred to as device 302t hereinafter. Similarly, when discussing device 302 operating as a receiving node, the device may be referred to as device 302r hereinafter.

[0082] Figure 4 Various components that may be used in device 302t to transmit wireless communications are illustrated. Figure 4 The components illustrated in can be used, for example, to send OFDM communications. In some examples, Figure 4 The components illustrated in are used to generate and send packets to be transmitted over a bandwidth less than or equal to 1 MHz. In some examples, Figure 4 The components illustrated in are used to generate and send packets to be transmitted over a bandwidth greater than or equal to 1 MHz.

[0083] Figure 4The device 302t may include a modulator 402 configured to modulate bits for transmission. For example, the modulator 402 may be configured to modulate bits according to the processing system 304 ( Figure 3 ) or interface 322( Figure 3 ) received bits, for example, by determining a plurality of symbols by mapping the bits to a plurality of symbols according to a constellation. The bits may correspond to user data or control information. In some aspects, the bits are received in codewords. In one example, modulator 402 may include (e.g., may be) a QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) modulator, such as a 16-QAM modulator or a 64-QAM modulator. In other examples, modulator 402 may include (e.g., may be) a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulator, a quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulator, or an 8-PSK modulator. In other examples, other types of modulators may be used.

[0084] The apparatus 302t may also include a transform module 404 configured to convert symbols or otherwise modulated bits from the modulator 402 into the time domain. Figure 4 In the example, the transform module 404 is illustrated as being implemented by an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) module. Other types of transform modules may be used in other examples. In some implementations, there may be multiple transform modules (not shown) that transform data units of different sizes. In some implementations, the transform module 404 itself may be configured to transform data units of different sizes. For example, the transform module 404 may be configured to have multiple modes, and different numbers of points may be used in each mode to convert symbols. For example, the IFFT may have a mode in which 32 points are used to convert symbols sent on 32 tones (i.e., subcarriers) into a mode in the time domain, and a mode in which 24 points are used to convert symbols sent on 24 tones into a mode in the time domain. The number of points used by the transform module 404 may be referred to as the size of the transform module 404.

[0085] exist Figure 4 In the embodiment, the modulator 402 and the transform module 404 are illustrated as being implemented in the DSP 420. However, in some examples, one or both of the modulator 402 and the transform module 404 may be implemented in a DSP 420. Figure 3 The method is implemented in the processing system 304 or in another element of the device 302t.

[0086] As discussed above, the DSP 420 may be configured to generate a data unit for transmission.In some aspects, the modulator 402 and the transform module 404 may be configured to generate a data unit including a plurality of fields and a plurality of data symbols, the plurality of fields including control information.

[0087] The device 302t may also include a digital-to-analog converter (D / A) 406 configured to convert the output of the transform module into an analog signal. For example, the time domain output of the transform module 404 may be converted into a baseband OFDM signal by the digital-to-analog converter 406. The digital-to-analog converter 406 may be in the processing system 304 or in a Figure 3 In some aspects, the digital-to-analog converter 406 is implemented in another element of the device 302. Figure 3 is implemented in the transceiver 314 or in the data sending processor.

[0088] The analog signal may be transmitted wirelessly by transmitter 410. The analog signal may be further processed before being transmitted by transmitter 410, such as by being filtered or by being up-converted to an intermediate frequency or carrier frequency. Figure 4 In the example illustrated in , transmitter 410 includes a transmit amplifier 408. Before being transmitted, the analog signal may be amplified by the transmit amplifier 408. In some examples, amplifier 408 may include a low noise amplifier (LNA).

[0089] The transmitter 410 is configured to transmit one or more packets or data units in a wireless signal based on the analog input signal. The data units may be transmitted using Figure 3 The processing system 304 and / or DSP 420 of the embodiment of the present invention may generate, for example, the modulator 402 and the transform module 404 as discussed above. The data units that may be generated and sent as discussed above are described in more detail herein.

[0090] Figure 5 Various components that may be used in device 302r to receive wireless communications are illustrated. Figure 5 The components illustrated in can be used, for example, to receive OFDM communications. For example, Figure 5 The components illustrated in Figure 4 A unit of data sent by those components in question.

[0091] The receiver 512 of the device 302r is configured to receive one or more packets or data units in the wireless signal. These data units may be received and decoded or otherwise processed as discussed below.

[0092] exist Figure 5In the example illustrated in , the receiver 512 includes a receive amplifier 501. The receive amplifier 501 can be configured to amplify the wireless signal received by the receiver 512. In some examples, the receiver 512 is configured to use an automatic gain control (AGC) function to adjust the gain of the receive amplifier 501. For example, in some aspects, the automatic gain control uses information in one or more training fields (such as a short training field (STF)) of the received data unit to adjust the gain. A person of ordinary skill in the art will understand methods for performing AGC. In some aspects, the amplifier 501 may include an LNA.

[0093] The device 302r includes an analog-to-digital converter (A / D) 510 configured to convert the amplified wireless signal from the receiver 512 into a digital representation thereof. In addition to being amplified, the wireless signal may also be processed (e.g., by the receiver 512) before being converted by the analog-to-digital converter 510, such as by being filtered or by being downconverted to an intermediate frequency or baseband frequency. The analog-to-digital converter 510 may be implemented in Figure 3 In some examples, the analog-to-digital converter 510 is Figure 3 The method is implemented in the transceiver 314 or in the data receiving processor.

[0094] The apparatus 302r may further include a transform module 504 configured to transform the representation of the wireless signal into a frequency spectrum. Figure 5 In the example, the transform module 504 is illustrated as being implemented by a fast Fourier transform (FFT) module. In some aspects, the transform module 504 may identify a symbol for each point it uses. Figure 4 As described, the transform module 504 may be configured to have multiple modes and may use different numbers of points to transform the signal in each mode. The number of points used by the transform module 504 may be referred to as the size of the transform module 504. In some aspects, the transform module 504 may identify a symbol for each point it uses. Other types of transform modules may be used in other examples.

[0095] The apparatus 302r may also include a channel estimator and equalizer 505 configured to form an estimate of the channel over which the data unit is received and to remove certain effects of the channel based on the channel estimate. For example, the channel estimator and equalizer 505 may be configured to approximate a function of the channel, and the channel equalizer may be configured to apply an inverse function of the function to the data in the frequency spectrum.

[0096] The apparatus 302r may further include a demodulator 506 configured to demodulate the equalized data. For example, the demodulator 506 may determine a plurality of bits based on the symbols output by the transform module 504 and the channel estimator and equalizer 505, for example by reversing the mapping of bits to symbols in the constellation. The bits may be Figure 3 The processing system 304 processes or evaluates, or is used to Figure 3 Interface 322 of display or otherwise output information. In this way, data and / or information can be decoded. In some aspects, a bit corresponds to a codeword. In one example, demodulator 506 may include a QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) demodulator, such as an 8-QAM demodulator or a 64-QAM demodulator. In other aspects, demodulator 506 may include a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) demodulator or a quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) demodulator. In other examples, other types of demodulators may be used.

[0097] exist Figure 5 In the embodiment, the transform module 504, the channel estimator and equalizer 505, and the demodulator 506 are illustrated as being implemented in the DSP 520. However, in some examples, one or more of the transform module 504, the channel estimator and equalizer 505, and the demodulator 506 may be implemented in a DSP 520. Figure 3 or in the processing system 304 of Figure 3 is implemented in another element of the device 302.

[0098] As discussed above, the wireless signal received at the receiver 312 may include one or more data units. Using the functions or components described above, the data units or data symbols therein may be decoded, evaluated, or otherwise evaluated or processed. For example, Figure 3 The processing system 304 and / or the DSP 520 may be used to decode data symbols in a data unit using the transform module 504, the channel estimator and equalizer 505, and the demodulator 506.

[0099] Figure 4 The apparatus 302t shown in FIG. 3 is an example of a single transmit chain for transmitting via an antenna. Figure 5 The device 302r shown in FIG. 3 is an example of a single receive chain for receiving via an antenna. In some implementations, the device 302t or 302r can implement a portion of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system that uses multiple antennas to simultaneously transmit data via multiple streams and / or simultaneously receive transmitted data via multiple streams.

