Media access recovery method and wireless station

Abstract

This invention provides a method and apparatus for performing media access recovery using a wireless mobile station (STA). [Solution] The method provides that if a mobile station loses media synchronization due to a transmission from another mobile station attached to the same multilink device (MLD), the mobile station improves media access recovery by starting a media synchronization delay timer, for example, a media synchronization delay timer, when the transmission from the other mobile station ends, and deciding whether to allow backoff within a delay time kept by the delay timer, whether to allow overlapping basic service set (OBSS) packet detection (PD) space reuse (SR), or whether to reset the delay timer for subsequent transmission events, or by adjusting an energy detection (ED) threshold.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication systems, and more specifically, to a media access recovery method and a wireless station.

Background Art

[0002] Communication systems such as wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcast. These communication systems may be multi-connection systems that can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless network such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) such as a WI-FI (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11) network can include an access point (AP: Access Point) capable of communicating with one or more wireless mobile stations (STA: station) or devices. With a WLAN, a user can use a portable terminal such as a personal digital assistant (PDA: Personal Digital Assistant), a laptop computer, a portable multimedia player (PMP: Portable Multimedia Player), or a smartphone to access the Internet wirelessly based on radio frequency technology at home, in the office, or in a specific service area. The AP may be connected to a network such as the Internet, enabling a mobile device to communicate via the network (or communicate with other devices connected to the AP). The wireless device can communicate bi-directionally with the network device. For example, in a WLAN, the STA can communicate with the associated AP via a downlink and an uplink. The downlink can refer to the communication link from the AP to the STA, and the uplink can refer to the communication link from the STA to the AP.

[0003] Problems to be Solved The IEEE 802.11be Working Group (WG) defines an ML discovery process for STAs attached to non-access point multilink devices (non-AP MLDs) to introduce multilink devices (MLDs) to the extremely high throughput (EHT) characteristics of WLANs and to require the multilink (ML) capability of APs attached to AP MLDs. An MLD is a device that supports IEEE 802.11, and an MLD is a logical entity that has two or more attached stations (STAs) for logical link control (LLC) and a single medium access control (MAC) service access point (SAP), where MAC SAP includes MAC data services.

[0004] IEEE 802.11be Draft 1.0 specifies a media access recovery process to solve the blindness problem of non-simultaneous transmit and receive (NSTR) non-access point multilink devices (MLDs). However, the current specification of the media access recovery process has the following problems:

[0005] If, within the period maintained by the media synchronization delay timer (e.g., the standard MediumSyncDelay (MSD) timer), the energy detection (ED) threshold within the [-72,-62] dBm range is lower than the spatial reuse (SR) overlapping basic service set (OBSS) packet detection (PD) level, it will result in an unexpected anomaly in the OBSS PD SR.

[0006] The current request of an STA within a non-zero MediumSyncDelay timer is only applied if the STA is attempting to acquire a Transmission Opportunity (TXOP). There are no sufficiently available network management rules in the current standard.

[0007] There are insufficient rules or restrictions that can be used to allow valid operations associated with the MediumSyncDelay timer (also known as MediumSyncDelay time or MSD time). For example, if an NSTR STA does not detect a valid Physical Layer (PHY) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) within the MSD time and a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) indicates that the channel is busy, the NSTR STA cannot effectively utilize the radio channel. An NSTR STA refers to an STA belonging to an NSTR link pair.

[0008] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a media access recovery method and wireless device to solve the problems in current standards. [Overview of the project]

[0009] This disclosure aims to propose a method for recovering media access and a wireless station.

[0010] A first aspect of this disclosure provides a media access recovery method, which includes: starting a media synchronization delay timer for a wireless station attached to a non-access point multilink device (non-AP MLD) in a wireless link pair when the wireless station loses media synchronization due to a first transmission event, and timing for a media synchronization delay period, the media synchronization delay timer timing for a media synchronization delay period; detecting at least one of a first transmission event and a second transmission event of the wireless link pair on at least one link of the wireless link pair, wherein the second transmission event occurs after the first transmission event; and determining whether to adjust the media synchronization delay period based on the detection of at least one of the first transmission event and the second transmission event of the wireless link pair.

[0011] A second aspect of this disclosure provides a media access recovery method, which, when a radio station attached to a non-access point multilink device (non-AP MLD) in a radio link pair loses media synchronization, includes starting a media synchronization delay timer of a radio station and timing for a media synchronization delay period, the media synchronization delay timer timing for a media synchronization delay period, and performing a clear channel assessment (CCA) within the media synchronization delay period using a tuned energy detection (ED) threshold.

[0012] A third aspect of this disclosure provides a radio station including a processor and a transceiver. The processor is connected to a transceiver and configured to perform the following: when the radio station, which is attached to a non-access point multilink device (non-AP MLD) in a radio link pair, loses media synchronization due to a first transmission event, start a media synchronization delay timer for the radio station and time for a media synchronization delay period, the media synchronization delay timer time for a media synchronization delay period; detect at least one of a first transmission event and a second transmission event of the radio link pair on at least one link of the radio link pair, wherein the second transmission event occurs after the first transmission event; and determine whether to adjust the media synchronization delay period based on the detection of at least one of the first transmission event and the second transmission event of the radio link pair.

[0013] A fourth aspect of this disclosure provides a radio station including a processor and a transceiver. The processor is connected to the transceiver and is configured to start a media synchronization delay timer for a media synchronization delay period when the radio station, which is attached to a non-access point multilink device (non-AP MLD) in a radio link pair, loses media synchronization, the media synchronization delay timer is configured to perform: to perform media synchronization delay period; and to perform clear channel evaluation (CCA) within the media synchronization delay period using a tuned energy detection (ED) threshold.

[0014] The disclosed method may be implemented within a chip. The chip may include a processor configured to call and execute computer programs stored in memory to cause the device on which the chip is installed to perform the disclosed method.

[0015] The disclosed method can be programmed as a computer-executable instruction stored in a non-temporary computer-readable medium. When loaded into a computer, the non-temporary computer-readable medium instructs the computer's processor to execute the disclosed method.

[0016] Non-temporary computer-readable media may include at least one of the group consisting of hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, EPROMs, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, and flash memory.

[0017] The disclosed method can be programmed as a computer program product that causes a computer to perform the disclosed method.

[0018] The disclosed method can be programmed as a computer program that causes a computer to perform the disclosed method.

