Access point (AP) multi-link device discovery method and related device

Abstract

Provided in an embodiment of the present application are an access point (AP) multilink device discovery method and a related device, for example, applied to a WLAN supporting 802.11 be, the method comprising: a report AP sending a first management frame to a site, the first management frame carrying information of a neighbor AP, the report AP belonging to an AP multilink device, and the neighbor AP belonging to the AP multilink device; the reported AP indicated by the neighbor AP information and the reporting AP belong to the same multi-link device or belong to the same multi-BSSID set with other APs in the multi-link device where the reporting AP is located; therefore, the site receiving the first management frame can know the MLD structure and the multi-BSSID set structure on the AP multi-link equipment, so that the site can better select a proper AP for association.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The original application has the application number 202010763205.0 and the original application date is July 31, 2020. The entire contents of the original application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method and related apparatus for discovering multi-link devices in node APs. Background Technology

[0003] To significantly improve the service transmission rate of WLAN systems, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ax standard further adopts Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) technology based on the existing Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology. OFDMA technology supports multiple nodes simultaneously transmitting and receiving data, thereby achieving multi-site diversity gain. In 2017, the year 802.11ax was finalized, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened a new free frequency band, 5925-7125 MHz, hereinafter referred to as the 6GHz band. Consequently, the 802.11ax standard developers extended the operating range of 802.11ax devices from 2.4GHz and 5GHz to 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz in the Project Authorization Requests (PAR).

[0004] IEEE 802.11 next-generation WiFi protocol (extremely high throughput, EHT) devices, due to backward compatibility, will also support the operating spectrum of 802.11ax devices, namely the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands. Based on the newly opened and free 6GHz band, channel allocation within this band can support bandwidth exceeding the maximum bandwidth of 160 MHz supported in 5GHz, for example, 320 MHz. Besides ultra-high bandwidth, IEEE 802.11ax next-generation WiFi – extremely high throughput – can also improve peak throughput through increased stream counts, such as up to 16 streams, and cooperation across multiple frequency bands (2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz). On the same frequency band, peak throughput can also be improved and service transmission latency reduced through multiple channels cooperating. Hereinafter, multiple frequency bands or multiple channels are collectively referred to as multi-link. Although WiFi networks operating on the same frequency band, such as 802.11ax and earlier, are configured with multiple links, each link typically establishes a different Basic Service Set (BSS). At any given time, a network can only communicate with stations within the BSS to which that link belongs.

[0005] 802.11ax and earlier versions introduced the Multiple Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) technology. Its main function is to virtualize multiple logical APs on a single physical AP, that is, to form multiple virtual networks. Each virtual network is used to manage different sites, similar to how an AP in a current WIFI scenario can virtualize a home AP and a guest AP.

[0006] How to enable sites to quickly discover multi-link AP devices, thereby helping sites to quickly find suitable APs for association, is a technical problem that those skilled in the art are researching. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application discloses an AP multi-link device discovery method and related apparatus, which can better discover links.

[0008] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide an AP multi-link device discovery method, the method comprising: The reporting AP sends a first management frame to the site, wherein the first management frame carries information about neighboring APs, and the reporting AP is an AP multi-link device. The information of the neighboring AP includes one or more of the following: first information, second information, and third information; The first information is used to indicate whether the reported AP is in the same MLD as the reporting AP or whether the reported AP and the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of multiple BSSIDs; The second information is used to indicate whether the reported AP belongs to the same set of multiple BSSIDs as the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs; The third piece of information is used to indicate whether the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD.

[0009] In the above method, by carrying the information of the MLD where the reported AP is located and the information of the Multiple BSSID set in the simplified neighbor reporting element of the first management frame, the station receiving the first management frame can learn about the basic situation of each reported AP in the MLD and Multiple BSSID set based on this information, thereby better selecting the appropriate AP for association from the reporting AP and the reported AP.

[0010] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide an AP multi-link device discovery method, the method comprising: The site receives a first management frame sent by the reporting AP, wherein the first management frame carries information about neighboring APs, and the reporting AP belongs to an AP multi-link device. The information of the neighboring AP includes one or more of the following: first information, second information, and third information; The first information is used to indicate whether the reported AP is in the same MLD as the reporting AP or whether the reported AP and the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of multiple BSSIDs; The second information is used to indicate whether the reported AP belongs to the same set of multiple BSSIDs as the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs; The third piece of information is used to indicate whether the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD.

[0011] In the above method, by carrying the information of the MLD where the reported AP is located and the information of the Multiple BSSID set in the simplified neighbor reporting element of the first management frame, the station receiving the first management frame can learn about the basic situation of each reported AP in the MLD and Multiple BSSID set based on this information, thereby better selecting the appropriate AP for association from the reporting AP and the reported AP.

[0012] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide an AP multi-link device discovery apparatus, the apparatus comprising: The sending unit is used to send a first management frame to the site, wherein the first management frame carries information about neighboring APs, and the reporting AP belongs to an AP multi-link device. The information of the neighboring AP includes one or more of the following: first information, second information, and third information; The first information is used to indicate whether the reported AP is in the same MLD as the reporting AP or whether the reported AP and the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of multiple BSSIDs; The second information is used to indicate whether the reported AP belongs to the same set of multiple BSSIDs as the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs; The third piece of information is used to indicate whether the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD.

[0013] In the above method, by carrying the information of the MLD where the reported AP is located and the information of the Multiple BSSID set in the simplified neighbor reporting element of the first management frame, the station receiving the first management frame can learn about the basic situation of each reported AP in the MLD and Multiple BSSID set based on this information, thereby better selecting the appropriate AP for association from the reporting AP and the reported AP.

[0014] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide an AP multi-link device discovery apparatus, the apparatus comprising: The receiving unit is configured to receive a first management frame sent by a reporting AP, wherein the first management frame carries information about neighboring APs, and the reporting AP belongs to an AP multi-link device. The information of the neighboring AP includes one or more of the following: first information, second information, and third information; The first information is used to indicate whether the reported AP is in the same MLD as the reporting AP or whether the reported AP and the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of multiple BSSIDs; The second information is used to indicate whether the reported AP belongs to the same set of multiple BSSIDs as the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs; The third piece of information is used to indicate whether the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD.

[0015] In the above method, by carrying the information of the MLD where the reported AP is located and the information of the Multiple BSSID set in the simplified neighbor reporting element of the first management frame, the station receiving the first management frame can learn about the basic situation of each reported AP in the MLD and Multiple BSSID set based on this information, thereby better selecting the appropriate AP for association from the reporting AP and the reported AP.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the information of the neighboring AP further includes fourth information, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate whether the reported AP belongs to a multi-BSSID set.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the information of the neighboring AP further includes eighth information, wherein the eighth information includes the MLD number of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, if the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD or the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of multiple BSSIDs, then the information of the neighboring AP includes the eighth information.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, if the reported AP and the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of multiple BSSIDs, then the information of the neighboring AP includes the eighth information.

[0020] In one possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the information of the neighboring AP further includes ninth information, wherein the ninth information includes the multi-BSSID set sequence number of the multi-BSSID set to which the reported AP belongs.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, If the reported AP belongs to a set of multiple BSSIDs. Furthermore, the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD. The information of the neighboring AP includes the ninth information.

[0022] In one possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, If the reported AP and the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of multiple BSSIDs. The information of the neighboring AP includes the ninth information.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the information of the neighboring AP further includes fifth information, which is used to indicate the link identifier of the reported AP.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the information of the neighboring AP further includes one or more of the sixth and seventh information, wherein: The sixth piece of information is used to indicate the link identifier of the reporting AP and / or the MAC address of the MLD where the reporting AP is located; In one implementation, the sixth information is located in the MLD element of the first management frame; In one implementation, the reporting AP in the AP MLD sends the first management frame on its working link, the first management frame carrying the MLD element.

[0025] In one implementation, the MLD element includes MLD public information but does not carry sub-element information corresponding to each AP. The MLD public information includes at least one of MLD MAC address, link identifier, and MLD sequence number.

[0026] The MLD sequence number is used to indicate the sequence number of an AP MLD, and it is the same as the MLD sequence number indicated by the eighth information in the Reduced Neighbor Report element (RNR element) of the first management frame. In other words, for the same AP MLD, the MLD sequence number carried in the RNR element carried in the first management frame is the same as the MLD sequence number carried in the MLD element carried in the first management frame.

[0027] The seventh information is used to indicate whether the first management frame carries information about all the first reported APs, or to indicate whether the management frame carries information about all the first reported APs and information about the members in the multi-BSSID set to which all the first reported APs belong. The first reported APs are the other AP members in the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs, excluding the reporting AP.

[0028] In one possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the information of the neighbor AP is carried in a simplified neighbor reporting element or a neighbor reporting element.

[0029] In one possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the first management frame is a beacon frame or a probe response frame.

[0030] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide an AP multi-link device discovery method, the method comprising: The reporting AP sends a second management frame to the site. This second management frame carries information about neighboring APs. The reporting AP is an AP multi-link device. The information about the neighboring APs includes first information, which includes one or more of the following: Does the reported AP belong to the same MLD as the reporting AP? Whether the reported AP belongs to an AP in an MLD; The reported AP belongs to the same MLD as the previously reported reported AP.

[0031] In the above method, by carrying the information of the MLD where the reported AP is located in the neighbor reporting element of the second management frame, the station receiving the second management frame can learn about the basic situation of each reported AP in the MLD based on this information, thereby better selecting from the neighboring APs as candidate APs when the station switches BSS.

[0032] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide an AP multi-link device discovery method, the method comprising: The site receives a second management frame sent by the reporting AP. The second management frame carries information about neighboring APs. The reporting AP is an AP multi-link device. The information about the neighboring APs includes first information, which includes one or more of the following: Does the reported AP belong to the same MLD as the reporting AP? Whether the reported AP belongs to an AP in an MLD; The reported AP belongs to the same MLD as the previously reported reported AP.

[0033] In the above method, by carrying the information of the MLD where the reported AP is located in the neighbor reporting element of the second management frame, the station receiving the second management frame can learn about the basic situation of each reported AP in the MLD based on this information, thereby better selecting from the neighboring APs as candidate APs when the station switches BSS.

[0034] Seventhly, embodiments of this application provide an AP multi-link device discovery apparatus, the apparatus comprising: The sending unit is used to send a second management frame to the site. The second management frame carries information about the neighboring AP. The reporting AP is an AP multi-link device. The information about the neighboring AP includes first information, which includes one or more of the following: Does the reported AP belong to the same MLD as the reporting AP? Whether the reported AP belongs to an AP in an MLD; The reported AP belongs to the same MLD as the previously reported reported AP.

[0035] In the above method, by carrying the information of the MLD where the reported AP is located in the neighbor reporting element of the second management frame, the station receiving the second management frame can learn about the basic situation of each reported AP in the MLD based on this information, thereby better selecting from the neighboring APs as candidate APs when the station switches BSS.

[0036] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide an AP multi-link device discovery apparatus, the apparatus comprising: The receiving unit is configured to receive a second management frame sent by the reporting AP. The second management frame carries information about neighboring APs. The reporting AP belongs to an AP multi-link device. The information about the neighboring APs includes first information, which includes one or more of the following: Does the reported AP belong to the same MLD as the reporting AP? Whether the reported AP belongs to an AP in an MLD; The reported AP belongs to the same MLD as the previously reported reported AP.

[0037] In the above method, by carrying the information of the MLD where the reported AP is located in the neighbor reporting element of the second management frame, the station receiving the second management frame can learn about the basic situation of each reported AP in the MLD based on this information, thereby better selecting from the neighboring APs as candidate APs when the station switches BSS.

[0038] In one possible implementation of the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect, the information of the neighboring AP further includes second information, which includes one or more of the following: the MAC address of the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the reported AP is located; the number of APs contained in the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the reported AP is located; the simultaneous transmit / receive STR capability indication between APs in the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the reported AP is located; the link identifier corresponding to the reported AP; and information of other APs in the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the reported AP is located, excluding the reported AP.

[0039] In one possible implementation of the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect, if the reported AP belongs to an AP in an MLD, then the information of the neighboring AP also includes the second information.

[0040] In one possible implementation of the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect, the second information specifically includes the MAC address of the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the reported AP is located.

[0041] In one possible implementation of the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect, information about each AP in the AP multilink device where the reported AP is located, excluding the reported AP, is carried in a neighbor reporting element.

[0042] In one possible implementation of the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect, the information of the neighboring AP includes an operation set, a channel number, and a BSSID, and the information of the neighboring AP is carried in a neighbor reporting element.

[0043] In one possible implementation of the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect, the information of the neighboring AP includes a link identifier, and the information of the neighboring AP is carried in a neighbor reporting element.

[0044] In one possible implementation of the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect, the first information is specifically carried in a reserved field of the BSSID information field of the neighbor reporting element or in a simplified neighbor reporting element.

[0045] In one possible implementation of the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect, the second information is specifically carried in an optional sub-element field of the neighbor reporting element.

[0046] In one possible implementation of the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect, the second management frame is a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or an authentication frame.

[0047] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a fast BSS switching method, the method comprising: Send a fast handover request frame to the associated current access point (AP), wherein the fast handover request frame is used to request a handover to a target AP, the target AP being an AP in an AP multi-link device (MLD); Receive a fast handover response frame sent by the current AP, the fast handover response frame including the first address information.

[0048] The fast handover request frame and the fast handover response frame include first address information, which includes the MAC address of the MLD where the site sending the fast handover request frame is located and the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located.

[0049] Using the above method can help all sites of multi-link devices participate in rapid handover.

[0050] Tenthly, embodiments of this application provide a fast BSS switching method, the method comprising: The current access point (AP) receives a fast handover request frame sent by the site, wherein the fast handover request frame is used to request a handover to the target AP, and the target AP belongs to the AP in an AP multi-link device (MLD); The current AP sends a fast handover response frame to the site, and the fast handover response frame includes the first address information.

[0051] The fast handover request frame and the fast handover response frame include first address information, which includes the MAC address of the MLD where the site sending the fast handover request frame is located and the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located.

[0052] Using the above method can help all sites of multi-link devices participate in rapid handover.

[0053] Eleventhly, embodiments of this application provide a fast BSS switching device, the device comprising: The sending unit is used to send a fast handover request frame to the associated current access point (AP), wherein the fast handover request frame is used to request a handover to a target AP, and the target AP belongs to an AP in an AP multi-link device (MLD). The receiving unit is configured to receive a fast handover response frame sent by the current AP, the fast handover response frame including the first address information.

[0054] The fast handover request frame and the fast handover response frame include first address information, which includes the MAC address of the MLD where the site sending the fast handover request frame is located and the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located.

[0055] Using the above method can help all sites of multi-link devices participate in rapid handover.

[0056] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a fast BSS switching device, the device comprising: The receiving unit is used to receive a fast handover request frame sent by the site, wherein the fast handover request frame is used to request a handover to a target AP, and the target AP belongs to an AP in an AP multi-link device (MLD). The sending unit is configured to send a fast handover response frame to the station, the fast handover response frame including the first address information.

