Communication method and communication device

Abstract

Embodiments of this application may be applied to IEEE Standards 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11ba, 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7, EHT, Wi-Fi 8, UHR, Wi-Fi AI, or their next-generation standards, UWB-based wireless personal local area network systems, or sensing systems. The embodiments provide a communication method and a communication device, in which discovery information for an AP affiliated with an AP MLD includes information about the AP MLD. In this way, when a station receives a discovery frame transmitted by an AP, the station can determine that the AP is affiliated with the AP MLD by using the AP MLD information in the discovery information for the AP. Thus, the station can discover the AP, determine the AP MLD with which the AP is affiliated, and then perform AP MLD discovery.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to a communication method and a communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] A Wake-Up Radio (WUR) non-access point (non-AP) station (STA) is a non-high-throughput (non-HT), high-throughput (HT), very high-throughput (VHT), or high-efficiency (HE) non-AP STA capable of receiving WUR physical protocol data units (PPDUs) and supporting WUR operation. A WUR access point (AP) is a non-HT, HT, VHT, or HE AP capable of transmitting WUR PPDUs and supporting WUR operation.

[0003] WUR operations include at least WUR discovery. WUR discovery is primarily used for very low power location scanning and roaming scanning. For WUR-facilitated location scanning, a mobile device uses its WUR receiver to scan one or more WUR discovery channels and uses signal strength measured from WUR PPDUs and received from neighboring APs to provide additional information for location services on the mobile device. WUR-assisted location scanning provides an extremely low power location scanning mechanism because the power consumption by the WUR receiver is much lower than that of the main wireless receiver. For WUR-assisted roaming scanning, a mobile device uses its WUR receiver to passively scan multiple WUR discovery channels and collect basic information about neighboring APs. The collected information can be used to facilitate roaming decisions for the mobile device. WUR-assisted roaming scanning provides an extremely low power roaming scanning mechanism. Additionally, extremely low power roaming scanning can be performed very frequently in the background, thus making roaming information immediately available whenever needed, leading to reduced roaming delays.

[0004] However, the WUR discovery mechanism described above is designed to assist the discovery of a WUR AP based on single-link operation. As a result, the above WUR discovery mechanism cannot be directly applicable to the discovery of a WUR AP multi-link device (MLD) based on multi-link operation (MLO).

[0005] Therefore, the challenge is how to extend the WUR discovery mechanism to WUR AP MLD discovery. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus, which are useful for discovering AP MLD.

[0007] According to a first aspect, there is provided a communication method including: receiving, by a station, a first frame, the first frame including discovery information for a first AP affiliated with an AP MLD, the discovery information for the first AP including information of the AP MLD; receiving, by the station, a second frame from the first AP, the second frame being utilized to discover the first AP; and determining, by the station, according to the discovery information for the first AP and the second frame, that the first AP is affiliated with the AP MLD.

[0008] Optionally, the first frame is a beacon frame or a probe response frame.

[0009] Optionally, the second frame is a WUR discovery frame.

[0010] The APs transmitting the first and second frames may be the same or different, i.e., the first frame may be transmitted by the first AP or by another AP.

[0011] According to the above method, the discovery information for the first AP affiliated with the AP MLD includes information about the AP MLD. In this way, when the station discovers the first AP, i.e., when the station receives the second frame transmitted by the first AP, the station can determine that the first AP is affiliated with the AP MLD by using the AP MLD information in the discovery information for the first AP. Thus, the station can discover the AP, determine the AP MLD to which the AP is affiliated, and then perform discovery of the AP MLD.

[0012] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the information of the AP MLD includes at least one of the following parameters: an AP MLD ID of the AP MLD, a link ID of the first AP in the AP MLD, or a media access control (MAC) address of the AP MLD.

[0013] According to this embodiment, a station can determine the AP MLD that the AP is affiliated with, its link ID within that AP MLD, or the MAC address of the AP MLD that the AP is affiliated with.

[0014] In the embodiment of the first aspect or any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one second AP and / or discovery information for at least one third AP, where each second AP is an AP affiliated with an AP MLD, and the discovery information for each second AP includes information of the AP MLD, and each third AP is an AP affiliated with a neighbor AP MLD of the AP MLD, and the discovery information for each third AP includes information of the AP MLD to which the third AP is affiliated.

[0015] According to this embodiment, the first frame also includes discovery information for APs that are either affiliated with the same AP MLD as the first AP or affiliated with a neighboring AP MLD, respectively, which can be utilized to facilitate AP MLD discovery and station roaming.

[0016] In any one of the embodiments of the first aspect or the embodiments of the first aspect, the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one fourth AP, the fourth AP being a neighboring AP of the first AP, and the discovery information for each fourth AP includes information of the fourth AP.

[0017] According to this embodiment, the first frame transmitted by the first AP also includes discovery information for APs that are neighbor APs of the first AP, which information can be utilized to facilitate station roaming.

[0018] In the embodiment of the first aspect or any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, the type of the second frame is different from that of a legacy WUR discovery frame, and the second frame includes a compressed MAC address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD.

[0019] According to this embodiment, the second frame may carry essential information of all APs affiliated with the AP MLD. Therefore, the station may perform scanning on a single discovery channel for each AP MLD. Because the station can obtain the essential information of the AP MLD by scanning a single discovery channel, scanning delay and power consumption can be significantly reduced.

[0020] In the embodiment of the first aspect or any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, the second frame particularly includes a type subfield, an ID subfield, a type-dependent control subfield, a link ID bitmap subfield, and an operating class and channel list subfield, wherein the type subfield is used to indicate the type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to 12 least significant bits (LSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, and the type-dependent control subfield is set to the 12 least significant bits (LSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD. The MLD is set to the 12 most significant bits (MSBs) of the compressed MAC address, the Link ID Bitmap subfield is utilized to indicate the link ID of each link whose corresponding basic service set (BSS) is advertised by the second frame, the link ID indicated by the Link ID Bitmap subfield including the link ID of the first AP and the link ID of at least one second AP, the Operating Class and Channel List subfield is utilized to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, the primary channel information indicated by the Operating Class and Channel List subfield including the primary channel information of the first AP and the primary channel information of at least one second AP.

[0021] In the embodiment of the first aspect or any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, the second frame particularly includes a type subfield, an ID subfield, a type-dependent control subfield, and a plurality of information groups, where the type subfield is used to indicate a type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to 12 LSBs of a compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, and the type-dependent control subfield is set to 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, the plurality of information groups are used to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, and the primary channel information indicated by the plurality of information groups includes primary channel information of the first AP and primary channel information of at least one second AP, and each of the plurality of information groups includes a link ID subfield and an operating class and channel subfield, where the link ID subfield is used to indicate a link ID of a link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the second frame, and the operating class and channel subfields are used to indicate primary channel information of the corresponding BSS indicated by the link ID subfield in the same information group.

[0022] In the embodiment of the first aspect or any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, the step of receiving the second frame from the first AP includes the steps of: generating, by the station, a request primitive on a system management entity (SME), where the request primitive includes a discovery channel list that is utilized to indicate one or more discovery channels to be scanned; performing, by the station, a scan on the one or more discovery channels to receive the second frame on a MAC layer; and returning, by the station, an acknowledgement primitive to the SME based on the second frame on the MAC layer; The acknowledgement primitive has the following parameters: An indicator used to indicate that an AP MLD is discovered; a transmitter ID used to indicate the 12 LSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD; CompressedMLDMACAddress_MSB, which is used to indicate the 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD; A compressed Service Set Identifier (SSID) that is used to indicate the 16 LSBs of the short SSID in the AP MLD. A link ID bitmap or link ID list used to specify one or more APs affiliated with the AP MLD; An OperatingChannelList that is utilized to specify the primary channel of each of one or more APs affiliated with the AP MLD; and A received signal strength indicator (RSSI) that is utilized to indicate the RSSI of the first AP. and

[0023] In an embodiment of the first aspect or any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, the request primitive comprises the following parameters: An indicator used to indicate that AP MLD is a discovery target; Transmitter ID, which is used to indicate the 12 LSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD to be discovered; CompressedMLDMACAddress_MSB, which is used to indicate the 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD to be discovered, and A compressed SSID used to indicate the 16 LSBs of the short SSID of the AP MLD to be discovered. The method further includes at least one of:

[0024] In the embodiment of the first aspect or any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes a step of receiving, by the station, a third frame from the first AP, wherein the third frame includes a compressed MAC address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD, and a type of the third frame is different from that of a legacy WUR discovery frame.