[0019] Beneficial effects Embodiments of the present invention provide a media access recovery method performed by a wireless mobile station (STA). When a mobile station loses media synchronization due to a transmission by another mobile station attached to the same multilink device (MLD), the mobile station starts a media synchronization delay timer (e.g., a MediumSyncDelay timer) when the transmission by the other mobile station ends. The method improves media access recovery by at least determining whether to allow backoff within a delay time kept by the delay timer, whether to allow overlapping basic service set (OBSS) packet detection (PD) space reuse (SR), or whether to reset the delay timer for subsequent transmission events, or by adjusting an energy detection (ED) threshold. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1] It is a schematic diagram showing a situation where protection during the period of the MediumSyncDelay timer is insufficient. [Figure 2] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] It is a schematic diagram showing one or more stations (STAs) and an access point (AP) communicating in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram showing a media access recovery method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing a media access recovery method for prohibiting backoff according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a schematic diagram showing a media access recovery method using an adjusted energy detection threshold according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a schematic diagram showing a media access recovery method for prohibiting spatial reuse according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a schematic diagram showing a media access recovery method for resetting a timer using duration information according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] It is a schematic diagram showing a media access recovery method according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] It is a schematic diagram showing a media access recovery method according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] It is a schematic diagram showing a media access recovery method according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] It is a schematic diagram showing a media access recovery method according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] It is a schematic diagram showing a media access recovery method according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] It is a block diagram of a system for wireless communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] To better illustrate the embodiments of this disclosure or related technologies, the drawings beyond those described in the embodiments are briefly described. Clearly, the drawings represent only a few embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these without further effort.

[0022] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, combining technical issues, structural features, achieved purposes, and effects. Specifically, the terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure are not intended to limit the disclosure and are used solely for the purpose of describing specific embodiments.

[0023] Referring to Figure 1, the non-access point multilink device (non-AP MLD) 120 includes STA121, which belongs to an NSTR link pair, and STA122, which also belongs to the same NSTR link pair. NSTR STA refers to an STA belonging to an NSTR link pair. NSTR STA121 and NSTR STA122 are attached to the same non-AP MLD 120. AP MLD 110 includes AP111 and AP112. AP111 and AP112 are attached to the same AP MLD 110. If no valid PPDU (e.g., a Block Acknowledgement (BA) frame 131 from AP113 to STA123) is detected, NSTA STA122 defers the Extended Interframe Space (EIFS) T1 and performs a backoff within the backoff period T2. In such cases, STA123 is concealed or undetectable from STA122 attached to NSTR MLD120 on link 2. Under certain conditions, STA123 can transmit PPDU132 in a transmission opportunity (TxOP), where PPDU132 is much longer than BA frame 131. Because STA123 is concealed from STA122 attached to NSTR MLD120 on link 2, NSTR MLD120 cannot detect PPDU132 transmitted from STA123. In such cases, EIFS T1 cannot provide sufficient protection because, for a 6Mbps ACK, EIFS T1 may be as short as aSIFSTime+AckTxTime+DIFS=94us.

[0024] When the MediumSyncDelay timer is implicitly reset, the valid duration (time) of a Media Access Control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU) transmission can be obtained, and the Network Allocation Vector (NAV) can be updated. Without duration information such as a Power Saving Poll (PS-Poll), resetting a valid Media Access Control MPDU to the MSD timer cannot provide sufficient protection for other potential transmissions of the same or different STAs. Furthermore, Quality of Service (QoS) data frames and management frames are transmitted using different channel access methods; that is, the Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) mechanism is used to obtain a TXOP and transmit QoS data frames, while the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) is used to access the channel and transmit management frames.

[0025] IEEE 802.11be Draft 1.0 defines a media access recovery process. According to this process, the first STA (e.g., STA122) and the second STA (e.g., STA121) are attached to a non-AP MLD (e.g., non-AP MLD120) in an NSTR link pair. If the second STA, which is attached to the same non-AP MLD and belongs to the NSTR link pair, transmits a PPDU, the first STA is considered to have lost media synchronization due to uplink (UL) interference unless the first and second STAs terminate transmission simultaneously.

[0026] If a transmission event is longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, the first STA, which has lost media synchronization due to a transmission event initiated by a second STA attached to the same MLD, will start the MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission event ends. aMediumSyncThreshold is a pre-configured parameter of the media synchronization threshold in the standard. If the transmission event is shorter than or equal to aMediumSyncThreshold, the first STA may not start the MediumSyncDelay timer.

[0027] The MediumSyncDelay timer is a single timer shared by all Enhanced Distributed Channel Access Functions (EDCAFs) within a non-AP STA, and it is initialized to aPPDUMaxTime (PPDU Max Time) as defined in Table 36-69 of the standard to achieve extremely high throughput (EHT) physical layer (PHY) characteristics. The STA should update its MediumSyncDelay timer to the timer contained in the media synchronization field (if any) of the underlying variable multilink element in the latest frame received from the relevant AP MLD (e.g., AP MLD110) if any of the following events occur, i.e., • The first STA has received a PPDU with a valid MPDU, or If the first STA receives a PPDU and the corresponding RXVECTOR (received vector) parameter TXOP_DURATION (transmission opportunity duration) becomes UNSPECIFIED (unspecified), the timer is reset to zero.

[0028] The first STA, which comes with the non-AP MLD, has a non-zero MediumSyncDelay timer that supports TXOP acquisition. • The Request to Send (RTS) frame shall be the first frame in any attempt to obtain a TXOP. • Attempting to start multiple MSD_TXOP_MAX TXOPs, and / or It is possible to use a CCA_ED threshold equal to dot11MSDOFDMEDthreshold.

[0029] By default, if a non-AP STA loses media synchronization and subsequently initiates the MediumSyncDelay timer, and within aCCAtime (see 36.3.20.6.3 (CCA sensitivity occupying the primary 20MHz channel)) immediately following the end of the transmission event, the received signal strength exceeds the CCA-ED threshold provided by the dot11OFDMEDThreshold for the primary 20MHz channel, and the start of PPDU is not detected, the non-AP STA should postpone the start of EIFS when the received signal strength is lower than the CCA-ED threshold.

[0030] This application provides an embodiment of the present invention to solve problems in the current specification of the media access recovery process in IEEE 802.11be Draft 1.0.

[0031] To illustrate the innovative aspects of this disclosure, the following description relates to several embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in several different ways. The embodiments described include the IEEE 802.11 standard, the Bluetooth® standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global Mobile Communications System (GSM), GSM / General-Purpose Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunk Radio (TETRA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolutionary Data Optimization (EV-DO), 1×EV-DO, EV-DO RevA, and EV-DO This specification is implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals based on any one of RevB, High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Advanced High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), and AMPS, or in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving other known signals for communication within a wireless, cellular, or Internet of Things (IoT) network (e.g., a system utilizing 3G, 4G, or 5G technology or its implementations). The standards in this specification may refer to at least one or more versions of the IEEE 802.11 specification.

