Electronic device for wireless LAN communication and method of operating same

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a device and method for wireless LAN communication in an electronic device. An electronic device may include a communication circuit and a processor, wherein the processor: detects at least one DL that satisfies a specified first reference signal quality with respect to a DL signal quality of an external electronic device; performing a function related to improving the UL signal quality with respect to the plurality of links when no link for which the UL signal quality satisfies the specified second reference signal quality is detected; detecting at least one UL satisfying a specified second reference signal quality based on performing a function related to improving the UL signal quality; and performing wireless LAN communication with the external electronic device based on the at least one DL and the at least one UL. Other embodiments are also possible.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an electronic device for WLAN communication and a method of operating the same. Background Art

[0002] A wireless local area network (WLAN) system may support wireless connections of various electronic devices (such as smart phones, tablets, tablet personal computers (PCs), or laptop computers) through a predetermined frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of about 2.4 GHz, a frequency band of about 5 GHz, and / or a frequency band of about 6 GHz).

[0003] The WLAN system may be installed not only in a private space such as a home but also in a public space such as an airport, a railway station, an office, or a department store. The WLAN system may be defined in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard. For example, the IEEE 802.11 standard is evolving into IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11ax, and IEEE 802.11be. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Technical Problem

[0005] An electronic device of a WLAN system may be connected to an access point (AP) and perform WLAN communication. Due to limitations in the size and / or weight of the electronic device to be moved, the electronic device may have a smaller number of antennas and / or relatively lower transmission power for WLAN communication than the AP. Since the electronic device uses a smaller number of antennas and / or relatively lower transmission power than the AP, the quality of an uplink (UL) signal transmitted from the electronic device to the AP may be relatively lower than the quality of a downlink (DL) signal transmitted from the AP to the electronic device. Because the transmission of the UL signal of the electronic device has failed due to the quality of the UL signal being relatively lower than the quality of the DL signal, the use of the electronic device for WLAN communication using the AP may be restricted. For example, when the electronic device is located in a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environment, the electronic device may receive a DL signal from the AP. However, the electronic device fails to transmit a UL signal to the AP at the location in the NLOS environment, and thus the use of the WLAN communication using the AP may be restricted.

[0006] Various embodiments of the present disclosure disclose an apparatus and a method of an electronic device for improving the quality of a UL signal and / or a DL signal with an external electronic device (e.g., an AP).

[0007] The technical subject matters pursued in the present disclosure are not limited to the above technical subject matters, and those skilled in the art of the present disclosure can clearly understand other technical subject matters not mentioned through the following description.

[0008] Solution to the problem

[0009] According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include a communication circuit configured to support WLAN communication and a processor operably connected to the communication circuit. According to an embodiment, the processor may establish a plurality of links with an external electronic device through the communication circuit. According to an embodiment, the processor may identify a downlink (DL) signal quality and an uplink (UL) signal quality of each of the plurality of links. According to an embodiment, the processor may detect at least one DL among the plurality of links that satisfies a predetermined first reference signal quality based on the DL signal quality. According to an embodiment, in a case where no link that satisfies a predetermined second reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the UL signal quality, the processor may execute a function related to improving the UL signal quality for the plurality of links. According to an embodiment, the processor may detect at least one UL that satisfies a predetermined second reference signal quality among the plurality of links based on the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, the processor may perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device based on at least one DL and at least one UL.

[0010] According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include a communication circuit configured to support WLAN communication and a processor operably connected to the communication circuit. According to an embodiment, the processor may establish a communication link with an external electronic device through the communication circuit. According to an embodiment, the processor may identify a downlink (DL) signal quality and an uplink (UL) signal quality. According to an embodiment, when it is determined that DL communication with the external electronic device is possible based on the DL signal quality and it is determined that UL communication with the external electronic device is impossible based on the UL signal quality, the processor may execute a function related to improving the UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, in a case where it is determined that UL communication with the external electronic device is possible based on the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal quality, the processor may perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device.

[0011] According to various embodiments, a method of operating an electronic device may include establishing a plurality of links for WLAN communication with an external electronic device. According to an embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include identifying a downlink (DL) signal quality and an uplink (UL) signal quality of each of the plurality of links. According to an embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include detecting at least one DL that satisfies a predetermined first reference signal quality among the plurality of links based on the DL signal quality. According to an embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include performing a function related to improving the UL signal quality for the plurality of links when no link that satisfies a predetermined second reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include detecting at least one UL that satisfies the predetermined second reference signal quality among the plurality of links based on the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include performing WLAN communication with the external electronic device based on the at least one DL and the at least one UL.

[0012] According to an embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include establishing a communication link with the external electronic device based on WLAN communication. According to an embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include identifying a downlink (DL) signal quality and an uplink (UL) signal quality. According to an embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include determining that DL communication with the external electronic device is possible based on the DL signal quality. According to an embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include performing a function related to improving the UL signal quality when it is determined that UL communication with the external electronic device is not possible based on the UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include performing WLAN communication with the external electronic device when it is determined that UL communication with the external electronic device is possible based on the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal quality.

[0013] According to various embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium (or computer program product) storing one or more programs is described. According to an embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions for, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, establishing a plurality of links for WLAN communication with an external electronic device, identifying a downlink (DL) signal quality and an uplink (UL) signal quality of each link among the plurality of links, detecting at least one DL that meets a predetermined first reference signal quality among the plurality of links based on the DL signal quality, performing a function related to improving the UL signal quality for the plurality of links in a case where no link that meets a predetermined second reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the UL signal quality, detecting at least one UL that meets the predetermined second reference signal quality among the plurality of links based on the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal quality, and performing WLAN communication with the external electronic device based on the at least one DL and the at least one UL.

[0014] Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to various embodiments, when there is at least one link for downlink (DL) communication but no link for uplink (UL) communication among a plurality of links with an external electronic device (e.g., an access point (AP)), the electronic device may improve the quality of WLAN communication by improving the UL signal quality for each link.

[0016] According to various embodiments, when the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality with an external electronic device (e.g., an AP) are asymmetric, the electronic device may improve the quality of WLAN communication by improving the UL signal quality.

[0017] The effects obtainable from various embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above effects, and based on the following description, those skilled in the art to which various embodiments of the present disclosure pertain can clearly understand other effects not mentioned. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an electronic device in a network environment according to various embodiments.

[0019] Figure 2 shows an example of multi-link operation (MLO) in a WLAN system according to various embodiments.

[0020] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device for improving UL signal quality according to various embodiments.

[0021] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing a process of an electronic device improving UL signal quality in an MLO environment according to various embodiments.

[0022] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing a process of an electronic device identifying DL and UL signal qualities in an NLOS environment according to various embodiments.

[0023] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a process of an electronic device identifying DL and UL signal qualities based on a UL retransmission rate according to various embodiments.

[0024] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing a process of an electronic device identifying DL and UL signal qualities based on a sounding signal according to various embodiments.

[0025] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing a process of an electronic device identifying DL and UL signal qualities according to various embodiments.

[0026] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing a process of an electronic device improving UL signal quality according to various embodiments. Detailed Description of Embodiments

[0027] Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 according to various embodiments. Referring to Figure 1 , the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 may communicate with the electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or communicate with at least one of the electronic device 104 or the server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 via the server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, a memory 130, an input module 150, a sound output module 155, a display module 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a connection end 178, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module 190, a subscriber identification module (SIM) 196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, at least one of the above components (e.g., the connection end 178) may be omitted from the electronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added to the electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the above components (e.g., the sensor module 176, the camera module 180, or the antenna module 197) may be implemented as a single integrated component (e.g., the display module 160).

[0029] The processor 120 may run software (e.g., program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware component or a software component) connected to the processor 120 of the electronic device 101, and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or calculation, the processor 120 may store commands or data received from another component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communication module 190) in the volatile memory 132, process the commands or data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store the resulting data in the non-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)) or an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that is operationally independent of or combined with the main processor 121. For example, when the electronic device 101 includes the main processor 121 and the auxiliary processor 123, the auxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or may be adapted to be dedicated to a specific function. The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented separately from the main processor 121 or as part of the main processor 121.

[0030] When the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, the auxiliary processor 123 (instead of the main processor 121) may control at least some of the functions or states related to at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190), or when the main processor 121 is in an active state (e.g., running an application), the auxiliary processor 123 may control, together with the main processor 121, at least some of the functions or states related to at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190). According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190) that is functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a neural processing unit) may include a hardware structure dedicated to artificial intelligence model processing. The artificial intelligence model may be generated through machine learning. For example, such learning may be performed by the electronic device 101 where the artificial intelligence is executed or via a separate server (e.g., the server 108). The learning algorithm may include, but is not limited to, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning. The artificial intelligence model may include multiple artificial neural network layers. The artificial neural network may be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), or a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more thereof, but is not limited thereto. Additionally or alternatively, the artificial intelligence model may include a software structure in addition to the hardware structure.

[0031] The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176). The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., the program 140) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory 130 may include a volatile memory 132 or a non-volatile memory 134.

[0032] The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130, and the program 140 may include, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, or an application 146.

[0033] The input module 150 may receive commands or data from the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., a user) to be used by other components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 120). The input module 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus).

