Method and apparatus for coordinated operation in multiple access point multilink device sets within a wireless local area network

Abstract

A method performed by a multiple multilink device (MMLD) architecture including a plurality of access points (APs) includes transmitting a frame by an AP of the MMLD, the frame may include a multiple multilink device (MMLD) frame element indicating that the AP is part of a multilink device (MLD) that is the MMLD. The frame may include a beacon, a short beacon, a probe response, a fast initial link setup (FILS) discovery frame, an association response frame, or the like, or any suitable combination thereof. The MMLD element may include one or more of an element identifier, a length, an MMLD identifier, an MMLD medium access control (MAC) address, a partial report field, a number of reported MLDs field, and / or an MLD information field. The MLD may communicate with other MLDs of the plurality of MLDs during a transmit wake time (TWT) service period (SP). The MLD may be in a doze state during a non-TWT SP.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross - Reference to Related Applications) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 253,849, filed Oct. 8, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] (Field of the Invention) The present disclosure generally relates to the field of telecommunications, and in more specific examples, to the coordinated operation of multiple multi - link devices within a wireless local area network.

Background Art

[0003] Advances in telecommunications have enabled an increasing number of devices, such as wireless communication devices, to communicate with each other. Additionally, advances in telecommunications have enabled wireless communication devices to process, transmit, and receive increasing amounts of data at higher data rates. Furthermore, networks are expected to accommodate an increasing number of wireless devices.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] A multi-multilink device (MMLD) architecture / network (also referred to herein as MMLD) may include multiple access points (APs) or stations (STAs). Each AP or STA may be part of a physical device that is a multilink device (MLD). Each MLD may include one or more APs or STAs. MLDs may be located in the same physical location or in different physical locations. An STA may be an AP STA or a non-AP STA. An MLD may be an AP MLD or a non-AP MLD. An AP MMLD is an MMLD in which the STAs belonging to the MMLD are APs. For example, an AP MMLD is an MMLD in which each MLD belonging to the MMLD is an AP MLD. A non-AP MMLD is an MMLD in which the STAs belonging to the MMLD are non-AP STAs. For example, a non-AP MMLD is an MMLD in which each MLD belonging to the MMLD is a non-AP MLD.

[0005] A method performed by an MMLD containing multiple APs may include transmitting a frame by the MMLD's AP Multilink Device (AP MLD). The frame may contain at least one MMLD element that may indicate that the AP is part of an MLD which is part of the MMLD. The frame may be a beacon, short beacon, probe response, Fast Initial Link Setup (FILS) discovery frame, association response frame, etc., or any appropriate combination thereof. The MMLD element may contain one or more of the following: element identifier, length, MMLD identifier, MMLD medium access control (MAC) address, partial reporting field, number of reported MLDs field, and / or MLD information field.

[0006] IEEE 802.11be's extremely high throughput (EHT) multilink operation allows for the simultaneous use of individual frequency channels and multiple links to enable transmission and reception between extremely high throughput (EHT) devices.

[0007] In one example, an MLD capable of communicating simultaneously over multiple links may receive a frame that indicates the frame provider belongs to an MMLD containing multiple MLDs. The MLD may provide a message that indicates the MLD supports MMLD operation. The MLD may receive information for establishing communication over multiple links. In an exemplary embodiment, an MLD may include stations (STAs), and multiple MLDs may each include multiple STAs. In an exemplary embodiment, the frame provider may include an AP. Information for establishing communication over multiple links may be provided by the frame provider. In an exemplary embodiment, a frame may include beacons, short beacons, probe responses, Fast Initial Link Setup (FILS) discovery frames, association response frames, etc., or any appropriate combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, a frame may include an MMLD element, which may include an element ID field, a length field, an element identifier (ID) field, and an element ID extension field, an MMLD ID field, an MMLD media access control (MAC) address field, a partial report field, a field for the number of reported MLDs, an MLD information field, etc., or any appropriate combination thereof. The method may further include the MLD providing a TWT request message to establish a Transmit Wake Time (TWT) agreement. The MLD may accept a TWT response message indicating that the TWT agreement is accepted. The MLD may be configured to communicate over multiple links in accordance with the TWT agreement. The TWT agreement may establish at least one Trigger-Activated TWT Service Period (SP) during which communication may take place. The MLD may be in a Daze state if it is not in a TWT SP.

[0008] An exemplary MLD may be configured to perform the methods described above. For example, an MLD capable of communicating simultaneously over multiple links may include a transceiver and a processor. The processor may be configured to receive, via the transceiver, frames that include an indication that the frame provider belongs to an MMLD comprising multiple MLDs. The MLD's processor may provide messages via the transceiver, which may include an indication that the MLD supports MMLD operation. The MLD may receive, via the transceiver, information for establishing communication over multiple links. In an exemplary embodiment, an MLD may include stations (STAs), and multiple MLDs may each include multiple STAs. In an exemplary embodiment, the frame provider may include an AP. Information for establishing communication over multiple links may be provided by the frame provider. In an exemplary embodiment, a frame may include beacons, short beacons, probe responses, Fast Initial Link Setup (FILS) discovery frames, association response frames, etc., or any appropriate combination thereof. In exemplary embodiments, a frame may include an MMLD element, which may include an element ID field, a length field, an element identifier (ID) field, and an element ID extension field, an MMLD ID field, an MMLD medium access control (MAC) address field, a partial report field, a field for the number of reported MLDs, an MLD information field, etc., or any appropriate combination thereof. The MLD processor may be configured to provide a Transmit Wake Time (TWT) request message via a transceiver to establish a TWT agreement. The MLD may receive a TWT response message via a transceiver indicating that the TWT agreement is accepted. The MLD may be configured to communicate over multiple links via a transceiver in accordance with the TWT agreement. The TWT agreement may establish at least one Trigger Activate TWT Service Period (SP) during which communication may take place. The MLD may be in a Daze state when not in a TWT SP. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] A more detailed understanding can be obtained from the following explanation, which is given as an example in conjunction with the attached drawings, where similar reference numbers in the drawings indicate similar elements. [Figure 1A] This is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. [Figure 1B] This is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used in the communication system shown in Figure 1A, according to one embodiment. [Figure 1C] This is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary radio access network (RAN) and an exemplary core network (CN) that may be used in the communication system shown in Figure 1A according to one embodiment. [Figure 1D] This is a system diagram illustrating a further exemplary RAN and a further exemplary CN that may be used in the communication system shown in Figure 1A according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an exemplary design of a multi-multilink device (MMLD) element. [Figure 3] This is another exemplary design of an MMLD element. [Figure 4] This is another exemplary design of an MMLD element. [Figure 5] This is another exemplary design of an MMLD element. [Figure 6] This is an exemplary design of a multilink element having MMLD information or modified MMLD information for the multilink element. [Figure 7] This is an illustrative diagram of the individual target wake time (TWT) behavior in a multi-MLD environment. [Figure 8] This is another illustrative diagram of individual TWT operations in a multi-MLD environment. [Figure 9] This is an architecture diagram showing various MLD APs. [Figure 10]An exemplary flowchart is shown, summarizing the high-level processes for performing multilink operation. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Figure 1A illustrates an exemplary communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content such as voice, data, video, message transmission, and broadcast to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communication system 100 may use one or more channel access methods such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (ZT-UW-DFT-S-OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filter OFDM, and filter bank multicarrier (FBMC).

[0011] As shown in Figure 1A, the communication system 100 may include radio transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (CN) 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the internet 110, and other networks 112, but it will be understood that the disclosed embodiments intend any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a radio environment. For example, WTRU102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d, any of which may be referred to as stations (STAs), may be configured to transmit and / or receive radio signals and may include user equipment (UEs), mobile stations, fixed-line or mobile phone subscriber units, subscriber-based units, pagers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, laptops, netbooks, personal computers, wireless sensors, hotspots or Mi-Fi devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated processing chain context), home electronic devices, and devices operating in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks. Any of WTRU102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may interchangeably be referred to as UEs.

[0012] The communication system 100 may also include base stations 114a and / or base stations 114b. Each of the base stations 114a and 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks such as CN 106, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. As an example, base stations 114a and 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a next-generation node B such as a node B, an e-node B (e-node B, eNB), a home node B, a home e-node B, a g-node B (g-node B, gNB), a new radio (NR) node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. Although base stations 114a and 114b are illustrated as single elements, it will be understood that base stations 114a and 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0013] Base station 114a may be part of RAN 104, which may also include other base stations such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, and / or network elements (not shown). Base station 114a and / or base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive radio signals on one or more carrier frequencies which may be referred to as cells (not shown). These frequencies may be licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Cells may provide coverage of radio services to a particular geographic area which may be relatively fixed or change over time. Cells may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, a cell associated with base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one transceiver per sector of the cell. In one embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and utilize multiple transceivers per sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0014] Base stations 114a and 114b may communicate with one or more WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d via an air interface 116, which may be any suitable radio communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0015] More specifically, as described above, the communication system 100 can be a multiple access system and can use one or more channel access methods such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base stations 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c of the RAN 104 can implement radio technologies such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) that can establish the air interface 116 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA can include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA can include High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0016] In one embodiment, the base stations 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement radio technologies such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which can establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0017] In one embodiment, the base stations 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement radio technologies such as NR radio access, which can establish the air interface 116 using NR.

[0018] In one embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for example, using the dual connectivity (DC) principle. Accordingly, the air interface utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technology transmitted to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs) and / or transmissions.

[0019] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement wireless technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), IS-95, IS-856, Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0020] The base station 114b in Figure 1A may be, for example, a wireless router, Home node B, Home e node B, or access point, but any suitable RAT may be used to facilitate wireless connectivity in local areas such as offices, homes, vehicles, campuses, industrial facilities, aerial corridors (for use by drones), roads, etc. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and WTRU 102c, 102d may implement wireless technologies such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In one embodiment, the base station 114b and WTRU 102c, 102d may implement wireless technologies such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, base stations 114b and WTRUs 102c, 102d may establish picocells or femtocells using cellular-based RATs (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.). As shown in Figure 1A, base station 114b may have a direct connection to the internet 110. Therefore, base station 114b may not need to access the internet 110 via CN 106.

[0021] RAN104 may communicate with CN106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of WTRU102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d. The data may have various quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, and mobility requirements. CN106 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calls, internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or implement high-level security functions such as user authentication. Although not shown in Figure 1A, it will be understood that RAN104 and / or CN106 may communicate directly or indirectly with other RANs using the same RAT or different RAT as RAN104. For example, in addition to being connected to RAN104 which may utilize NR radio technology, CN106 may also communicate with another RAN (not shown) by employing GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0022] CN106 may also function as a gateway for WTRU102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d to access PSTN108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. PSTN108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network providing Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices, where these networks and devices use common communication protocols such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), the user datagram protocol (UDP), and / or the Internet protocol (IP) of the TCP / IP Internet Protocol suite. Network 112 may include wired and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, network 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs that may use the same RAT as RAN104 or a different RAT.

