Non-primary channel access with link management mechanism in wireless communication

Abstract

Techniques for non-primary channel access with link management mechanisms in wireless communications are described. A device (e.g., an access point (AP)) establishes a basic service set (BSS) with an operating bandwidth on a primary link. The device switches to a secondary link upon detecting an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) transmission on the operating bandwidth of the primary link. The device then exchanges frames with one or more non-AP stations (STAs) on the secondary link.

Description

[0001] Cross-referencing

[0002] This disclosure is part of a non-provisional patent application that claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 598,565, filed November 14, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communications, and more specifically, to non-master channel access in wireless communications employing link management mechanisms. Background Technology

[0004] Unless otherwise stated, the methods described in this section are not prior art to the claims and are not considered prior art because they are included in this section.

[0005] In wireless communications, such as Wi-Fi and WLANs based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, next-generation systems support operation over wider bandwidths (e.g., 80MHz, 160MHz, and 320MHz) and can use non-primary channels for channel access when overlapping basic service set (OBSS) transmissions are detected on the primary 20MHz channel. Non-primary channel access is primarily discussed within the bandwidth of the basic service set (BSS). However, if an OBSS transmission is detected on the primary 20MHz channel, the entire 80MHz channel may also be occupied, as most current devices support 80MHz bandwidth. When an access point (AP) establishes a BSS with a smaller operating bandwidth (e.g., 80MHz), it may not be able to obtain a transmission opportunity (TXOP) on a non-primary channel using non-primary channel access schemes because the entire operating bandwidth may be occupied by OBSS transmissions. Therefore, achieving non-primary channel access to allow operation on non-primary channels outside the operating bandwidth remains a challenge. Consequently, a non-primary channel access solution with link management mechanisms is urgently needed in wireless communication. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following content is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following content is intended to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Some embodiments will be further elaborated in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following content is not intended to identify the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] The objective of this disclosure is to provide schemes, concepts, designs, techniques, methods, and devices related to non-master channel access with link management mechanisms in wireless communication. It is believed that implementing one or more of the schemes proposed herein can solve or mitigate the aforementioned problems.

[0008] In one aspect, a method may involve an access point (AP) establishing a basic service set (BSS) with working bandwidth on a primary link. The method may also involve the AP switching to a secondary link when it detects overlapping basic service set (OBSS) transmissions on the working bandwidth of the primary link. The method may further involve the AP exchanging frames with one or more non-AP workstations (STAs) on the secondary link.

[0009] In another aspect, a method may involve a non-AP STA receiving beacon frames or management frames from an AP on the primary link. The method may also involve a non-AP STA identifying a secondary link and the AP's secondary link operational capabilities. The method may further involve a non-AP STA switching to a secondary link in response to identifying overlapping basic service set (OBSS) transmissions detected by the AP on the primary link's operating bandwidth, and exchanging frames with the AP.

[0010] It is worth noting that, although the content described herein may be set against the backdrop of certain radio frequency access technologies, networks, and network topologies (such as Wi-Fi / WiFi), the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives thereof can be implemented, used, and implemented by other types of radio frequency access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as, but not limited to, Bluetooth, ZigBee, 5G / New Radio (NR), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial IoT (IIoT), and Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT). Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The accompanying drawings are included in this disclosure to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and form part of it. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It will be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to their actual dimensions for clarity of the concepts of the disclosure.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example network environment in which various solutions and schemes of this disclosure can be implemented.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario based on the solution proposed in this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an example design based on the scheme proposed in this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario based on the solution proposed in this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of an example communication system based on the scheme proposed in this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 6 Here is an example flowchart of the scheme proposed in this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a second example flowchart under the scheme proposed in this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0019] This specification discloses detailed embodiments and implementations of the subject matter of the claims. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are for illustrative purposes only and may be implemented in various forms. This disclosure may take many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations listed herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided to make the description of this disclosure more detailed and complete, and to adequately convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0020] Overview

[0021] This disclosure relates to various technologies, methods, schemes, and / or solutions for non-master channel access in wireless communication using link management mechanisms. According to this disclosure, several possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions are described separately below, two or more solutions can be implemented in some combination. The various solutions and schemes implement the proposed schemes between the AP and non-AP STAs. Therefore, the various solutions and schemes proposed herein can solve or alleviate the aforementioned problems.