[0034] The sound output module 155 can output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device 101. The sound output module 155 can include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as playing multimedia or playing a record. The receiver can be used to receive an incoming call. According to an embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0035] The display module 160 can visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., to a user). The display device 160 can include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling a corresponding one of the display, the holographic device, and the projector. According to an embodiment, the display module 160 can include a touch sensor adapted to detect a touch or a pressure sensor adapted to measure the intensity of a force caused by the touch.

[0036] The audio module 170 can convert sound into an electrical signal and vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 can obtain sound via the input module 150, or output sound via the sound output module 155 or headphones of an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly connected to the electronic device 101.

[0037] The sensor module 176 can detect an operating state of the electronic device 101 (e.g., power or temperature) or an environmental state outside the electronic device 101 (e.g., a state of a user), and then generate an electrical signal or a data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0038] The interface 177 can support one or more specific protocols for directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly connecting the electronic device 101 to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the interface 177 can include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

[0039] The connection end 178 can include a connector through which the electronic device 101 can be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the connection end 178 can include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0040] The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., vibration or movement) or an electrical stimulus that can be recognized by a user via his sense of touch or kinesthesia. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, an electric motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulator.

[0041] The camera module 180 may capture a still image or a moving image. According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, an image signal processor, or a flash.

[0042] The power management module 188 may manage power supply to the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0043] The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0044] The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108), and performing communication via the established communication channel. The communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors capable of operating independently of the processor 120 (e.g., an application processor (AP)), and support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module 192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules may communicate with an external electronic device via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, or Infrared Data Association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network, such as a traditional cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN))). These various types of communication modules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or these various types of communication modules may be implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module 192 may identify and authenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) using user information (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the user identification module 196.

[0045] The wireless communication module 192 may support 5G networks after 4G networks and next-generation communication technologies (e.g., New Radio (NR) access technology). The NR access technology may support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), or ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC). The wireless communication module 192 may support high frequency bands (e.g., millimeter wave bands) to achieve, for example, high data transfer rates. The wireless communication module 192 may support various technologies for ensuring performance in high frequency bands, such as, for example, beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (massive MIMO), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, or massive antennas. The wireless communication module 192 may support various requirements specified in the electronic device 101, an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 104), or a network system (e.g., the second network 199). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 192 may support a peak data rate for implementing eMBB (e.g., 20 Gbps or greater), a loss coverage for implementing mMTC (e.g., 164 dB or less), or a U-plane latency for implementing URLLC (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for each of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or a round trip of 1 ms or less). According to various embodiments, the user identification module 196 may include a plurality of user identification modules. For example, the plurality of user identification modules may store different user information.

[0046] The antenna module 197 may transmit a signal or power to the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., an external electronic device) or receive a signal or power from the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a radiation element formed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in a substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)) or formed on the substrate. According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication scheme used in a communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module 190 (e.g., the wireless communication module 192). Subsequently, a signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and an external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, additional components (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiation element may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module 197.

[0047] According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 may form a millimeter-wave antenna module. According to an embodiment, the millimeter-wave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna), wherein the RFIC is disposed on a first surface (e.g., a bottom surface) of the printed circuit board or adjacent to the first surface and capable of supporting a specified high-frequency band (e.g., a millimeter-wave band), and the plurality of antennas are disposed on a second surface (e.g., a top surface or a side surface) of the printed circuit board or adjacent to the second surface and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of the specified high-frequency band.

[0048] At least some of the above components may be interconnected via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general-purpose input / output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)) and communicatively transmit signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween.

[0049] According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 via the server 108 connected to the second network 199. Each of the electronic devices 102 or 104 may be a device of the same type as the electronic device 101 or a device of a different type from the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, all or some of the operations running on the electronic device 101 may run on one or more of the external electronic device 102, the external electronic device 104, or the server 108. For example, if the electronic device 101 is to automatically perform a function or service or is to perform a function or service in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101 may request one or more of the external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or service instead of running the function or service, or in addition to running the function or service, the electronic device 101 may also request one or more of the external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or service. The one or more external electronic devices that receive the request may perform the requested at least part of the function or service, or perform additional functions or additional services related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least part of a reply to the request with or without further processing of the result. To this end, for example, cloud computing technology, distributed computing technology, mobile edge computing (MEC) technology, or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device 101 may use, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing to provide ultra-low latency services. In another embodiment, the external electronic device 104 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server 108 may be an intelligent server using machine learning and / or neural networks. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 104 or the server 108 may be included in the second network 199. The electronic device 101 may be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology or IoT-related technology.

[0050] An electronic device according to various embodiments may be one of various types of electronic devices. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device is not limited to the electronic devices described above.

[0051] It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to specific embodiments, but include various changes, equivalent forms or alternative forms corresponding to the respective embodiments. For the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used to refer to like or related elements. It will be understood that a singular noun corresponding to a term may include one or more things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of the phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C", and "at least one of A, B or C" may include any one or all possible combinations of the items listed together in the corresponding one of the plurality of phrases. As used herein, terms such as "first" and "second" or "1st" and "2nd" may be used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another component, and do not limit the component in other respects (e.g., importance or order). It will be understood that, in cases where the terms "operatively" or "communicatively" are used or where the terms "operatively" or "communicatively" are not used, if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as "coupled with another element (e.g., a second element)", "coupled to another element (e.g., a second element)", "connected with another element (e.g., a second element)" or "connected to another element (e.g., a second element)", it means that the one element can be directly (e.g., wired) connected to the other element, wirelessly connected to the other element, or connected to the other element via a third element.

[0052] As used in connection with the various embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with other terms (e.g., "logic", "logic block", "portion" or "circuit"). A module may be a single integrated component adapted to perform one or more functions or the smallest unit or portion of the single integrated component. For example, according to an embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0053] The various embodiments described herein can be implemented as software (e.g., program 140) including one or more instructions readable by a machine (e.g., electronic device 101) stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138). For example, under the control of a processor, a processor (e.g., processor 120) of the machine (e.g., electronic device 101) can call at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium and run the at least one instruction with or without using one or more other components. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction called. The one or more instructions can include code generated by a compiler or code that can be run by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium can be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Herein, the term "non-transitory" only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not include signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), but this term does not distinguish between data being stored semi-permanently in the storage medium and data being stored temporarily in the storage medium.

[0054] According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product can be traded between a seller and a purchaser as a product. The computer program product can be published in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or can be published online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play StoreTM), or can be directly distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). If it is published online, at least part of the computer program product can be generated temporarily, or at least part of the computer program product can be stored at least temporarily in a machine-readable storage medium (such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a forwarding server).

[0055] According to various embodiments, each of the above components (e.g., a module or a program) may include a single entity or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separately disposed in different components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Optionally or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform the one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as the corresponding one of the multiple components performed the one or more functions before integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by a module, a program, or another component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or in a heuristic manner, or one or more of the operations may be run in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0056] Figure 2 An example of multi-link operation (MLO) in a WLAN system according to various embodiments is shown. For example, Figure 2 The electronic device 101 may be at least partially similar to Figure 1 The electronic device 101, or may include another embodiment of an electronic device.

[0057] According to various embodiments with reference to Figure 2 A WLAN system 200 may include an electronic device 101 and / or an external electronic device 220 (e.g., Figure 1 The electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device 220. For example, the WLAN communication may include Wi-Fi, which is a communication scheme defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard. For example, the external electronic device 220 may be used as a base station that provides WLAN communication to at least one electronic device 101 located within the communication radius of the WLAN system 200. For example, the external electronic device 220 may include an access point (AP) of IEEE 802.11. For example, the external electronic device 220 may include multiple APs (e.g., AP#1 221, AP#2 222, and / or AP#3 223) corresponding to multiple links (e.g., a first link 231, a second link 232, and / or a third link 233) with the electronic device 101. For example, the electronic device 101 may include a station (STA) of IEEE 802.11. For example, the electronic device 101 may include multiple STAs (e.g., STA#1 211, STA #2 212, and / or STA #3 313) corresponding to multiple links (e.g., a first link 231, a second link 232, and / or a third link 233) with the electronic device 101.

[0058] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 220 may support multi-link operation (MLO). MLO may include a communication scheme for transmitting and / or receiving data (or packets) through multiple links (e.g., the first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233). For example, the multiple links for MLO may include different media access control (MAC) addresses. For example, the multiple STAs (e.g., STA#1 211, STA #2 212, and / or STA#3 213) included in the electronic device 101 may include different MAC addresses. For example, the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 220 may perform WLAN communication by using one Internet protocol (IP) address.

[0059] According to various embodiments, when MLO is supported, the electronic device 101 may perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device 220 through each link (e.g., the first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 (e.g., STA#1 211) may transmit data (or packets) to the external electronic device 220 and / or receive data (or packets) from the external electronic device 220 through the first link 231. For example, data may be transmitted and / or received through a frequency band or channel corresponding to the first link 231. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 (e.g., STA#2212) may transmit data to the external electronic device 220 and / or receive data from the external electronic device 220 through the second link 232. For example, data may be transmitted and / or received through a frequency band or channel corresponding to the second link 232. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 (e.g., STA#3 213) may transmit data to the external electronic device 220 and / or receive data from the external electronic device 220 through the third link 233. For example, data may be transmitted and / or received through a frequency band or channel corresponding to the third link 233.

