Non-Simultaneous Transmission / Reception (NSTR), Soft Access Point (AP), Multilink Device (MLD)

Abstract

A wireless station (STA) operating as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) soft access point (AP) multilink device (MLD) is associated with a primary link and a non-primary link. The NSTR softAP MLD transmits frames only on the primary link that include a complete profile of the primary link and indicate a complete profile of the non-primary links. The complete profiles of the primary link and non-primary links each include capabilities, operating parameters, and other discovery information. The frame can include fields and elements that hold the complete profile of the primary link and can include a multilink (ML) element that indicates the complete profile of the non-primary links. The NSTR softAP MLD can receive or determine updates to the operating parameters of the non-primary links and can transmit an indication of updates to the operating parameters of the non-primary links on the primary link.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - reference to Related Applications This patent application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 409349, titled "NON - SIMULTANEOUS TRANSMIT - RECEIVE (NSTR) SOFT ACCESS POINT (AP) MULTI - LINK DEVICE (MLD)", filed on August 23, 2021, and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 409370, titled "NON - SIMULTANEOUS TRANSMIT - RECEIVE (NSTR) SOFT ACCESS POINT (AP) MULTI - LINK DEVICE (MLD)", filed on August 23, 2021, both of which have been assigned to the assignee of this application. The disclosures of all prior applications are considered a part of this patent application and are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, and more specifically, to wireless communication associated with a multi - link device (MLD).

Background Art

[0003] Description of Related Art A wireless local area network (WLAN) may be formed by one or more access points (APs), also called stations (STAs), that provide a shared wireless communication medium for use by several client devices. The basic building block of a WLAN compliant with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard family is a Basic Service Set (BSS) managed by an AP. Each BSS is identified by a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) advertised by the AP. The AP periodically broadcasts beacon frames to enable any STA within the AP's wireless range to establish or maintain a communication link with the WLAN.

[0004] An AP multilink device (MLD) may include multiple APs that can operate independently on multiple communication links. Each AP can establish a BSS on its respective communication link, and a wireless communication device associated with the AP MLD can transmit data to or receive data from the AP MLD on one or more of the communication links associated with the AP MLD. Each communication link may have varying bandwidths by combining several 20MHz wide channels to form a 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, or 320MHz wide channel. While an STA may have limited filtering capabilities that allow data reception on one link to interfere with data transmission on another link, it may be desirable for the STA to operate as a softAP MLD. [Overview of the project]

[0005] Each of the systems, methods, and devices disclosed herein has several inventive aspects, and no single aspect thereof alone represents any of the desirable attributes disclosed herein. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One inventive aspect of the subject matter described herein can be implemented as a method for wireless communication by a wireless station (STA). In some implementations, the method may involve operating the STA as a non-simultaneous transmit-receive (NSTR) soft AP multilink device (MLD), which includes a first soft access point (AP) associated with a primary link and a second AP associated with a non-primary link. The method also involves transmitting a frame that includes the complete profile of the primary link only on the primary link and a complete profile of the non-primary link. In some cases, the complete profiles of the primary and non-primary links each include at least a beacon interval, capability information, a service set identifier (SSID), a support rate, a timing synchronization function (TSF) value, and one or more additional fields or elements associated with the discovery of the respective link. The frame may be one of a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a reassociation response frame. In some cases, the beacon interval, SSID, and TSF value of a non-primary link may be inherited from the primary link.

[0007] In some implementations, the frame includes a frame body containing multiple fields and elements that hold the complete profile of the primary link, and a Multi-Link (ML) element that holds a profile sub-element for each STA showing the complete profile of the non-primary link. The ML element further includes a common information field that holds a BSS Parameters Change Count (BPCC) field indicating an update to one or more basic service set (BSS) parameters associated with the primary link. In some cases, one or more bits in the multi-link control field or common information field of the ML element indicate whether the frame is being sent from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD.

[0008] In some implementations, the frame body also includes a Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR) element that includes a Neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link. The Neighbor AP information field may include a Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT) information field consisting of Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) and one or more MLD parameters for the non-primary link. In some cases, the TBTT offset subfield, shortened SSID subfield, BSS parameter subfield, and power spectral density (PSD) subfield may not be present in the TBTT information field corresponding to the non-primary link. The Neighbor AP information field may also include a TBTT information field type set to a value indicating that the Neighbor AP information field holds information relevant only to non-primary links. In some cases, the TBTT information field type may be set to 1, or a reserved value indicating that the TBTT information field is a new or undefined type. In some implementations, the length of the TBTT information field may indicate whether the frame is transmitted from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD. In some embodiments, the length of the TBTT information field is 9 octets.

[0009] In some implementations, one or more MLD parameters held in the TBTT information field may include PBCC values ​​indicating updates to one or more BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link. In some cases, the method may also include receiving an update to at least one of the BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link, incrementing a BPCC value held in the TBTT information field of another frame based on the received update, setting a Critical Update Flag (CUF) in the capability information field of the other frame based on the increment of the BPCC value, and transmitting the other frame only over the primary link. In this way, a receiving device can obtain updates to BSS parameters on a non-primary link while camping on the primary link.In various implementations, BSS parameters include Channel Switch Announcement (CSA) elements, Enhanced Channel Switch Announcement (eCSA) elements, Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) parameters, wait time elements, Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) parameter sets, high-throughput (HT) operation elements, very high-throughput (VHT) operation elements, high-efficiency (HE) operation elements, extremely high-throughput (EHT) operation elements, broadband channel switch elements, operation mode notification elements, broadcast target wait time (TWT) elements, BSS color change announcement elements, Multi-User (MU) EDCA parameter sets, space reuse parameter sets, or uplink (UL) orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) random access (UL OFDMA random It may include at least one of the parameter sets (access, UORA).

[0010] The method may also include receiving updates to one or more BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link and transmitting one or more updated BSS parameters associated with the non-primary link on the primary link. In some cases, one or more updated BSS parameters may be part of a partial profile of the non-primary link. One or more updated BSS parameters may be transmitted on the primary link in an action frame such as a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, reassociation response frame, or notification frame.

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described herein may be implemented in a wireless communication device. In some implementations, the wireless communication device may include at least one modem, at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one modem, and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code. In some implementations, the execution of processor-readable code by the at least one processor in conjunction with the at least one modem may be configured to operate the wireless communication device as an NSTR softAP MLD including a first AP associated with a primary link and a second AP associated with a non-primary link. The execution of processor-readable code may also be configured to transmit frames that include the complete profile of the primary link only on the primary link and indicate the complete profile of the non-primary link. In some cases, the complete profiles of the primary link and the non-primary link each include at least a beacon interval, capability information, an SSID, a support rate, a TSF value, and one or more additional fields or elements associated with the discovery of the respective link. A frame can be a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, or reassociation response frame. In some cases, the beacon interval, SSID, and TSF value of a non-primary link may be inherited from the primary link.