[0057] The fast handover request frame and the fast handover response frame include first address information, which includes the MAC address of the MLD where the site sending the fast handover request frame is located and the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located.

[0058] Using the above method can help all sites of multi-link devices participate in rapid handover.

[0059] In one possible implementation of the ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth aspect, the MAC address of the MLD where the site sending the fast handover request frame and the fast handover response frame is located is carried in the site address field; the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located is carried in the target AP address field.

[0060] According to a thirteenth aspect of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein computer program code is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is run on a processor, the processor performs the methods in any one of the first, second, fifth, sixth, ninth, and tenth aspects and their corresponding possible implementations.

[0061] A fourteenth aspect of this application provides a computer program product storing a computer program (instructions) executed by the processor, which, when running on the processor, causes the processor to execute any one of the first, second, fifth, sixth, ninth, and tenth aspects and their corresponding possible implementations.

[0062] According to the fifteenth aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided. The device includes a processor and may further include a transceiver and a memory. The transceiver is used to send and receive information or to communicate with other network elements. The memory is used to store computer programs (instructions). The processor is used to execute the computer program to support the communication device in implementing the methods in any one of the first, second, fifth, sixth, ninth, and tenth aspects and their corresponding possible implementations.

[0063] A sixteenth aspect of this application provides a communication device that can exist in the form of a chip. The device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor to store necessary programs (instructions) and data. The processor executes the computer program stored in the memory to support the communication device in performing the methods of any one of the first, second, fifth, sixth, ninth, and tenth aspects and their corresponding possible implementations. Optionally, the memory may be located within the processor (internal storage), or it may be located outside the processor but coupled to it (external storage).

[0064] According to the seventeenth aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided. The device may exist in the form of a chip product. The structure of the device includes a processor and an interface circuit. The processor is used to communicate with other devices through a receiving circuit, so that the device executes the methods in any one of the first aspect, second aspect, fifth aspect, sixth aspect, ninth aspect, and tenth aspect and their corresponding possible implementations. Attached Figure Description

[0065] The accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application are described below.

[0066] Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2(a) is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-link device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2(b) is a schematic diagram of another multi-link device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2(c) is a schematic diagram of another multi-link device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3(a) is a schematic diagram of a multi-link communication provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3(b) is a schematic diagram of another multi-link communication provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3(c) is a schematic diagram of the format of a neighbor reporting element provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3(d) is a schematic diagram of a simplified neighbor reporting element provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3(e) is a schematic diagram of the format of a TBTT information field provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 An interactive schematic diagram of an AP multi-link device discovery method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a Multiple BSSID collection framework based on MLD provided in this application embodiment; Figure 6A schematic diagram of another MLD-based Multiple BSSID collection framework provided in this application embodiment; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of another MLD-based Multiple BSSID collection framework provided in this application embodiment; Figure 8(a) is a schematic diagram of another TBTT information field format provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 8(b) is a schematic diagram of another TBTT information field format provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 8(c) is a schematic diagram of another TBTT information field format provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 9 An interactive schematic diagram illustrating yet another AP multi-link device discovery method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 10 A schematic diagram illustrating the format of another neighbor reporting element provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 11 This is an interactive schematic diagram of a fast BSS handover method based on a DS system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 12 This is an interactive schematic diagram of a fast BSS handover method based on a wireless air interface provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 13 This application provides a schematic diagram of the FT request action frame field format as an embodiment; Figure 14 This application provides another schematic diagram of an FT request action frame field format. Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 16 A schematic diagram illustrating the composition of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an MLD element provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another MLD element provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0067] The relevant technologies involved in this application will be introduced first, and then the embodiments of this application will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0068] This application provides a communication method applied to a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system can be a wireless local area network (WLAN) or a cellular network. The method can be implemented by a communication device in the wireless communication system or a chip or processor within that device. This communication device can be a wireless communication device that supports parallel transmission across multiple links, for example, a multi-link device or a multi-band device. For instance, in a WLAN, the communication device supports communication using the IEEE 802.11 series of protocols, including 802.11be, 802.11ax, or 802.11a / b / g / n / ac.

[0069] I. Multi-link device (MLD), also known as multi-band device.

[0070] A multi-link device (MLD) includes one or more affiliated sites. The affiliated sites are logical sites. In this embodiment, "multi-link device includes affiliated sites" is also briefly described as "multi-link device includes sites." The affiliated site can be an access point (AP) or a non-access point station (non-AP STA). For ease of description, this application refers to a multi-link device whose affiliated site is an AP as a multi-link AP, AP multi-link device, or AP multi-link device, and a multi-link device whose affiliated site is a non-AP STA as a multi-link STA, multi-link STA device, or STA multi-link device.

[0071] Multi-link devices (MLDs) can implement wireless communication by following the 802.11 series of protocols, such as Extremely High Throughput (EHT) or 802.11be-based or compatible with 802.11be, thereby enabling communication with other devices, which may or may not be multi-link devices.

[0072] Each logical station can operate on one link, but multiple logical stations are allowed to operate on the same link. The link identifier mentioned below represents a station operating on a single link. That is, if there are more than one logical station on a link, more than one link identifier is needed to represent them. The link identifier mentioned below sometimes also represents a station operating on that link. When a multi-link device transmits data with another multi-link device, before communication, the two devices can negotiate or communicate the mapping between link identifiers and a link or stations on a link. Alternatively, the AP multi-link device can indicate the mapping between link identifiers and a link or stations on a link through broadcast management frames, such as beacon frames. Therefore, during data transmission, it is not necessary to transmit a large amount of signaling information to indicate links or stations on links; carrying the link identifier is sufficient, reducing signaling overhead and improving transmission efficiency.

[0073] The following example illustrates the process using one of the aforementioned multi-link devices as an AP multi-link device and the other as a STA multi-link device. In one example, when the AP multi-link device establishes a BSS, the management frame it sends, such as a beacon frame, carries an element containing multiple link identification information fields. Each link identification information field suggests a correspondence between a link identifier and a station operating on that link. Each link identification information field includes a link identifier, as well as one or more of the following: MAC address, operation set, and channel number. The MAC address, operation set, and channel number can indicate a single link. In another example, during the multi-link association establishment process, the AP multi-link device and the STA multi-link device negotiate multiple link identification information fields. In subsequent communication, the AP or STA multi-link device will use the link identifier to represent a station within the multi-link device. The link identifier can also represent one or more attributes of that station, including its MAC address, operating operation set, and channel number. The MAC address can also be replaced with the association identifier of the AP multi-link device after association. Optionally, if multiple stations are operating on a single link, the link identifier (a numerical ID) represents not only the operation set and channel number of the link, but also the identifier of the station operating on that link, such as the station's MAC address or AID.

[0074] Figure 1Taking a wireless local area network (WLAN) as an example, an application scenario diagram of an embodiment of this application is introduced. This application scenario includes a first site 101 and a second site 102. The first site 101 can communicate with the second site 102 using multiple links, thereby improving throughput. The first site can be a multi-link device, and the second site can be a single-link device or a multi-link device, etc. In one scenario, the first site 101 is an AP multi-link device, and the second site 102 is a STA multi-link device or site (e.g., a single-link site); in another scenario, the first site 101 is a STA multi-link device, and the second site 102 is an AP (e.g., a single-link AP) or an AP multi-link device. In yet another scenario, the first site 101 is an AP multi-link device, and the second site 102 is an AP multi-link device or an AP; in yet another scenario, the first site 101 is a STA multi-link device, and the second site 102 is a STA multi-link device or a STA. Of course, this WLAN may also include other devices. Figure 1 The number and type of devices shown are merely illustrative.

[0075] Figures 2(a) and 2(b) show schematic diagrams of the structures of AP multilink devices and STA multilink devices participating in communication. The 802.11 standard focuses on the 802.11 physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) layer portions of AP multilink devices and STA multilink devices (such as mobile phones and laptops).

[0076] As shown in Figure 2(a), the multiple APs in the AP multi-link device are independent of each other in the low MAC layer and PHY layer, and also independent of each other in the high MAC layer; the multiple STAs in the STA multi-link device are independent of each other in the low MAC layer and PHY layer, and also independent of each other in the high MAC layer.

[0077] As shown in Figure 2(b), the multiple APs included in the AP multi-link device are independent in the low MAC layer and PHY layer, but share the high MAC layer. The multiple STAs included in the STA multi-link device are independent in the low MAC layer and PHY layer, but share the high MAC layer.

[0078] Of course, STA multi-link devices can adopt an independent high MAC layer structure, while AP multi-link devices adopt a shared high MAC layer structure; alternatively, STA multi-link devices can adopt a shared high MAC layer structure, while AP multi-link devices adopt an independent high MAC layer structure. For example, either the high MAC layer or the low MAC layer can be implemented by a processor in the chip system of the multi-link device, or they can be implemented by different processing modules in a single chip system.

[0079] For example, the multi-link device in this application embodiment can be a single-antenna device or a multi-antenna device. For instance, it can be a device with two or more antennas. This application embodiment does not limit the number of antennas included in the multi-link device. Figure 2(c) illustrates this with an AP multi-link device having multiple antennas and a STA multi-link device having a single antenna. In the embodiments of this application, the multi-link device can allow services of the same access type to be transmitted on different links, and even allow the same data packets to be transmitted on different links; alternatively, it can disallow services of the same access type to be transmitted on different links, but allow services of different access types to be transmitted on different links.

[0080] Multi-link devices can operate in frequency bands including, but not limited to, sub-1GHz, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz, and high-frequency 60GHz. Figures 3(a) and 3(b) illustrate two schematic diagrams of multi-link devices communicating with other devices through multiple links in a wireless local area network.

[0081] Figure 3(a) illustrates a scenario of communication between an AP multi-link device 101 and a STA multi-link device 102. The AP multi-link device 101 includes AP101-1 and AP101-2, and the STA multi-link device 102 includes STA102-1 and STA102-2. The AP multi-link device 101 and the STA multi-link device 102 communicate in parallel using link 1 and link 2.

[0082] Figure 3(b) illustrates a scenario in which an AP multi-link device 101 communicates with STA multi-link devices 102, STA multi-link devices 103, and STA 104. The AP multi-link device 101 includes AP101-1 to AP101-3, the STA multi-link device 102 includes two STAs, STA102-1 and STA102-2, the STA multi-link device 103 includes two STAs, STA103-1, STA103-2, and STA103-3, and STA 104 is a single-link device. The AP multi-link device can communicate with the STA multi-link device 102 using link 1 and link 3, communicate with the STA multi-link device 103 using link 2 and link 3, and communicate with the STA 104 using link 1. In one example, STA104 operates in the 2.4 GHz band; STA multi-link device 103 includes STA103-1 and STA103-2, with STA103-1 operating in the 5 GHz band and STA103-2 operating in the 6 GHz band; STA multi-link device 102 includes STA102-1 and STA102-2, with STA102-1 operating in the 2.4 GHz band and STA102-2 operating in the 6 GHz band. AP101-1, operating in the 2.4 GHz band, can transmit uplink or downlink data with STA104 and STA102-2 in STA multi-link device 102 via link 1. AP101-2, operating in the 5 GHz band, can transmit uplink or downlink data with STA103-1, operating in the 5 GHz band, in STA multi-link device 103 via link 2. AP101-3, operating in the 6GHz band in AP multi-link device 101, can transmit uplink or downlink data with STA102-2, operating in the 6GHz band in STA multi-link device 102, via link 3. It can also transmit uplink or downlink data with STA103-2 in STA multi-link device 102 via link 3.

[0083] It should be noted that Figure 3(a) only shows that the AP multi-link device supports two frequency bands, and Figure 3(b) only illustrates that the AP multi-link device supports three frequency bands (2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz), with each frequency band corresponding to one link. The AP multi-link device 101 can operate on one or more links of link 1, link 2, or link 3. On the AP side or STA side, the link here can also be understood as the station operating on that link. In practical applications, the AP multi-link device and the STA multi-link device can also support more or fewer frequency bands, that is, the AP multi-link device and the STA multi-link device can operate on more or fewer links. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0084] For example, a multi-link device is a device with wireless communication capabilities. This device can be a complete machine or a chip or processing system installed in a complete machine. Devices with these chips or processing systems installed can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application under the control of these chips or processing systems. For example, the multi-link STA in the embodiments of this application has wireless transceiver capabilities, can support the 802.11 series protocols, and can communicate with multi-link APs or other multi-link STAs or single-link devices. For example, a multi-link STA is any user communication device that allows users to communicate with an AP and thus with a WLAN. For example, a multi-link STA can be a user device that can connect to the internet, such as a tablet, desktop, laptop, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), handheld computer, netbook, personal digital assistant (PDA), or mobile phone; or an IoT node in the Internet of Things; or an in-vehicle communication device in the Internet of Vehicles. The multi-link STA can also be a chip and processing system in these terminals. The multi-link AP in the embodiments of this application provides services to the multi-link STA and can support the 802.11 series protocols. For example, a multi-link AP can be a communication entity such as a communication server, router, switch, or bridge. Alternatively, the multi-link AP can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, and relay stations. Of course, a multi-link AP can also be the chip and processing system within these various types of devices, thereby implementing the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, multi-link devices can support high-speed, low-latency transmission. With the continuous evolution of wireless LAN application scenarios, multi-link devices can be applied to more scenarios, such as sensor nodes in smart cities (e.g., smart water meters, smart electricity meters, smart air quality monitoring nodes), smart devices in smart homes (e.g., smart cameras, projectors, displays, televisions, audio equipment, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.), nodes in the Internet of Things (IoT), entertainment terminals (e.g., AR, VR, and other wearable devices), smart devices in smart offices (e.g., printers, projectors, etc.), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) devices, and some infrastructure in daily life scenarios (e.g., vending machines, supermarket self-service navigation kiosks, self-service checkout machines, self-service ordering machines, etc.). The specific forms of multi-link STAs and multi-link APs in the embodiments of this application are not specifically limited; they are merely illustrative examples. The 802.11 series of protocols may include: 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, etc.

[0085] II. Multiple Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) Mode.

[0086] A Multiple BSSID set is a group of cooperating APs that use the same operation set, channel number, and antenna interface. Within the Multiple BSSID set, there is only one Transmitted BSSID AP; the others are Nontransmitted BSSID APs. Information about the Multiple BSSID set (i.e., the Multiple BSSID elements) is carried in beacon frames, probe response frames, or neighbor reports sent by the Transmitted BSSID APs. The BSSID information for Nontransmitted BSSID APs is derived by receiving the Multiple BSSID elements from the aforementioned beacon frames, probe response frames, or neighbor reports.