[0060] According to various embodiments, when MLO is supported, the external electronic device 220 may perform WLAN communication with the electronic device 101 through each link (e.g., the first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233). According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 220 (e.g., AP#1 221) may send data (or packets) to the electronic device 101 through the first link 231 and / or receive data (or packets) from the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 220 (e.g., AP#2 222) may send data to the electronic device 101 through the second link 232 and / or receive data from the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 220 (e.g., AP#3 223) may send data to the electronic device 101 through the third link 233 and / or receive data from the electronic device 101.

[0061] According to various embodiments, the frequency bands (or channels) of the first link 231, the second link 232, and the third link 233 may be configured differently. For example, the first link 231 may support a frequency band of approximately 2.4 GHz, the second link 232 may support a frequency band of approximately 5 GHz, and the third link 233 may support a frequency band of approximately 6 GHz.

[0062] According to various embodiments, the first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233 may be used by an external device as well as the electronic device 101. For example, in addition to the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 220, the external device may include another electronic device that supports WLAN communication. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may support a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) scheme such that the electronic device 101 and the external device are not affected by each other when using the same link simultaneously. For example, when CSMA / CA is supported, the electronic device 101 may identify whether the external device is sending data through a specific link (e.g., the first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233). When it is determined that the external device is sending data through a specific link, the electronic device 101 may restrict sending data through the specific link. For example, when it is determined that the external device is not sending data through a specific link, the electronic device 101 may send data through the specific link according to a predetermined scheme. For example, the predetermined scheme may include Clear Channel Assessment (CCA). For example, the first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233 may independently support CSMA / CA.

[0063] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device for improving UL signal quality according to various embodiments. According to an embodiment, Figure 3 the electronic device 101 may be at least partially similar to Figure 1 or Figure 2The electronic device 101, or another embodiment that may include an electronic device.

[0064] According to the reference Figure 3 In various embodiments, the electronic device 101 may include a processor (e.g., including processing circuitry) 300, a communication circuit 310, and / or a memory 320. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may be substantially the same as Figure 1 the processor 120 (e.g., an application processor), or may be included in the processor 120. The communication circuit 310 may be substantially the same as Figure 1 the wireless communication module 192, or may be included in the wireless communication module 192. The memory 320 may be substantially the same as Figure 1 the memory 130, or may be included in the memory 130. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may be operably, functionally, and / or electrically connected to the communication circuit 310 and / or the memory 320.

[0065] According to various embodiments, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to establish (set up) multiple links with an external electronic device (e.g., Figure 2 the external electronic device 220), e.g., Figure 2The first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233). According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to establish multiple links with an external electronic device 220 through at least one link. For example, the processor 300 may obtain information related to the MLO of the external electronic device 220 in a beacon or probe response frame received from the external electronic device 220 through a first frequency band (or the first link 231). For example, the information related to the MLO may include not only information related to the first frequency band (or the first link 231) in which the beacon or probe response frame is received, but also information related to a second frequency band (or the second link 232) and / or a third frequency band (or the third link 233) that may be supported by the external electronic device 220 for MLO. For example, the information related to the frequency band (or link) may include the basic service set identifier (BSSID) of each frequency band (or link) and / or parameters related to the MLO. For example, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to send an association request frame related to the multiple links to the external electronic device 220 through at least one link based on the information related to the MLO of the external electronic device 220. For example, the association request frame may include information related to the capabilities and / or operating parameters of each link as information related to the establishment of the first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233. For example, when obtaining acceptance-related information from the external electronic device 220 in response to the association request frame, the processor 300 may determine that multiple links with the external electronic device 220 have been established. For example, when obtaining information related to the rejection of at least one link among the multiple links from the external electronic device 220 in response to the association request frame, the processor 300 may determine that the establishment of at least one link corresponding to the information related to the rejection among the multiple links with the external electronic device 220 has failed. For example, at least one link corresponding to the information related to the rejection may be excluded from the establishment of the link with the external electronic device 220.

[0066] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to establish links corresponding to at least some of the multiple frequency bands (e.g., at least two frequency bands) that the electronic device 101 and / or the external electronic device 220 may support for MLO. For example, the number of links corresponding to at least some of the frequency bands may be configured based on the number of links that the electronic device 101 and / or the external electronic device 220 can operate simultaneously.

[0067] According to various embodiments, the processor 300 may identify the downlink (DL) signal quality and the uplink (UL) signal quality for each of a plurality of links with an external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify the channel state information (CSI) for each link based on signals received through each of the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220.

[0068] According to an embodiment, when it is determined, based on the channel state information for each link, that the electronic device 101 is in a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environment relative to the external electronic device 220, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality for each link.

[0069] According to an embodiment, when it is determined, based on the channel state information for at least one of the plurality of links, that the electronic device 101 is in an NLOS environment, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality for each link. For example, the processor 300 may determine whether the electronic device 101 is in an NLOS environment based on at least one of a standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis, or Rician k-factor of the channel state information. For example, the channel state information may be obtained through channel estimation based on a long training field (LTF) included in a beacon or a preamble of data received from the external electronic device 220.

[0070] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify the UL retransmission rate and / or the number of UL failures for each link. For example, when it is determined that the UL retransmission rate for each link satisfies a predetermined signal quality identification condition, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality for each link. For example, when it is determined that the UL retransmission rate of at least one link among a plurality of links satisfies a predetermined signal quality identification condition, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality for each link. For example, the UL retransmission rate may be identified based on the number of data transmissions from the electronic device 101 to the external electronic device 220 during a predetermined time period, the number of data retransmissions, and the number of failures in data transmission and / or retransmission. For example, the number of UL failures is the number of failures in data transmission and / or retransmission performed by the electronic device 101, and may include the number of times a signal (e.g., an acknowledgment (ACK) signal) related to the completion (success) of reception of data transmitted and / or retransmitted to the external electronic device 220 is not recognized. For example, the state in which the predetermined signal quality identification condition is satisfied is a state in which the UL retransmission rate is greater than a predetermined reference retransmission rate and / or the number of UL failures is greater than a predetermined reference failure number, and may include a state in which it is determined that the UL signal quality is relatively low. For example, the state in which the predetermined signal quality identification condition is not satisfied is a state in which the UL retransmission rate is equal to or less than a predetermined reference retransmission rate and / or the number of UL failures is equal to or less than a predetermined reference failure number, and may include a state in which it is determined that the UL signal quality is relatively high.

[0071] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality for each link. For example, when it is determined that the DL signal quality for each link satisfies predetermined signal quality identification information, the processor 300 may identify the UL signal quality for each link. For example, when it is determined that the DL signal quality of at least one link among a plurality of links satisfies a predetermined signal quality identification condition, the processor 300 may identify the UL signal quality for each link. For example, the DL signal quality may be identified (or estimated) based on the signal received from the external electronic device 220. For example, the state in which the predetermined signal quality identification condition is satisfied is a state in which the DL signal quality is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference quality, and may include a state in which it is determined that the DL signal quality is relatively low. For example, the state in which the predetermined signal quality identification condition is not satisfied is a state in which the DL signal quality is higher than a predetermined reference quality, and may include a state in which it is determined that the DL signal quality is relatively high.

[0072] According to an embodiment, when the transmission period of the probe signal (or reference signal) of the electronic device 101 arrives, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality for each link. For example, the probe signal may include a reference signal transmitted by the electronic device 101 to identify the UL signal quality.

[0073] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify (or estimate) the DL signal quality of each link based on signals received from the external electronic device 220. For example, the DL signal quality of each link may include at least one of the following: information related to the standard for WLAN communication (e.g., Wi-Fi) (e.g., standard type), the number of spatial streams allowed by the external electronic device 220, information related to the transmission power of the external electronic device 220, the number of spatial streams allowed by the electronic device 101, received signal strength (e.g., received signal strength indicator (RSSI)), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), received speed of the link (e.g., link speed), channel utilization (channel use), busy time of the clear channel assessment (CCA), or the time when the wireless communication is active (radio on time). For example, the number of spatial streams allowed by the external electronic device 220 may be configured based on the antennas (or the number of antennas) included in the external electronic device 220. For example, the information related to the transmission power of the external electronic device 220 is obtained from the external electronic device 220 through a beacon frame and may include transmit power control (TPC). For example, the number of spatial streams allowed by the electronic device 101 may be configured based on the antennas (or the number of antennas) included in the electronic device 101. For example, the DL signal quality of each link may include the DL throughput of each link estimated based on the DL data rate, as shown in [Equation 1] below.

[0074] [Equation 1]

[0075]

[0076] For example, ET DL,i represents the DL throughput of the i-th link, DR DL,i represents the DL data rate of the i-th link, and CU i represents the channel utilization of the i-th link. For example, the channel utilization may be replaced with the CCA busy time and the time when the wireless communication is active (radio on time) to measure CCA.

[0077] For example, the DL data rate may be identified (or estimated) based on the SNR of each link, as shown in [Equation 2] below.

[0078] [Equation 2]

[0079]

[0080] For example, datarate represents the data rate of the link, SNR toneIndicates the SNR of the subcarriers included in the link. MaxBitsPerSc is the maximum number of bits that can be transmitted per subcarrier and is configured based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) level, NSS max Indicates the number of spatial streams, N tone Indicates the number of subcarriers, and DSYM DUR Indicates the symbol duration.