[0023] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d in the communication system 100 may include multimode capability (for example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different radio networks via different radio links). For example, WTRU 102c shown in Figure 1A may be configured to communicate with base station 114a which may employ cellular-based radio technology and base station 114b which may employ IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0024] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary WTRU 102. As shown in Figure 1B, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power supply 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It will be understood that the WTRU 102 may include any partial combination of the aforementioned elements while maintaining consistency with one embodiment.

[0025] The processor 118 may be a general-purpose processor, a dedicated processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functions that enable the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to a transceiver 120 which can be coupled to a transmit / receive element 122. Figure 1B illustrates the processor 118 and transceiver 120 as separate components, but it will be understood that the processor 118 and transceiver 120 can be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0026] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to or receive signals from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive, for example, IR signals, UV signals, or visible light signals. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF signals and optical signals. It will be understood that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of radio signals.

[0027] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is illustrated as a single element in Figure 1B, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for sending and receiving radio signals via the air interface 116.

[0028] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signal transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and demodulate the signal received by the transmit / receive element 122. As described above, the WTRU 102 may have multimode capability. Therefore, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers to enable the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11.

[0029] The processor 118 of the WTRU102 may be coupled to a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit) and may receive user input from these. The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from any type of suitable memory, such as non-removable memory 130 and / or removable memory 132, and store data in such memory. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from memory not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or home computer (not shown), and store data in such memory.

[0030] The processor 118 may be configured to receive power from the power supply 134 and distribute and / or control power to other components in the WTRU 102. The power supply 134 may be any suitable device for supplying power to the WTRU 102. For example, the power supply 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0031] The processor 118 may also be coupled to a GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or instead of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may determine its location based on receiving location information from base stations (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) via the air interface 116 and / or based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be understood that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by any preferred location determination method while maintaining consistency with one embodiment.

[0032] The processor 118 may be further coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functions, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or videos), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an internet browser, a virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. Peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors. The sensor may be one or more of the following: gyroscope, accelerometer, Hall effect sensor, magnetometer, orientation sensor, proximity sensor, temperature sensor, time sensor, geolocation sensor, altimeter, light sensor, touch sensor, barometer, gesture sensor, biometric sensor, humidity sensor, etc.

[0033] WTRU102 may include a full-duplex radio in which the transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes of both UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception)) may be simultaneous and / or together. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit for reducing and / or substantially eliminating self-interference through signal processing either through hardware (e.g., chokes) or through a processor (e.g., via a separate processor (not shown) or processor 118). In one embodiment, WTRU102 may include a half-duplex radio for the transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes of either UL (e.g., for transmission) or DL ​​(e.g., for reception)).

[0034] Figure 1C is a system diagram illustrating RAN104 and CN106 according to one embodiment. As described above, RAN104 can communicate with WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c via the air interface 116 using E-UTRA wireless technology. RAN104 can also communicate with CN106.

[0035] RAN104 may include e-nodes-B160a, 160b, and 160c, but it will be understood that RAN104 may include any number of e-nodes-B while maintaining consistency with one embodiment. Each of e-nodes-B160a, 160b, and 160c may include one or more transceivers for communicating with WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c via the air interface 116. In one embodiment, e-nodes-B160a, 160b, and 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, e-node-B160a may, for example, use multiple antennas to transmit radio signals to and / or receive radio signals from WTRU102a.

[0036] Each of the e-nodes-B160a, 160b, and 160c may be associated with a specific cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle wireless resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling, etc., in UL and / or DL. As shown in Figure 1C, the e-nodes-B160a, 160b, and 160c may communicate with each other via the X2 interface.

[0037] The CN106 shown in Figure 1C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) and a packet data gateway (PGW) 166. Although the aforementioned elements are illustrated as part of CN106, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0038] The MME162 can be connected to each of the e-nodes—B162a, 162b, and 162c—in RAN104 via the S1 interface and can function as a control node. For example, the MME162 may perform roles such as authenticating users of WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c, activating / deactivating bearers, and selecting a specific serving gateway during the initial attachment of WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c. The MME162 may provide control plane functionality for switching between RAN104 and other RANs (not shown) employing other radio technologies such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0039] The SGW164 can be connected to each of the e-nodes B160a, 160b, and 160c in RAN104 via the S1 interface. The SGW164 can generally route and forward user data packets to and from WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c. The SGW164 can perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during e-node B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available to WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c, and managing and remembering the context of WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c.

[0040] SGW164 may be connected to PGW166, which may provide WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c with access to a packet-switched network such as the Internet 110 to facilitate communication between WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0041] CN106 can facilitate communication with other networks. For example, CN106 can provide WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c with access to a circuit-switched network such as PSTN108 to facilitate communication between WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c and conventional terrestrial line communication devices. For example, CN106 may include, or communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that functions as an interface between CN106 and PSTN108. In addition, CN106 may provide WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c with access to another network 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0042] Although the WTRU is shown as a wireless terminal in Figures 1A to 1D, in certain representative embodiments, such a terminal is intended to be able to use a wired communication interface with a communication network (for example, temporarily or permanently).

[0043] In a typical embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0044] A WLAN in Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) of the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access to or interfaces with a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic within and / or outside the BSS. Traffic originating outside the BSS to an STA may reach and be delivered to the STA via the AP. Traffic originating from an STA to a destination outside the BSS may be sent to the AP and then delivered to its respective destination. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent, for example, via the AP, with the source STA sending traffic to the AP, and the AP delivering the traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. Peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between a source STA and a destination STA (for example, directly between them) using a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have APs, and STAs within or using IBSS (e.g., all STAs) may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may be referred to herein as “ad hoc” communication mode.

[0045] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure operating mode or a similar operating mode, an AP may transmit beacons on a fixed channel, such as the primary channel. The primary channel may be of a fixed width (e.g., a 20 MHz bandwidth) or a dynamically set width. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS, but may be used by the STA to establish a connection with the AP. In certain typical embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example, in an 802.11 system. In the case of CSMA / CA, the STA, including the AP (e.g., all STAs), may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, that STA may be backed off. A single STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0046] High-throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, which may be formed, for example, through a combination of a primary 20 MHz channel and adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channels.

[0047] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs can support channels with widths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz. 40 MHz and / or 80 MHz channels can be formed by combining multiple consecutive 20 MHz channels. 160 MHz channels can be formed by combining eight consecutive 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. In the 80+80 configuration, after channel coding, the data can pass through a segment parser that can split the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing and time-domain processing can be performed separately for each stream. The streams may be mapped to two 80 MHz channels, and the data can be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of a receiving STA, the operation described above for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be transmitted to Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0048] Sub-1 GHz operating modes are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. Channel operating bandwidth and carrier are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah compared to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports bandwidths of 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, while 802.11ah supports bandwidths of 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz using the non-TVWS spectrum. According to a typical embodiment, 802.11ah may support meter-type control / machine-type communications (MTC), such as MTC devices in a macro-coverage area. MTC devices may have limited capabilities, including support for specific bandwidths and / or limited bandwidths (e.g., support for these only). MTC devices may include batteries with a battery life exceeding a threshold (for example, to maintain a very long battery life).

[0049] A WLAN system capable of supporting multiple channels and channel bandwidths such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah includes a channel that can be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by an STA from among all STAs operating in a BSS that support the minimum bandwidth operating mode. In the 802.11ah example, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for an STA (e.g., an MTC type device) that supports (e.g., only) the 1 MHz mode, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. For example, if the primary channel is busy due to an STA (which only supports 1MHz operation mode) transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency band may be considered busy, even if most of the available frequency band is idle.

[0050] In the United States, the available frequency band that can be used by 802.11ah is 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency band is 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6MHz to 26MHz, depending on the country code.

[0051] Figure 1D is a system diagram showing RAN113 and CN115 according to one embodiment. As described above, RAN113 can communicate with WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c via air interface 116 using NR radio technology. RAN113 can also communicate with CN115.

[0052] RAN113 may include gNB180a, 180b, and 180c, but it will be understood that RAN113 may include any number of gNBs while maintaining consistency with one embodiment. Each of gNB180a, 180b, and 180c may include one or more transceivers for communicating with WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c via the air interface 116. In one embodiment, gNB180a, 180b, and 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNB180a and 108b may use beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from gNB180a, 180b, and 180c. Thus, gNB180a may, for example, use multiple antennas to transmit radio signals to and / or receive radio signals from WTRU102a. In one embodiment, gNB180a, 180b, and 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, gNB180a may transmit multiple component carriers to WTRU102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on the unauthorized spectrum, while the remaining component carriers may be on the authorized spectrum. In one embodiment, gNB180a, 180b, and 180c may implement coordinated multi-point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB180a and gNB180b (and / or gNB180c).

[0053] WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c may communicate with gNB180a, 180b, and 180c using transmissions associated with scalable numerical structures. For example, OFDM symbol intervals and / or OFDM subcarrier intervals may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the radio transmission spectrum. WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c may communicate with gNB180a, 180b, and 180c using subframes or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of varying or scalable lengths (e.g., including varying numbers of OFDM symbols and / or varying durations of absolute time).

[0054] gNB180a, 180b, and 180c can be configured to communicate with WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c in standalone and / or non-standalone configurations. In a standalone configuration, WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with gNB180a, 180b, and 180c without accessing other RANs (e.g., e-node-B160a, 160b, and 160c). In a standalone configuration, WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can utilize one or more of gNB180a, 180b, and 180c as mobility anchor points. In a standalone configuration, WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with gNB180a, 180b, and 180c using signals in unauthorized bands. In a non-standalone configuration, WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with and connect to gNB180a, 180b, and 180c, while also communicating with and connecting to other RANs such as e-nodes-B160a, 160b, and 160c. For example, WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can implement DC principles for substantially simultaneous communication with one or more gNB180a, 180b, and 180c and one or more e-nodes-B160a, 160b, and 160c. In a non-standalone configuration, e-nodes B160a, 160b, and 160c can function as mobility anchors for WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c, and gNB180a, 180b, and 180c can provide additional coverage and / or throughput to service WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c.

[0055] Each of the gNB180a, 180b, and 180c may be associated with a specific cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in UL and / or DL, network slice support, interaction between DC, NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data to User Plane Functions (UPFs) 184a and 184b, routing of control plane information to Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMFs) 182a and 182b, and so on. As shown in Figure 1D, the gNB180a, 180b, and 180c may communicate with each other via the Xn interface.

[0056] The CN115 shown in Figure 1D may include at least one AMF182a, 182b, at least one UPF184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF)183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN)185a, 185b. Although the aforementioned elements are shown as part of the CN115, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by entities other than the CN operator.

