Collision mitigation for enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) links between multi-link devices

Abstract

The invention relates to multi-link communication in a wireless communication network. Some aspects more specifically relate to collision mitigation techniques for enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) links between multi-link devices. In some examples, an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) and a non-AP MLD may communicate via two enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) links, one of which may be the anchor chain of the non-AP MLD. In some examples, a non-AP MLD may maintain a beacon drop count that represents the number of beacons that the non-AP MLD has dropped on its anchor chain since it successfully receives a beacon last time. In some examples, when the beacon drop count satisfies a beacon drop threshold, the non-AP MLD may send a packet on the non-anchor link to initiate a communication pause for the non-anchor link, such that the non-AP MLD may receive beacons on the anchor link.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates in general to wireless communication, and more specifically to multi-link communication in wireless communication networks. Background Technology

[0002] A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) can be formed by one or more wireless access points (APs) that provide a shared wireless communication medium for use by multiple client devices (also known as wireless stations (STAs)). The basic building block of a WLAN conforming to the IEEE 802.11 family of standards is the Basic Service Set (BSS) managed by the AP. Each BSS is identified by a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) advertised by the AP. The AP periodically broadcasts beacon frames to enable any STA within the AP's wireless range to establish or maintain a communication link with the WLAN.

[0003] Some wireless STAs in a WLAN can be non-access point (non-AP) multilink devices (MLDs) that support operation on multiple links, but receive or transmit frames on only one link at a time. By operating in Enhanced Multilink Single Radio (EMLSR) mode, such a non-AP MLD can use multiple receive chains to concurrently monitor each EMLSR link in a set of multiple EMLSR links to receive control frame transmissions from the access point (AP) MLD. To achieve this, the non-AP MLD can apply a 1×1 spatial stream configuration, under which the non-AP MLD can use one of its multiple receive chains to monitor each of the multiple EMLSR links. One of the multiple EMLSR links can be the anchor link of the non-AP MLD, via which the non-AP MLD may need to receive beacons from the AP MLD. By operating in a 1×1 spatial stream configuration, a non-AP MLD may be able to use one receive chain to monitor its anchor link for beacon frames, while concurrently using another receive chain to monitor another EMLSR link for control frame transmission. If the AP MLD transmits a control frame on the other EMLSR link to initiate a data communication exchange, the non-AP MLD may need to switch to a different spatial stream configuration (in which the non-AP MLD can no longer monitor its anchor link for beacon frames) to complete the data communication exchange. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The systems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein each have several innovative aspects, and no single aspect is solely responsible for the desired properties disclosed herein.

[0005] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a wireless station. The wireless station includes a processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code, the processing system being configured to cause the wireless station to: update a beacon drop count for the first EMLSR link with the AP MLD in association with a conflict between a beacon reception interval for a first Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) link and a data communication interval for a second EMLSR link with an Access Point (AP) Multi-Link Device (MLD); and send packets to the AP MLD in association with initiating a communication pause for the second EMLSR link based on the updated beacon drop count meeting a threshold.

[0006] In some examples, the packet may include a Request to Transport (RTS) frame or a Allow to Transport (CTS) frame. In some examples, the packet may include a frame that includes a network allocation vector (NAV) indicating the duration of the communication suspension. In some examples, the packet may include a Quality of Service (QoS) empty frame.

[0007] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication by a wireless station. The method includes: updating a beacon drop count for the first EMLSR link with the AP MLD in association with a conflict between a beacon reception interval for a first EMLSR link and a data communication interval for a second EMLSR link with the AP MLD; and sending a packet to the AP MLD in association with initiating a communication pause for the second EMLSR link based on the updated beacon drop count satisfying a threshold.

[0008] In some examples, the packet may include an RTS frame or a CTS frame to itself. In some examples, the packet may include a frame that includes a NAV indicating the duration of the communication pause. In some examples, the packet may include a QoS empty frame.

[0009] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a wireless access point. The wireless access point includes a processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code, the processing system being configured to cause the wireless access point to: update a retransmission count for the first EMLSR link with the non-AP MLD in association with the retransmission of multi-user RTS (MU-RTS) frames exchanged for data communication with the non-AP MLD on a first EMLSR link or the retransmission of physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) exchanged for such data communication with the non-AP MLD on the first EMLSR link; and monitor for conflicts between the data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link with the non-AP MLD based on a conflict mitigation process associated with the updated retransmission count meeting a threshold.

[0010] In some examples, the processing system may be configured to cause the AP MLD to delay MU-RTS transmission in association with the existence of a conflict between the data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link after the initiation of the conflict mitigation process. In some examples, the processing system may be configured to cause the AP MLD to initiate the conflict mitigation process based on the retransmission count meeting the threshold and the non-AP MLD being active on both the first and second EMLSR links.

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication by a wireless access point. The method includes: updating a retransmission count for the first EMLSR link with the non-AP MLD in association with a retransmission of a MU-RTS frame exchanged for data communication with a non-AP MLD on a first EMLSR link or a retransmission of a PPDU exchanged for the same data communication with the non-AP MLD on the first EMLSR link; and monitoring for a conflict between a data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and a beacon reception interval for a second EMLSR link with the non-AP MLD based on a conflict mitigation process associated with the updated retransmission count meeting a threshold.

[0012] In some examples, the method may include delaying MU-RTS transmission in association with the existence of a conflict between a data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and a beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link after the initiation of the conflict mitigation process. In some examples, the method may include initiating the conflict mitigation process based on the retransmission count meeting the threshold and the non-APMLD being active on both the first and second EMLSR links.

[0013] Details of one or more specific embodiments of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. It should be noted that the relative dimensions in the following drawings may not be drawn to scale. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network is shown.

[0015] Figure 2 An example Protocol Data Unit (PDU) is shown that can be used for communication between a wireless access point (AP) and one or more wireless stations (STA).

[0016] Figure 3 An example physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) capable of being used for communication between a wireless AP and one or more wireless STAs is shown.

[0017] Figure 4 A hierarchical format of an example PPDU that can be used for communication between a wireless AP and one or more wireless STAs is shown.

[0018] Figure 5A A block diagram illustrating the first example operating environment is shown.

[0019] Figure 5B A communication diagram illustrating the first example conflict scenario is shown.

[0020] Figure 5C A communication diagram illustrating the second example conflict scenario is shown.

[0021] Figure 5D A communication diagram illustrating an example technique for mitigating collisions on EMLSR links between multi-link devices is shown.

[0022] Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating the second example operating environment is shown.

[0023] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an example process that can be performed by or at a wireless station supporting collision mitigation for enhanced multilink single radio (EMLSR) links between multilink devices is shown.

[0024] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating an example process that can be performed by or at a wireless access point that supports collision mitigation for EMLSR links between multi-link devices is shown.

[0025] Figure 9A block diagram of a first example wireless communication device supporting collision mitigation for EMLSR links between multi-link devices is shown.

[0026] Figure 10 A block diagram of a second example wireless communication device supporting collision mitigation for EMLSR links between multi-link devices is shown.

[0027] The same reference numerals and names in the various figures indicate the same elements. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The following description refers to certain specific examples intended to illustrate the innovative aspects of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. Some or all of the examples described can be applied in accordance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, the IEEE 802.15 standard, or Bluetooth as defined by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). ® This can be implemented in any device, system, or network that transmits and receives radio frequency (RF) signals using one or more of the following standards or those published by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP): Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3G, 4G, or 5G (New Radio (NR)). The described examples can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals according to one or more of the following technologies or techniques: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA), Rate Split Multiple Access (RSMA), Multi-User Shared Access (MUSA), Single-User (SU) Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), and Multi-User (MU)-MIMO (MU-MIMO). The described examples can also be implemented using other wireless communication protocols or RF signals suitable for use in one or more of a wireless personal area network (WPAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless wide area network (WWAN), wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), or Internet of Things (IoT) network.

[0029] Various aspects generally relate to wireless communication, and more specifically to multilink communication in wireless communication networks. Some aspects more specifically relate to techniques for mitigating conflicts in corresponding communications on multiple wireless communication links between multilink devices. In some examples, a non-access point (non-AP) multilink device (MLD) may observe a beacon drop threshold, which represents the number of beacon transmissions that the non-AP MLD on a first enhanced multilink single radio (EMLSR) link with the access point (AP) MLD may drop in order to participate in data communication with the AP MLD on a second EMLSR link. In various examples, the first EMLSR link may be the anchor link of the non-AP MLD, and the second EMLSR link may be a non-anchor link. In some examples, the non-AP MLD may maintain a beacon drop count, which represents the number of beacon transmissions that the non-AP MLD has dropped on the first EMLSR link since the last successful reception of a beacon on the first EMLSR link.

[0030] In various examples, when a non-AP MLD skips beacon transmissions on the first EMLSR link to receive data from an AP MLD via a second EMLSR link, the non-AP MLD may update the beacon drop count. In some examples, the non-AP MLD may then determine whether it can drop any additional beacons on the first EMLSR link based on the updated beacon drop count and a beacon drop threshold. In various examples, if the non-AP MLD determines that it cannot drop any additional beacon transmissions, the non-AP MLD may initiate a communication pause on the second EMLSR link to postpone further data communication on that link for a sufficient time to allow the non-AP MLD to receive beacons on the first EMLSR link. In some examples, in conjunction with initiating a communication pause on the second EMLSR link, the non-AP MLD may reset the beacon drop count. In various examples, the non-AP MLD may initiate a communication pause by transmitting packets to the AP MLD via the second EMLSR link. In some examples, the packets may include RTS frames, CTS frames for itself, or Quality of Service (QoS) empty frames. In various examples, a packet may include a frame that includes a network allocation vector (NAV) indicating the duration of a communication pause.

[0031] Specific aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by implementing a communication pause on the non-anchor link of a non-AP MLD to enable beacon reception on its anchor link, the non-AP MLD can recover the anchor link if it degrades. In some examples, selectively implementing such a communication pause (based on whether the beacon drop count meets the beacon drop threshold) allows the non-AP MLD to discard beacons and prioritize data communication on its non-anchor link when the anchor link is in good condition. This allows the non-AP MLD to achieve improved data reception rates while maintaining link integrity. Additionally, by initiating a communication pause to delay data transmission by the AP MLD, rather than simply discarding those transmissions, the non-AP MLD can reduce the chance of data loss. Furthermore, the AP MLD is less likely to mistakenly conclude that the non-anchor link has been lost and is less likely to repeat data transmissions on the non-anchor link. Therefore, radio resource consumption can be reduced in terms of both control of transmission overhead and data transmission, and the utilization of the non-anchor link can thus be more efficient.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network 100 is shown. Depending on some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a wireless local area network (WLAN) (such as a Wi-Fi network). For example, the wireless communication network 100 may be a network implementing at least one of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard families (such as standards defined by the IEEE 802.11-2020 specification or its revisions, including but not limited to 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, 802.11bd, 802.11be, 802.11bf, and 802.11bn). In some other examples, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a cellular radio access network (RAN), such as a 5G or 6G RAN implementing one or more cellular protocols (such as those specified in one or more 3GPP standards). In some other examples, wireless communication network 100 may include a WLAN that operates in a manner interoperable with or converged with one or more cellular RANs to provide greater or enhanced network coverage to wireless communication devices within wireless communication network 100, or to enable such devices to connect to the core of the cellular network, such as to access network management capabilities and functionality provided by the cellular network core.