[0022] Figure 1 Example network environment 100 is shown, which can implement various solutions and schemes of this disclosure. Figures 2 to 7 Examples of various proposed solutions for implementing the present disclosure in network environment 100 are shown. The following descriptions of the various proposed solutions refer to... Figures 1 to 7 .

[0023] See Figure 1 In part (A), network environment 100 may include at least one first work station (STA), namely STA 110, and one second STA, namely STA 120. One of STA 110 and STA 120 may be an access point (AP) STA (which may be referred to interchangeably as "AP" herein), and the other may be a non-AP STA (which may be referred to interchangeably as "STA" herein) associated with the AP STA. STA 110 and STA 120 may belong to a basic service set (BSS). Although more STAs may be involved in network environment 100 under one or more of the schemes presented herein, for simplicity, Figure 1 Only two STAs (STA110 and STA 120) are shown, but it is understood that other STAs may also be involved. Both STA 110 and STA 120 can be configured to implement the various proposals of this disclosure described below. It is worth noting that although various proposals may be described separately or individually below, in actual implementation, some or all of the proposals may be used or implemented in combination. Of course, each proposal can also be used or implemented individually or separately.

[0024] See Figure 1In part (B), under various proposed schemes, when an Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) transmission is detected on the BSS's operating bandwidth, the AP and its associated non-AP STAs can access the channel on a non-primary 20MHz channel (referred interchangeably in this paper as "secondary primary 20MHz channel," "secondary 20MHz channel," or "secondary channel"). The signal level of the OBSS transmission can exceed a specific threshold so that both the AP and non-AP STAs can listen to or detect the same OBSS transmission. The AP or its associated non-AP STAs can switch from the primary link (or operating bandwidth) to an auxiliary link that includes the secondary primary 20MHz channel. The AP can gain a transmission opportunity (TXOP) through enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA). The primary link and auxiliary link can occupy continuous or discontinuous channels in the frequency domain, such as... Figure 1 As shown in section (B).

[0025] Figure 2 An example scenario 200 based on the proposed scheme is illustrated. According to the proposed scheme, an AP (such as STA110) can establish a BSS (such as BSS1) with an 80MHz operating bandwidth on channel 1 (CH1). When a physical-layer protocol data unit (PPDU) transmission is detected on its operating bandwidth, the AP can switch to the idle channel 2 (CH2) and access the channel via EDCA on the secondary primary 20MHz channel on CH2. After successfully performing frame switching on CH2, the AP can obtain a TXOP, and the TXOP obtained on CH2 is limited by the duration of the OBSS TXOP on CH1.

[0026] Under the proposed scheme, regarding the announcement of auxiliary link operation, both the primary and auxiliary links belong to the same BSS, and occupy continuous or discontinuous channels in the frequency domain. When the AP (such as STA 110) belongs to an AP multi-link device (MLD), the link identification (ID) of the primary and auxiliary links of the BSS can be the same or identical. According to the proposed scheme, the AP can send one or more beacon frames and / or other management frames (such as probe response frames and / or associated response frames) on the primary link, and the AP can send broadcast frames on the primary link. The AP will not send beacon frames or other management frames (such as probe response frames and / or associated response frames) on the auxiliary link, nor will the AP send broadcast frames on the auxiliary link. According to the proposed scheme, the AP can announce its ability to operate on the auxiliary link in each beacon frame or management frame through an Ultra-High-Reliability (UHR) operation element or a UHR capability element. In addition, an AP can advertise its secondary links through the Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR) element. In the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT) information field corresponding to the reported AP on the secondary link, the TBTT information field type subfield is set to a predetermined value (e.g., 1), and the TBTT information field length subfield is set to another predetermined value (e.g., 1 or 3). It is worth noting that in this case, the reporting AP and the reported AP can be the same AP.