[0057] AMF182a and 182b can be connected to one or more of gNB180a, 180b, and 180c in RAN113 via the N2 interface and can function as control nodes. For example, AMF182a and 182b may play roles such as user authentication for WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selection of specific SMF183a and 183b, management of registration areas, termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, and mobility management. Network slicing can be used by AMF182a and 182b to customize CN support for WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c based on the type of service utilizing WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services that rely on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services that rely on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, and services for MTC access. AMF182a, 182b may provide control plane functionality for switching between RAN113 and other RANs (not shown) employing other radio technologies such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0058] SMF183a and 183b may be connected to AMF182a and 182b in CN115 via the N11 interface. SMF183a and 183b may also be connected to UPF184a and 184b in CN115 via the N4 interface. SMF183a and 183b may select and control UPF184a and 184b and configure the routing of traffic through UPF184a and 184b. SMF183a and 183b may perform other functions such as managing and assigning UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, and providing DL data notifications. PDU session types may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0059] UPF184a and 184b can connect to one or more gNB180a, 180b, and 180c within RAN113 via the N3 interface, thereby providing WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c with access to packet-switched networks such as the Internet 110 to facilitate communication between WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c and IP-enabled devices. UPF184 and 184b can perform other functions such as packet routing and forwarding, enforcement of user plane policies, support for multi-homed PDU sessions, processing of user plane QoS, buffering of DL packets, and providing mobility anchoring.

[0060] CN115 can facilitate communication with other networks. For example, CN115 may include, or communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that functions as an interface between CN115 and PSTN108. In addition, CN115 can provide WTRU102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, WTRU102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to local DN185a, 185b via UPF184a, 184b through N3 interfaces to UPF184a, 184b and N6 interfaces between UPF184a, 184b and DN185a, 185b.

[0061] With regard to Figures 1A to 1D and the corresponding descriptions in Figures 1A to 1D, one or more of the functions described herein with respect to one or more of the WTRU 102a to 102d, base stations 114a to 114b, e-nodes-B 160a to 160c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a to 180c, AMF 182a to 182b, UPF 184a to 184b, SMF 183a to 183b, DN 185a to 185b, and / or any other devices described herein may be implemented by one or more emulation devices (not shown). An emulation device may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more of the functions described herein. For example, an emulation device may be used to test other devices and / or simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0062] Emulation devices may be designed to perform one or more tests on other devices in a laboratory and / or operator network environment. For example, one or more emulation devices may perform one or more or all functions while fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless network to test other devices in a communications network. One or more emulation devices may perform one or more or all functions while temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless network. Emulation devices may be directly coupled to another device for the purpose of testing and / or performing tests using over-the-air radio communications.

[0063] One or more emulation devices may perform one or more functions, including all of the above, while not implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, an emulation device may be used in a test laboratory test scenario, and / or in a wired and / or wireless communication network that is not deployed (e.g., for testing purposes), to perform testing of one or more components. One or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation device to transmit and / or receive data.

[0064] A WLAN in infrastructure BSS mode may have an AP of the BSS and one or more STAs associated with the AP. The AP may have access to or interfaces with a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that can carry traffic within and outside the BSS. Traffic originating outside the BSS to an STA may reach and be delivered to the STA via the AP. Traffic originating from an STA to an out-of-BSS destination may be sent to the AP and delivered to its respective destination. Traffic between STAs within the BSS can also be sent via the AP, with a source STA sending traffic to the AP, and the AP delivering the traffic to the destination STA. Such traffic between STAs within the BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. Peer-to-peer traffic may be transmitted between a source STA and a destination STA (e.g., directly between them) using a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may be an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have access points (APs), and STAs (e.g., all STAs) within or using IBSS can communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may be referred to herein as the “ad hoc” communication mode.

[0065] Using 802.11ac infrastructure mode operation, an AP may transmit beacons on a fixed channel, such as the primary channel. This channel may be 20 MHz wide and may be the operating channel of the BSS. This channel may also be used by STAs to establish a connection with the AP. Basic channel access in an 802.11 system may be Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) with collision avoidance. In this operating mode, all STAs, including the AP, can sense the primary channel. If the channel is detected to be busy, the STA may "backoff". Thus, in an exemplary embodiment, one STA may transmit at any given time on a given BSS.

[0066] In 802.11n, high-throughput (HT) STAs can also use 40 MHz wide channels for communication. This can be achieved by combining a primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent 20 MHz channel to form a continuous 40 MHz wide channel.

[0067] In 802.11ac, very high throughput (VHT) STAs can support channels with widths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and 160 MHz. 40 MHz and 80 MHz channels can be formed by combining consecutive 20 MHz channels, similar to 802.11n described above. 160 MHz channels can be formed by combining eight consecutive 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-consecutive 80 MHz channels (also known as an 80+80 configuration). In an 80+80 configuration, after channel coding, the data passes through a segment parser to be split into two streams. IFFT and time-domain processing can be performed separately for each stream. The streams are then mapped to the two channels and the data is transmitted. At the receiver, this mechanism is reversed, and the combined data is transmitted to the MAC.

[0068] Use cases and applications for 802.11 Extremely High Throughput (EHT) may include video over WLAN, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), etc. Features that may be achievable through increased peak throughput and improved efficiency may include multi-AP, multi-band / multi-link, 320MHz bandwidth, 16 spatial streams, HARQ, full-duplex (in the time and frequency domains), AP coordination, semi-orthogonal multiple access (SOMA), and proposed designs for 6GHz channel access. Furthermore, coordinated multi-AP (C-MAP) transmission is supported in 802.11be. Applicable schemes may include Coordinated Multi-AP OFDMA (co-OFDMA), Coordinated Multi-AP TDMA (co-TDMA), Coordinated Spatial Reuse (CSR), Coordinated beamforming / nulling (CBF), Joint Transmission (JTX), and others.

[0069] In the context of cooperative multi-AP, as described herein, a shared AP refers to an EHT AP that acquires a Transmit Opportunity (TXOP) and initiates multi-AP coordination. A shared AP refers to an EHT AP that is coordinated by the shared AP for multi-AP transmission. An AP candidate set refers to a set of APs that can initiate or participate in multi-AP coordination.

[0070] Methods, apparatus, and systems for discovering multiple AP / STA multilink device (MLD) sets are described herein. Mechanisms may be defined for determining whether an AP is part of a candidate AP set and whether the AP can participate as a shared AP in a coordinated AP transmission initiated by a shared AP. Processes may be defined for an AP to share frequency / time resources of a TXOP acquired by an AP with a set of APs. An AP intending to use resources (e.g., frequency or time) shared by another AP may be able to indicate the need for those resources to the AP that shared them. Coordinated OFDMA may be supported, and in coordinated OFDMA, both DL OFDMA and its corresponding UL OFDMA acknowledgments may be permitted.

[0071] Multiple AP MLDs may be configured to provide coordinated operation across areas to achieve enhanced throughput and user experience for STAs and STA MLDs (also known as non-AP MLDs). To benefit from the enhanced throughput and performance, STAs and STA MLDs may be notified of the presence of a coordinated set of multiple AP MLDs and the coordinated operation provided by the set. A set of multiple AP MLDs may be notified of the capabilities of an STA or STA MLD. This specification describes efficient discovery procedures for STAs and STA MLDs, as well as for sets of multiple AP MLDs.

[0072] Embodiments relating to multiple AP / STA MLD architectures are described herein. These embodiments may relate to multi-AP MLD management entities, BSS, extended service sets (ESS), etc. In order for a set of MLD APs to cooperate in providing network services to non-AP MLDs, the MLD APs may be configured / set up to coordinate the transmission of frames so that non-AP MLDs can receive the frames. Transmissions by non-AP MLDs may also be received and combined by these configured / set-up MLD APs. Therefore, it is advantageous for MLD APs operating as multi-MLD APs and the non-AP MLDs associated with them to have known architectures, means for exchanging frames, and means for providing network services. Currently, there is no multi-MLD architecture or defined configuration.

[0073] Embodiments relating to multiple MLD Target Wake Time (TWT) operations are described herein. When a set of MLD APs coordinate within a TWT Service Period (SP), the coordinating APs may need to have the TWT information of the shared APs so that these APs or a subset of APs can coordinate smoothly on different operating links. Currently, there are no procedures to define how coordinating APs can exchange TWT information over multiple links, how they jointly service the STA, and how the shared AP can simultaneously assist its associated STA and OBSS STA.

[0074] An MMLD may include multiple APs or STAs. Each AP or STA may be part of a physical device that can be an MLD, which may include one or more APs or STAs. Each MLD may be located in the same physical location or in different physical locations.

[0075] An AP multi-MLD is an MMLD in which any STA belonging to an MMLD can be AP. For example, an AP MMLD is an MMLD in which each MLD belonging to the MMLD is an AP MLD. A non-AP multi-MLD is an MMLD in which any STA belonging to the MMLD can be a non-AP STA. For example, a non-AP MMLD is an MMLD in which each MLD belonging to the MMLD is a non-AP MLD. A mixed STA multi-MLD is an MMLD in which some of the STAs belonging to the MMLD can be AP, while some of the STAs belonging to the MMLD can be non-AP STAs.

[0076] In one example, an AP belonging to an MLD that is part of an MMLD may include an MMLD element in the frames it transmits, such as beacons, short beacons, probe responses, Fast Initial Link Setup (FILS) discovery frames, association responses, etc., to indicate that it is part of an MLD that is part of an MMLD and to provide information about one or more MLDs or APs belonging to the same MMLD. An exemplary design of such a multi-AP element or MMLD element is shown in Figure 2.

[0077] Figure 2 shows an exemplary design of MMLD element 202. MMLD element 202 may contain some or all of the following fields or subfields: element ID 204, length 206, element ID extension 208, MMLD ID 210, MMLD MAC address 212, partial report 214, number of reported MLDs 216, and / or MLD information field 218.

[0078] The element ID field 204 and / or the element ID extension field 208 may indicate that element 202 is an MMLD element. The length field 206 may indicate the length of MMLD element 202. The MMLD ID field 210 may indicate an MMLD ID. The MMLD ID may be one octet in length and may identify the ID of the MMLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, or may indicate that the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs is part of an MMLD. The MMLD MAC address field 212 may indicate an MMLD MAC address. The MMLD MAC address field 212 may be six octets in length. The MMLD MAC address may identify the ID of the MMLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, or may indicate that the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs is part of an MMLD. The MMLD MAC address may be a multicast address that can be filtered on the DS by an MLD or AP belonging to the MMLD. The partial reporting field 214 can indicate whether all or a subset of APs or MLDs belonging to an MMLD are reported in the MMLD element 202. In one example, the partial reporting field 214 can indicate whether all APs and / or MLDs belonging to an MMLD are reported in the MMLD element 202. The partial reporting field 214 may also indicate that a subset of APs and / or MLDs belonging to an MMLD are reported in the MMLD element 202. In another example, the partial reporting field 214 may indicate that directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of a reporting AP and / or MLD belonging to the same MMLD are reported. In yet another example, the partial reporting field 214 may indicate that directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of a reporting AP and / or MLD that may belong to the same or different MMLDs are reported. The number of reported MLDs field 216 can indicate the number of reported MLDs. For example, this number may indicate the number of subfields included in the MLD information field 218. The MLD information field 218 may contain one or more information subfields, each of which may contain information associated with the reported MLD.In one example, information for each reported MLD may be provided using a multilink element (shown in Figure 2). Each multilink element may report the MLD ID, MLD MAC address, and / or one or more APs belonging to the MLD, as well as the operating parameters of these MLDs and APs. The multilink element may be an existing format or an extended design for reporting additional MLDs belonging to an MMLD. In another example, the multilink element may be a variation of the MMLD.