[0100] Figure 6An example apparatus 600 is illustrated in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, apparatus 600 may be an AP, an AT, or some other type of wireless node (e.g., a node that utilizes a wireless spectrum (e.g., an RF spectrum) to communicate with another node or entity). In some examples, apparatus 600 may correspond to a Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 7 , Fig.16 and Fig.19 Any of the apparatus, AP, AT, STA, transmitting device, or receiving device shown in any of them.

[0101] The apparatus 600 includes an apparatus 602 (e.g., an integrated circuit) and optionally at least one other component 608. In some examples, the apparatus 602 may be configured to operate in a wireless node (e.g., an AP, an AT, a STA, etc.) and perform one or more of the operations described herein. The apparatus 602 includes a processing system 604 and a memory 606 coupled to the processing system 604. Example implementations of the processing system 604 are provided herein. In some aspects, Figure 6 The processing system 604 and the memory 606 may correspond to Fig.16 of the processing system 1614. In some aspects, Figure 6 The processing system 604 and the memory 606 may correspond to Fig.19 Processing system 1914.

[0102] The processing system 604 is generally adapted to process, including executing such programming stored on the memory 606. For example, the memory 606 may store instructions that, when executed by the processing system 604, cause the processing system 604 to perform one or more of the operations described herein. As used herein, the terms "programming" or "instructions" or "code" should be interpreted broadly to include, without limitation, instruction sets, instructions, data, code, code segments, program code, programs, programming, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable programs, execution threads, procedures, functions, and the like, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or otherwise.

[0103] In some implementations, the device 602 communicates with at least one other component of the device 600 (e.g., a component 608 external to the device 602). To this end, in some implementations, the device 602 may include at least one interface 610 (e.g., a transmit and / or receive interface) coupled to the processing system 604 for outputting and / or obtaining (e.g., transmitting and / or receiving) information (e.g., received information, generated information, decoded information, messages, etc.) between the processing system 604 and the other component 608. In some implementations, the interface 610 may include an interface bus, a bus driver, a bus receiver, a buffer, other suitable circuits, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the interface 610 may include a radio frequency (RF) circuit (e.g., an RF transmitter and / or an RF receiver). In some implementations, the interface 610 may be configured to connect the device 602 to one or more other components of the device 600 (e.g., an RF transmitter and / or an RF receiver). Figure 6 For example, interface 610 may be configured to connect processing system 604 to a radio frequency (RF) front end (eg, an RF transmitter and / or an RF receiver).

[0104] Device 602 can communicate with other devices in various ways. Figure 6 In some cases, instead of sending information via RF signaling, the device 602 may have an interface to provide (e.g., output, transmit, send, etc.) information for RF transmission. For example, the processing system 604 may output information to the RF front end for RF transmission via a bus interface of the processing system 604. Similarly, instead of receiving information via RF signaling, the device 602 may have an interface to obtain information received by another device. For example, the processing system 604 may obtain (e.g., receive) information from an RF receiver that receives information via RF signaling via a bus interface of the processing system 604. In some implementations, the interface may include multiple interfaces. For example, a bidirectional interface may include a first interface for obtaining and a second interface for outputting.

[0105] In a network based on IEEE 802.11, a STA can obtain network access through authentication and association procedures. Figure 7 An example of authentication / association signaling in a wireless communication system 700 including an access point (AP) 702 and a station (STA) 704 is illustrated. In some examples, the AP 702 may correspond to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Fig.16 and Fig.19Any of the APs or other devices described in any one or more of . In some examples, STA704 may correspond to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Fig.16 and Fig.19 Any of the STAs or other devices described in any one or more of .

[0106] exist Figure 7 At #706, AP 702 transmits a management frame including a beacon on a specified RF band. In some examples, these so-called beacon frames may be transmitted at intervals referred to as target beacon transmit times (TBTT). In some examples, the beacon frame may include information such as a service set identifier (SSID), a basic SSID (BSSID), security capabilities, TBTT, RF channel (band), a traffic indication map (TIM), a delivery TIM (DTIM), and a connection speed supported or used by AP 702.

[0107] In some examples, the beacon frame may include timing information related to timing synchronization (TSF). The AP may use TSF to maintain timing synchronization between the AP and any STA communicating with the AP. For example, the AP and each STA may operate a timer (e.g., incrementing every microsecond). In addition, the AP may repeatedly (e.g., periodically) broadcast TSF information (e.g., TSF value), which enables the STA's timer to be synchronized with the AP's timer.

[0108] After receiving the beacon from AP 702, STA 704 may attempt to access the basic service set (BSS) of AP 702. Therefore, at #708, STA 704 transmits a management frame including an authentication request to AP 702 on one of the RF channels supported by AP 702. In some examples, the authentication request includes an identifier (e.g., a MAC address) of STA 704.

[0109] At #710, AP 702 responds to the authentication request by transmitting a management frame including an authentication response to STA 704. In some examples, the authentication response indicates the success or failure of the authentication (eg, whether STA 704 has the ability to access the BSS).

[0110] If STA704 is authenticated at #710, then at #712, STA704 transmits a management frame including an association request to AP 702 to establish an association with the BSS. In some examples, the association request may include one or more capabilities of STA704.

[0111] At #714, AP 702 responds to the association request by transmitting a management frame including an association response to STA 704. In some examples, the association response includes an association identifier (AID) assigned by AP 702 to STA 704.

[0112] Once STA704 successfully completes the authentication and association operations, AP 702 and STA704 can begin to communicate user traffic. For example, at #716, AP 702 can send a downlink (DL) transmission including various frames (e.g., management frames, control frames, data frames, etc.) to STA704 on one or more RF channels supported by AP 702. Similarly, at #718, STA704 can send an uplink (UL) transmission including various frames (e.g., management frames, control frames, data frames, etc.) to AP 702 on one or more RF channels supported by AP 702.

[0113] As described above, devices such as AP 702 and STA 704 can use data units to communicate information. In different specific implementations, the data unit can take different forms. In some examples, the data unit can be a frame for wireless communication. In some examples, the data unit can be a physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) for Wi-Fi communication. In some examples, the data unit can be an IEEE 802.11 frame (e.g., IEEE 802.11ac frame, IEEE802.11ax frame, etc.). Other examples of data units for wireless communication are possible.

[0114] Figure 8 An example of a MAC frame 800 that can be transmitted via a PPDU is illustrated. In some examples, the MAC frame 800 can be a management frame (e.g., a frame for managing a basic service set). In some examples, the management frame can be an action frame (e.g., a frame that triggers an action).

[0115] MAC frame 800 includes a frame control field 802, a duration / ID field 804, a first address field 806, a second address field 808, a third address field 810, a sequence control field 812, a high throughput (HT) control field 814, a frame body field 816 (e.g., for data payload), and a frame check sequence (FCS) field 818. Other types of MAC frames and / or other types of fields may be used in other examples.

[0116] In some examples, the frame control field 802 carries an indication of the associated frame type. For example, the indication may specify whether the frame is a management frame, a control frame, or a data frame.

[0117] In some examples, the duration / ID field 804 carries the AID of the associated STA. For example, for a frame transmitted by a STA, the AID may be the AID of the STA. Similarly, for a frame transmitted to a STA, the AID may be the AID of the STA.

[0118] In some examples, the address field includes a MAC address corresponding to the source address (SA), destination address (DA), transmitting STA address (TA), and receiving STA address (RA) of the frame. Here, the STA for TA and RA may refer to an AP STA or a non-AP STA.

[0119] In some examples, the sequence control field 812 carries a sequence number (SN). The SN may be incremented with each subsequent frame sent in a given session. Thus, the SN may be used, for example, to reorder a sequence of frames that may have been received out of order (e.g., one frame has sequence number 1, the next frame has sequence number 2, and so on).