[0027] Figure 3 Example design 300 based on the proposed solution of this disclosure is shown. See also Figure 3 The TBTT information field corresponding to the reported AP on the secondary link may include at least one of the following subfields: AP MLD Identifier (ID), Link ID, Link Disabled, Secondary Link Bandwidth, and Trigger-Only Uplink (UL). The Trigger-Only UL subfield may contain one bit indicating whether the associated non-AP STA is allowed EDCA channel contention on the secondary link. For example, if the bit in the Trigger-Only UL subfield is set to a predetermined value (e.g., 1), it indicates that uplink (UL) transmission is only trigger-based (TB) and EDCA channel access is not allowed. The Link Disabled subfield may contain one bit indicating whether the secondary link is enabled or disabled. For example, indicating that the secondary link is enabled means that the reported AP is enabled to operate on the secondary link, and indicating that the secondary link is disabled means that the reported AP is disabled to operate on the secondary link.

[0028] According to the proposed scheme, the operating category and channel number of the auxiliary link can be indicated in the neighbor AP field corresponding to the reported AP on the auxiliary link within the RNR element. When the reporting AP belongs to an AP MLD, the AP can announce the primary and auxiliary links of neighbor APs belonging to the same AP MLD as the reporting AP. The reporting AP can announce the primary link of the reported AP in its RNR element by setting the TBTT information field type to a predetermined value (e.g., 0), setting the TBTT information field type subfield to another predetermined value (e.g., 1), and setting the TBTT information field length subfield to yet another predetermined value (e.g., 1 or 3). The AP MLD identifier (ID) corresponding to the primary and auxiliary links can be set to the same or identical values. Furthermore, the link ID corresponding to the primary and auxiliary links can be set to the same or identical values.

[0029] Under the proposed scheme, when the reporting AP belongs to an AP Multilink Device (MLD), the AP can include a per-STA configuration sub-element within the basic multilink element for the reported AP belonging to the same AP MLD. The STA information field of the per-STA configuration sub-element can indicate the secondary link operational capabilities and parameters of the reported AP (e.g., secondary link bandwidth, trigger-only UL indication, etc.). The STA information field of the per-STA configuration sub-element can include a BSS parameter change count. This count can increment by 1 whenever any change related to the secondary link occurs. The STA information field of the per-STA configuration sub-element can contain only one link identifier (ID) for the AP's primary and secondary links.

[0030] According to the proposed scheme of this disclosure, regarding the discovery and association in auxiliary link operation, a non-AP working station (STA) (e.g., STA 120) can identify the auxiliary link operation capability of an AP (e.g., STA 110) from the UHR operation element or UHR capability element carried in each beacon frame and / or management frame sent by the AP. A non-AP STA can discover the auxiliary link of an AP with auxiliary link operation capability through an RNR element where the TBTT information field type subfield is equal to 1 and the TBTT information field length subfield is equal to 1 or 3. The operating category and channel number of the auxiliary link can be determined through the operating category subfield and channel number subfield in the neighbor AP field corresponding to the reported AP in the auxiliary link within the RNR element.

[0031] Under the proposed scheme, any non-AP STA (e.g., a traditional STA or a next-generation STA) can associate with an AP capable of secondary link operation on the BSS's main link without needing to support secondary link operation. Furthermore, a non-AP STA capable of identifying a secondary link does not need to send any probe request frames or association request frames on the secondary link. Additionally, a non-AP STA can indicate to the AP capable of secondary link operation whether it can dynamically switch channels to the secondary link. Similarly, a non-AP MLD capable of identifying a secondary link does not need to request the establishment of a multi-link operation link on the secondary link.

