Communication method and multi-link device

Abstract

To provide a communication method and a multi-link device, which can realize that two multi-link devices perform air interface transmission based on a single link communication rule under the condition that only one link is successfully established between the two multi-link devices.SOLUTION: A method in a wireless communication system comprises, when only one link of a plurality of links is successfully established, a first MLD performs air interface transmission with a second MLD based on a single link communication rule (S310). The plurality of links may be a plurality of links that the first MLD requests to establish, or the plurality of links that the first MLD and the second MLD have established successfully.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202111056745.6, entitled "Communication Method and Multi-Link Device," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on September 9, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and more particularly to communication methods and multi-link devices. [Background technology]

[0003] Next-generation wireless local area network (WLAN) standards are developing and evolving toward increasing throughput, and one key technology is multi-link communication. A multi-link device is a device that supports multi-link communication. When two multi-link devices perform air interface transmission, multiple links can be established between the two multi-link devices. However, there may be cases where only one link is successfully established between the two multi-link devices or only one link is available. In such cases, how to perform air interface transmission between the two multi-link devices is a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and a multi-link device for performing air interface transmission between two multi-link devices according to single-link communication rules when only one link is successfully established between the two multi-link devices.

[0005] According to a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a multi-link device or a component (e.g., a chip or a circuit) of the multi-link device. This is not a limitation. For ease of explanation, the following uses an example in which the method is performed by a first multi-link device.

[0006] The method may include a first multi-link device (MLD) performing air interface transmission with a second MLD according to single-link communication rules when only one of the multiple links is successfully established.

[0007] In one example, the plurality of links may be the plurality of links that the first MLD requests to be established.

[0008] In another example, the plurality of links may be a plurality of links that have been successfully established between the first MLD and the second MLD.

[0009] According to the solution of this application, when only one of the multiple links is successfully established, the first MLD performs air interface transmission with the second MLD according to the single-link communication rule, rather than performing air interface transmission according to the multi-link communication rule. In this way, when only one link is established between the first MLD and the second MLD, the single-link communication rule is better suited to the current link connection state between the first MLD and the second MLD.

[0010] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first MLD performing air interface transmission with the second MLD according to a single-link communication rule includes: The first MLD transmits a first over-the-air frame to the second MLD, and an Address 2 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to a media access control (MAC) address of the first MLD.

[0011] According to the solution of this application, when only one of the multiple links is successfully established, the Address 2 field carried in the over-the-air frame transmitted by the first MLD is set to the MAC address of the first MLD. In the secure procedure, the address used by the first MLD for key generation may also be the MAC address of the first MLD. Therefore, according to the solution of this application, the address used by the first MLD for key generation may match the Address 2 field carried in the air interface transmission.

[0012] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0013] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: The first MLD receives a second over-the-air frame from the second MLD, and an Address 1 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to a MAC address of the first MLD.

[0014] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0015] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, only one of the multiple links being successfully established may be: The method includes: a first MLD transmitting a first request frame to a second MLD, the first request frame being used to request the establishment of multiple links; and the first MLD receiving a first response frame from the second MLD, the first response frame not including a first multilink element.

[0016] Thus, when the first response frame does not include the first multilink element, the first response frame may implicitly indicate that only one of the multiple links requested by the first MLD is successfully established.

[0017] According to the solution of this application, when the first response frame does not include the first multilink element, resource consumption for transmitting the first response can be reduced.

[0018] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, only one of the multiple links being successfully established may be: This involves only one of the multiple links being successfully established through a multi-link reconfiguration.

[0019] According to a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a multi-link device or a component (e.g., a chip or a circuit) of the multi-link device. This is not a limitation. For ease of explanation, the following will use an example in which the method is performed by a second multi-link device.

[0020] The method may include, when only one of the multiple links is successfully established, a second multi-link device (MLD) performing air interface transmission with the first MLD according to single-link communication rules.

[0021] It should be understood that the plurality of links may be a plurality of links that the first MLD requests to be established, or alternatively, the plurality of links may be a plurality of links that have been successfully established between the first MLD and the second MLD.

