Communication device and communication method for multilink WLAN measurement

Abstract

A communications apparatus and method for multi-link WLAN sensing and / or ranging is provided. The technology disclosed herein features a first multi-link device (MLD) including a first plurality of serving stations (STAs), the first MLD comprising at least one transceiver and circuitry, the at least one transceiver operating in conjunction with the circuitry, the circuitry, when in operation, enabling one or more STAs of the first plurality of serving STAs to perform measurement operations with one or more STAs of a second plurality of serving STAs included in the second MLD.

Claims

1. An access point multilink device (AP MLD) including multiple affiliated access points (APs) corresponding to multiple links, wherein one of the multiple affiliated APs is a first sensing initiator, and the one AP is A first sensing measurement request frame, including a first measurement setup identifier (ID) for identifying a measurement setup to be negotiated between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, is transmitted via a first link to a first sensing responder, the first sensing responder being one of a plurality of non-AP STAs belonging to the non-AP MLD, and the transmitting unit A receiving unit receives a sensing measurement report frame from the first sensing responder, which includes one or more sensing measurement report fields, and each of the one or more sensing measurement report fields includes the first measurement setup ID, a measurement instance ID, and a remaining feedback segment subfield indicating the number of sensing measurement feedback segments among the multiple sensing measurement feedback segments included in the sensing measurement report frame that are located after the sensing measurement report field. AP MLD equipped with [the following].

2. One of the aforementioned multiple affiliated APs is a second sensing initiator, and the other AP is A second sensing measurement request frame containing a second measurement setup ID is transmitted via a second link to a second sensing responder, the second sensing responder including a transmitting unit which is another one of the plurality of belonging non-AP STAs included in the non-AP MLD. The AP MLD according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned AP MLD has a single interface with the higher-layer application, The aforementioned upper-layer application is configured to perform measurement operations with one or more of the multiple affiliated APs via one or more links to one or more non-APs among the multiple affiliated non-APs included in the non-AP MLD. The AP MLD according to claim 1.

4. A sensing measurement setup performed prior to the transmission of the first sensing measurement request frame is identified by the same measurement setup ID in one or more of the identified links, and for each of the one or more of the identified links, The link ID of one or more of the identified links, together with the measurement setup ID, is used to identify sensing operation attributes unique to each of the one or more of the identified links. The AP MLD according to claim 1.

5. The sensing measurement instances of the sensing measurement setup performed prior to the transmission of the first sensing measurement request frame are identified by the same measurement instance ID in one or more of the identified links, and for each of the one or more of the identified links, The link ID of each of the one or more identified links is used, together with the measurement instance ID, to identify a sensing measurement instance unique to each of the one or more identified links. The AP MLD according to claim 1.

6. The AP MLD is configured to initiate a sensing measurement instance with the non-AP MLD by transmitting a Measurement PHY Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) on a first link of the identified links, requesting an STA belonging to the non-AP MLD operating on the first link to perform a sensing measurement with respect to the Measurement PPDU, and requesting another STA belonging to the non-AP MLD operating on a second link of the identified links to transmit a sensing measurement report on the second link. The sensing measurement report carries the results of the sensing measurement performed on the first link. The STA belonging to the AP MLD operating on the second link is configured to receive the sensing measurement report. The AP MLD according to claim 1.

7. The AP MLD is configured to initiate a sensing measurement instance with the non-AP MLD by transmitting a plurality of measurement PPDUs on a first set of the identified links, and requesting an STA belonging to the non-AP MLD operating on the first set of links to perform sensing measurements with respect to the plurality of measurement PPDUs and transmit a set of sensing measurement reports on a second link of the identified links. The set of sensing measurement reports carries a set of the results of the sensing measurements performed on the first set of links among the identified links. The STA belonging to the first non-AP MLD operating on the second link is configured to receive the set of sensing measurement reports. The second link is either one of the first set of links or a link other than the first set of links. The AP MLD according to claim 1.

8. The second link is indicated by the null data packet announcement (NDPA) frame or trigger frame of the measured PPDU. AP MLD according to claim 6 or 7.

9. A non-access point multilink device (non-AP MLD) including multiple non-access point stations (non-AP STAs) each corresponding to multiple links, One of the multiple non-AP STAs is a first sensing responder, and the one non-AP STA is A first sensing measurement request frame is received from a first sensing initiator, which is one of a plurality of affiliated APs included in the AP MLD, and the first sensing initiator is a receiving unit, which is one of a plurality of affiliated APs included in the AP MLD. A transmitting unit transmits a sensing measurement report frame containing one or more sensing measurement report fields over a first link, each of which includes the first measurement setup ID, a measurement instance ID, and a remaining feedback segment subfield indicating the number of sensing measurement feedback segments among the multiple sensing measurement feedback segments included in the sensing measurement report frame that are located after the sensing measurement report field. A non-AP MLD equipped with the following features.

10. One of the aforementioned multiple affiliated APs is a second sensing initiator, and the other AP is A second sensing measurement request frame containing a second measurement setup ID is transmitted via a second link to a second sensing responder, the second sensing responder including a transmitting unit which is another one of the plurality of belonging non-AP STAs included in the non-AP MLD. The non-AP MLD according to claim 9.

11. The aforementioned AP MLD has a single interface with the higher-layer application, The aforementioned upper-layer application is configured to perform measurement operations with one or more of the multiple affiliated APs via one or more links to one or more non-APs among the multiple affiliated non-APs included in the non-AP MLD. The non-AP MLD according to claim 10.

12. A sensing measurement setup performed prior to the transmission of the first sensing measurement request frame is identified by the same measurement setup ID in one or more of the identified links, and for each of the one or more of the identified links, The link ID of one or more of the identified links, together with the measurement setup ID, is used to identify sensing operation attributes unique to each of the one or more of the identified links. The non-AP MLD according to claim 10.

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