[0032] Furthermore, non-AP STAs can discover the secondary links of APs with secondary link operation capabilities through RNR elements where the TBTT type subfield is equal to 1 and the TBTT information length subfield is equal to 1 or 3. Non-AP STAs can belong to single-link, single-radio / multi-radio multi-link devices (MLDs). When a non-AP STA belongs to a single-link or single-radio multi-link device, it can identify the reporting AP with secondary link operation capabilities through the secondary link operation capabilities indicated in the UHR operation element or UHR capability element carried in the beacon frame or management frame. In addition, non-AP STAs can further identify the secondary link disabled status and secondary link bandwidth of the reporting AP (or any reporting AP) through RNR elements.

[0033] When a non-AP STA belongs to a multi-radio multi-link device, it can also identify a reported AP with auxiliary link operation capability through the RNR element carried in the beacon frame or management frame. This element may include another neighboring AP whose TBTT information field type subfield is set to a predetermined value (e.g., 1), its TBTT information field length subfield is set to another predetermined value (e.g., 1 or 3), and it has the same link ID as the reported AP. The non-AP STA can further identify the auxiliary link disabled status and auxiliary link operation bandwidth of the reported AP through the RNR element. Furthermore, the auxiliary link's operating category and channel number can be used through the neighboring AP information field in the RNR element to identify the primary channel of the auxiliary link of the AP with auxiliary link operation capability.

[0034] Under the proposed scheme, non-AP STAs can indicate whether they support secondary link operation through their UHR operation elements or UHR capability elements. Furthermore, non-AP STAs can indicate their secondary link-related operation parameters, such as bandwidth, in their UHR operation elements. The secondary link's operating category and channel number can be used to identify the primary channel of the secondary link for APs with secondary link operation capabilities through the neighbor AP information field in the RNR element.

[0035] Figure 4An example design 400 based on the solution proposed in this disclosure is shown. See also Figure 4 An AP (e.g., STA 110) can establish a BSS with an 80MHz operating bandwidth on CH1, which can be the AP's primary link. Simultaneously, the AP can indicate its secondary link operational capabilities in its UHR capability element or UHR operation element. Furthermore, the AP can include an RNR element to advertise its secondary link on CH2. Additionally, the AP can indicate a "triggered UL only" for the secondary link to prevent its associated non-APSTAs from competing for the channel.

[0036] Example Implementation

[0037] Figure 5 An example system 500 according to embodiments of this disclosure is illustrated, comprising at least example device 510 and example device 520. Devices 510 and 520 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods described herein related to link management mechanisms in wireless communication, including the foregoing content regarding various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods, as well as the processes described below. For example, device 510 may be implemented in an AP STA (e.g., STA 110), and device 520 may be implemented in a non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120), or vice versa.

[0038] Devices 510 and 520 can be part of an electronic device, such as a portable or mobile device, wearable device, wireless communication device, or computing device. When implemented in a STA, devices 510 and 520 can be implemented in a smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, digital camera, or computing device such as a tablet, laptop, or notebook computer. Devices 510 and 520 can also be part of a machine-type device, which can be an Internet of Things (IoT) device, such as a non-movable or fixed device, home device, wired communication device, or computing device. For example, devices 510 and 520 can be implemented in a smart thermostat, smart refrigerator, smart door lock, wireless speaker, or home control center. When implemented in a network device, devices 510 and / or 520 can be implemented in a network node, such as an access point (AP) or mesh device in a wireless local area network (WLAN).

[0039] In some implementations, devices 510 and 520 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction-set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set computing (CISC) processors. In all the above embodiments, devices 510 and 520 may be implemented in a STA or AP. Devices 510 and 520 may each contain... Figure 5 At least some components are shown, such as processor 512 and processor 522. Devices 510 and 520 may also include one or more other components unrelated to the solutions proposed in this disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device); therefore, for the sake of brevity, Figure 5 Such components of devices 510 and 520 are not shown and are not described below.