[0120] In some examples, a network based on IEEE 802.11 may communicate using multiple radio links. For convenience, a radio link may be referred to herein as a link, and communication on multiple links may be referred to as multi-link communication. In multi-link communication, a multi-link device (MLD) may manage multiple STAs, each of which operates on one of a set of radio links supported by the MLD. In some examples, frame exchange may occur between STAs, and management and upper layer MAC functionality may be performed by the MLD. In some examples, a STA may transmit data and / or management frames to other STAs associated with another MLD on behalf of the MLD.

[0121] In some examples, the MLD includes multiple APs to support different links. For example, the MLD may include a first AP operating in a first frequency band (e.g., a 2.4 GHz frequency band) and serving a first link, a second AP operating in a second frequency band (e.g., a 5 GHz frequency band) and serving a second link, etc. In this case, the MLD may support inter-AP communication (e.g., management signaling) to manage different links.

[0122] In some aspects, the present disclosure relates to multi-link management signaling. Currently, IEEE 802.11-based networks may use a target wait time (TWT) element that contains a link ID bitmap or a multi-link link information element (IE) for multi-link management signaling. The TWT element may be exchanged (e.g., from a STA to any AP operating on the same link) to indicate when the STA is expected to wake up and how long the STA is expected to stay awake.

[0123] For the example of TWT element 900, Fig. 9 The field formats of various TWT parameter sets are illustrated. TWT element 900 includes a request type field 902, a TWT field 904, a TWT group assignment field 906, a nominal minimum TWT wake-up duration field 908, a TWT wake-up interval tail field 910, a TWT channel field 912, a null data packet (NDP) paging field 914, and a link ID bitmap field 916. Other types of TWT elements and / or other types of fields may be used in other examples.

[0124] If the link ID bitmap present bit (not shown) in the TWT element 900 is equal to a value of 1, the link ID bitmap field 916 is present. Otherwise, the link ID bitmap field 916 is not present in the TWT element 900. The link ID bitmap field 916 indicates the link to which the TWT element transmitted by the STA belonging to the MLD applies. A value of 1 in bit position i of the link ID bitmap field 916 means the link to which the TWT element transmitted by the STA belonging to the MLD applies. A value of 0 in bit position i of the link ID bitmap field 916 means that the link associated with link IDi is not the link to which the TWT element transmitted by the STA belonging to the MLD applies.

[0125] Therefore, the first STA may transmit a TWT request including a TWT element 900 to the first AP to notify the first AP of the scheduling of the first STA. In addition, the TWT element 900 may indicate that the scheduling applies to other STAs from the same MLD associated with the first STA (e.g., based on TWT negotiation between STAs). For example, the link ID bitmap field 916 may indicate which links (and therefore which other STAs) the scheduling applies to. Upon receiving the TWT element 900, the first AP forwards the TWT element 900 to a second AP (e.g., of the same MLD). The second AP may then confirm or reject the proposed TWT, whereupon the first AP may transmit a corresponding response to its STA (e.g., the first STA, etc.).

[0126] The use of TWT element 900 may have some limitations. For example, TWT element 900 is designed to carry a single parameter set. Therefore, in order to provide different parameter sets, multiple TWT elements need to be transmitted. In some examples, a single frame may carry multiple TWT elements. However, TWT is defined relative to the timing synchronization function (TSF) timer of the AP. Therefore, to avoid ambiguity, multiple TWT elements in the same frame should correspond to APs using the same TSF timer (or synchronized in other ways).

[0127] Fig.10An example of a multilink link IE 1000 that may be included in a frame and applied to other information carried by the frame is illustrated. The multilink link IE 1000 includes an element ID field 1002, a length field 1004, an element ID extension field 1006, and a link ID bitmap field 1008. Other types of multilink elements and / or other types of fields may be used in other examples.

[0128] The Link ID Bitmap field 1008 indicates the link on which the intended STA is operating and to which the multilink information carried in the same frame applies. Between an AP MLD and a non-AP MLD associated with the AP MLD, a separately addressed management MAC PDU (MMPDU) (non-TWT establishment frame) may be used with the following procedure, the MMPDU including a Link ID Bitmap subfield in an element and intended for one or more STAs belonging to an associated MLD with an established link. If a separately addressed MMPDU is sent to another STA (other than the intended STA) belonging to an associated MLD with an established link, the separately addressed MMPDU shall include a Multilink Link Information element that identifies the intended link of the MMPDU as the last element, but before the vendor specific element (if any). Otherwise, the separately addressed MMPDU may include a Multilink Link Information element that identifies the intended link of the MMPDU as the last element, but before the vendor specific element.

[0129] In some examples, between an AP MLD and a non-AP MLD associated with the AP MLD, a TWT establishment frame including a link ID bitmap subfield in its TWT element does not include a multilink link information element. In some examples, between an AP MLD and a non-AP MLD associated with the AP MLD, an individually addressed MMPDU intended for the associated MLD does not include a multilink link information element. In some examples, between an AP MLD and a non-AP MLD associated with the AP MLD, if an individually addressed MMPDU carrying a multilink link information element is received by a STA belonging to the MLD, the MLD will discard the MMPDU if the multilink link information indicates that any link has not been established.

[0130] The use of the multi-link link IE 1000 may have some limitations. For example, only a single multi-link link IE 1000 is included in a frame. Therefore, the single multi-link link IE 1000 will be applied to all information included in the frame.

[0131] In some aspects, the present disclosure relates to providing a unified way of signaling multi-link management information that is more flexible than the above-mentioned TWT elements and multi-link link IE techniques. In one example, the multi-link link IE is defined to include information sub-elements. In another example, a frame may include multiple multi-link link IEs. In yet another example, an aggregated MAC PDU (A-MPDU) may include one or more frames, each of which includes a multi-link link IE. In another example, link information variants of multi-link elements are defined. By using these techniques, a more flexible capability for signaling various elements of link subsets can be provided. In addition, the signaling can be included in a single frame (or A-MPDU), thereby providing simpler and more efficient delivery of management information.

[0132] In addition to the above examples, in the first example of signaling multi-link management information, a control field may be defined to provide various types of information delivered across multiple links. For example, Fig.11 An example of a multilink (ML) link IE 1000 that may be included in a frame is illustrated. The ML link IE 1100 includes an element ID field 1102, a length field 1104, an element ID extension field 1106, a link ID bitmap field 1108, and a sub-element field 1110. In this example, a control field may optionally be present after the link ID bitmap. Other types of ML elements and / or other types of fields may be used in other examples.

[0133] The Sub-Elements field 1110 contains zero or more elements for which the included ML information applies to the link identified by the non-zero value in the Link ID Bitmap field 1108. A management (MGMT) frame (e.g., an action frame) may contain one or more of these ML information elements, each containing a set of sub-elements that apply to the link identified in the Link ID Bitmap field 1108. The initiator of the management frame (e.g., a STA) ensures that there is no overlapping information across the ML Link IEs so that there is no conflicting information for the receiver.

[0134] In some examples, sub-element field 1110 carries management information associated with one or more links. For example, sub-element field 1110 may include a first sub-element carrying link recommendation information, a second sub-element carrying information about signaling priority, a third sub-element including TWT information, etc. In this example, all of these elements apply to links identified by non-zero values ​​in the Link ID Bitmap field.

[0135] In some examples, the length field 1104 of the ML Link IE 1100 limits the size of the element itself to a maximum of 252 octets (because the element ID extension field 1106 and the link ID bitmap field 1108 use 3 octets). Therefore, there is a limit on the number of sub-elements that can be carried in the ML Link IE 1100. Any one or more of the following options may be used to address this issue.

[0136] The first option involves allowing more than one ML Link IE in a frame (eg, an action frame), where each ML Link IE contains the same Link ID bitmap setting. In this case, the ML Link Information Element contains non-overlapping sets of elements.

[0137] The second option involves an inheritance model of elements. In this case, inheritance comes from the list of elements contained in the current link (e.g., the current active link used by the UE to communicate with the network entity).

[0138] The third option involves element segmentation of the ML Link IE. In this case, a single ML Link IE may be followed by one or more fragment elements.