[0079] Figure 3 shows another exemplary design of MMLD element 302. In this example, MMLD element 302 may include some or all of the following fields or subfields, namely element ID 304, element ID extension 308, length 306, MMLD ID 310, MMLD MAC address 312, partial report 314, and MLD information field n 316 (n=1, ..., N MLDs).

[0080] The element ID field 304 and / or the element ID extension field 308 may indicate that element 302 is an MMLD element. In exemplary embodiments, the value in the element ID may indicate that there is an element ID extension subfield. Thus, additional fields can be added to accommodate more values. The length subfield 306 may indicate the length of MMLD element 302. The MMLD ID field 310 may indicate an MMLD ID. The MMLD ID may be one octet in length and may identify the ID of the MMLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, or may indicate that the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs is part of the MMLD. The MMLD MAC address field 312 may indicate an MMLD MAC address. The MMLD MAC address field 312 may be six octets in length. The MMLD MAC address may identify the ID of the MMLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, or may indicate that the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs is part of the MMLD. The MMLD MAC address may be a multicast address that can be filtered on the DS by the MLD or AP belonging to the MMLD. The partial reporting field 314 can indicate whether all or a subset of APs or MLDs belonging to an MMLD are reported in the MMLD element 302. In one example, the partial reporting field 314 can indicate whether all APs and / or MLDs belonging to an MMLD are reported in the MMLD element. The partial reporting field 314 may also indicate that a subset of APs and / or MLDs belonging to an MMLD are reported in the MMLD element 302. In another example, the partial reporting field 314 may indicate that directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of a reporting AP and / or MLD belonging to the same MMLD are reported. In yet another example, the partial reporting field 314 may indicate that directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of a reporting AP and / or MLD that may belong to the same or different MMLDs are reported. MLD information field 316 n (n=1, ..., N MLDs): Each MLD information field can contain information about one MLD.

[0081] Each MLD information field 316 may include some or all of the following subfields: MLD ID 318, MLD MAC address 320, Colocate MLD indication 322, Adjacent MLD indication 324, Number of APs 326, and AP information subfields 1 to N 328. The MLD ID subfield 318 may indicate the MLD ID of an MLD belonging to an MMLD. If multilink is activated, an STA may belong to an MMLD. The MLD ID may be one octet in length and can identify the ID of the reported MLD. The MLD MAC address subfield 320 may indicate the MAC address of the reported MLD. The Colocate MLD indication subfield 322 may indicate whether the reported MLD is colocate to the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. The Adjacent MLD indication subfield 324 may indicate whether the reported MLD is an adjacent MLD to the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. In one example, the adjacent MLD display subfield 324 may show a value indicating that the reported MLD is, for example, within the radio range of the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs or an immediately adjacent MLD. The number of APs subfield 326 may show the number of APs belonging to the reported MLD. Each of the AP information subfields 1 to N 328 may show information about the APs belonging to the reported MLD.

[0082] Each AP information subfield 328 may include one or more subfields, such as a link ID subfield 330, a basic service set identifier (BSSID) subfield 332, a configuration subfield 334, or any appropriate combination thereof. The link ID subfield 330 may indicate the ID of a link, may be 4 bits long, and may be associated with the link on which the reported AP is operating. The BSSID subfield 332 may include the BSSID of the reported AP. The configuration subfield 334 may indicate one or more operational parameters for the reported AP, such as the operating channel, basic service set (BSS) color, or other types of parameters.

[0083] Figure 4 shows another exemplary design of MMLD element 402. In this example, the MMLD element may include some or all of the following fields: element ID 404 and element ID extension 408, length 406, MMLD ID 410, MMLD MAC address 412, partial report 414, and / or MLD information field n(n=1, ..., N)416. The element ID field 404 and element ID extension field 408 may indicate that element 402 is an MMLD element. The length subfield 406 may indicate the length of MMLD element 402. The MMLD ID field 410 may indicate the MMLD ID. The MMLD ID may have a length of one octet and may identify the ID of the MMLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, or may indicate that the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs is part of an MMLD. The MMLD MAC address field 412 may indicate the MMLD MAC address. The MMLD MAC address field 412 may be 6 octets long. The MMLD MAC address 412 can identify the ID of the MMLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, or it can indicate that the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs is part of the MMLD. The MMLD MAC address 412 may also be a multicast address that can be filtered on the DS for MLDs or APs belonging to the MMLD. The partial reporting field 414 can indicate whether all or a subset of APs or MLDs belonging to the MMLD are reported in the MMLD element. In one example, the partial reporting field 414 may indicate whether all APs and / or MLDs belonging to the MMLD are reported in the MMLD element. The partial reporting field 414 may also indicate that a subset of APs and / or MLDs belonging to the MMLD are reported in the MMLD element. In another example, the partial reporting field 414 may indicate that directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of reporting APs and / or MLDs belonging to the same MMLD are reported. In yet another example, partial reporting field 414 may indicate that directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of reporting APs and / or MLDs that may belong to the same or different MMLDs are being reported.Each field in the MLD information field 416 can contain information about a single MLD.

[0084] Each of the MLD information fields 416 may include some or all of the following subfields, namely the MLD ID 418, the MLD MAC address 420, the collated MLD representation 422, the adjacent MLD representation 424, and / or the multilink element 426.

[0085] The MLD ID subfield 418 may indicate the MLD ID of the MLD belonging to the MMLD. The MLD ID may be one octet in length and can identify the ID of the reported MLD. The MLD MAC address subfield 420 may indicate the MAC address of the reported MLD. The Colocated MLD Indication subfield 422 may indicate whether the reported MLD is colocated with the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. The Adjacent MLD Indication subfield 424 may indicate whether the reported MLD is an adjacent MLD to the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. In one example, the Adjacent MLD Indication subfield 424 may indicate a value that means the reported MLD is, for example, within radio range of or very close to the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. The Multilink Element field 426 may be used to report details about the reported MLD identified by the MLD ID or MLD MAC address included in the same MLD Information field. A multilink element can report the MLD ID, MLD MAC address, and one or more APs belonging to the MLD, as well as the operating parameters of these MLDs and APs. The multilink element may be an existing format such as a basic variant or a probe request variant, or an extended design for reporting additional MLDs belonging to an MMLD. In another example, the multilink element may be an MMLD variant.

[0086] Figure 5 shows another exemplary design of MMLD element 502. In this example, MMLD element 502 may include some or all of the following fields: element ID 504, element ID extension 508, length 506, MMLD ID 510, MMLD MAC address 512, partial report 514, and / or MLD information field n(n=1, ..., N) 516.

[0087] The element ID field 504 and the element ID extension field 508 may indicate that element 502 is an MMLD element. The length subfield 506 may indicate the length of MMLD element 502. The MMLD ID field 510 may indicate an MMLD ID. The MMLD ID may be one octet in length and may identify the ID of the MMLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, or may indicate that the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs is part of an MMLD. The MMLD MAC address field 512 may indicate an MMLD MAC address. The MMLD MAC address field 512 may be six octets in length. The MMLD MAC address may identify the ID of the MMLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, or may indicate that the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs is part of an MMLD. The MMLD MAC address may be a multicast address that can be filtered on a distributed system (DS) by an MLD or AP belonging to the MMLD.

[0088] The partial reporting field 514 can indicate whether all or only a subset of APs or MLDs belonging to an MMLD are reported in the MMLD element. In one example, the partial reporting field 514 can indicate whether all APs and / or MLDs belonging to an MMLD are reported in the MMLD element. The partial reporting field 514 may also indicate that a subset of APs and / or MLDs belonging to an MMLD are reported in the MMLD element. In another example, the partial reporting field 514 may indicate that directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of reporting APs and / or MLDs belonging to the same MMLD are reported. In yet another example, the partial reporting field 514 may indicate that directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of reporting APs and / or MLDs that may belong to the same or different MMLDs are reported.

[0089] Each of the MLD information fields 516 may contain information about a single MLD. Each of the MLD information fields 516 may contain some or all of the following subfields, namely the MLD ID field 518, the MLD MAC address field 520, the collated MLD display field 522, the adjacent MLD display field 524, the field 526 reported using the RNR element, the field 528 reported using the multilink element, etc., or any appropriate combination thereof.

[0090] The MLD ID subfield 518 may indicate the MLD ID of the MLD belonging to the MMLD. The MLD ID field 518 may have a length of one octet. The MLD ID field 518 can identify the ID of the reported MLD. The MLD MAC address subfield 520 may indicate the MAC address of the reported MLD. The Colocated MLD Indication subfield 522 may indicate whether the reported MLD is colocated with the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. The Adjacent MLD Indication subfield 524 may indicate whether the reported MLD is an adjacent MLD to the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. In one example, the Adjacent MLD Indication subfield 524 may indicate a value that means the reported MLD is, for example, within the radio range of or very close to the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. Subfield 526 reported using an RNR element may indicate that details of the reported MLD or AP may be provided using a Reduced Adjacent Reporting (RNR) element, which may be included in the same frame and / or transmitted in the frame by the same AP, or transmitted in the frame by an AP belonging to the same MLD or by an MLD belonging to the same MMLD. For example, using the MLD ID and / or MLD MAC address, a receiving STA may obtain information from a multilink element on the reported MLD and / or AP that may belong to the reported MMLD. Subfield 528 reported using a multilink element may indicate that details of the reported MLD or AP may be provided using a multilink element, which may be included in the same frame and / or transmitted by the same AP, or transmitted in the frame by an AP belonging to the same MLD or by an MLD belonging to the same MMLD. For example, using the MLD ID and / or MLD MAC address, a receiving STA may obtain information from a multilink element on the reported MLD and / or AP that may belong to the reported MMLD.

[0091] In one example, an AP belonging to an MLD, which is part of an MMLD, may include a multilink element in the frame it transmits to advertise all or a subset of APs belonging to the MMLD. Such frames may include beacons, short frames, FILS discovery frames, authentication request frames, association request frames, etc. An exemplary design of a multilink element 602 for representing an MMLD is shown in Figure 6.