[0040] In one aspect, each of processors 512 and 522 may be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors, or one or more Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processors. That is, although the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to processors 512 and 522, each of processors 512 and 522 may comprise multiple processors in some embodiments and a single processor in other embodiments, according to this disclosure. In another aspect, each of processors 512 and 522 may be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware) comprising, for example, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more transformers, these electronic components being configured and arranged to achieve a specific purpose according to this disclosure. In other words, in at least some embodiments, each of processors 512 and 522 is a dedicated machine specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks, including tasks related to non-master channel access employing link management mechanisms in wireless communications, according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0041] In some embodiments, device 510 may further include a transceiver 516 coupled to processor 512. Transceiver 516 may include a transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data and a receiver capable of wirelessly receiving data. In some embodiments, device 520 may further include a transceiver 526 coupled to processor 522. Transceiver 526 may include a transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data and a receiver capable of wirelessly receiving data. It is worth noting that although transceivers 516 and 526 are illustrated as external and separate from processors 512 and 522, respectively, in some embodiments, transceiver 516 may be integrated as part of a system-on-a-chip (SoC) and become part of processor 512, and / or transceiver 526 may be integrated as part of a SoC and become part of processor 522.

[0042] In some embodiments, device 510 may further include a memory 514 coupled to processor 512, which can be accessed by processor 512 and stores data therein. In some embodiments, device 520 may further include a memory 524 coupled to processor 522, which can be accessed by processor 522 and stores data therein. Each of memory 514 and memory 524 may include a random-access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, each of memories 514 and 524 may include a read-only memory (ROM), such as a mask ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, each of memories 514 and 524 may include a non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase-change memory.

[0043] Each of devices 510 and 520 can be a communication entity capable of communicating using various schemes proposed according to this disclosure. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, the capabilities of device 510 or device 520 as a STA (e.g., STA 120) or AP (e.g., STA 110) are described below in conjunction with example flows 600 and 700. It is worth noting that although the capabilities, functions, and / or technical features of devices 510 and 520 are described in detail below, these also apply to the other of devices 510 and 520, although not described in detail for the sake of brevity. Furthermore, it is worth noting that although the example embodiments described below are provided in the context of WLAN, they can also be implemented in other types of networks.

[0044] Explanatory process

[0045] Figure 6 An example flow 600 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated. Flow 600 may represent one aspect of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, flow 600 may represent one aspect of proposed concepts and schemes related to non-master channel access employing link management mechanisms in wireless communication. Flow 600 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in one or more modules 610, 620, and 630 of flow 600. Although illustrated as discrete modules, the various modules of flow 600 may be divided into more modules, merged into fewer modules, or omitted according to desired implementation methods. Furthermore, the modules / submodules of flow 600 may be arranged according to... Figure 6 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more modules / submodules of process 600 can be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 600 can be implemented by devices 510 and 520, and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 600 is described below in conjunction with device 510 as an AP STA (e.g., STA 110) and device 520 as a non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) in a wireless network (such as a WLAN) within network environment 100, according to one or more IEEE 802.11 standards. Process 600 may begin at module 610.

[0046] At 610, process 600 may involve the processor 512 of device 510 acting as an AP STA (e.g., STA 110), establishing a Basic Service Set (BSS) with working bandwidth on the main link via transceiver 516. Process 600 can continue from 610 to 620.

[0047] At 620, process 600 may involve processor 512, via transceiver 516, switching to the secondary link when overlapping basic service set (OBSS) transmissions are detected on the operating bandwidth of the primary link. Process 600 can continue from 620 to 630.

[0048] At 630, process 600 may involve processor 512 exchanging frames with one or more non-AP STAs (e.g., including device 520 as STA 120) on an auxiliary link via transceiver 516.

[0049] In some embodiments, during the handover process, process 600 may involve processor 512 sending a beacon frame or management frame on the primary link to announce the AP's ability to operate on the secondary link in the UHR operation element or UHR capability element carried in the beacon frame or management frame.

[0050] In some embodiments, during the handover process, process 600 may further involve processor 512 announcing an auxiliary link via an RNR element, wherein on the auxiliary link with the AP as the reported AP, the TBTT information field type subfield is set to a predetermined value (e.g., 1), and the TBTT information field length subfield is set to another predetermined value (e.g., 1 or 3).