[0012] In some implementations, the frame includes a frame body containing multiple fields and elements that hold the complete profile of the primary link, and an ML element that holds a profile sub-element for each STA that shows the complete profile of the non-primary link. The ML element further includes a common information field that contains a BPCC field indicating an update to one or more BSS parameters associated with the primary link. In some cases, one or more bits in the multilink control field or common information field of the ML element indicate whether the frame is being transmitted from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD.

[0013] In some implementations, the frame body also includes an RNR element containing a neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link. The neighbor AP information field may include a TBTT information field consisting of the BSSID and one or more MLD parameters for the non-primary link. In some cases, the TBTT offset subfield, abbreviated SSID subfield, BSS parameter subfield, and PSD subfield may not be present in the TBTT information field corresponding to the non-primary link. The neighbor AP information field may also include a TBTT information field type set to a value indicating that the neighbor AP information field holds information relevant only to non-primary links. In some cases, the TBTT information field type may be set to 1, or a reserved value indicating that the TBTT information field is of a new or undefined type. In some implementations, the length of the TBTT information field may indicate whether the frame is transmitted from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD. In some embodiments, the length of the TBTT information field is 9 octets.

[0014] In some implementations, one or more MLD parameters held in the TBTT information field may include BPCC values ​​indicating updates to one or more BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link. In some cases, execution of processor-readable code may also be configured to receive an update to at least one of the BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link, increment a BPCC value held in the TBTT information field of another frame based on the received update, set a CUF in the capability information field of the other frame based on the increment of the BPCC value, and transmit the other frame only over the primary link. In this way, a receiving device can obtain updates to BSS parameters of a non-primary link while camping on the primary link. In various implementations, the BSS parameters may include at least one of the following: CSA elements, eCSA elements, EDCA parameters, standby period elements, DSSS parameter sets, HT operation elements, VHT operation elements, HE operation elements, EHT operation elements, broadband channel switch elements, operation mode notification elements, broadcast TWT elements, BSS color change announcement elements, MU EDCA parameter sets, space reuse parameter sets, or UORA parameter sets.

[0015] Processor-readable code execution may also be configured to receive updates to one or more BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link and to send one or more updated BSS parameters associated with the non-primary link on the primary link. In some cases, one or more updated BSS parameters may be part of a partial profile of the non-primary link. One or more updated BSS parameters may be sent on the primary link in an action frame such as a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, reassociation response frame, or notification frame.

[0016] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. Note that the relative dimensions of the figures below may not be drawn to scale.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] [Figure 1] It is a drawing of an exemplary wireless communication network. [Figure 2A] It is a diagram showing an exemplary protocol data unit (PDU) that can be used for communication between an access point (AP) and one or more wireless stations (STAs). [Figure 2B] It is a diagram showing exemplary fields in the PDU of FIG. 2A. [Figure 3A] Another exemplary PDU that can be used for communication between an AP and one or more STAs is shown. [Figure 3B] Another exemplary PDU that can be used for communication between an AP and one or more STAs is shown. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an exemplary physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) that can be used for communication between an AP and several STAs. [Figure 5] It shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device. [Figure 6A] It is a block diagram of an exemplary access point (AP). [Figure 6B] It is a block diagram of an exemplary station (STA). [Figure 7A] It shows a sequence diagram of an exemplary wireless communication that supports a non-simultaneous transmit and receive (NSTR) soft access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) according to some implementations. [Figure 7B]A sequence diagram showing another exemplary wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD according to some implementations is shown. [Figure 8A] A sequence diagram showing an exemplary wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD according to some other implementations is shown. [Figure 8B] A sequence diagram showing another exemplary wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD according to some other implementations is shown. [Figure 9A] A timing diagram showing an exemplary wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD according to some implementations is shown. [Figure 9B] A timing diagram showing another exemplary wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD according to some implementations is shown. [Figure 10A] Exemplary management frames that can be used for multi-link communication according to some implementations are shown. [Figure 10B] Exemplary another management frames that can be used for multi-link communication according to some implementations are shown. [Figure 11A] Exemplary reduced neighbor report (RNR) elements that can be used for multi-link communication according to some implementations are shown. [Figure 11B] Exemplary TBTT information headers of the RNR elements in FIG. 11A according to some implementations are shown. [Figure 11C] Exemplary TBTT information fields of the RNR elements in FIG. 11A according to some implementations are shown. [Figure 12A] Exemplary multi-link (ML) elements that can be used for multi-link communication according to some implementations are shown. [Figure 12B] Exemplary multi-link control fields of the ML elements in FIG. 12A according to some implementations are shown. [Figure 12C] Exemplary common information fields of the ML elements in FIG. 12A according to some implementations are shown. [Figure 12D]The profile sub-elements for each STA of the ML element in Figure 12A are shown as examples of several implementation forms. [Figure 12E] Figure 12D shows exemplary STA control fields for each STA profile sub-element, representing several implementation configurations. [Figure 12F] Figure 12D shows example STA information fields for each STA profile sub-element, representing several implementation configurations. [Figure 13] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 14] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 15] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 16] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 17] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 18] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 19] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 20] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 21]A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 22] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 23] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 24] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 25] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 26] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 27] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 28] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 29] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 30] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 31]A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 32] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 33] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 34] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 35] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 36] A flowchart illustrates an exemplary process for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD, using several implementation configurations. [Figure 37] The following are block diagrams illustrating exemplary wireless communication devices in several implementation configurations. [Figure 38] The following are block diagrams of other exemplary wireless communication devices in several implementation configurations. Similar reference numbers and names in the various drawings refer to the same elements. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] The following description covers several implementations for the purpose of illustrating innovative aspects of the disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in numerous different ways. The implementations described may be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in accordance with, among other things, one or more of the following standards: IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, Bluetooth® standards as defined by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), or Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3G, 4G, or 5G (New Radio, NR) standards published by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®). The implementations described may be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals according to one or more of the following technologies or techniques: code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), single-user (SU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), and multi-user (MU) MIMO.The described implementations may also be implemented using other wireless communication protocols or RF signals suitable for use in one or more of the following: wireless personal area networks (WPANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), or Internet of Things (IoT) networks.