[0033] The wireless communication network 100 may include numerous wireless communication devices, including at least one wireless access point (AP) 102 and any number of wireless stations (STA) 104. Although Figure 1Only one AP 102 is shown, but the wireless communication network 100 may include multiple APs 102. AP 102 may be or represent various different types of network entities, including but not limited to home networking APs, enterprise APs, single-band APs, dual-band simultaneous (DBS) APs, triple-band simultaneous (TBS) APs, standalone APs, non-standalone APs, software-enabled APs (software APs), and multi-link APs (also known as AP multi-link devices (MLDs)), as well as cellular (such as 3GPP, 4G LTE, 5G, or 6G) base stations or other cellular network nodes, such as Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), gNBs, Transmitter Receiver Points (TRPs), or another type of equipment or apparatus included in the radio access network (RAN), including open RAN (O-RAN) network entities, such as central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), or radio units (RUs).

[0034] Each STA in STA 104 may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), mobile device, mobile phone, wireless phone, access terminal (AT), user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), or subscriber unit, etc. STA 104 can represent a variety of devices such as mobile phones, other handheld or wearable communication devices, netbooks, laptops, tablets, laptops, Chromebooks, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), or extended reality (XR) wireless headsets or other peripherals, wireless earbuds, other wearable devices, display devices (e.g., televisions, computer monitors, or video game consoles), video game controllers, navigation systems, music or other audio or stereo devices, remote control devices, printers, kitchen appliances (including smart refrigerators) or other home appliances, remote keys (e.g., for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, vehicles, etc.

[0035] A single AP 102 and its associated set of STA 104s may be referred to as a Basic Service Set (BSS), which is managed by the respective AP 102. Figure 1An example coverage area 108 of AP 102 is also shown, which may represent the Basic Service Area (BSA) of wireless communication network 100. The BSA can be identified by STA 104 and other devices through a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), which may be the Media Access Control (MAC) address of AP 102. AP 102 may periodically broadcast beacon frames (“beacons”) including the BSSID to enable any STA 104 within the wireless range of AP 102 to “associate” or reassociate with AP 102 to establish or maintain a corresponding communication link 106 (also referred to hereinafter as a “Wi-Fi link”) with AP 102. For example, the beacon may include an identifier or indication of the primary channel used by the corresponding AP 102 and a Timing Synchronization Function (TSF) for establishing or maintaining timing synchronization with AP 102. AP 102 can provide access to external networks to various STAs 104 in the wireless communication network 100 via the corresponding communication link 106.

[0036] To establish a communication link 106 with AP 102, each STA 104 is configured to perform a passive or active scanning operation (“scan”) on frequency channels in one or more frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, 45 GHz, or 60 GHz bands). To perform a passive scan, STA 104 listens for beacons transmitted by the corresponding AP 102 at periodic time intervals called Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT). To perform an active scan, STA 104 generates probe requests and transmits these probe requests sequentially on each channel to be scanned, and listens for probe responses from AP 102. Each STA 104 can identify, determine, detect, or select an AP 102 to associate with based on the scanning information obtained through passive or active scanning, and perform authentication and association operations to establish a communication link 106 with the selected AP 102. When the association operation is completed, the selected AP 102 assigns an association identifier (AID) to STA 104, and AP 102 uses the association identifier (AID) to track STA 104.

[0037] As wireless networks become increasingly prevalent, STA 104 may have the opportunity to choose from one of many BSSs within its range or from multiple APs 102 that together form an Extended Service Set (ESS) (comprising multiple connected BSSs). For example, wireless communication network 100 may connect to a wired or wireless distribution system that enables multiple APs 102 to connect within such an ESS. Therefore, STA 104 may be covered by more than one AP 102 and may be associated with different APs 102 at different times for different transmissions. Additionally, after associating with an AP 102, STA 104 may periodically scan its surroundings to find a more suitable AP 102 to associate with. For example, STA 104 moving relative to its associated AP 102 may perform a “roaming” scan to find another AP 102 with more desirable network characteristics, such as a larger Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) or reduced traffic load.

[0038] In some cases, STA 104 can form a network without AP 102 or other equipment besides STA 104 itself. An example of such a network is an ad hoc network (or wireless ad hoc network). Ad hoc networks may also be referred to as mesh networks or peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. In some cases, ad hoc networks can be implemented within a larger network, such as wireless communication network 100. In such examples, while STA 104 may be able to communicate with each other via communication link 106 through AP 102, STA 104 may also communicate directly with each other via direct wireless communication link 110. Additionally, two STA 104 may communicate via direct communication link 110, regardless of whether the two STA 104 are associated with and served by the same AP 102. In such ad hoc systems, one or more STAs among STA 104 may assume the role played by AP 102 in the BSS. Such STA 104 may be referred to as the group owner (GO) and may coordinate transmissions within the ad hoc network. Examples of direct wireless communication links 110 include Wi-Fi direct connections, connections established by using Wi-Fi Tunneling Direct Link Establishment (TDLS) links, and other P2P group connections.

[0039] In some networks, AP 102 or STA 104, or both, can support applications associated with high throughput or low latency requirements, or can provide lossless audio to one or more other devices. For example, AP 102 or STA 104 can support applications and use cases associated with ultra-low latency (ULL), such as ULL gaming, or streaming lossless audio and video to one or more personal audio devices (such as peripherals) or AR / VR / MR / XR headsets. In scenarios where users use two or more peripherals, AP 102 or STA 104 can support extended personal audio networks that enable communication with two or more peripherals. Additionally, AP 102 and STA 104 can support additional ULL applications, such as cloud-based applications with both ULL and high throughput requirements (such as VR cloud gaming).

[0040] As indicated above, in some implementations, AP 102 and STA 104 may operate and communicate according to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards (via the corresponding communication link 106). These standards define WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the physical (PHY) layer and MAC layer. AP 102 and STA 104 transmit and receive wireless communications to and from each other in the form of PHY Protocol Data Units (PPDUs) (also referred to below as "Wi-Fi communication" or "wireless packets").

[0041] Each PPDU is a composite structure comprising a PHY preamble and a payload in the form of a PHY Service Data Unit (PSDU). The information provided in the preamble can be used by the receiving device to decode subsequent data in the PSDU. In instances where PPDUs are transmitted via bonded or wideband channels, the preamble field can be copied and transmitted in each of the multiple component channels. The PHY preamble may include both a legacy portion (or "legacy preamble") and a non-legacy portion (or "non-legacy preamble"). The legacy preamble can be used for other purposes such as packet detection, automatic gain control, and channel estimation. The legacy preamble is also typically used to maintain compatibility with legacy equipment. The format, decoding, and information provided in the non-legacy portion of the preamble are associated with the specific IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol to be used to transmit the payload.

[0042] AP 102 and STA 104 in WLAN 100 can transmit PPDUs on unlicensed spectrum, which can be a portion of a spectrum that includes bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technologies, such as the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, 45 GHz band, and 60 GHz band. Some examples of AP 102 and STA 104 described herein can also communicate in other bands that can support licensed or unlicensed communication. For example, AP 102 or STA 104, or both, may also be able to communicate in unlicensed operating bands where multiple operators may have corresponding licenses to operate within the same or overlapping frequency ranges. Such licensed operating bands may be mapped to or associated with the frequency ranges specified for FR1 (410MHz-7.125GHz), FR2 (24.25GHz-52.6GHz), FR3 (7.125GHz-24.25GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6GHz-71GHz), FR4 (52.6GHz-114.25GHz), and FR5 (114.25GHz-300GHz).

[0043] Each frequency band can include multiple sub-bands and frequency channels (also referred to as sub-channels). For example, PPDUs conforming to revisions of the IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and 802.11bn standards can be transmitted on one or more frequency bands in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz bands, each of which is divided into multiple 20 MHz channels. Therefore, these PPDUs are transmitted on physical channels with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, but larger channels can be formed through channel bonding. For example, by bonding multiple 20 MHz channels together, PPDUs can be transmitted on physical channels with bandwidths of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz, or 640 MHz.

[0044] Figure 2 An example protocol data unit (PDU) 200 capable of wireless communication between a wireless access point (AP) and one or more wireless STAs is shown. For example, the AP and STA can be reference... Figure 1Examples of AP 102 and STA 104 are described. PDU 200 can be configured as a PPDU. As shown, PDU 200 includes a PHY preamble 202 and a PHY payload 204. For example, preamble 202 may include a legacy portion, which itself includes a legacy short training field (L-STF) 206 consisting of two symbols, a legacy long training field (L-LTF) 208 consisting of two symbols, and a legacy signal field (L-SIG) 210 consisting of two symbols. The legacy portion of preamble 202 may be configured according to the IEEE 802.11a wireless communication protocol standard. Preamble 202 may also include a non-legacy portion, which includes one or more non-legacy fields 212, for example, conforming to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard family.

[0045] L-STF 206 generally enables receiving devices (such as AP 102 or STA 104) to perform coarse timing and frequency tracking, as well as automatic gain control (AGC). L-LTF 208 generally enables receiving devices to perform fine timing and frequency tracking, and also to perform initial estimation of the radio channel. L-SIG 210 generally enables receiving devices to determine (e.g., acquire, select, identify, detect, determine, calculate, or compute) the duration of the PDU and use the determined duration to avoid transmission over the PDU. The legacy portion of the preamble can be modulated according to a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation scheme, including L-STF 206, L-LTF 208, and L-SIG 210. The payload 204 can be modulated according to a BPSK modulation scheme, a quadrature BPSK (Q-BPSK) modulation scheme, a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation scheme, or another suitable modulation scheme. Payload 204 may include a PSDU containing a data field (DATA) 214, which in turn may carry higher-level data in the form of, for example, MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) or Aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU).

[0046] Figure 3 An example physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) 350 capable of being used for communication between a wireless AP and one or more wireless STAs is shown. For example, the AP and STA can be reference... Figure 1Examples of AP 102 and STA 104 are described below. As shown, PPDU 350 includes a PHY preamble (which includes a legacy portion 352 and a non-legacy portion 354) and a payload 356 (which includes a data field 374). The legacy portion 352 of the preamble includes L-STF 358, L-LTF 360, and L-SIG 362. The non-legacy portion 354 of the preamble includes a repetition of L-SIG (RL-SIG) 364 and multiple wireless communication protocol version-related signal fields following RL-SIG 364. For example, the non-legacy portion 354 may include a general signal field 366 (referred to herein as "U-SIG 366") and an EHT signal field 368 (referred to herein as "EHT-SIG 368"). The presence of RL-SIG 364 and U-SIG 366 ensures compatibility with EHT or later versions. STA 104 indicates that PPDU 350 is an EHT PPDU or a PPDU conforming to a new wireless communication protocol (conforming to future IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standards). One or both of U-SIG 366 and EHT-SIG 368 can be constructed as other wireless communication protocol versions above EHT that are associated with a revision of the IEEE standards family and carry version-related information. For example, U-SIG 366 can be used by receiving devices such as AP102 and STA 104 to interpret bits in one or more of EHT-SIG 368 or data field 374. Similar to L-STF 358, L-LTF 360, and L-SIG 362, in instances involving the use of bonded channels, the information in U-SIG 366 and EHT-SIG 368 can be copied and transmitted in each of the component 20MHz channels.