[0087] In Multiple BSSID technology, a single physical AP can virtualize multiple logical APs. Each virtualized AP manages a BSS (Browser Service Provider). Different virtualized APs typically have different SSIDs and permissions, such as security mechanisms or transmission opportunities. Among the multiple virtualized APs, one virtual AP's BSSID is configured as a Transmitted BSSID; this virtual AP can be called a Transmitted AP. The other virtual APs' BSSIDs are configured as non-transmitted BSSIDs; these virtual APs can be called non-transmitted APs. Generally speaking, the multiple APs in Multiple BSSID can also be understood as one AP device virtualizing multiple cooperating AP devices. Only the AP with the Transmitted BSSID can send beacon frames and probe response frames. If the probe request frame sent by the STA is addressed to an AP with a Non-transmitted BSSID in the Multiple BSSID set, then the AP with the Transmitted BSSID needs to respond to the probe response frame. Beacon frames sent by APs with Transmitted BSSIDs include the Multiple BSSID element, while APs with Nontransmitted BSSIDs cannot send beacon frames. Multiple virtual APs share a common space for the association identifiers (AIDs) assigned to the sites they manage; that is, the AIDs assigned to sites across multiple virtual BSSs cannot overlap.

[0088] Optionally, the MultipleBSSID element, as shown in Table 1, includes an element ID, length, maximum BSSID indicator, and sub-elements. The maximum BSSID indicator is the maximum number of BSSIDs contained in the Multiple BSSID set, which is n. The optional sub-elements include information about each non-transmitted BSSID. The receiving end can calculate the value of each BSSID in the multiple BSSID set based on the reference BSSID, the maximum BSSID indicator, and the sequence number of the BSSID. Each BSSID consists of 48 bits. The high (48-n) bits of each BSSID in the multiple BSSID set are the same as the high 48-n bits of the reference BSSID. The low n bits of each BSSID in the multiple BSSID set are the sum of the low n bits of the reference BSSID and the sequence number x of the BSSID, and then modulo 2n. The reference BSSID (i.e., the Transmitted BSSID) is carried in the BSSID field of the MAC header in the frame containing the Multiple BSSID element (such as a beacon frame). For specific calculation methods, please refer to the 802.11-2016 standard protocol.

[0089] Table 1 MultipleBSSID elements

[0090] The "optional sub-elements" in Table 1 can be as shown in Table 2.

[0091] Table 2 Optional Sub-elements

[0092] In Table 2, the Nontransmitted BSSID profile (configuration) includes one or more elements of AP or DMG STA with Nontransmitted BSSID. The Nontransmitted BSSID profile (configuration) includes, but is not limited to, the following elements: 1. For each Nontransmitted BSSID, the Nontransmitted BSSID capability element, as well as several other elements in the beacon, must be included.

[0093] 2. The SSID element and the Multiple BSSID-Index element. The Multiple BSSID-Index element includes the BSSID sequence number field.

[0094] 3. If the MultipleBSSID element is carried in the beacon, it also includes the FMS Descriptor element.

[0095] 4. The following elements are not included: the Timestamp and BeaconInterval fields, DSSS Parameter Set, IBSS Parameter Set, Country, Channel Switch Announcement, Extended Channel Switch Announcement, Wide Bandwidth ChannelSwitch, Transmit Power Envelope, Supported Operating Classes, IBSS DFS, ERP Information, HT Capabilities, HT Operation, VHT Capabilities, VHT Operation, S1G Beacon Compatibility, Short Beacon Interval, S1G Capabilities, and S1G Operation(11ah)). These elements are usually the same as the element values ​​of the transmitted BSSID AP.

[0096] 5. Optional elements include NonInheritance elements, which are the last elements in the Nontransmitted BSSID profile. Non-inherited elements include the IDs and extension numbers of a series of elements that Nontransmitted BSSIDs cannot inherit from transmitted BSSIDs. Note that the specific content of the elements is omitted here; as shown in Table 3, it includes the element ID, length, element ID extension, list of element IDs, and list of element ID extensions. The element ID extension number only appears when the element ID value is 255.

[0097] Table 3 Non-inherited elements

[0098] III. AP Discovery and Association For a site to establish a connection with an access point (AP), it first needs to discover the AP's existence through scanning. There are two types of scanning: active scanning and passive scanning.

[0099] Passive scanning involves receiving management frames sent by an Access Point (AP) on a receiving channel, such as beacon frames, association response frames, reassociation response frames, authentication frames, and probe response frames. For example, a station may hop between different channels to search for beacon frames sent by the AP. Once a station obtains the AP's management information via beacon frames, it can further obtain additional information from the AP by interacting with probe request and probe response frames.

[0100] Active scanning refers to a site actively sending a broadcast probe request frame even if it does not hear a Beacon frame. If the AP that receives the probe request frame meets certain conditions, it can initiate random channel access to reply with a probe response frame.

[0101] During the scanning process, to assist the site in performing rapid scanning, the AP includes a Reduced Neighbor Report element in management frames, such as Beacon frames and Probe response frames, to prevent the site from continuously scanning channels and reduce scanning time. Additionally, when a site detects that the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) of its currently associated AP has dropped to a certain level, or for other reasons requires a Basic Service Set (BSS) handover, the AP can include a Neighbor Report element in a BSS Transition management query frame, a BSS Transition management request frame, or a BSS Transition management response frame to inform the site of nearby BSSs and related information, thus assisting the site in the BSS handover. The Neighbor Report element and the Reduced Neighbor Report element are described below.

[0102] Neighbor Report Element: The Access Point (AP) carries a neighbor report element in management frames, such as beacon frames, association response frames, reassociation response frames, authentication frames, and probe response frames. During site scanning, the AP receives management frames sent by the APs and obtains information about surrounding APs based on the neighbor report element, then selects an appropriate AP for association.

[0103] Specifically, a Neighbor Report element describes information about a neighboring AP and its associated BSS. An AP can indicate information about multiple neighboring APs by carrying multiple Neighbor Report elements. Figure 3(c) illustrates an indication format. As can be seen from Figure 3(c), the Neighbor Report element can include the following fields.

[0104] The BSSID field indicates the BSSID of the neighboring AP being reported.

[0105] The BSSID info field indicates information related to the neighbor's BSSID.

[0106] The Operating Class field and the Channel Number field are used to indicate which channel the neighbor's BSSID is on.

[0107] The PHY Type field indicates the physical layer type of the AP corresponding to this neighbor's BSSID.

[0108] The Optional subelements field holds optional subelements.

[0109] The BSSID info field carries the following information: AP Reachability field: Indicates whether a neighboring AP is reachable.

[0110] The Security field indicates whether the neighboring AP supports the same security configuration as the existing connection.

[0111] The Key Scope field indicates whether the neighboring AP and the reporting AP are the same authenticator.

[0112] The Capabilities field indicates some optional capability information for this neighboring AP.

[0113] The Mobility domain field indicates whether the neighboring AP and the reporting AP are in the same mobility domain.

[0114] The High Throughput field indicates that the HT capabilities element of the neighboring AP (carrying the optional subelement field) is the same as the HT capabilities element of the reporting AP.

[0115] The Very High Throughput field indicates that the VHT capabilities element of this neighboring AP is identical to the VHT capabilities element of the reporting AP.

[0116] The FTM (fine time measurement) field indicates whether the neighboring AP supports fine time measurement.

[0117] The High Efficiency field indicates that the HE capabilities element of this neighboring AP is identical to the HE capabilities element of the reporting AP.

[0118] The ER (Extended Range) BSS field indicates that the neighboring AP sends Beacon data using the HE ER SU PPDU method.

[0119] The Collocated AP field indicates whether the neighboring AP and the reporting AP are colocated APs.

[0120] The Unsolicited Probe Response Active field indicates whether the neighboring AP has enabled active probe response.

[0121] The "Member of ESS with 2.4 / 5 GHz co-located AP" field indicates whether a neighboring AP is co-located with a 2.4 / 5 GHz AP and is a member of an extended service set.

[0122] The OCT supported with reportinged AP field indicates whether the neighboring AP supports exchanging MPDUs of management frame type via on-channel tunneling (OCT) mechanism.

[0123] The "Co-located with 6 GHz AP" field indicates whether the neighboring AP is co-located with a 6 GHz AP.

[0124] The Capabilities field may also include the following information fields: The Spectrum management field indicates whether the neighboring AP supports spectrum management functionality.

[0125] QoS field: Indicates whether the neighboring AP supports QoS mechanisms.

[0126] APSD field: Indicates whether the neighboring AP supports automatic power-saving transmission mechanism.

[0127] The Radio Measurement field indicates whether the neighboring AP supports wireless measurement functionality.

[0128] Reduced Neighbor Report Element: APs carry a reduced neighbor report element in management frames, such as beacon frames and probe response frames. During site scanning, the AP receives management frames sent by APs and obtains information about surrounding APs based on the reduced neighbor report element, then selects the appropriate AP to associate with.

[0129] Specifically, a reduced neighbor report element typically carries one or more Neighbor AP info fields to describe information about one or more neighbor APs and their respective BSSs. Figure 3(d) illustrates an indication format. As can be seen from Figure 3(d), a reduced neighbor report element may include the following fields.

[0130] The TBTT info Header field carries the following information: The TBTT info Field Type field indicates the type of TBTT info. Together with the TBTT info length field, it indicates the format of the TBTT info field.

[0131] Filtered neighbor AP field: Indicates whether the SSIDs of all BSSs carried in the Neighbor AP info field match the SSIDs in the Probe Request frame.

[0132] Reserved field (1 bit).

[0133] The TBTT info count field indicates the number of TBTT info fields in the TBTT info set.

[0134] The TBTT info Length field indicates the length of each TBTT info field. The specific information format for different lengths is shown in Table 4. Table 4

[0135] The following shows the specific format of the TBTT info field when the TBTT information length is 12 bytes: The Neighbor AP TBTT offset field indicates the offset of the beacon transmission time between the neighboring AP and the reporting AP.

[0136] The BSSID (BSS Identifier) ​​field indicates the BSS identifier corresponding to this neighboring AP.

[0137] The Short SSID field indicates the service set identifier to which the neighboring AP belongs.

[0138] The BSS Parameter field indicates relevant parameters of the neighboring AP, as shown in Figure 3(e), and contains the following information: The OCT recommended field indicates that the neighboring AP expects to exchange management type MPDUs with it via the OCT mechanism.

[0139] Same SSID (Same Service Set Identifier) ​​field: Indicates whether the neighboring AP and the reporting AP have the same SSID.

[0140] The Multiple BSSID field indicates whether the neighboring AP belongs to a set of multiple BSSIDs.

[0141] The Transmitted BSSID field further indicates whether the neighboring AP is a Transmitted BSSID or a non-transmitted BSSID if the neighboring AP is part of a multiple BSSID set.

[0142] The "Member Of ESS With 2.4 / 5 GHz Co-Located AP" field indicates whether the neighboring AP is co-located with a 2.4 / 5 GHz AP (i.e., not a 6 GHz only AP) and is a member of an extended service set.

[0143] The Unsolicited Probe Response Active field indicates whether the neighboring AP has enabled active probe response.

[0144] Co-located AP field: Indicates whether the neighboring AP and the reporting AP are co-located.

[0145] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the AP described in the Neighbor Report element or Reduced Neighbor Report element is the reported access point (AP). The neighbor AP mentioned later can be understood as the reported AP. The AP that sends the Neighbor Report element or Reduced Neighbor Report element is the reporting access point (AP).

[0146] How to enable sites to discover AP multi-link devices (APs in AP multi-link devices can optionally belong to the Multiple BSSID set) is a technical problem that those skilled in the art are studying.

[0147] Please see Figure 4 , Figure 4 This application provides an AP multi-link device discovery method, which can be applied between sites, between access points and sites, and between access points. For ease of description, the following description uses communication between access points and sites as an example. The method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps: Step S401: The access point (AP) sends the first management frame to the site.

[0148] The first management frame carries information for site discovery of AP multi-link devices, enabling the receiving site to establish an association with the corresponding AP. For example, this first management frame can be a beacon frame, a probe response frame, etc. The sender of this first management frame can be an AP multi-link device, or a reporting AP within an AP multi-link device. The receiving site can be either a site within a site multi-link device or a single-link site. In other types of BSSs (such as mesh BSSs and independent BSSs), the sender of the first management frame can also be a site belonging to a multi-link device (MLD); the receiver can also be an access point belonging to an MLD or a single-link access point. The following descriptions will use the example of a reporting AP in an AP multi-link device sending the first management frame to a site as an illustration.

[0149] In one example of this application embodiment, an AP multi-link device may include one logical AP, which switches between operating on multiple links. In another example, an AP multi-link device includes n logical APs, each operating on n different links, and can therefore be represented by link identifiers link1, link2, ..., linkn. Each AP has a different MAC address. An AP multi-link device is identified by the MAC address of an MLD (Multi-Link Device), which can also be said to identify the management entity of the AP multi-link device. The MAC address of the AP multi-link device can be the same as the MAC address of one of the n logical APs included in the multi-link AP, or it can be different from the MAC addresses of all n logical APs. For example, the MAC address of the AP multi-link device can be a common MAC address that can identify the AP multi-link device.

[0150] In one example, one or more logical APs in an AP multi-link device may belong to one or more sets of Multiple Basic Service Set Identifiers (BSSIDs). In another example, the multiple BSSID sets to which the logical APs in an AP multi-link device belong may be different. In yet another example, multiple logical APs in an AP multi-link device may belong to the same multiple BSSID set; for instance, if two logical APs in an AP multi-link device are operating on a single link, these two logical APs may belong to the same multiple BSSID set.

[0151] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the MAC address of a multi-link device is, for example, MLD1. This multi-link device includes three logical APs, represented as AP1, AP2, and AP3. AP1, AP2, and AP3 operate on link 1, link 2, and link 3, respectively. The MAC addresses of AP1, AP2, and AP3 are BSSID_11, BSSID_21, and BSSID_31, respectively (before 802.11ax, the BSSID of the BSS established by the AP was the AP's MAC address; this may change later). AP1 belongs to the Multiple BSSID set 1, which also includes AP4 with MAC address BSSID_13; AP2 belongs to the Multiple BSSID set 2, which also includes AP5 with MAC address BSSID_22 and AP6 with MAC address BSSID_23; AP3 belongs to the Multiple BSSID set 3. Set 3 also includes AP7 with MAC address BSSID_32 and AP8 with MAC address BSSID_33.

[0152] Figure 6This illustrates an architecture where the APs in the BSS identified by the Transmitted BSSID in multiple sets of BSSIDs are not in the same AP multi-link device. For ease of description, the APs in the BSS identified by the Transmitted BSSID can be called Transmitted APs (Transmitted BSSID APs), and the APs in the BSS identified by the nontransmitted BSSID can be called Nontransmitted APs (nontransmitted BSSID APs). In this set of multiple BSSIDs, APs whose MAC address ends in 'x' are Transmitted BSSIDAPs, and APs whose MAC address ends in 'y' or 'z' are Non-Transmitted BSSIDAPs. For example, in Multiple BSSID set 1, the Transmitted BSSIDAP is AP1 with MAC address BSSID_1x, and the Non-Transmitted BSSIDAP is AP4 with MAC address BSSID_1y; in Multiple BSSID set 2, the Transmitted BSSIDAP is AP5 with MAC address BSSID_2x, and the Non-Transmitted BSSIDAP includes AP2 with address BSSID_2y and AP6 with MAC address BSSID_2z; in Multiple BSSID set 3, the Transmitted BSSIDAP is AP3 with MAC address BSSID_3x, and the Non-Transmitted BSSIDAP includes AP2 with address BSSID_2y and AP6 with MAC address BSSID_2z. BSSIDAP includes AP7 with MAC address BSSID_3y and AP8 with MAC address BSSID_3z. From Figure 6 It can be seen that the Transmitted BSSID APs (i.e., transmission APs) from different Multiple BSSID sets are distributed in different AP multi-link devices. For example, the AP with MAC address BSSID-1x and the AP with MAC address BSSID-2x are in AP multi-link device MLD1 and AP multi-link device MLD2, respectively.