[0019] Various implementations generally relate to communication between multilink devices (MLDs), such as AP MLDs and STA MLDs. Some implementations more specifically relate to wireless stations (STAs) that operate as mobile hotspots over multiple communication links. An AP MLD includes multiple APs configured to communicate over several different communication links. An STA MLD can communicate with an AP MLD using one or more of the different communication links simultaneously. An AP MLD may provide a multilink context that includes or indicates the complete profiles of the different communication links associated with the AP MLD. The complete profile of each link may include the capabilities, operating parameters, and discovery information of each link. An AP MLD may advertise the multilink context on one of its communication links, thereby allowing a nearby wireless communication device (such as an STA MLD) operating on that communication link to receive the multilink context and obtain the complete profile of the AP MLD over its multiple communication links. In this way, a wireless communication device operating on one communication link can discover and associate with AP MLDs on one or more other communication links without scanning or investigating the other communication links. The communication link to which AP MLD notifies the multilink context is sometimes called the primary link, while the other communication links are sometimes called non-primary links.

[0020] The multilink context also enables the AP MLD and one or more associated devices to establish a common block acknowledgment (BA) policy or session across multiple communication links of the AP MLD, and to use a single authentication mechanism for multiple communication links of the AP MLD. Associated devices can use the multilink context to dynamically switch communication between different communication links of the AP MLD without deassociating or reassociating with the AP MLD. The AP MLD can use the multilink context to dynamically change or remap the association between traffic identifier (TID) values ​​and each of the different communication links.

[0021] Wireless STAs (Application Platforms) have limited filtering capabilities compared to APs (Application Platforms), which can allow transmissions to an STA on one link to interfere with data transmissions from an STA on another link. For example, when an STA transmits downlink (DL) communication on one link while simultaneously receiving uplink (UL) communication on another link, the relatively small spacing between the STA's antenna resources, along with its limited filtering capabilities, can allow the transmission of DL data on one link to interfere with or prevent the simultaneous reception of UL data on the other link. This cross-link interference can suppress or prevent an STA operating as a mobile hotspot on multiple communication links from simultaneously transmitting and receiving data on different communication links. Therefore, these STAs are sometimes referred to as non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) softAP MLDs (Multi-Layered Digital Applications).

[0022] Aspects of this disclosure recognize the importance of reducing or eliminating cross-link interference associated with NSTR softAP MLDs. In some implementations, an NSTR softAP MLD associated with a primary and a non-primary link may only notify the complete profile of the primary and non-primary links on the primary link. The NSTR softAP MLD may also only notify updates to one or more BSS parameters of the primary and non-primary links on the primary link. Notifying the complete profile of both links of the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link may allow some wireless communication devices operating on the primary link to discover and associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on one or both of the primary and non-primary links without scanning or investigating the non-primary links. In some implementations, a non-legacy device operating on the primary link may be able to decode or analyze the complete profile of both the primary and non-primary links, while a legacy device operating on the primary link may only be able to decode or analyze the complete profile of the primary link. As a result, a legacy device operating on the primary link may not be able to discover or associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on the non-primary links. Furthermore, by not providing a complete profile of any link on a non-primary link, legacy devices operating on a non-primary link may be unable to discover or associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on that non-primary link. In this way, various aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein may limit communication between the NSTR softAP MLD and legacy devices to the primary link.As used herein, the term “legacy device” may refer to a wireless communication device configured to operate in accordance with revisions to the 802.11 family of wireless communication standards, such as IEEE 802.11ax or earlier; and the term “non-legacy device” may refer to a wireless communication device configured to operate in accordance with revisions to the 802.11 family of wireless communication standards, such as IEEE 802.11be or later.

[0023] Various embodiments of the subject matter described herein can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential benefits: By restricting communication between the NSTR softAP MLD and legacy devices to the primary link (and thereby preventing legacy devices from communicating with the NSTR softAP MLD on non-primary links), the NSTR softAP MLD can prevent legacy devices from transmitting UL data on non-primary links while the NSTR softAP MLD is transmitting DL data to one or more associated devices on the primary link. In this way, the implementations of the subject matter disclosed herein can reduce the likelihood that crosslink interference resulting from UL transmissions on non-primary links will degrade or otherwise interfere with DL transmissions from the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link.

[0024] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication network 100. In some embodiments, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a Wi-Fi network (and will be referred to hereafter as WLAN 100). For example, WLAN 100 may be a network that implements at least one of the IEEE 802.11 standards (such as the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification, or, but not limited to, those defined by its revisions, including 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be). WLAN 100 may include a number of wireless communication devices, such as access points (APs) 102 and multiple stations (STAs) 104. Although only one AP 102 is shown, the WLAN network 100 may also include multiple APs 102.

[0025] Each of the STA104 may also be called, among possible examples, a mobile station (MS), a mobile device, a mobile handset, a wireless handset, an access terminal (AT), user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), or a subscriber unit. Among possible examples, the STA104 may represent a variety of devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, notebook computers, tablet computers, laptops, display devices (e.g., in particular TVs, computer monitors, navigation systems), music or other audio or stereo devices, remote control devices ("remote"), printers, kitchen appliances or other household appliances, and key fobs (e.g., for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems).

[0026] A single AP102 and an associated set of STA104 may be referred to as a basic service set (BSS) managed by each AP102. Figure 1 shows an exemplary coverage area 106 of AP102, which may additionally represent the basic service area (BSA) of WLAN100. The BSS may be identified to users by a service set identifier (SSID) and to other devices by a basic service set identifier (BSSID), which may be the medium access control (MAC) address of AP102. AP102 periodically broadcasts beacon frames ("beacons") containing the BSSID so that any STA104 within AP102's wireless range can "associate" with or reassociate with AP102 in order to establish or maintain their respective (hereinafter also called "Wi-Fi links") communication links 108 with AP102. For example, a beacon may include identification information for the primary channel used by each AP102, as well as a timing synchronization function for establishing or maintaining timing synchronization with the AP102. The AP102 may provide access to the external network to various STA104 in the WLAN via their respective communication links 108.

[0027] To establish a communication link 108 with AP102, each STA104 is configured to perform passive or active scanning operations ("scan") on frequency channels in one or more frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz, 6.0 GHz, or 60 GHz bands). To perform a passive scan, the STA104 listens for beacons, which are transmitted by each AP102 at regular time intervals called the Target Beacon Transmit Time (TBTT) (measured in time units (TU), where 1 TU may be equal to 1024 microseconds (μs)). To perform an active scan, the STA104 generates probe requests, transmits them sequentially on each channel to be scanned, and listens for probe responses from AP102. Each STA104 may be configured to perform authentication and association operations to identify or select an AP102 to associate with based on scan information obtained through passive or active scanning, and to establish a communication link 108 with the selected AP102. The AP102 assigns an association identifier (AID) to the STA104 during the peak of the association operation, and the AP102 uses the AID to track the STA104.