[0047] The non-legacy portion 354 also includes an additional short training field 370 (referred to herein as "EHT-STF 370," though it can also be constructed for other wireless communication protocol versions above EHT and carry version-related information) and one or more additional long training fields 372 (referred to herein as "EHT-LTF 372," though they can also be constructed for other wireless communication protocol versions above EHT and carry version-related information). EHT-STF 370 can be used for timing and frequency tracking as well as AGC, while EHT-LTF 372 can be used for more refined channel estimation.

[0048] EHT-SIG 368 can be used by AP 102 to identify one or more STAs 104 and notify those STAs that AP 102 has scheduled uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) resources for them. EHT-SIG 368 can be decoded by each compatible STA 104 served by AP 102. EHT-SIG 368 can generally be used by the receiving device to interpret the bits in data field 374. For example, EHT-SIG 368 may include resource element (RU) allocation information, spatial flow configuration information, and per-user (e.g., STA-specific) signaling information. Each EHT-SIG 368 may include a common field and at least one user-specific field. In the context of OFDMA, the common field may indicate the RU distribution across multiple STAs 104, indicate RU assignment in the frequency domain, indicate which RUs are allocated for MU-MIMO transmission and which RUs correspond to OFDMA transmission, and the number of users in the allocation, etc. The user-specific field is assigned to a specific STA 104 and carries STA-specific scheduling information, such as user-specific MCS values ​​and user-specific RU allocation information. This information enables the corresponding STA 104 to identify and decode the corresponding RU in the associated data field 374.

[0049] Figure 4 A hierarchical format of an example PPDU capable of being used for communication between a wireless AP and one or more wireless STAs is shown. For example, the AP and STA can be references. Figure 1Examples of AP 102 and STA 104 described. As described, each PPDU 400 includes a PHY preamble 402 and a PSDU 404. Each PSDU 404 may represent (or “carry”) one or more MAC Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) 416. For example, each PSDU 404 may carry an aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU) 406, which includes an aggregation of multiple A-MPDU subframes 408. Each A-MPDU subframe 406 may include an MPDU frame 410 that includes a MAC delimiter 412 and a MAC header 414 preceding the accompanying MPDU 416, which includes the data portion (“payload” or “frame body”) of the MPDU frame 410. Each MPDU frame 410 may also include a Frame Check Sequence (FCS) field 418 for error detection (e.g., the FCS field may include Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)) and padding bits 420. MPDU 416 may carry one or more MAC Service Data Units (MSDUs) 416. For example, MPDU 416 may carry an aggregated MSDU (A-MSDU) 422, which comprises multiple A-MSDU subframes 424. Each A-MSDU subframe 424 contains a corresponding MSDU 430, which is preceded by a subframe header 428 and, in some cases, followed by padding bits 432.

[0050] Returning to reference MPDU frame 410, MAC delimiter 412 can be used as a marker to indicate the start of associated MPDU 416 and the length of associated MPDU 416. MAC header 414 may include multiple fields containing information defining or indicating the characteristics or attributes of the data encapsulated within frame body 416. MAC header 414 includes a duration field indicating the duration from the end of the PPDU to at least the end of the acknowledgment (ACK) or block ACK (BA) to be sent by the receiving wireless communication device for that PPDU. The use of the duration field is to preserve the wireless medium until the indicated duration and to enable the receiving device to establish its Network Allocation Vector (NAV). MAC header 414 also includes one or more fields indicating the address of the data encapsulated within frame body 416. For example, MAC header 414 may include a combination of source address, transmitter address, receiver address, or destination address. MAC header 414 may also include a frame control field containing control information. The frame control field may specify the frame type, such as a data frame, control frame, or management frame.

[0051] Access to a shared wireless medium is typically managed by a Distributed Coordination Function (DCF). With DCF, there is generally no centralized master device allocating time and frequency resources for the shared wireless medium. Instead, a wireless communication device (such as an AP102 or STA 104) can wait for a specific time before being granted permission to transmit data and subsequently contend for access to the wireless medium. DCF is implemented using time intervals, including time slot times (or “time slot intervals”) and inter-frame intervals (IFS). IFS provides priority access for control frames used for proper network operation. Transmission can begin at time slot boundaries. Different variations of IFS exist, including Short IFS (SIFS), Distributed IFS (DIFS), Extended IFS (EIFS), and Arbitrated IFS (AIFS). Values ​​for time slot times and IFS can be provided by appropriate standard specifications, such as one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family.

[0052] In some examples, wireless communication devices (such as AP 102 or STA 104) can implement DCF using Carrier-Sensed Multiple Access (CSMA) with Collision Avoidance (CA) (CSMA / CA) technology. According to such technology, before transmitting data, the wireless communication device can perform an idle channel assessment (CCA) and determine (e.g., identify, detect, identify, calculate, or operate) whether the relevant wireless channel is idle. CCA includes both physical (PHY-level) carrier sensing and virtual (MAC-level) carrier sensing. Physical carrier sensing is accomplished by measuring the received signal strength of a valid frame, and then comparing that measurement to a threshold to determine (e.g., identify, detect, identify, calculate, or operate) whether the channel is busy. For example, if the received signal strength of the detected preamble is higher than a threshold, the medium is considered busy. Physical carrier sensing also includes energy detection. Energy detection involves measuring the total energy received by the wireless communication device, regardless of whether the received signal represents a valid frame. If the detected total energy is higher than a threshold, the medium is considered busy.

[0053] Virtual carrier sensing is implemented using a Network Allocation Vector (NAV), which effectively serves as the elapsed time before a wireless communication device can contend for access, even in the absence of detected symbols or even when the detected energy is below a relevant threshold. The NAV is reset each time a valid frame not addressed to the wireless communication device is received. When the NAV reaches 0, the wireless communication device performs physical carrier sensing. If the channel remains idle for an appropriate IFS (Instantaneous Transfer Opportunity), the wireless communication device initiates a backoff timer, which represents the elapsed time during which the device senses the medium is idle before being allowed to transmit. If the channel remains idle until the backoff timer expires, the wireless communication device becomes the owner (or "owner") of a Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) and can begin transmitting. A TXOP is the elapsed time during which the wireless communication device can transmit frames on the channel after having "won" contention for the wireless medium. The TXOP duration can be indicated in the U-SIG field of the PPDU. Conversely, if one or more carrier sensing mechanisms in the carrier sensing mechanism indicate that the channel is busy, the MAC controller within the wireless communication device will not allow transmission.

[0054] Each time a wireless communication device generates a new PPDU for transmission in a new TXOP, it randomly selects a new backoff timer duration. The available distribution of numbers that can be randomly selected for the backoff timer is called the contention window (CW). Different CW and TXOP durations exist for each of the following four access classes (AC): Voice (AC_VO), Video (AC_VI), Background (AC_BK), and Best Effort (AC_BE). This allows for prioritizing specific types of traffic within the network.

[0055] In some other examples, wireless communication devices (e.g., AP 102 or STA 104) may contend for access to the wireless medium of WLAN 100 according to an Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) procedure. Random channel access mechanisms, such as EDCA, provide a greater likelihood of gaining medium access for high-priority services compared to low-priority traffic. Wireless communication devices using EDCA can classify data into different access categories. Each AC can be associated with a different priority level and can be assigned a different range of random backoff (RBO), making higher-priority data more likely to win TXOPs (e.g., by assigning a lower RBO to higher-priority data and vice versa). While EDCA increases the likelihood of low-latency data services gaining access to the shared wireless medium during a given contention period, the unpredictable outcomes of medium access contention operations may prevent low-latency applications from achieving specific levels of throughput or meeting specific latency requirements.

[0056] Retransmission protocols such as Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) can also provide performance gains. HARQ protocols can support both transmitting and receiving wireless communication devices (e.g., reference...) Figure 1 The various HARQ signaling between AP 102 and STA 104, as well as the signaling between the PHY and MAC layers, described herein, improve retransmission operations in WLAN. HARQ uses a combination of error detection and error correction. For example, HARQ transmission may include adding error detection bits to the data to be transmitted using error detection (ED) codes such as Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC). The error detection bits can be used by the receiving device to determine whether the receiving device has correctly decoded the received HARQ transmission. In some examples, forward error correction (FEC) codes, such as low-density parity check (LDPC) decoding schemes that systematically encode information bits to produce parity bits, can be used to encode the raw data (information bits) to be transmitted. The transmitting device may send both the raw information bits and the parity bits to the receiving device in a HARQ transmission. The receiving device may be able to use the parity bits to correct errors in the information bits, thereby avoiding retransmission.

[0057] Implementing the HARQ protocol in a WLAN improves the reliability of data transmitted from a transmitting device to a receiving device. The HARQ protocol supports the establishment of a HARQ session between two devices. Once a HARQ session is established, if the receiving device cannot correctly decode (and correct errors) a first HARQ transmission received from the transmitting device, the receiving device can send a HARQ feedback message (e.g., a negative acknowledgment (NACK)) to the transmitting device. This HARQ feedback message indicates that at least a portion of the first HARQ transmission was not correctly decoded. Such a HARQ feedback message may differ from the traditional block ACK feedback message type associated with regular ARQ. In response to receiving a HARQ feedback message, the transmitting device can send a second HARQ transmission to the receiving device to convey at least a portion that further assists the receiving device in decoding the first HARQ transmission. For example, the transmitting device may include some or all of the original information bits, some or all of the original parity bits, and other different parity bits in the second HARQ transmission. The combined HARQ transmissions can be processed for decoding and error correction, making it possible to obtain the complete signal associated with the HARQ transmission.

[0058] In some examples, the receiving device can control whether to continue the HARQ process or revert to a non-HARQ retransmission scheme (such as the Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) protocol). By allowing the device to dynamically switch between ARQ and HARQ protocols during frame exchange, such switching reduces feedback overhead and increases retransmission flexibility. Some implementations also allow the multiplexing of ARQ-based and HARQ-based communications.

[0059] Some wireless communication devices (including both AP and STA, such as...) Figure 1 The AP 102 and STA 104 described herein are capable of multi-link operation (MLO). In some examples, MLO supports establishing multiple different communication links (such as a first link in the 2.4 GHz band, a second link in the 5 GHz band, and a third link in the 6 GHz band) between the STA 104 and the AP 102, and concurrently and dynamically exchanging packets on one or more communication links. Each communication link may support one or more sets of channels or logical entities. In some cases, each communication link associated with a given wireless communication device may be associated with a corresponding radio component of the wireless communication device, which may include one or more transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) chains, including or coupled to one or more physical antennas, or including other components such as signal processing components. A device with MLO capability may be referred to as a multi-link device (MLD). An MLD may include a single upper MAC layer and may include, for example, three independent lower MAC layers and three associated independent PHY layers for the corresponding links in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. This architecture can implement a single association process and security context. AP MLDs may include multiple APs, each configured to communicate with a corresponding STA among a plurality of STAs 104 that are not AP MLDs (also referred to as "STA MLDs") on a respective communication link. STA MLDs may communicate with AP MLDs at a given time via one or more of the multiple communication links. MLDs may independently compete for access on each of the communication links, which reduces latency by allowing the MLD to send its packets on the first communication link that becomes available.