[0081] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify (or estimate) the UL signal quality of each link based on UL signals such as a sounding signal, a Domain Name System (DNS) query, or a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request. For example, the UL signal quality of each link may include the UL throughput of each link estimated based on the UL data rate, as shown in [Equation 3] below.

[0082] [Equation 3]

[0083]

[0084] For example, ET UL,i Indicates the UL throughput of the i-th link, DR UL,i Indicates the UL data rate of the i-th link, and CU i Indicates the channel utilization of the i-th link. For example, the channel utilization may be replaced with the CCA busy time and the time when the wireless communication is active (radio-on time) to measure CCA.

[0085] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of multiple links established with the external electronic device 220 and at least one link that can be additionally established although not established with the external electronic device 220. For example, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of each of the multiple links established with the external electronic device 220. For example, the processor 300 may additionally establish at least one link through association (or re-association) with the external electronic device 220. The processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality for at least one additionally established link.

[0086] According to various embodiments, the processor 300 may identify whether there is at least one first effective link in the DL among a plurality of links based on the DL signal quality of the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify whether there is at least one first effective link among the plurality of links established with the external electronic device 220 and at least one link that can be additionally established although not established with the external electronic device 220 (e.g., at least one additionally established link). For example, the first effective link may include a link among the plurality of links whose DL throughput is greater than a predetermined first reference throughput.

[0087] According to various embodiments, the processor 300 may identify whether there is at least one second effective link in the UL among a plurality of links based on the UL signal quality of the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify whether there is at least one second effective link among the plurality of links established with the external electronic device 220 and at least one link that can be additionally established although not established with the external electronic device 220 (e.g., at least one additionally established link). For example, the second effective link may include a link among the plurality of links whose UL throughput is greater than a predetermined second reference throughput.

[0088] According to various embodiments, when there is at least one first effective link in the DL and at least one second effective link in the UL among the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device 220 through at least one first effective link and at least one second effective link. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to activate at least one first effective link and at least one second effective link through traffic identifier (TID) link mapping (e.g., TID-to-link mapping) or power management. For example, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to allocate TIDs to be used for at least one first effective link and / or at least one second effective link through TID link mapping. For example, TID allocation may include a series of operations of negotiating with the external electronic device 220 for the TIDs to be used for at least one first effective link and / or at least one second effective link. For example, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to activate at least one first effective link and / or at least one second effective link through power management. For example, the power management for activating a link may include a series of operations for configuring the power management (PM) bit of an "empty data frame" to a first value (e.g., '0') and sending it to the external electronic device 220.

[0089] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to deactivate at least one first inactive link in the DL and / or at least one second inactive link in the UL among a plurality of links with the external electronic device 220 through TID link mapping or power management. For example, the first inactive link may include the remaining DLs among the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220 except for at least one first active link. For example, the second inactive link may include the remaining ULs among the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220 except for at least one second active link. For example, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to limit the allocation of TIDs to be used for at least the first inactive link and / or at least one second inactive link through TID link mapping. For example, the limitation of the allocation of TIDs may include a series of operations to release the mapping of the TIDs allocated to at least the first inactive link and / or at least one second inactive link. For example, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to deactivate at least the first inactive link and / or at least one second inactive link through power management. For example, the power management for deactivating the link may include a series of operations for configuring the PM bit of an "empty data frame" to a second value (e.g., '1') and sending it to the external electronic device 220.

[0090] According to various embodiments, when there is no first active link among the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to move (e.g., roam) to another external electronic device. According to an embodiment, when there is no first active link among the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220, the processor 300 may identify whether there is another external electronic device (e.g., another AP) that the electronic device 101 can access through scanning. According to an embodiment, when there is another external electronic device that the electronic device 101 can access, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to establish a communication link with the other external electronic device. The processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to perform WLAN communication through the communication link with the other external electronic device. According to an embodiment, when there is no other external electronic device that the electronic device 101 can access, the processor 300 may control a separate communication circuit to access a cellular network. For example, the separate communication circuit is different from the communication circuit 310 that supports WLAN communication and may support the cellular communication of the electronic device 101.

[0091] According to various embodiments, when there is at least one first active link among a plurality of links with an external electronic device 220 but no second active link, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to perform functions for improving UL signal quality. For example, the functions for improving UL signal quality may include at least one of the following: applying dual-carrier modulation (DCM) to UL, using an extended-range physical protocol data unit (PPDU), using a multi-link (ML) replication mode, extending the guard interval (GI), or using a diversity mode. For example, extending the GI may include a series of operations for using a relatively long GI among GIs with different lengths defined in the WLAN standard to protect symbols (e.g., orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols) from inter-symbol interference (ISI). For example, using an extended-range PPDU may include a series of operations for reusing a specific field or amplifying among the fields included in the preamble of a packet. For example, applying DCM may include a series of operations for transmitting one piece of data through two separate subcarriers when using OFDM modulation. For example, using an ML replication mode may include a series of operations for transmitting the same data through at least two links among a plurality of links of an external electronic device.

[0092] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify whether there is at least one second active link based on the application of the function for improving UL signal quality. For example, when at least one second active link is detected based on the application of the function for improving UL signal quality, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device 220 through at least one first active link and at least one second active link. For example, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to move (e.g., roam) to another external electronic device.

[0093] According to various embodiments, the processor 300 may identify a single link with the external electronic device 220 (e.g., Figure 2The DL signal quality and UL signal quality of the first link 231, second link 232, or third link 233). According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify channel state information (CSI) based on signals received from the external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, when it is determined based on the channel state information that the electronic device 101 is located in a NLOS environment with respect to the external electronic device 220, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, when it is determined that the UL retransmission rate and / or the number of UL failures satisfy a predetermined signal quality identification condition, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, when it is determined that the DL signal quality satisfies a predetermined signal quality identification condition, the processor 300 may identify the UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, when the transmission period of the probing signal arrives, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and UL signal quality.

[0094] According to various embodiments, when it is determined based on the DL signal quality that DL communication with the external electronic device 220 is possible and it is determined based on the UL signal quality that UL communication with the external electronic device 220 is possible, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device 220. For example, the state where DL communication is possible may include a state where the DL throughput is greater than a predetermined first reference throughput. For example, the state where UL communication is possible may include a state where the UL throughput is greater than a predetermined second reference throughput.

[0095] According to various embodiments, when it is determined based on the DL signal quality that DL communication with the external electronic device 220 is impossible, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to move (e.g., roam) to another external electronic device. According to an embodiment, when another external electronic device that the electronic device 101 can access is detected through scanning, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to establish a communication link with the other external electronic device. According to an embodiment, when there is no other external electronic device that the electronic device 101 can access, the processor 300 may control a separate communication circuit to access the cellular network.

[0096] According to various embodiments, when it is determined based on the DL signal quality that DL communication with the external electronic device 220 is possible but it is determined based on the UL signal quality that UL communication with the external electronic device 220 is impossible, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to perform functions for improving the UL signal quality. For example, the functions for improving the UL signal quality may include at least one of the following: applying DCM to the UL, using an extended range PPDU, extending the GI, or using a diversity mode.

[0097] According to an embodiment, when it is determined based on the application of the function for improving UL signal quality that UL communication with the external electronic device 220 is possible, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, when it is determined that UL communication with the external electronic device 220 is not possible, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to move (e.g., roam) to another external electronic device.

[0098] According to various embodiments, the communication circuit 310 may transmit data (or packets) to at least one external electronic device (e.g., Figure 2 the external electronic device 220) via WLAN communication and / or receive data (or packets) from at least one external electronic device (e.g., Figure 2 the external electronic device 220).

[0099] According to various embodiments, the memory 320 may store various pieces of data used by at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 300 and / or the communication circuit 310). For example, the data may include data related to the identification of DL and / or UL signal quality, information related to the method of identifying DL and / or UL signal quality, and / or information related to the function for improving UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, the memory 320 may store various instructions that can be run by the processor 300.

[0100] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 may identify the downlink (DL) signal quality and the uplink (UL) signal quality for each of a plurality of links with the external electronic device 220 via the communication circuit 310.

[0101] According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 the electronic device 101) may include a communication circuit (e.g., Figure 1 the wireless communication module 192 or Figure 3 the communication circuit 310) configured to support WLAN communication, and a processor (e.g., Figure 1 the processor 120 or Figure 3 the processor 300) operatively connected to the communication circuit. According to an embodiment, the processor may establish a plurality of links (e.g., Figure 1 the electronic device 102 or Figure 2 the external electronic device 220) with an external electronic device via the communication circuit. Figure 2The first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233). According to an embodiment, the processor may identify the downlink (DL) signal quality and the uplink (UL) signal quality of each of the plurality of links. According to an embodiment, the processor may detect at least one DL among the plurality of links that satisfies a predetermined first reference signal quality based on the DL signal quality. According to an embodiment, in a case where no link that satisfies a predetermined second reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the UL signal quality, the processor may execute a function related to improving the UL signal quality for the plurality of links. According to an embodiment, the processor may detect at least one UL that satisfies a predetermined second reference signal quality based on the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal quality among the plurality of links. According to an embodiment, the processor may perform WLAN communication with an external electronic device based on at least one DL and at least one UL.