[0153] Figure 7This illustrates that APs in BSSs identified by Transmitted BSSIDs in multiple sets of Multiple BSSIDs originate from the same AP multi-link device. For ease of description, APs in BSSs identified by Transmitted BSSIDs can be called Transmitted APs (Transmitted BSSID APs), and APs in BSSs identified by Nontransmitted BSSIDs can be called Nontransmitted APs (nontransmitted BSSID APs). In this set of multiple BSSIDs, APs whose MAC address ends in 'x' are Transmitted BSSIDAPs, and APs whose MAC address ends in 'y' or 'z' are Non-Transmitted BSSIDAPs. For example, in Multiple BSSID set 1, the Transmitted BSSIDAP is AP1 with MAC address BSSID_1x, and the Non-Transmitted BSSIDAP in Multiple BSSID set 1 is AP4 with MAC address BSSID_1y; in Multiple BSSID set 2, the Transmitted BSSIDAP is AP2 with MAC address BSSID_2x, and the Non-Transmitted BSSIDAPs in Multiple BSSID set 2 include AP5 with MAC address BSSID_2y and AP6 with MAC address BSSID_2z; in Multiple BSSID set 3, the Transmitted BSSIDAP is AP3 with MAC address BSSID_3x, and the Non-Transmitted BSSIDAPs in Multiple BSSID set 3 include AP5 with MAC address BSSID_2y and AP6 with MAC address BSSID_2z. BSSIDAP includes AP7 with MAC address BSSID_3y and AP8 with MAC address BSSID_3z. From Figure 7 It can be seen that the Transmitted BSSIDAPs (i.e., transmission APs) from different Multiple BSSID sets are all in the AP multi-link device MLD1.

[0154] In this embodiment, the first management frame carries information about neighboring APs. For example, this information is carried in a neighbor reporting element or a reduced neighbor report element. The following explanation uses a reduced neighbor report element as an example. This reduced neighbor report element needs to carry information about other APs in the multi-link device besides the reporting AP. This includes information such as the operation set, channel number, BSSID, ShortSSID, whether the other AP belongs to Multiple BSSIDs, and whether the other AP belongs to one or more of the Transmitted BSSIDs. If the other AP belongs to the Multiple BSSID set, it also includes information about each AP in that set, and so on. It can be understood that when the information of the neighboring AP of the reporting AP is reported by the reporting AP, the neighboring AP is also called the reported AP. The following explanation uses a reduced neighbor report element as an example.

[0155] The Reduced Neighbor Report element includes one or more of the following: First Information (or Co-MLD field), Second Information (or MLD Multiple BSSID field), and Third Information (or SameMLD field).

[0156] The first piece of information is used to indicate whether the reported AP is in the same MLD as the reporting AP or whether the reported AP belongs to the same Multiple BSSID set as the member APs of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs.

[0157] The field carrying the aforementioned first information can be called the first information field. This first information field can also have other names, such as the Co-MLD field.

[0158] Optionally, this first information field can be set in the BSS parameter field of the Simplified Neighbor Reporting element or in the TBTT information field. Figure 8(a) illustrates this specifically by using the Co-MLD field as a reserved bit (bit 7) of the BSS parameter field. As shown in Figure 8(a), Example 1: If the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD, or if the reported AP and the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same MultipleBSSID set, then the value of one indicator bit in the Co-MLD field is set to 1; if the reported AP and the reporting AP are not in the same MLD and the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs do not belong to the same MultipleBSSID set, then the value of that indicator bit is set to 0. Example 2: Whether the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD can be indicated by an indicator bit. For example, setting this indicator bit to 1 indicates that the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD, and setting this indicator bit to 0 indicates that the reported AP and the reporting AP are not in the same MLD. In addition, whether the reported AP belongs to the same Multiple BSSID set as the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs can be indicated by another indicator bit. For example, setting this indicator bit to 1 indicates that the reported AP belongs to the same Multiple BSSID set as the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs, and setting this indicator bit to 0 indicates that the reported AP does not belong to the same Multiple BSSID set as the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs. These two indicator bits are carried in the Co-MLD field. In another example, if the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD or the members of the reported AP and the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same Multiple BSSID set, the Co-MLD field is set to 1, indicating that the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD or the members of the reported AP and the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same Multiple BSSID set; conversely, if the reported AP and the reporting AP are not in the same MLD or the members of the reported AP and the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same Multiple BSSID set, the Co-MLD field is set to 0, indicating that the reported AP and the reporting AP are not in the same MLD or the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same Multiple BSSID set.

[0159] As shown in Figure 8(a), optionally, the TBTT information field may also include an MLD-Index field. When the Co-MLD field is set to 1, the MLD-index field carries the index or MAC address of the MLD to which the reporting AP and the reported AP belong, indicating the MLD. When the Co-MLD field is set to 0, the TBTT information field may include an MLD-index field, and the MLD-index field may be set to a reserved or other value, or it may not be included. Other examples of the MLD-index field will be further described in subsequent sections.

[0160] The second piece of information is used to indicate whether the reported AP belongs to the same Multiple BSSID set as the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs.

[0161] The field carrying secondary information can be called the secondary information field, and it can have other names, such as the MLD Multiple BSSID field. The secondary information field can be set in the BSS parameter field or TBTT information field of the Simplified Neighbor Reporting element. The MLD Multiple BSSID field can be a newly added field within the BSS parameter field or TBTT information field of the Simplified Neighbor Reporting element.

[0162] The third information indicates whether the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD. If they belong to the same MLD, the third information is set to the seventh value; if they do not belong to the same MLD, the third information is set to the eighth value. For example, the third information may include 1 bit, where setting this bit to 1 indicates that the reported AP and the reporting AP do not belong to the same MLD, and setting this bit to 0 indicates that the reported AP and the reporting AP do not belong to the same MLD. The field carrying the above third information can be called the third information field, and the third information field may have other names.

[0163] The aforementioned third information field can be set in the BSS parameter field or the TBTT information field of the Simplified Neighbor Reporting element. Taking Figure 8(b) as an example, this third information field can specifically be the same MLD field in the BSS parameter field of the Simplified Neighbor Reporting element, where the same MLD field can be a reserved bit (B7) in the BSS parameter field. If the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD, the value of one indicator bit in the same MLD field is set to 1; if the reported AP and the reporting AP are not in the same MLD, the value of that indicator bit is set to 0. Taking Figure 8(b) as an example, optionally, the TBTT information field can also include an MLD-Index field. When the same MLD field is set to 1, the MLD-index field carries the index or MAC address of the MLD to which the reporting AP and the reported AP belong, indicating the MLD. When the same MLD field is set to 0, the TBTT information field can include an MLD-index field, and the MLD-index field can be set to a reserved or other value, or it can be excluded. Other examples of the MLD-index field will be described further in subsequent sections.

[0164] The fourth piece of information is used to indicate whether the reported AP belongs to the Multiple BSSID set.

[0165] For example, this fourth piece of information could be a Multiple BSSID indicator bit. This Multiple BSSID indicator bit could be set to a specific value, such as 1 bit set to 1 to indicate that the reporting AP belongs to the Multiple BSSID set, or it could be set to another specific value, such as 1 bit set to 0 to indicate that the reporting AP does not belong to the Multiple BSSID set. For instance, the Multiple BSSID indicator bit could be the Multiple BSSID field in the BSS parameter field.

[0166] The eighth information is used to indicate the MLD index of the reported AP. The field carrying this eighth information can be called the eighth information field, or it can have other names, such as the MLD-index field. This eighth information field can be set in the TBTT info field of the Reduced Neighbor Report element. Optionally, for a reporting AP, when there are multiple reported APs, each of these reported APs has a corresponding MLD index. Different MLDs can be distinguished by their MLD indexes. Therefore, when two reported APs have the same MLD index, it indicates that these two reported APs belong to the same MLD. For example, if the MLD index of the reported AP with MAC address BSSID-2x and the MLD index of the reported AP with MAC address BSSID-3y are both 2, then these two reported APs belong to MLD 2. Optionally, when the same reported APL is labeled by different reported APs, the MLD sequence number may be the same or different. Optionally, the MLD index field can carry the MLD sequence number, the MLD's MAC address, or the MLD's identifier, etc.

[0167] Optionally, a special value for the MLD index field can be used to indicate whether the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD. For example, if a reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD, a special MLD Index value (e.g., all zeros) can be carried in the eighth information to represent the sequence number of the MLD, indicating that the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD. Subsequently, when the receiving end (such as the site) reads the special MLD index value, although it cannot directly obtain the MLD sequence number of the MLD to which the reported AP belongs, it can know that the MLD sequence number of the MLD to which the reported AP belongs is the same as the MLD sequence number of the reporting AP. This is because the receiving end can obtain the MLD sequence number of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs from the first management frame, and therefore can also know the MLD sequence number of the MLD to which the reported AP belongs.

[0168] Optionally, if the reported AP does not belong to any MLD, then the reported AP does not have a corresponding MLD number. Therefore, it can be indicated that it does not have a corresponding MLD number by carrying a special MLD index value (e.g., set to 255) in the eighth information (or expressed as: indicating that the reported AP does not belong to any MLD through a special value in the eighth information (e.g., set to 255)). Of course, in the case where the reported AP does not belong to any MLD, it can also be regarded as the reported AP belonging to a virtual AP multi-link device MLD. This virtual AP multi-link device MLD includes one AP. In this case, the virtual MLD to which the reported AP belongs also has a normal MLD-Index, but the MLD-Index of the MLDs to which other APs belong is different from the MLD-Index of the virtual MLD to which the reporting AP belongs.

[0169] In one embodiment, the eighth information mentioned above can be carried in the reduced neighbor report element only if the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD or if the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of Multiple BSSIDs. An example is given below.

[0170] Optionally, the first information can indicate whether the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD or whether the reported AP and the members of the MLD belong to the same Multiple BSSID set. If the condition is met, the first information can carry a third value. If the condition is not met (i.e., the reported AP and the reporting AP are not in the same MLD, nor do the reported AP and the members of the MLD belong to the same Multiple BSSID set), the first information can carry a fourth value. For example, the first information may include 1 bit, which is set to 1 to indicate that the condition is met, or 1 bit is set to 0 to indicate that the condition is not met. Optionally, the third information can also indicate that the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD. Furthermore, the eighth information mentioned above can be carried in the Reduced Neighbor Report element.

[0171] For example, as shown in Figure 8(a), if the first information in the Co-MLD field indicates that the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD or that the members of the MLD to which the reported AP and the reporting AP belong belong to the same Multiple BSSID set, then the eighth information is carried through the MLD-Index field.

[0172] Optionally, as shown in Figure 8(b), if the Same-MLD field indicates that the reporting AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD, then the eighth information is carried through the MLD-Index field. For example, with Figure 6 For example, suppose the AP with MAC address BSSID-1x is the reporting AP, and the APs with MAC addresses BSSID-2x and BSSID-2y are two reported APs. Since the reported AP with MAC address BSSID-2y and the reporting AP with MAC address BSSID-1x are in the same MLD, the first information field of the simplified neighbor reporting element corresponding to the reported AP with MAC address BSSID-2x carries the aforementioned third value. Furthermore, although the reported AP with MAC address BSSID-2x and the reporting AP with MAC address BSSID-1x do not belong to the same MLD, they belong to the same Multiple BSSID set as the reported AP with MAC address BSSID-2y in the same MLD. Therefore, the first information field of the simplified neighbor reporting element corresponding to the reported AP with MAC address BSSID-2y carries the aforementioned third value. When this first information carries the third value, a corresponding field will be added to the simplified neighbor reporting element to carry the aforementioned eighth information.

[0173] In another embodiment, the eighth information mentioned above can be carried in the simplified neighbor reporting element only if the members of the reporting AP and the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same MultipleBSSID set. An example is given below.

[0174] Optionally, the second information can indicate whether the reported AP and the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same Multiple BSSID set. If the condition is met, the second information carries a fifth value; otherwise, it carries a sixth value. For example, the first information includes 1 bit, which is set to 1 to indicate that the condition is met, and 1 bit is set to 0 to indicate that the condition is not met. When the value carried by the second information is the fifth value, a corresponding field will be added to the simplified neighbor reporting element to carry the aforementioned eighth information.

[0175] In another example, if the fourth piece of information indicates that the reported AP belongs to a set of Multiple BSSIDs, such as the Multiple BSSID field in the BSSparameter field indicating that the reported AP belongs to a set of Multiple BSSIDs, the TBTT information field can also carry the MLD-index field.

[0176] In this embodiment of the application, the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs include two possibilities, as follows: 1. Any member of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs; 2. Any other member of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs, excluding the reporting AP. Whenever this application mentions members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs, it includes both of the above possibilities, and will not be elaborated elsewhere.

[0177] The ninth piece of information indicates the set index (Multiple BSSIDset-index) of the Multiple BSSID set to which the reporting AP belongs. The field carrying this ninth piece of information can be called the ninth information field, or it can have other names, such as the Multiple BSSID set-index field. This ninth information field can be set in the TBTT info field of the Reduced Neighbor Report element. Optionally, the Multiple BSSID set-index field can carry the set index or ID of the Multiple BSSID set.

[0178] Optionally, Method 1: The above-mentioned ninth information can be included in the simplified neighbor report element only if all of the following conditions are met: Condition 1: If the reported AP belongs to the Multiple BSSID set.

[0179] Condition 2: The reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD or the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of multiple BSSIDs.

[0180] Optionally, method two: parse the above ninth information when all of the following conditions are met.

[0181] Condition 1: The members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of multiple BSSIDs. Optionally, method three: parse the ninth information above when all of the following conditions are met.

[0182] Condition 1: If the reported AP belongs to the Multiple BSSID set.

[0183] For example, if the reported AP belongs to the Multiple BSSID set, the Multiple BSSID indicator in the BSS parameters field will be set to the first value, such as 1. If the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD or belong to the same Multiple BSSID set as members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs, the Co-MLD field value will be 1. If both the Multiple BSSID indicator and the Co-MLD field are set to 1, a MultipleBSSID set-index field will be added to the TBTT info field. Optionally, if only condition 1 is met, a Multiple BSSID set-index field can also be added to the TBTT info field.

[0184] It is understood that if multiple reported APs include the same ninth piece of information (such as Multiple BSSID set-index) in their Simplified Neighbor Reporting Elements, it indicates that the multiple reported APs are APs in the same Multiple BSSID set. Optionally, when the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same Multiple BSSID set, the Multiple BSSID set-index in the Simplified Neighbor Reporting Elements of the reported AP can be set to a special value (e.g., 0). When the receiving end subsequently reads that the Multiple BSSID set-index in the Simplified Neighbor Reporting Elements of the reported AP is this special value, it can determine that the reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same Multiple BSSID set. Alternatively, the information of each AP in the same Multiple BSSID set can be obtained based on the Multiple BSSID element carried by the reporting AP in the first management frame.