[0060] Another feature of MLO is traffic steering and QoS characterization, which achieves latency reduction and other QoS enhancements by mapping traffic flows with different latency or other requirements to different links. For example, traffic with low latency requirements can be mapped to radio links operating in the 6 GHz band, and more latency-tolerant traffic can be mapped to radio links operating in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands.

[0061] One type of MLO is Alternating Multiple Link, where an MLD can simultaneously listen to two different high-performance channels. When an MLD has traffic to transmit, it can use the first channel with access opportunities (such as TXOP). Although an MLD may only use one channel for receiving or transmitting at a time, having access opportunities on two different channels provides low latency during network congestion.

[0062] Another type of MLO is Multi-Link Aggregation (MLA), where traffic associated with a single STA 104 is transmitted simultaneously and in parallel across multiple communication links to maximize the utilization of available resources, thereby achieving higher throughput. This is similar to carrier aggregation in cellular space. That is, during at least some time durations, transmissions or portions of transmissions can occur simultaneously and in parallel through two or more links. In some examples, the parallel wireless communication links can support synchronous transmissions. In some other examples, or during some other time durations, transmissions via links can be parallel, but not synchronous or concurrent. In some examples or time durations, two or more of these links can be used for communication between wireless communication devices in the same direction (such as all uplinks or all downlinks). In some other examples or time durations, two or more of these links can be used for communication in different directions. For example, one or more links can support uplink communication, and one or more links can support downlink communication. In such examples, at least one of the wireless communication devices operates in full-duplex mode. Generally speaking, full-duplex operation enables bidirectional communication, in which at least one wireless communication device can simultaneously transmit and receive.

[0063] MLA can be implemented in several ways. In some examples, MLA can be packet-based. For packet-based aggregation, frames of a single service stream (such as all services associated with a given service identifier (TID)) can be transmitted concurrently across multiple communication links. In some other examples, MLA can be stream-based. For stream-based aggregation, a single available communication link from multiple available communication links can be used to transmit each service stream (such as all services associated with a given TID). As an example, a single STA MLD can access a web browser while streaming video in parallel. Services associated with web browser access can be communicated via a first communication link, while services associated with the video stream can be communicated in parallel via a second communication link (such that at least some of the data can be transmitted concurrently on the first channel with the data transmitted on the second channel).

[0064] In some other examples, MLA can be implemented as a hybrid of flow-based and packet-based aggregation. For example, MLD can employ flow-based aggregation when multiple traffic flows are created, and packet-based aggregation in other cases. The determination of switching between MLA techniques or modes may additionally or alternatively be correlated with other metrics, such as time of day, traffic load within the network, or battery level of wireless communication devices, and other factors or considerations.

[0065] To support MLO technology, the AP MLD and STA MLD can exchange information about supported MLO capabilities (such as supported aggregation types or supported frequency bands, etc.). In some examples, information exchange can occur via beacon signals, probe requests or responses, association request or response frames, dedicated action frames, or Operation Mode Indicators (OMIs), etc. In some examples, the AP MLD can designate a given channel in a given frequency band as an anchor channel (such as a channel on which the AP MLD transmits beacons and other management frames). In such examples, the AP MLD can also transmit beacons (such as beacons containing less information) on other channels for discovery purposes.

[0066] MLO technology offers several benefits to WLAN 100. For example, MLO can improve user-aware throughput (UPT) (e.g., by rapidly refreshing the per-user transmit queue). Similarly, MLO can improve throughput by improving the utilization of available channels and can increase spectrum utilization (e.g., by increasing the bandwidth-time product). Furthermore, MLO can enable smooth transitions between multi-band radio components (e.g., where each radio component can be associated with a given RF band) or implement a framework for separating control and data channels. Other benefits of MLO include reduced modem power-on time, which can benefit wireless communication devices in terms of power consumption. Another benefit of MLO is increased multiplexing opportunities in the case of a single BSS. For example, multi-link aggregation can increase the number of users transmitted per multiplexed segment served by a multi-link AP MLD.

[0067] Figure 5A A block diagram illustrating a first example operating environment 500 is shown. In operating environment 500, wireless communication devices 502 and 504 operate in a wireless communication network 501. The wireless communication network 501 may be a WLAN, in which devices such as wireless communication devices 502 and 504 wireless communication communicate wirelessly according to protocols and procedures defined in the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication standards family. In some examples, wireless communication device 502 may act as a wireless access point (AP) (such as reference...). Figure 1 The described AP 102) is used to operate or operate within the AP, and the wireless communication device 504 can act as a wireless station (STA) (such as reference 504). Figure 1 The STA 104 described herein is used to operate or to operate within that STA. In some examples, wireless communication devices 502 and 504, combined with wireless communication in wireless communication network 501, can implement the above-described reference. Figure 2 The described protocol data unit 200, referenced above. Figure 3 The PPDU 350 described above and the references above Figure 4Any or all of the described layered PPDU formats.

[0068] In operating environment 500, wireless communication device 502 can operate as an AP multilink device (MLD), and wireless communication device 504 can operate as a non-AP MLD. According to various aspects of this disclosure, wireless communication devices 502 and 504 can wirelessly communicate with each other via Enhanced Multilink Single Radio (EMLSR) link 506 and EMLSR link 508, and wireless communication device 504 can use two receive chains to communicate via EMLSR links 506 and 508 in Enhanced Multilink Single Radio (EMLSR) mode. Both EMLSR link 506 and EMLSR link 508 can be used to transmit downlink communication from wireless communication device 502 to wireless communication device 504, and both EMLSR link 506 and EMLSR link 508 can be used to transmit uplink communication from wireless communication device 504 to wireless communication device 502.

[0069] According to various aspects of this disclosure, wireless communication device 504 can be configured to monitor an anchor link (EMLSR link 508 in the depicted example) during cyclical beacon transmission intervals to receive beacon transmissions from wireless communication device 502. By implementing a 1×1 spatial stream configuration, wireless communication device 504 can use one of its receive chains to monitor EMLSR link 508 to receive such beacon transmissions, and can concurrently use its other receive chain to monitor EMLSR link 506 to receive other transmissions from wireless communication device 502. While wireless communication device 504 is using the 1×1 spatial stream configuration to monitor both EMLSR links 506 and 508, wireless communication device 502 can transmit a control transmission on EMLSR link 506 indicating a request to transmit data to wireless communication device 504 via EMLSR link 506. In response to the request and to receive data, wireless communication device 504 may need to communicate with wireless communication device 502 via EMLSR link 506 using both receive chains according to a 2×2 spatial stream configuration. Wireless communication device 504 may be unable to receive beacons on EMLSR link 508 during beacon transmission intervals, which occur when wireless communication device 504 uses both receive chains in a 2×2 space-time stream configuration to conduct data communication on EMLSR link 506. Therefore, data communication on EMLSR link 506 may potentially conflict with beacon reception on EMLSR link 508.

[0070] Figure 5B A communication diagram 510 illustrating a first example conflict scenario is shown. Figure 5BIn the collision scenario, at initial time t0, wireless communication device 504 concurrently monitors EMLSR links 506 and 508 with a 1×1 spatial stream configuration. At time t1, if there is data to be transmitted to wireless communication device 504, wireless communication device 502 sends a Data Communication Request (DCR) 512 to wireless communication device 504 via EMLSR link 506. In some examples, Data Communication Request 512 may include a frame indicating a request to transmit data to wireless communication device 504 via EMLSR link 506. In various examples, Data Communication Request 512 may include a Request to Transmit (RTS) frame, such as a Multi-User (MU)-RTS.

[0071] In response to data communication request 512 and to receive data from wireless communication device 502, wireless communication device 504 may communicate on EMLSR link 506 using its two receive chains in a 2×2 spatial stream configuration during data communication interval 514, which may span from time t2 to time t4. During data communication interval 514, wireless communication device 504 may send a Data Communication Grant (DCC) 516 to wireless communication device 502 via EMLSR link 506. In some examples, Data Communication Grant 516 may include a frame indicating that wireless communication device 502 is permitted to transmit data to wireless communication device 504 via EMLSR link 506. In various examples, Data Communication Grant 516 may include a CTS (Complete Transmission Allowed) frame. After receiving Data Communication Grant 516, and still within data communication interval 514, wireless communication device 502 may transmit data to wireless communication device 504 via EMLSR link 506 in PPDU 518.

[0072] On EMLSR link 508, around the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT) 521, wireless communication device 502 may transmit beacon 522. In various examples, beacon 522 may include a beacon frame. To successfully receive beacon 522, wireless communication device 504 may monitor EMLSR link 508 using one of its receive chains in a 1×1 spatial stream configuration during the beacon reception interval 520, which includes TBTT 521 and spans from time t3 to time t5. However, if wireless communication device 504 applies the 1×1 spatial stream configuration starting from time t3, it will be unable to apply the 2×2 spatial stream configuration to transmit data communication license 516 on EMLSR link 506. Therefore, beacon reception on EMLSR link 508 may conflict with data reception on EMLSR link 506. If wireless communication device 504 uses a 1×1 spatial stream configuration to receive beacon 522 and therefore does not respond to data communication request 512, then wireless communication device 502 can determine that EMLSR link 506 is faulty. If wireless communication device 504 responds to data communication request 512 and uses a 2×2 spatial stream configuration to send data communication license 516, then the wireless communication device can discard beacon 522.

[0073] Figure 5C A communication diagram 530 illustrating a second example conflict scenario is shown. Figure 5C In conflict scenarios, wireless communication device 502 can... Figure 5B At approximately TBTT 541, around TBTT 521, beacon 522 is transmitted on EMLSR link 508. To successfully receive beacon 522, wireless communication device 504 can monitor EMLSR link 508 using one of its receive chains in a 1×1 spatial stream configuration during beacon reception interval 540, which includes TBTT 541 and spans from time t3' to time t5'. Time t3' may be later than the time t that wireless communication device 504 can complete transmitting data communication license 516 on EMLSR link 506 by then. 2b Therefore, wireless communication device 504 can use a 2×2 spatial stream configuration to send a data communication license 516 on EMLSR link 506, and then switch to a 1×1 spatial stream configuration to receive beacon 522 on EMLSR link 508. However, if wireless communication device 504 applies the 1×1 spatial stream configuration starting from time t3', it will be unable to apply the 2×2 spatial stream configuration to receive PPDU 518 on EMLSR link 506. Therefore, beacon reception on EMLSR link 508 may still conflict with data reception on EMLSR link 506.

[0074] Figure 5DA communication diagram 550 illustrates an example technique for mitigating collisions on EMLSR links between multi-link devices. Figure 5D In the scenario depicted, a communication pause is implemented on EMLSR link 508 to mitigate the conflict between beacon reception and data reception on EMLSR link 506. At time t0, before time t3, which is before the start of beacon reception interval 520 for EMLSR link 506, there may not be enough time to complete the data communication exchange on EMLSR link 508. In order to maintain itself in a 1×1 spatial stream configuration and receive beacon 522 during beacon reception interval 520 without failing to respond to expected data communication requests from wireless communication device 502 or discarding associated PPDUs, wireless communication device 504 may initiate a communication pause on EMLSR link 506.