[0032] Figure 2 shows an example of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system may be an example of a wireless local area network (WLAN) 100 configured based on various aspects of the present disclosure. A WLAN is also called a Wi-Fi network, such as a Next Generation, Next Big Thing (NBT), Ultra High Throughput (UHT), or EHT Wi-Fi network. As described herein, the terms Next Generation, NBT, UHT, and EHT may be considered synonymous, and each may correspond to a Wi-Fi network that supports a high-capacity space-time stream. The WLAN 100 may include an AP 10 and a number of associated STAs 20, where the STAs 20 may represent devices such as mobile stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, laptops, tablets, laptop computers, display devices (e.g., TVs, computer monitors, etc.), and printers. The AP 10 and associated stations 20 may represent a Basic Service Set (BSS) or an Extended Service Set (ESS). Each STA 20 in the network can communicate with each other via the AP 10. The coverage area 110 of AP10 is also shown, and coverage area 110 may represent the basic service area (BSA) of WLAN100. Extended network stations (not shown) associated with WLAN100 may be connected to a wired or wireless distributed system, which may allow multiple AP10s to be connected in the ESS.

[0033] In some embodiments, an STA20 may be located at the intersection of multiple coverage areas 110 and may be associated with multiple AP10s. A single AP10 and its associated set of STA20s may be called a BSS. An ESS is a set of connected BSSs. A distributed system (not shown) may be used to connect multiple AP10s in an ESS. In some cases, the coverage area 110 of the AP10s may be divided into sectors (not shown). The WLAN 100 may include AP10s having different types, different, overlapping coverage areas 110 (e.g., metropolitan area network, home network, etc.). Two STA20s may further communicate directly via a direct wireless link 125, regardless of whether these two STA20s are in the same coverage area 110. Examples of direct wireless links 126 may include Wi-Fi Direct connections, Wi-Fi Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) links, and other group connections. STA20 and AP10 can communicate based on WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the physical and Media Access Control (MAC) layers from IEEE 802.11 and versions including but not limited to 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11a, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11ah, 802.11ax, 802.11ay, etc. In some other implementations, peer-to-peer or ad hoc networks may be implemented within WLAN100.

[0034] Figure 3 shows one or more stations (STAs) 20 and access points (APs) 10 communicating in a wireless communication system 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 shows that the wireless communication system 700 includes an access point (AP) 10 and one or more stations (STAs) 20. The AP 10 may include a memory 12, a transceiver 13, and a processor 11 coupled to the memory 12 and the transceiver 13. One or more STAs 20 may include a memory 22, a transceiver 23, and a processor 21 coupled to the memory 22 and the transceiver 23. The processor 11 or processor 21 may be used to implement the proposed functions, processes, and / or methods described herein. The layer of the wireless interface protocol may be implemented in the processor 11 or processor 21. The memory 12 or memory 22 is operably coupled to the processor 11 or processor 21 and stores various information to operate the processor 11 or processor 21. Transceiver 13 or transceiver 23 is operably coupled to processor 11 or processor 21, and transceiver 13 or transceiver 23 transmits and / or receives radio signals.

[0035] Processor 11 or processor 21 may include application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), other chipsets, logic circuits, and / or data processing devices. Memory 12 or memory 22 may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, memory cards, storage media, and / or other storage devices. Transceiver 13 or transceiver 23 may include baseband circuits for processing radio frequency signals. If the embodiment is implemented in software form, the techniques described herein may be implemented by modules (e.g., processes, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. The modules may be stored in memory 12 or memory 22 and executed by processor 11 or processor 21. Memory 12 or memory 22 may be implemented inside or outside processor 11 or processor 21, in which case memory 12 or memory 22 may be communicatively coupled to processor 11 or processor 21 via various devices known in the art.

[0036] In some embodiments, processor 21 is used to perform the methods disclosed in embodiments of the present invention. STA121, STA122, and STA123 are examples of STA20. AP111, AP112, and AP113 are examples of AP10.

[0037] Referring to Figure 4, if a wireless device attached to a non-access point multilink device (non-AP MLD) in a wireless link pair loses media synchronization, the wireless device (e.g., the first STA or STA122) starts a media synchronization delay timer when the wireless device's blindness period ends and starts timing for the media synchronization delay period, where the media synchronization delay timer is for timing for the media synchronization delay period (step S150). The media synchronization delay timer may include a MediumSyncDelay timer, and the media synchronization delay period may include a MediumSyncDelay period that is timed by the MediumSyncDelay timer.

[0038] The wireless device detects a transmission event of the wireless link pair on at least one link of the wireless link pair and obtains at least one of an implicit link detection result and an explicit link detection result (step S152). The implicit link detection result may include the probability of wireless transmission on the WLAN channel. The explicit link detection result may include duration information in the duration / ID field, and the start, end, or duration of a second transmission event after the transmission event.

[0039] The wireless device determines whether to adjust the media synchronization delay period based on at least one of the implicit link detection result and the explicit link detection result (step S154). The wireless device can adjust the media synchronization delay period by starting, resetting, or restarting the media synchronization delay timer. The wireless device can determine a first corresponding rule for adjusting the media synchronization delay period based on the implicit link detection result, a second corresponding rule for adjusting the media synchronization delay period based on the explicit link detection result, and apply the first and second corresponding rules accordingly.

[0040] If the transmission event is longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, the first STA (e.g., STA122), which has lost media synchronization due to the transmission event performed by a second STA (e.g., STA121) attached to the same MLD (e.g., non-AP MLD120), starts a MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission event ends. During the duration of the MediumSyncDelay timer, where MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0, the first STA may use one, more, or all of the following solutions or rules in the embodiment:

[0041] In one embodiment, if the first STA fails to detect the start of a PPDU during a CCA operation indicating that the link is busy, two situations may occur:

[0042] In Scenario 1, if the first STA detects an IEEE 802.11 transmission and the transmission has a probability of being equal to or higher than a specified signal strength threshold within a specified bandwidth within a single period (e.g., aCCAMidTime or aCCAMidTime2), the first STA (i.e., NSTR STA) may prevent the first STA from backing off within the MediumSyncDelay time. This probability may be higher than a probability threshold (e.g., 90%). For example, the probability may exceed 90%.

[0043] In situation 2, if situation 1 does not occur, the first STA (i.e., NSTR STA) can postpone the EIFS time.