[0022] According to the solution of this application, when only one of the multiple links is successfully established, the second MLD performs air interface transmission with the first MLD according to single-link communication rules, rather than performing air interface transmission according to multi-link communication rules.

[0023] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second MLD performing air interface transmission with the first MLD according to a single-link communication rule includes: The second MLD transmits a second over-the-air frame to the first MLD, and an Address 1 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to a media access control (MAC) address of the first MLD.

[0024] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0025] According to the solution of this application, when only one of the multiple links is successfully established, the Address 2 field carried in the over-the-air frame transmitted by the second MLD is set to the MAC address of the second MLD. In the secure procedure, the address used by the second MLD for key generation can also be the MAC address of the second MLD. Therefore, according to the solution of this application, the address used by the second MLD for key generation can match the Address 2 field carried in the air interface transmission.

[0026] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: The second MLD receives a first over-the-air frame from the first MLD, and an Address 2 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to a MAC address of the first MLD.

[0027] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0028] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, only one of the multiple links being successfully established may be: The method includes: the second MLD receiving a first request frame from the first MLD, the first request frame being used to request the establishment of multiple links; and the second MLD transmitting a first response frame to the first MLD, the first response frame not including a first multilink element.

[0029] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, only one of the multiple links being successfully established may be: Only one of the multiple links is successfully established through a multi-link reconfiguration.

[0030] According to a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a multi-link device or a component (e.g., a chip or a circuit) of the multi-link device. This is not a limitation. For ease of explanation, the following uses an example in which the method is performed by a first multi-link device.

[0031] The method may include: a first MLD sending a second request frame to a second MLD, the second request frame being used to request establishment of single-link communication, an Address 2 field in the second request frame being set to a MAC address of the first MLD; the first MLD receiving a second response frame from the second MLD, the second response frame indicating that the single-link communication has been successfully established; and the first MLD performing air interface transmission with the second MLD according to single-link communication rules.

[0032] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the Address 1 field in the second response frame is set to the MAC address of the first MLD.

[0033] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second request frame and the second response frame do not carry a multilink element.

[0034] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first MLD performing air interface transmission with the second MLD according to a single-link communication rule includes: The first MLD transmits a first over-the-air frame to the second MLD, and an Address 2 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to a media access control (MAC) address of the first MLD.

[0035] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0036] According to a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a multi-link device or a component (e.g., a chip or a circuit) of the multi-link device. This is not a limitation. For ease of explanation, the following uses an example in which the method is performed by a second multi-link device.

[0037] The method may include: the second MLD receiving a second request frame from the first MLD, the second request frame being used to request the establishment of single-link communication, wherein an Address 2 field in the second request frame is set to a MAC address of the first MLD; the second MLD sending a second response frame to the first MLD, the second response frame indicating that the single-link communication has been successfully established; and the second MLD performing air interface transmission with the first MLD according to single-link communication rules.

[0038] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the Address 1 field in the second response frame is set to the MAC address of the first MLD.

[0039] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the second request frame and the second response frame do not carry a multilink element.

[0040] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the second MLD performing air interface transmission with the first MLD according to a single-link communication rule includes: The second MLD transmits a second over-the-air frame to the first MLD, and an Address 1 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to a media access control (MAC) address of the first MLD.

[0041] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0042] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a first multi-link device (MLD), the first MLD comprising: The system includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit connected to the processing unit.

[0043] The processing unit is configured to determine if only one of the multiple links is successfully established.

[0044] The transceiver unit is configured to perform air interface transmission with the second MLD according to a single-link communication rule when the processing unit determines that only one of the multiple links is successfully established.

[0045] Referring to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the transceiver unit is configured to transmit a first over-the-air frame to a second MLD, and an Address 2 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to a media access control (MAC) address of the first MLD.

[0046] Referring to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0047] Referring to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second over-the-air frame from the second MLD, wherein the Address 1 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the first MLD.

[0048] Referring to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0049] Referring to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit a first request frame to a second MLD, the first request frame being used to request the establishment of multiple links, and the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first response frame from the second MLD, the first response frame not including the first multilink element.