[0028] As a result of the increased ubiquity of wireless networks, STA104 may have the opportunity to select one of many BSSs within the STA's range, or to select from multiple AP102s that together form an extended service set (ESS) containing multiple connected BSSs. The extended network station associated with WLAN100 may be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system that can enable multiple AP102s to be connected within such an ESS. Thus, STA104 can be covered by two or more AP102s and can be associated with different AP102s at different times for different transmissions. In addition, after association with an AP102, STA104 may also be configured to periodically scan its vicinity to find a more suitable AP102 to associate with. For example, STA104 working with its associated AP102 may perform a “roaming” scan to find another AP102 with more desirable network characteristics, such as a higher received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or lower traffic load.

[0029] In some cases, STA104 may form a network without AP102 or any other equipment other than the STA104 itself. An example of such a network is an ad-hoc network (or wireless ad-hoc network). Ad-hoc networks are sometimes referred to as mesh networks or peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. In some cases, an ad-hoc network may be implemented within a larger wireless network such as WLAN100. In such an implementation, STA104 may communicate with each other via AP102 using communication link 108, but STA104 can also communicate with each other directly via direct wireless link 110. In addition, two STA104 may communicate via direct communication link 110, regardless of whether both STA104 are associated with and served by the same AP102. In such an ad-hoc system, one or more of the STA104 may take on roles that are fulfilled by AP102 in the BSS. Such an STA104 may be called a group owner (GO) and can coordinate transmissions within an ad-hoc network. Examples of direct wireless links 110 include Wi-Fi Direct connections, connections established by using Wi-Fi Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) links, and other P2P group connections.

[0030] AP102 and STA104 may function and communicate (via their respective communication links 108) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard family (including, but not limited to, 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be, as defined by their revisions). These standards specify WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the PHY layer and the Media Access Control (MAC) layer. AP102 and STA104 transmit and receive wireless communication (hereinafter also referred to as "Wi-Fi communication") between themselves in the form of Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) protocol data units (PPDUs). AP102 and STA104 in WLAN100 may transmit PPDUs over unlicensed spectrum, which may be a portion of the spectrum including frequency bands conventionally used by Wi-Fi technology, such as the 2.4GHz band, 5.0GHz band, 60GHz band, 3.6GHz band, and 900MHz band. Some implementations of AP102 and STA104 described herein may also communicate over other frequency bands, such as the 6.0GHz band, which may support both licensed and unlicensed communications. AP102 and STA104 may also be configured to communicate over other frequency bands, such as shared licensed frequency bands, where multiple operators may have licenses to operate in one or more frequency bands that are the same or overlapping.

[0031] Each frequency band may contain multiple subbands or frequency channels. For example, PPDUs compliant with the revised IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax standards may be transmitted over the 2.4 and 5.0 GHz bands, each divided into multiple 20 MHz channels. Thus, these PPDUs are transmitted over physical channels with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, but larger channels can be formed through channel bonding. For example, a PPDU may be transmitted over physical channels with bandwidths of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz by bonding multiple 20 MHz channels together.

[0032] Each PPDU is a composite structure containing a PHY preamble and payload in the form of a PLCP service data unit (PSDU). Information provided within the preamble may be used by the receiving device to decode subsequent data within the PSDU. In examples where PPDUs are transmitted over combined channels, the preamble fields may be duplicated and transmitted in each of the multiple component channels. The PHY preamble may include both a legacy portion (or "legacy preamble") and a non-legacy portion (or "non-legacy preamble"). The legacy preamble may be used, among other applications, for packet detection, automatic gain control, and channel estimation. The legacy preamble may also generally be used to maintain compatibility with legacy devices. The format, coding, and information provided within the non-legacy portion of the preamble are based on specific IEEE 802.11 protocols that should be used to transmit the payload.

[0033] Figure 2A shows an exemplary protocol data unit (PDU) 200 that can be used for communication between an AP and several STAs. For example, PDU 200 may be configured as a PPDU. As shown, PDU 200 includes a PHY preamble 202 and a PHY payload 204. For example, PHY preamble 202 may include a legacy portion that itself includes a legacy short training field (L-STF) 206, a legacy long training field (L-LTF) 208, and a legacy signaling field (L-SIG) 210. PHY preamble 202 may also include a non-legacy portion (not shown). The L-STF 206 generally allows the receiving device to perform automatic gain control (AGC) and coarse timing and frequency estimation. The L-LTF208 generally allows the receiving device to perform fine timing and frequency estimation, and also allows it to estimate the wireless channel. The L-SIG210 generally allows the receiving device to determine the duration of the PDU and use the determined duration to avoid transmitting on the PDU. For example, the L-STF206, L-LTF208, and L-SIG210 may be modulated according to binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation scheme. The payload 204 may be modulated according to BPSK modulation scheme, quadrature BPSK (Q-BPSK) modulation scheme, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation scheme, or another suitable modulation scheme. The payload 204 generally may hold upper layer data in the form of, for example, a Media Access Control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU) or an aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU).

[0034] Figure 2B shows an exemplary L-SIG field 220 in the PDU of Figure 2A. The L-SIG 220 includes a data rate field 222, a spare bit 224, a length field 226, a parity bit 228, and a tail field 220. The data rate field 222 indicates the data rate (note that the data rate indicated in the data rate field 222 may not be the actual data rate of the data held in the payload 204). The length field 226 indicates the length of the packet, for example, in bytes. The parity bit 228 is used to detect bit errors. The tail field 220 includes a tail bit used by the receiving device to terminate the operation of the decoder (e.g., a Viterbi decoder). The receiving device uses the data rate and length indicated in the data rate field 222 and length field 226 to determine the duration of the packet, for example, in microseconds (μs).

[0035] Figure 3A shows another exemplary PDU 300 that can be used for wireless communication between an AP and one or more STAs. The PDU 300 may be used for SU transmission, OFDMA transmission, or MU-MIMO transmission. The PDU 300 may be formatted as a High Efficiency (HE) WLAN PPDU in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax revision to the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard. The PDU 300 includes a PHY preamble, which includes a legacy portion 302 and a non-legacy portion 304. The PDU 300 may further include a PHY payload 306 after the preamble, for example in the form of a PSDU, which includes a data field 324.

[0036] The legacy portion 302 of the preamble includes L-STF 308, L-LTF 310, and L-SIG 312. The non-legacy portion 304 includes L-SIG (RL-SIG) 314, a first HE signaling field (HE-SIG-A) 316, an HE short training field (HE-STF) 320, and a repetition of one or more HE long training fields (or symbols) (HE-LTF) 322. For OFDMA or MU-MIMO communication, the second portion 304 further includes a second HE signaling field (HE-SIG-B) 318 encoded separately from HE-SIG-A 316. In examples involving the use of coupled channels, such as L-STF308, L-LTF310, and L-SIG312, the information in RL-SIG314 and HE-SIG-A316 may be duplicated and transmitted on each of the component 20MHz channels. In contrast, the content of HE-SIG-B318 is unique to each 20MHz channel and may target a specific STA104.