[0051] In some embodiments, the TBTT information field corresponding to the reported AP on the secondary link may include at least one of the following: AP Multilink Device (MLD) Identifier (ID) subfield, Link ID subfield, Link Disabled subfield, Secondary Link Bandwidth subfield, and Triggered Uplink Only (UL) subfield.

[0052] In some embodiments, the bit values ​​in the trigger-only UL subfield can indicate whether Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) channel contention is permitted by one or more non-AP STAs on the secondary link.

[0053] In some embodiments, uplink (UL) transmission on the auxiliary link is triggered in response to a bit in the trigger-only UL subfield being set to a predetermined value, and EDCA channel access is not allowed.

[0054] In some embodiments, the bit values ​​in the Link Disable subfield can indicate whether the secondary link is enabled or disabled, such that: (a) when the Link Disable subfield indicates that the secondary link is enabled, the AP is reported to be enabled to operate on the secondary link; (b) when the Link Disable subfield indicates that the secondary link is disabled, the AP is reported to be disabled to operate on the secondary link.

[0055] In some embodiments, the working category and channel number of the secondary link can be indicated in the RNR element along with the neighboring AP field corresponding to the reported AP on the secondary link.

[0056] In some embodiments, the AP, acting as a reporting AP, may belong to an AP multilink device (MLD). In this case, the AP MLD identifier (ID) corresponding to the primary link and the secondary link can be set to the same value, and the link ID corresponding to the primary link and the secondary link can be set to another value.

[0057] In some implementations, during the handover process, process 600 may also involve processor 512, as a reporting AP belonging to an AP multilink device (MLD), sending a beacon frame or management frame containing a basic multilink element corresponding to the reported AP, which also belongs to the AP MLD. Furthermore, the STA information field of each STA configuration sub-element in the basic multilink element may indicate the secondary link operational capabilities of the reported AP and one or more secondary link operational parameters. Additionally, the STA information field may include a BSS parameter change count, incrementing in response to changes related to the secondary link. Furthermore, the STA information field may include a link identifier (ID) for the primary and secondary links of the reported AP.

[0058] In some implementations, one or more channels of the primary link and one or more channels of the secondary link may include continuous or discontinuous channels in the frequency domain.

[0059] In some implementations, the transmission opportunity (TXOP) duration of frame switching on the secondary link can be limited by the OBSS TXOP duration on the primary link.

[0060] Figure 7 A process 700 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated by way of example. Process 700 may represent one aspect of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, process 700 may represent one aspect of proposed concepts and schemes related to non-master channel access with link management mechanisms in wireless communication. Process 700 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as shown in modules 710, 720, and 730. Although shown in discrete module form, the various modules of process 700 may be divided into more modules, merged into fewer modules, or omitted, depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the modules / submodules of process 700 may be arranged according to... Figure 7The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more modules / submodules of process 700 can be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 700 can be implemented by or in devices 510 and 520, and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 700 is described below in the context of device 510 as an AP STA (e.g., STA 110) and device 520 as a non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) in a wireless network (such as a WLAN) within network environment 100, and conforming to one or more IEEE 802.11 standards. Process 700 can begin in module 710.

[0061] At 710, process 700 may involve the processor 522 of device 520 acting as a non-AP STA (e.g., STA 120) to receive beacon frames or management frames from an AP (e.g., device 510) on the main link via transceiver 526. Process 700 can continue from 710 to 720.

[0062] At 720, process 700 may involve processor 522 identifying auxiliary links and the auxiliary link operation capabilities of the AP. Process 700 can continue from 720 to 730.

[0063] At 730, process 700 may involve processor 522 switching to the secondary link via transceiver 526 in response to identifying overlapping basic service set (OBSS) transmissions of the AP on the primary link's operating bandwidth and exchanging frames with the AP.

[0064] In some implementations, during the identification process, process 700 may involve processor 522 identifying the AP's auxiliary link operational capability on the auxiliary link from UHR operational elements or UHR capability elements carried in beacon frames or management frames. In some implementations, the non-AP STA may belong to a single-link device or a single-radio multi-link device (MLD).