[0102] According to various embodiments, when no link that satisfies a predetermined first reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the DL signal quality, the processor may perform access to another external electronic device or switch to a cellular network.

[0103] According to various embodiments, when no link that satisfies a predetermined second reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the UL signal quality after executing the function related to improving the UL signal, the processor may perform access to another external electronic device or switch to a cellular network.

[0104] According to various embodiments, the processor may assign at least one TID to at least one DL and at least one UL through TID link mapping (e.g., TID-to-link mapping), and perform WLAN communication with an external electronic device based on at least one DL and at least one UL to which at least one TID is assigned.

[0105] According to various embodiments, the processor may switch the DL function of at least one remaining DL among the plurality of links to an inactive state through TID link mapping, and switch the UL function of at least one remaining UL among the plurality of links to an inactive state through TID link mapping.

[0106] According to various embodiments, when a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) detection condition is satisfied, based on the channel state information of at least one link among the plurality of links, the processor may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of each of the plurality of links.

[0107] According to various embodiments, when the UL retransmission rate and / or the number of failures of at least one link among a plurality of links satisfy a predetermined signal quality identification condition, the processor may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of each link among the plurality of links.

[0108] According to various embodiments, the processor may identify the DL signal quality of each link among a plurality of links, and when the DL signal quality of at least one link among the plurality of links satisfies a predetermined signal quality identification condition, identify the UL signal quality of each link among the plurality of links.

[0109] According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 electronic device 101) may include a communication circuit (e.g., Figure 1 wireless communication module 192 or Figure 3 communication circuit 310) configured to support WLAN communication, and a processor (e.g., Figure 1 processor 120 or Figure 3 processor 300) operably connected to the communication circuit. According to an embodiment, the processor may establish a communication link (e.g., Figure 1 first link 231, second link 232, or third link 233) with an external electronic device (e.g., Figure 2 electronic device 102 or Figure 2 external electronic device 220) through the communication circuit. According to an embodiment, the processor may identify a downlink (DL) signal quality and an uplink (UL) signal quality. According to an embodiment, when it is determined that DL communication with the external electronic device is possible based on the DL signal quality and it is determined that UL communication with the external electronic device is impossible based on the UL signal quality, the processor may perform a function related to improving the UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, in a case where it is determined that UL communication with the external electronic device is possible based on the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal quality, the processor may perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device.

[0110] Figure 4 is a flowchart 400 showing a process of an electronic device improving UL signal quality in an MLO environment according to various embodiments. In the following embodiments, the corresponding operations may be performed sequentially, but sequential execution is not required. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, Figure 4 the electronic device may be Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 electronic device 101.

[0111] According to the referenceFigure 4 In various embodiments, in operation 401, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., Figure 1 processor 120 or Figure 3 processor 300) may establish (set up) multiple links (e.g., Figure 2 first link 231, second link 232, and / or third link 233) with an external electronic device (e.g., Figure 2 external electronic device 220). According to an embodiment, processor 300 may establish multiple links with external electronic device 220 through at least one frequency band (or link) among multiple frequency bands supported by electronic device 101. For example, processor 300 may obtain information related to links (e.g., first frequency band (or first link 231), second frequency band (or second link 232), and / or third frequency band (or third link 233)) for MLO that may be supported by external electronic device 220 in a beacon or probe response frame received from external electronic device 220 through at least one frequency band (e.g., the first frequency band (or first link 231)). Information related to the link may include the BSSID of each link (or frequency band) and / or parameters related to MLO. According to an embodiment, processor 300 may control WLAN communication circuit 310 to send an association request frame related to multiple links to external electronic device 220 through at least one link among the links for MLO that external electronic device 220 may support. For example, the association request frame is information related to the establishment of the first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233, and may include information related to the function (capability) and / or operation parameters of each link. For example, when obtaining acceptance-related information from external electronic device 220 in response to the association request frame, processor 300 may determine that multiple links with external electronic device 220 have been established. For example, when obtaining information related to the rejection of at least one link among multiple links from external electronic device 220 in response to the association request frame, processor 300 may determine that the establishment of at least one link corresponding to the rejection-related information among the multiple links with external electronic device 220 has failed.

[0112] According to an embodiment, processor 300 may control communication circuit 310 to establish links corresponding to at least some frequency bands (e.g., at least two frequency bands) among multiple frequency bands for MLO that electronic device 101 and / or external electronic device 220 may support. For example, the number of links corresponding to at least some frequency bands may be configured based on the number of links that electronic device 101 and / or external electronic device 220 can operate simultaneously.

[0113] According to various embodiments, in operation 403, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify DL signal quality and UL signal quality for each of a plurality of links to an external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, when it is determined, based on channel state information (CSI) for each of a plurality of links to an external electronic device 220, that the electronic device 101 is located in an NLOS environment relative to the external electronic device 220, the processor 300 may identify DL signal quality and UL signal quality for each link. According to an embodiment, when it is determined that the UL retransmission rate and / or the number of UL failures for at least one of a plurality of links to the external electronic device 220 satisfies a predetermined signal quality identification condition, the processor 300 may identify DL signal quality and UL signal quality for each link. According to an embodiment, when it is determined that the DL signal quality for at least one of a plurality of links to the external electronic device 220 satisfies a predetermined signal quality identification condition, the processor 300 may identify UL signal quality for each link. According to an embodiment, when the transmission period of a probing signal arrives, the processor 300 may identify DL signal quality and UL signal quality for each link.

[0114] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify (or estimate) the DL signal quality for each link based on signals received from the external electronic device 220. For example, the DL signal quality for each link may include at least one of the following: information related to a standard for WLAN communication (e.g., Wi-Fi) (e.g., standard type), the number of spatial streams allowed by the external electronic device 220, information related to the transmission power of the external electronic device 220, the number of spatial streams allowed by the electronic device 101, received signal strength (e.g., received signal strength indicator (RSSI)), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the received speed of the link (e.g., link speed), channel utilization (channel use), idle channel assessment (CCA) busy time, or wireless communication activity time (radio on time). For example, the number of spatial streams allowed by the external electronic device 220 may be configured based on an antenna (or the number of antennas) included in the external electronic device 220. For example, information related to the transmission power of the external electronic device 220 is obtained from the external electronic device 220 through a beacon frame and may include transmit power control (TPC). For example, the DL signal quality for each link may include the DL throughput for each link estimated based on the DL data rate, as shown in [Equation 1].

[0115] According to an embodiment, when there is no traffic, the processor 300 may identify (or estimate) the UL signal quality of each link based on a UL signal such as a probe signal, a Domain Name System (DNS) query, or a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request. For example, the UL signal quality of each link may include the UL throughput of each link estimated based on the UL data rate, as shown in [Equation 3] below.

[0116] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of a plurality of links established with the external electronic device 220 and at least one link that is not established with the external electronic device 220 but can be established additionally. For example, the processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of each link among the plurality of links established with the external electronic device 220. For example, the processor 300 may establish at least one link additionally through association (or re - association) with the external electronic device 220. The processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of at least one additionally established link.

[0117] According to various embodiments, at operation 405, the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., the processor 120 or 130) may identify whether there is at least one first effective link in the DL among a plurality of links based on the DL signal quality of the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify whether there is at least one first effective link among a plurality of links established with the external electronic device 220 and at least one link that, although not established with the external electronic device 220, can be established additionally (e.g., at least one additionally established link). For example, the first effective link may include a link among the plurality of links whose DL throughput is greater than a predetermined first reference throughput. For example, the predetermined first reference throughput may include information related to a reference for determining the first effective link among the plurality of links.

[0118] According to various embodiments, when there is at least one first valid link (e.g., "Yes" in operation 405), at operation 407, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify whether there is at least one second valid link in the UL among multiple links based on the UL signal quality of the multiple links with the external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify whether there is at least one second valid link among the multiple links established with the external electronic device 220 and at least one link that can be additionally established although not established with the external electronic device 220 (e.g., at least one additionally established link). For example, the second valid link may include a link among the multiple links whose UL throughput is greater than a predetermined second reference throughput. For example, the predetermined second throughput is a reference for determining the second valid link among the multiple links, and may be the same as or different from the predetermined first reference throughput.

[0119] According to various embodiments, when there is at least one second valid link (e.g., "Yes" in operation 407), at operation 409, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device 220 through at least one first valid link and at least one second valid link. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to activate at least one first valid link and at least one second valid link through traffic identifier (TID) link mapping (e.g., TID-to-link mapping) or power management. The processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to perform WLAN communication through at least one activated first valid link and at least one activated second valid link. For example, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to allocate TIDs to be used for at least one first valid link and / or at least one second valid link through TID link mapping. For example, TID allocation may include a series of operations of negotiating with the external electronic device 220 for the TIDs to be used for at least one first valid link and / or at least one second valid link. For example, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to activate at least one first valid link and / or at least one second valid link through power management. For example, the power management for activating the link may include a series of operations for configuring the power management (PM) bit of the "null data frame" to a first value (e.g., '0') and sending it to the external electronic device 220.