[0044] The period aCCAMidTime2 represents the longest (maximum) time (in microseconds) that the CCA mechanism may use to detect an IEEE 802.11 transmission. The value of aCCAMidTime2 may be equal to aCCAMidTime in the current specification. aCCAMidTime is a constant defined in the standard (e.g., IEEE 802.11-2020), and aCCAMidTime represents the longest time for the CCA to determine whether an IEEE 802.11 transmission is on a non-primary channel. For example, a specified signal strength threshold may include the PD level in the standard. In one embodiment, the implicit link detection result indicates that the wireless device has detected, within one period (e.g., aCCAMidTime or aCCAMidTime2), that it has a wireless transmission based on high-probability contention equal to or higher than a specified signal strength threshold (e.g., PD level) on a specified bandwidth. In response to the implicit link detection result, the first STA prohibits backoff within the media synchronization delay period. If the wireless device does not detect an implicit link detection result, the first STA postpones the start of Extended Interframe Space (EIFS) and allows backoff within the media synchronization delay period.

[0045] In one embodiment, either option 1 or option 2 should be adopted to avoid unexpected situations in OBSS PD SR.

[0046] In Option 1, the first STA adjusts the ED threshold. The adjusted ED threshold is not lower than the spatial reuse OBSS PD level.

[0047] In Option 2, the first STA prohibits OBSS PD SR.

[0048] In one embodiment, the explicit link detection result may include duration information in the duration / ID field. If a PPDU with a valid MPDU in the duration / ID field containing duration information is received, the first STA resets the MediumSyncDelay timer to zero; if a PPDU with a valid MPDU in the duration / ID field without duration information is received, the MediumSyncDelay timer is not reset to zero. The ID in the duration / ID field represents an identifier.

[0049] In one embodiment, the first STA has a common rule of using a tuned ED threshold within the MSD time kept by the MediumSyncDelay timer. For example, the first STA, which has a non-zero MediumSyncDelay timer and is attached to a non-AP MLD120, can use a CCA-energy detection threshold (CCA_ED threshold) equal to the standard defined dot11MSDOFDMEDthreshold. The MediaSync OFDMEDThreshold subfield indicates the value of the dot11MSDOFDMEDthreshold threshold used by the non-AP STA during media sync recovery.

[0050] In one embodiment, the explicit link detection result may include the start or end of a second transmission event following a transmission event. If, after the first STA attached to a non-AP MLD120 loses media synchronization and starts the MediumSyncDelay timer, the first STA again loses media synchronization due to a second transmission performed by the second STA attached to the same MLD within the MSD time kept by the MediumSyncDelay timer, the first STA may perform one, more, or all of the following solutions and rules.

[0051] In one embodiment, the first STA does not reset the MSD timer to 0 when the second transmission event begins, and if the second transmission event is also longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, it restarts the MediumSyncDelay timer when the second transmission ends.

[0052] In one embodiment, the first STA resets the MediumSyncDelay timer to 0 when the second transmission event begins, and restarts the MediumSyncDelay timer when the second transmission ends if the second transmission event is also longer than aMediumSyncThreshold.

[0053] In one embodiment, the first STA resets the MediumSyncDelay timer to 0 when the second transmission event begins, and does not restart the MediumSyncDelay timer when the second transmission ends if the second transmission event is not longer than aMediumSyncThreshold.

[0054] In one embodiment, the first STA does not reset the MediumSyncDelay timer to 0 when the second transmission event begins, and does not restart the MediumSyncDelay timer when the second transmission ends if the second transmission event is not longer than aMediumSyncThreshold.

[0055] In one embodiment, if it is detected that the second transmission event is not longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, the first STA does not reset the MSD timer to 0 when the second transmission event begins.

[0056] In one embodiment, if it is detected that the second transmission event is longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, the first STA resets the MediumSyncDelay timer to 0 when the second transmission event begins and restarts the MediumSyncDelay timer when the second transmission ends.

[0057] In one embodiment, a first STA attached to a non-AP MLD120 in an NSTR link pair acquires a TXOP and acts as the holder of the TXOP. The first STA transmits an AP Assistance Request (AAR) control subfield in a frame, which is the last frame transmitted by the first STA to the associated first AP (e.g., AP112) attached to the AP MLD (e.g., AP MLD110) via the TXOP, and the AAR control subfield indicates the link identifier of the second AP (e.g., AP111) attached to the same AP MLD, requesting the second AP to transmit a trigger frame to the second STA attached to the same non-AP MLD in the same NSTR link pair. The first STA transmits a PPDU with the frame containing the AAR control subfield via the TXOP to the first AP attached to the AP MLD. Transmitting a PPDU containing a frame with an AAR control subfield requires a second AP attached to the same AP MLD to transmit a trigger frame after the last PPDU transmitted by the first STA has finished in the TXOP.

[0058] Example 1 For NSTR MLD120, the first STA (e.g., STA122) attached to a non-AP MLD in an NSTR link pair loses media synchronization due to a transmission event performed by a second STA (e.g., STA121) attached to the same non-AP MLD in the link pair. If the transmission event is longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission event ends. If the first STA fails to detect the start of the PPDU and the CCA is busy during the duration of the MediumSyncDelay timer (where MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0), the first STA can operate based on two conditions:

[0059] In Situation 1, if the first STA detects an IEEE 802.11 transmission and the transmission has a probability of being equal to or higher than a specified signal strength threshold within a specified bandwidth within a single period (e.g., aCCAMidTime or aCCAMidTime2), the first STA (i.e., STA) may prohibit backoff during the period of the MediumSyncDelay timer where MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0. The probability may be higher than a probability threshold (e.g., 90%). For example, the probability may be greater than 90%. For example, if the first STA detects a non-high-throughput (non-HT) PPDU, a high-throughput mixed format (HT_MF) PPDU, a high-throughput greenfield (HT_GF) PPDU, a very high-throughput (VHT) PPDU, a high-efficiency (HE) PPDU, or an extremely high-throughput (EHT) PPDU, the STA will prohibit backoff if the power measured within the 20MHz subchannel for that PPDU is equal to or higher than max(-72dBm, OBSS_PDlevel) within one period (e.g., aCCAMidTime or aCCAMidTime2) with a probability exceeding 90% and within the MediumSyncDelay time (i.e., the duration of the MediumSyncDelay timer when MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0).

[0060] In Situation 2, if the received signal strength exceeds the CCA-ED threshold provided by the dot11OFDMEDThreshold of the primary 20MHz channel and no PPDU transmitted by 802.11 is detected, or if the received signal strength is lower than the CCA-ED threshold, the first STA will postpone the start of EIFS and allow a backoff within the MediumSyncDelay time.