[0037] RL-SIG314 may indicate to an HE-compatible STA104 that PDU300 is an HE PPDU. AP102 may use HE-SIG-A316 to identify that the AP has scheduled UL or DL ​​resources for multiple STA104s and to inform the multiple STA104s. For example, HE-SIG-A316 may include a resource allocation subfield indicating the resource allocation for the identified STA104s. HE-SIG-A316 may be decoded by each HE-compatible STA104 served by AP102. In the case of MU transmission, HE-SIG-A316 further includes information available to each identified STA104 for decoding the associated HE-SIG-B318. For example, HE-SIG-A316 may indicate the frame format including the location and length of HE-SIG-B318, the available channel bandwidth, and the modulation and coding scheme (MCS), among other examples. HE-SIG-A316 may also include HE WLAN signaling information available to STA104s other than the identified STA104.

[0038] HE-SIG-B318 may hold STA-specific scheduling information, such as STA-specific (or "user-specific") MCS values ​​and STA-specific RU allocation information. In the context of DL MU-OFDMA, such information allows each STA104 to identify and decode the corresponding resource unit (RU) in the associated data field 324. Each HE-SIG-B318 includes a common field and at least one STA-specific field. The common field may, in particular, indicate RU allocations for multiple STA104s, including RU allocations in the frequency domain, which RUs are allocated to MU-MIMO transmissions, which RUs correspond to MU-OFDMA transmissions, and the number of users in the allocation. The common field may be encoded with a common bit, a CRC bit, and a tail bit. A user-specific field may be assigned to a specific STA104 and used to schedule its own RUs and indicate scheduling to other WLAN devices. Each user-specific field may include multiple user block fields. Each user block field may include two user fields containing information for each of the two STAs in order to decode the respective RU payload in the data field 324.

[0039] Figure 3B shows another exemplary PPDU 350 usable for wireless communication between an AP and one or more STAs. The PDU 350 may be used for SU transmission, OFDMA transmission, or MU-MIMO transmission. The PDU 350 may be formatted as an ultra-high throughput (EHT) WLAN PPDU in accordance with the IEEE 802.11be revision to the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard, or as a PPDU compliant with any later (post-EHT) version of a new wireless communication protocol compliant with the future IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard or other wireless communication standards. The PDU 350 includes a PHY preamble, which includes a legacy portion 352 and a non-legacy portion 354. The PDU 350 may further include a PHY payload 356 after the preamble, for example in the form of a PSDU, which includes a data field 376.

[0040] The legacy portion 352 of the preamble includes L-STF358, L-LTF360, and L-SIG362. The non-legacy portion 354 of the preamble includes RL-SIG364 and several wireless communication protocol version-dependent signal fields following RL-SIG364. For example, the non-legacy portion 354 may include a general-purpose signal field 366 (referred to herein as "U-SIG366") and an EHT signal field 368 (referred to herein as "EHT-SIG368"). Either or both of U-SIG366 and EHT-SIG368 may be constructed as other wireless communication protocol versions after EHT and hold version-dependent information for them. The non-legacy portion 354 further includes an additional short training field 372 (referred herein to as "EHT-STF372," which may be constructed as other wireless communication protocol versions after EHT and may hold version-dependent information for those versions) and one or more additional long training fields 374 (referred herein to as "EHT-LTF374," which may be constructed as other wireless communication protocol versions after EHT and may hold version-dependent information for those versions). In examples involving the use of coupled channels, such as L-STF358, L-LTF360, and L-SIG362, the information in U-SIG366 and EHT-SIG368 may be duplicated and transmitted on each of the constituent 20MHz channels. In some implementations, EHT-SIG368 may, in addition or alternatively, hold information on one or more non-primary 20MHz channels different from the information held on the primary 20MHz channel.

[0041] EHT-SIG368 may include one or more unified coded symbols, which may be coded in a different block from the block in which U-SIG366 is coded. EHT-SIG368 may be used to identify that an AP has scheduled UL or DL ​​resources for multiple STA104s and to inform the multiple STA104s. EHT-SIG368 may be decoded by each compatible STA104 served by AP102. EHT-SIG368 may generally be used by a receiving device to interpret bits in data field 376. For example, EHT-SIG368 may include, in particular among the examples, RU allocation information, spatial stream configuration information, and per-user signaling information such as MCS. EHT-SIG368 may further include a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) (e.g., 4 bits) and a tail (e.g., 6 bits), which may be used for binary convolutional code (BCC). In some implementations, EHT-SIG368 may include one or more code blocks, each containing a CRC and a tail. In some embodiments, each of the code blocks may be encoded separately.

[0042] The EHT-SIG368 may hold STA-specific scheduling information, such as user-specific MCS values ​​and user-specific RU allocation information. The EHT-SIG368 can generally be used by a receiving device to interpret bits in the data field 376. In the context of DL MU-OFDMA, such information allows each STA104 to identify and decode the corresponding RU in the associated data field 376. Each EHT-SIG368 may include a common field and at least one user-specific field. The common field may, in particular, indicate the RU distribution to multiple STA104s, the RU allocation in the frequency domain, which RUs are allocated to MU-MIMO transmissions, which RUs correspond to MU-OFDMA transmissions, and the number of users in the allocation. The common field may be encoded with common bits, CRC bits, and tail bits. The user-specific field may be assigned to a specific STA104 and used to schedule its unique RUs and indicate the scheduling to other WLAN devices. Each user-specific field may contain multiple user-block fields. Each user-block field may contain, for example, two user fields that store information for each of the two STAs in order to decode their respective RU payloads.

[0043] The presence of RL-SIG364 and U-SIG366 may indicate to the EHT or later version-compliant STA104 that PPDU350 is an EHT PPDU, or a PPDU compliant with any later (post-EHT) version of a new wireless communication protocol conforming to a future IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard. For example, U-SIG366 may be used by the receiving device to interpret bits in one or more of EHT-SIG368 or data field 376.

[0044] Figure 4 shows an exemplary PPDU 400 that can be used for communication between AP102 and several STA104s. As described above, each PPDU 400 includes a PHY preamble 402 and a PSDU 404. Each PSDU 404 may contain one or more MPDUs, such as an aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU) 406 containing multiple MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) subframes 408. Each MPDU subframe 408 may contain a MAC delimiter 412 and a MAC header 414 before an accompanying frame body 416 containing the data portion or "payload" of the MPDU subframe 408. The frame body 416 may contain one or more MSDUs, such as an aggregated MSDU (A-MSDU) 422 containing multiple MAC service data unit (MSDU) subframes 424. Each MSDU subframe 424 includes a corresponding MSDU 426, which includes a subframe header 428, a frame body 430, and one or more padding bits 432.