[0025] According to this embodiment, the station obtains essential information about the AP MLD through the second and third frames transmitted by the same AP affiliated with the AP MLD. Therefore, the station can perform scanning on a single discovery channel for each AP MLD. Because the station can obtain essential information about the AP MLD by scanning a single discovery channel, scanning delay and power consumption can be significantly reduced.

[0026] In the embodiment of the first aspect or any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, the first frame includes a WUR discovery element, and discovery information for the first AP is carried in the WUR discovery element, or the first frame includes a WUR discovery element and a Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR) element, and the WUR discovery element and the RNR element include AP MLD information, and the RNR element includes part of the discovery information for the first AP, and the WUR discovery element does not include part of the discovery information for the first AP.

[0027] According to this embodiment, for an AP affiliated with an AP MLD, its discovery information contained in a discovery element can be associated with its normal discovery information contained in an RNR element in the same frame via the AP MLD information. Such an association between the discovery element and the RNR element can be exploited to minimize overhead.

[0028] According to a second aspect, there is provided a communication method, wherein the technical effects of the method of the second aspect or any one of the embodiments of the second aspect may refer to those of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0029] A method provided in a second aspect includes the steps of generating a first frame through a first AP affiliated with the AP MLD by the AP MLD, the first frame including discovery information for the first AP, and the discovery information for the first AP including information of the AP MLD; and transmitting the first frame through the first AP by the AP MLD.

[0030] In an embodiment of the second aspect, the information of the AP MLD includes at least one of the following parameters: an AP MLD ID of the AP MLD, a link ID of the first AP in the AP MLD, or a MAC address of the AP MLD.

[0031] In the embodiment of the second aspect or any one of the embodiments of the second aspect, the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one second AP and / or discovery information for at least one third AP, where each second AP is an AP affiliated with an AP MLD, and the discovery information for each second AP includes information of the AP MLD, and each third AP is an AP affiliated with a neighbor AP MLD of the AP MLD, and the discovery information for each third AP includes information of the AP MLD to which the third AP is affiliated.

[0032] In any one of the embodiments of the second aspect or the embodiments of the second aspect, the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one fourth AP, each fourth AP being a neighboring AP of the first AP, and the discovery information for each fourth AP includes information of the fourth AP.

[0033] In any one of the embodiments of the second aspect or the embodiments of the second aspect, the method further includes a step of transmitting a second frame through the first AP by the AP MLD based on discovery information for the first AP, the second frame being utilized to discover the first AP. In any one of the embodiments of the second aspect or the embodiments of the second aspect, the type of the second frame is different from that of a legacy WUR discovery frame, and the second frame includes a compressed MAC address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD.

[0034] In the embodiment of the second aspect or any one of the embodiments of the second aspect, the second frame particularly includes a type subfield, an ID subfield, a type-dependent control subfield, a link ID bitmap subfield, and an operating class and channel list subfield, where the type subfield is used to indicate the type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to 12 LSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, and the type-dependent control subfield is set to the 12 LSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD. The MLD is set to the 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address, the Link ID Bitmap subfield is utilized to indicate the link ID of each link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the second frame, the link ID indicated by the Link ID Bitmap subfield including the link ID of the first AP and the link ID of at least one second AP, the Operating Class and Channel List subfield is utilized to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, the primary channel information indicated by the Operating Class and Channel List subfield including the primary channel information of the first AP and the primary channel information of at least one second AP.

[0035] In the embodiment of the second aspect or any one of the embodiments of the second aspect, the second frame particularly includes a type subfield, an ID subfield, a type-dependent control subfield, and a plurality of information groups, where the type subfield is used to indicate a type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to 12 LSBs of a compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, and the type-dependent control subfield is set to 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, the plurality of information groups are used to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, and the primary channel information indicated by the plurality of information groups includes primary channel information of the first AP and primary channel information of at least one second AP, and each of the plurality of information groups includes a link ID subfield and an operating class and channel subfield, where the link ID subfield is used to indicate a link ID of a link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the second frame, and the operating class and channel subfields are used to indicate primary channel information of the corresponding BSS indicated by the link ID subfield in the same information group.

[0036] In the embodiment of the second aspect or any one of the embodiments of the second aspect, the method further includes a step of transmitting a third frame through the first AP by the AP MLD, wherein the third frame includes a compressed MAC address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD, and a type of the third frame is different from that of a legacy WUR discovery frame.

[0037] In the embodiment of the second aspect or any one of the embodiments of the second aspect, the first frame includes a WUR discovery element, and discovery information for the first AP is carried in the WUR discovery element, or the first frame includes a WUR discovery element and an RNR element, and the WUR discovery element and the RNR element include AP MLD information, and the RNR element includes part of the discovery information for the first AP, and the WUR discovery element does not include part of the discovery information for the first AP.

[0038] According to a third aspect, there is provided an apparatus configured to perform the methods provided by the above-mentioned aspects or embodiments thereof. In particular, the apparatus may include units and / or modules, such as processing units and / or communication units, for the execution of any of the methods provided by the above-mentioned aspects or embodiments thereof.

[0039] In an embodiment of the third aspect, the device is a station or AP MLD. When the device is a station or AP MLD, the communication unit may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or a communication interface. The processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver is a transmitting and receiving circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface is an input / output circuit.

[0040] In other embodiments of the third aspect, the device is a chip, a system on a chip, or a circuit within a station or AP MLD. When the device is a chip, a system on a chip, a circuit within a station or AP MLD, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or associated circuit on a chip, a system on a chip, or a circuit. The processing unit may be at least one processor, a processing circuit, a logic circuit, or the like.

[0041] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided an apparatus, the apparatus including one or more processors configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory to perform any of the methods provided by the above-mentioned aspects or embodiments thereof.

[0042] In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the apparatus further comprises a memory.

[0043] In an embodiment of the fourth aspect or any one of the embodiments of the fourth aspect, the device is a station or an AP MLD.

[0044] In another embodiment of the fourth aspect or any one of the embodiments of the fourth aspect, the apparatus is a chip, a system on a chip, or a circuit in a station or AP MLD.

[0045] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus, the apparatus including at least one processor and a communication interface, the at least one processor being adapted to retrieve computer programs or instructions stored in a memory and to perform any of the methods provided by the above-mentioned aspects or embodiments thereof via the communication interface, the communication interface being capable of being implemented by hardware or software.

[0046] In an embodiment of the fifth aspect, the apparatus further comprises a memory.

[0047] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a processor configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory to perform any of the methods provided by the above-mentioned aspects or embodiments thereof.

[0048] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a program which, when executed, enables a computer to perform any of the methods provided by the above mentioned aspects or embodiments thereof.

[0049] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program product, the computer program product comprising instructions for carrying out any of the methods provided by the above mentioned aspects or embodiments thereof.

[0050] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer program which, when executed, enables a computer to perform any of the methods provided by the above mentioned aspects or embodiments thereof.

[0051] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a chip, the chip including at least one processor and a communication interface, the at least one processor being adapted to retrieve computer programs or instructions stored in a memory and to perform any of the methods provided by the above-mentioned aspects or embodiments thereof through the communication interface, the communication interface being capable of being implemented by hardware or software.

[0052] In an embodiment of the tenth aspect, the chip further comprises a memory.

[0053] When the method provided in this application is performed by a chip, this application does not limit the number of chips for performing the method. For example, the method may be performed by one chip, or the method may be performed by two or more chips. In addition, when the number of chips is two or more, there is no limitation on the chip manufacturer, and they can be the same manufacturer or different manufacturers.

[0054] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a communication system, the communication system including the station and / or AP MLD as described above. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0055] One or more embodiments are representatively described by corresponding accompanying drawings, and these representative descriptions and accompanying drawings do not constitute limitations on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are referred to as the same elements, and the drawings are not limited to scale.

[0056] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied; [Figure 2] This is a typical architecture of WUR AP MLD. [Figure 3] WUR is a typical architecture for non-AP MLD. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 400. [Figure 5] This is the format of the WUR discovery element. [Figure 6] This is the format of the WUR AP information subfield. [Figure 7] This is the format of the WUR AP parameter subfield. [Figure 8] Another format for the WUR AP parameter subfield. [Figure 9] This is the legacy WUR discovery frame format. [Figure 10] This is the format of the frame body field. [Figure 11] Another typical format for the frame body field is: [Figure 12] Another typical format for the frame body field is: [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus according to the present application; [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of another device according to the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0057] To understand the features and technical contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure in detail, implementations of the embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the accompanying drawings are for reference and explanation purposes only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure. In the following technical description, for ease of explanation, numerous details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, one or more embodiments may be practiced without these details. In other cases, known structures and devices may be shown in simplified forms to simplify the illustration.