[0185] Of course, for cases where the above two conditions are not met, the TBTT info field may also include a Multiple BSSID set-index field, which may be a reserved value or may not indicate any Multiple BSSID set. The scheme that includes the Multiple BSSID set-index field only when conditions 1 and 2 are met, and the scheme that includes the Multiple BSSID set-index field only when condition 1 is met, have lower signaling overhead.

[0186] Optionally, for other members in the same Multiple BSSID set as the reporting AP, the information of these other AP members may not be carried in the Reduced neighbor report element, but may be indicated by the Multiple BSSID element carried in the management frame.

[0187] In addition to including one or more of the eighth, ninth, first, second, third, and fourth information, the above-mentioned simplified neighbor reporting elements may also include one or more of the fifth, sixth, and seventh information.

[0188] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate the link ID of the reported AP. It can be understood that for a multi-link device (MLD) containing the same AP, each of its multiple APs has a unique link ID. Therefore, for a given MLD, its corresponding AP can be uniquely identified by the link ID. In this embodiment, the link ID can correspond one-to-one with the operation class, channel number, MAC address of the reported AP, or a combination of these. Therefore, in the first management frame or other management frames sent by the reporting AP, if it is necessary to carry the BSS parameter of a reported AP, the link ID corresponding to that reported AP can be directly added. The receiving end can determine the corresponding operation class, channel number, MAC address of the reported AP, etc., based on the link ID, without having to repeatedly indicate this information, thus saving overhead.

[0189] For example, as shown in Figure 8(c), if the first information in the Co-MLD field indicates that the reporting AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD or that the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same Multiple BSSID set, then the eighth information is carried in the MLD-Index field. In addition, the ninth information can be carried in the Multiple BSSIDset-index field, and the fifth information can be carried in the Link ID field. Of course, the TBTT information fields shown in Figure 8(b) can also include the Link ID field and the Multiple BSSIDset-index field.

[0190] The sixth piece of information indicates the link ID of the reporting AP and / or the MAC address of the MLD where the reporting AP resides. The usage principle of the link ID of the reporting AP can be referred to the description of the usage principle of the reported AP in the fifth piece of information above, and will not be repeated here. Additionally, the MAC address of the MLD where the reporting AP resides helps determine the MAC address of the MLD where the reported AP resides. As mentioned in a previous scheme, if the MLD sequence number of the MLD where the reported AP resides is the same as that of the MLD where the reporting AP resides, then the MLD sequence number of the MLD where the reported AP resides can be simply represented by the first value. Therefore, after determining that the MLD sequence numbers of the reported AP and the reporting AP are the same through the first value, the MAC address of the MLD where the reported AP resides can be further determined based on the MAC address of the MLD where the reporting AP resides indicated here (which can be used as the MLD sequence number). Furthermore, the MAC address of the AP's MLD can also be used for establishing associations between multiple link devices, such as being carried in the interaction process of probe request frames / probe response frames, authentication request frames / authentication response frames, and association request frames / association response frames.

[0191] Optionally, this sixth piece of information may not be in the Simplified Neighbor Reporting element, but may still be in the first management frame mentioned above, for example, in the MLD element of the first management frame, where the MLD element is used to indicate information about multiple APs with the same MLD, or information about one or more single-link APs.

[0192] like Figure 17 As shown, the MLD element includes: a common control field, an MLD common information field, and one or more optional sub-elements. Optionally, the MLD common information field includes an MLD MAC address field, and optionally includes fields such as authentication algorithms. The MLD MAC address field indicates the address of the MLD indicated by this MLD element, and this address is used to identify an MLD. Optionally, the MLD address is the MLD's MAC address, which can also be said to identify the AP multi-link device management entity. The MAC address of this AP multi-link device can be the same as the MAC address of one of the n APs included in the multi-link AP MLD, or it can be different from the MAC addresses of all n APs. For example, the MAC address of the AP multi-link device can be a common MAC address that can identify the AP multi-link device.

[0193] Optionally, the public control fields include an MLD address presence field (or MLD address occurrence field or MLD address occurrence identifier), used to indicate whether an MLD address field exists in the MLD public information fields. Optionally, the public control fields also include an authentication algorithm occurrence field, used to indicate whether an authentication algorithm field exists in the MLD public information fields. Optionally, the aforementioned "occurrence field" may include 1 bit, with a first value indicating the corresponding field's presence and a second value indicating the corresponding field's absence. For example, the first value is 1, and the second value is 0.

[0194] Optionally, an MLD element may also include one or more sub-elements, each sub-element describing information about one AP in the multi-AP multi-link device. Each sub-element includes the link identifier for that AP. Optionally, each sub-element may also include AP-related fields, such as the SSID field, timestamp field, beacon interval field, and elements related to that AP. These elements may include BSS load elements, EHT capability elements, and EHT operation elements.

[0195] In the AP MLD discovery mechanism, the reporting AP in the AP MLD (any AP except for non-transport APs in the multi-BSSID set can act as a reporting AP) sends a first management frame, such as a beacon frame or probe response frame, on its operating link. Besides sending the Reduced Neighbor Report element (RNR element), it also needs to carry the MLD element. The MLD element indicates the common information within the AP MLD and the specific information of each AP. This helps the STA MLD select an optimal AP MLD to establish multi-link associations. To avoid the first management frame being too long, it only carries the common MLD information of the MLD element; the information of the sub-elements corresponding to each AP is not carried, such as... Figure 18 The first half of the MLD element shown includes one or more of the following: MLD MAC address, link identifier, and MLD sequence number. Optionally, it also includes an authentication algorithm field. The link identifier indicates the reporting AP, as mentioned in the sixth information section above, and will not be repeated here. The MLD sequence number indicates the sequence number of an AP MLD, and is consistent with the MLD sequence number indicated in the eighth information section of the RNR element. That is, for the same AP MLD, the MLD sequence number used in the RNR element is the same as the MLD sequence number in the MLD element. For example, as shown... Figure 6As shown, assuming the reporting AP in MLD1 is BSSID-1x, the first management frame sent by the reporting AP carries an RNR element. The RNR element carries information about APs such as BSSID-2y, BSSID-3x, BSSID-2x, BSSID-3y, BSSID-1y, and BSSID-2z, and optionally, information about BSSID-3z. Additionally, it carries the first half of the MLD element for MLD1, the first half of the MLD element for MLD2, and the first half of the MLD element for MLD3. Optionally, it includes the first half of a special MLD element indicating BSSID-3z, where the MLD sequence number of this special MLD element is set to a special value, such as 255, the MLD MAC address is the MAC address of the AP (or it may not appear), and the link identifier is the link identifier of this single AP.

[0196] The RNR element sent by the reporting AP must include the following information about the reported AP, including: (1) All APs in the same AP MLD as the reporting AP, or all APs in the AP MLD where the reporting AP is located; (2) All APs in the AP MLD where the reporting AP is located in the same multi-BSSID set as the reporting AP; or, all APs in the AP MLD where the reporting AP is located in the multi-BSSID set as the reporting AP; (3) All APs in an AP MLD that satisfy the following two conditions: 1) At least one AP in the AP MLD is in the same multi-BSSID set as an AP in the AP MLD containing the reporting AP; 2) No AP in the AP MLD operates on the same link as the reporting AP. In a special case, the AP MLD may include only one AP. Optionally, the AP MLD may include one AP operating at 6 GHz. Optionally, the AP MLD may include only one AP.

[0197] For AP MLDs that meet conditions 1 and 2, after obtaining this information, the STA MLD site can directly send a probe response frame or receive a beacon frame on the current link. The probe request frame carries the first half of the MLD element, or may also carry the link identifiers of one or more APs, to obtain the complete information of the corresponding AP MLD, including detailed information for each AP in the corresponding AP MLD. Detailed information for multiple APs can be specified. Then, a multi-link association can be established with the AP MLD, or a multi-link association can be established directly with the AP MLD without scanning. The first half of the MLD element, the MLD MAC address, can be a special MAC address, or the MLD sequence number can be set to a special MLD sequence number, thus obtaining information on all surrounding AP MLDs. After receiving the request from the STA MLD, the AP in the AP MLD sends a probe response frame, including the content requested by the STA MLD, such as carrying one or more MLD elements. Optionally, each MLD element includes an MLD sequence number.

[0198] For an AP MLD that meets condition 3, optionally, the AP MLD includes an AP operating at 6GHz. The STA MLD does not need to scan other links to directly obtain the information of the AP MLD. If the STA MLD is interested in the AP MLD, such as a suitable frequency band, it can further send a probe request frame as mentioned above, or receive specific information sent by one of the APs in the AP MLD on the corresponding link. Then, it establishes a multi-link association with the AP MLD, or skips scanning and directly establishes a multi-link association with the AP MLD. After receiving the request from the STA MLD, the AP in the AP MLD sends a probe response frame, including the content of the STA MLD's request, such as carrying one or more MLD elements. Optionally, each MLD element includes an MLD sequence number.

[0199] In the aforementioned STA MLD, the MLD public information in the first half of the MLD element carried by the probe request frame sent by one STA may include only one or two fields, and does not need to carry all fields, such as the MLD sequence number or MLD MAC address.

[0200] by Figure 6 For example, including (1) All APs in the same AP MLD1 as the reporting AP, BSSID-1x, namely BSSID-2y, BSSID-3x; (2) All APs in AP MLD3, which are non-transmission APs (i.e., BSSID-1y) in the same multi-BSSID set 1 as the reporting AP, BSSID-1x, are: BSSID-1y, BSSID-2z; (3) Figure 6 An AP MLD that satisfies the above two conditions consists of two APs, BSSID-2x and BSSID-3y, in AP MLD2. BSSID-2x in AP MLD2 is in the same multi-BSSID set 2 as AP2y in AP MLD1, and no AP in AP MLD2 shares a link with BSSID-1x. Optionally, a special AP MLD, BSSID-3z, can also be included, consisting of only one AP.

[0201] In addition, such as Figure 18 The first half of the MLD element shown also includes a common control field, which includes one or more of the following: MLD MAC address occurrence field, Link ID occurrence field, MLD sequence number occurrence field, and sub-element occurrence field. Optionally, an authentication algorithm occurrence field may also be included. The MLD MAC address occurrence field indicates whether the MLD common information includes an MLD MAC address field; the Link ID occurrence field indicates whether the MLD common information includes a Link ID field; and the MLD sequence number occurrence field indicates whether the MLD common information includes an MLD sequence number field. These fields can be indicated by 1 bit (e.g., 1 indicates occurrence, 0 indicates absence), or by two values ​​for each field (the first value indicating occurrence, the second value indicating absence).

[0202] It should be understood that Figure 17 The first half of the MLD element shown can also be used Figure 18 The replacement of the first half of the MLD element shown is used by the AP MLD to provide further detailed information about the site's MLD. This can be placed in a probe response frame or an association response frame. Optionally, the common control field includes an MLD common information presence field to indicate whether MLD common information is present, or whether fields other than the MLD MAC address or MLD sequence number are present, to help further reduce duplicate information (at which point the STA MLD already knows this information).

[0203] If the reporting AP belongs to a multi-BSSID set, the reporting AP also needs to send multi-BSSID elements, including a nontransmitted profile indicating information about one or more non-transmitted APs. If one of the aforementioned non-transmitted APs comes from an AP MLD, then... Figure 18 The first half of the MLD element shown or Figure 17 The complete portion of the MLD element shown can also be placed in the information of the non-transmitting AP.

[0204] The seventh piece of information indicates whether the first management frame carries information about all first-reported APs, which are members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs. Alternatively, it can indicate whether the management frame carries information about all first-reported APs and information about members in the Multiple BSSID set to which all first-reported APs belong. This seventh piece of information can be located in a simplified neighbor reporting element, another existing element in the first management frame, or a newly added element in the first management frame. For ease of understanding, several possible examples of the seventh piece of information are given below.

[0205] Example 1: The seventh information is carried in a specific field (e.g., it can be called the "complete field"), which is used to indicate whether the reporting AP carried all the information of the first reported AP in the management frame, as well as the member information of the Multiple BSSID set where all the first reported APs are located. For example, if yes, the seventh information can take a specific value, such as 1; if no, the seventh information can take another specific value, such as 0.

[0206] After receiving the seventh message, the receiving end can determine whether the relevant information corresponding to each reported AP has been received completely.

[0207] Example 2: The seventh message is carried in a specific field (e.g., the "complete field") that indicates how many message cycles the reporting AP needs to send all the information of the first reported AP and the member information of the Multiple BSSID set to which each of the first reported APs belongs; wherein, a message cycle can be specifically one beacon frame, or two beacon frames, or other time units that can measure the length of time.

[0208] After receiving the seventh message, the receiving end can know whether the relevant information corresponding to each reported AP has been completely received. If it has not been completely received, it can also know how many more message cycles are needed to complete the reception.

[0209] In this embodiment of the application, the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs include two possibilities, as follows: 1. Any member of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs; 2. Any other member of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs, excluding the reporting AP. Whenever this application mentions members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs, it includes both of the above possibilities, and will not be elaborated elsewhere.

[0210] In this embodiment, the members in the Multiple BSSID set where the first reporting AP is located include two possibilities, as follows: 1. Any member in the Multiple BSSID set where the first reporting AP is located; 2. Any other member in the Multiple BSSID set where the first reporting AP is located, excluding the first reporting AP. Whenever this application mentions members in the Multiple BSSID set where the first reporting AP is located, it includes both of the above possibilities, and will not be elaborated elsewhere.

[0211] The information placed in the TBTT information field mentioned in this embodiment includes one or more of the following: eighth information, ninth information, first information, second information, third information, fourth information, and fifth information. One or more of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth information are carried in the BSS parameter field within the TBTT information field. Therefore, the length of the BSS parameter field may be 1 or 2 bytes. If the length of the BSS parameter field becomes 2 bytes, it is equivalent to a 1-byte BSS parameter field and a 1-byte BSS parameter extension field in Table 4. The eighth information is 1 byte long, and the ninth information is 1 byte long.

[0212] Therefore, the TBTT info Length field indicates the length of each TBTT info field. The specific information formats carried under different lengths are shown in Table 5, with one or more of the following lengths added: 13 bytes, 14 bytes, and 15 bytes.

[0213] Table 5

[0214] Of course, the length of the BSS parameter field may also be other bytes, such as 3 bytes, 4 bytes, 5 bytes, etc. The length of the eighth information may also be other bytes, such as 2 to 6 bytes, and the length of the ninth information may also be other bytes, such as 2 to 6 bytes, etc.

[0215] Step S402: The station receives the first management frame.

[0216] Specifically, after receiving the first management frame, the station parses it to obtain information such as the Reduced Neighbor Report element, the Multiple BSSID element corresponding to the reporting AP, and so on. The following section focuses on how to interpret the information in the Reduced Neighbor Report element.