[0120] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to deactivate at least one first inactive link in the DL and / or at least one second inactive link in the UL among multiple links with the external electronic device 220 through TID link mapping or power management. For example, the first inactive link may include the remaining DL among multiple links with the external electronic device 220 except for at least one first active link. For example, the second inactive link may include the remaining UL among multiple links with the external electronic device 220 except for at least one second active link. For example, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to limit the allocation of TIDs to be used for at least the first inactive link and / or at least one second inactive link through TID link mapping. For example, the limitation of the TID allocation may include a series of operations to release the mapping of the TIDs allocated to at least the first inactive link and / or at least one second inactive link. For example, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to deactivate at least the first inactive link and / or at least one second inactive link through power management. For example, the power management for deactivating the link may include a series of operations to configure the PM bit of the "null data frame" to a second value (e.g., '1') and send it to the external electronic device 220.

[0121] According to various embodiments, when there is no at least one second active link (e.g., "No" in operation 407), in operation 411, the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., the processor 120 or 300) may perform a function for improving the UL signal quality. For example, the function for improving the UL signal quality may include at least one of the following: applying dual carrier modulation (DCM) to the UL, using an extended range physical protocol data unit (PPDU), using a multi-link (ML) replication mode, extending the guard interval (GI), or using a diversity mode. For example, extending the GI may include a series of operations to use a relatively long GI among GIs with different lengths defined in the WLAN standard to protect symbols (e.g., orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols) from inter-symbol interference (ISI). For example, using an extended range PPDU may include a series of operations to reuse a specific field or amplify among the fields included in the preamble of the packet. For example, applying DCM may include a series of operations to send one data through two separate subcarriers when using OFDM modulation. For example, using the ML replication mode may include a series of operations to send the same data through at least two links among multiple links of the external electronic device.

[0122] According to various embodiments, in operation 413, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify whether there is at least one second active link based on the application of a function for improving UL signal quality.

[0123] According to various embodiments, when there is at least one second active link (e.g., "Yes" in operation 413), in operation 409, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may perform WLAN communication with an external electronic device 220 through at least one first active link and at least one second active link.

[0124] When there is no at least one active link (e.g., "No" in operation 405) or when there is no at least one second active link (e.g., "No" in operation 413), in operation 415, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may perform WLAN communication through another external electronic device. According to an embodiment, when there is no first active link among a plurality of links with an external electronic device 220 (e.g., "No" in operation 405), the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to move (e.g., roam) to another external electronic device. According to an embodiment, when a function for improving UL signal quality is applied but there is no at least one second active link (e.g., "No" in operation 413), the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to move (e.g., roam) to another external electronic device. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to identify whether there is another external electronic device (e.g., another AP) to which the electronic device 101 can connect through scanning. For example, when another external electronic device to which the electronic device 101 can connect is detected through scanning, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to establish a communication link with the other electronic device. The processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to perform WLAN communication through the communication link with the other external electronic device.

[0125] According to various embodiments, when another external electronic device to which the electronic device 101 can connect is not detected through scanning, the electronic device 101 may determine that WLAN communication cannot be provided. The electronic device 101 may perform cellular communication based on the determination that WLAN communication cannot be provided.

[0126] Figure 5 FIG. 500 is a flowchart illustrating a process of an electronic device identifying DL and UL signal quality in an NLOS environment according to various embodiments. According to an embodiment, Figure 5 at least some of which may include Figure 4Details of operation 403. In the following embodiments, the corresponding operations may be performed sequentially, but sequential execution is not required. For example, the order of operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, Figure 5 The electronic device may be Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 The electronic device 101.

[0127] According to various embodiments with reference to Figure 5 , when establishing (setting up) multiple links (e.g., Figure 2 The first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233) with an external electronic device (e.g., Figure 2 The external electronic device 220), in operation 501, the electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 The electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., Figure 1 The processor 120 or Figure 3 The processor 300) may identify the channel state information (CSI) of each link based on the signals received through each of the multiple links with the external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify (or estimate) the channel state information of each link through channel estimation based on the long training field (LTF) included in the beacon or preamble of the data received from the external electronic device 220 through each link.

[0128] According to various embodiments, in operation 503, the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., the processor 120 or 300) may identify whether a predetermined non-line-of-sight (NLOS) detection condition is satisfied based on the channel state information of each link. According to an embodiment, when the standard deviation of the channel state information of at least one link is greater than a predetermined reference standard deviation, the processor 300 may determine that the predetermined NLOS detection condition is satisfied. According to an embodiment, when the skewness value based on the channel state information of at least one link is greater than a predetermined reference skewness value, the processor 300 may determine that the predetermined NLOS detection condition is satisfied. According to an embodiment, when the kurtosis value based on the channel state information of at least one link is equal to or less than a predetermined reference kurtosis value, the processor 300 may determine that the predetermined NLOS detection condition is satisfied. According to an embodiment, when the Rice k-factor value based on the channel state information of at least one link is equal to or less than a predetermined reference factor value, the processor 300 may determine that the predetermined NLOS detection condition is satisfied. For example, the state of satisfying the predetermined NLOS detection condition may include a state of determining that the electronic device 101 is located in an NLOS environment.

[0129] According to various embodiments, when it is determined that a predetermined NLOS detection condition is not satisfied (e.g., "No" in operation 503), the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may end the embodiments for identifying the DL and UL signal qualities in the NLOS environment. According to an embodiment, when it is determined based on the channel state information of each link that a predetermined NLOS detection condition is not satisfied, the processor 300 may determine that the electronic device 101 is in a line-of-sight (LOS) environment relative to the external electronic device 220. When the electronic device 101 is in the LOS environment, the processor 300 may determine that there is no difference between the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality. For example, the state where there is no difference between the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality is a state where the difference between the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality is equal to or less than a predetermined magnitude and may include a state where the difference between the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality can be ignored.

[0130] When it is determined that a predetermined NLOS detection condition is satisfied (e.g., "Yes" in operation 503), in operation 505, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality for each of the multiple links to the external electronic device 220. For example, the DL signal quality may be identified (or estimated) based on the signal received from the external electronic device 220. For example, the UL signal quality may be identified (or estimated) based on a UL signal such as a sounding signal, a Domain Name System (DNS) query, or a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

[0131] Figure 6 FIG. 600 is a flowchart showing a process by which an electronic device according to various embodiments identifies DL and UL signal qualities based on the UL retransmission rate. According to an embodiment, Figure 6 at least some of which may include Figure 4 detailed operations of operation 403. In the following embodiments, the corresponding operations may be performed sequentially, but sequential execution is not necessary. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, Figure 6 the electronic device of Figure 1 、 Figure 2 or Figure 3 may be the electronic device 101.

[0132] According to various embodiments of the reference Figure 6 when establishing (setting up) multiple links (e.g., Figure 2 the first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233 of Figure 2 ) with an external electronic device (e.g., Figure 4During operation 401), in operation 601, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., Figure 1 processor 120 or Figure 3 processor 300) may identify the UL retransmission rate and / or the number of UL failures for each of a plurality of links to an external electronic device 220. For example, the UL retransmission rate may be identified based on the number of transmissions of data from the electronic device 101 to the external electronic device 220 during a predetermined period, the number of retransmissions of the data, and the number of failures of the data transmission and / or retransmission. For example, the number of UL failures is the number of failures of data transmission and / or retransmission performed by the electronic device 101, and may include the number of signals (e.g., ACK signals) not recognized as being related to the completion (success) of the reception of the data transmitted and / or retransmitted to the external electronic device 220.

[0133] According to various embodiments, in operation 603, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify a predetermined signal quality identification condition based on the UL retransmission rate and / or the number of UL failures for each link. According to an embodiment, when the UL retransmission rate of at least one of the plurality of links to the external electronic device 220 is greater than a predetermined reference retransmission rate, the processor 300 may determine that the predetermined signal quality identification condition is satisfied. According to an embodiment, when the UL retransmission rate of each of the plurality of links to the external electronic device 220 is equal to or less than the predetermined reference retransmission rate, the processor 300 may determine that the predetermined signal quality identification condition is not satisfied.

[0134] According to an embodiment, when the number of UL failures of at least one of the plurality of links to the external electronic device 220 is greater than a predetermined reference number of failures, the processor 300 may determine that the predetermined signal quality identification condition is satisfied. According to an embodiment, when the number of UL failures of at least one of the plurality of links to the external electronic device 220 is equal to or less than the predetermined reference number of failures, the processor 300 may determine that the predetermined signal quality identification condition is not satisfied.

[0135] According to various embodiments, when it is determined that a predetermined signal quality detection condition is not satisfied (e.g., "No" in operation 603), the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may end the embodiments for identifying DL and UL signal quality based on the UL retransmission rate. According to an embodiment, when there is no link among a plurality of links with the external electronic device 220 having a UL retransmission rate greater than a predetermined reference retransmission rate, the processor 300 may determine that the UL signal quality of the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220 is relatively high. The processor 300 may determine that there is no need to improve the UL signal quality based on the determination that the UL signal quality of the plurality of links with the external device 220 is relatively high.