[0075] To initiate a communication pause on EMLSR link 506, wireless communication device 504 may send packet 552 to wireless communication device 502 via EMLSR link 506. In association with receiving packet 552 from wireless communication device 502, wireless communication device 504 may avoid sending data communication request 512 during a pause interval 554, which in the depicted example begins at time t1. Packet 552 may indicate the duration of the pause interval 554, and wireless communication device 504 may select this duration such that the pause interval 554 extends from time t1 to time t6 following the end of beacon reception interval 520 at time t5. After receiving beacon 522 via EMLSR link 508 using a 1×1 spatial stream configuration during beacon reception interval 520, wireless communication device 504 may remain in a 1×1 spatial stream configuration and receive data communication request 512 from wireless communication device 502 via EMLSR link 506 after time t6. The wireless communication device 504 can then switch to a 2×2 spatial stream configuration to send a data communication license 516 and receive a PPDU 518 via the EMLSR link 506 during a data communication interval 514, which can span from time t7 to time t8.

[0076] Figure 6A block diagram illustrating a second example operating environment 600 is shown. In operating environment 600, wireless communication devices 502 and 504 can mitigate collisions, such as those described in collision scenarios 510 and 530, by implementing collision mitigation techniques for EMLSR links between multi-link devices. In operating environment 600, wireless communication device 502 can cyclically transmit beacon 622 on EMLSR link 508. According to various aspects of this disclosure, wireless communication device 502 can transmit beacon 622 at approximately TBTT 621 known (or determinable) to wireless communication device 504. In some examples, wireless communication device 504 can receive beacon 622 via EMLSR link 508 using a 1×1 spatial stream configuration.

[0077] In various examples, wireless communication device 502 may initiate a data communication exchange by sending a data communication request 612 to wireless communication device 504 via EMLSR link 506. During this data communication exchange, wireless communication device 502 may transmit data to wireless communication device 504 by including data in a PPDU 618 sent by wireless communication device 502 to wireless communication device 504 via EMLSR link 506. In some examples, wireless communication device 504 may receive data communication request 612 via EMLSR link 506 using a 1×1 spatial stream configuration. In various examples, data communication request 612 may include a Multiple User Request Transmission (MU-RTS) frame. In various examples, wireless communication device 504 may complete a data communication exchange by sending a data communication license 616 to wireless communication device 502 via EMLSR link 506 using a 2×2 spatial stream configuration and receiving a PPDU 618 from wireless communication device 502. In some examples, data communication license 616 may include a Allow Transmission (CTS) frame.

[0078] According to various aspects of this disclosure, in operating environment 600, wireless communication devices 502 and 504 may selectively implement a communication pause on EMLSR link 506 to prioritize receiving beacon 622 on EMLSR link 508 when EMLSR link 508 is (or may be) in a degraded state, while prioritizing data communication on EMLSR link 506 and allowing beacon 622 to be dropped when EMLSR link 508 is (or may be) in good condition. In various examples, wireless communication device 504 may maintain a beacon drop count 642, which represents the number of beacon transmissions dropped on EMLSR link 508 since the wireless communication device last successfully received one of the beacons 622. According to various aspects of this disclosure, when there is a conflict between a beacon reception interval for EMLSR link 508 and a data communication interval for EMLSR link 506, and the beacon drop count 642 does not meet the beacon drop threshold 644, the wireless communication device 504 may prioritize data communication by intentionally dropping beacons 622 transmitted on EMLSR link 508 during the beacon reception interval to transmit data communication license 616 and receive PPDU 618 via EMLSR link 506 using a 2×2 spatial stream configuration during the conflicting data communication interval. In association with intentionally dropping beacons 622, the wireless communication device 504 may update the beacon drop count 642 to reflect the dropping of beacons 622.

[0079] According to various aspects of this disclosure, wireless communication device 504 may be configured to initiate a communication pause for EMLSR link 506 if beacon drop count 642 (once updated) meets beacon drop threshold 644. Beacon drop threshold 644 may represent or be associated with the number of beacons 622 on EMLSR link 508 that wireless communication device 504 may intentionally drop after successfully receiving beacons 622 but before initiating a communication pause for EMLSR link 506. In various examples, wireless communication device 504 may select beacon drop threshold 644. In some examples, wireless communication device 504 may reference a beacon drop tolerance associated with EMLSR link 508. To select a beacon drop threshold of 644. According to various aspects of this disclosure, the beacon drop tolerance... This can represent an estimated or anticipated number of beacon intervals that the EMLSR link 508 can maintain even if the wireless communication device 504 does not receive beacon 622, or is associated with that estimated or anticipated number. In some examples, the wireless communication device 504 may use beacon drop tolerance. The beacon drop threshold is 644. In various other examples, the wireless communication device 504 can be based on the beacon drop tolerance according to the following formula (1). Choose a beacon drop threshold of 644: (1) in This indicates that the beacon drop threshold is 644, and This represents the amount of reduction applied to account for the possibility that some beacons in beacon 622 may be unintentionally dropped due to factors such as noise, beacon drift, or other factors.

[0080] In various examples, if the beacon drop count 642 (once updated) meets the beacon drop threshold 644, wireless communication device 504 can initiate a communication pause on EMLSR link 506 by sending a packet to wireless communication device 502 via EMLSR link 506. In some examples, sending packet 652 to wireless communication device 502 via EMLSR link 506 can cause wireless communication device 502 to avoid data transmission on EMLSR link 506 for the duration of the communication pause. In various examples, packet 652 may include an indication of the duration of the communication pause. In some examples, wireless communication device 504 may select the duration of the communication pause such that wireless communication device 502 will avoid data transmission on EMLSR link 506 until after the end of the next TBTT 621 beacon reception interval, including EMLSR link 508.

[0081] In various examples, packet 652 may include a Request to Transmit (RTS) frame. In some other examples, packet 652 may include a CTS frame for itself. In still other examples, packet 652 may include a Quality of Service (QoS) empty frame. In some examples, packet 652 may include a QoS empty frame that includes a Power Management (PM) subfield indicating that wireless communication device 504 will operate in Power Saving (PS) mode. In various examples, in association with receiving packet 652 from wireless communication device 504 via EMLSR link 506, wireless communication device 502 may send a response 654 to wireless communication device 504 via EMLSR link 506. In some examples, response 654 may include a frame transmitted by wireless communication device 502 to wireless communication device 504 in response to or reference to a frame included in packet 652. In various examples, packet 652 may include an RTS frame, and response 654 may include a CTS frame.

[0082] In various examples, packet 652 may include a frame (such as an RTS frame or a CTS frame to itself) that includes a Network Allocation Vector (NAV) indicating the duration of a communication pause for EMLSR link 508. In some examples, wireless communication device 504 may set the NAV based on any or all of the MU-RTS receive interval duration, CTS transmit interval duration, PPDU receive interval duration, and beacon receive interval duration. In some examples, wireless communication device 504 may set the NAV based on the sum of the MU-RTS receive interval duration, CTS transmit interval duration, PPDU receive interval duration, and beacon receive interval duration. The MU-RTS receive interval duration may represent, or be associated with, the estimated or expected amount of time elapsed during the process of wireless communication device 504 receiving data communication request 612, which includes a MU-RTS frame, transmitted by wireless communication device 502 on EMLSR link 506. The CTS transmission interval duration can represent, or be associated with, the estimated or anticipated amount of time elapsed during the transmission of a data communication license 616, including a CTS frame, from wireless communication device 504 to wireless communication device 502 via EMLSR link 506. The PPDU reception interval duration can represent, or be associated with, the estimated or anticipated amount of time elapsed during the transmission of a PPDU 618 transmitted by wireless communication device 502 on EMLSR link 506 by wireless communication device 504. The beacon reception interval duration can represent, or be associated with, the duration of the beacon reception interval during which wireless communication device 504 will receive beacon 622 via EMLSR link 508.

[0083] According to various aspects of this disclosure, wireless communication device 504 may reset beacon drop count 642 in association with the transmission of packet 652 to wireless communication device 504. In various examples, wireless communication device 504 may update beacon drop count 642 again based on a conflict between another beacon reception interval for EMLSR link 508 and another data communication interval for EMLSR link 506 after the beacon drop count 642 is reset. In some examples, wireless communication device 504 may avoid initiating another communication pause for EMLSR link 506 if the updated beacon drop count 642 does not meet the beacon drop threshold 644.

[0084] In some examples, during data communication exchange on EMLSR link 506 after sending packet 652 and implementing a communication pause on EMLSR link 506, wireless communication device 504 may receive packets including MU-RTS frames from wireless communication device 502 via EMLSR link 506. According to aspects of this disclosure, wireless communication device 504 may be configured to discard a second MU-RTS frame if wireless communication device 502 sends a second MU-RTS frame to wireless communication device 504 via EMLSR link 508 during data communication exchange on EMLSR link 506. In various examples, wireless communication device 502 may be configured to avoid multicast data transmission on EMLSR link 508 during unicast data transmission on EMLSR link 506.

[0085] In some examples, the wireless communication device 502 may maintain a retransmission count 646, which represents the number of retransmissions of data communication requests 612 (such as MU-RTS frames), PPDUs 618, or both, that the wireless communication device has performed on the EMLSR link 506 since a given point in time. According to aspects of this disclosure, when the wireless communication device 502 retransmits a data communication request 612 or PPDU 618 on the EMLSR link 506, it may update the retransmission count 646 and check whether the updated retransmission count 646 meets a retransmission threshold 648. In various examples, associated with the retransmission count 646 meeting the retransmission threshold, the wireless communication device 502 may initiate a collision mitigation process. In various examples, the wireless communication device 502 may initiate a collision mitigation process based on the retransmission count 646 meeting the retransmission threshold 648 and the wireless communication device 504 being in active mode on both the EMLSR link 506 and the EMLSR link 508. In some examples, according to the conflict mitigation process, wireless communication device 502 can monitor the conflict between the data communication interval for EMLSR link 506 and the beacon reception interval for EMLSR link 508.

[0086] In various examples, in connection with the existence of a conflict between the data communication interval for EMLSR link 506 and the beacon reception interval for EMLSR link 508 after the initiation of the conflict mitigation process, the wireless communication device 502 may delay the transmission of data communication request 612 (which may include MU-RTS frames) on EMLSR link 506. In some examples, the wireless communication device 502 may delay the transmission of data communication request 612 on EMLSR link 506 until the beacon reception interval for EMLSR link 508 is completed. In various examples, in connection with delaying the transmission of data communication request 612 on EMLSR link 506, the wireless communication device 502 may reset the retransmission count 646.

[0087] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an example process 700 that can be performed by a non-communication device or at a wireless communication device, supporting collision mitigation for EMLSR links between multi-link devices, is shown. Operation of process 700 can be implemented by a wireless station or its components as described herein. For example, process 700 can be performed by a wireless communication device operating as a non-AP MLD or within a non-AP MLD (such as those referenced above). Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 5C , Figure 5D and Figure 6 The described wireless communication device 504 or referenced below Figure 9 The described wireless communication device 900) performs the process. In some examples, the process 700 may be performed by a wireless station (such as a reference 900). Figure 1 The wireless STA described in the description (one of the wireless STAs 104) is executed.

[0088] In some examples, in box 702, the wireless communication device may update the beacon drop count for the first EMLSR link with the AP MLD in association with a conflict between the beacon reception interval for the first Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) link and the data communication interval for the second EMLSR link with the Access Point (AP) MLD. For example, in Figure 6 In the operating environment 600, the wireless communication device 504 may update the beacon drop count 642 for the EMLSR link 508 with the wireless communication device 502 in connection with a conflict between the beacon reception interval for the EMLSR link 508 and the data communication interval for the EMLSR link 506.