[0058] Embodiments of this application may be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) scenarios. In one example, embodiments of this application may be applied to IEEE standard 802.11, such as standards 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11ba, 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7, EHT, Wi-Fi 8, UHR (ultra-high reliability), Wi-Fi AI, or their next-generation standards. In another example, embodiments of this application may be applied to ultra-wideband (UWB)-based wireless personal local area network systems or sensing systems.

[0059] Although this application primarily describes, as an example, the development of WLAN networks, particularly networks applying IEEE standard 802.11, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the embodiments of this application can be extended to other networks or communication systems utilizing various standards or protocols, such as Bluetooth, High Performance Wireless Local Area Networks (HIPERLANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), Personal Area Networks (PANs), cellular networks, New Radio (NR), or any other networks now known or later developed. Thus, the embodiments of this application can be applied to any suitable wireless network, regardless of coverage and wireless access protocol.

[0060] In one example, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system to which an embodiment of this application can be applied. The communication system may include one or more APs and one or more stations (STAs), and Figure 1 illustrates communication between one AP and one STA as an example. The APs and STAs may communicate wirelessly through various communication standards.

[0061] The AP may be a communication server, a router, a switch, an enterprise AP, or other terminal, and the STA may be a mobile phone, a computer, or other terminal, which is not limited in the embodiment of this application.

[0062] An AP may be an access point for terminals (e.g., mobile phones) to access a wired (or wireless) network. It is mainly deployed within a home, building, or work park with a coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. It connects wireless clients to each other and then connects the wireless network to an Ethernet. For example, an AP may be a terminal (e.g., a cell phone) with a Wi-Fi chip or a network device (e.g., a router). An AP may be a device that supports IEEE standard 802.11. An AP may also be a device that supports various WLAN standards in the 802.11 family, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11ba, 802.11be, or their next-generation standards. An AP may be a HE AP, an EHT AP, or an AP applicable to future Wi-Fi standards.

[0063] The STA may be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal. For example, the STA may be a mobile phone, a tablet, a set-top box, a smart TV, a smart wearable device, a vehicle communication device, or a computer that supports Wi-Fi communication. The STA may be a device that supports IEEE standard 802.11. The STA may also be a device that supports various WLAN standards in the 802.11 family, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11ba, 802.11be, or their next-generation standards.

[0064] For example, the AP or STA may be a device applied in a Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) scenario, a node or sensor applied in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a sensor applied in a smart city scenario, or a smart camera, smart water meter, smart remote control or electricity meter applied in a smart home scenario.

[0065] The embodiments of the present application relate to an MLD. The MLD is a device having multiple radio frequency (RF) modules. The multiple RF modules may operate in different frequency bands (or channels). The MLD may be a wireless communication device that supports parallel transmission of multiple links. The MLD has higher transmission efficiency and throughput than a device that supports only a single link.

[0066] An MLD includes one or more associated STAs. Each of the one or more associated STAs has its own MAC address and is a station capable of operating on a single link. The MLD also has an MLD MAC address. An associated STA may be an AP or a non-AP STA. In this application, for convenience of explanation, an MLD associated with one or more APs may be referred to as an AP MLD, and an MLD associated with one or more STAs may be referred to as a non-AP MLD. A WUR non-AP MLD is a non-AP MLD capable of receiving a WUR PPDU using a single wake-up radio and supporting extended WUR operation, while a WUR AP MLD is an AP MLD capable of transmitting a WUR PPDU and supporting extended WUR operation. The extended WUR operation is defined at the MLD level instead of the link level.

[0067] A representative architecture for WUR AP MLD is shown in Figure 2. The WUR AP MLD always operates in cooperation with one or more associated APs, one per link. The MLD lower MAC sublayer component operates independently of the lower MACs in other associated APs and implements link-specific functions shared between each associated AP and the AP MLD operation. At least one physical layer (PHY) corresponding to the WUR channel is capable of transmitting WUR PPDUs, and the MLD upper MAC sublayer and at least one MLD lower MAC sublayer corresponding to the WUR channel are capable of supporting extended WUR operation. A representative architecture for WUR non-AP MLD is shown in Figure 3 and includes an MLD upper MAC sublayer and an MLD lower MAC sublayer (one per link). A single upper MAC sublayer within the WUR non-AP MLD can operate at any given time in MLO for association to the WUR AP MLD over multiple MLD lower MAC sublayer and PHY pairs. The WUR receiver can receive a WUR PPDU on one of the links corresponding to the WUR channel, and the MLD upper MAC sublayer and at least one of the MLD lower MAC sublayers corresponding to the WUR channel can support extended WUR operation.

[0068] As described in the background section above, current discovery mechanisms are designed to assist AP discovery based on single link operation. As a result, current discovery mechanisms cannot be directly applied to WUR AP MLD discovery based on MLO. Therefore, the challenge is how to extend the discovery mechanism for AP MLD discovery.

[0069] To solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication device that are useful for discovering AP MLD. The following describes the proposed solution in more detail.

[0070] 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 400. The method 400 may be performed by an AP MLD and a STA, or may be performed by a module or unit within the AP MLD and the STA, and for convenience of description, they will be referred to as the AP MLD and the STA hereinafter. The method 400 specifically includes the following steps:

[0071] Step 401: The AP MLD sends a first frame through a first AP affiliated with the AP MLD, so that the STA receives the first frame from the first AP.

[0072] The first AP may be any of the APs affiliated with the AP MLD, and the first AP will be used as an example below. The STA may be a non-AP STA. It should be noted that in a WUR scenario, the AP, AP MLD, and STA may be referred to as a WUR AP, a WUR AP MLD, and a WUR non-AP STA, respectively. The first frame may include discovery information for the first AP, and the discovery information for the first AP includes information of the AP MLD. In a possible implementation, the information of the AP MLD includes at least one of the following parameters: an AP MLD ID of the AP MLD, a link ID of the first AP in the AP MLD, or a MAC address of the AP MLD.

[0073] The discovery information for the first AP may also include other typical discovery information for the first AP, such as a discovery channel and a discovery period.

[0074] It should be noted that the method 400 only takes the first frame transmitted by the first AP as an example. The first frame may be transmitted by the first AP or another AP. For example, the other AP may be an AP affiliated with the AP MLD like the first AP, a neighboring AP, or an AP affiliated with the neighboring AP MLD.

[0075] Step 402: The AP MLD sends a second frame through the first AP affiliated with the AP MLD, so that the STA receives the second frame from the first AP.

[0076] The second frame is used to discover the first AP and carries essential information about the first AP, such as the primary channel information of the first AP.

[0077] The second frame may be a discovery frame. This application does not limit the format of the discovery frame. Step 403: The STA determines that the first AP is affiliated with the AP MLD according to the discovery information for the first AP and the second frame.

[0078] The STA may determine discovery information for the first AP according to the information included in the second frame and associated with the discovery information for the first AP, and then determine that the first AP is affiliated with the AP MLD according to the information of the AP MLD in the discovery information for the first AP. The information associated with the discovery information for the first AP may include, for example, at least one of the following parameters: a compressed Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the first AP, a compressed short SSID of the first AP, or a compressed MAC address of the AP MLD.

[0079] According to method 400, the discovery information for a first AP affiliated with an AP MLD includes information of the AP MLD. In this way, when a STA discovers the first AP, i.e., when the STA receives a second frame transmitted by the first AP, the STA can use the information of the AP MLD in the discovery information for the first AP to determine that the first AP is affiliated with the AP MLD. Thus, the STA can discover the AP, determine the AP MLD with which the AP is affiliated, and then perform discovery of the AP MLD.

[0080] An embodiment of the method 400 is described in detail below.

[0081] Regarding the first frame, in a possible implementation, the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one second AP and / or discovery information for at least one third AP, where each second AP is an AP affiliated with an AP MLD, the discovery information for each second AP includes information of the AP MLD, each third AP is an AP affiliated with a neighbor AP MLD of the AP MLD, and the discovery information for each third AP includes information of the AP MLD to which the third AP is affiliated. The discovery information for each second AP and / or each third AP may also include other typical discovery information, such as a discovery channel and a discovery period.