[0139] In the second example of signaling multi-link management information, a frame (eg, a management frame) may include one or more elements (eg, information to be applied to a link). Fig.12 Examples include Figure 8 1200 is an example of a management frame 1200 having fields similar to those of frame 800. In this case, frame body 1202 may include one or more ML link IEs, such as ML link IE 1204 and ML link IE 1206.

[0140] If the ML Link IE is not present in the management frame 1200, any element in the management frame 1200 (e.g., one or more elements 1208) applies at the MLD level. For example, the management information elements included in the frame body 1202 may apply to all links in the links associated with the applicable MLD.

[0141] If there is an ML Link Information element in the management frame 1200, then in one implementation, for any elements in the management frame 1200 that precede the ML Link IE (e.g., one or more elements 1208), these elements apply to the current link, while in another implementation, for any elements in the management frame 1200 that precede the ML Link ID, these elements apply to the MLD level. In addition, for any elements that follow the ML Link IE in the management frame 1200 (e.g., one or more elements 1210), these elements apply to the link identified in the link ID bitmap of the ML Link IE.

[0142] If more than one ML link IE is present in the management frame 1200, the above rules apply except that a split may be made between ML link IEs. For example, any element following a first ML link IE (e.g., one or more elements 1210) applies to the link identified by the bitmap of the first ML link IE, any element following a second ML link IE (e.g., one or more elements 1212) applies to the link identified by the bitmap of the second ML link IE, and so on.

[0143] In any of the above scenarios, the initiator of the management frame 1200 ensures that there is no overlapping information across the ML link IEs. For example, a sub-element of a first ML link IE and a sub-element of a second ML link IE will not carry contradictory information for the same link.

[0144] In the third example of signaling multi-link management information, the A-MPDU contains one or more action frames, wherein each action frame contains at most one ML link IE. For example, Fig.13 An example of a first MAC PDU (MPDU) 1302 and a second MPDU 1304 is illustrated, wherein the first MPDU 1302 includes a single ML Link IE and the second MPDU 1304 includes a single ML Link IE.

[0145] To allow for acknowledgment of each MPDU, a reserved Traffic Identifier (TID) value of Multi-STA BlockAck (BA) is reserved for action frames. The BlockAck bitmap signals that each action frame in the action frame is successfully received in the request A-MPDU. The BlockAck bitmap is carried in the BlockAck Information field containing the TID value reserved for action frames (e.g., TID 15). As in other examples, the initiator of the action frame ensures that there is no overlapping information across the ML link IEs.

[0146] In the fourth example of signaling multi-link management information, a link information variant ML element may be used to carry ML information. Since the ML link IE has several characteristics similar to the previously defined multi-link element, instead of defining a new element, a link information variant ML element may be defined. For example, Fig.14 A multi-link element 1400 with a link information variant ML element 1402 is illustrated.

[0147] Fig.15 An example of a link information variant ML element 1500 is illustrated. The link information variant ML element 1500 includes an element ID field 1502, a length field 1504, an element ID extension field 1506, a multilink control field 1508, and a link information field 1510. Other types of multilink elements and / or other types of fields may be used in other examples.

[0148] The link information field 1510 contains a STA profile. Each STA profile contains a corresponding link ID and a list of sub-elements related to the link. In addition to using a link ID instead of a bitmap to complete the identification of the link, all the concepts discussed previously can also be applied here.

[0149] Fig.16 1614. Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Fig.19 In some examples, device 1600 (e.g., AP) may correspond to any STA or other device illustrated in any one or more of Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Fig.19 Any one or more of the APs or other devices illustrated in any one or more of the.

[0150] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an element, any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented with a processing system 1614 (e.g., including one or more processors 1604). Examples of processor 1604 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functionalities described throughout the present disclosure. In various examples, device 1600 may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, processor 1604 as utilized in device 1600 may be used to implement any one or more of the processes and procedures described below.

[0151] The processing system 1614 may be implemented using a bus architecture, generally represented by bus 1602. The bus 1602 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges, depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system 1614. The bus 1602 communicatively couples together various circuits including one or more processors (generally represented by processor 1604), memory 1605, and computer-readable media (generally represented by computer-readable media 1606). The bus 1602 may also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further. The bus interface 1608 provides an interface between the bus 1602 and the transceiver 1610 and between the bus 1602 and the interface 1630. The transceiver 1610 provides a communication interface or component for communicating with various other devices over a wireless transmission medium. Interface 1630 provides a communication interface or component for communicating with various other devices and equipment (e.g., other devices contained in the same device as device 1600 or other external devices) through an internal bus or an external transmission medium (such as an Ethernet cable). Depending on the nature of the device, interface 1630 may include a user interface (e.g., a keypad, a display, a speaker, a microphone, a joystick). Of course, such a user interface is optional and may be omitted in some examples (such as IoT devices).

[0152] The processor 1604 is responsible for managing the bus 1602 and general processing, including executing software stored on a computer-readable medium 1606. The software, when executed by the processor 1604, causes the processing system 1614 to perform various functions described below for any particular device. The computer-readable medium 1606 and the memory 1605 may also be used to store data manipulated by the processor 1604 when executing the software. For example, the memory 1605 may store multilink information 1615 (e.g., management information, etc.) used by the processor 1604 for communication operations as described herein.

[0153] One or more processors 1604 in the processing system may execute software. Software should be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The software may reside on a computer readable medium 1606.

[0154] Computer readable medium 1606 may be a non-transitory computer readable medium. Non-transitory computer readable media include, for example, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disks (CDs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, or key drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. Computer readable medium 1606 may reside in processing system 1614, outside processing system 1614, or distributed across multiple entities including processing system 1614. Computer readable medium 1606 may be embodied in a computer program product. For example, a computer program product may include a computer readable medium in a packaging material. Those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure, depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0155] The apparatus 1600 may be configured to perform the operations described herein (e.g., as described above in conjunction with Figures 1 to 15 Described and combined as follows Figure 17 to Figure 18 In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1604 as utilized in the device 1600 may include circuits configured for various functions.

[0156] In a specific implementation where the apparatus 1600 is a station, the processing system 1614 may be configured to monitor the RF band for management frames (e.g., including beacons) from an access point, identify an access point to associate with, perform a carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) operation to determine whether at least one RF band is available for use (e.g., relatively free of traffic), and perform an association operation with the identified access point by sending an association request to the identified access point on the at least one RF band and receiving an association response from the identified access point on the at least one RF band. The processing system 1614 may also be configured to perform authentication, security, and other operations with respect to the access point via signaling on the at least one RF band. The processing system 1614 may be configured to monitor the at least one RF band for transmissions (e.g., management frames, control frames, and data frames) from the identified access point. The processing system may be configured to perform a CSMA operation on the at least one RF band to send transmissions (e.g., control frames, data frames, etc.) to the identified access point.

[0157] In a specific implementation in which the device 1600 is an access point, the processing system 1614 may be configured to send management frames (e.g., including beacons) on a designated RF band. The processing system 1614 may also be configured to monitor the RF band for transmissions (e.g., association requests) from STAs on at least one RF band. The processing system 1614 may also be configured to associate the STA with the device 1600 by sending an association response to the STA on the at least one RF band. The processing system 1614 may also be configured to perform authentication, security, and other operations on the STA via signaling on the at least one RF band. The processing system 1614 may be configured to monitor the at least one RF band for transmissions (e.g., management frames, control frames, and data frames) from the STA. The processing system may be configured to perform CSMA operations on the at least one RF band to send transmissions (e.g., management frames, control frames, data frames, etc.) to the STA.

[0158] The processor 1604 may include a communication and processing circuit 1641. The communication and processing circuit 1641 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure that performs various processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) as described herein. The communication and processing circuit 1641 may also include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure that performs various processes related to signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission) as described herein. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit 1641 may include two or more transmit / receive chains, each configured to process signals of different RAT (or RAN) types. The communication and processing circuit 1641 may be further configured to execute communication and processing software 1651 included on the computer-readable medium 1606 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0159] In some implementations where communication involves obtaining (e.g., receiving) information, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 may obtain information from a component of the device 1600 (e.g., from a transceiver 1610 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium), process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 may output the information to another component of the processor 1604, to the memory 1605, or to the bus interface 1608. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 may receive one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 may include functionality for components for obtaining (e.g., obtaining a message from another device). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 and / or the transceiver 1610 may include functionality for components for receiving (e.g., receiving a message via RF signaling). In some examples, communications and processing circuitry 1641 may include functionality for components for decoding.