[0050] Referring to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, only one of the multiple links is successfully established through the multi-link reconfiguration.

[0051] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a second multi-link device (MLD), the second MLD comprising: The system includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit connected to the processing unit.

[0052] The processing unit is configured to determine if only one of the multiple links is successfully established.

[0053] The transceiver unit is configured to perform air interface transmission with the first MLD according to a single-link communication rule when the processing unit determines that only one of the multiple links is successfully established.

[0054] Referring to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the transceiver unit is configured to transmit a second over-the-air frame to the first MLD, and an Address 1 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to a media access control (MAC) address of the first MLD.

[0055] Referring to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0056] Referring to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first over-the-air frame from the first MLD, wherein an Address 2 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to a MAC address of the first MLD.

[0057] Referring to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0058] Referring to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first request frame from a first MLD, the first request frame being used to request the establishment of multiple links, and the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit a first response frame to the first MLD, the first response frame not including a first multilink element.

[0059] Referring to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, only one of the multiple links is successfully established through the multi-link reconfiguration.

[0060] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a first multi-link device (MLD), the first MLD including a unit configured to perform a method according to any implementation of the third aspect.

[0061] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a second multi-link device (MLD), the second MLD including a unit configured to perform a method according to any implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0062] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a communications device having a processor. When the communications device is in operation, the processor executes computer programs or instructions stored in a memory, causing the communications device to perform a method according to any of the implementations of the first to fourth aspects. The memory may be located within the processor, or may be implemented using a chip separate from the processor. This is not a particular limitation of this application.

[0063] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium containing a computer program which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to carry out a method according to any implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0064] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a chip having processing circuitry disposed thereon, the processing circuitry being configured to perform a method according to any of the implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0065] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided a computer program product, the computer program product including a computer program (also sometimes referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed, enables a computer to carry out a method according to any of the implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0066] According to a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a communication system including the above-mentioned first MLD and second MLD. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0067] [Figure 1] One embodiment of this application is an applicable communication system architecture. [Figure 2] One embodiment of this application is an applicable communication system architecture. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of the method according to this application. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic block diagram of a multi-link device according to the present application; [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0068] The technical solutions of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] One embodiment of this application provides a communication method applied to a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system may be a wireless local area network (WLAN). The method may be implemented by a communication device in the wireless communication system, or a chip or processor in the communication device. The communication device may be a multi-link device (MLD). For example, the multi-link device may be an access point (AP) MLD or a non-access point MLD (non-AP MLD), such as a station (STA) MLD.

[0070] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, a communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0071] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 100 to which embodiments of the present application are applicable.

[0072] The wireless communication system 100 includes an STA and an AP.

[0073] An STA may also be referred to as a subscriber unit, access terminal, mobile station, mobile console, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, user equipment, or user equipment (UE). An STA may be a cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless local area network (e.g., Wi-Fi) communication capability, wearable device, computing device, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem.

[0074] The AP may be configured to transmit data from the STA to the network side and transmit data from the network side to the STA.

[0075] 2 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 200 to which an embodiment of this application can be applied. As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless communication system 200 may include a STA MLD 210 and an AP MLD 220.

[0076] The STA MLD 210 can include multiple sub-devices, and the AP MLD 220 can also include multiple sub-devices. It should be understood that Figure 2 is only an example for explanation, and the number of sub-devices included in the STA MLD 210 and the AP MLD 220 is not limited in this application.

[0077] 2, the STA MLD 210 may include STA#1, STA#2, and STA#3, and the AP MLD 220 may include AP#1, AP#2, and AP#3. When all three links between the STA MLD 210 and the AP MLD 220 are successfully established, AP#1 can communicate with STA#1 on link#1, AP#2 can communicate with STA#2 on link#2, and AP#3 can communicate with STA#3 on link#3.

[0078] In this application, the first multi-link device (MLD) may be a STA MLD and the second MLD may be an AP MLD, or the first MLD may be an AP MLD and the second MLD may be a STA MLD, or both the first MLD and the second MLD may be AP MLDs, or both the first MLD and the second MLD may be STA MLDs. This is not a limitation of this application. Below, an example will be described in which the first MLD is a STA MLD (e.g., STA MLD 210 in FIG. 2 ) and the second MLD is an AP MLD (e.g., AP MLD 220 in FIG. 2 ).