[0092] Figure 6 shows an exemplary design of a multilink element 602 having MMLD information or an MMLD variant of a multilink element. A multilink element 602 having MMLD information may include some or all of the following fields: Element ID 604 and Element ID extension 608 may be combined with Element ID 604 to indicate that the element is a multilink element. In another example, Element ID 604 and Element ID extension 608 may be combined to indicate that element 602 is an MMLD multilink element. A length subfield 606 may indicate the length of the element. Element 602 may include information that may indicate that the element may be fragmented. This may include a multilink element ID 604 and information indicating the fragmentation number of the multilink element. A multilink control field 610 may indicate various information about the MMLD multilink element or MMLD variant of multilink ID 602, which may include some or all of the following: A type field may indicate that the multilink element is an MMLD variant of a multilink element. The type field may be a subfield of the multilink control field 610 (not shown in Figure 6). A type indicating that a multilink element is an MMLD variant of a multilink element may imply that the MMLD information is included in the MMLD variant of the multilink element, for example, in the common information field 612. The presence of an MMLD information subfield (not shown in Figure 6) may indicate that the MMLD information may be included in any other part of the common information or the MMLD variant of the multilink element or in the multilink element itself. A partial reporting indication field (not shown in Figure 6) may indicate whether all or a subset of APs or MLDs belonging to the MMLD are reported in the current element. In one example, this indication may indicate whether all APs and / or MLDs belonging to the MMLD are reported in the current element, and this indication may also indicate that only a subset of APs and / or MLDs belonging to the MMLD are reported in the current element. In another example, this indication may indicate that only directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of reporting APs and / or MLDs belonging to the same MMLD are reported.In yet another example, this display may indicate that only directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of a reporting AP and / or MLD that may belong to the same or different MMLD are being reported. The common information field 612 may contain MMLD information that may include some or all of the following subfields: The MMLD ID field 616 may contain an MMLD ID. The MMLD ID may be one octet in length and may identify the ID of the MMLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, or may indicate that the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs is part of an MMLD. The MMLD MAC address field 618 may contain an MMLD MAC address. The MMLD MAC address field 618 may be six octets in length. The MMLD MAC address field 618 may contain the MAC address of the reported MLD. The MMLD MAC address may be a multicast address that can be filtered on the DS by an MLD or AP belonging to the MMLD. The partial reporting field (not shown in Figure 6) can indicate whether all or a subset of APs or MLDs belonging to the MMLD are reported in the MMLD element. In one example, this field can indicate whether all APs and / or MLDs belonging to the MMLD are reported in the MMLD element, and this field may also indicate that a subset of APs and / or MLDs belonging to the MMLD are reported in the MMLD element. In another example, this field may indicate that directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of reporting APs and / or MLDs belonging to the same MMLD are reported. In yet another example, this field may indicate that directly adjacent APs and / or MLDs of reporting APs and / or MLDs that may belong to the same or different MMLDs are reported. The number of MLDs subfield 620 may indicate the number of MLDs belonging to the MMLD. The MLD ID subfield 622 may contain MLD IDs belonging to the MMLD. MLD IDs can be implemented as a list of maps or as a bitmap to indicate one or more MLD IDs belonging to the MMLD. The co-located MLD display subfield 624 may indicate one or more IDs of the MLD to which the transmitting MLD or transmitting AP belongs and the MLD to which it is co-located.The adjacent MLD display subfield 626 may indicate one or more IDs of MLDs adjacent to the MLD to which the transmitting MLD or transmitting AP belongs. The link information field 614 may contain one or more link information N fields, each of which indicates information about a specific AP that may belong to the same MMLD.

[0093] Each of the Link Information N subfields may include some or all of the following subfields: The MLD ID subfield 628 may indicate the ID of the reported MLD to which the AP on the reported link belongs. The MLD MAC Address subfield (not shown in Figure 6) may indicate the MAC address of the reported MLD to which the AP on the reported link belongs. The Colocate MLD Indication subfield may indicate whether the reported MLD indicated by the MLD ID is colocate to the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. Alternatively, this information may be obtained from the indication in the MMLD information based on the MLD ID and / or MLD MAC address. The Adjacent MLD Indication subfield may indicate whether the reported MLD indicated by the MLD ID is an adjacent MLD to the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. In one example, this subfield may indicate a value that means the reported MLD is, for example, within radio range of or an immediately adjacent MLD to the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. Alternatively, this information may be obtained from the display within the MMLD information, based on the MLD ID and / or MLD MAC address. The Link ID subfield 630 may indicate the ID of the link, may be 4 bits in length, and may be associated with the link on which the reported AP is operating. The Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) subfield 632 may contain the BSSID of the reported AP. The Configuration subfield 634 may indicate one or more operational parameters for the reported AP, such as the operating channel, BSS color, or other types of parameters.

[0094] In an exemplary MMLD discovery procedure, an AP belonging to an MLD belonging to an MMLD may indicate that it belongs to an MMLD and / or indicate one or more MMLDs by including one or more MMLD elements and / or MMLD variations of multilink elements in the frames it transmits, such as beacons, short beacons, probe responses, (re)association responses, or other types of frames. In another example, an AP belonging to an MMLD may indicate that it belongs to an MMLD and / or indicate one or more MMLDs by including one or more MMLD elements and / or MMLD variations of multilink elements in the frames it transmits, such as beacons, short beacons, probe responses, (re)association responses, or other types of frames.

[0095] In one example, an AP or MLD may include a subset of MMLD information in its beacon, regular probe response, or other type of frame, which may include one or more limited pieces of information about one or more MLDs, such as the MMLD ID, MMLD MAC address, and MLD ID, MLD MAC address. A specific MLD ID and / or MLD MAC address can identify the MLD to which the transmitting MLD and / or transmitting AP belongs. The AP or MLD may also include more detailed information about the MLD in other elements, such as a multilink element or a reduced neighbor reporting (RNR) element. Based on information contained in the MMLD elements and / or multilink elements on the MLD, such as the MMLD MAC address, MMLD ID, MLD ID, or MLD MAC address, and / or adjacent MLD indication, and / or collated MLD indication, the receiving STA may be able to discover MLDs belonging to the same MMLD as the transmitting MLD or to the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, and / or MLDs belonging to MLDs belonging to the same MMLD, and / or MLDs belonging to a collated MLD with the MLD to which the transmitting MLD or transmitting AP belongs, and / or MLDs belonging to an adjacent MLD of the transmitting MLD or to the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, and / or APs associated with APs that may belong to a different MMLD.

[0096] If a special MLD ID or MLD MAC address is used to indicate the MLD to which the transmitting AP belongs, the receiving STA can identify APs belonging to the same MLD as the transmitting AP based on the special MLD ID and / or MLD MAC address.

[0097] In another example, an AP may include a multilink element indicating the MLD to which it belongs, and further, an MMLD element or MMLD variant of the multilink element indicating information about the MMLD to which the AP or its MLD belongs.

[0098] In another example, an AP or MLD may contain complete information about all APs / MLDs belonging to the same MMLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. A receiving STA can receive all information associated with all APs / MLDs belonging to the MMLD. In this case, the AP / MLD can either set the partial reporting information to false or set it to indicate a complete report.

[0099] In yet another example, an AP or MLD may contain information about a subset of APs / MLDs belonging to the same MMLD to which the transmitting AP belongs. For example, a subset of APs / MLDs directly adjacent to the transmitting AP or its MLD may be reported. In another example, a subset of APs / MLDs collated with the transmitting AP or its MLD may be reported. A receiving STA may receive information associated with a subset of APs / MLDs belonging to the MMLD, such as collated APs / MLDs and / or adjacent APs / MLDs. In this case, the AP / MLD may set the partial reporting information to true, or set the adjacent MLD indicator to true, or set the collated MLD indicator to true, depending on the set of APs / MLDs reported.

[0100] Non-AP STAs or MLDs capable of supporting MMLD operation may also include MMLD elements or MMLD variations of multilink elements in the transmitted frame, including probe requests, (Re)association requests, etc. In another example, a non-AP STA or MLD may include one or more bits indicating MMLD operation support in the transmitted EHT, Ultra High Reliability (UHR), or other capability elements.

[0101] Non-AP STAs or MLDs that can support MMLD operation and wish to obtain more information about MMLDs can send probe requests that may include MMLD elements or MMLD variations of multilink elements by following an active scan procedure for MMLD discovery.

[0102] Non-AP STAs may submit probe requests that may include MMLD elements or MMLD modifications of multilink elements, which may be multilink probe requests or MMLD probe requests. Multilink or MMLD probe requests may be referred to herein as probe requests.

[0103] Probe requests may be sent to a broadcast address, to a specific BSSID of an AP that can advertise that it belongs to an MLD belonging to an MMLD by including an MMLD element and / or a variant of an MMLD element and / or an RNR element and / or a multilink element, or to an MMLD MAC address.

[0104] A probe request frame may include MMLD elements and / or MMLD variations of multilink elements and / or multilink elements, which may include one or more MMLD IDs and / or one or more MMLD MAC addresses of MMLDs for which the probe STA / MLD desires additional information. If only the submission of an MMLD's MLD is desired, the MMLD elements, multilink elements, etc., may include a list of MLD identifiers, such as MLD IDs, to indicate that only the information of the provided MLD is desired.

[0105] The probe request frame may include MMLD elements and / or multilink elements, MMLD variations, and / or multilink elements, which may include an indication that the probe STA / MLD desires complete information on the MMLD or that partial reporting of the MMLD, such as collated MLDs or adjacent MLDs, may be desired.

[0106] AP / MLDs belonging to an MMLD can respond to received MMLD probe requests. For example, if a received probe request is addressed to a broadcast address, and the MMLD or multilink elements included in the probe request frame are set to a wildcard MMLD ID and / or the MMLD MAC address is set to a wildcard MMLD MAC address, then an AP / MLD belonging to an MMLD can respond with a probe response frame, which may include MMLD elements and / or multilink elements and / or a variant of the multilink MMLD and / or an RNR element.

[0107] AP / MLDs belonging to an MMLD can respond with a probe response frame, which may contain an MMLD element and / or a multilink element, and / or a variant of the multilink MMLD, and / or an RNR element. If the received probe request is addressed to its MAC address, the MMLD element or multilink element included in the probe request frame will be set to a wildcard MMLD ID, and / or the MMLD ID of the MMLD to which the AP / MLD belongs, and / or an MMLD MAC address which may be a wildcard MMLD MAC address, and / or the MMLD MAC address of the MMLD ID of the MMLD to which the AP / MLD belongs.

[0108] AP / MLDs belonging to an MMLD can respond with a probe response frame, which may contain an MMLD element and / or a multilink element, and / or a variant of the multilink MMLD, and / or an RNR element. If the received probe request is addressed to the MMLD MAC address of the MMLD to which the AP / MLD belongs, and / or the MMLD element or multilink element included in the probe request frame will be set to a wildcard MMLD ID, and / or the MMLD ID of the MMLD to which the AP / MLD belongs, and / or the MMLD MAC address which may be a wildcard MMLD MAC address, and / or the MMLD MAC address of the MMLD ID of the MMLD to which the AP / MLD belongs.

[0109] APs / MLDs belonging to an MMLD may provide information about all MLDs and / or APs belonging to the MMLD in a probe response frame, provided that one or more other conditions for responding are met, if the received probe request frame contains a list of MLD IDs or MLD MAC addresses.

[0110] APs / MLDs belonging to an MMLD may provide information about a subset of MLDs and / or APs belonging to the MMLD in a probe response frame, provided that one or more other conditions for responding are met, if the received probe request frame contains a list of MLD IDs or MLD MAC addresses.

[0111] APs / MLDs belonging to an MMLD may, for example, in the case of adjacent MLDs and / or collated MLDs as a transmitting MLD or as an MLD to which a responding AP belongs, provide information about a subset of APs / MLDs in the probe response frame, provided that one or more other conditions of the response are met, if information about only a subset of APs / MLDs is requested in the received probe request frame by using partial reporting indicators, collated MLD indicators, adjacent MLD indicators, MMLD elements and / or multilink elements, and / or MMLD variations of multilink elements included in the received probe request frame.