[0160] In some implementations where communication involves outputting (e.g., transmitting) information, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 may obtain information (e.g., from another component of the processor 1604, the memory 1605, or the bus interface 1608), process (e.g., encode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 may output information to the transceiver 1610 (e.g., it sends the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 may transmit one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 may transmit information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 may include functionality for components for outputting (e.g., outputting a message to another device). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 and / or the transceiver 1610 may include functionality for components for sending (e.g., sending a message via RF signaling). In some examples, communications and processing circuitry 1641 may include functionality for components used for encoding.

[0161] The communication and processing circuitry 1641 may include functionality for components for outputting frames. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1641 may be configured to generate a frame and cooperate with the transceiver 1610 to output the frame for transmission on one or more designated RF bands (e.g., on one or more channels associated with the BSS). In some examples, the frame may carry information such as a MAC address, AID, PN, SN, and TID.

[0162] The communication and processing circuit 1641 may include functionality for components for obtaining messages. For example, the communication and processing circuit 1641 may cooperate with the transceiver 1610 to monitor one or more designated RF bands (e.g., bands specified by the IEEE 802.11 standard) of frames transmitted by another device (e.g., STA). The communication and processing circuit 1641 may be configured to parse the content of the frame to extract information carried by the frame (e.g., MAC address, multi-link information, etc.).

[0163] Processor 1604 may include frame processing circuitry 1642 configured to perform operations related to frame processing as discussed herein. Frame processing circuitry 1642 may be configured to execute frame processing software 1652 included on computer-readable medium 1606 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0164] The frame processing circuit 1642 may include functionality for components for generating frames. For example, the frame processing circuit 1642 may be configured to generate a management (eg, action) frame including a multilink bitmap and / or information sub-elements as described herein.

[0165] Frame processing circuitry 1642 may include functionality for components for outputting frames. For example, frame processing circuitry 1642 may be configured to output frames to be sent on a designated link.

[0166] The frame processing circuit 1642 may include functionality for components for obtaining information. For example, the frame processing circuit 1642 may be configured to obtain a management frame and parse the management frame to identify multilink information contained within the frame.

[0167] The frame processing circuit 1642 may include functionality for means for setting bits.For example, the frame processing circuit 1642 may be configured to set at least one bit of the first bitmap to indicate at least one link of the first plurality of links to which the first management information applies.

[0168] The processor 1604 may include a multi-link configuration circuit 1643 configured to perform multi-link configuration related operations as discussed herein. The multi-link configuration circuit 1643 may be configured to execute multi-link configuration software 1653 included on the computer readable medium 1606 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0169] The multi-link configuration circuit 1643 may include functionality for components for outputting information.For example, the multi-link configuration circuit 1943 may be configured to provide management information associated with links to be output for transmission.

[0170] The multi-link configuration circuit 1643 may include functionality for components for obtaining information.For example, the multi-link configuration circuit 1943 may be configured to process management information associated with a link obtained via a transmission.

[0171] Fig.17 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 1700 for communication according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, the method 1700 may be performed by Fig.16 In some examples, the method 1700 may be performed by the device 1600 illustrated in FIG. Figure 6 The method 1700 may be performed by the device 602 illustrated in FIG. In some examples, the method 1700 may be performed by an access point or a STA. In some examples, the method 1700 may be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0172] At block 1702, a first device may generate a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. Fig.16 The frame processing circuit 1642 and / or communication and processing circuit 1641 and transceiver 1610 shown and described may provide components for generating a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link of a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap.

[0173] At block 1704, the first device may output the first frame for transmission to the second device. Fig.16 The frame processing circuitry 1642 and / or the communication and processing circuitry 1641 and transceiver 1610 shown and described may provide means for outputting a first frame for transmission to a second device.

[0174] In some examples, the first frame may include at least one action frame including the first information element.

[0175] In some examples, the first frame may further include a second information element. In some examples, the second information element includes a second bitmap. In some examples, the second information element also includes a second sub-element field that includes second management information to be applied to each link in the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap. In some examples, there is no overlapping information between the first management information and the second management information.

[0176] In some examples, the first frame may further include a second information element. In some examples, the second information element includes a second bitmap identifying the same link as the first bitmap. In some examples, the second information element also includes a second sub-element field that includes second management information for each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0177] In some examples, the first device may set at least one bit of the first bitmap to indicate at least one link in the first plurality of links to which the first management information applies.

[0178] In some examples, the first frame may also include second management information that precedes the first information element and applies to a currently active link used by the first device to communicate with the second device or to all multi-stage links associated with the first device.

[0179] In some examples, the first management information includes a target latency information element.

[0180] In some examples, the first frame may also include second management information preceding the first information element within the first frame, the second management information being applied to at least one link other than each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap.

[0181] In some examples, the first frame may further include a second information element following the first information element within the first frame. In some examples, the second information element includes a second bitmap. In some examples, the second information element also includes a second sub-element field that includes third management information to be applied to each link in the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap. In some examples, there is no overlapping information between the first management information, the second management information, and the third management information. In some examples, the at least one link is different from each link in the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0182] In some examples, the at least one link is a currently active link used by the first device to communicate with the second device. In some examples, the at least one link may include all multi-level links associated with the first device.

[0183] In some examples, a first device includes a transceiver configured to transmit a first frame, wherein the first device is configured as a station.

[0184] Fig.18 1800 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 1800 for communication according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, the method 1800 may be Fig.16 In some examples, the method 1800 may be performed by the device 1600 illustrated in FIG. Figure 6 The method 1800 may be performed by the device 602 illustrated in FIG. In some examples, the method 1800 may be performed by an access point or a STA. In some examples, the method 1800 may be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0185] At block 1802, a first device may generate a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element further including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap, the first frame further including second management information preceding the first information element within the first frame, the second management information to be applied to at least one link other than each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. For example, the above in conjunction with Fig.16 The frame processing circuit 1642 and / or communication and processing circuit 1641 and transceiver 1610 shown and described may provide components for generating a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap, the first frame also including second management information preceding the first information element within the first frame, the second management information to be applied to at least one link other than each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap.

[0186] At block 1804, the first device may output the first frame for transmission to the second device. Fig.16 The frame processing circuitry 1642 and / or the communication and processing circuitry 1641 and transceiver 1610 shown and described may provide means for outputting a first frame for transmission to a second device.

[0187] See again Fig.16In one configuration, the device 1600 includes a component for generating a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap; and a component for outputting the first frame for sending to a second device. In one configuration, the device 1600 includes a component for generating a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap, the first frame also including second management information preceding the first information element within the first frame, the second management information to be applied to at least one link other than each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap; and a component for outputting the first frame for sending to a second device. In one aspect, the aforementioned components may be Fig.16 The processor 1604 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned components (eg, as discussed above). On the other hand, the aforementioned components may be a circuit or any device configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned components.

[0188] Of course, in the above examples, the circuits included in the processor 1604 are provided only as examples, and other components for performing the functions described may be included in various aspects of the present disclosure, including but not limited to instructions stored in the computer-readable medium 1606, or in Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Fig.16 Any one or more of which are described herein and using, for example, Figure 17 to Figure 18 Any other suitable means or components of the described methods and / or algorithms.

[0189] Fig.19 1900 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a device 1900 employing a processing system 1914. In some examples, the device 1900 (eg, an AP) may correspond to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Fig.16 In some implementations, the device 1900 (eg, a STA) may correspond to any of the APs or other devices illustrated in any one or more of Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Fig.16 Any one of the STAs or other devices illustrated in any one or more of the .