[0079] Hereinafter, the embodiments provided in this application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0080] 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 300 according to an embodiment of this application. The method 300 may include the following steps.

[0081] S310: When only one of the multiple links is successfully established, the first MLD performs air interface transmission with the second MLD according to a single-link communication rule.

[0082] The following describes several possible ways in which a first MLD performs air interface transmission with a second MLD according to single-link communication rules.

[0083] Possible Scheme 1: The first MLD performing air interface transmission with the second MLD according to a single-link communication rule includes the first MLD sending a first over-the-air frame to the second MLD, and an address 2 field in the first over-the-air frame being set to the media access control (MAC) address of the first MLD.

[0084] The Address 2 field is the transmit address (TA) of the over-the-air frame.

[0085] The over-the-air frame may further include other address fields, such as an Address 1 field and an Address 3 field. The Address 1 field is the receive address (RA) of the over-the-air frame. In some cases, the Address 3 field may be the basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the AP. It should be understood that in some cases, the Address 3 field may have a different meaning. For more information, see the prior art.

[0086] The meaning of the Address 1, Address 2, and Address 3 fields will not be explained below.

[0087] According to Possible Scheme 1, the Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame can be set in several ways:

[0088] (1) The Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0089] (2) The Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of AP#m. AP#m is the AP corresponding to only one link. For example, it is assumed that only one link (e.g., denoted as link#m) among multiple links between the first MLD and the second MLD is successfully established, and link#m is the link between STA#m included in the first MLD and AP#m included in the second MLD. The meanings of STA#m and AP#m will not be explained below.

[0090] (3) The Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the broadcast address. In this method, the Address 3 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the BSSID of AP#m.

[0091] (4) The Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD. In this method, the Address 3 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the BSSID of AP#m.

[0092] According to alternative scheme 1, when only one of the multiple links is successfully established, the Address 2 field carried in the first over-the-air frame transmitted by the first MLD may be the MAC address of the first MLD. In the secure procedure, the address used by the first MLD for key generation may also be the MAC address of the first MLD. Thus, the address used by the first MLD for key generation may match the Address 2 field carried in the air interface transmission.

[0093] Possible Method 2: The first MLD performing air interface transmission with the second MLD according to the single-link communication rule further includes the second MLD sending a second over-the-air frame to the first MLD, and the Address 1 field in the second over-the-air frame being set to the MAC address of the first MLD.

[0094] According to alternative scheme 2, the Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame can be set in several ways:

[0095] (1) The Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0096] (2) The Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of AP#m.

[0097] (3) The Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD. In this method, the Address 3 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the BSSID of AP#m.

[0098] According to alternative scheme 2, when only one of the multiple links is successfully established, the Address 2 field carried in the second over-the-air frame transmitted by the second MLD may be the MAC address of the second MLD. In the secure procedure, the address used by the second MLD for key generation may also be the MAC address of the second MLD. Thus, the address used by the second MLD for key generation may match the Address 2 field carried in the air interface transmission.

[0099] Possible method 3: When the first MLD performs air interface transmission with the second MLD according to the single-link communication rule, the first MLD sends a first over-the-air frame to the second MLD, and the Address 2 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of STA#m.

[0100] According to option 3, the Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame can be set in several ways:

[0101] (1) The Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0102] (2) The Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of AP#m.

[0103] (3) The Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD. In this method, the Address 3 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the BSSID of AP#m.

[0104] (4) The Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the broadcast address. In this method, the Address 3 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the BSSID of AP#m.

[0105] Possible method 4: The first MLD performing air interface transmission with the second MLD according to the single-link communication rule further includes the second MLD sending a second over-the-air frame to the first MLD, and the Address 1 field in the second over-the-air frame being set to the MAC address of STA#m.

[0106] According to option 4, the Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame can be set in several ways:

[0107] (1) The Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0108] (2) The Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of AP#m.