[0089] In some examples, in box 704, the wireless communication device may send packets to the AP MLD in association with initiating a communication pause for the second EMLSR link, based on the updated beacon drop count meeting a threshold. For example, in Figure 6In operating environment 600, wireless communication device 504 may send packet 652 to wireless communication device 502 in association with initiating a communication pause for EMLSR link 506, based on an updated beacon drop count 642 satisfying a beacon drop threshold 644. In some examples, the packet may include an RTS frame or a CTS frame for itself. In some examples, the packet may include a frame that includes a NAV indicating the duration of the communication pause. In some such examples, the wireless communication device may set the NAV based on the MU-RTS receive interval duration, the CTS transmit interval duration, the PPDU receive interval duration, or the beacon receive interval duration. In some examples, the packet may include a QoS empty frame. In some such examples, the QoS empty frame may include a PM subfield indicating that the wireless communication device will operate in PS mode.

[0090] In some examples, the wireless communication device may reset the beacon drop count in association with the transmission of packets to the AP MLD. In some examples, the wireless communication device may update the beacon drop count again based on a conflict between a second beacon reception interval for the first EMLSR link and a second data communication interval for the second EMLSR link after the beacon drop count is reset. In some examples, the wireless communication device 504 may avoid initiating a second communication pause for the second EMLSR link if the updated beacon drop count does not meet a threshold.

[0091] In some examples, the wireless communication device 504 may receive a second packet, including a first MU-RTS frame, from the AP MLD via the second EMLSR link during data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link. In some examples, the wireless communication device may discard the second MU-RTS frame transmitted by the AP MLD on the first EMLSR link during data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link.

[0092] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating an example process 800 that can be performed by a non-communication device or at a wireless communication device, supporting collision mitigation for EMLSR links between multi-link devices, is shown. Operation of process 800 can be implemented by a wireless access point or its components as described herein. For example, process 800 can be performed by a wireless communication device operating as an AP MLD or within an AP MLD (such as those referenced above). Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 5C , Figure 5D and Figure 6 The wireless communication device described in 502 or referenced below Figure 10 The described wireless communication device 800 performs this process. In some examples, process 800 may be performed by a wireless access point (such as a reference 1000). Figure 1 The described wireless AP 102) is executed.

[0093] In some examples, in block 802, the wireless communication device may update the retransmission count for the first EMLSR link with a non-AP MLD in association with the retransmission of a Multi-User Request Transmission (MU-RTS) frame exchanged for data communication with a non-AP MLD on the first Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) link or the retransmission of a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) exchanged for data communication with a non-AP MLD on the first EMLSR link. For example, in Figure 6 In the operating environment 600, the wireless communication device 502 can update the retransmission count 646 for the EMLSR link 506 with the wireless communication device 504 in connection with the retransmission of MU-RTS frames exchanged for data communication with the wireless communication device 504 on the EMLSR link 506 or the retransmission of PPDU 618 exchanged for data communication with the wireless communication device 504 on the EMLSR link 506.

[0094] In some examples, in block 804, the wireless communication device may monitor for a conflict between a data communication interval for a first EMLSR link and a beacon reception interval for a second EMLSR link with a non-AP MLD, based on a conflict mitigation process associated with an updated retransmission count meeting a threshold. For example, in Figure 6 In the operating environment 600, the wireless communication device 502 can monitor the conflict between the data communication interval for the EMLSR link 506 and the beacon reception interval for the EMLSR link 508 of the wireless communication device 504, according to a conflict mitigation process associated with the updated retransmission count 646 satisfying the retransmission threshold 648.

[0095] In some examples, the wireless communication device may delay MU-RTS transmission in association with the existence of a conflict between the data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link after the initiation of the conflict mitigation process. In some examples, the wireless communication device may delay MU-RTS transmission until after the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link has been completed. In some examples, the wireless communication device may reset the retransmission count in association with the delay in MU-RTS transmission.

[0096] In some examples, the wireless communication device may initiate a collision mitigation process based on the retransmission count meeting a threshold and the non-AP MLD being active on both the first and second EMLSR links. In some examples, the wireless communication device may prevent multicast data transmission on the second EMLSR link during unicast data transmission on the first EMLSR link.

[0097] Figure 9A block diagram of a first example wireless communication device 900 supporting collision mitigation for EMLSR links between multi-link devices is shown. In some specific implementations, the wireless communication device 900 may be configured to perform the functions described in the above reference. Figure 7 The process described is 700. The wireless communication device 900 can be... Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 5C , Figure 5D and Figure 6 The following is an example specific implementation of the wireless communication device 504. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 900 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device that may include: one or more modems (such as a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem, such as a 3GPP 4G LTE or 5G compatible modem), one or more processors, processing blocks, or processing elements (collectively, "processors"); one or more radio components (collectively, "radio components"); and one or more memories or memory blocks (collectively, "memory"). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 900 may be a wireless STA (such as the one mentioned above in the references) Figure 1 The device used in one of the wireless STAs (104) described herein. In other embodiments, the wireless communication device 900 may be a wireless STA that includes such a chip, SoC, chipset, package or device and at least one antenna.

[0098] In some implementations, the wireless communication device 900 may be capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications, for example, in the form of wireless packets. For instance, the wireless communication device may be configured or be able to operate to transmit and receive packets in the form of physical layer PPDUs and MPDUs conforming to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards. The wireless communication device 900 may include components for bidirectional communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communication manager 920, an input / output (I / O) controller 910, a transceiver 915, an antenna 925, a memory 930, a code 935, and a processor 940. These components may communicate electronically or be coupled in other ways (such as operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, or electrically) via one or more buses (such as bus 945). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 900 may also include a user interface (UI) (such as a touchscreen or keypad) and a display, which may be integrated with the UI to form a touchscreen display. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 900 may also include one or more sensors, such as one or more inertial sensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, or altitude sensors.

[0099] The I / O controller 910 manages the input and output signals of the wireless communication device 900. The I / O controller 910 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into the wireless communication device 900. In some implementations, the I / O controller 910 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some implementations, the I / O controller 910 may utilize an operating system such as iOS. ® ANDROID ® MS-DOS ® MS-WINDOWS ® OS / 2 ® UNIX ® LINUX ® Alternatively, it may be another known operating system. Additionally or alternatively, the I / O controller 910 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or similar device. In some embodiments, the I / O controller 910 may be implemented as part of a processor or processing system (such as processor 940). In some embodiments, a user may interact with the wireless communication device 900 via the I / O controller 910 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 910.

[0100] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 900 may include a single antenna 925. However, in other embodiments, the wireless communication device 900 may have more than one antenna 925, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 915 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 925, a wired or wireless link as described herein. For example, the transceiver 915 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 915 may also include a modem for modulating packets; providing the modulated packets to one or more antennas 925 for transmission; and demodulating packets received from one or more antennas 925.

[0101] In some embodiments, transceiver 915 may include one or more interfaces, such as one or more interfaces coupled to one or more antennas 925 configured to support various receive or acquire operations, or one or more interfaces coupled to one or more antennas 925 configured to support various transmit or output operations, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, transceiver 915 may include one or more processor or memory components or be configured to be coupled thereto, these processor or memory components being operable to perform or support operations associated with received or acquired information or signals, or to generate information or other signals for transmission or other output, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, transceiver 915, or transceiver 915 and one or more antennas 925, or transceiver 915 and one or more antennas 925 and one or more processor or memory components (e.g., processor 940 or memory 930 or both) may be included in a chip or chip assembly mounted in wireless communication device 900.

[0102] Memory 930 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). Memory 930 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 935, including instructions that, when executed by processor 940, cause wireless communication device 900 to perform the various functions described herein. Code 935 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. In some embodiments, code 935 may not be directly executable by processor 940, but may (e.g., when compiled and executed) cause the computer to perform the functions described herein. In some embodiments, memory 930 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS), etc., which controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0103] Processor 940 may be any one or more suitable processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in wireless communication device 900 (such as in memory 930). In some embodiments, processor 940 may be a component of a processing system. A processing system generally refers to a system or series of machines or components that receive input and process that input to produce a set of outputs that can be passed to, for example, other systems or components of wireless communication device 900. For example, the processing system of wireless communication device 900 may refer to a system that includes various other components or sub-components of wireless communication device 900, such as processor 940, or transceiver 915, or communication manager 920, or other components or combinations of components of wireless communication device 900.

[0104] The processing system of the wireless communication device 900 can interface with other components of the wireless communication device 900 and can process information (such as inputs or signals) received from other components or output information to other components. For example, the chip or modem of the wireless communication device 900 may include a processing system, a first interface for outputting information, and a second interface for receiving information. In some embodiments, the first interface may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a transmitter, enabling the wireless communication device 900 to transmit information output from the chip or modem. In some embodiments, the second interface may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a receiver, enabling the wireless communication device 900 to receive information or signal input, and such information may be transmitted to the processing system. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the first interface can also receive information or signal input, and the second interface can also output information or signal output.

[0105] Based on the examples disclosed herein, communication manager 920 may support wireless communication by wireless communication device 900. In some implementations, communication manager 920 may be configured to use or otherwise coordinate transceiver 915, one or more antennas 925, or any combination thereof to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting). Although communication manager 920 is illustrated as a separate component, in some implementations, one or more functions described with reference to communication manager 920 may be supported or executed by processor 940, memory 930, code 935, or any combination thereof. For example, code 935 may include instructions that can be executed by processor 940 to cause wireless communication device 900 to perform various aspects of conflict mitigation for EMLSR links between multi-link devices as described herein, or processor 940 and memory 930 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.

[0106] In some examples, the communication manager 920 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for updating the beacon drop count for the first EMLSR link with the AP MLD in connection with a conflict between the beacon reception interval for the first EMLSR link and the data communication interval for the second EMLSR link with the AP MLD.

[0107] In some examples, the communication manager 920 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for sending packets to the AP MLD in association with initiating a communication pause for the second EMLSR link based on an updated beacon drop count meeting a threshold. In some examples, the packet may include an RTS frame or a CTS frame for itself. In some examples, the packet may include a frame that includes a NAV indicating the duration of the communication pause. In some such examples, the communication manager 920 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for setting the NAV based on the MU-RTS receive interval duration, CTS transmit interval duration, PPDU receive interval duration, or beacon receive interval duration. In some examples, the packet may include a QoS empty frame. In some such examples, the QoS empty frame may include a PM subfield indicating that the non-AP MLD corresponding to the wireless communication device 900 will operate in PS mode.

[0108] In some examples, the communication manager 920 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for resetting the beacon drop count in association with packet transmission to the AP MLD. In some examples, the communication manager 920 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for updating the beacon drop count again based on a conflict between a second beacon reception interval for the first EMLSR link and a second data communication interval for the second EMLSR link after the beacon drop count reset. In some examples, the communication manager 920 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for avoiding initiating a second communication pause for the second EMLSR link based on the updated beacon drop count not meeting a threshold.