[0061] Referring to Figure 5, an NSTR non-AP MLD (NSTR non-AP MLD) 120 with two attached STAs (i.e., STA121 and STA122) is associated with an AP MLD 110 with two attached APs (i.e., AP111 and AP112). Link 1 is established between AP111 and non-AP STA121, and Link 2 is established between AP112 and non-AP STA122. The non-AP MLD 120 has one NSTR link pair including links 1 and 2. A single STA (i.e., STA123) is associated with another AP (i.e., AP113) operating on link 2. STA123 is a concealed station for STA122, meaning that STA122 cannot detect the PPDU transmitted from STA123 to AP113. STA121 transmits a PPDU (i.e., PPDU1) to AP111, causing STA122 to lose media synchronization during the blindness period (step S201). When the transmission of PPDU1 ends, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer (step S202). As the duration of the MediumSyncDelay timer (i.e., MSD time) begins, STA122 uses mid-packet detection to detect the IEEE802.11 PPDU (step S203), and AP113 transmits the PPDU with the detected BA to STA123 on link 2. During the duration of the MediumSyncDelay timer when the MediumSyncDelay timer is not equal to 0, STA122 prevents backoff (step S204), thereby providing further protection for other potential transmissions on the NSTR link pair. When STA122 receives a PPDU containing a valid BA frame sent from AP113 to STA123, STA122 resets the MediumSyncDelay timer to 0 (step S205). This embodiment provides a solution that offers more reasonable protection within the MediumSyncDelay time.

[0062] Example 2 For an NSTR MLD120, the first STA (i.e., NSTR STA122) attached to the MLD in the NSTR link pair loses media synchronization due to a transmission event performed by the second STA (e.g., STA121) attached to the same MLD in the link pair. If the transmission event is longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, STA122 starts a MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission event ends. During the duration of the MediumSyncDelay timer, where MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0, STA121 and STA122 each perform a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) using an adjusted ED threshold, where the adjusted ED threshold is not lower than the spatial reuse OBSS PD level.

[0063] Referring to Figure 6, an NSTR non-AP MLD120 with two attached STAs (i.e., STA121 and STA122) is associated with an AP MLD110 with two attached APs (i.e., AP111 and AP112). Link 1 is established between AP111 and non-AP STA121, and Link 2 is established between AP112 and non-AP STA122. The non-AP MLD120 has one NSTR link pair including Link 1 and Link 2. STA121 transmits a PPDU (e.g., PPDU1 or PPDU2) to AP111, causing STA122 to lose media synchronization during the blindness period (steps S301 and S305). When the transmission of PPDU1 or PPDU2 ends, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer (steps S302 and S306). During the MediumSyncDelay timer period in which MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0, STA121 performs a clear channel evaluation using an adjusted ED threshold (steps S304 and S308). The adjusted ED threshold is kept not lower than the spatial reuse OBSS PD level, thereby avoiding the occurrence of unexpected situations. This embodiment provides a solution to the problem of the adjusted ED threshold.

[0064] Example 3 For NSTR MLD120, the first STA (i.e., NSTR STA122) attached to the MLD120 in the NSTR link pair loses media synchronization due to a transmission event performed by the second STA (e.g., STA121) attached to the same MLD in the link pair. If the transmission event is longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission event ends. OBSS PD SR is prohibited during the duration of the MediumSyncDelay timer, where MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0.

[0065] Referring to Figure 7, an NSTR non-AP MLD120 with two attached STAs (i.e., STA121 and STA122) is associated with an AP MLD110 with two attached APs (i.e., AP111 and AP112). The NSTR non-AP MLD120 is a non-AP MLD belonging to an NSTR link pair. Link 1 is established between AP111 and non-AP STA121, and Link 2 is established between AP112 and non-AP STA122. The non-AP MLD120 has one NSTR link pair including Link 1 and Link 2. STA121 transmits a PPDU (e.g., PPDU1 or PPDU2) to AP111, causing STA122 to lose media synchronization during the blindness period (steps S401 and S405). When the transmission of PPDU1 or PPDU2 ends, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer (steps S402 and S406). During the MediumSyncDelay timer period in which MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0, OBSS PD SR is prohibited (steps S404 and S407), thereby preventing the occurrence of unexpected situations. This embodiment provides a solution to the problem of adjusted ED thresholds.

[0066] Example 4 For an NSTR MLD120, the first STA (i.e., STA122) attached to the MLD in the NSTR link pair loses media synchronization due to a transmission event performed by a second STA (e.g., STA121) attached to the same MLD in the link pair. If the transmission event is longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission event ends. If the first STA receives a PPDU with a valid MPDU containing a duration / ID field that includes duration information, STA122 resets the MediumSyncDelay timer to zero. If the first STA receives a PPDU with a valid MPDU containing a duration / ID field that does not include duration information, STA122 does not reset the MediumSyncDelay timer to zero.

[0067] Referring to Figure 8, an NSTR non-AP MLD120 with two attached STAs (i.e., STA121 and STA122) is associated with an AP MLD110 with two attached APs (i.e., AP111 and AP112). Link 1 is established between AP111 and non-AP STA121, and Link 2 is established between AP112 and non-AP STA122. The non-AP MLD120 has one NSTR link pair including links 1 and 2. A single STA (e.g., STA123) is associated with AP112 operating on link 2, and STA122 can detect the PPDU being transmitted between STA123 and AP112. STA121 transmits a PPDU (e.g., PPDU1) to AP111, causing STA122 to lose media synchronization during the blindness period (step 501). When the transmission of PPDU1 ends, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer (step S502). During the period of the MediumSyncDelay timer, when MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0, STA122 first detects a PS-POLL frame transmitted from STA123 to AP112 (step S503). If the PS-POLL frame has a duration / ID field that does not contain duration information, STA does not reset the MediumSyncDelay timer to 0 (step S504). If an ACK frame transmitted from AP112 to STA123 is detected (the ACK frame has a duration / ID field that contains duration information), STA122 resets the MediumSyncDelay timer to zero based on the duration in the duration / ID field (step S505). The value of the MediumSyncDelay timer activated / started by the transmission of PPDU1 remains exactly the same as the value of the MediumSyncDelay timer activated / started when STA122 initiated the MediumSyncDelay timer.MediumSyncDelay is a value actually created by the transmission of PPDU1, and this value represents the period from when the first STA starts the MediumSyncDelay timer until the MediumSyncDelay timer counts down to zero or is reset to zero. This embodiment provides a solution to the problem of valid MPDU.