[0109] (3) The Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD. In this method, the Address 3 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the BSSID of AP#m.

[0110] The above describes several possible ways in which a first MLD performs air interface transmission with a second MLD according to single-link communication rules.

[0111] Below we describe several ways in which only one of the links is successfully established.

[0112] Possible Scheme 1: A first MLD sends a first request frame to a second MLD, where the first request frame is used to request the establishment of multiple links, and the second MLD sends a first response frame to the first MLD, where the first response frame does not include a multilink element. Optionally, the frame body of the first response frame can include a first field, where the first field indicates that only one link has been successfully established. For example, the first field is a status code field.

[0113] The first request frame may be, for example, an association request frame, and the first response frame may be, for example, an association response frame, or the first request frame may be, for example, a reassociation request frame, and the first response frame may be, for example, a reassociation response frame.

[0114] The multi-link element may be a basic variant multi-link element.

[0115] Using the architecture shown in Figure 2 as an example, in one possible implementation, the first MLD can use STA#1 to send a first request frame to AP#1, where the first request frame is used to request the establishment of multiple links. If only one of the multiple links requested by the first MLD is successfully established, the second MLD sends a first response frame to the first MLD, where the first response frame does not include a first multilink element, and the successfully established link can be the link for transmitting the first request frame and the first response frame, for example, link#1.

[0116] According to possible scheme 1, when the first response frame does not include the first multilink element, the first response frame can implicitly indicate that only one link (e.g., link #1) of the multiple links requested by the first MLD has been successfully established, and when the first response frame does not include the first multilink element, resource consumption for transmitting the first response frame can be reduced.

[0117] In one possible case, if a link for sending the first request frame and the first response frame has not been established, the first response frame may not include a multilink element.

[0118] Possible Scheme 2: Only one of the multiple links is successfully established through multi-link reconfiguration.

[0119] For example, the multiple links may be multiple links that have been successfully established (e.g., multiple links that were previously successfully established), and through multi-link reconfiguration, only one of the multiple links is successfully established (or only one of the multiple successfully established links is available).

[0120] The device that performs the multi-link reconfiguration is not a limitation in this application.

[0121] For example, a first MLD may send a third request frame to a second MLD requesting a multilink reconfiguration, the third request frame carrying a multilink element. The second MLD may send a third response frame to the first MLD. The third response frame may be used to respond to the third request frame. The third response frame may carry a multilink element or may not carry a multilink element, leaving only one link remaining of the multiple links originally successfully established between the first MLD and the second MLD.

[0122] In another example, the second MLD sends a third request frame to the first MLD requesting a multilink reconfiguration, the third request frame carrying a multilink element. The first MLD sends a third response frame to the second MLD. The third response frame is used to respond to the third request frame. The third response frame may carry a multilink element or may not carry a multilink element, leaving only one link remaining of the multiple links originally successfully established between the first MLD and the second MLD.

[0123] In yet another example, a second MLD transmits a first radio frame carrying a multi-link element to a first MLD, and only one link remains of multiple links originally successfully established between the first MLD and the second MLD.

[0124] Possible Scheme 3: A first MLD sends a first request frame to a second MLD, where the first request frame is used to request the establishment of multiple links, and the second MLD sends a first response frame to the first MLD, where the first response frame includes a first multilink element and a first field, where the first field indicates that only one link (e.g., link #1) has been successfully established.

[0125] In this scheme, the first multilink element indicates that none of the multiple links requested by the first MLD, except for link #1, were established. For example, the first multilink element includes a link info field, which includes profile sub-elements corresponding to each of the other links, each profile sub-element including a status code field, and the status code field included in each profile sub-element indicates that the link corresponding to that profile sub-element was not established. In one possible implementation, the status code field included in each profile sub-element indicates a failure cause.

[0126] According to possible method 3, when the first response frame includes a first multi-link element, the first multi-link element indicates that no links other than link #1 have been established among the multiple links that the first MLD requests to be established, and the first response frame can explicitly indicate that only link #1 has been successfully established among the multiple links that the first MLD requests to be established.