[0190] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an element, any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented using a processing system 1914 (eg, including one or more processors 1904). The processing system 1914 may be associated with Fig.16 1900, which includes a bus interface 1908, a bus 1902, a memory 1905, a processor 1904, and a computer-readable medium 1906. In addition, the device 1900 may include an interface 1930 (e.g., a network interface) that provides a means for communicating with at least one other device within at least one radio network. The memory 1905 may store multilink information 1915 (e.g., management information, etc.) used by the processor 1904 for communication operations as described herein.

[0191] The apparatus 1900 may be configured to perform the operations described herein (e.g., as described above in conjunction with Figures 1 to 15 Described and combined as follows Figure 20 to Figure 21 In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1904 as utilized in the apparatus 1900 may include circuits configured for various functions.

[0192] In a specific implementation where the apparatus 1900 is a station, the processing system 1914 may be configured to monitor the RF band for management frames (e.g., including beacons) from access points, identify access points to associate with, perform carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) operations to determine whether at least one RF band is available for use (e.g., relatively free of traffic), and perform an association operation with the identified access point by sending an association request to the identified access point on the at least one RF band and receiving an association response from the identified access point on the at least one RF band. The processing system 1914 may also be configured to perform authentication, security, and other operations with respect to the access point via signaling on the at least one RF band. The processing system 1914 may be configured to monitor the at least one RF band for transmissions (e.g., management frames, control frames, and data frames) from the identified access point. The processing system may be configured to perform a CSMA operation on the at least one RF band to send transmissions (e.g., control frames, data frames, etc.) to the identified access point.

[0193] In a specific implementation in which the device 1900 is an access point, the processing system 1914 may be configured to send management frames (e.g., including beacons) on a designated RF band. The processing system 1914 may also be configured to monitor the RF band for transmissions (e.g., association requests) from STAs on at least one RF band. The processing system 1914 may also be configured to associate the STA with the device 1900 by sending an association response to the STA on the at least one RF band. The processing system 1914 may also be configured to perform authentication, security, and other operations on the STA via signaling on the at least one RF band. The processing system 1914 may be configured to monitor the at least one RF band for transmissions (e.g., management frames, control frames, and data frames) from the STA. The processing system may be configured to perform CSMA operations on the at least one RF band to send transmissions (e.g., management frames, control frames, data frames, etc.) to the STA.

[0194] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1904 may include a communication and processing circuit 1941. The communication and processing circuit 1941 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure that performs various processes related to communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) as described herein. The communication and processing circuit 1941 may also include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure that performs various processes related to signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission) as described herein. The communication and processing circuit 1941 may be further configured to execute communication and processing software 1951 included on the computer-readable medium 1906 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0195] In some implementations where communication involves obtaining (e.g., receiving) information, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 may obtain information from a component of the device 1900 (e.g., from a transceiver 1910 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for an applicable communication medium), process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 may output the information to another component of the processor 1904, to the memory 1905, or to the bus interface 1908. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 may receive one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 may include functionality for components for obtaining (e.g., obtaining a message from another device). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 and / or the transceiver 1910 may include functionality for components for receiving (e.g., receiving a message via RF signaling). In some examples, communications and processing circuitry 1941 may include functionality for components for decoding.

[0196] In some implementations where communication involves outputting (e.g., sending) information, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 may obtain information (e.g., from another component of the processor 1904, the memory 1905, or the bus interface 1908), process (e.g., encode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 may output information to the transceiver 1910 (e.g., it sends the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 may transmit one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 may transmit information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 may include functionality for components for outputting (e.g., outputting a message to another device). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1941 and / or the transceiver 1910 may include functionality for components for sending (e.g., sending a message, a beacon, etc. via RF signaling). In some examples, communications and processing circuitry 1941 may include functionality for components used for encoding.

[0197] The communication and processing circuit 1941 may include functionality for components for obtaining messages. For example, the communication and processing circuit 1941 may be configured to monitor one or more specified RF bands (e.g., bands specified by the IEEE 802.11 standard) for frames transmitted by another device (e.g., a STA). The communication and processing circuit 1941 may be configured to parse the content of the frame to extract information carried by the frame (e.g., a MAC address, multilink information, etc.).

[0198] The communication and processing circuit 1941 may include functionality for components for outputting frames. For example, the communication and processing circuit 1941 may be configured to generate a frame and cooperate with the transceiver 1910 to output the frame for transmission on one or more designated RF bands (e.g., on one or more channels associated with the BSS). In some examples, the frame may carry information such as a MAC address, AID, PN, SN, and TID.

[0199] The processor 1904 may include a frame processing circuit 1942 configured to perform operations related to frame processing as discussed herein. The frame processing circuit 1942 may be configured to execute frame processing software 1952 included on the computer-readable medium 1906 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0200] The frame processing circuit 1942 may include functionality for components for obtaining information. For example, the frame processing circuit 1942 may be configured to obtain a management frame and parse the management frame to identify multilink information contained within the frame.

[0201] Frame processing circuitry 1942 may include functionality for components for outputting information.For example, frame processing circuitry 1942 may be configured to generate a transmission for a link based on management information associated with the link.

[0202] The processor 1904 may include a multi-link configuration circuit 1943 configured to perform multi-link configuration related operations as discussed herein. The multi-link configuration circuit 1943 may be configured to execute multi-link configuration software 1953 included on the computer readable medium 1906 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0203] The multi-link configuration circuit 1943 may include functionality for components for obtaining information.For example, the multi-link configuration circuit 1943 may be configured to process management information associated with a link obtained via a transmission.

[0204] The multi-link configuration circuit 1943 may include functionality for components for outputting information.For example, the multi-link configuration circuit 1943 may be configured to provide management information associated with links to be output for transmission.

[0205] Fig. 20 2000 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 2000 for communication according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, the method 2000 may be Fig.19 In some examples, the method 2000 may be performed by the device 1900 illustrated in FIG. Figure 6 The method 2000 may be performed by the device 602 illustrated in FIG. In some examples, the method 2000 may be performed by a STA or an access point. In some examples, the method 2000 may be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0206] At block 2002, a first device may obtain a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. Fig.19 The illustrated and described frame processing circuit 1942 may provide means for obtaining a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. Fig.19 The frame processing circuit 1942 and / or communication and processing circuit 1941 and transceiver 1910 shown and described may provide components for obtaining a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link of a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap.

[0207] At block 2004, the first device may output at least one second frame based on the first information element for transmission to the second device via the first plurality of links. Fig.19 The frame processing circuit 1942 shown and described may provide means for outputting at least one second frame based on the first information element for transmission (eg, to a second device) via the first plurality of links. Fig.19 The frame processing circuitry 1942 and / or communication and processing circuitry 1941 and transceiver 1910 shown and described may provide means for outputting at least one second frame based on the first information element for transmission to a second device via the first plurality of links.

[0208] In some examples, the first frame may further include a second information element. In some examples, the second information element includes a second bitmap. In some examples, the second information element also includes a second sub-element field, the second sub-element field including second management information to be applied to each link in the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap. In some examples, the first device may output at least one third frame for transmission via each link in the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap based on the second management information.

[0209] In some examples, the first frame may further include a second information element. In some examples, the second information element includes a second bitmap identifying the same link as the first bitmap. In some examples, the second information element also includes a second sub-element field, which includes second management information for each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap. In some examples, the first device may output at least one third frame for transmission via each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap based on the second management information.

[0210] In some examples, the first frame may also include second management information that precedes the first information element and is applicable to a currently active link used by the second device to communicate with the first device or to all multi-stage links associated with the first device. In some examples, the first device may output at least one third frame for transmission via the currently active link used by the second device or via all multi-stage links in the multi-stage links associated with the first device based on the second management information.

[0211] In some examples, the first management information may include target latency information.

[0212] In some examples, the first frame may also include second management information before the first information element in the first frame, the second management information to be applied to at least one other link different from each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. In some examples, the first device may output at least one third frame for transmission via the at least one other link based on the second management information.

[0213] In some examples, the first frame may further include a second information element following the first information element within the first frame. In some examples, the second information element includes a second bitmap. In some examples, the second information element also includes a second sub-element field, which includes third management information to be applied to each link in the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap. In some examples, the first device may output at least one fourth frame for transmission via each link in the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap based on the second management information. In some examples, the at least one other link is different from each link in the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0214] In some examples, the at least one other link is a currently active link used by the second device to communicate with the first device. In some examples, the at least one other link may include all multi-level links associated with the first device.