[0068] Example 5 If, after the first STA (e.g., STA122) attached to a non-AP MLD120 in an NSTR link pair starts the MediumSyncDelay timer due to media synchronization loss, and while the MediumSyncDelay timer is running, the first STA again loses media synchronization due to a second transmission event performed by a second STA (e.g., STA121) attached to the same MLD in the link pair, the first STA does not reset the MSD timer to 0 when the second transmission event begins, and if the second transmission event is longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, it restarts the MediumSyncDelay timer when the second transmission ends.

[0069] Referring to Figure 9, an NSTR non-AP MLD120 with two attached STAs (i.e., STA121 and STA122) is associated with an AP MLD110 with two attached APs (i.e., AP111 and AP112). Link 1 is established between AP111 and non-AP STA121, and Link 2 is established between AP112 and non-AP STA122. The non-AP MLD120 has one NSTR link pair including links 1 and 2. STA121 transmits a PPDU (e.g., PPDU1) to AP111, causing STA122 to lose media synchronization during the blindness period (step 511). When the transmission of PPDU1 ends, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer (step S512). During the MediumSyncDelay timer period in which MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0, STA122 does not reset the MSD timer to 0 when PPDU2 transmission begins (step S513), and if the PPDU2 transmission event is also longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, it restarts the MediumSyncDelay timer when PPDU2 transmission ends (step S514). This embodiment provides a solution to the problem of continuous blindness periods.

[0070] Example 6 If, after the first STA (e.g., STA122) attached to a non-AP MLD120 in an NSTR link pair has started the MediumSyncDelay timer due to media synchronization loss, and while the MediumSyncDelay timer is running, the first STA again loses media synchronization due to a second transmission event performed by a second STA (e.g., STA121) attached to the same MLD in the link pair, and the first STA detects that the second transmission event is also longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, then the MediumSyncDelay timer is reset to 0 when the second transmission event begins and restarted when the second transmission ends.

[0071] Referring to Figure 10, an NSTR non-AP MLD120 with two attached STAs (i.e., STA121 and STA122) is associated with an AP MLD110 with two attached APs (i.e., AP111 and AP112). Link 1 is established between AP111 and non-AP STA121, and Link 2 is established between AP112 and non-AP STA122. The non-AP MLD120 has one NSTR link pair including Link 1 and Link 2. STA121 transmits a PPDU (e.g., PPDU1) to AP111, causing STA122 to lose media synchronization during the blindness period (step 521). When the transmission of PPDU1 ends, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer (step S522). During the period of the MediumSyncDelay timer when MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0, STA122 resets the MediumSyncDelay timer to 0 when the transmission of PPDU2 begins (step S523), and if the transmission event of PPDU2 is also longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, restarts the MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission of PPDU2 ends (step S524). The value of the MediumSyncDelay timer started by the transmission of PPDU1 remains exactly the same as the value of the MediumSyncDelay timer started when the first STA started the MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission of PPDU1 ended. MediumSyncDelay has a value that has actually been created by the transmission of PPDU1, and this value represents the period from when the first STA started the MediumSyncDelay timer until the MediumSyncDelay timer counts down to zero or is reset to zero. This embodiment provides a solution to the problem of continuous blindness periods.

[0072] Example 7 If, after the first STA (e.g., STA122) attached to a non-AP MLD120 in an NSTR link pair has started the MediumSyncDelay timer due to media synchronization loss, and while the MediumSyncDelay timer is running, the first STA again loses media synchronization due to a second transmission event performed by a second STA (e.g., STA121) attached to the same MLD in the link pair, the first STA resets the MediumSyncDelay timer to 0 when the second transmission event begins, and does not restart the MediumSyncDelay timer when the second transmission ends, provided that the second transmission event is not longer than aMediumSyncThreshold.

[0073] Referring to Figure 11, an NSTR non-AP MLD120 with two attached STAs (i.e., STA121 and STA122) is associated with an AP MLD110 with two attached APs (i.e., AP111 and AP112). Link 1 is established between AP111 and non-AP STA121, and Link 2 is established between AP112 and non-AP STA122. The non-AP MLD120 has one NSTR link pair including Link 1 and Link 2. STA121 transmits a PPDU (e.g., PPDU1) to AP111, causing STA122 to lose media synchronization during the blindness period (step 531). When the transmission of PPDU1 ends, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer (step S532). During the MediumSyncDelay timer period in which MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0, STA122 resets the MediumSyncDelay timer to 0 when the transmission of PPDU2 begins (step S533), and does not restart the MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission of PPDU2 ends if the transmission event of PPDU2 is not longer than aMediumSyncThreshold (step S534). The value of the MediumSyncDelay timer started by the transmission of PPDU1 remains exactly the same as the value of the MediumSyncDelay timer started when the first STA started the MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission of PPDU1 ended. MediumSyncDelay has a value that has actually been created by the transmission of PPDU1, and this value represents the period from when the first STA started the MediumSyncDelay timer until the MediumSyncDelay timer counts down to zero or is reset to zero. This embodiment provides a solution for dealing with the problem of continuous blindness periods.

[0074] Example 8 If, after the first STA (e.g., STA122) attached to a non-AP MLD120 in an NSTR link pair has started the MediumSyncDelay timer due to media synchronization loss, and while the MediumSyncDelay timer is running, the first STA again loses media synchronization due to a second transmission event performed by a second STA (e.g., STA121) attached to the same MLD in the link pair, and the first STA detects that the second transmission event is not longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, the MediumSyncDelay timer will continue running, and will not be reset to 0 when the second transmission event begins, nor will it be restarted when the second transmission ends.

[0075] Referring to Figure 12, an NSTR non-AP MLD120 with two attached STAs (i.e., STA121 and STA122) is associated with an AP MLD110 with two attached APs (i.e., AP111 and AP112). Link 1 is established between AP111 and non-AP STA121, and Link 2 is established between AP112 and non-AP STA122. The non-AP MLD120 has one NSTR link pair including links 1 and 2. STA121 transmits a PPDU (e.g., PPDU1) to AP111, causing STA122 to lose media synchronization during the blindness period (step 541). When the transmission of PPDU1 ends, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer (step S542). During the MediumSyncDelay timer period in which MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0, the first STA does not reset the MSD timer to 0 when the transmission of PPDU2 begins (step S543), and if the transmission event of PPDU2 is not longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, the first STA does not restart the MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission of PPDU2 ends (step S544). The value of the MediumSyncDelay timer started by the transmission of PPDU1 remains exactly the same as the value of the MediumSyncDelay timer started when the first STA started the MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission of PPDU1 ended. This embodiment provides a solution to the problem of continuous blindness periods.