[0127] According to the solution of this application, when only one of the multiple links is successfully established, the first MLD performs air interface transmission with the second MLD according to the single-link communication rule. For example, according to alternative scheme 1 or alternative scheme 3, the first MLD and the second MLD consider that multiple links have not been established. In other words, the first MLD and the second MLD no longer request the establishment of multiple links, and consider that multiple links have been successfully established, even though in fact only one link has been established.

[0128] The above-mentioned possible ways are illustrative examples, and the successful establishment of only one of the multiple links may be implemented in other ways instead, and this is not a limitation of this application.

[0129] It can be understood that some of the above-described embodiments describe an example in which the over-the-air frame includes an address 1 field, an address 2 field, and an address 3 field. This is not a limitation in this application. For example, the over-the-air frame may further include an address 4 field.

[0130] It may be understood that in the above-described method embodiments, the methods and operations performed by a multi-link device (e.g., a first MLD or a second MLD) may also be performed by a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) of the multi-link device.

[0131] Corresponding to the methods provided in the above method embodiments, an embodiment of this application further provides a corresponding apparatus, which includes corresponding modules configured to perform the above method embodiments. The modules can be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. It can be understood that the technical features described in the method embodiments are also applicable to the following apparatus embodiments.

[0132] 4 is a diagram of a multilink device (e.g., a first multilink device or a second multilink device) according to an embodiment of this application. The multilink device may include a transceiver unit 401 and a processing unit 402.

[0133] The transceiver unit 401 may be configured to implement corresponding communication functions. For example, the transceiver unit 401 may be used by a first multi-link device (MLD) to perform air interface transmission with a second MLD according to single-link communication rules. The transceiver unit 401 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0134] The processing unit 402 may be configured to perform processing operations, such as determining whether only one of the multiple links has been successfully established.

[0135] Optionally, the multi-link device further includes a storage unit. The storage unit may be configured to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 402 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit to perform the operations performed by the first multi-link device in the above-described method embodiments, or may perform the operations performed by the second multi-link device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0136] In a first design, the multi-link device may be the first MLD in the above-described embodiments, or may be a component (e.g., a chip) of the first MLD. The multi-link device may perform steps or procedures performed by the first MLD in the above-described method embodiments. The transceiver unit 401 may be configured to perform operations related to transmitting and receiving the first MLD in the above-described method embodiments, and the processing unit 402 may be configured to perform operations related to processing the first MLD in the above-described method embodiments.

[0137] Specifically, the processing unit 402 can be configured to determine whether only one of the multiple links is successfully established, and the transceiver unit 401 is configured to perform air interface transmission with the second MLD according to a single-link communication rule when the processing unit determines that only one of the multiple links is successfully established.

[0138] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 401 is further configured to transmit a first over-the-air frame to the second MLD, with an Address 2 field in the first over-the-air frame set to the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the first MLD.

[0139] Optionally, the Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0140] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 401 is further configured to receive a second over-the-air frame from the second MLD, the Address 1 field of the second over-the-air frame being set to the MAC address of the first MLD.

[0141] Optionally, the Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0142] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 401 is further configured to transmit a first request frame to the second MLD, the first request frame being used to request the establishment of multiple links, and the transceiver unit 401 is further configured to receive a first response frame from the second MLD, the first response frame not including a multilink element.

[0143] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 402 is configured to determine whether only one of the multiple links is successfully established through the multi-link reconfiguration.

[0144] In the second design, the multi-link device may be the second MLD in the above-described embodiments, or may be a component (e.g., a chip) of the second MLD. The multi-link device may perform steps or procedures performed by the second MLD in the above-described method embodiments. The transceiver unit 401 may be configured to perform operations related to transmission and reception of the second MLD in the above-described method embodiments, and the processing unit 402 may be configured to perform operations related to processing of the second MLD in the above-described method embodiments.

[0145] Specifically, the processing unit 402 can be configured to determine whether only one of the multiple links is successfully established, and the transceiver unit 401 is configured to perform air interface transmission with the first MLD according to a single-link communication rule when the processing unit determines that only one of the multiple links is successfully established.