[0045] Referring again to the A-MPDU subframe 406, the MAC header 414 may include several fields that store information defining or indicating the characteristics or attributes of the data encapsulated within the frame body 416. The MAC header 414 also includes several fields that indicate the address for the data encapsulated within the frame body 416. For example, the MAC header 412 may include a combination of source address, transmitter address, receiver address, or destination address. The MAC header 414 may also include a frame control field that stores control information. The frame control field specifies the frame type, e.g., data frame, control frame, or management frame. The MAC header 414 may further include a duration field that indicates the duration extending from the end of the PPDU until the end of the acknowledgment (ACK) (e.g., block ACK (BA) in the case of A-MPDU) of the last PPDU to be transmitted by the wireless communication device. The duration field works to ensure the wireless medium is available for the indicated duration, and thus the NAV is established. Each A-MPDU subframe 408 may also include a frame check sequence (FCS) field 418 for error detection. For example, the FCS field 418 may include a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), which may be followed by one or more padding bits 420.

[0046] As described above, AP102 and STA104 can support multi-user (MU) communication. That is, simultaneous transmission from one device to each of multiple devices (e.g., multiple simultaneous downlink (DL) communications from AP102 to the corresponding STA104), or simultaneous transmission from multiple devices to a single device (e.g., multiple simultaneous uplink (UL) transmissions from the corresponding STA104 to AP102). To support MU transmission, AP102 and STA104 may utilize multi-user multiple-input, multiple-output (MU-MIMO) techniques and multi-user orthogonal frequency division multiple access (MU-OFDMA) techniques.

[0047] In the MU-OFDMA scheme, the available frequency spectrum of a wireless channel may be divided into multiple resource units (RUs), each containing several different frequency subcarriers ("tones"). Different RUs may be allocated or assigned by AP102 to different STA104 at a given time. The size and distribution of RUs may be referred to as RU allocation. In some implementations, RUs may be allocated at 2MHz intervals, so the smallest RU may contain 26 tones, consisting of 24 data tones and 2 pilot tones. As a result, a 20MHz channel may have up to 9 RUs allocated (such as a 2MHz, 26-tone RU), as some tones are reserved for other purposes. Similarly, a 160MHz channel may have up to 74 RUs allocated. Larger RUs with 52, 106, 242, 484, and 996 tones may also be allocated. For example, to reduce interference between adjacent RUs, to reduce the DC offset of the receiver, and to avoid leakage of the transmit center frequency, adjacent RUs may be separated by null subcarriers (such as DC subcarriers).

[0048] In the case of UL MU transmission, AP102 may send a trigger frame to initiate and synchronize UL MU-OFDMA or UL MU-MIMO transmissions from multiple STA104 to AP102. Such a trigger frame may allow multiple STA104 to transmit UL traffic to AP102 simultaneously. The trigger frame may address one or more STA104 via their respective association identifiers (AIDs), and may assign one or more RUs to each AID (and therefore each STA104) that can be used to transmit UL traffic to AP102. AP may also specify one or more random access (RA) RUs that unscheduled STA104s may compete for.

[0049] Figure 5 shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device 500. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 500 may be an example of a device for use in an STA, such as one of the STA104 described above with reference to Figure 1. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 500 may be an example of a device for use in an AP, such as an AP102 described above with reference to Figure 1. The wireless communication device 500 is capable of transmitting (or outputting for transmission) and receiving wireless communications (for example, in the form of wireless packets). For example, the wireless communication device 500 may be configured to transmit and receive packets in the form of Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) protocol data units (PPDUs) and Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol data units (MPDUs) that comply with IEEE 802.11 standards, including, but not limited to, 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be, as defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its amendments.

[0050] The wireless communication device 500 may be or may include a chip, system on a chip (SoC), chipset, package, or device, including one or more modems 502, for example, Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 compliant) modems. In some implementations, one or more modems 502 (collectively, "modem 502") may additionally include a WWAN modem (for example, a 3GPP® 4G LTE or 5G compliant modem). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 500 may also include one or more radios 504 (collectively, "radio 504"). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 500 may further include one or more processors, processing blocks, or processing elements 506 (collectively, "processor 506") and one or more memory blocks or memory elements 508 (collectively, "memory 508").

[0051] The modem 502 may include intelligent hardware blocks or devices, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), among other possible examples. The modem 502 is generally configured to implement the PHY layer. For example, the modem 502 is configured to modulate packets for transmission over a wireless medium and output the modulated packets to the radio 504. The modem 502 is similarly configured to acquire the modulated packets received by the radio 504, demodulate the packets, and provide the demodulated packets. In addition to the modulator and demodulator, the modem 502 may further include digital signal processing (DSP) circuitry, automatic gain control (AGC), a coder, a decoder, a multiplexer, and a demultiplexer. For example, while in transmit mode, data acquired from the processor 506 is provided to the coder, which encodes the data and provides encoded bits. The encoded bits are then mapped (using a selected MCS) to points in a modulation constellation to provide modulated symbols. Next, the modulated symbol is NSS A number of spatial streams or N STS It can be mapped to a number of spatiotemporal streams. Then, each spatial stream or modulated symbol in the spatiotemporal stream can be multiplexed and transformed via an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block and subsequently provided to a DSP circuit for Tx windowing and filtering. The digital signal can then be provided to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The resulting analog signal can then be provided to a frequency upconverter and finally to the radio 504. In implementations with beamforming, the modulated symbols in each spatial stream are precoded via a steering matrix before being provided to the IFFT block.

[0052] While in receive mode, the digital signal received from the radio 504 is supplied to a DSP circuit, which is configured to acquire the received signal, for example, by detecting the presence of the signal and estimating the initial timing and frequency offset. The DSP circuit configuration is further configured to digitally adjust the digital signal, for example, by using channel (narrowband) filtering, analog loss adjustments (such as correcting I / Q imbalance), and by applying digital gain to finally acquire a narrowband signal. The output of the DSP circuit may then be supplied to an AGC, which is configured to use information extracted from the digital signal in one or more received training fields to determine, for example, an appropriate gain. The output of the DSP circuit is also coupled to a demodulator, which is configured to extract modulated symbols from the signal and calculate, for example, logarithm likelihood ratios (LLRs) for each bit position of each subcarrier in each spatial stream. The demodulator may be coupled to a decoder, which is configured to process the LLRs and provide the decoded bits. Next, the decoded bits from all of the spatial stream are fed to a demultiplexer for demultiplexing. The demultiplexed bits may then be descrambled and provided to the MAC layer (processor 506) for processing, evaluation, or interpretation.