[0076] Example 9 The transmission of QoS data frames and management frames uses different channel access methods; namely, the EDCA mechanism is used to acquire TXOP and transmit QoS data frames, and DCF is used to access the channel and transmit management frames. For an NSTR MLD120, the first STA (i.e., STA122) attached to the MLD in an NSTR link pair loses media synchronization due to a transmission event performed by a second STA (e.g., STA121) attached to the same MLD in the link pair. If the transmission event is longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, STA122 starts a MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission event ends. During the duration of the MediumSyncDelay timer, where MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0, STA122 uses a modified ED threshold as a common rule. Specifically, the STA122, which is attached to the non-AP MLD120 and has a non-zero MediumSyncDelay timer, uses a CCA_ED threshold, which is equal to the media-synchronous orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) ED threshold, indicated by the parameter dot11MSDOFDMEDthreshold. In particular, for the transmission of one or more management frames, the first STA uses a CCA_ED threshold equal to dot11MSDOFDMEDthreshold.

[0077] Example 10 A non-AP STA (e.g., STA122) associated with a non-AP MLD120 in an NSTR link pair acquires the TXOP and acts as the holder of the TXOP. STA122 transmits an AAR control subfield in the frame, which is the last frame transmitted by the first STA to the associated first AP (e.g., AP112) associated with the AP MLD (e.g., AP MLD110) via the TXOP. The AAR control subfield indicates the link identifier of the second AP (e.g., AP111) associated with the same AP MLD, requesting the second AP to transmit the trigger frame to the second non-AP STA (e.g., STA121) associated with the same non-AP MLD120 in the same NSTR link pair. STA122 transmits the last PPDU with the frame containing the AAR control subfield via the TXOP to the first AP associated with AP MLD110. Transmitting the last PPDU containing the AAR control in the TXOP indicates that, after the last PPDU transmitted by the first STA in the TXOP has finished, a request is made to the second AP attached to the same AP MLD110 to transmit the trigger frame.

[0078] Referring to Figure 13, an NSTR non-AP MLD120 with two attached STAs (i.e., STA121 and STA122) is associated with an AP MLD110 with two attached APs (i.e., AP111 and AP112). Link 1 is established between AP111 and non-AP STA121, and Link 2 is established between AP112 and non-AP STA122. The non-AP MLD120 has one NSTR link pair including Link 1 and Link 2. STA121 transmits a PPDU (e.g., PPDU1) to AP111, causing STA122 to lose media synchronization during the blindness period (step 901). When the transmission of PPDU1 ends, STA122 starts the MediumSyncDelay timer (step S902). During the MediumSyncDelay timer period in which MediumSyncDelay is not equal to 0, STA122 does not reset the MSD timer to 0 when the transmission of PPDU2 begins (step S903), and if the transmission event of PPDU2 is longer than aMediumSyncThreshold, it restarts the MediumSyncDelay timer when the transmission of PPDU2 ends (step S904). PPDU2 having a frame containing the AAR control subfield is the last PPDU transmitted by STA121 in the TXOP acquired by STA121. After the transmission of PPDU2 ends, AP112 transmits a trigger frame to STA122 to request a UL PPDU from STA122 (step S905). Upon receiving the trigger frame, STA122 resets the MediumSyncDelay timer to 0 (step S909). This embodiment provides a solution that uses the transmission of a frame containing the AAR control subfield during the TXOP.

[0079] Examples 1, 2, 3, and 10 may be incorporated into Example 9. In other words, an STA (e.g., the first STA) can perform the methods in any combination of Examples 1, 2, 3, 9, and 10 above. Similarly, Examples 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 may be implemented in a wireless station. In other words, an STA (e.g., the first STA) can perform the methods in any combination of Examples 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 above.

[0080] Figure 14 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 700 for wireless communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Embodiments described herein can be implemented in a system using any appropriately configured hardware and / or software. Figure 14 shows system 700, which includes a radio frequency (RF) circuit 710, a baseband circuit 720, a processing unit 730, a memory / storage device 740, a display 750, a camera 760, a sensor 770, and an input / output (I / O) interface 780, all coupled together as shown in the figure.

[0081] The processing unit 730 may include, but is not limited to, one or more circuits such as single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include any combination of general-purpose processors, such as graphics processors and application processors, and dedicated processors. The processor may be coupled to memory / storage and configured to execute instructions stored in memory / storage to enable various applications and / or operating systems running on the system.

[0082] The baseband circuit 720 may include, but is not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include a baseband processor. The baseband circuit can handle various radio control functions, which enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation, coding, decoding, and radio frequency shifting. In some embodiments, the baseband circuit can provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuit may support communication with 5GNR, LTE, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN), and / or other radio metropolitan area networks (WMAN), radio local area networks (WLAN), and radio personal area networks (WPAN). Here, embodiments in which the baseband circuit is used to support radio communication of multiple radio protocols may be called multimode baseband circuits. In various embodiments, the baseband circuit 720 may include circuits that operate using signals that are not strictly considered to be at baseband frequencies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuit may include a circuit that operates using a signal having an intermediate frequency between the baseband frequency and the radio frequency.

[0083] The RF circuit 710 can communicate with a wireless network using electromagnetic radiation modulated through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuit may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with the wireless network. In various embodiments, the RF circuit 710 may include circuits that operate using signals that are not strictly considered to be at the baseband frequency. For example, in some embodiments, the RF circuit may include circuits that operate using signals that have an intermediate frequency between the baseband frequency and the radio frequency.