[0082] In another possible implementation, the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one fourth AP, where each fourth AP is a neighbor AP of the first AP, and the discovery information for each fourth AP includes information about the fourth AP. The discovery information for each fourth AP may include typical discovery information, such as a discovery channel and a discovery period.

[0083] In another possible implementation, the first frame may be a beacon frame or a probe response frame. In one example, discovery information for each of the first AP, at least one second AP, at least one third AP, or at least one fourth AP may be carried in a discovery element such as a WUR discovery element. In other words, the first frame includes a discovery element, and the discovery information for the first AP is carried in the discovery element.

[0084] In a WUR scenario, the AP, AP MLD, and discovery element may be referred to as a WUR AP, a WUR AP MLD, and a WUR discovery element, respectively. Some examples of WUR discovery elements are given below.

[0085] Example 1 The format of the WUR discovery element is shown in Figure 5. The WUR discovery element includes an element ID field, a length field, an element ID extension field, and a WUR AP information list field. The element ID field, length field, and element ID extension field are defined in accordance with the IEEE standard 802.11ba. TM -2021. The WUR AP Information List field further includes one or more WUR AP Information subfields, each of which identifies a WUR AP that transmits legacy WUR discovery frames on a particular WUR discovery channel.

[0086] The format of the WUR AP Information subfield is shown in FIG. 6. The WUR Discovery Operating Class field indicates the operating class being used for transmission of legacy WUR discovery frames by the WUR AP listed in this subfield. The WUR Discovery Channel field indicates the channel being used for transmission of legacy WUR discovery frames by the WUR AP listed in this subfield. The WUR AP Count field specifies the number of WUR AP parameter subfields included in the WUR AP Parameter List field minus 1. The WUR AP Parameter List field contains one or more WUR AP parameter subfields. Each WUR AP parameter subfield identifies one WUR AP, which may be the WUR AP transmitting the WUR discovery element itself (i.e., the transmitting WUR AP), a WUR AP affiliated with the same WUR AP MLD as the transmitting WUR AP, a neighboring WUR AP, or a WUR AP affiliated with a neighboring WUR AP MLD. In method 400, the transmitting WUR AP is the first AP.

[0087] The format of the WUR AP parameters subfield is shown in Figure 7. The WUR AP parameters control field indicates the presence of the Short SSID, BSSID, WUR discovery period, AP MLD ID, and Link ID information fields. The Transmitting WUR AP subfield is set to 1 if the WUR AP parameters subfield identifies the transmitting WUR AP's own WUR discovery channel, and is set to 0 otherwise. The Short SSID Present subfield is set to 1 if the Short SSID field is present in the WUR AP parameters subfield, and is set to 0 otherwise. The BSSID Present subfield is set to 1 if the BSSID field is present in the WUR AP parameters subfield, and is set to 0 otherwise. The WUR Discovery Period Present subfield is set to 1 if the WUR Discovery Period field is present in the WUR AP parameters subfield, and is set to 0 otherwise. The AP MLD ID and Link ID Present subfields are set to 1 if both the AP MLD ID and Link ID Information fields are present in the WUR AP parameters subfield, and are set to 0 otherwise. The AP MLD ID and Link ID Present subfields should be set to 0 if the WUR AP identified by the WUR AP Parameters subfield is not part of the WUR AP MLD or if the sending WUR AP does not have information about that WUR AP MLD.

[0088] The Short SSID field contains the short SSID of the WUR AP identified by the WUR AP Parameters subfield. The BSSID field contains the BSSID of the WUR AP identified by the WUR AP Parameters subfield. The WUR Discovery Period field contains the number of time units (TUs) between successive legacy WUR discovery frames transmitted by the WUR AP identified by the WUR AP Parameters subfield. 0 is reserved.

[0089] The AP MLD ID field indicates the identifier of the AP MLD to which the WUR AP identified by the WUR AP parameters subfield is affiliated. If the WUR AP identified by the WUR AP parameters subfield is affiliated with the same MLD as the sending WUR AP, the AP MLD ID field is set to 0. If the WUR AP identified by the WUR AP parameters subfield is affiliated with an AP MLD other than the AP MLD to which the sending WUR AP is affiliated, the AP MLD ID subfield is set to a value that is unique to this AP MLD and is greater than 0 and less than 255 in the frame carrying this element if no Multiple BSSID elements are carried in the same frame, or is set to 255 if a Multiple BSSID element is carried in the same frame. n It is set to a value greater than -1 and less than 255, where n is the value contained in the MaxBSSID Indicator field in the Multi-BSSID element. The Link ID Information field contains a 4-bit Link ID subfield that indicates the link identifier of the WUR AP identified by the WUR AP Parameters subfield in its affiliated AP MLD.

[0090] Example 2

[0091] Example 2 is similar to Example 1. The difference is that the WUR AP parameters subfield of the WUR AP identified by the WUR AP parameters subfield includes an MLD MAC Address field that indicates the MLD MAC address of the WUR AP MLD with which the WUR AP is affiliated.

[0092] Specifically, for the format of the WUR discovery element and the WUR AP information subfield, please refer to the description of Figures 6 and 7 in Example 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0093] The format of the WUR AP parameters subfield is shown in Figure 8. The WUR AP parameters control field indicates the presence of the Short SSID, BSSID, WUR discovery period, AP MLD ID, Link ID information, and MLD MAC address fields. The MLD MAC address present subfield is set to 1 if the MLD MAC address field is present in the WUR AP parameters subfield, and is set to 0 otherwise. The MLD MAC address present subfield should be set to 0 when the AP MLD ID and Link ID present subfields are set to 0. The MLD MAC address field indicates the MLD MAC address of the WUR AP MLD with which the WUR AP identified by the WUR AP parameters subfield is affiliated. For a description of the remaining fields of the WUR AP parameters subfield, see Figure 7 of Example 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0094] Thus, an AP affiliated with a WUR AP MLD may transmit discovery elements in beacon frames and / or probe response frames indicating discovery information for one or more WUR APs, each of which may be the transmitting WUR AP, a WUR AP affiliated with the same WUR AP MLD as the transmitting AP, a neighboring AP, or a WUR AP affiliated with a neighboring WUR AP MLD.

[0095] In another possible implementation, a portion of the discovery information for each of the first AP, at least one second AP, at least one third AP, or at least one fourth AP may be carried in a discovery element such as a WUR discovery element, and the remaining portion of the discovery information for each of the first AP, at least one second AP, at least one third AP, or at least one fourth AP may be carried in a RAN element. In other words, the first frame includes a discovery element and an RNR element, and the discovery element and the RNR element include the same information of the AP MLD, and the discovery element does not include the portion of the discovery information, while the RNR element includes the portion of the discovery information. A more detailed description is as follows.

[0096] Let us take the AP MLD ID and link ID as information of the AP MLD. When discovery information for an AP affiliated with an AP MLD is included in a discovery element in a beacon frame and / or a probe response frame, normal discovery information for this AP should be included in an RNR element in the same frame. For the same AP affiliated with the same AP MLD, the AP MLD ID and link ID subfields of the AP parameters field in the discovery element should be set to the same values ​​as their respective corresponding values ​​in the target beacon transmission time (TBTT) information field in the RNR element. As a result, for an AP affiliated with an AP MLD, its discovery information included in the discovery element and its normal discovery information included in the RNR element in the same frame can be associated via the AP MLD ID and link ID subfields. Such an association between the discovery element and the RNR element can be utilized to minimize overhead. For example, for WUR APs affiliated with WUR AP MLD, information such as BSSID and short SSID may not be required in the corresponding WUR AP parameters field of the WUR discovery element because it is already included in the TBTT information field of the RNR element.

[0097] In addition, when the invalid link indication subfield of the TBTT information field in the RNR element included in a beacon frame and / or probe response frame indicates an invalid link in the WUR AP MLD, the WUR discovery element in the same frame should not include a WUR AP parameters field for the WUR AP operating on that link in the WUR AP MLD.