[0215] In some examples, the first device includes a transceiver configured to receive the first frame and to transmit the at least one second frame, wherein the first device is configured as an access point.

[0216] Fig.21 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 2100 for communication according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, the method 2100 may be Fig.19 In some examples, the method 2100 may be performed by the device 1900 illustrated in FIG. Figure 6 The method 2100 may be performed by the device 602 illustrated in FIG. In some examples, the method 2100 may be performed by a STA or an access point. In some examples, the method 2100 may be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0217] At block 2102, a first device may obtain a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element further including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap, the first frame further including second management information preceding the first information element within the first frame, the second management information to be applied to at least one link other than each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. For example, the above in conjunction with Fig.19The illustrated and described frame processing circuit 1942 may provide means for obtaining a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element further including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap, the first frame further including second management information preceding the first information element within the first frame, the second management information to be applied to at least one link other than each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap. For another example, the above with respect to Fig.19 The frame processing circuit 1942 and / or communication and processing circuit 1941 and transceiver 1910 shown and described may provide components for obtaining a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap, the first frame also including second management information preceding the first information element within the first frame, the second management information to be applied to at least one link other than each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap.

[0218] At block 2104, the first device may output at least one second frame for transmission via the first plurality of links based on the first management information. Fig.19 The frame processing circuit 1942 shown and described may provide means for outputting at least one second frame for transmission via the first plurality of links based on the first management information. Fig.19 The frame processing circuitry 1942 and / or the communication and processing circuitry 1941 and transceiver 1910 shown and described may provide means for outputting at least one second frame for transmission via the first plurality of links based on the first management information.

[0219] At block 2106, the first device may output at least one third frame for transmission via at least one other link based on the second management information. Fig.19 The frame processing circuit 1942 shown and described may provide means for outputting at least one third frame based on the second management information for transmission via the at least one other link. Fig.19 The frame processing circuitry 1942 and / or the communication and processing circuitry 1941 and transceiver 1910 shown and described may provide means for outputting at least one third frame for transmission via the at least one other link based on the second management information.

[0220] See again Fig.19In one configuration, the device 1900 includes a component for obtaining a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap, and a component for outputting at least one second frame based on the first information element for transmission to a second device via the first plurality of links. In one configuration, the device 1900 includes a component for obtaining a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link in a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap, the first frame also including second management information preceding the first information element within the first frame, the second management information to be applied to at least one link other than each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap, a component for outputting at least one second frame based on the first management information for transmission via the first plurality of links, and a component for outputting at least one third frame based on the second management information for transmission via the at least one other link. In one aspect, the aforementioned components may be Fig.19 The processor 1904 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned components (eg, as discussed above). On the other hand, the aforementioned components may be a circuit or any device configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned components.

[0221] Of course, in the above examples, the circuits included in the processor 1904 are provided only as examples, and other components for performing the functions described may be included in various aspects of the present disclosure, including but not limited to instructions stored in the computer-readable medium 1906, or in Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Fig.19 Any one or more of which are described herein and using, for example, Figure 20 to Figure 21 Any other suitable means or components of the described methods and / or algorithms.

[0222] exist Figure 17 to Figure 18 and Figure 20 to Figure 21 The method shown in may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein. A summary of several aspects of the disclosure is provided below.

[0223] Aspect 1: A method for performing wireless communication at a first device (e.g., a station), the method comprising: generating a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link of a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap; and outputting the first frame for sending to a second device.

[0224] Aspect 2: The method according to aspect 1, wherein the first frame includes at least one action frame, and the at least one action frame includes the first information element.

[0225] Aspect 3: A method according to aspects 1 to 2, wherein: the first frame also includes a second information element; the second information element includes a second bitmap; and the second information element also includes a second sub-element field, the second sub-element field including second management information to be applied to each link in a second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0226] Aspect 4: The method according to aspect 3, wherein there is no overlapping information between the first management information and the second management information.

[0227] Aspect 5: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 2, wherein: the first frame also includes a second information element; the second information element includes a second bitmap that identifies the same link as the first bitmap; and the second information element also includes a second sub-element field, the second sub-element field including second management information of each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0228] Aspect 6: According to the method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, the method further includes: setting at least one bit of the first bitmap to indicate at least one link in the first plurality of links to which the first management information applies.

[0229] Aspect 7: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 6, wherein the first frame also includes second management information, the second management information precedes the first information element and is applicable to the currently active link used by the first device to communicate with the second device or to all multi-stage links associated with the first device.

[0230] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein the first management information comprises a target waiting time information element.

[0231] Aspect 9: A method according to any one of Aspects 1, 2, 6 or 8, wherein the first frame also includes second management information preceding the first information element within the first frame, and the second management information is to be applied to at least one link other than each link of the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap.

[0232] Aspect 10: A method according to Aspect 9, wherein: the first frame also includes a second information element following the first information element within the first frame; the second information element includes a second bitmap; and the second information element also includes a second sub-element field, the second sub-element field including third management information to be applied to each link of a second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0233] Aspect 11: The method according to aspect 10, wherein there is no overlapping information between the first management information, the second management information and the third management information.

[0234] Aspect 12: The method according to any one of aspects 10 to 11, wherein the at least one link is different from each link of the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0235] Aspect 13: The method according to any one of aspects 9 to 12, wherein the at least one link is a currently active link used by the first apparatus to communicate with the second apparatus.

[0236] Aspect 14: The method according to any one of aspects 9 to 13, wherein the at least one link includes all multi-stage links associated with the first device.

[0237] Aspect 16: A method for performing wireless communication at a first device (e.g., an access point), the method comprising: obtaining a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element also including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link of a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap; and based on the first information element, outputting at least one second frame for sending to a second device via the first plurality of links.

[0238] Aspect 17: A method according to Aspect 16, wherein: the first frame also includes a second information element; the second information element includes a second bitmap; and the second information element also includes a second sub-element field, the second sub-element field including second management information to be applied to each link in a second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0239] Aspect 18: The method according to aspect 17, the method further comprising: based on the second management information, outputting at least one third frame for transmission via each link of the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0240] Aspect 19: A method according to Aspect 16, wherein: the first frame also includes a second information element; the second information element includes a second bitmap identifying the same link as the first bitmap; and the second information element also includes a second sub-element field, the second sub-element field including second management information of each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0241] Aspect 20: The method according to aspect 19, the method further comprising: based on the second management information, outputting at least one third frame for transmission via each link of the first plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0242] Aspect 21: A method according to Aspect 16, wherein: the first frame also includes second management information, the second management information precedes the first information element and is applicable to the current active link used by the second device to communicate with the first device or to all multi-stage links associated with the first device; and the method also includes outputting at least one third frame based on the second management information for sending via the current active link used by the second device or via all multi-stage links in the multi-stage links associated with the first device.

[0243] Aspect 22: The method according to any one of aspects 16 to 21, wherein the first management information comprises target waiting time information.

[0244] Aspect 23: A method according to any one of Aspects 16 or 22, wherein: the first frame also includes second management information before the first information element within the first frame, and the second management information is to be applied to at least one other link different from each link of the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap; and the method also includes outputting at least one third frame based on the second management information for transmission via the at least one other link.

[0245] Aspect 24: A method according to Aspect 23, wherein: the first frame also includes a second information element following the first information element within the first frame; the second information element includes a second bitmap; and the second information element also includes a second sub-element field, the second sub-element field including third management information to be applied to each link of a second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0246] Aspect 25: The method according to aspect 24, the method further comprising: based on the second management information, outputting at least one fourth frame for transmission via each link of the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0247] Aspect 26: The method according to any one of aspects 24 to 25, wherein the at least one other link is different from each link of the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

[0248] Aspect 27: A method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 26, wherein: the at least one other link is a currently active link used by the second device to communicate with the first device; or the at least one other link includes all multi-level links associated with the first device.