[0084] In various embodiments, the transmitter, control circuit, or receiver circuit discussed above with respect to the MLD, STA, or AP may be embodied in whole or in part in one or more of the RF circuit, baseband circuit, and / or processing units. As used herein, “circuit” means or includes some of the following: application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electronic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated processors, or processor groups) and / or memory (shared, dedicated memory, or memory groups) running one or more software or firmware programs, combinational logic circuits, and / or other suitable hardware components that provide the functions described. In some embodiments, the electronic device circuit may be implemented in one or more software or firmware modules, or the functions related to the circuit may be implemented by one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit, processing units, and / or memory / storage device may be implemented together on a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0085] The memory / storage device 740 may be used, for example, to load and store data and / or instructions for the system. The memory / storage device in one embodiment may include any combination of suitable volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM)) and / or non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory). In various embodiments, the I / O interface 780 may include one or more user interfaces designed to allow a user to interact with the system, and / or peripheral component interfaces designed to allow peripheral components to interact with the system. The user interface may include, but is not limited to, a physical keyboard or keypad, a touchpad, a speaker, a microphone, etc. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0086] In various embodiments, the sensor 770 may include one or more sensing devices to determine environmental conditions and / or location information related to the system. In some embodiments, the sensor may include, but is not limited to, a gyroscope sensor, an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, an ambient light sensor, and a positioning unit. The positioning unit may be part of a baseband circuit and / or RF circuit, or interact with a baseband circuit and / or RF circuit, to communicate with a component of a positioning network (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite). In various embodiments, the display 750 may include a display such as a liquid crystal display and a touchscreen display. In various embodiments, the system 700 may be, but is not limited to, a mobile computing device such as a laptop computing device, a tablet computing device, a netbook, an ultrabook, or a smartphone. In various embodiments, the system may have more or fewer components and / or a different architecture. Where appropriate, the methods described herein may be implemented as computer programs. The computer programs may be stored in a storage medium (e.g., a non-temporary storage medium).

[0087] The embodiments of this disclosure are combinations of techniques / processes that may be used in accordance with the IEEE 802.11be specification to create the final product.

[0088] Those skilled in the art will understand that each of the units, algorithms, and steps described and disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure is implemented using electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software is determined by the application conditions and design requirements of the technical proposal. Those skilled in the art can implement the functions of each specific application using different methods, and such implementations should not exceed the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the operating processes of the systems, devices, and units described above are essentially the same and can therefore be referenced to the operating processes of the systems, devices, and units in the embodiments described above. For the sake of convenience and brevity, these operating processes will not be described in detail.

[0089] It should be understood that the systems, devices, and methods disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in other ways. The embodiments described above are illustrative only. The unit divisions are based solely on logical functions, and other divisions may exist in actual implementation. Multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system. Some features may be omitted or skipped. Also, the mutual coupling, direct coupling, or communication connection shown or discussed may operate indirectly or communicatively in electrical, mechanical, or other forms through some ports, devices, or units.

[0090] Units described as separate components are either physically separate or not physically separate. Units for display are physical units or not physical units, i.e., located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units are used according to the purpose of the embodiment. Furthermore, each functional unit in each embodiment may be integrated into a physically independent processing unit, or into a processing unit having two or more units.

[0091] When a software function unit is implemented, used, or sold as a product, it may be stored on a readable storage medium within a computer. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure may be implemented in essence or in part as software products, or some of the technical solutions that contribute to the prior art may be implemented in the form of software products. A software product within a computer includes a number of commands stored on a storage medium that cause a computing device (e.g., a personal computer, server, or network device) to perform all or part of the steps disclosed by embodiments of this disclosure. The storage medium includes USB disks, mobile hard disks, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), floppy disks, or other types of media capable of storing program code.

[0092] Embodiments of the present invention provide a media access recovery method performed by a wireless mobile station (STA). When a mobile station loses media synchronization due to a transmission by another mobile station attached to the same multilink device (MLD), the mobile station starts a media synchronization delay timer (e.g., a MediumSyncDelay timer) when the transmission by the other mobile station ends. The method improves media access recovery by at least determining whether to allow backoff within a delay time kept by the delay timer, whether to allow overlapping basic service set (OBSS) packet detection (PD) space reuse (SR), or whether to reset the delay timer for subsequent transmission events, or by adjusting an energy detection (ED) threshold.

[0093] This disclosure describes a combination of embodiments that are considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments; however, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and is intended to cover a variety of settings that can be made without departing from the broadest interpretation of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for recovering media access performed by a wireless station (STA), If the STA attached to a non-access point multilink device (non-AP MLD) in a wireless link pair loses media synchronization, the media synchronization delay timer of the STA is started at the end of transmission of the first physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), and the media synchronization delay timer is for timing the media synchronization delay period. The STA does not need to restart the media synchronization delay timer if, when the STA loses media synchronization due to the transmission of the second PPDU and the media synchronization delay timer has not expired, the transmission of the second PPDU is not longer than a pre-configured synchronization threshold. How to recover media access.

2. The media access recovery method described above is: The media access recovery method according to claim 1, further comprising performing a clear channel evaluation (CCA) using a adjusted energy detection (ED) threshold within the media synchronization delay period.

3. The adjusted ED threshold is characterized by being equal to the media-synchronous orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDMED threshold indicated by the parameter dot11MSDOFDMEDthreshold. The media access recovery method according to claim 2.

4. The method further includes transmitting one or more management frames using the adjusted ED threshold. The media access recovery method according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The media access recovery method described above is: When the STA receives a PPDU having a valid Media Access Control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU) that includes a duration / ID field containing duration information, it resets the media synchronization delay timer to zero. The STA further comprises the characteristic that, when it receives a PPDU having a valid MPDU that includes a duration / ID field that does not contain duration information, it does not reset the media synchronization delay timer to zero. A method for recovering media access according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The media access recovery method described above is: The STA further includes detecting a wireless transmission based on a conflict, and if the wireless transmission based on the conflict has a high probability of being equal to or higher than a specified signal strength threshold in a specified bandwidth within a single period, prohibiting backoff within the media synchronization delay period. A method for recovering media access according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. The wireless link pair is characterized by including an asynchronous transmit / receive (NSTR) link pair. A method for recovering media access according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The STA includes a non-access point station (non-AP STA) attached to the non-AP MLD in the NSTR link pair, the non-AP STA acquires a transmission opportunity (TXOP) and acts as the holder of the TXOP, The non-AP STA transmits an AP Assistance Request (AAR) control subfield in the frame, the frame being the last frame transmitted by the non-AP STA to the associated first AP attached to the Access Point Multilink Device (AP MLD) in the TXOP, and the AAR control subfield indicates the link identifier of the second AP attached to the same AP MLD, so as to request the second AP to transmit a trigger frame to the second non-AP STA attached to the same non-AP MLD in the same NSTR link pair. The media access recovery method according to claim 7.

9. The aforementioned pre-configured synchronization threshold is aMediumSyncThreshold. The media access recovery method according to claim 1.

10. The transmission of the second PPDU being no longer than a pre-configured synchronization threshold includes the transmission of the second PPDU being shorter than or equal to the pre-configured synchronization threshold. The media access recovery method according to claim 1.

11. A wireless station (STA), wherein the STA is Transceiver and The transceiver includes a processor connected to the transceiver, the processor being configured to perform the media access recovery method described in any one of claims 1 to 10. Wireless station.

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