[0112] In one example, a non-AP STA or MLD may request neighboring MLD information by including in its probe request any of the following indications, namely MMLD IDs, MMLD MAC addresses, a list of neighboring MLD IDs or MLD MAC addresses, neighboring MLD indications, etc., and / or any suitable combination thereof, when the probe STA / MLD is expected to have mobility or to transition to another BSS soon. Upon receiving such a probe request requesting neighboring MLD indications, the AP or MLD may respond by sending a probe response containing MMLD elements, and / or MMLD variations of the MMLD elements, and / or multilink elements, providing information about directly neighboring MLDs belonging to the same or different MMLDs, provided that other response conditions are met.

[0113] A multi-AP / STA MLD set architecture can include a multi-MLD AP management entity. This entity can provide coordination and management for MLD APs working together to deliver multi-AP services to non-AP MLDs.

[0114] Coordination may include the following aspects: operating frequency of the RF link provided by the MLD AP, synchronization of PPDU transmission on the RF link (for any or all of the following), joint transmission (PPDUs transmitted by different MLD APs are transmitted so that a receiving non-AP MLD receives the sum of the PPDUs transmitted by the MLD APs), distributed MIMO transmission (PPDUs transmitted by different MLD APs are transmitted so that a receiving non-AP MLD receives them as a MIMO transmission that can be combined), and / or MAC-level PPDU combination (PPDUs transmitted by different MLD APs are received as separate PPDUs that can be combined at the MAC layer). Coordination may further include combining received PPDUs from non-AP MLDs received over joint reception (for any or all of the following), distributed MIMO reception, and MAC-level PPDU combination. Coordination may further include security context and key management, MAC address management, and transparency of the multi-AP MLD to the non-AP MLD. The receiving non-AP MLD may or may not be aware that it is receiving PPDUs sent by multiple MLD APs.

[0115] In a multi-AP MLD architecture, each partner AP can form a BSS for itself. Partner APs sharing the same RF link resources (operating channel and bandwidth) may form a single BSS or have multiple BSSs.

[0116] A multi-MLD AP BSS can have allied APs operating as a single BSS. When allied APs sharing the same RF link resources operate as a single BSS, these allied APs can operate transparently and appear as a single allied AP to non-AP MLDs. In this configuration for sharing a single BSS, these allied APs can use common MAC and PHY headers and configure themselves so that transmissions to non-AP MLDs are joint transmissions, and the transmissions arrive at the non-AP MLDs so that they can be received as a single combined frame. Such received frames can be processed using standard procedures. Alternatively, the transmissions may be sent as MIMO transmissions, with each of the allied APs' transmitting antennas sending MIMO-coded transmissions. These MIMO-coded transmissions can be received at the non-AP MLDs as MIMO transmissions using, for example, the standard 802.11 MIMO method.

[0117] A multi-MLD AP BSS may have allied APs operating as independent BSSs. When allied APs share the same RF link resources and operate as independent BSSs, these allied APs can encode time-separated, frequency-separated, or any combination of these multiplexing techniques into their transmitted multi-MLD frames. These multiplexing techniques can assist non-AP MLDs in receiving transmitted frames by reducing interference from transmissions made by other allied APs sharing the RF link resources. The type and nature of the multiplexing used by the allied APs of a multi-MLD AP may be known to a non-AP MLD so that it can receive and combine these transmissions. Knowing which transmissions to receive and which multiplexing techniques were used for each transmission, a non-AP MLD can then receive and combine these frames from the allied APs.

[0118] APs belonging to an MLD AP that is part of a multi-MLD AP can utilize the same Extended Service Set (ESS). Being within the same ESS can enable inter-MLD AP communication, non-AP MLD mobility, and RF link sharing. MLD APs can communicate via the ESS's DS to establish a multi-MLD AP, configure a multi-MLD AP, define multiplexing techniques, define resource sharing (time, frequency, code), coordinate multi-MLD AP beacon content, coordinate frame transmission, coordinate frame reception, and / or maintain security parameters / context for each associated non-AP MLD. Alternatively, any or all of these functions can be achieved via inter-AP communication over a wireless medium.

[0119] Non-AP MLDs associated with multi-MLD APs, unlike conventional non-AP STAs or non-AP MLDs, can be supported by ESS. Multi-MLD operation, by its nature of having non-AP MLDs associated with multiple MLD APs simultaneously, can have some built-in mobility. Non-AP MLDs can have service as long as they are within the service area of ​​at least one of the MLD APs in the affiliated multi-MLD. Multi-MLD operation is also useful for soft transitions because multi-MLD APs can share MLD APs (which may be multiple). This can allow non-AP MLDs to move from one multi-MLD AP to another while retaining some of the resources (affiliated APs) of the first multi-MLD, which also belong to the second multi-MLD.

[0120] In multiple MLD TWT operations, multiple AP MLDs belonging to the same MMLD can perform coordinated TWT scheduling and operation. Multiple AP MLDs within an MMLD can synchronize with each other. AP MLDs can synchronize with each other and with their associated STAs using the Timing Synchronization Function (TSF).

[0121] One approach is for AP MLDs within an MMLD to periodically broadcast their TSF and / or TSF offset in beacon frames, for example, using a timestamp field or other field / element. If receiving AP MLDs within an MMLD have different TSF timers, the AP MLDs can adjust their TSF timers to the received timestamp value or report their TSF offsets. For example, each AP MLD within an MMLD can broadcast its TSF in a beacon frame or other type of frame. The rest of the AP MLDs within the MMLD can adjust their TSFs based on the most recently received TSF within the MMLD. In one example, a shared / master AP MLD within an MMLD can periodically broadcast its TSF. Other MLDs within the MMLD can adjust their TSF timers accordingly. In another example, AP MLDs within an MMLD do not need to adjust their TSF timers; instead, they report their TSF timer offsets to each other (e.g., broadcasting their TSF timer offsets to each AP MLD within the MMLD). In one example, AP MLDs within an MMLD do not need to adjust their TSF timers; instead, they report their TSF timer offsets to the shared / master AP MLD. The shared / master AP / AP MLD can then periodically broadcast the TSF timer offsets between itself and each member AP / AP MLD. The TSF timer offset between any two member AP / AP MLDs may be obtained as the difference between the corresponding TSF timer offsets of the two AP / AP MLDs. When an AP MLD broadcasts its TSF timer offset, a non-AP STA or non-AP STA MLD can record the TSF timer offset for each AP / AP MLD that it can communicate with in the MMLD. In this way, a non-AP STA or STA MLD can compensate for the TSF timer offset when obtaining scheduling (e.g., TWT scheduling) from an AP / AP MLD in the MMLD.APs or AP MLDs belonging to an AP MMLD can transmit beacon frames and probe response frames that include reduced neighbor reporting elements.

[0122] MMLD information (e.g., MMLD parameter subfield, MMLD element) may be included in the Reduced Adjacent Report (RNR) element. One or more values ​​for the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT) information length subfield may be used to indicate that MMLD-related information may be carried within the RNR element. For example, the TBTT information field contents table may have entries as shown in Table 1. The TBTT information length subfield may indicate the contents carried in the TBTT information set subfield.

[0123] [Table 1]

[0124] The TBTT information field may have the format shown in Table 2. The adjacent AP TBTT offset subfield indicates the offset in TU units, truncated to the nearest TU, and if an MMLD parameter subfield exists, the subfield may indicate the next TBTT of the reported AP from the TBTT immediately preceding the AP sending this element, if the reported AP belongs to the same MMLD as the reporting AP. The MMLD parameter subfield may exist to indicate MMLD-related parameters. The MMLD parameter subfield may exist when the TBTT information length subfield is set to a specific value (e.g., XZ1, X2, X3, X4, X5, or X6), as shown in Table 1.

[0125] [Table 2]

[0126] The MMLD parameter subfield may have the format shown in Table 3. The MMLD ID subfield may be used to identify a list of reported APs / AP MLDs belonging to the same AP MMLD. If a reported AP / MLD belongs to the same MMLD as the reported AP, the MMLD ID subfield may be set to a predefined value V1, e.g., V1=0. If a reported AP / MLD does not belong to any MMLD, the MMLD ID subfield may be set to a predefined value V2. If a reported AP / MLD belongs to a different AP MMLD, the MMLD ID value may be set to uniquely identify the AP MMLD. The MMLD ID subfield may contain identification information for the MMLD to which the reported AP / AP MLD belongs. The MMLD ID may be locally or globally unique in order to identify an MMLD.

[0127] The MMLD ID subfield and the AP ID subfield can be combined (collectively called the MMLD / AP ID subfield) to uniquely identify the MMLD and AP / MLD. For example, if a reported AP / AP MLD belongs to MMLD1, the combination of the MMLD ID and AP ID subfield (the combined value may be a function of the values ​​in the MMLD ID subfield and the AP ID subfield) may be set within a first range [a1, b1] to uniquely identify MMLD1. For example, if a reported AP / AP MLD belongs to the same MMLD2, the combination of the MMLD ID and AP ID subfield may be set within a second range [a2, b2] to uniquely identify MMLD2. If a reported AP / MLD does not belong to any MMLD, the MMLD ID subfield may be set to a predefined value, for example, V2.

[0128] The AP ID subfield may be used to uniquely identify an AP / AP MLD within an AP MMLD. If a reported AP / AP MLD does not belong to any AP MMLD, the AP ID subfield may be set to a predefined value. The Synchronization MMLD subfield may indicate whether AP / AP MLDs within an MMLD may need to be synchronized with each other. The Data Sharing MMLD subfield may indicate whether data destined for one or more non-AP STA / MLDs may need to be transmitted through two or more AP / AP MLDs. The MMLD parameter change count value in this subfield may be incremented when a critical update to the MMLD may occur. Alternatively, combined MLD / MMLD parameter subfields and / or MLD / MMLD elements may be used. While the RNR element is used as an example here, note that the MMLD parameter subfields defined in Table 3 may be used in any field / element.

[0129] [Table 3]

[0130] Regarding joint multi-access point (MAP) MLD transmissions, a non-AP MLD may negotiate individual TWT agreements with the associated AP MLD on each link, e.g., AP MLD1. Meanwhile, the AP MLD may notify the coordinating AP MLD(s), e.g., AP MLD2, of the updated TWT, and during a trigger-activated TWT SP, joint transmissions can be initiated from the coordinating / shared AP MLD(s), all associated with AP MLD1, to the non-AP MLD(s). This trigger-activated TWT service period (SP) may be called a trigger-activated TWT SP with a MAP.