[0217] Of the aforementioned eighth, ninth, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh information, those carried in the Reduced Neighbor Report element will be parsed by the site. Generally, if the Reduced Neighbor Report element carries one or more Neighbor AP info fields, it will parse out the target information corresponding to one or more reported APs (including at least one of the eighth, ninth, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh information). If the Reduced Neighbor Report element carries one or more Neighbor AP info fields, there are two cases: Case 1. Each Neighbor AP info field corresponds to the information of one reported AP; Case 2. If multiple reported APs share the same operation set and channel number, a Neighbor AP info field can include information from multiple reported APs. In this case, each TBTT information field of the Neighbor AP info field includes other information from one reported AP. In Case 2, optionally, the TBTT information fields corresponding to each reported AP have the same length. If they are different, each reported AP can still be indicated using only one Neighbor AP Info field.

[0218] The following example illustrates how a site receives target information from the Neighbor AP info field of one of the reported APs (the principle behind receiving target information from the Neighbor AP info fields of other reported APs can be compared). If the first information is parsed, the station can use the first information to determine whether the reported AP is in the same MLD as the reporting AP or whether the reported AP and the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same Multiple BSSID set. For example, if the value carried by the first information is the third value (such as 1), the determination result is yes; if the value carried by the first information is the fourth value (such as 0), the determination result is no.

[0219] If the second information is parsed, the station can use the second information to determine whether the reported AP belongs to the same Multiple BSSID set as the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs. For example, if the value carried by the second information is the fifth value (such as 1), the determination result is yes; if the value carried by the second information is the sixth value (such as 0), the determination result is no.

[0220] Optionally, if the determination result based on the first or second information above is yes, then the site further parses the eighth information above, that is, it parses to obtain the MLD index to which the reported AP belongs. Of course, if the first and second information above do not exist, then the site can also directly attempt to parse the eighth information above.

[0221] If the third information is parsed, the site can use the third information to determine whether the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD. For example, if the value carried by the third information is the seventh value (such as 1), it is determined that the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD. If the value carried by the third information is the eighth value (such as 0), it is determined whether the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD.

[0222] If the fourth piece of information is parsed, the station can use it to determine whether the reported AP belongs to the Multiple BSSID set. For example, the fourth piece of information can be a Multiple BSSID indicator bit. When the Multiple BSSID indicator bit is set to a specific value (e.g., 1), it indicates that the reported AP belongs to the Multiple BSSID set. When the Multiple BSSID indicator bit is set to another specific value (e.g., 0), it indicates that the reported AP does not belong to the Multiple BSSID set.

[0223] Optionally, method one: parse the ninth information above when all of the following conditions are met.

[0224] Condition 1: If the reported AP belongs to the Multiple BSSID set.

[0225] Condition 2: The reported AP and the reporting AP are in the same MLD or the members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of multiple BSSIDs.

[0226] Optionally, method two: parse the above ninth information when all of the following conditions are met.

[0227] Condition 1: The members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same set of multiple BSSIDs.

[0228] Optionally, method three: parse the ninth information above when all of the following conditions are met.

[0229] Condition 1: If the reported AP belongs to the Multiple BSSID set.

[0230] It is understandable that the sequence number of the MultipleBSSID set to which the reported AP belongs can be obtained from the ninth piece of information.

[0231] If the fifth piece of information is parsed, the link ID of the reported AP can be obtained. Since there is a one-to-one correspondence between the link ID and the operation class, channel number, MAC address of the reported AP, or a combination of these, if the site has previously received information such as the operation class, channel number, and MAC address of the reported AP, it can obtain this information based on the correspondence without having to repeatedly indicate this information, thus saving overhead.

[0232] If the sixth piece of information is parsed, the link ID of the reporting AP can be obtained. Since there is a one-to-one correspondence between the link ID and the operation class, channel number, MAC address of the reporting AP, or a combination of these, if the site has previously received information such as the operation class, channel number, and MAC address of the reporting AP, this information can be obtained based on the correspondence without having to repeatedly indicate this information, thus saving overhead.

[0233] If the seventh information is parsed, it can be determined whether the first management frame carries information about all the first reported APs, which are members of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs. Optionally, if the seventh information indicates that the first management frame does not carry information about all the first reported APs, the station continues to receive new management frames until information about all the first reported APs has been received. If the seventh information indicates how many more information cycles are needed to complete the reception, then the station can continue to receive the corresponding number of information cycles to complete the reception of information about all the first reported APs.

[0234] Alternatively, if the seventh information is parsed, it can be determined whether the management frame carries information about all the first reported APs and the members in the Multiple BSSID set to which all the first reported APs belong. Optionally, if the seventh information indicates that the first management frame does not carry information about all the first reported APs, or does not carry information about the members in the Multiple BSSID set to which all the first reported APs belong, the station continues to receive new management frames until all the information about the first reported APs and the members in the Multiple BSSID set to which all the first reported APs belong has been received. If the seventh information indicates how many more information cycles are needed to complete the reception, then the corresponding information cycles can be received to complete the reception of all the information about the first reported APs and the members in the Multiple BSSID set to which all the first reported APs belong.

[0235] Taking Figure 8(a) as an example, after the site resolves the Co-MLD field, if the Co-MLD field is set to 1, it determines that the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD, or whether the reported AP and the member APs of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same Multiple BSSID set. The site then further determines that the TBTT information field also includes the MLD-index field, and further resolves the MLD-index field to obtain the index or MAC address of the MLD to which the reported AP belongs. Taking Figure 8(b) as an example, after the site resolves the same-MLD field, if the same-MLD field is set to 1, it determines that the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD. The site can also determine whether the reported AP and the member APs of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs belong to the same Multiple BSSID set based on the MLD Multiple BSSID field. The site further resolves the MLD-index field to obtain the index or MAC address of the MLD to which the reported AP belongs.

[0236] Taking Figure 8(c) as an example, after the site parses the Co-MLD field, it determines that the Co-MLD field is set to 1. This indicates that the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD or that the reported AP and the member APs of the MLD to which the reporting AP belong belong to the same Multiple BSSID set. Then, the site further parses the MLD-index field, the Link ID field, and the Multiple BSSID set index field to obtain the index or MAC address, link ID, and Multiple BSSID set index of the MLD to which the reported AP belongs.

[0237] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, the station can determine which MLD each reported AP belongs to and which Multiple BSSID set each reported AP belongs to based on one or more of the eighth, ninth, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh information. Thus, the station has a comprehensive understanding of the Multiple BSSID set structure based on the AP multi-link device, and can then select the appropriate AP from the Multiple BSSID set structure based on the AP multi-link device. In practice, the station can carry a link ID or a list of link IDs in the probe request frame, and optionally carry the MLD-Index or the MAC address of the MLD. After receiving the probe request frame, the AP can determine the corresponding AP based on the link ID, the list of link IDs, the MLD-Index, or the MAC address of the MLD. Then, it can reply to the station with more detailed information about the corresponding AP (such as AP capability information, operation information, etc., where capability information indicates which functions the AP supports, and operation information can indicate the AP's operating center frequency, operating bandwidth, etc.). The station can then establish an association with the corresponding AP based on this more detailed information. An example is given below.

[0238] Example 1: A site includes an MLD-index and one or more link IDs in its probe request frame to request the AP to reply with information about the AP corresponding to one or more link IDs in its probe response frame. The site then establishes an association with one or more APs based on the information corresponding to the one or more link IDs. For example, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the MLD-index carried in the probe request is MLD2, and the link ID is link2. Based on MLD2 and link2, the AP can determine that the corresponding AP is the AP with MAC address BSSID-2x. Therefore, it sends more detailed information about the AP with MAC address BSSID-2x to the site, and the site establishes an association with the AP with MAC address BSSID-2x.

[0239] Example 2: The site includes an MLD-index and one or more link IDs in the probe request frame to request the AP to reply with information about the AP corresponding to one or more link IDs other than the specified link ID in the probe response frame. The site then uses this information to select one or more of these APs to establish an association. For example, such as... Figure 6As shown, the probe request carries an MLD-index of MLD1 and link IDs of link1 and link3. Based on MLD2, link1, and link3, the AP can determine that the AP on link2 (excluding link1 and link3) in the MLD corresponding to MLD2 is the AP with MAC address BSSID-2x. Therefore, the AP sends more detailed information about the AP with MAC address BSSID-2x to the site, and the site establishes an association with the AP with MAC address BSSID-2x.

[0240] Optionally, a site can also carry signaling, such as a special Link ID, in the probe request frame to request the AP to reply with information about all the first reported APs in its MLD and the membership information of the Multiple BSSID set to which all the first reported APs belong, or simply to request the AP to reply with information about all the first reported APs in its MLD, as a basis for the site to select associated APs.

[0241] exist Figure 4 In the method shown, by carrying the information of the MLD where the reported AP is located and the information of the Multiple BSSID set in the simplified neighbor reporting element of the first management frame, the station receiving the first management frame can learn about the basic situation of each reported AP in the MLD and Multiple BSSID set based on this information, thereby better selecting the appropriate AP for association from the reporting AP and the reported AP.

[0242] Please see Figure 9 , Figure 9 This application provides an AP multi-link device discovery method, which can be applied between sites, between access points and sites, and between access points. For ease of description, the following description uses communication between access points and sites as an example. The method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps: Step S901: The access point (AP) sends a second management frame to the site.

[0243] Specifically, the second management frame carries information about neighboring APs, which can serve as candidate APs when a site switches BSSs. This second management frame helps a site obtain information about neighboring APs associated with its AP, which can be used for potential roaming candidate APs. For example, the second management frame can be a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, reassociation response frame, authentication frame, etc. The sender of this second management frame can be an AP multi-link device or a reporting AP within an AP multi-link device. The receiving site can be either a site within a site multi-link device or a single-link site. In other types of BSSs, the sender of the second management frame can also be a site belonging to a multi-link device (MLD); the receiver can also be an access point belonging to an MLD or a single-link access point. The following descriptions will use the example of a reporting AP in an AP multi-link device sending a second management frame to a site as an illustration.

[0244] In one example of this application embodiment, an AP multi-link device may include one logical AP, which switches between operating on multiple links. In another example, an AP multi-link device includes n logical APs, each operating on n different links, and can therefore be represented by link identifiers link1, link2, ..., linkn. Each AP has a different MAC address. An AP multi-link device is identified by the MAC address of an MLD (Multi-Link Device), which can also be said to identify the management entity of the AP multi-link device. The MAC address of the AP multi-link device can be the same as the MAC address of one of the n logical APs included in the multi-link AP, or it can be different from the MAC addresses of all n logical APs. For example, the MAC address of the AP multi-link device can be a common MAC address that can identify the AP multi-link device.

[0245] In one example, one or more logical APs in an AP multi-link device may belong to one or more sets of Multiple Basic Service Set Identifiers (BSSIDs). In another example, the multiple BSSID sets to which the logical APs in an AP multi-link device belong may be different. In yet another example, multiple logical APs in an AP multi-link device may belong to the same multiple BSSID set; for instance, if two logical APs in an AP multi-link device are operating on a single link, these two logical APs may belong to the same multiple BSSID set.

[0246] In this embodiment, the Multiple BSSID set architecture based on AP multi-link devices can be as described in the previous embodiments. Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 The relevant statements will not be repeated here.

[0247] In this embodiment, the second management frame carries a Neighbor Report element. This element must carry information about the neighboring APs of the reporting AP, such as the operating set, channel number, and BSSID of the neighboring AP. If the APs in the multi-link device belong to the Multiple BSSID set, the Neighbor Report element may also include the corresponding Multiple BSSID element. An example of the Neighbor Report element is provided below.

[0248] Neighbor report elements, such as the BSSID information field, carry primary information.

[0249] First information: The first piece of information is used to indicate one or more of the following: Does the reported AP belong to the same MLD as the reporting AP? Does the reported AP belong to the same MLD as the previously reported AP?

[0250] Optionally, when the first information indicates multiple of the three items listed above, these multiple items can be indicated individually. For example, the first information includes 3 bits, each bit indicating whether one of the conditions is met; for example, the first bit being 1 indicates that the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD, and the first bit being 0 indicates that the reported AP and the reporting AP do not belong to the same MLD; the second bit being 1 indicates that the reported AP belongs to an AP in an MLD, and the second bit being 0 indicates that the reported AP does not belong to an AP in an MLD; the third bit being 1 indicates that the reported AP and the previously reported reported AP belong to the same MLD, and the third bit being 0 indicates that the reported AP and the previously reported reported AP do not belong to the same MLD.

[0251] Optionally, the Neighbor Report element, such as its optional sub-element fields, carries secondary information.

[0252] Second information: The first optional solution: The second information includes one or more of the following: the MAC address of the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the reported AP is located, the number of APs contained in the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the AP is located, the simutaneous transmit / receive (STR) capability indication between the APs in the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the AP is located, the link ID corresponding to the reported AP, and information of other APs in the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the AP is located besides the reported AP (such as LinkID, operating class, channel number, BSSID, third capability information apabilities, operating information, etc.).

[0253] The second optional scheme: The second information includes one or more of the following: the MAC address of the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the reported AP is located, the link ID corresponding to the reported AP, the third capability information (apabilities), and the operating information (Operating Infonation). Optionally, in this scheme, information about other APs in the AP multi-link device (MLD) besides the reported AP (e.g., Link ID, operating class, channel number, BSSID, etc.) can be indicated in one or more other neighbor reporting elements. Optionally, one neighbor reporting element carries one AP information.

[0254] Optionally, an MLD indicator bit (e.g., 1 bit in bits 21-31) can be set in the neighbor reporting element to indicate whether the reported AP belongs to a certain MLD. If the reported AP belongs to a certain MLD, the value of the MLD indicator bit is the first value; if the reported AP does not belong to a certain MLD, the value of the MLD indicator bit is the second parameter value. For example, the MLD indicator bit includes 1 bit, which is set to 1 to indicate that the reported AP belongs to a certain MLD, and 1 bit is set to 0 to indicate that the reported AP does not belong to a certain MLD. Bits 21-31 in the frame structure are as follows: Figure 10 As shown.

[0255] Optionally, when the MLD indicator bit is set to the first value, the second information mentioned above is carried (e.g., a subelement describing the MLD where the reported AP is located is carried in optional subelements, and then the second information is carried in the subelement).

[0256] Optionally, if the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD, the neighbor reporting element will no longer carry the second information mentioned above, since the site has already obtained the reporting AP through other fields.

[0257] Optionally, if the reported AP belongs to the same MLD as the previous reported AP, since the site has already obtained the relevant information of the MLD to which the previous reported AP belongs through other fields, the neighbor reporting element no longer carries the MAC address of the MLD to which the reported AP belongs. Of course, it is also possible to choose to carry the MAC address of the MLD to which the reported AP belongs.

[0258] Optionally, if the reported AP belongs to the Multiple BSSID set, the optional subelements field of the NeighborReport element carries the Multiple BSSID element field of the Multiple BSSID set to which the reported AP belongs. The reference BSSID (or Transmitted BSSID) of the Multiple BSSID element is carried in the BSSID field of that NeighborReport element.

[0259] Step S902: The station receives the second management frame.

[0260] Specifically, after receiving the second management frame, the station parses the information in the second management frame, such as the Neighbor Report element in the second management frame. The following focuses on how to use the information in the Neighbor Report element.