[0146] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 401 is further configured to transmit a second over-the-air frame to the first MLD, with an Address 1 field in the second over-the-air frame set to the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the first MLD.

[0147] Optionally, the Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0148] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 401 is further configured to receive a first over-the-air frame from the first MLD, wherein the Address 2 field of the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the first MLD.

[0149] Optionally, the Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the second MLD.

[0150] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 401 is further configured to receive a first request frame from the first MLD, the first request frame being used to request the establishment of multiple links, and the transceiver unit 401 is further configured to send a first response frame to the first MLD, the first response frame not including a multilink element.

[0151] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 402 is configured to determine whether only one of the multiple links is successfully established through the multi-link reconfiguration.

[0152] It should be understood that the specific processes by which these units perform the above-mentioned corresponding steps have been described in detail in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and for the sake of brevity, the details will not be described here.

[0153] It should be further understood that the multilink device herein is presented in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" herein may refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group processor) configured to execute one or more software or firmware programs, a memory, a merged logic circuit, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functionality. In one optional example, those skilled in the art will understand that the multilink device may specifically be the first MLD in the above-described embodiment and may be configured to perform procedures and / or steps corresponding to the first MLD in the above-described method embodiment. Alternatively, the multilink device may specifically be the second MLD in the above-described embodiment and may be configured to perform procedures and / or steps corresponding to the second MLD in the above-described method embodiment. To avoid repetition, the details will not be described again here.

[0154] The multi-link device in the above-described solution has a function for performing corresponding steps performed by a multi-link device (e.g., the first MLD or the second MLD) in the above-described method. This function may be implemented by hardware or by the hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software may include one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions. For example, a transceiver unit may be replaced with a transceiver (e.g., a transmitting unit in the transceiver unit may be replaced with a transmitter, and a receiving unit in the transceiver unit may be replaced with a receiver) so as to separately perform transmitting and receiving operations and related processing operations in the method embodiments, and another unit, such as a processing unit, may be replaced with a processor.

[0155] Also, the transceiver unit 401 may alternatively be a transceiver circuit (eg, a transceiver circuit may include a receiver circuit and a transmitter circuit), and the processing unit may be a processing circuit.

[0156] 4 may be the first MLD or the second MLD in the above-described embodiments, or may be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). The transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface. The processing unit may be a processor, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit integrated on a chip. This is not a limitation here.

[0157] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device. As shown in FIG. 5 , the communication device includes a processor 501. The processor 501 is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory 503 or read data stored in the memory 503 to perform the method in the above-mentioned method embodiments. Optionally, there are one or more processors 501. The communication device further includes a communication interface 502, which is configured to transmit and / or receive signals. For example, the processor 501 is configured to control the communication interface 502 to transmit and / or receive signals.

[0158] Optionally, as shown in Figure 5, the communication device further includes a memory 503 configured to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 503 may be integrated with the processor 501 or may be located separately. Optionally, there are more than one memory 503.

[0159] Optionally, the processor 501, the communication interface 502, and the memory 503 are connected to each other by using a bus 504. The bus 504 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus 504 may be categorized as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent a bus in FIG. 5, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0160] In another solution, the communication device is configured to perform the operations performed by the multilink device in the method embodiments described above.

[0161] For example, when the communication device is a first MLD, the processor 501 is configured to determine that only one of the multiple links is successfully established, and the communication interface 502 is configured to perform air interface transmission with the second MLD according to a single-link communication rule when the processor 501 determines that only one of the multiple links is successfully established.

[0162] In another example, when the communication device is a second MLD, the processor 501 is configured to determine that only one of the multiple links is successfully established, and the communication interface 502 is configured to perform air interface transmission with the first MLD according to a single-link communication rule when the processor 501 determines that only one of the multiple links is successfully established.

[0163] It should be understood that a processor (such as processor 501) referred to in the embodiments of this application may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. The processor may also include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof.

[0164] It may be further understood that the memory referred to in the embodiments of this application (such as memory 503) may be volatile or nonvolatile memory, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Nonvolatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache.