[0136] According to various embodiments, when it is determined that a predetermined signal quality detection condition is satisfied (e.g., "Yes" in operation 603), in operation 605, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality for each of a plurality of links with the external electronic device 220. For example, the DL signal quality may be identified (or estimated) based on the signal received from the external electronic device 220. For example, the UL signal quality may be identified (or estimated) based on a UL signal such as a sounding signal, a Domain Name System (DNS) query, or a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

[0137] Figure 7 is a flowchart 700 illustrating a process in which an electronic device according to various embodiments identifies DL and UL signal quality based on a sounding signal. According to an embodiment, Figure 7 at least some of Figure 4 may include Figure 7 detailed operations of operation 403 of Figure 1 In the following embodiments, the corresponding operations may be executed sequentially, but sequential execution is not necessary. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be executed in parallel. For example, Figure 2 the electronic device of Figure 3 may be

[0138] According to a reference Figure 7 of various embodiments, when a plurality of links (e.g., Figure 2 the first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233 of Figure 4 ) with an external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 220) are established (set up) (e.g., Figure 1 in operation 401 of Figure 2 or Figure 3 ), in operation 701, the electronic device (e.g., Figure 1processor 120 or Figure 3 processor 300) may identify whether a sounding procedure can be provided. According to an embodiment, processor 300 may identify whether external electronic device 220 supports a beamforming function based on the capabilities of external electronic device 220. When it is determined that external electronic device 220 supports the beamforming function, processor 300 may control communication circuit 310 to perform the sounding procedure.

[0139] According to various embodiments, when the sounding procedure cannot be provided (e.g., "No" in operation 701), the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may end the embodiments for identifying DL and UL signal quality based on the sounding procedure.

[0140] According to various embodiments, when the sounding procedure can be provided (e.g., "Yes" in operation 701), in operation 703, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify whether the transmission time point (or period) of the sounding signal has arrived. According to an embodiment, when the transmission time point (or period) of the sounding signal has not arrived (e.g., "No" in operation 703), processor 300 may identify again whether the transmission time point (or period) of the sounding signal has arrived.

[0141] According to various embodiments, when the transmission time point (or period) of the sounding signal has arrived (e.g., "Yes" in operation 703), in operation 705, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality for each of the multiple links to external electronic device 220 based on the sounding signal. According to an embodiment, when the transmission time point (or period) of the sounding signal has arrived, processor 300 may control communication circuit 310 to send a null data packet announcement (NDPA) and / or a null data packet (NDP) to external electronic device 220. Processor 300 may identify information related to the UL signal quality of each link in the beamforming report field of the CSI feedback frame received from external electronic device 220 through communication circuit 310. For example, information related to the UL signal quality of each link may include the SNR for each stream measured (or estimated) by the AP. According to an embodiment, processor 300 may identify (or estimate) the DL signal quality of each link based on the signal of each link received from external electronic device 220 through communication circuit 310.

[0142] Figure 8 is a flowchart 800 showing a process by which an electronic device identifies DL and UL signal quality according to various embodiments. According to an embodiment, Figure 8 at least some of which may include Figure 4Details of operation 403. In the following embodiments, the corresponding operations may be performed sequentially, but sequential execution is not required. For example, the order of operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, Figure 8 The electronic device may be Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 The electronic device 101.

[0143] According to various embodiments of reference Figure 8 , when establishing (setting up) a plurality of links (e.g., Figure 2 The first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233) with an external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 220) (e.g., Figure 4 Operation 401), in operation 801, the electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 The electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., Figure 1 The processor 120 or Figure 3 The processor 300) may identify the DL signal quality of each link among the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify (or estimate) the DL signal quality of each link based on the signal received from the external electronic device 220. For example, the DL signal quality of each link may include at least one of the following: information related to the standard of WLAN communication (e.g., Wi-Fi) (e.g., standard type), the number of spatial streams allowed by the external electronic device 220, information related to the transmission power of the external electronic device 220, the number of spatial streams allowed by the electronic device 101, received signal strength (e.g., received signal strength indicator (RSSI)), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the received speed of the link (e.g., link speed), channel utilization (channel utilization), idle channel assessment (CCA) busy time, or radio communication activity time (radio on time). For example, the number of spatial streams allowed by the external electronic device 220 may be configured based on the antenna (or the number of antennas) included in the external electronic device 220. For example, the information related to the transmission power of the external electronic device 220 is obtained from the external electronic device 220 through a beacon frame and may include transmit power control (TPC). For example, the number of spatial streams allowed by the electronic device 101 may be configured based on the antenna (or the number of antennas) included in the electronic device 101. For example, the DL signal quality of each link may include the DL throughput of each link estimated based on the DL data rate, as shown in [Equation 1].

[0144] According to various embodiments, in operation 803, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify whether a predetermined signal quality identification condition is satisfied based on the DL signal quality of each link. According to an embodiment, when the DL signal quality of at least one link among a plurality of links with an external electronic device 220 is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference quality, the processor 300 may determine that the predetermined signal quality identification condition is satisfied. According to an embodiment, when the DL signal quality of each link among a plurality of links with an external electronic device 200 is higher than a predetermined reference quality, the processor 300 may determine that the predetermined signal quality identification condition is not satisfied.

[0145] According to various embodiments, when it is determined that the predetermined signal quality detection condition is not satisfied (e.g., "No" in operation 803), the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may end the embodiment for identifying DL and UL signal quality based on the DL signal quality. According to an embodiment, when there is no link among a plurality of links with an external electronic device 220 having a DL signal quality equal to or lower than a predetermined reference quality, the processor 300 may determine that the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of the plurality of links with the external electronic device 220 are relatively high. The processor 300 may determine that there is no need to improve the UL signal quality based on the determination that the UL signal quality of the plurality of links is relatively high.

[0146] According to various embodiments, when it is determined that the predetermined signal quality detection condition is satisfied (e.g., "Yes" in operation 803), in operation 805, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify the UL signal quality for each link among a plurality of links with an external electronic device 220. For example, the UL signal quality may be identified (or estimated) based on a probing signal, a Domain Name System (DNS) query, or a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

[0147] Figure 9 FIG. 900 is a flowchart showing a process of an electronic device improving UL signal quality according to various embodiments. In the following embodiments, the corresponding operations may be performed sequentially, but sequential execution is not necessary. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, Figure 9 The electronic device may be Figure 1 、 Figure 2 or Figure 3 the electronic device 101.

[0148] According to reference Figure 9 of various embodiments, in operation 901, the electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 、 Figure 2or Figure 3 the electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., Figure 1 processor 120 or Figure 3 processor 300) may establish (set up) a communication link (e.g., Figure 2 external electronic device 220) with an external electronic device (e.g., Figure 2 first link 231, second link 232, or third link 233). According to an embodiment, processor 300 may control communication circuit 310 to establish a single communication link with external electronic device 220 through one of the multiple frequency bands (or links) supported by electronic device 101.

[0149] According to various embodiments, in operation 903, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify the downlink (DL) signal quality and the uplink (UL) signal quality of a communication link with external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, when it is determined based on the channel state information (CSI) with external electronic device 220 that electronic device 101 is located in a NLOS environment relative to external electronic device 220, processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, when it is determined that the UL retransmission rate with external electronic device 220 meets a predetermined signal quality identification condition, processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, when it is determined that the DL signal quality with external electronic device 220 meets a predetermined signal quality identification condition, processor 300 may identify the UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, when the transmission period of the detection signal of electronic device 101 arrives, processor 300 may identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality.

[0150] According to an embodiment, processor 300 may identify (or estimate) the DL signal quality based on the signal received from external electronic device 220. For example, the DL signal quality of each link may include at least one of the following: information related to the standard of WLAN communication (e.g., Wi-Fi) (e.g., standard type), the number of spatial streams allowed by external electronic device 220, information related to the transmission power of external electronic device 220, the number of spatial streams allowed by electronic device 101, received signal strength (e.g., received signal strength indicator (RSSI)), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the received speed of the link (e.g., link speed), channel utilization (channel use), clear channel assessment (CCA) busy time, or radio communication activity time (radio on time). For example, the DL signal quality may include the DL throughput estimated based on the DL data rate, as shown in [Equation 1].

[0151] According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may identify (or estimate) the UL signal quality of each link based on a UL signal such as a detection signal, a Domain Name System (DNS) query, or a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request. For example, the UL signal quality of each link may include the UL throughput of each link estimated based on the UL data rate, as shown in [Equation 3] below.

[0152] According to various embodiments, in operation 905, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., the processor 120 or 300) may identify whether DL communication with the external electronic device 220 is possible based on the DL signal quality with the external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, when the DL throughput with the external electronic device 220 is greater than a predetermined first reference throughput, the processor 300 may determine that DL communication is possible. According to an embodiment, when the DL throughput with the external electronic device 220 is equal to or lower than the predetermined first reference throughput, the processor 300 may determine that DL communication is not possible. For example, the predetermined first reference throughput may include information related to a reference for determining whether DL communication is possible.

[0153] According to various embodiments, when it is determined that DL communication with the external electronic device 220 is possible (e.g., "Yes" in operation 905), in operation 907, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., the processor 120 or 300) may identify whether UL communication with the external electronic device 220 is possible based on the UL signal quality with the external electronic device 220. According to an embodiment, when the UL throughput with the external electronic device 220 is higher than a predetermined second reference throughput, the processor 300 may determine that UL communication is possible. According to an embodiment, when the UL throughput with the external electronic device 220 is equal to or lower than the predetermined second reference throughput, the processor 300 may determine that UL communication is not possible. For example, the second reference throughput is a reference for determining whether UL communication is possible and may be the same as or different from the predetermined first reference throughput.