[0065] In some implementations, during the identification process, process 700 may involve processor 522 identifying the auxiliary link by means of an RNR element in a beacon frame or management frame, wherein, on the auxiliary link with the AP as the reported AP, the TBTT information field type subfield is set to a predetermined value (e.g., 1), and the TBTT information field length subfield is set to another predetermined value (e.g., 1 or 3). In some implementations, the non-AP STA may belong to a multi-radio multi-link device (MLD).

[0066] In some implementations, during the identification process, process 700 may involve processor 522 determining the working category and channel number of the auxiliary link by comparing the RNR element in the beacon frame or management frame with the working category subfield and channel number subfield in the neighbor AP field corresponding to the reported AP on the auxiliary link.

[0067] In some implementations, during the identification process, process 700 may also involve processor 522 identifying the primary channel of an AP through the neighbor AP information field in the RNR element.

[0068] In some implementations, process 700 may also involve processor 522 instructing AP whether a non-AP STA is able to dynamically switch the channel to an auxiliary link.

[0069] In some implementations, process 700 may also involve processor 522 instructing AP: (a) whether a non-AP STA supports auxiliary link operation via a UHR operation element or a UHR capability element; and (b) one or more auxiliary link operation parameters of the non-AP STA.

[0070] Additional notes

[0071] The topics described herein sometimes illustrate different components contained in or connected to different other components. It should be understood that these illustrated architectures are merely examples, and many other architectures can actually be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components that achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired function. Therefore, any two components combined in this document to achieve a specific function can be considered “associated” to achieve the desired function, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two such associated components can also be considered “operationally connected” or “operationally coupled” to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be suchly associated can also be considered “operationally coupled” to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of operational coupling include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interactive components, wirelessly interactive and / or wirelessly interactive components, and logically interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0072] Furthermore, regarding the use of almost all plural and / or singular terms in this document, those skilled in the art can appropriately convert plural to singular and / or singular to plural depending on the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural arrangements are explicitly listed herein.

[0073] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the terms used herein, particularly in claims, such as the body of a claim, are generally intended to be “open-ended” terms. For example, the word “comprising” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the word “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” and the word “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” etc. Those skilled in the art will also further understand that if a particular quantity is introduced in a claim intentionally, that intention will be explicitly stated in the claim; if no such statement is made, the intention does not exist. For example, for ease of understanding, a claim may include the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce the content of the claim. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as limiting any particular claim containing that content to containing only one instance of that content by introducing the content of the claim with the indefinite article “one” or “a.” Even if the same claim contains the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “one” or “a,” for example, “one” and / or “a” should be interpreted as “at least one” or “one or more”; the same applies to definite articles used to introduce the content of the claim. Furthermore, even if a specific number of the introduced content is explicitly stated in the claims, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a statement should be interpreted as at least the stated number. For example, stating only "two items" without any other modifiers means at least two items, or two or more items. Additionally, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, and C, etc.", such structures are generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, having only A, only B, only C, having both A and B, having both A and C, having both B and C, and having both A, B, and C, etc. Similarly, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, or C, etc.", such structures are generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, having only A, only B, only C, having both A and B, having both A and C, having both B and C, and having both A, B, and C, etc. Those skilled in the art will further understand that virtually any extractive term and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms in the specification, claims, or drawings should be understood to include the possibility of including one term, any two terms, or all of the terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” should be understood to include the possibility of including “A” or “B” or “A and B”.