[0131] Figure 7 is an illustrative diagram of the individual target wake time (TWT) operation in a multi-MLD environment. Joint transmission from AP MLD1 and AP MLD2 to non-AP MLD11 and non-AP MLD12 is shown by example. In this example, AP MLD1 operates on three links. AP11 operates on link 1 (e.g., 2.4 GHz), AP12 operates on link 2 (e.g., 5 GHz), and AP13 operates on link 3 (e.g., 6 GHz). Similarly, AP MLD2 operates on three links. AP21 operates on link 1 (e.g., 2.4 GHz), AP22 operates on link 2 (e.g., 5 GHz), and AP23 operates on link 3 (e.g., 6 GHz). Non-AP MLD11 and non-AP MLD12 both belong to AP MLD1. They operate on three links. STA111 and STA121 operate on link 1 (e.g., 2.4 GHz). STA112 and STA122 operate on Link 2 (e.g., 5 GHz). STA113 and STA123 operate on Link 3 (e.g., 6 GHz). Non-AP MLD11 may send a TWT request 702 to a TWT responding STA, i.e., AP MLD1, to set up a trigger-enabled TWT agreement on Link 1 (e.g., 2.4 GHz). The TWT responding STA, i.e., AP MLD1, accepts the TWT agreement with MLD11 and confirms its acceptance in a TWT response 704 sent to MLD11 via Link 1. Subsequently, the TWT responding STA, i.e., AP MLD1, sends an unrequested TWT response 706 to AP MLD2 and non-AP MLD12 to set up a trigger-enabled TWT agreement with MLD12 on Link 1. This response is also used to notify AP MLD2, which is an AP coordinating with AP MLD1, of the next TWT with associated STA on Link 1. Both of these TWT agreements are set up as announced TWTs on Link 1 (e.g., 2.4 GHz). In other words, each individual TWT agreement is set up on Link 1 between AP MLD1 Link 1 (AP11) and its associated STAs, namely non-AP STA111 and non-AP STA121.During the trigger-activating TWT service period (SP) 708, a TWT-responding STA, e.g., AP MLD1, sends a trigger frame 710 indicating that the TWT-requesting STA is awake during TWT SP 708 on link 1. Non-AP STA111 indicates it is awake by sending a PS-Poll frame 712, and non-AP STA121 indicates it is awake by sending a QoS Null frame 714 in response to the trigger frame. Meanwhile, this trigger frame is also used to notify coordinating AP MLD2 that a joint transmission is about to take place. STA111 and STA121 receive their DL buffer units (BUs) in subsequent exchanges with the TWT-responding STAs, AP 11 and coordinating AP 21. They enter a dosed state outside of this MAP TWT SP.

[0132] TWT elements may be link-based, and each link may maintain its own TWT element. For example, the target waketime field of a TWT element may indicate that link 1 is referencing the timing synchronization function (TSF) time of link 1. AP21 (link 1 in AP MLD2) may first synchronize with AP11's TSF timer (e.g., by adopting the TSF timer value of a parameter in a beacon frame from AP11, or by using the common TSF timer value of a parameter in a beacon frame from the master AP MLD), and then use the reference in the target waketime subfield of the TWT element as the start time for AP MLD1 in the TWT SP to participate in transmission with AP11. The common TSF timer value of a parameter in a beacon frame from the master AP MLD may be shared among all AP MLDs in the same MAP set.

[0133] AP MLD transmissions can be sent to multiple STAs within the same MAP set. In one exemplary embodiment, a non-AP MLD can negotiate individual TWT agreements with its associated AP MLD, e.g., AP MLD1, on each link. Meanwhile, the AP MLD can notify a non-AP MLD (e.g., MLD21) associated with another AP MLD in the same cooperative multi-AP (MAP) set of non-AP MLDs of the updated TWT, and during a trigger-activating TWT SP, it can begin servicing the requesting TWT STA (e.g., MLD11) and neighboring STAs, e.g., MLD21. This trigger-activating TWT SP may be called a trigger-activating TWT SP for the associated STA(s) and neighboring STA(s).

[0134] Figure 8 illustrates the individual TWT operations in a multi-MLD environment where AP MLD1 provides services to STA MLD11 and STA MLD21. In this example, AP MLD1 and AP MLD2 operate on three links. AP11 and AP21 operate on link 1 (e.g., 2.4GHz), AP12 and AP22 operate on link 2 (e.g., 5GHz), and AP13 and AP23 operate on link 3 (e.g., 6GHz). Non-AP MLD11 and non-AP MLD21 belong to AP MLD1 and AP MLD2, respectively. Both of these operate on three links. STA111 and STA211 operate on link 1 (e.g., 2.4GHz). STA112 and STA212 operate on link 2 (e.g., 5GHz), and STA113 and STA213 operate on link 3 (e.g., 6GHz). Non-AP MLD11 sends a TWT request 802 to the TWT response STA, i.e., AP MLD1, to set up a trigger-enabled TWT agreement on Link 1, e.g., 2.4GHz. The TWT response STA, i.e., AP MLD1, accepts the TWT agreement with MLD11 and confirms the acceptance in a TWT response 804 sent to MLD11 via Link 1. Subsequently, the TWT response STA, i.e., AP MLD1, sends an unrequested TWT response 806 to AP MLD2 and non-AP MLD21 to set up a trigger-enabled TWT agreement with MLD21 on Link 1. This response is also used to notify AP MLD2, which is the AP coordinating with AP MLD1 for the next TWT, so that it can serve the associated STA of AP MLD2 on Link 1. Both of these TWT agreements are set up as announced TWTs on Link 1 (e.g., 2.4GHz). In other words, individual TWTs are set up on link 1 between AP MLD1 link 1 (AP11), its associated STA(s), e.g., non-AP STA111, and adjacent STA(s), e.g., non-AP STA211. During the trigger-activating TWT SP, the TWT-responding STA, e.g., AP MLD1, sends a trigger frame 810 indicating that the TWT-requesting STA is awake during the TWT SP on link 1.Non-AP STA111 indicates it is awake by sending a PS-Poll frame 812, and non-AP STA211 indicates it is awake by sending a QoS Null frame 814 in response to the trigger frame. Meanwhile, this trigger frame is also used to notify coordinating AP MLD2 that a transmission is being made to its associated STA. STA111 and STA211 receive their DL BU in subsequent exchanges with AP 11, which is the TWT-responding STA. They enter a dosed state outside of this TWT SP 808.

[0135] There are several ways for STA MLD21, which was initially associated with AP MLD1, to be synchronized with AP MLD1 via TSF. One method is to synchronize AP MLD2 with AP MLD1 via TSF, so that STA MLD21 can obtain timing synchronization with its associated AP, i.e., AP MLD2, via beacon. Another method is to synchronize STA MLD21 directly with AP MLD1 on link 1, as long as AP MLD1 and AP MLD2 are in the Coordinated MAP set.

[0136] Figure 9 is an architectural diagram showing various MLD APs. In the diagram, the various MLD APs are labeled "MLD AP 1," "MLD AP 2," etc., and the three non-AP MLDs are labeled "Non-AP MLD#." The circles represent the coverage areas of each MLD AP at their centers, and the various shaded areas correspond to which MLD APs can service each non-AP MLD. For example, non-AP MLD 1 is serviced by MLD AP 1 and MLD AP 4, while non-AP MLD 3 is serviced by MLD AP 2, MLD AP 3, MLD AP 4, and MLD AP 5.

[0137] Figure 10 shows an exemplary flowchart summarizing a high-level process 1002 for performing the multilink operation described herein. In step 1004, a frame may be received. The frame may contain any of the frames / elements / fields described herein. The frame may be provided, for example, by an AP MLD. The frame may be received by an STA, AP STA, non-AP STA, MLD, AP MLD, non-AP MLD, and / or any suitable combination thereof, as described herein. The frame may provide an indication that the frame provider belongs to one of several AP MLDs, such as an MMLD. An MMLD association may be indicated by any suitable elements and / or fields in the frame, such as an element ID field and / or an element ID extension field, as described herein. In step 1006, a message may be sent. The message may be provided by the frame recipient. The message may indicate that the frame recipient supports MMLD operation. The message may be provided to the entity that provided the frame, one of several AP MLDs, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, an AP MLD can send a frame, and an STA can receive the frame and respond directly to the AP MLD. Alternatively, the STA can broadcast its response to all AP MLDs in the MMLD, including the AP MLD that provided the frame. In step 1008, information for establishing MMLD communication may be received. This information may be received by the frame's recipient. The information may be received from the frame's provider and / or from any of the MMLD's AP MLDs.

[0138] While the features and elements of the present invention are described in preferred embodiments in specific combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without other features and elements of the preferred embodiments, or in various combinations with or without other features and elements of the present invention.

[0139] The solutions described herein take into account the 802.11 protocol; however, it should be understood that the solutions described herein are not limited to this scenario and are further applicable to other wireless systems.

[0140] While SIFS is used to illustrate various interframe spacings in design and procedure embodiments, all other interframe spacings, such as RIFS, AIFS, DIFS, or other acceptable time intervals, may be applied to the same solution.

[0141] While some diagrams show four RBs per triggered TXOP as an example, the actual number of RBs / channels / bandwidth used can vary.

[0142] While features and elements are described above in specific combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein can be implemented in computer programs, software, or firmware embedded in computer-readable media for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted via wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor associated with software can be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

[0143] While the features and elements are provided above in specific combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that each feature or element can be used individually or in any combination with other features and elements. This disclosure is not limited in terms of the specific embodiments described in this application, which are intended to be illustrative of various aspects. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, many modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. No element, action, or instruction used in the description of this application should be construed as important or essential to the invention unless it is so expressly presented. In addition to those enumerated herein, functionally equivalent methods, apparatus, and articles within the scope of this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. This disclosure is limited only by the terms of the appended claims, and is limited along with the full scope of the equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to any particular method or system.

[0144] The embodiments described above may be considered in terms of specific terms and structures (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwaves, centimeter waves, micrometer waves, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.) for the sake of simplification, but the embodiments considered are not limited thereto and may be applied to other systems using other forms of electromagnetic waves or non-electromagnetic waves, such as sound waves.

[0145] It should also be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing only specific embodiments and are not intended to limit them. Where used herein, the terms “video” or “image” may mean any of a snapshot, a single image, and / or multiple images displayed over time, or any appropriate combination thereof. As another example, where referred herein, the terms “user equipment” and its abbreviation “UE,” “remote,” and / or “head-mounted display” or its abbreviation “HMD” may mean or include (i) a wireless transmit and / or receive unit (WTRU), (ii) any of several embodiments of a WTRU, (iii) a wireless-enabled and / or wired (e.g., tetherable) device configured to have some or all of the structures and functions of a WTRU, (iii) a wireless-enabled and / or wired device configured to have fewer structures and functions than all of the structures and functions of a WTRU, or (iv) other. Details of exemplary WTRUs that may represent any WTRU described herein are provided herein with respect to Figures 1A to 1D. As another example, the various embodiments described above and below disclosed herein are described as utilizing a head-mounted display. Those skilled in the art will recognize that devices other than head-mounted displays may be used, and some or all of the disclosure and the various disclosed embodiments can be modified accordingly without excessive experimentation. Examples of such other devices may include drones or other devices configured to stream information for providing an adaptive reality experience.