[0261] Which of the aforementioned second and first pieces of information are carried in the Neighbor Report element will be parsed by the site. For example, if the optional subelements field of the Neighbor Report element carries the aforementioned second information, and / or the reserved field in bits 21-31 of the BSSID info field carries the first information, then the second and / or the first information will be parsed.

[0262] If the first piece of information is parsed, then the site can obtain one or more of the following information: Does the reported AP belong to the same MLD as the reporting AP?

[0263] Whether the reported AP belongs to an AP in an MLD.

[0264] Does the reported AP belong to the same MLD as the previously reported AP?

[0265] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, if the reported AP belongs to an AP in an MLD, the site further parses the aforementioned second information.

[0266] The first optional solution: The second information includes one or more of the following: the MAC address of the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the reported AP is located, the number of APs contained in the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the AP is located, the simutaneous transmit / receive (STR) capability indication between the APs in the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the AP is located, the link ID corresponding to the reported AP, and information of other APs in the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the AP is located besides the reported AP (such as LinkID, operating class, channel number, BSSID, third capability information apabilities, operating information, etc.).

[0267] The second optional scheme: The second information includes one or more of the following: the MAC address of the AP multi-link device (MLD) where the reported AP is located, the link ID corresponding to the reported AP, the third capability information (apabilities), and the operating information (OperatingInfonation). Optionally, in this scheme, information about other APs in the AP multi-link device (MLD) besides the reported AP (e.g., Link ID, operating class, channel number, BSSID, etc.) can be indicated in one or more other neighbor reporting elements. Optionally, one neighbor reporting element carries one AP information.

[0268] In this embodiment, the site can determine which MLD the reported AP belongs to based on the second information in the neighbor reporting element. By combining the information in the neighbor reporting elements of other reported APs, the site can gain a comprehensive understanding of the structure of the AP multi-link device and select an AP that can be used as a BSS when the site switches BSS.

[0269] In practice, the station sends an association request frame or a reassociation request frame to the AP. After receiving the association request frame or reassociation request frame, the AP carries a neighbor reporting element in its reply association response frame or reassociation response frame. This neighbor element carries information about one or more APs belonging to the MLD, such as the AP's capability information and operational information. The capability information indicates which functions the AP supports, and the operational information indicates the AP's operating center frequency, operating bandwidth, etc. The station then selects and establishes an association with the corresponding AP based on this more detailed information. An example is given below.

[0270] Example 1: A site sends an association request to an AP. The AP includes a neighbor reporting element in its reply association response frame or reassociation response, containing information about one or more APs. The site can then choose to establish an association with one or more APs within that MLD. For example, as follows... Figure 6 As shown, when a site sends an association request frame to an AP, the AP will carry the AP with MAC address BSSID-2x in MLD2 in the neighbor element of the association response frame or reassociation response frame. After that, the site can choose whether to establish an association with the AP with MAC address BSSID-2x.

[0271] exist Figure 9 In the method shown, by carrying the information of the MLD where the reported AP is located in the neighbor reporting element of the second management frame, the station receiving the second management frame can learn about the basic situation of each reported AP in the MLD based on this information, thereby better selecting from the neighbor APs as candidate APs when the station switches BSS.

[0272] In another implementation of the Neighbor Report element in the second management frame, this embodiment proposes adding at least one of the following pieces of information to the Neighbor Report element: • Does the reported AP belong to the same MLD as the reporting AP? • Whether the reported AP belongs to a certain MLD. • If the reported AP belongs to a certain MLD, further indicate some or all of the information corresponding to that MLD, such as the MLD MAC Address and the Link ID corresponding to the reported AP, the number of sites contained in the MLD, and one or more of the information for each site.

[0273] In the first implementation, using, for example Figure 10 As shown, B21-B31 in the BSS information field carries a 1-bit MLD indicator bit, used to indicate whether the BSSID belongs to a certain MLD. If the BSSID belongs to a certain MLD, the MLD indicator bit is set to 1; otherwise, the MLD indicator bit is set to 0. When the MLD indication is position 1, the optional subelements include a subelement describing the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs, which carries one or more of the following indication information: • MLD MAC Address • Number of APs included in MLD • STR (simultaneous transmit / receive) capability indication between each AP • Link ID corresponding to the reported AP • Information about other member APs in the MLD, such as the member AP's Link ID, operating class, channel number, BSSID, etc.

[0274] In the second implementation, for example Figure 10 As shown, B21-B31 in the BSS information field carries a 1-bit MLD indicator bit, used to indicate whether the BSSID belongs to a certain MLD. If the BSSID belongs to a certain MLD, the MLD indicator bit is 1; otherwise, the MLD indicator bit is 0. When the MLD indication is position 1, the optional subelements include a subelement describing the MLD to which the reported AP belongs, containing the following indication information: • MLD MAC Address Information about other access points (APs) for the MLD, such as operating class, channel number, BSSID, etc., can be indicated using another Neighbor Report element, and the same subelement describing the corresponding MLD can be carried in optional subelements.

[0275] Optionally, in the second implementation, the neighbor reporting element may also include an indication method to indicate whether the reported AP indicated by the previous neighbor reporting element in the management frame and the reported AP indicated by the next neighbor packet element belong to the same MLD: for example, a 1-bit previous MLD indication bit is carried in B21-B31 of the BSS information field to indicate whether the reported AP belongs to the same MLD as the previous reported AP.

[0276] In the third implementation, a 1-bit MLD indicator bit can be carried in B21-B31 of the BSS information field to indicate whether the reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same MLD. If they belong to the same MLD, the neighbor reporting element may optionally not include the information of the reported AP and the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs, because the management frame sent by the reporting AP will carry the information of the MLD to which the reporting AP belongs.

[0277] Using the method of this application embodiment, the site can obtain the information of the MLD where the reported AP is located in the neighbor reporting element, so that the site can know the basic situation of each reported AP in the MLD based on this information, thereby better selecting from the neighbor APs as candidate APs when the site switches BSS.

[0278] Please see Figure 11 , Figure 11 This application provides a fast BSS handover method based on a DS system. The method involves a site (non-AP), the current AP associated with that site, and a target AP to which the site is to be handed over. The method for the site to hand over from the associated current AP to the target AP includes: Step S1101: The site sends a fast transition (FT) request frame to the current AP.

[0279] Optionally, the current AP may reply with an Ack frame after receiving an FT request frame.

[0280] Step S1102: The current AP sends an FT response frame to the station.

[0281] Optionally, after receiving an FT response frame or authentication response frame, the site replies with an Ack frame.

[0282] In this embodiment, the site specifically acts as a Fast Transition Originator (FTO), which initiates a BSS handover based on a distributed system (DS) by sending the FT request frame. The sending address of the FT request frame is the MAC address of the site, the receiving address is the MAC address of the current AP, and it also carries first address information, which includes the MAC address of the MLD where the site is located, the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located, and the MAC address of the target AP; or, the first address information includes the MAC address of the MLD where the site is located and the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located.

[0283] For example, Figure 13 and Figure 14 This diagram illustrates a TF request action field and a TF response frame action field. The TF request action field includes a category, FT action, STA address, target AP address, and FT request frame body subfields, such as... Figure 13 As shown. The FT response frame action field includes the FT acknowledgment action field, which includes the category, FT action, STA address, destination AP address, status codeword, and FT response frame body subfields, such as... Figure 14 As shown. The TF request frame action field and TF response action field are carried in the TF request frame and TF response frame, respectively. The MAC header of the TF request frame and TF response frame carries the receive address and send address.

[0284] Optionally, if the site belongs to a site in a site MLD, and the target AP is an AP in an AP multi-link device, the MAC address of the MLD where the site in the first address information is located is carried in... Figure 13 or Figure 14 The MAC address field of the site. The MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located is carried in the first address information. Figure 13 or Figure 14 The target AP's MAC address field is included in the target AP's MAC address field. It's important to note that if the site sending the FT request frame does not belong to the MLD, the site's MAC address field still carries the MAC address of the site sending the FT request frame. Similarly, if the target AP that the site sending the FT request frame wants to switch to does not belong to the MLD, the target AP address field still carries the MAC address of the target AP that the site wants to switch to.

[0285] Alternatively, the MAC address field of the site in the FT request frame's action field still carries the MAC address of the site sending the FT request frame, and the target AP address field still carries the MAC address of the target AP that the site sending the FT request frame wants to switch to. The MAC address of the MLD where the site is located, and the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located, are carried in... Figure 13 or Figure 14 The FT request frame body field is important. It's worth noting that if the site sending the FT request frame does not belong to an MLD, the MAC address of the MLD where the site resides will not exist. Similarly, if the target AP that the site sending the FT request frame wants to switch to does not belong to an MLD, the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP resides will not exist.

[0286] Specifically, after receiving the FT action frame, the current AP parses it to obtain the first address information it carries, and then sends the parsed first address information to the target AP.

[0287] Step S1103: The site sends a reassociation request frame to the target AP.

[0288] The current AP address field in the reassociation request frame carries the MAC address of the MLD where the current AP is located.

[0289] Optionally, upon receiving a reassociation request frame, the target site responds with an Ack frame.

[0290] Step S1104: The target AP replies with a reassociation response frame to the current site.

[0291] Optionally, after receiving the reassociation response frame, the site replies with an Ack frame.

[0292] Optionally, both the reassociation request frame and the reassociation response frame carry the aforementioned first address information. The MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located is carried in the target AP's MAC address field, or in a newly added field. Optionally, the MAC address of the MLD where the site is located is carried in the site's MAC address field, or in a newly added field. Furthermore, if the site sending the reassociation request frame does not belong to an MLD, the site's MAC address field is still used to carry the MAC address of the site sending the reassociation request frame.

[0293] In addition to the FT protocol mentioned above, this application embodiment also applies to the FT resource request protocol. The FT resource request protocol based on the DS system, besides including the above steps S1101, S1102, S1103, and S1104, also includes the following steps between step S1102 and step S1103: Step S1105: The site sends an FT confirm frame to the current AP.

[0294] Optionally, upon receiving an FT confirm frame, the current AP replies with an Ack frame.

[0295] Step S1106: The current AP sends an FT ACK frame to the site.

[0296] Optionally, upon receiving an FTAck frame, the site replies with an Ack frame.

[0297] The FT confirm frame includes an FT confirm action field, which includes a category, FT action, STA address, target AP address, and FT confirm frame body subfields, such as... Figure 13A similar structure. The FTACK frame includes an FTACK action field, which includes classification, FT action, STA address, destination AP address, status codeword, and FT Ack frame body subfields, having, for example... Figure 14 Similar structure. The FTconfirm frame and FT Ack frame carry the first address information, specifically as described in the preceding FT request and FT response frames, and will not be repeated here. The MAC address of the MLD where the site is located, and the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located, may be missing (one or more of these may be missing), as described in the FT request and FT response frames, and will not be repeated here.

[0298] exist Figure 11 The method shown provides a method for quickly switching from a site multi-link device to an AP multi-link device, or a method for quickly switching from a site to an AP multi-link device, or a method for quickly switching from a site multi-link device to an AP, which can help all sites of the multi-link device participate in the rapid switching.

[0299] Please see Figure 12 , Figure 12 This application provides a fast BSS handover method based on a wireless air interface. The method involves a site (non-AP), the current AP associated with the site, and the target AP to which the site is to hand over. If the site belongs to a site in a site MLD, and the target AP is an AP in an AP multi-link device, the method includes the following steps when the site switches from the associated current AP to the target AP: Step S1201: The site sends an authentication request frame to the target AP.

[0300] Optionally, the target AP may reply with an Ack frame after receiving the authentication request frame.

[0301] Step S1202: The target AP sends an authentication response frame to the site.

[0302] Optionally, after receiving the authentication response frame, the site replies with an Ack frame.

[0303] In this embodiment, the authentication request frame and authentication response frame also carry first address information, such as within the frame body. This first address information includes the MAC address of the MLD where the site is located, the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located, and the MAC address of the target AP; or, the first address information includes the MAC address of the MLD where the site is located and the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located. Alternatively, the authentication request frame carries the first address information. Specifically, the SA address field of the authentication request frame carries the MAC address of the MLD where the STA is located, and the DA field carries the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located. The authentication response frame carries the first address information. Specifically, the SA address field of the authentication response frame carries the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located, and the DA field carries the MLD where the STA is located. The MAC addresses of the MLD where the site is located and the MLD where the target AP is located may be absent, as described in the FT request frame and FT response, and will not be repeated here.

[0304] Step S1203: The site sends a reassociation request frame to the target AP.

[0305] The current AP address field in the reassociation request frame carries the MAC address of the MLD where the current AP is located.

[0306] Optionally, upon receiving a reassociation request frame, the target site responds with an Ack frame.

[0307] Step S1204: The target AP replies with a reassociation response frame to the current site.

[0308] Optionally, after receiving the reassociation response frame, the site replies with an Ack frame.

[0309] Optionally, both the reassociation request frame and the reassociation response frame carry the aforementioned first address information. The MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located is carried in the target AP's MAC address field, or in a newly added field. Optionally, the MAC address of the MLD where the site is located is carried in the site's MAC address field, or in a newly added field. Furthermore, if the site sending the reassociation request frame does not belong to an MLD, the site's MAC address field is still used to carry the MAC address of the site sending the reassociation request frame.

[0310] In addition to the FT protocol mentioned above, the embodiments of this application also apply to the FT resource request protocol. The FT resource request protocol based on the radio interface, in addition to including the above steps S1201, S1202, S1203, and S1204, further includes the following between steps S1202 and S1203: Step S1205: The site sends an authentication confirmation frame to the current AP.

[0311] Step S1206: The current AP sends an authentication ACK frame to the site.

[0312] The authentication confirm frame and authentication ACK frame also carry one or more of the MAC addresses of the MLD where the site is located and the MLD where the target AP is located, for example, in the frame body. Alternatively, the authentication confirm frame carries first address information; specifically, the SA address field of the authentication confirm frame carries the MLD address where the STA is located, and the DA field carries the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located. The authentication ACK frame also carries first address information; specifically, the SA address field of the authentication ACK frame carries the MAC address of the MLD where the target AP is located, and the DA field carries the MLD address where the STA is located. The MAC addresses of the MLD where the site is located and the MLD where the target AP is located may also be absent, as described in the FT request frame and FT response, and will not be repeated here.

[0313] In the case of switching from a non-AP MLD to an AP MLD, in one example, the STA Address and Target AP Address fields in the corresponding FT Request / Response / confirm / ACK frame should carry the corresponding SAP Address of the non-AP MLD and the SAP Address of the AP MLD, respectively.

[0314] exist Figure 12 The method shown provides a method for quickly switching from a site multi-link device to an AP multi-link device, or a method for quickly switching from a site to an AP multi-link device, or a method for quickly switching from a site multi-link device to an AP, which can help all sites of the multi-link device participate in the rapid switching.

[0315] The apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application is described in detail below, which can improve the efficiency of AP detection.