[0074] As can be seen from the foregoing, various embodiments of this disclosure have been described for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: A basic service set with a working bandwidth is established by a processor at an access point on a main link; When the processor detects an overlapping basic service set transmission on the operating bandwidth of the main link, it switches to an auxiliary link. The processor exchanges a frame with one or more non-access point workstations on the auxiliary link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the handover includes sending a beacon frame or a management frame on the primary link to announce a capability of the access point to operate on the secondary link, the capability being represented by an ultra-reliable operation element or an ultra-reliable capability element carried in the beacon frame or the management frame.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the handover further includes announcing the auxiliary link via a simplified neighbor report (RNR) element, wherein in a target beacon transmission time information field corresponding to the access point as a reported access point on the auxiliary link, a target beacon transmission time information field type subfield is set to a first predetermined value, and a target beacon transmission time information field length subfield is set to a second predetermined value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the target beacon transmission time information field corresponding to the reported access point on the secondary link includes at least one of the following: an access point multilink device identifier subfield, a link identifier subfield, a link disabled subfield, a secondary link bandwidth subfield, and a trigger-only uplink subfield.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the value of a single bit in the trigger-only uplink subfield indicates whether enhanced distributed channel access channel contention is permitted on the auxiliary link by the one or more non-access point workstations.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, When the bit in the trigger-only uplink subfield is set to a predetermined value, an uplink transmission on the auxiliary link is trigger-based and channel access is not allowed for enhanced distributed channel access.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the value of a single bit in the link disabled subfield indicates whether the auxiliary link is enabled or disabled, and wherein: When the link-disabled subfield indicates that the secondary link is enabled, the reported access point is enabled to operate on the secondary link; When the Link Disabled subfield indicates that the secondary link is disabled, the reported access point is disabled to operate on the secondary link.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein a working class and a channel number of the auxiliary link are indicated in the simplified neighbor report element and in a neighbor access point field corresponding to the reported access point on the auxiliary link.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point serves as a reporting access point and belongs to an access point multi-link device, wherein the access point multi-link device identifier corresponding to the main link and the auxiliary link is set to the same value, and the link identifier corresponding to the main link and the auxiliary link is set to another same value.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the handover includes a reporting access point belonging to an access point multilink device sending a beacon frame or a management frame, the beacon frame or the management frame containing a basic multilink element corresponding to the access point as a reported access point, the reported access point also belonging to the access point multilink device, and wherein: A worksite information field in a per-worksite configuration sub-element of the basic multilink element indicates a secondary link operational capability and one or more secondary link operational parameters of the reported access point. The worksite information field also includes a basic service set parameter change count, which increments in response to a change associated with the auxiliary link; The worksite information field includes a link identifier for the primary link and the secondary link of the reported access point.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more channels of the primary link and one or more channels of the secondary link comprise continuous or discontinuous channels in a frequency domain, and the duration of a transmission opportunity of the frame exchange on the secondary link is limited by the duration of a transmission opportunity of an overlapping basic service set on the primary link.

12. A method comprising: A processor at a non-access point workstation receives a beacon frame or a management frame from an access point on a main link. The processor identifies an auxiliary link and the operational capability of an auxiliary link of the access point; The processor switches to the secondary link in response to the identification that an overlapping basic service set transmission is detected on a working bandwidth of the primary link, and exchanges a frame with the access point.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the identification includes identifying the auxiliary link operation capability of the access point on the auxiliary link from an ultra-high reliability UHR operation element or ultra-high reliability capability element carried in the beacon frame or management frame.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the non-access point workstation belongs to a single-link device or a single-radio multi-link device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the identification includes identifying the auxiliary link by means of a simplified neighbor report element in the beacon frame or management frame, wherein in a target beacon transmission time information field corresponding to the access point as a reported access point on the auxiliary link, a target beacon transmission time information field type subfield is set to a first predetermined value, and a target beacon transmission time information field length subfield is set to a second predetermined value.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-access point workstation belongs to a multi-RF multi-link device.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the identification includes determining a working category and a channel number of the secondary link by means of a working category subfield and a channel number subfield in a neighbor access point field corresponding to the reported access point on the secondary link in a simplified neighbor report element in the beacon frame or management frame.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the identification further comprises identifying a primary channel of the access point through a neighbor access point information field in the simplified neighbor report element.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising: The processor instructs the access point whether the non-access point workstation can dynamically switch the channel to the auxiliary link.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising: The processor instructs the access point to: Does the non-access point workstation support an auxiliary link operation through an ultra-reliable operation element or an ultra-reliable capability element? And one or more auxiliary link operation parameters of the non-access point workstation.

Images