[0146] In addition, the methods provided herein may be implemented in computer programs, software, or firmware embedded in a computer-readable medium to be executed by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable mediums include electronic signals (transmitted via wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media distinct from signals include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor associated with the software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

[0147] Modifications of the methods, apparatus, manufactured articles, and systems provided herein are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Considering the wide variety of applicable embodiments, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the following claims. For example, embodiments provided herein include a handheld device which may include, or be utilized with, any suitable voltage source, such as a battery, providing any suitable voltage.

[0148] Furthermore, embodiments provided herein refer to other devices, including processing platforms, computing systems, controllers, and processors. These devices may include at least one central processing unit ("Central Processing Unit, CPU") and memory. According to the convention of those skilled in the art of computer programming, references to acts and symbolic representations of operations or instructions may be carried out by various CPUs and memories. Such acts and operations or instructions may be referred to as "executed," "executed by the computer," or "executed by the CPU."

[0149] Those skilled in the art will understand that actions and symbolically represented operations or instructions involve the manipulation of electrical signals by a CPU. The electrical system represents data bits that can cause a resulting transformation or reduction of electrical signals, and maintains these data bits in memory locations of a memory system, thereby reconfiguring or altering the operation of the CPU and the processing of other signals. The memory locations where the data bits are maintained are physical locations having specific electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties that correspond to or represent the data bits. It should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the platforms or CPUs mentioned above, and other platforms and CPUs may support the methods provided.

[0150] Data bits may also be maintained on computer-readable media, including magnetic disks, optical disks, and any other volatile (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) or non-volatile (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)) mass storage systems readable by the CPU. The computer-readable media may include cooperative or interconnected computer-readable media distributed across multiple interconnected processing systems, which may reside exclusively on a processing system or be local or remote to the processing system. It should be understood that embodiments are not limited to the memories mentioned above, and other platforms and memories may support the methods provided.

[0151] In illustrative embodiments, any of the operations, processes, etc., described herein may be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. These computer-readable instructions may be executed by processors in mobile devices, network elements, and / or any other computing devices.

[0152] In the detailed description above, various embodiments of devices and / or processes have been illustrated through the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples. Those skilled in the art will understand that, insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples include one or more functions and / or operations, each function and / or operation in such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented individually and / or collectively by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or substantially any combination thereof. In exemplary embodiments, some parts of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or other integrated formats. Those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein can be equivalently implemented in an integrated circuit, in whole or in part, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or substantially any combination thereof, and that designing circuits and / or writing software and / or firmware code is within the scope of the art of those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that mechanisms of the subject matter described herein can be distributed as various forms of program products, and that illustrative embodiments of the subject matter described herein are applicable regardless of the particular type of signal-carrying medium used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of signal-carrying media include, but are not limited to, recordable media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, CDs, DVDs, digital tapes, and computer memory, as well as transmitting media such as digital and / or analog communication media (e.g., optical fiber cables, waveguides, wired communication links, wireless communication links, etc.).

[0153] Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common in the art to describe devices and / or processes in the manner described herein and then to integrate such described devices and / or processes into a data processing system using engineering techniques. That is, at least a portion of the devices and / or processes described herein can be integrated into a data processing system through a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a typical data processing system may generally include one or more of the following: a system unit housing, video display devices, memory such as volatile and non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digital signal processors, computing entities such as operating systems, drivers, graphic user interfaces, and application programs, one or more interaction devices such as a touchpad or screen, and / or a control system including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and / or velocity, control motors for moving and / or adjusting components and / or quantities). A typical data processing system can be implemented using any suitable commercially available components, as is typically found in data computing / communication systems and / or network computing / communication systems.

[0154] The subject matter described herein may, in some cases, show different components that are contained within or connected to other different components. Such illustrated architectures are merely examples, and it should be understood that in practice, many other architectures can be implemented to achieve the same function. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same function is effectively “associated” in such a way that the desired function can be achieved. Therefore, any two components in this specification combined to achieve a particular function can be considered “associated” with each other, regardless of the architecture or intervening components, in such a way that the desired function can be achieved. Similarly, any two components thus associated can be considered “operably connected” or “operably coupled” with each other to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be associated in such a way can be considered “operably coupled” with each other to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of operably coupled components include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interacting components, as well as / or wirelessly interactable and / or wirelessly interacting components, as well as / or logically interacting and / or logically interactable components.

[0155] With regard to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms herein, those skilled in the art can convert from plural to singular and / or singular to plural as appropriate to the context and / or use. For clarity, various singular / plural rearrangements may be explicitly described herein.

[0156] In general, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the terms used herein, and in particular in the appended claims (e.g., in the body of the appended claims), are generally intended to be “non-limiting” terms (for example, the term “contains” should be interpreted as “contains, but not limited to,” the term “has” should be interpreted as “has at least,” and the term “contains” should be interpreted as “contains, but not limited to.”). Furthermore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that if a particular number of claims introduced are intended to be described, such intent is explicitly stated in the claim, and if such statement is not present, such intent does not exist. For example, if only one item is intended, the term “single” or similar word may be used. To aid understanding, the following appended claims and / or descriptions herein may include the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce the description of the claims. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as meaning that the introduction of a claim description by the indefinite article "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced description to embodiments containing only one such description, even if the same claim contains the introductory phrase "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (for example, "a" and / or "an" should be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "one or more"). The same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce a claim description. In addition, even if a particular number of descriptions in an introduced claim are explicitly stated, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that such a statement should be interpreted as meaning at least the number stated (for example, the simple statement "two descriptions" without other modifiers means at least two descriptions or two or more descriptions).Furthermore, when a notation similar to "at least one of A, B, and C" is used, such a structure is generally intended to mean what a person skilled in the art would understand (for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together). When a notation similar to "at least one of A, B, or C" is used, such a structure is generally intended to mean what a person skilled in the art would understand (for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together). It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that any substantially any disjunct word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms in the specification, claims, or drawings should be understood as construing the possibility of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both of the terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” should be understood as including the possibility of “A” or “B” or “A and B.” Furthermore, as used herein, the term “any of” followed by a list of items and / or a list of categories of items is intended to include “any of,” “any combination of,” “any number of,” and / or “any number of,” items and / or categories of items, individually or in combination with other items and / or categories of other items. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “set” is intended to include any number of items, including zero. Additionally, as used herein, the term “number” is intended to include any number, including zero. Also, as used herein, the term “multiple” is intended to be synonymous with “plural.”

[0157] In addition, if any feature or aspect of the present disclosure is described in terms of the Markush group, a person skilled in the art will recognize that the present disclosure is also described in terms of any individual element or subgroup of elements of the Markush group.

[0158] For all purposes, including providing written explanations, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, all scopes disclosed herein also encompass all possible sub-scopes and combinations of sub-scopes. Any enumerated scope can be readily recognized as sufficiently explainable and enable that the same scope can be broken down into at least equal 1 / 2, 1 / 3, 1 / 4, 1 / 5, 1 / 10, etc. As a non-limiting example, each scope considered herein can readily be broken down into a lower third, a middle third, an upper third, etc. Also, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, all words such as “up to,” “at least,” “greater than,” and “less than” refer to a scope that includes the number mentioned and can be further broken down into sub-scopes as considered above. Finally, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, a scope includes each individual element. Thus, for example, a group having 1 to 3 cells refers to a group having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1 to 5 cells refers to a group having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so on.

Claims

1. A method performed by a station (STA) configured to perform multilink operation by communicating simultaneously over multiple links, Receiving a frame from a first access point (AP) multilink device (MLD) that includes an indication that the first AP MLD belongs to a multi-MLD (MMLD) that includes multiple AP MLDs, Sending a message, wherein the message includes an indication that the STA supports MMLD operation when communicating simultaneously on the multiple links, A method comprising receiving first information relating to one or more of the multiple AP MLDs for establishing communication over the multiple links.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing second information to the first AP MLD, wherein the second information is configured to perform coordinated beamforming when communicating simultaneously on the plurality of links.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing second information to the first AP MLD, wherein the second information is configured to perform interference reduction when communicating simultaneously on the plurality of links.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing second information to the first AP MLD, wherein the second information is configured to implement space efficiency when communicating simultaneously over the plurality of links.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frame includes at least one of a beacon, a short beacon, a probe response, a Fast Initial Link Setup (FILS) discovery frame, or an association response frame.

6. The frame includes an MMLD element, The method according to claim 1, wherein the MMLD element includes at least one of the following: an element ID field, a length field, an element identifier (ID) field, and an element ID extension field, an MMLD ID field, an MMLD media access control (MAC) address field, a partial report field, a field for the number of reported MLDs, or an MLD information field.

7. To establish a Transmit Wake Time (TWT) agreement, provide a TWT request message, The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a TWT response message that indicates that the TWT agreement is accepted.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the STA is configured to communicate over the plurality of links in accordance with the TWT agreement.

9. The aforementioned message, The first AP MLD, or The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting to at least one of the multiple AP MLDs.

10. The first information for establishing communication on the aforementioned multiple links is The first AP MLD, or The method according to claim 1, provided by at least one of the multiple AP MLDs.

11. A station (STA) configured to perform multilink operation by communicating simultaneously over multiple links, wherein the STA is Transceiver and, A processor is provided, and the processor is The transceiver receives a frame from the first access point (AP) multilink device (MLD) that includes an indication that the first AP MLD belongs to a multi-MLD (MMLD) that includes multiple AP MLDs. The message is transmitted via the transceiver, and includes an indication that the STA supports MMLD operation when communicating simultaneously on the multiple links. A station (STA) configured to receive first information relating to one or more of the multiple AP MLDs for establishing communication on the multiple links via the transceiver.

12. The STA according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to provide second information to the first AP MLD via the transceiver, and the second information is configured to perform coordinate beamforming when communicating simultaneously on the plurality of links.

13. The STA according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to provide second information to the first AP MLD via the transceiver, and the second information is configured to perform interference reduction when communicating simultaneously on the plurality of links.

14. The STA according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to provide second information to the first AP MLD via the transceiver, and the second information is configured to implement space efficiency when communicating simultaneously over the plurality of links.

15. The STA according to claim 11, wherein the frame includes at least one of a beacon, a short beacon, a probe response, a Fast Initial Link Setup (FILS) discovery frame, or an association response frame.

16. The frame includes an MMLD element, The STA according to claim 11, wherein the MMLD element includes at least one of the following: an element ID field, a length field, an element identifier (ID) field, and an element ID extension field, an MMLD ID field, an MMLD media access control (MAC) address field, a partial report field, a field for the number of reported MLDs, or an MLD information field.

17. The aforementioned processor, The transceiver provides a TWT request message to establish a Transmit Wake Time (TWT) agreement. The STA according to claim 11, further configured to receive a TWT response message via the transceiver, which includes an indication that the TWT agreement is accepted.

18. The STA according to claim 17, wherein the STA is configured to communicate over the plurality of links in accordance with the TWT agreement.

19. The aforementioned message, The first AP MLD, or The STA according to claim 11, further comprising transmitting to at least one of the multiple AP MLDs.

20. The first information for establishing communication on the aforementioned multiple links is The first AP MLD, or The STA according to claim 11, provided by at least one of the multiple AP MLDs.

Images