[0154] According to various embodiments, when it is determined that UL communication with the external electronic device 220 is possible (e.g., "Yes" in operation 907), in operation 909, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) or a processor (e.g., the processor 120 or 300) may perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device 220.

[0155] According to various embodiments, when it is determined that UL communication with the external electronic device 220 is impossible (e.g., "No" in operation 907), in operation 911, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may perform functions for improving the UL signal quality. For example, the functions for improving the UL signal quality may include at least one of the following: applying dual carrier modulation (DCM) to the UL, using an extended range physical protocol data unit (PPDU), extending the guard interval (GI), or using a diversity mode.

[0156] According to various embodiments, in operation 913, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may identify whether UL communication with the external electronic device 220 is possible based on the application of the functions for improving the UL signal quality.

[0157] According to various embodiments, when it is determined that UL communication with the external electronic device 220 is possible (e.g., "Yes" in operation 913), in operation 909, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may perform WLAN communication with the external electronic device 220.

[0158] According to various embodiments, when it is determined that DL communication with the external electronic device 220 is impossible (e.g., "No" in operation 905) or UL communication with the external electronic device 220 is impossible (e.g., "No" in operation 913), in operation 915, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) or the processor (e.g., processor 120 or 300) may perform WLAN communication through another external electronic device. According to an embodiment, when it is determined that DL communication with the external electronic device 220 is impossible (e.g., "No" in operation 905), the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to move (e.g., roam) to another electronic device. According to an embodiment, when the functions for improving the UL signal quality are applied but it is determined that UL communication with the external electronic device 220 is impossible (e.g., "No" in operation 913), the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to move (e.g., roam) to another external electronic device. According to an embodiment, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to identify whether there is another external electronic device (e.g., another AP) to which the electronic device 101 can connect through scanning. For example, when another external electronic device to which the electronic device 101 can connect is detected through scanning, the processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to establish a communication link with the other external electronic device. The processor 300 may control the communication circuit 310 to perform WLAN communication through the communication link with the other external electronic device.

[0159] According to various embodiments, when another external electronic device accessible to the electronic device 101 is not detected by scanning, the electronic device 101 may determine that WLAN communication cannot be provided. The electronic device 101 may perform cellular communication based on the determination that WLAN communication cannot be provided.

[0160] According to various embodiments, a method of operating an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 the electronic device 101) may include an operation of establishing a plurality of links (e.g., Figure 1 the first link 231, the second link 232, and / or the third link 233 of Figure 2 ) for WLAN communication with an external electronic device (e.g., Figure 2 the electronic device 102 of

[0161] According to various embodiments, a method of operating an electronic device may include an operation of performing an operation of accessing another external electronic device or switching to a cellular network when no link satisfying a predetermined first reference signal quality is detected among a plurality of links based on the DL signal quality.

[0162] According to various embodiments, a method of operating an electronic device may include an operation of performing an operation of accessing another external electronic device or switching to a cellular network when no link satisfying a predetermined second reference signal quality is detected among a plurality of links based on the UL signal quality after performing a function related to improving the UL signal.

[0163] According to various embodiments, a method of operating an electronic device may include an operation of allocating at least one TID to at least one DL and at least one UL through TID link mapping (e.g., TID-to-link mapping), and an operation of performing WLAN communication with an external electronic device based on the at least one DL and the at least one UL to which the at least one TID is allocated.

[0164] According to various embodiments, a method of operating an electronic device may include an operation of switching a DL function of at least one remaining DL among a plurality of links, other than the at least one DL, to an inactive state through TID link mapping.

[0165] According to various embodiments, a method of operating an electronic device may include an operation of switching a UL function of at least one remaining UL among a plurality of links, other than the at least one UL, to an inactive state through TID link mapping.

[0166] According to various embodiments, when a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) detection condition is satisfied based on channel state information of at least one link among a plurality of links, an operation of identifying DL signal quality and UL signal quality may include an operation of identifying DL signal quality and UL signal quality of each link among the plurality of links.

[0167] According to various embodiments, when a UL retransmission rate and / or a number of failures of at least one link among a plurality of links satisfy a predetermined signal quality identification condition, an operation of identifying DL signal quality and UL signal quality may include an operation of identifying DL signal quality and UL signal quality of each link among the plurality of links.

[0168] According to various embodiments, an operation of identifying DL signal quality and UL signal quality may include an operation of identifying DL signal quality of each link among a plurality of links, and an operation of identifying UL signal quality of each link among the plurality of links when DL signal quality of at least one link among the plurality of links satisfies a predetermined signal quality identification condition.

[0169] According to various embodiments, operating an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 electronic device 101) may include, based on WLAN communication, with an external electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 electronic device 102 or Figure 2The operation of establishing a communication link with an external electronic device 220). According to an embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device may include identifying a downlink (DL) signal quality and an uplink (UL) signal quality. According to an embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device may include determining, based on the DL signal quality, that DL communication with the external electronic device is possible. According to an embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device may include, in a case where it is determined, based on the UL signal quality, that UL communication with the external electronic device is not possible, performing a function related to improving the UL signal quality. According to an embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device may include, in a case where it is determined, based on the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal quality, that UL communication with the external electronic device is possible, performing WLAN communication with the external electronic device.

[0170] The embodiments of the present disclosure presented in the specification and the drawings are for easily describing the technical content of the embodiments according to the present disclosure and providing specific examples for helping to understand the embodiments of the present disclosure, but are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the various embodiments of the present disclosure should be interpreted such that all changes or modified forms derived from the technical idea of the various embodiments of the present disclosure and the embodiments disclosed herein are included within the scope of the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: a communication circuit configured to support WLAN communication; and a processor operably connected to the communication circuit, wherein the processor is configured to: establish a plurality of links with an external electronic device via the communication circuit; identify a downlink (DL) signal quality and an uplink (UL) signal quality of each link among the plurality of links; detect at least one DL that satisfies a predetermined first reference signal quality among the plurality of links based on the DL signal quality; perform a function related to improving the UL signal quality of the plurality of links when no link that satisfies a predetermined second reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the UL signal quality; detect at least one UL that satisfies the predetermined second reference signal quality among the plurality of links based on the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal quality; and perform the WLAN communication with the external electronic device based on the at least one DL and the at least one UL.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: perform access to another external electronic device or switch to a cellular network when no link that satisfies the predetermined first reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the DL signal quality.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: perform access to another external electronic device or switch to a cellular network when no link that satisfies the predetermined second reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the UL signal quality after the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: allocate at least one TID to the at least one DL and the at least one UL through TID link mapping; and perform the WLAN communication with the external electronic device based on the at least one DL and the at least one UL to which the at least one TID is allocated.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to: switch the DL function of at least one remaining DL among the plurality of links other than the at least one DL to an inactive state through the TID link mapping; and switch the UL function of at least one remaining UL among the plurality of links other than the at least one UL to an inactive state through the TID link mapping.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of each link among the plurality of links based on the channel state information of at least one link among the plurality of links when a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) detection condition is satisfied.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The processor is configured to: identify the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of each of the plurality of links when the UL retransmission rate and / or the number of failures of at least one of the plurality of links meet a predetermined signal quality identification condition.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, the processor is configured to: identify the DL signal quality of each of the plurality of links; and when the DL signal quality of at least one of the plurality of links meets a predetermined signal quality identification condition, identify the UL signal quality of each of the plurality of links.

9. A method of operating an electronic device, the method comprises: establishing a plurality of links with an external electronic device through WLAN communication; identifying the downlink (DL) signal quality and the uplink (UL) signal quality of each of the plurality of links; detecting at least one DL that meets a predetermined first reference signal quality among the plurality of links based on the DL signal quality; performing a function related to improving the UL signal quality for the plurality of links when no link with the UL signal quality that meets a predetermined second reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the UL signal quality; detecting at least one UL that meets the predetermined second reference signal quality based on the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal quality among the plurality of links; and performing the WLAN communication with the external electronic device based on the at least one DL and the at least one UL.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprises: performing access to another external electronic device or switching to a cellular network when no link that meets the predetermined first reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the DL signal quality.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprises: performing access to another external electronic device or switching to a cellular network when no link that meets the predetermined second reference signal quality is detected among the plurality of links based on the UL signal quality after the execution of the function related to improving the UL signal quality.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein, the execution of the WLAN communication comprises: allocating at least one TID to the at least one DL and the at least one UL through TID link mapping; and performing the WLAN communication with the external electronic device based on the at least one DL and the at least one UL to which the at least one TID is allocated.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprises: switching the DL function of at least one remaining DL among the plurality of links except the at least one DL to an inactive state through the TID link mapping; and switching the UL function of at least one remaining UL among the plurality of links except the at least one UL to an inactive state through the TID link mapping.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein, the identification of the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality includes: when the channel state information of at least one link among the multiple links satisfies the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) detection condition, identifying the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of each link among the multiple links.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein, the identification of the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality includes: when the UL retransmission rate and / or the number of failures of at least one link among the multiple links satisfies a predetermined signal quality identification condition, identifying the DL signal quality and the UL signal quality of each link among the multiple links.

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