[0098] For step 402, the second frame may be a discovery frame. This application does not limit the format of the discovery frame. In a WUR scenario, the AP, AP MLD, and discovery frames may be referred to as WUR AP, WUR AP MLD, and WUR discovery frames, respectively. Some examples of WUR discovery frames are given below. Example 1 The WUR discovery frame is based on the IEEE standard 802.11ba TMThis is a legacy WUR discovery frame defined as part of RFC 2021, and its format is shown in Figure 9. The MAC header field includes a Frame Control subfield, an ID subfield, and a Type-Dependent Control subfield. The Frame Control subfield includes a Type subfield, a Protected subfield, a Frame Body Present subfield, and a Length subfield. The Type subfield is set to a value (e.g., 3) to indicate that the frame is a legacy WUR discovery frame. The Protected subfield is set to a value (e.g., 0) to indicate that the legacy WUR discovery frame includes a 16-bit cyclic redundancy check (CRC). The Frame Body Present subfield is set to a value (e.g., 1) to indicate that a Frame Body field is present in this frame. The Length subfield is set to indicate that the Frame Body field is 4 octets long. The ID subfield is set to the transmitter ID, which is the 12 least significant bits of the compressed BSSID of the transmitting AP. The Type-Dependent Control subfield is set to the 12 most significant bits of the compressed BSSID of the transmitting AP. In the method 400, the transmitting AP is the first AP.

[0099] The format of the Frame Body field is shown in Figure 10. The Compressed BSSID field contains the 16 LSBs of the short SSID, and the Operating Class and Channel subfields indicate the location of the primary channel of the BSS being advertised by the legacy WUR discovery frame.

[0100] 9 and 10, to obtain essential information of the WUR AP MLD, the AP MLD may further transmit the legacy WUR discovery frame through the remaining APs affiliated with the AP MLD, and thus the STA may further receive the legacy WUR discovery frame from the remaining APs. In this implementation, each AP affiliated with the WUR AP MLD periodically schedules its own legacy WUR discovery frame for transmission on its own WUR discovery channel to assist the STA in WUR AP MLD discovery.

[0101] The behavior of the STA in step 402 when the second frame in step 402 is a legacy WUR discovery frame is described in detail below.

[0102] In a possible implementation, the STA may generate a request primitive on the SME and perform a scan according to parameters provided in the request primitive to receive the second frame on the MAC layer. In one example, the request primitive may include the following parameters: WURDiscoveryChannelList: Indicates one or more WUR discovery channels to scan. Transmitter ID (optional): Indicates the transmitter ID of the WUR AP to be discovered. CompressedBSSID_MSB (optional): Indicates the 12 MSBs of the compressed BSSID of the WUR AP to be discovered. Compressed SSID (optional): Shows the 16 LSBs of the short SSID of the WUR AP to be discovered.

[0103] When the STA completes scanning on all indicated WUR discovery channels, it returns the scan results to the SME in one or more parameter sets of an acknowledgement primitive based on the second frame on the MAC layer. Each parameter set is specific to a discovered WUR AP and includes the following parameters: Transmitter ID: Indicates the transmitter ID of the discovered WUR AP. CompressedBSSID_MSB: Indicates the 12 MSBs of the compressed BSSID of the discovered WUR AP. Compressed SSID: Shows the 16 LSBs of the short SSID of the discovered WUR AP. Operating Channel: Specifies the primary channel of the discovered WUR AP. RSSI: Specifies the RSSI from the discovered WUR AP.

[0104] Optionally, the request primitive is an MLME-WURDISCOVERY.request primitive and / or the confirm primitive is an MLME-WURDISCOVERY.confirm primitive. The parameter set may be a BSSDescriptionFromWDSet parameter set.

[0105] Therefore, according to information for each AP affiliated with the WUR AP MLD, such as the SSID and BSSID in the most recently received discovery element and / or RNR element, the STA can determine one or more BSSDescriptionFromWDSet parameter sets corresponding to APs affiliated with the same WUR AP MLD.

[0106] Example 2 The WUR discovery frame is an extended WUR discovery frame that may carry essential information of one or more APs affiliated with the WUR AP MLD.

[0107] Specifically, when both a legacy WUR discovery frame and an extended WUR discovery frame are transmitted by an AP affiliated with a WUR AP MLD in the same transmission opportunity (TXOP) or different TXOPs within a WUR discovery period, Option 1: The extended WUR discovery frame carries essential information of all APs affiliated with the WUR AP MLD, in which case WUR non-AP STAs can ignore receiving legacy WUR discovery frames, or Option 2: The extended WUR discovery frame carries essential information of all APs affiliated with the WUR AP MLD other than the sending AP, in which case WUR non-AP STAs need to receive both legacy and extended WUR discovery frames.

[0108] Next, the format of the extended WUR discovery frame will be described.

[0109] A typical format of the extended WUR discovery frame can be seen in FIG. 9, and the meaning of each field of the extended WUR discovery frame is as follows:

[0110] The Type subfield of the MAC header field is set to a value (e.g., 5) to indicate that the frame is an extended WUR discovery frame. The Protected subfield is set to a value (e.g., 0) to indicate that the extended WUR discovery frame includes a 16-bit CRC. The Frame Body Present subfield is set to a value (e.g., 1) to indicate that a Frame Body field is present in this frame. The Length subfield is set to indicate the length of the Frame Body field. The ID subfield is set to the transmitter ID, which is the 12 LSBs of the compressed MLD MAC address of the WUR AP MLD with which the transmitting WUR AP is affiliated. The Type-Dependent Control subfield is set to the 12 MSBs of the compressed MLD MAC address of the WUR AP MLD with which the transmitting WUR AP is affiliated.

[0111] The frame body field of the extended WUR discovery frame is different from that of the legacy WUR discovery frame.

[0112] An exemplary format of the Frame Body field is defined in Figure 11. The Compressed SSID field contains the 16 LSBs of the short SSID. The Link ID Bitmap subfield indicates the link ID of each link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the Extended WUR Discovery frame. A value of 1 in bit position k in the bitmap indicates that the BSS corresponding to link k is advertised by the Extended WUR Discovery frame. A value of 0 in bit position k in the bitmap indicates that the BSS corresponding to link k is not advertised by the Extended WUR Discovery frame. The Operating Class and Channel List subfield includes one or more Operating Class and Channel subfields, each of which indicates the location of the primary channel of the BSS corresponding to the particular link with the corresponding bit in the Link ID Bitmap subfield set to 1. The one or more Operating Class and Channel subfields are ordered in increasing order with respect to the Link ID. For example, if a WUR AP MLD has three links (i.e., Link 1, Link 2, and Link 3) and the Link ID Bitmap subfield indicates that the BSSs corresponding to Link 1 and Link 3 are advertised by the Extended WUR Discovery frame, then there are two Operating Class and Channel subfields for Link 1 and Link 3. The first Operating Class and Channel subfield corresponds to Link 1, and the second Operating Class and Channel subfield corresponds to Link 3.

[0113] Another exemplary format of the Frame Body field is defined in Figure 12. For each BSS advertised by the Extended WUR Discovery frame, there is a Link ID subfield and an Operating Class and Channel subfield. The Operating Class and Channel subfield indicates the location of the primary channel of the BSS corresponding to the link indicated in the immediately preceding Link ID subfield.

[0114] As mentioned in Example 2, the ID subfield is set to the 12 LSBs of the compressed MLD MAC address of the WUR AP MLD with which the sending WUR AP is affiliated, and the frame body field carries essential information of one or more APs affiliated with the WUR AP MLD, so it can also be considered as discovering the AP MLD.

[0115] In a possible implementation, when the second frame in step 402 is a legacy WUR discovery frame as defined in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the AP MLD may further transmit a third frame, which is an extended WUR discovery frame, through the first AP to obtain essential information of the WUR AP MLD. Thus, the STA may further receive the third frame from the first AP. In this case, the third frame may include essential information (e.g., primary channel information) of at least one second AP. The at least one second AP belongs to an AP affiliated with the WUR AP MLD other than the transmitting AP (i.e., the first AP). In other words, the third frame may carry essential information of all APs affiliated with the WUR AP MLD other than the transmitting AP (i.e., the first AP).

[0116] In this implementation, one or more WUR discovery channels may be configured for each WUR AP MLD. Each AP affiliated with a WUR AP MLD operating on one or more WUR discovery channels periodically schedules legacy WUR discovery frames and extended WUR discovery frames for transmission to assist WUR non-AP STAs in WUR AP MLD discovery. Thus, STAs may perform WUR scans on a single WUR discovery channel for each WUR AP MLD. Because STAs can obtain essential information about the WUR AP MLD by scanning a single WUR discovery channel, WUR scan delay and power consumption can be significantly reduced.

[0117] In another possible implementation, when the second frame in step 402 is an extended WUR discovery frame as defined in Example 2, in other words, when the second frame further carries essential information (e.g., primary channel information) of at least one second AP affiliated with the WUR AP MLD, the at least one second AP belongs to an AP affiliated with the WUR AP MLD other than the transmitting AP (i.e., the first AP).