[0109] In some examples, the communication manager 920 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for receiving a second packet including a first MU-RTS frame from the AP MLD via the second EMLSR link during data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link. In some examples, the communication manager 920 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for discarding a second MU-RTS frame transmitted by the AP MLD on the first EMLSR link during data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link.

[0110] Figure 10 A block diagram of a second example wireless communication device 1000 supporting collision mitigation for EMLSR links between multi-link devices is shown. In some specific implementations, the wireless communication device 1000 may be configured to perform the functions described in the above reference. Figure 8 The described process 800. The wireless communication device 1000 can be... Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 5C , Figure 5D and Figure 6 The following are specific implementations of the wireless communication device 502. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1000 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device that may include: one or more modems (such as a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem, such as a 3GPP 4G LTE or 5G compatible modem), one or more processors, processing blocks, or processing elements (collectively, "processors"); one or more radio components (collectively, "radio components"); and one or more memories or memory blocks (collectively, "memory"). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1000 may be a wireless AP (such as the one mentioned above in the references) Figure 1 The device used in the described wireless AP 102). In other specific embodiments, the wireless communication device 1000 may be a wireless AP including such a chip, SoC, chipset, package or device and at least one antenna.

[0111] In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1000 may be able to transmit and receive wireless communications, for example, in the form of wireless packets. For instance, the wireless communication device may be configured or able to operate to transmit and receive packets in the form of physical layer PPDUs and MPDUs conforming to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards. The wireless communication device 1000 may include components for bidirectional communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communication manager 1020, an input / output (I / O) controller 1010, a transceiver 1015, an antenna 1025, a memory 1030, a code 1035, and a processor 1040. These components may communicate electronically or be coupled in other ways (such as operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, or electrically) via one or more buses (such as bus 1045).

[0112] The I / O controller 1010 manages the input and output signals of the wireless communication device 1000. The I / O controller 1010 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into the wireless communication device 1000. In some implementations, the I / O controller 1010 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some implementations, the I / O controller 1010 may utilize an operating system such as iOS. ® ANDROID ® MS-DOS ® MS-WINDOWS ® OS / 2 ® UNIX ® LINUX ®Alternatively, it may be another known operating system. Additionally or alternatively, the I / O controller 1010 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or similar device. In some embodiments, the I / O controller 1010 may be implemented as part of a processor or processing system (such as processor 1040). In some embodiments, a user may interact with the wireless communication device 1000 via the I / O controller 1010 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 1010.

[0113] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 1000 may include a single antenna 1025. However, in other embodiments, the wireless communication device 1000 may have more than one antenna 1025, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 1015 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 1025 as described herein, or via a wired or wireless link. For example, the transceiver 1015 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1015 may also include a modem for modulating packets; providing the modulated packets to one or more antennas 1025 for transmission; and demodulating packets received from one or more antennas 1025.

[0114] In some embodiments, transceiver 1015 may include one or more interfaces, such as one or more interfaces coupled to one or more antennas 1025 configured to support various receive or acquire operations, or one or more interfaces coupled to one or more antennas 1025 configured to support various transmit or output operations, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, transceiver 1015 may include one or more processor or memory components or configured to be coupled thereto, which are operable to perform or support operations associated with received or acquired information or signals, or to generate information or other signals for transmission or other output, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, transceiver 1015, or transceiver 1015 and one or more antennas 1025, or transceiver 1015 and one or more antennas 1025 and one or more processor or memory components (e.g., processor 1040 or memory 1030 or both) may be included in a chip or chip assembly mounted in wireless communication device 1000.

[0115] Memory 1030 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). Memory 1030 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1035, including instructions that, when executed by processor 1040, cause wireless communication device 1000 to perform the various functions described herein. Code 1035 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. In some embodiments, code 1035 may not be directly executable by processor 1040, but may (e.g., when compiled and executed) cause the computer to perform the functions described herein. In some embodiments, memory 1030 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS), etc., which controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0116] Processor 1040 may be any one or more suitable processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in wireless communication device 1000 (such as in memory 1030). In some specific implementations, processor 1040 may be a component of a processing system. A processing system generally refers to a system or series of machines or components that receive input and process that input to produce a set of outputs that can be passed to, for example, other systems or components of wireless communication device 1000. For example, the processing system of wireless communication device 1000 may refer to a system that includes various other components or sub-components of wireless communication device 1000, such as processor 1040, or transceiver 1015, or communication manager 1020, or other components or combinations of components of wireless communication device 1000.

[0117] The processing system of the wireless communication device 1000 can interface with other components of the wireless communication device 1000 and can process information (such as inputs or signals) received from other components or output information to other components. For example, the chip or modem of the wireless communication device 1000 may include a processing system, a first interface for outputting information, and a second interface for receiving information. In some embodiments, the first interface may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a transmitter, enabling the wireless communication device 1000 to transmit information output from the chip or modem. In some embodiments, the second interface may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a receiver, enabling the wireless communication device 1000 to receive information or signal input, and such information can be transmitted to the processing system. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the first interface can also receive information or signal input, and the second interface can also output information or signal output.

[0118] Based on the examples disclosed herein, communication manager 1020 may support wireless communication by wireless communication device 1000. In some specific implementations, communication manager 1020 may be configured to use or otherwise coordinate transceiver 1015, one or more antennas 1025, or any combination thereof to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting). Although communication manager 1020 is illustrated as a separate component, in some specific implementations, one or more functions described with reference to communication manager 1020 may be supported or executed by processor 1040, memory 1030, code 1035, or any combination thereof. For example, code 1035 may include instructions that can be executed by processor 1040 to cause wireless communication device 1000 to perform various aspects of conflict mitigation for EMLSR links between multi-link devices as described herein, or processor 1040 and memory 1030 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.

[0119] In some examples, the communication manager 1020 may be configured to, or otherwise support, updating the retransmission count for the first EMLSR link with a non-AP MLD in association with the retransmission of MU-RTS frames exchanged for data communication with a non-AP MLD on the first EMLSR link or the retransmission of PPDUs exchanged for data communication with a non-AP MLD on the first EMLSR link. In some examples, the communication manager 1020 may be configured to, or otherwise support, monitoring for conflicts between the data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link with a non-AP MLD, based on a conflict mitigation process associated with the updated retransmission count meeting a threshold.

[0120] In some examples, the communication manager 1020 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for delaying MU-RTS transmission in association with the existence of a conflict between a data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and a beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link after the initiation of a conflict mitigation process. In some examples, the communication manager 1020 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for delaying MU-RTS transmission until after the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link is completed. In some examples, the communication manager 1020 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for resetting the retransmission count in association with the delay in MU-RTS transmission.

[0121] In some examples, the communication manager 1020 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for initiating a collision mitigation process based on a retransmission count meeting a threshold and the non-AP MLD being active on both the first and second EMLSR links. In some examples, the communication manager 1020 may be configured as, or otherwise support, a component for preventing multicast data transmission on the second EMLSR link during unicast data transmission on the first EMLSR link.

[0122] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a wide variety of actions, and therefore, "determine" can include calculation, computation, processing, derivation, estimation, investigation, searching (such as by searching in a table, database, or other data structure), reasoning, probing, or measurement, etc. Additionally, "determine" can include receiving (such as receiving information), accessing (such as accessing data stored in memory), or sending (such as sending information), etc. Furthermore, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, obtaining, choosing, building, and other similar actions.

[0123] As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” or “one or more of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including a single member. For example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc. As used herein, “or” is intended to be interpreted as inclusive unless otherwise explicitly stated. For example, “a or b” could include only a, only b, or a combination of a and b. Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase referring to “one” or “a” element means one or more such elements that act individually or collectively to perform the described function. Additionally, “set” refers to one or more items, and “subset” refers to less than the entire set but not empty.

[0124] As used herein, unless otherwise expressly indicated, “based on” is intended to be interpreted in an inclusive sense. For example, unless otherwise explicitly indicated, “based on” may be used interchangeably with “at least partially based on,” “associated with,” “associated with,” or “according to.” Specifically, unless the phrase in the context means “based on only one” or an equivalent, whether it is “based on one” or “at least partially based on one”, it may be based solely on “one” or based on a combination of “one” and one or more other factors, conditions, or information.

[0125] The various exemplary components, logic units, logic blocks, modules, circuits, operations, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the examples disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of hardware, firmware, or software, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents. This interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software has been generally described in terms of its functionality and exemplified in the various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above. Whether this functionality is implemented in hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0126] Various modifications to the examples described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the examples shown herein, but are to be granted the widest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles disclosed herein, and the novel features.

[0127] Additionally, the various features described in this specification in the context of individual examples may also be implemented in combination in a single specific implementation. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single specific implementation may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple examples. Thus, although features may be described above as functioning in a particular combination, and even initially claimed in this way, one or more features from the claimed combination may be removed from the combination in some cases, and the claimed combination may involve sub-combinations or variations of sub-combinations.

[0128] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a specific order in the diagrams, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or to perform all illustrated operations to achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the diagrams may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of flowcharts or flow diagrams. However, other operations not depicted may be combined with the schematically illustrated example processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any illustrated operations. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the examples described above should not be construed as requiring such separation in all examples, but rather should be understood as meaning that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

[0129] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: 1. A non-access point (non-AP) multilink device (MLD), the non-access point (non-AP) multilink device (MLD) comprising: a processing system including processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code, the processing system being configured to cause the non-AP MLD to: update a beacon drop count for the first EMLSR link with the AP MLD in association with a conflict between a beacon reception interval for a first enhanced multilink single radio (EMLSR) link and a data communication interval for a second EMLSR link with the access point (AP) MLD; and send packets to the AP MLD in association with initiating a communication pause for the second EMLSR link based on the updated beacon drop count satisfying a threshold.

[0130] 2. The non-AP MLD as described in Clause 1, wherein the packets include Request to Transmit (RTS) frames or Allow Transmit to Itself (CTS) frames.

[0131] 3. The non-AP MLD as described in Clause 1 or Clause 2, wherein the packet comprises a frame that includes a network allocation vector (NAV) indicating the duration of the communication suspension.

[0132] 4. The non-AP MLD as described in Clause 3, wherein the processing system is further configured to set the NAV based on the Multi-User Request Transmission (MU-RTS) receive interval duration, Allow Transmission (CTS) transmit interval duration, Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) receive interval duration, or Beacon receive interval duration.

[0133] 5. A non-AP MLD according to any one of Clauses 1 to 4, wherein the packet includes a Quality of Service (QoS) empty frame.

[0134] 6. The non-AP MLD as described in Clause 5, wherein the QoS empty frame includes a power management (PM) subfield indicating that the non-AP MLD will operate in power saving (PS) mode.

[0135] 7. A non-AP MLD according to any one of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein the processing system is further configured to reset the beacon drop count in association with the transmission of the packet to the AP MLD.

[0136] 8. The non-AP MLD according to Clause 7, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP MLD to: update the beacon drop count again based on a conflict between a second beacon reception interval for the first EMLSR link and a second data communication interval for the second EMLSR link after the reset of the beacon drop count; and avoid initiating a second communication pause for the second EMLSR link based on the beacon drop count being updated again not meeting the threshold.

[0137] 9. A non-AP MLD according to any one of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP MLD to: receive a second packet comprising a first Multi-User Request Transmission (MU-RTS) frame from the AP MLD via the second EMLSR link during a data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link; and discard a second MU-RTS frame transmitted by the AP MLD on the first EMLSR link during the data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link.