[0249] Aspect 28: The method according to any one of aspects 16 to 27, the method further comprising: receiving the first frame; and sending the at least one second frame, wherein the first device is configured as an access point.

[0250] Aspect 29: A station comprising: at least one transceiver; a memory comprising instructions; and one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to execute the instructions and cause the station to perform the method according to any one or more of Aspects 1 to 14, wherein the at least one transceiver is configured to send the fourth signal.

[0251] Aspect 30: A first apparatus configured for communication, the first apparatus comprising at least one component for performing any one or more of aspects 1 to 14.

[0252] Aspect 31: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code for causing a first device to perform any one or more of aspects 1 to 14.

[0253] Aspect 32: A first device, comprising: a memory, the memory comprising instructions; and one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute the instructions and cause the first device to perform the method according to any one or more of Aspects 1 to 14.

[0254] Aspect 33: An access point, comprising: at least one transceiver; a memory comprising instructions; and one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute the instructions and cause the station to perform the method according to any one or more of Aspects 16 to 27, wherein the at least one transceiver is configured to send the fourth signal.

[0255] Aspect 34: A first apparatus configured for communication, the first apparatus comprising at least one component for performing any one or more of aspects 16 to 28.

[0256] Aspect 35: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code for causing a first device to perform any one or more of aspects 16 to 28.

[0257] Aspect 36: A first device, comprising: a memory, the memory comprising instructions; and one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute the instructions and cause the first device to perform the method according to any one or more of Aspects 16 to 27.

[0258] Several aspects of wireless communication networks have been presented with reference to example implementations. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure may be extended to other telecommunication systems, network architectures and communication standards.

[0259] For example, various aspects may be implemented within a system defined by IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11be, etc. Various aspects may also be extended to systems defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 5G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Packet System (EPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and / or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) CDMA2000 and / or Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO). Other examples may be implemented within a system employing IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Ultra Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and / or other suitable systems. The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and / or communication standard employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0260] Within the present disclosure, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration". Any specific implementation or aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as superior or superior to other aspects of the present disclosure. Likewise, the term "aspect" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the discussed features, advantages, or modes of operation. The term "coupled" is used herein to refer to a direct or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A physically contacts object B, and object B contacts object C, objects A and C may still be considered to be coupled to each other, even if they are not in direct physical contact with each other. For example, a first object may be coupled to a second object, even if the first object has never been in direct physical contact with the second object. The terms "circuit" are used broadly, and they are intended to include both hardware implementations of electronic devices and conductors (where these electronic devices and conductors, when connected and configured, implement the execution of the functions described in the present disclosure, without limitation on the type of electronic circuits) and software implementations of information and instructions (where these information and instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the execution of the functions described in the present disclosure). As used herein, the term "determining" may include, for example, ascertaining, solving, selecting, choosing, establishing, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, database or other data structure), etc. In addition, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc.

[0261] Figures 1 to 21 One or more of the illustrated components, steps, features and / or functions may be rearranged and / or combined into a single component, step, feature or function, or may be embodied in several components, steps or functions. Additional elements, components, steps and / or functions may also be added without departing from the novel features disclosed herein. Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Fig.16 and Fig.19 The apparatus, device and / or components illustrated in the examples may be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features or steps described herein. The novel algorithms described herein may also be effectively implemented in software and / or embedded in hardware.

[0262] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein is illustrative of example processes. It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in these methods can be rearranged based on design preferences. The attached method claims provide elements of various steps in an example order, but are not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy provided unless explicitly stated herein.

[0263] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but to conform to the full scope consistent with the text of the claims, wherein unless explicitly stated otherwise, reference to an element in the singular form is not intended to mean "one and only one", but "one or more". Unless otherwise specified, the term "some" refers to one or more. The phrase "at least one" referring to a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including a single member. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, b, and c. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout the present disclosure that are currently or hereafter known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims, anything disclosed herein is not intended to be disclosed to the public.

Claims

1. A first device for wireless communication, the first device comprising: A processing system, the processing system being configured to: generating a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element further including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link of a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap; as well as The first frame is output for transmission to a second device. 2 . The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first frame comprises at least one action frame, the at least one action frame comprising the first information element.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein: The first frame further includes a second information element; The second information element comprises a second bitmap; and The second information element also includes a second sub-element field including second management information to be applied to each link of a second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap. 4 . The first device according to claim 3 , wherein there is no overlapping information between the first management information and the second management information.

5. The first device according to claim 1, wherein: The first frame further includes a second information element; The second information element includes a second bitmap identifying the same link as the first bitmap; and The second information element also includes a second sub-element field including second management information of each link of the first plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

6. The first device of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to: At least one bit of the first bitmap is set to indicate at least one link of the first plurality of links to which the first management information applies.

7. A first device according to claim 1, wherein the first frame also includes second management information, which precedes the first information element and is applicable to a currently active link used by the first device to communicate with the second device or to all multi-stage links associated with the first device.

8. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first management information comprises a target latency information element.

9. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first frame further comprises second management information preceding the first information element within the first frame, the second management information being applied to at least one link other than each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap.

10. The first device according to claim 9, wherein: The first frame further includes a second information element following the first information element within the first frame; The second information element comprises a second bitmap; and The second information element also includes a second sub-element field including third management information to be applied to each link of a second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap. 11 . The first device according to claim 10 , wherein there is no overlapping information between the first management information, the second management information, and the third management information.

12. The first device of claim 10, wherein the at least one link is different from each link in the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

13. The first device of claim 9, wherein the at least one link is a currently active link used by the first device to communicate with the second device.

14. The first device of claim 9, wherein the at least one link comprises all multi-stage links associated with the first device.

15. A station, comprising: a processing system configured to generate a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element further including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link of a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap; and A transceiver is configured to transmit the first frame to a wireless node.

16. A first device for wireless communication, the first device comprising: A processing system, the processing system being configured to: obtaining a first frame including a first information element, the first information element including a first bitmap, the first information element further including a first sub-element field, the first sub-element field including first management information to be applied to each link of a first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap; as well as Based on the first information element, at least one second frame is output for transmission to a second device via the first plurality of links.

17. The first device according to claim 16, wherein: The first frame further includes a second information element; The second information element comprises a second bitmap; The second information element further includes a second sub-element field including second management information to be applied to each link of a second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap; and The processing system is further configured to output at least one third frame for transmission via each link of the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap based on the second management information.

18. The first device according to claim 16, wherein: The first frame further includes a second information element; The second information element includes a second bitmap identifying the same link as the first bitmap; The second information element further includes a second sub-element field including second management information of each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap; and The processing system is further configured to output at least one third frame for transmission via each link of the first plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap based on the second management information.

19. The first device according to claim 16, wherein: The first frame also includes second management information that precedes the first information element and is applicable to a currently active link used by the second device to communicate with the first device or to all multi-stage links associated with the first device; and The processing system is further configured to output at least one third frame for transmission via the currently active link used by the second device or via all of the multi-stage links associated with the first device based on the second management information.

20. The first device of claim 16, wherein the first management information comprises target latency information.

21. The first device according to claim 16, wherein: The first frame further includes second management information preceding the first information element within the first frame, the second management information being applicable to at least one other link different from each link in the first plurality of links indicated by the first bitmap; and The processing system is further configured to output at least one third frame for transmission via the at least one other link based on the second management information.

22. The first device according to claim 21, wherein: The first frame further includes a second information element following the first information element within the first frame; The second information element comprises a second bitmap; The second information element further includes a second sub-element field including third management information to be applied to each link of a second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap; and The processing system is further configured to output at least one fourth frame for transmission via each link of the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap based on the second management information.

23. The first device of claim 22, wherein the at least one other link is different from each link in the second plurality of links indicated by the second bitmap.

24. The first device according to claim 21, wherein: The at least one other link is a currently active link used by the second apparatus to communicate with the first apparatus; or The at least one other link includes all multi-stage links associated with the first device.

25. The first device according to claim 16, further comprising: a transceiver configured to receive the first frame and to transmit the at least one second frame, The first device is configured as an access point.

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