[0118] In one example, in the second frame, the Type subfield is utilized to indicate an Extended WUR Discovery frame, the Link ID Bitmap subfield is utilized to indicate a Link ID of each link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the second frame, the Link ID indicated by the Link ID Bitmap subfield including a Link ID of the first AP and a Link ID of at least one second AP, and the Operating Class and Channel List subfields are utilized to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, the Primary Channel Information indicated by the Operating Class and Channel List subfield including a Primary Channel Information of the first AP and a Primary Channel Information of at least one second AP.

[0119] In another example, the second frame specifically includes a type subfield and multiple information groups, each of which includes a link ID subfield and an operating class and channel subfield. The type subfield is used to indicate an extended WUR discovery frame. The multiple information groups are used to indicate primary channel information for each BSS advertised by the second frame, and the primary channel information indicated by the multiple information groups includes primary channel information for the first AP and primary channel information for at least one second AP.

[0120] In this implementation, one or more WUR discovery channels may be configured for each WUR AP MLD. Each AP affiliated with a WUR AP MLD operating on one or more WUR discovery channels periodically schedules an extended WUR discovery frame for transmission to assist STAs in WUR AP MLD discovery. Thus, a STA may perform a WUR scan on a single WUR discovery channel for each WUR AP MLD. By scanning a single WUR discovery channel, a STA can obtain essential information about the WUR AP MLD, significantly reducing WUR scan latency and power consumption. Of course, legacy WUR discovery frames may also be scheduled by the first AP, but the STA may ignore reception of the legacy WUR discovery frames, as described in Option 1 above.

[0121] It should be noted that when the second frame in step 402 is an extended WUR discovery frame, if the AP is affiliated with an AP MLD, the AP's discovery information in the first frame should include an MLD MAC address field indicating the MLD MAC address of the WUR AP MLD that the AP is affiliated with. The behavior of the STA will be described in detail below.

[0122] In a possible implementation, the STA may generate a request primitive on the SME and perform a scan according to parameters provided in the request primitive to receive the second frame on the MAC layer. In one example, the request primitive may include the following parameters: WURDiscoveryChannelList: Indicates one or more WUR discovery channels to scan. AP MLD indicator (optional): Set to 0 to indicate that the WUR AP is a discovery target, or set to 1 to indicate that the WUR AP MLD is a discovery target. Transmitter ID (optional): Indicates the transmitter ID of the WUR AP to be discovered if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 0, or indicates the transmitter ID of the WUR AP MLD to be discovered if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 1. CompressedMLDMACAddress_MSB (optional): Indicates the 12 MSBs of the compressed MLD MAC address of the WUR AP MLD to be discovered, or is not present if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 1. CompressedBSSID_MSB (optional): Indicates the 12 MSBs of the compressed BSSID of the WUR AP to be discovered, or not present if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 1. Compressed SSID (optional): Indicates the 16 LSBs of the short SSID of the WUR AP or WUR AP MLD to be discovered.

[0123] When the STA completes scanning for all indicated WUR discovery channels, it returns the scanning results to the SME in one or more parameter sets of an acknowledgement primitive based on the second frame on the MAC layer. Each parameter set is specific to a discovered WUR AP or a discovered WUR AP MLD and includes the following parameters: AP MLD indicator: Set to 0 to indicate that the WUR AP is discovered, or set to 1 to indicate that the WUR AP MLD is discovered. Transmitter ID: Indicates the transmitter ID of the discovered WUR AP if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 0, or indicates the transmitter ID of the discovered WUR AP MLD if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 1. CompressedBSSID_MSB: Indicates the 12 MSBs of the compressed BSSID of the discovered WUR AP if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 0, otherwise not present. CompressedMLDMACAddress_MSB: Indicates the 12 MSBs of the compressed MLD MAC address of the discovered WUR AP MLD if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 1, otherwise not present. Compressed SSID: Indicates the 16 LSBs of the short SSID of the discovered WUR AP or the discovered WUR AP MLD. If the Link ID Bitmap or LinkIDList:AP MLD indicator has a value of 1, it specifies one or more APs affiliated with the discovered WUR AP MLD; otherwise, it is not present. OperatingChannelList: Specifies the primary channel of the discovered WUR AP if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 0, or specifies the primary channel of each of one or more APs affiliated with the discovered WUR AP MLD if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 1. RSSI: Specifies the RSSI from the discovered WUR AP if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 0, or specifies the transmitting AP affiliated with the discovered WUR AP MLD if the AP MLD indicator has a value of 1.

[0124] Optionally, the request primitive is an MLME-WURDISCOVERY.request primitive and / or the confirm primitive is an MLME-WURDISCOVERY.confirm primitive. The parameter set may be a BSSDescriptionFromWDSet parameter set.

[0125] In this application, the discovery mechanism is extended to enable more efficient AP MLD discovery and maintain backward compatibility with legacy STAs.

[0126] It should be noted that the above embodiments of this application can be implemented independently or together in any suitable manner.

[0127] The methods provided in this application are described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 4-12. Apparatus embodiments of this application are described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 13-14.

[0128] It is understood that to realize the functions in the above embodiments, the apparatus of FIG. 13 or FIG. 14 may include corresponding hardware architecture and / or software modules that perform each of the functions.

[0129] 19 and 20 provide possible structural diagrams of an apparatus, which may be utilized to implement the functions of AP MLD or STA in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and thus the apparatus can realize the advantageous effects of the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0130] As shown in FIG. 13, the device 10 includes a communication unit 11 and a processing unit 12 .

[0131] When the device 10 is utilized to implement the functions of the STA in the above-described method embodiments, the communication unit 11 is utilized to receive a first frame, the first frame including discovery information for a first AP affiliated with an AP MLD, the discovery information for the first AP including information of the AP MLD, and receive a second frame from the first AP, the second frame being utilized to discover the first AP. The processing unit 12 is utilized to determine, according to the discovery information for the first AP and the second frame, that the first AP is affiliated with the AP MLD.

[0132] Optionally, the information of the AP MLD includes at least one of the following parameters: an AP MLD ID of the AP MLD, a link ID of the first AP in the AP MLD, or a MAC address of the AP MLD.

[0133] Optionally, the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one second AP and / or discovery information for at least one third AP, where each second AP is an AP affiliated with an AP MLD, and the discovery information for each second AP includes information of the AP MLD, and each third AP is an AP affiliated with a neighbor AP MLD of the AP MLD, and the discovery information for each third AP includes information of an AP MLD with which the third AP is affiliated.

[0134] Optionally, the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one fourth AP, each fourth AP being a neighboring AP of the first AP, and the discovery information for each fourth AP including information of the fourth AP.

[0135] Optionally, the type of the second frame is different from that of the legacy WUR discovery frame, and the second frame includes a compressed MAC address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD.

[0136] Optionally, the second frame includes, inter alia, a Type subfield, an ID subfield, a Type-Dependent Control subfield, a Link ID Bitmap subfield, and an Operating Class and Channel List subfield, wherein the Type subfield is utilized to indicate a type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to the 12 LSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, the Type-Dependent Control subfield is set to the 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, the Link ID Bitmap subfield is utilized to indicate a Link ID of each link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the second frame, the Link ID indicated by the Link ID Bitmap subfield includes the Link ID of the first AP and the Link ID of at least one second AP, and the Operating Class and Channel List subfield is utilized to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, the primary channel information indicated by the Operating Class and Channel List subfield includes the primary channel information of the first AP and the primary channel information of at least one second AP.

[0137] Optionally, the second frame includes, inter alia, a Type subfield, an ID subfield, a Type-Dependent Control subfield, and a plurality of information groups, wherein the Type subfield is utilized to indicate a type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to 12 LSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, and the Type-Dependent Control subfield is set to 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, the plurality of information groups are utilized to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, the primary channel information indicated by the plurality of information groups includes primary channel information of the first AP and primary channel information of at least one second AP, and each of the plurality of information groups includes a Link ID subfield and an Operating Class and Channel subfield, wherein the Link ID subfield is utilized to indicate a link ID of a link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the second frame, and the Operating Class and Channel subfields are utilized to indicate primary channel information of the corresponding BSS indicated by the Link ID subfield in the same information group.