[0053] The radio 504 generally includes at least one radio frequency (RF) transmitter (or "transmitter chain") and at least one RF receiver (or "receiver chain"), which may be combined into one or more transceivers. For example, the RF transmitter and RF receiver may each include various DSP circuit configurations, each including at least one power amplifier (PA) and at least one low-noise amplifier (LNA). The RF transmitter and RF receiver may then be coupled to one or more antennas. For example, in some implementations, the wireless communication device 500 may include, or be coupled with, multiple transmitting antennas (each with a corresponding transmitting chain) and multiple receiving antennas (each with a corresponding receiving chain). Symbols output from the modem 502 are provided to the radio 504, which then transmits the symbols via the coupled antennas. Similarly, symbols received via the antennas are acquired by the radio 504, which then provides the symbols to the modem 502.

[0054] The processor 506 may include intelligent hardware blocks or devices, such as processing cores, processing blocks, central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The processor 506 processes information received via the radio 504 and modem 502, and processes information output via the modem 502 and radio 504 for transmission over a wireless medium. For example, the processor 506 may implement a control plane and MAC layer configured to perform various operations related to the generation and transmission of MPDUs, frames, or packets. The MAC layer is configured to perform, or facilitate, operations or techniques, particularly frame coding and decoding, spatial multiplexing, space-time block coding (STBC), beamforming, and OFDMA resource allocation. In some implementations, the processor 506 can control the modem 502 to generally cause the modem to perform the various operations described above.

[0055] Memory 508 may include tangible storage media such as random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. Memory 508 may also store non-temporary processor or computer executable software (SW) code that, when executed by processor 506, causes the processor to perform various operations for wireless communication described herein, including generating, transmitting, receiving, and interpreting MPDUs, frames, or packets. For example, various functions of the components disclosed herein, or various blocks or steps of the methods, operations, processes, or algorithms disclosed herein, may be implemented as one or more modules of one or more computer programs.

[0056] Figure 6A shows a block diagram of an exemplary AP602. For example, AP602 may be an exemplary implementation of AP102 described with reference to Figure 1. AP602 includes a wireless communication device (WCD) 610. For example, the wireless communication device 610 may be an exemplary implementation of the wireless communication device 500 described with reference to Figure 5. AP602 also includes a number of antennas 620 coupled to the wireless communication device 610 for transmitting and receiving wireless communications. In some implementations, AP602 further includes an application processor 630 coupled to the wireless communication device 610 and memory 640 coupled to the application processor 630. AP602 further includes at least one external network interface 650 that enables AP602 to communicate with a core network or backhaul network to obtain access to an external network, including the Internet. For example, the external network interface 650 may include one or both of a wired (e.g., Ethernet) network interface and a wireless network interface (such as a WWAN interface). Some of the components described above can communicate directly or indirectly with some of the other components via at least one bus. AP602 further includes a housing that includes a wireless communication device 610, an application processor 630, memory 640, and at least portions of the antenna 620 and external network interface 650.

[0057] Figure 6B shows a block diagram of an exemplary STA604. For example, STA604 may be an exemplary implementation of STA104 described with reference to Figure 1. STA604 includes a wireless communication device 615. For example, the wireless communication device 615 may be an exemplary implementation of the wireless communication device 500 described with reference to Figure 5. STA604 also includes one or more antennas 625 coupled with the wireless communication device 615 for transmitting and receiving wireless communications. STA604 further includes an application processor 635 coupled with the wireless communication device 615 and a memory 645 coupled with the application processor 635. In some implementations, STA604 further includes a user interface (UI) 655 (such as a touchscreen or keypad) and a display 665 which may be integrated with the UI 655 to form a touchscreen display. In some implementations, the STA604 may further include one or more sensors 675, such as one or more inertial sensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, or altitude sensors. Some of the above-described components can communicate directly or indirectly with some of the other components via at least one bus. The STA604 further includes a wireless communication device 615, an application processor 635, memory 645, and a housing that includes at least portions of the antenna 625, UI 655, and display 665.

[0058] As explained, wireless STAs, compared to APs, may have limited filtering capabilities that allow the reception of UL data on one communication link to interfere with the transmission of DL data on another communication link. As a result, an STA operating as an NSTR softAP MLD associated with a primary and non-primary link cannot simultaneously receive UL data on the non-primary link and transmit DL data on the primary link. Similarly, an STA operating as an NSTR softAP MLD cannot receive UL data on the primary link and simultaneously transmit DL data on the non-primary link.

[0059] Aspects of this disclosure recognize the importance of reducing or eliminating cross-link interference associated with NSTR softAP MLDs. In some implementations, an NSTR softAP MLD associated with a primary and a non-primary link may only notify the complete profile of the primary and non-primary links on the primary link. The NSTR softAP MLD may also only notify updates to one or more BSS parameters of the primary and non-primary links on the primary link. Notifying the complete profile of both links of the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link may allow some wireless communication devices operating on the primary link to discover and associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on one or both of the primary and non-primary links without scanning or investigating the non-primary links. In some implementations, a non-legacy device operating on the primary link may be able to decode or analyze the complete profile of both the primary and non-primary links, while a legacy device operating on the primary link may only be able to decode or analyze the complete profile of the primary link. As a result, a legacy device operating on the primary link may not be able to discover or associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on the non-primary links. Furthermore, by not providing a complete profile of any link on a non-primary link, legacy devices operating on a non-primary link may be unable to discover or associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on that non-primary link. In this way, various aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein may limit communication between the NSTR softAP MLD and legacy devices to the primary link.

[0060] Various embodiments of the subject matter described herein can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential benefits: By restricting communication between the NSTR softAP MLD and legacy devices to the primary link (and thereby preventing legacy devices from communicating with the NSTR softAP MLD on non-primary links), the NSTR softAP MLD can prevent legacy devices from transmitting UL data on non-primary links while the NSTR softAP MLD is transmitting DL data to one or more associated devices on the primary link. In this way, the implementations of the subject matter disclosed herein can reduce the likelihood that crosslink interference resulting from UL transmissions on non-primary links will degrade or otherwise interfere with DL transmissions from the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link.

[0061] Figure 7A shows a sequence diagram of an exemplary multilink communication 700 in several implementation configurations. In the example of Figure 7A, the multilink communication 700 may be performed between an STA operating as an NSTR softAP MLD and one or more associated STAs (only one associated STA is shown for simplification). The STAs can be any suitable wireless communication device, including, for example, STA104 and 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some implementation configurations, the NSTR softAP MLD may include a first AP associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with the non-primary link. In some cases, the first and second APs may be softAPs implemented by the STA operating as an NSTR softAP MLD.