[0316] Figure 15This application illustrates a communication device 1500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. This device can be an access point (AP) (e.g., a reporting AP in an AP multi-link device) or a station (e.g., a station receiving a first management frame, a station receiving a second management frame, or a station in the aforementioned BSS handover process), or it can be a chip or processing system within the access point (AP) (e.g., a reporting AP in an AP multi-link device) or a station (e.g., a station receiving a first management frame, a station receiving a second management frame, or a station in the aforementioned BSS handover process), capable of implementing the above... Figure 4 The methods and functions of the embodiments shown, or the implementations of the above... Figure 9 The methods and functions of the embodiments shown, or the implementations of the above... Figure 11 The methods and functions of the embodiments shown, or the implementations of the above... Figure 12 The methods and functions of the illustrated embodiments. Due to differences in integration levels, the communication device may include, for example... Figure 15 One or more of the components shown. Figure 15 The components shown may include at least one processor 1501, a memory 1502, a transceiver 1503, and a communication bus 1504.

[0317] The following is combined Figure 15 The various components of the communication device 1500 are described in detail below: Processor 1501 is the control center of communication device 1500. It can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, processor 1501 can be a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Processor 1501 can perform various functions of the communication device by running or executing software programs stored in memory 1502 and calling data stored in memory 1502. In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, processor 1501 may include one or more CPUs, for example... Figure 15 CPU0 and CPU1 are shown in the diagram.

[0318] In a specific implementation, as one example, the communication device 1500 may include multiple processors, such as... Figure 15The processors 1501 and 1505 are shown. Each of these processors can be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor. Here, "processor" can refer to one or more communication devices, circuits, and / or processing cores used to process data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0319] The memory 1502 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage communication device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage communication device capable of storing information and instructions, or it may be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage communication device, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 1502 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 1501 via the communication bus 1504. The memory 1502 may also be integrated with the processor 1501. The memory 1502 is used to store the software program that executes the solution of this application, and the processor 1501 controls its execution.

[0320] Transceiver 1503 is used for communication with other devices (such as a second device). Of course, transceiver 1503 can also be used to communicate with communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access networks (RAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc. Transceiver 1503 may include a receiving unit to implement receiving functions and a transmitting unit to implement transmitting functions.

[0321] The communication bus 1504 can be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. This bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, and control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 15 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0322] In one example, the communication device 1500 is a complete device, which may include: a processor 1501, a memory 1502, a transceiver 1503, and a communication bus 1504. Optionally, it may also include other components, such as a display screen.

[0323] Optionally, the communication device 1500 is an access point (AP) (e.g., a reporting AP in an AP multi-link device), which can be used to implement the aforementioned... Figure 4 The methods and functions in the illustrated embodiments are as follows. For example, a computer program (instructions) is stored in the memory. When the processor calls the computer program, the above methods and functions are implemented. For instance, the processor is used to generate a first management frame (carrying simplified neighbor reporting elements), and the transceiver is used to send a second management frame (carrying neighbor reporting elements). For example, the processor is used to control the transceiver to execute step S401. Of course, the process of generating the first management frame involved in step S401 can also be performed by the processor.

[0324] Optionally, the communication device 1500 can be a station and can be used to implement the aforementioned... Figure 9 The illustrated embodiments relate to methods and functions of a site. For example, a computer program is stored in a memory, and when a processor calls the computer program, it implements the aforementioned methods and functions. For instance, the processor generates signaling or frames (such as FT request frames or authentication request frames), and the transceiver sends signaling or frames (such as receiving FT response frames or authentication response frames). For example, the processor generates the FT request frame or authentication request frame in step S901, controlling the transceiver to receive it. Then, the processor determines whether a reply to the FT response frame or authentication response frame is needed based on relevant conditions. If a reply is needed, the FT response frame or authentication response frame is sent through the transceiver. In another example, the communication device 1500 is a chip system or processing system in an access point (AP) (such as a reporting AP in an AP multi-link device) or a site (such as a site receiving a first management frame, a site receiving a second management frame, or a site in the aforementioned BSS handover process), enabling the device with the chip system or processing system installed to implement the aforementioned... Figure 4or Figure 9 or Figure 11 or Figure 12 The methods and functions in the illustrated embodiments. Therefore, the communication device 1500 may include, for example... Figure 15 Some of the components shown, such as the communication device 1500, include a processor that can be coupled to a memory, call instructions from the memory, and execute them, thereby configuring the device on which the chip system or processing system is installed to implement the aforementioned functionality. Figure 4 or Figure 9 or Figure 11 or Figure 12 The methods and functions are illustrated. Optionally, the memory can be a component in a chip system or a processing system, or it can be a component externally coupled to the chip system or processing system. In one example, the chip system or processing system is installed in an access point (AP) (e.g., a reporting AP in an AP multi-link device) or a site (e.g., a site receiving a first management frame, a site receiving a second management frame, or a site in the aforementioned BSS handover process), enabling the access point (AP) (e.g., a reporting AP in an AP multi-link device) or the site (e.g., a site receiving a first management frame, a site receiving a second management frame, or a site in the aforementioned BSS handover process) to implement the corresponding methods and functions in the foregoing embodiments.

[0325] This chip system or processing system supports communication using the 802.11 series protocols, such as 802.11be, 802.11ax, and 802.11ac. This chip system can be installed in various devices that support WLAN transmission. Devices in WLAN transmission scenarios have been described at the beginning of this manual and will not be repeated here.

[0326] This application embodiment can divide access points (APs) (e.g., reporting APs in AP multi-link devices) or sites (e.g., sites receiving the first management frame, or sites receiving the second management frame, or sites in the BSS handover process described above) into functional modules based on the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation.

[0327] When using integrated units, Figure 16A possible structural schematic diagram of a communication device 1600 is shown. The communication device 1600 can be a chip or processing system in a link device or a multi-link device. The communication device 1600 can perform the operations of the multi-link device in the above method embodiments. The communication device 1600 includes a processing unit 1601 and a transceiver unit 1602.

[0328] In one example, the communication device 1600 is the aforementioned access point (AP) (e.g., the reporting AP in an AP multi-link device) or a site (e.g., a site receiving the first management frame, or a site receiving the second management frame, or a site in the aforementioned BSS handover process).

[0329] The processing unit 1601 can be used to control and manage the operation of the communication device 1600. For example, it can generate a first management frame or a second management frame. Alternatively, it can control the operation of the transceiver unit 1602. Optionally, if the communication device 1600 includes a storage unit, the processing unit 1601 can also execute programs or instructions stored in the storage unit to enable the communication device 1600 to implement the methods and functions involved in any of the above embodiments.

[0330] For example, the processing unit 1601 described above can control the transceiver unit to perform, for example... Figure 4 Step S401, or Figure 9 Step S901, or, Figure 11 In steps S1101-S1104, or, Figure 12 Steps S1201-S1204, and / or other processes used in the technology described herein. All relevant content regarding each step in the above method embodiments can be referenced to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0331] For example, the transceiver unit 1602 described above can transmit and receive data or signaling transmitted on one link, or it can transmit and receive data or signaling transmitted on multiple links. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1602 can be a single transceiver module, or it can include multiple transceiver modules. When the transceiver unit 1602 is a single transceiver module, that module can transmit and receive data on multiple links. For example, if the first multi-link device operates on two links, then when the transceiver unit 1602 includes two transceiver modules, one module operates on one link, and the other module operates on the other link. For example, the transceiver unit 1602 can be used to perform, for example... Figure 4 Step S401, or, Figure 9 Step S901, or, Figure 11 In steps S1101-S1104, or, Figure 12Steps S1201-S1204, and / or other processes used in the technology described herein. All relevant content regarding each step in the above method embodiments can be referenced to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0332] For example, the communication device 1600 can be Figure 15 The communication device shown, the processing unit 1601 can be Figure 15 The processor 1501 and transceiver unit 1602 can be Figure 15 The transceiver 1503 is included. Optionally, the communication device 1600 may further include a memory for storing program code and data corresponding to the communication device 1600 executing any of the multi-link device communication methods described above. Figure 15 All descriptions of the relevant components can be found in the functional descriptions of the corresponding components of the communication device 1600, and will not be repeated here.

[0333] For example, the communication device 1600 may also be a chip or processor, wherein the processing unit 1601 is a processing circuit in the chip or processor, and the transceiver unit 1602 may be an input / output circuit in the chip or processor. The input / output circuit is an interface for the chip or processor to communicate or exchange data with other coupled components, which can ensure that signaling or data information or program instructions are input into the chip or processor for processing, and output the processed data or signaling to other coupled components, and control the first multi-link device on which the chip or processor is installed to perform functions.

[0334] In another example, the communication device 1600 is a second device or a chip in a second device.

[0335] For example, the processing unit 1601 described above can be used to generate a first management frame or a second management frame, for example, Figure 4 The first management frame in step S401 is generated by processing unit 1601, or Figure 9 The second management frame in S901 is generated by processing unit 1601, or Figure 11 The FT request frame in step S1101 is generated by processing unit 1601, or Figure 12 The authentication request frame in step S1201 is generated by processing unit 1601 and / or used in other processes of the technology described herein. All relevant content regarding each step in the above method embodiments can be referenced to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0336] For example, the transceiver unit 1602 described above can transmit and receive data or signaling transmitted on one link, or it can transmit and receive data or signaling transmitted on multiple links. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1602 can be a single transceiver module, or it can include multiple transceiver modules. When the transceiver unit 1602 is a single transceiver module, it can transmit and receive data on multiple links. For example, if a site operates on two links, then when the transceiver unit 1602 includes two transceiver modules, one transceiver module operates on one link, and the other transceiver module operates on the other link. For example, the transceiver unit 1602 described above can be used to perform, for example... Figure 4 Step S401, or, Figure 9 Steps S901 and S902, or... Figure 11 Steps S1101-S1104 shown, or, Figure 12 Steps S1201-S1204 shown, and / or other processes used in the technology described herein. All relevant content regarding each step in the above method embodiments can be referenced to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0337] For example, the communication device 1600 can be Figure 15 The communication device shown, the processing unit 1601 can be Figure 15 The processor 1501 and transceiver unit 1602 can be Figure 15 The transceiver 1503 is included. Optionally, the communication device 1600 may further include a memory for storing program code and data corresponding to the execution of any of the methods provided above by the communication device 1600. Figure 15 All descriptions of the relevant components can be found in the functional descriptions of the corresponding components of the communication device 1600, and will not be repeated here.

[0338] For example, the communication device 1600 can also be a chip or processor, wherein the processing unit 1601 is a processing circuit in the chip or processor, and the transceiver unit 1602 can be an input / output circuit in the chip or processor. The input / output circuit is an interface for the chip or processor to communicate or exchange data with other coupled components, which can ensure that signaling or data information or program instructions are input into the chip or processor for processing, and output the processed data or signaling to other coupled components, and control the device on which the chip or processor is installed to perform its functions.

[0339] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer program code. When the processor executes the computer program code, it causes the electronic device (such as an access point or site) where the processor is located to perform... Figure 4 ,or Figure 9,or Figure 11 ,or Figure 12 The method of any of the embodiments.

[0340] This application also provides a computer program product that, when run on a computer, causes the computer (such as an access point or site) to perform... Figure 4 ,or Figure 9 ,or Figure 11 ,or Figure 12 The method of any of the embodiments.

[0341] This application also provides a communication device, which can exist in the form of a chip. The device includes a processor and an interface circuit. The processor is used to communicate with other devices through a receiving circuit, enabling the device to perform the aforementioned actions. Figure 4 , Figure 9 ,or Figure 11 ,or Figure 12 The method in any of the embodiments.

[0342] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned access point (AP) (e.g., a reporting AP in an AP multi-link device) and a station. The access point (AP) (e.g., a reporting AP in an AP multi-link device) and the station can perform the above-mentioned... Figure 4 or Figure 9 or Figure 11 or Figure 12 The method described in the embodiments. Alternatively, the communication system may include the aforementioned station, which can perform the above-described... Figure 11 The methods described in the embodiments. The steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, read-only optical discs (CD-ROMs), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can be located in a core network interface device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the core network interface device.

[0343] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in one or more of the examples above, the functions described in this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer-readable storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transmission of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0344] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of this application. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made on the basis of the technical solution of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A method for discovering MLDs in an access point multi-link device (AP), characterized in that, include: The site receives a management frame from the reporting AP, wherein the management frame includes a Reduced Neighbor Reporting (RNR) element, and the beacon frame target transmission time (TBTT) information field in the RNR element includes an eighth information field; The eighth information field is used to carry the MLD identifier of the AP MLD to which the reported AP belongs; The site parses the management frame.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same APMLD, and the value of the eighth information field is set to 0.

3. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The reported AP is an AP in the AP MLD where the non-transporting AP is located in the same set of multiple BSSIDs as the reporting AP.

4. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The reported AP does not belong to any AP MLD, and the value of the eighth information field is set to 255.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The length of the eighth information field is 1 byte.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The TBTT information field also includes the link identifier of the reported AP.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The link identifier of the reported AP is unique within the AP MLD to which the reported AP belongs.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The management frame also includes an MLD element, which includes an MLD public information field, and the MLD public information field includes a Link ID field, which is used to indicate the link identifier of the reporting AP.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The MLD element also includes a public control field, which includes a Link ID occurrence field. The Link ID occurrence field is used to indicate whether the MLD public information field includes the Link ID field.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The management frame is either a beacon frame or a probe response frame.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a station or is applied to a station, and the communication device includes: Receive a management frame from the reporting AP, wherein the management frame includes a Reduced Neighbor Reporting (RNR) element, and the beacon frame target transmission time (TBTT) information field in the RNR element includes an eighth information field; The eighth information field is used to carry the MLD identifier of the AP MLD to which the reported AP belongs; Parse the management frame.

12. The communication device as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that, The reported AP and the reporting AP belong to the same AP MLD, and the value of the eighth information field is set to 0.

13. The communication device as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that, The reported AP is an AP in the AP MLD where the non-transporting AP is located in the same set of multiple BSSIDs as the reporting AP.

14. The communication device as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that, The reported AP does not belong to any AP MLD, and the value of the eighth information field is set to 255.

15. The communication device according to any one of claims 11-14, characterized in that, The length of the eighth information field is 1 byte.

16. The communication device according to any one of claims 11-14, characterized in that, The TBTT information field also includes the link identifier of the reported AP.

17. The communication device as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that, The link identifier of the reported AP is unique within the AP MLD to which the reported AP belongs.

18. The communication device according to any one of claims 11-14, characterized in that, The management frame also includes an MLD element, which includes an MLD public information field, and the MLD public information field includes a Link ID field, which is used to indicate the link identifier of the reporting AP.

19. The communication device as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that, The MLD element also includes a public control field, which includes a Link ID occurrence field. The Link ID occurrence field is used to indicate whether the MLD public information field includes the Link ID field.

20. The communication device according to any one of claims 11-14, characterized in that, The management frame is either a beacon frame or a probe response frame.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes at least one processor, which is coupled to at least one memory to read and execute instructions in the at least one memory to implement the method of any one of claims 1-10.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when run on a processor, implements the method described in any one of claims 1-10.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that, The program product stores a computer program (instructions) that is executed by a processor, which, when run on the processor, causes the processor to perform the method described in any one of claims 1-10.

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