[0165] Those skilled in the art can recognize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps in the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether a function is implemented by hardware or computer software depends on the specific application and design constraints of these technical solutions. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functions using different methods for different specific applications, but these implementations should not be considered to go beyond the scope of this application.

[0166] It can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that for the sake of convenience and conciseness, the detailed operation processes of the above-mentioned systems, devices, and units can be referred to the corresponding processes in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and the details will not be described again here.

[0167] In some embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described are merely examples. For example, the division into units is merely a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, other divisions may be used. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into other systems, or some features may be ignored or not implemented. Furthermore, the illustrated or described mutual couplings, direct couplings, or communication connections may be implemented through some interface. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be implemented in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0168] The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separated, and the parts illustrated as units may or may not be physical units, located in one location, or distributed over multiple network units, and some or all of the units may be selected according to actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

[0169] Additionally, multiple functional units in the embodiments of this application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each of the units may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit.

[0170] When functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as an independent product, the functions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application may essentially be implemented, or a portion of the technical solution may be implemented in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes some instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, or the like) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of this application. The above-mentioned storage medium includes any medium that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or a compact disk.

[0171] The above description is merely a specific implementation of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications or replacements that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application shall fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application shall be governed by the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. receiving, by an Access Point Multilink Device (AP MLD), a request frame from a first Station (STA) of a Station Multilink Device (STA MLD), the request frame requesting to establish single-link communication, the request frame carrying no multilink elements, and an Address 2 field in the request frame set to a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the STA MLD; transmitting, by the AP MLD, a response frame to the first STA, the response frame not carrying a multi-link element, the response frame indicating that the single link communication has been successfully established, and an Address 1 field in the response frame set to the MAC address of the STA MLD; performing air interface transmission with the first STA according to the single link communication by the AP MLD; A communication method comprising:

2. The step of performing air interface transmission with the first STA according to the single link communication by the AP MLD includes: receiving, by the AP MLD, a first over-the-air frame from the first STA, wherein an Address 2 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the STA MLD; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

3. 3. The communication method of claim 2, wherein an Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to a MAC address of a first AP, the first AP belongs to the AP MLD, and a single link is a communication link between the first AP and the first STA.

4. The step of performing air interface transmission with the first STA according to the single link communication by the AP MLD includes: transmitting a second over-the-air frame by the AP MLD to the first STA, wherein an Address 1 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the STA MLD; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

5. 5. The communication method of claim 4, wherein an Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to a MAC address of a first AP, the first AP belongs to the AP MLD, and a single link is the communication link between the first AP and the first STA.

6. A communication device for use in an Access Point Multi-Link Device (AP MLD), the communication device having at least one processor and at least one communication interface, the at least one communication interface being used by the communication device to exchange information with another communication device, wherein program instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the communication device to: receiving a request frame from a first station (STA) of a station multi-link device (STA MLD), the request frame requesting to establish single-link communication, the request frame not carrying a multi-link element, and an Address 2 field in the request frame set to a media access control (MAC) address of the STA MLD; sending a response frame to the first STA, the response frame not carrying a multi-link element, the response frame indicating that the single link communication has been successfully established, an Address 1 field in the response frame set to the MAC address of the STA MLD; performing air interface transmission with the first STA according to the single link communication; A communication device that is enabled to do the following.

7. performing air interface transmission with the first STA according to the single link communication; receiving a first over-the-air frame from the first STA, wherein an Address 2 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the STA MLD; The communication device of claim 6 , further comprising:

8. 8. The communication device of claim 7, wherein an Address 1 field in the first over-the-air frame is set to a MAC address of a first AP, the first AP belongs to the AP MLD, and a single link is a communication link between the first AP and the first STA.

9. performing air interface transmission with the first STA according to the single link communication; transmitting a second over-the-air frame to the first STA, wherein an Address 1 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to the MAC address of the STA MLD; The communication device of claim 6 , further comprising:

10. 10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein an Address 2 field in the second over-the-air frame is set to a MAC address of a first AP, the first AP belongs to the AP MLD, and a single link is the communication link between the first AP and the first STA.

11. Access Point Multilink Device (AP MLD), characterized in that it comprises a unit adapted to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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