[0138] 10. A method for wireless communication by a non-access point (non-AP) multilink device (MLD), the method comprising: updating a beacon drop count for the first EMLSR link with the AP MLD in association with a conflict between a beacon reception interval for a first enhanced multilink single radio (EMLSR) link and a data communication interval for a second EMLSR link with the access point (AP) MLD; and sending a packet to the AP MLD in association with initiating a communication pause for the second EMLSR link based on the updated beacon drop count satisfying a threshold.

[0139] 11. The method according to Clause 10, wherein the packet includes a Request to Transmit (RTS) frame or a Allow to Transmit (CTS) frame.

[0140] 12. The method according to Clause 10 or Clause 11, wherein the packet comprises a frame including a network allocation vector (NAV) indicating the duration of the communication suspension.

[0141] 13. The method according to Clause 12, the method further comprising setting the NAV based on the duration of a Multi-User Request Transmission (MU-RTS) receive interval, a Allow Transmission (CTS) transmit interval, a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) receive interval, or a beacon receive interval.

[0142] 14. The method according to any one of Clauses 10 to 13, wherein the packet includes a Quality of Service (QoS) empty frame.

[0143] 15. The method according to Clause 14, wherein the QoS empty frame includes a power management (PM) subfield indicating that the non-AP MLD will operate in power saving (PS) mode.

[0144] 16. The method according to any one of clauses 10 to 15, the method further comprising resetting the beacon drop count in association with the transmission of the packet to the APMLD.

[0145] 17. The method according to Clause 16, the method further comprising: updating the beacon drop count again based on a conflict between a second beacon reception interval for the first EMLSR link and a second data communication interval for the second EMLSR link after the reset of the beacon drop count; and avoiding initiating a second communication pause for the second EMLSR link based on the fact that the updated beacon drop count does not meet the threshold.

[0146] 18. The method according to any one of clauses 10 to 17, the method further comprising: receiving, during data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link, a second packet including a first multi-user request transmission (MU-RTS) frame from the AP MLD via the second EMLSR link; and discarding the second MU-RTS frame transmitted by the AP MLD on the first EMLSR link during the data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link.

[0147] 19. An Access Point (AP) Multilink Device (MLD) comprising: a processing system including processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code, the processing system being configured to cause the AP MLD to: update a retransmission count for a first EMLSR link with the non-AP MLD in association with a retransmission of a multi-user request delivery (MU-RTS) frame exchanged with a non-AP MLD on a first Enhanced Multilink Single Radio (EMLSR) link or a retransmission of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) exchanged with the non-AP MLD on the first EMLSR link; and monitor a conflict between a data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and a beacon reception interval for a second EMLSR link with the non-AP MLD based on a conflict mitigation process associated with the updated retransmission count satisfying a threshold.

[0148] 20. The AP MLD as described in Clause 19, wherein the processing system is further configured to delay MU-RTS transmission in association with the existence of a conflict between the data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link after the initiation of the conflict mitigation process.

[0149] 21. The AP MLD as described in Clause 20, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the AP MLD to delay the MU-RTS transmission until after the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link is completed.

[0150] 22. The AP MLD as described in Clause 20 or Clause 21, wherein the processing system is further configured to reset the retransmission count in association with the delay transmitted by the MU-RTS.

[0151] 23. The AP MLD according to any one of Clauses 19 to 22, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the AP MLD to initiate the conflict mitigation process based on the retransmission count satisfying the threshold and the non-AP MLD being in active mode on the first EMLSR link and the second EMLSR link.

[0152] 24. The AP MLD according to any one of Clauses 19 to 23, wherein the processing system is further configured to avoid multicast data transmission on the second EMLSR link during unicast data transmission on the first EMLSR link.

[0153] 25. A method for wireless communication by an Access Point (AP) Multilink Device (MLD), the method comprising: updating a retransmission count for the first EMLSD with the non-AP MLD in association with a retransmission of a multi-user request delivery (MU-RTS) frame exchanged for data communication with the non-AP MLD on a first Enhanced Multilink Single Radio (EMLSR) link or a retransmission of a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) exchanged for data communication with the non-AP MLD on the first EMLSD link; and monitoring a conflict between a data communication interval for the first EMLSD link and a beacon reception interval for a second EMLSD link with the non-AP MLD based on a conflict mitigation process associated with the updated retransmission count satisfying a threshold.

[0154] 26. The method according to Clause 25, the method further comprising delaying MU-RTS transmission in connection with the existence of a conflict between a data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and a beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link after the initiation of the conflict mitigation process.

[0155] 27. The method according to Clause 26, the method further comprising delaying the MU-RTS transmission until after the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link has been completed.

[0156] 28. The method according to Clause 26 or Clause 27, the method further comprising resetting the retransmission count in association with the delay transmitted by the MU-RTS.

[0157] 29. The method according to any one of clauses 25 to 28, the method further comprising initiating the conflict mitigation process based on the retransmission count satisfying the threshold and the non-AP MLD being in an active mode on the first EMLSR link and the second EMLSR link.

[0158] 30. The method according to any one of clauses 25 to 29, the method further comprising avoiding multicast data transmission on the second EMLSR link during unicast data transmission on the first EMLSR link.

Claims

1. A non-access point (non-AP) multi-link device (MLD), the non-access point (non-AP) multi-link device (MLD) comprising: A processing system, comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry for storing code, is configured to cause the non-AP MLD to: The beacon drop count for the first EMLSR link with the AP MLD is updated in association with a conflict between the beacon reception interval for the first Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) link and the data communication interval for the second EMLSR link with the Access Point (AP) MLD. as well as Packets are sent to the AP MLD in association with initiating a communication pause for the second EMLSR link, based on the updated beacon drop count meeting a threshold.

2. The non-AP MLD of claim 1, wherein the packet comprises a request to transmit (RTS) frame or a consent to transmit (CTS) frame.

3. The non-AP MLD of claim 1, wherein the packet comprises a frame, the frame including a network allocation vector (NAV) indicating the duration of the communication suspension.

4. The non-AP MLD of claim 3, wherein the processing system is further configured to set the NAV according to the Multi-User Request Transmission (MU-RTS) receive interval duration, Allow Transmission (CTS) transmit interval duration, Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) receive interval duration, or Beacon receive interval duration.

5. The non-AP MLD of claim 1, wherein the packet includes a Quality of Service (QoS) empty frame.

6. The non-AP MLD of claim 5, wherein the QoS empty frame includes a power management (PM) subfield indicating that the non-AP MLD will operate in power saving (PS) mode.

7. The non-AP MLD of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to reset the beacon drop count in association with the transmission of the packet to the AP MLD.

8. The non-AP MLD of claim 7, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP MLD to: The beacon drop count is updated again based on the conflict between the second beacon reception interval for the first EMLSR link and the second data communication interval for the second EMLSR link after the beacon drop count is reset; and A second communication pause for the second EMLSR link is avoided if the updated beacon drop count does not meet the threshold.

9. The non-AP MLD of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP MLD to: During data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link, a second packet including a first Multi-User Request Transmission (MU-RTS) frame is received from the AP MLD via the second EMLSR link; and The second MU-RTS frame sent on the first EMLSR link by the AP MLD during the data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link is discarded.

10. A method for wireless communication by a non-access point (non-AP) multi-link device (MLD), the method comprising: The beacon drop count for the first EMLSR link with the AP MLD is updated in association with a conflict between the beacon reception interval for the first Enhanced Multi-Link Single Radio (EMLSR) link and the data communication interval for the second EMLSR link with the Access Point (AP) MLD. as well as Packets are sent to the AP MLD in association with initiating a communication pause for the second EMLSR link, based on the updated beacon drop count meeting a threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the packet comprises a request to transmit (RTS) frame or a consent to transmit (CTS) frame.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the packet comprises a frame, the frame including a network allocation vector (NAV) indicating the duration of the communication pause.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising setting the NAV according to a Multi-User Request Transmission (MU-RTS) receive interval duration, a Allow Transmission (CTS) send interval duration, a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) receive interval duration, or a beacon receive interval duration.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the packet includes a Quality of Service (QoS) empty frame.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the QoS empty frame includes a power management (PM) subfield indicating that the non-AP MLD will operate in power saving (PS) mode.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising resetting the beacon drop count in association with the transmission of the packet to the AP MLD.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: The beacon drop count is updated again based on the conflict between the second beacon reception interval for the first EMLSR link and the second data communication interval for the second EMLSR link after the beacon drop count is reset; as well as A second communication pause for the second EMLSR link is avoided if the updated beacon drop count does not meet the threshold.

18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: During data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link, a second packet including a first Multi-User Request Transmission (MU-RTS) frame is received from the AP MLD via the second EMLSR link; as well as The second MU-RTS frame sent on the first EMLSR link by the AP MLD during the data communication exchange on the second EMLSR link is discarded.

19. An access point (AP) multilink device (MLD), the access point (AP) multilink device (MLD) comprising: A processing system, comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry for storing code, is configured to cause the AP MLD to: The retransmission count for the first EMLSR link with the non-AP MLD is updated in association with the retransmission of a multi-user request transmission (MU-RTS) frame exchanged with the non-AP MLD on the first enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) link or the retransmission of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) exchanged with the non-AP MLD on the first EMLSR link. as well as The conflict between the data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link with the non-AP MLD is monitored based on a conflict mitigation process associated with the updated retransmission count meeting the threshold.

20. The AP MLD of claim 19, wherein the processing system is further configured to delay MU-RTS transmission in association with the existence of a conflict between the data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link after the initiation of the conflict mitigation process.

21. The AP MLD of claim 20, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the AP MLD to delay the MU-RTS transmission until after the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link is completed.

22. The AP MLD of claim 20, wherein the processing system is further configured to reset the retransmission count in association with the delay transmitted by the MU-RTS.

23. The AP MLD of claim 19, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the AP MLD to initiate the conflict mitigation process based on the retransmission count satisfying the threshold and the non-AP MLD being in active mode on the first EMLSR link and the second EMLSR link.

24. The AP MLD of claim 19, wherein the processing system is further configured to avoid multicast data transmission on the second EMLSR link during unicast data transmission on the first EMLSR link.

25. A method for wireless communication by an access point (AP) multilink device (MLD), the method comprising: The retransmission count for the first EMLSR link with the non-AP MLD is updated in association with the retransmission of a multi-user request transmission (MU-RTS) frame exchanged with the non-AP MLD on the first enhanced multi-link single radio (EMLSR) link or the retransmission of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) exchanged with the non-AP MLD on the first EMLSR link. as well as The conflict between the data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link with the non-AP MLD is monitored based on a conflict mitigation process associated with the updated retransmission count meeting the threshold.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising delaying MU-RTS transmission in connection with the existence of a conflict between a data communication interval for the first EMLSR link and a beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link after the initiation of the conflict mitigation process.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising delaying the MU-RTS transmission until after the beacon reception interval for the second EMLSR link is completed.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising resetting the retransmission count in association with the delay transmitted by the MU-RTS.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising initiating the conflict mitigation process based on the retransmission count satisfying the threshold and the non-AP MLD being in active mode on the first EMLSR link and the second EMLSR link.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising avoiding multicast data transmission on the second EMLSR link during unicast data transmission on the first EMLSR link.

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