[0138] Optionally, the communication unit 11 and / or the processing unit 12 are particularly adapted to: generate a request primitive on the SME, where the request primitive includes a discovery channel list adapted to indicate one or more discovery channels to be scanned; perform scanning on the one or more discovery channels to receive a second frame on the MAC layer; and return an acknowledgement primitive to the SME based on the second frame on the MAC layer; The acknowledgement primitive has the following parameters: An indicator used to show that AP MLD is discovered; Transmitter ID, which is used to indicate the 12 LSBs of the AP MLD compressed MAC address, CompressedMLDMACAddress_MSB, which is used to indicate the 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD; Compressed SSID, used to indicate the 16 LSBs of a short SSID in AP MLD, A link ID bitmap or link ID list used to specify one or more APs affiliated with the AP MLD; An OperatingChannelList that is utilized to specify the primary channel of each of one or more APs affiliated with the AP MLD; and RSSI used to indicate the RSSI of the first AP It includes at least one of the following:

[0139] Optionally, the request primitive may include the following parameters: An indicator used to indicate that AP MLD is a discovery target; Transmitter ID, which is used to indicate the 12 LSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD to be discovered; CompressedMLDMACAddress_MSB, which is used to indicate the 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD to be discovered, and A compressed SSID used to indicate the 16 LSBs of the short SSID of the AP MLD to be discovered. The method further includes at least one of:

[0140] Optionally, the communication unit 11 is also utilized to receive a third frame from the first AP, the third frame including a compressed MAC address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD, and the type of the third frame being different from that of the legacy WUR discovery frame.

[0141] Optionally, the first frame includes a WUR discovery element, and discovery information for the first AP is carried in the WUR discovery element, or the first frame includes a WUR discovery element and an RNR element, and the WUR discovery element and the RNR element include AP MLD information, and the RNR element includes part of the discovery information for the first AP, and the WUR discovery element does not include part of the discovery information for the first AP.

[0142] When the apparatus 10 is utilized to implement the function of the AP MLD in the above-described method embodiment, the communication unit 11 is utilized to generate a first frame through a first AP affiliated with the AP MLD, where the first frame includes discovery information for the first AP, and the discovery information for the first AP includes information of the AP MLD; and transmit the first frame through the first AP.

[0143] Optionally, the information of the AP MLD includes at least one of the following parameters: an AP MLD ID of the AP MLD, a link ID of the first AP in the AP MLD, or a MAC address of the AP MLD.

[0144] Optionally, the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one second AP and / or discovery information for at least one third AP, where each second AP is an AP affiliated with an AP MLD, and the discovery information for each second AP includes information of the AP MLD, and each third AP is an AP affiliated with a neighbor AP MLD of the AP MLD, and the discovery information for each third AP includes information of an AP MLD with which the third AP is affiliated.

[0145] Optionally, the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one fourth AP, each fourth AP being a neighboring AP of the first AP, and the discovery information for each fourth AP including information of the fourth AP.

[0146] Optionally, the communication unit 11 is also used to transmit a second frame through the first AP based on the discovery information for the first AP, the second frame being used to discover the first AP and including primary channel information of the first AP.

[0147] Optionally, the type of the second frame is different from that of the legacy WUR discovery frame, and the second frame further includes a compressed MAC address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD.

[0148] Optionally, the second frame includes, inter alia, a Type subfield, an ID subfield, a Type-Dependent Control subfield, a Link ID Bitmap subfield, and an Operating Class and Channel List subfield, wherein the Type subfield is utilized to indicate a type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to the 12 LSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, the Type-Dependent Control subfield is set to the 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, the Link ID Bitmap subfield is utilized to indicate a Link ID of each link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the second frame, the Link ID indicated by the Link ID Bitmap subfield includes the Link ID of the first AP and the Link ID of at least one second AP, and the Operating Class and Channel List subfield is utilized to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, the primary channel information indicated by the Operating Class and Channel List subfield includes the primary channel information of the first AP and the primary channel information of at least one second AP.

[0149] Optionally, the second frame includes, inter alia, a Type subfield, an ID subfield, a Type-Dependent Control subfield, and a plurality of information groups, wherein the Type subfield is utilized to indicate a type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to 12 LSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, and the Type-Dependent Control subfield is set to 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, the plurality of information groups are utilized to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, the primary channel information indicated by the plurality of information groups includes primary channel information of the first AP and primary channel information of at least one second AP, and each of the plurality of information groups includes a Link ID subfield and an Operating Class and Channel subfield, wherein the Link ID subfield is utilized to indicate a link ID of a link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the second frame, and the Operating Class and Channel subfields are utilized to indicate primary channel information of the corresponding BSS indicated by the Link ID subfield in the same information group.

[0150] Optionally, the communication unit 11 is also utilized to send a third frame through the first AP, the third frame including a compressed MAC address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD, and the type of the third frame is different from that of the legacy WUR discovery frame.

[0151] Optionally, the first frame includes a WUR discovery element, and discovery information for the first AP is carried in the WUR discovery element, or the first frame includes a WUR discovery element and an RNR element, and the WUR discovery element and the RNR element include AP MLD information, and the RNR element includes part of the discovery information for the first AP, and the WUR discovery element does not include part of the discovery information for the first AP.

[0152] For a more detailed description of the communication unit 11 and the processing unit 12, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0153] 14, the device 20 may include a processor 21. The processor 21 is coupled to a memory 23 that is used to store instructions. While the device 20 is used to perform the above-described method, the processor 21 is used to execute the instructions in the memory 23 to realize the functions of the processing unit 12 described above.

[0154] Optionally, the device 20 further comprises a memory 23 .

[0155] Optionally, the device 20 further includes an interface circuit 22. The processor 21 is coupled to the interface circuit 22. As will be appreciated, the interface circuit 22 may be a transceiver or an I / O interface. When the device 20 is utilized to perform the above-described method, the processor 21 is utilized to execute instructions to realize the functions of the processing unit 12, and the interface circuit 22 is utilized to realize the functions of the communication unit 11.

[0156] Exemplarily, when the device 20 is a chip applied in a STA or AP MLD, the chip realizes the function of the STA or AP MLD. The chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the STA or AP MLD, and the information is transmitted to the STA or AP MLD by other devices. Optionally, the chip transmits information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the STA or AP MLD, and the information is transmitted to other devices.

[0157] The application also provides a first AP affiliated with the AP MLD, including one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory to perform any of the methods provided by the method embodiments described above.

[0158] The application also provides a processor configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory to perform any of the methods provided by the method embodiments described above.

[0159] This application also provides a computer-readable medium having a program recorded thereon, which, when executed, enables a computer to perform any of the methods provided by the method embodiments described above.

[0160] This application also provides a computer program product, the computer program product including instructions for implementing any of the methods provided by the method embodiments described above.

[0161] This application also provides a computer program, which when executed enables a computer to perform any of the methods provided by the method embodiments described above.

[0162] This application also provides a chip, the chip including at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the at least one processor retrieves a computer program or instruction stored in a memory through the communication interface and is utilized to perform any of the methods provided by the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0163] This application also provides a communication system, the communication system including the station and / or AP MLD described above.

[0164] Those skilled in the art may realize that the units and algorithm steps in the examples described in connection with the embodiments disclosed in this specification may be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but the implementation should not be considered to go beyond the scope of this application.

[0165] For the purpose of convenient and concise description, it can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that for the detailed operation processes of the described systems, devices, and units, reference should be made to the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments.

[0166] 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 described device embodiments are merely examples. For example, the division into units is merely a logical functional division, and other divisions may be used in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into other systems, or some functions may be omitted or not performed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be realized through some interfaces. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be realized in electronic, mechanical, or other forms.

[0167] The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and the parts shown as units may or may not be physical units, located in one place or distributed over multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

[0168] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of this application may be integrated into one processing unit, each of the units may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0169] When a function is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, the function may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application may essentially be implemented in the form of a software product, or a portion of the technical solution may be implemented in the form of a software product. The 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, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of this application. The storage medium includes any medium capable of storing 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.

[0170] 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 variations or replacements that are readily understood by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be subject to the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. receiving, by a station, a first frame, the first frame including discovery information for a first access point (AP) associated with an AP multi-link device (MLD), the discovery information for the first AP including information of the AP MLD; receiving, by the station, a second frame from the first AP, the second frame being utilized to discover the first AP; determining, by the station, according to the discovery information for the first AP and the second frame, that the first AP is affiliated with the AP MLD; A communication method, including:

2. The information of the AP MLD includes at least one of the following parameters: an AP MLD ID of the AP MLD, a link ID of the first AP in the AP MLD, or a media access control (MAC) address of the AP MLD; The method of claim 1.

3. the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one second AP and / or discovery information for at least one third AP, each second AP being an AP affiliated with the AP MLD, the discovery information for each second AP including the information of the AP MLD, each third AP being an AP affiliated with a neighboring AP MLD of the AP MLD, and the discovery information for each third AP including information of an AP MLD with which the third AP is affiliated; 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one fourth AP, each fourth AP being a neighboring AP of the first AP, and the discovery information for each fourth AP includes information of the fourth AP; The method of claim 3.

5. The type of the second frame is different from that of a legacy wake-up radio (WUR) discovery frame, and the second frame includes a compressed media access control (MAC) address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The second frame includes, among other things, a Type subfield, an ID subfield, a Type-Dependent Control subfield, a Link ID Bitmap subfield, and an Operating Class and Channel List subfield, wherein the Type subfield is used to indicate the type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to the 12 least significant bits (LSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, and the Type-Dependent Control subfield is set to the 12 least significant bits (LSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD. the second frame is set to 12 most significant bits (MSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the MLD, the Link ID Bitmap subfield is used to indicate a link ID of each link whose corresponding basic service set (BSS) is advertised by the second frame, the link ID indicated by the Link ID Bitmap subfield includes a link ID of the first AP and a link ID of the at least one second AP, the Operating Class and Channel List subfield is used to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, the primary channel information indicated by the Operating Class and Channel List subfield includes a primary channel information of the first AP and the primary channel information of the at least one second AP. The method of claim 5.

7. The second frame includes, in particular, a type subfield, an ID subfield, a type-dependent control subfield, and a plurality of information groups, wherein the type subfield is used to indicate the type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to 12 least significant bits (LSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, and the type-dependent control subfield is set to the 12 least significant bits (LSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD. the plurality of information groups are utilized to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, the primary channel information indicated by the plurality of information groups including primary channel information of the first AP and the primary channel information of the at least one second AP, and each of the plurality of information groups includes a link ID subfield and an operating class and channel subfield, the link ID subfield is utilized to indicate a link ID of a link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the second frame, and the operating class and channel subfields are utilized to indicate primary channel information of the corresponding BSS indicated by the link ID subfield in the same information group. The method of claim 5.

8. The step of receiving the second frame from the first AP includes: generating, by the station, a request primitive on a system management entity (SME), the request primitive including a discovery channel list utilized to indicate one or more discovery channels to be scanned; performing, by the station, a scan on the one or more discovery channels to receive the second frame on a MAC layer; returning, by the station, an acknowledgement primitive to the SME based on the second frame on the MAC layer, the acknowledgement primitive containing the following parameters: An indicator used to show that AP MLD is discovered; a transmitter ID, which is used to indicate the 12 least significant bits (LSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD; CompressedMLDMACAddress_MSB, which is used to indicate the 12 most significant bits (MSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD; A compressed service set identifier (SSID) that is used to indicate the 16 LSBs of the AP MLD's short SSID; a link ID bitmap or link ID list used to specify one or more APs affiliated with the AP MLD; An OperatingChannelList utilized to specify the primary channel of each of the one or more APs affiliated with the AP MLD; and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) utilized to indicate the RSSI of the first AP; and further comprising: The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

9. The request primitive has the following parameters: An indicator used to indicate that the AP MLD is a discovery target; A Transmitter ID, which is used to indicate the 12 LSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD to be discovered; CompressedMLDMACAddress_MSB, which is used to indicate the 12 MSBs of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD to be discovered; and A compressed Service Set Identifier (SSID) used to indicate the 16 LSBs of the short SSID of the AP MLD to be discovered. further comprising at least one of: The method of claim 8.

10. The method further includes receiving, by the station, a third frame from the first AP, the third frame including a compressed media access control (MAC) address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD, and a type of the third frame being different from that of a legacy wake-up radio (WUR) discovery frame. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

11. the first frame includes a Wake-Up Radio (WUR) discovery element, and the discovery information for the first AP is carried in the WUR discovery element; or the first frame includes a WUR discovery element and a Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR) element, and the WUR discovery element and the RNR element include the information of the AP MLD, and the RNR element includes a portion of the discovery information for the first AP, and the WUR discovery element does not include the portion of the discovery information for the first AP. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. generating a first frame by an access point (AP) multilink device (MLD) through a first AP affiliated with the AP MLD, the first frame including discovery information for the first AP, and the discovery information for the first AP including information of the AP MLD; transmitting the first frame through the first AP via the AP MLD; A communication method, including:

13. The information of the AP MLD includes at least one of the following parameters: an AP MLD ID of the AP MLD, a link ID of the first AP in the AP MLD, or a media access control (MAC) address of the AP MLD; The method of claim 12.

14. the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one second AP and / or discovery information for at least one third AP, each second AP being an AP affiliated with the AP MLD, the discovery information for each second AP including the information of the AP MLD, each third AP being an AP affiliated with a neighboring AP MLD of the AP MLD, and the discovery information for each third AP including information of an AP MLD with which the third AP is affiliated; 14. The method according to claim 12 or 13.

15. the first frame further includes discovery information for at least one fourth AP, each fourth AP being a neighboring AP of the first AP, and the discovery information for each fourth AP includes information of the fourth AP; 15. The method of claim 14.

16. The method further includes transmitting, by the AP MLD, a second frame through the first AP based on the discovery information for the first AP, wherein the second frame is utilized to discover the first AP. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15.

17. The type of the second frame is different from that of a legacy wake-up radio (WUR) discovery frame, and the second frame includes a compressed media access control (MAC) address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD.

17. The method of claim 16.

18. The second frame includes, among other things, a Type subfield, an ID subfield, a Type-Dependent Control subfield, a Link ID Bitmap subfield, and an Operating Class and Channel List subfield, wherein the Type subfield is used to indicate the type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to the 12 least significant bits (LSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, and the Type-Dependent Control subfield is set to the 12 least significant bits (LSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD. the second frame is set to 12 most significant bits (MSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the MLD, the Link ID Bitmap subfield is used to indicate a link ID of each link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the second frame, the link ID indicated by the Link ID Bitmap subfield including a link ID of the first AP and a link ID of the at least one second AP, the Operating Class and Channel List subfield is used to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, the primary channel information indicated by the Operating Class and Channel List subfield including a primary channel information of the first AP and the primary channel information of the at least one second AP; 18. The method of claim 17.

19. The second frame includes, in particular, a type subfield, an ID subfield, a type-dependent control subfield, and a plurality of information groups, wherein the type subfield is used to indicate the type of the second frame, the ID subfield is set to 12 least significant bits (LSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD, and the type-dependent control subfield is set to the 12 least significant bits (LSBs) of the compressed MAC address of the AP MLD. the plurality of information groups are utilized to indicate primary channel information of each BSS advertised by the second frame, the primary channel information indicated by the plurality of information groups including primary channel information of the first AP and the primary channel information of the at least one second AP, and each of the plurality of information groups includes a link ID subfield and an operating class and channel subfield, the link ID subfield is utilized to indicate a link ID of a link whose corresponding BSS is advertised by the second frame, and the operating class and channel subfields are utilized to indicate primary channel information of the corresponding BSS indicated by the link ID subfield in the same information group.

18. The method of claim 17.

20. The method further includes transmitting, by the AP MLD, a third frame through the first AP, the third frame including a compressed media access control (MAC) address of the AP MLD and primary channel information of at least one second AP affiliated with the AP MLD, and a type of the third frame different from that of a legacy wake-up radio (WUR) discovery frame. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15.

21. the first frame includes a Wake-Up Radio (WUR) discovery element, and the discovery information for the first AP is carried in the WUR discovery element; or the first frame includes a WUR discovery element and a Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR) element, and the WUR discovery element and the RNR element include the information of the AP MLD, and the RNR element includes a portion of the discovery information for the first AP, and the WUR discovery element does not include the portion of the discovery information for the first AP. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 20.

22. A communications device including one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, or to perform the method of any one of claims 12 to 21.

23. the device further comprising the memory; 23. The apparatus of claim 22.

24. The device is a chip.

24. Apparatus according to claim 22 or 23.

25. A computer-readable medium having a program recorded thereon, the program being capable of causing a computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method according to any one of claims 12 to 21, when the program is executed.

26. A computer program product, said computer program product comprising instructions for causing the method of any one of claims 1 to 11 or for causing the method of any one of claims 12 to 21 to be performed.

27. A communication system comprising the station according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and / or the AP MLD according to any one of claims 12 to 21.

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