[0062] The NSTR softAP MLD can be configured to broadcast a complete profile of both the primary and non-primary links in one or more frames transmitted only on the primary link. Therefore, several wireless communication devices within range of the NSTR softAP MLD may obtain a complete profile of both the primary and non-primary links while operating on the primary link. Specifically, in some cases, a non-legacy device that obtains a complete profile of both the primary and non-primary links may be associated with the NSTR softAP MLD on one or both of the primary and non-primary links, while a legacy device that receives a broadcasted complete profile on the primary link may be associated with the NSTR softAP MLD only on the primary link. In this way, communication between legacy devices and the NSTR softAP MLD can be restricted to the primary link, which in turn can reduce cross-link interference on the primary link caused by transmissions from legacy devices on non-primary links.

[0063] In the example in Figure 7A, the NSTR softAP MLD sends a first frame containing the complete profile of the primary link only on the primary link, and showing the complete profile of the non-primary links. In some implementations, the complete profile of each link may include at least the beacon interval, capability information, service set identifier (SSID), support rate, timing synchronization function (TSF) value, and one or more additional fields or elements associated with the discovery of each link. In some other implementations, the complete profile of each link may be defined to include all capability, operating parameters, and discovery information that will be included in the beacon frame or probe response broadcast by the AP running the BSS on each link.

[0064] In some implementations, the primary link may be configured as a full BSS, while non-primary links may be configured as pseudo-BSSs that share one or more capability and operational parameters with the primary link. For example, in some embodiments, non-primary links may have the same SSID, TSF value, and beacon interval as the primary link, and therefore may inherit these values ​​from the primary link. Thus, the SSID, TSF value, and beacon interval of the non-primary link may not be included in the first frame. In this way, the size of the first frame may be reduced or minimized. Other capability and operational parameters of the non-primary link may differ from those of the primary link, and therefore may not be inherited from the primary link. Examples of such capability and operational parameters include, but are not limited to, EDCA parameters, bandwidth, number of spatial streams (NSS), puncturing pattern, BSSID, and MLD capability.

[0065] The first frame can be any suitable frame that can hold or indicate the complete profile of both the primary and non-primary links. In some implementations, the first frame can be a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a reassociation response frame. In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may also transmit action frames, such as fast initial link setup (FILS) discovery frames, traffic indication map (TIM) frames, and notification frames, only on the primary link. The NSTR softAP MLD may also transmit group-addressed frames (such as multicast frames) only on the primary link. In this way, the NSTR softAP MLD may limit communication with legacy devices to the primary link.

[0066] In some implementations, the first frame includes a frame body containing multiple fields and elements followed by a multilink (ML) element. These fields and elements may hold a complete profile of the primary link. The ML element may include profile sub-elements per STA, indicating a complete profile of a non-primary link. The ML element may further include a common information field containing a BSS parameter change count (BPCC) field indicating an update to one or more basic service set (BSS) parameters associated with the primary link. In some cases, one or more bits in the multilink control field or common information field held in the ML element may indicate whether the first frame is transmitted from a first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD. For example, one or more bits in the multilink control field or common information field may be set to a first value to indicate that the first frame is transmitted from a first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD, or to a second value to indicate that the first frame is transmitted from an AP associated with the AP MLD (or other simultaneous transmit-receive (STR) device).

[0067] The body of the first frame may also include a reduced neighbor report (RNR) element that holds a neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link. The neighbor AP information field may hold a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) information field consisting of basic service set identification information (BSSID) and one or more MLD parameters of the non-primary link. As described, a non-primary link may be configured as a pseudo-BSS that inherits some capability and operational parameters from the primary link, and therefore the TBTT information field associated with a non-primary link may not include one or more subfields such as (but not limited to) the TBTT offset subfield, the shortened SSID subfield, the BSS parameter subfield, and the PSD subfield. The omission of these subfields may reduce the size or length of the TBTT information field in the neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link compared to the TBTT information field in the neighbor AP information field associated with other communication links. Therefore, the size or length of the TBTT information field in the neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link may be used by the receiving STA to determine whether the first frame was transmitted from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD. In some embodiments, the TBTT information field associated with a non-primary link consists of a 6-octet BSSID field and a 3-octet MLD parameter field, with a total length of 9 octets.

[0068] In some implementations, the Neighbor AP Information field may include a TBTT Information field type set to a value indicating that the Neighbor AP Information field holds only information associated with a non-primary link. In some cases, the Neighbor AP Information field may be of a new or undefined type, and the TBTT Information field type may be set to 1, or a reserved value indicating a new or undefined type of TBTT Information field. In this way, a receiving STA may determine that the first frame was transmitted from a first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD by parsing the TBTT Information field type in the Neighbor AP Information field associated with a non-primary link. In some cases, a non-legacy device may recognize the new type of TBTT Information field disclosed herein and thus obtain a complete profile of both the primary and non-primary links from the first frame. Conversely, a legacy device may not understand the new type of TBTT Information field disclosed herein and therefore may ignore the TBTT Information field in the Neighbor AP Information field associated with a non-primary link. In this way, aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein may prevent at least some legacy devices from discovering a non-primary link based on information received on the primary link.

[0069] In some cases, the MLD parameter field of the TBTT information field may include a Basic Service Set (BSS) Parameter Change Count (BPCC) field that holds a value indicating an update to one or more Basic Service Set (BSS) parameters associated with a non-primary link. In some other cases, the value indicating an update to one or more BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link may be held in another preferred field, element, or header of the first frame.

[0070] The STA may receive a first frame transmitted by the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link and parse the first frame to obtain a complete profile of the primary and non-primary links. The STA may use the complete primary link profile to discover or associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link, and may use the complete non-primary link profile to discover or associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on the non-primary link. In some cases, the STA may transmit a response frame on the primary link containing capability information, operating parameters, and other information that may be used for association and authentication procedures with the NSTR softAP MLD. After the STA is associated with the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link, the STA and the NSTR softAP MLD may exchange data, control signals, and other information with each other on the primary link. In implementations where the STA is a multi-radio device with STR capability, the STA may also associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on the non-primary links and exchange data, control signals, and other information with the NSTR softAP MLD on the non-primary links.

[0071] In some cases, one or more BSS parameters associated with a primary link may be modified or updated. Similarly, one or more BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link may be modified or updated. In some implementations, the BSS parameters for each communication link may include one or more of the following: Channel Switch Announcement (CSA) elements, Extended Channel Switch Announcement (eCSA) elements, Extended Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) parameters, Waiting Period elements, Direct Spreading Scheme (DSSS) parameter sets, High Throughput (HT) operation elements, Very High Throughput (VHT) operation elements, High Efficiency (HE) operation elements, Ultra High Throughput (EHT) operation elements, Broadband Channel Switch elements, Operation Mode Announcement elements, Broadcast Target Waiting Time (TWT) elements, BSS Color Change Announcement elements, Multi-User (MU) EDCA parameter sets, Spatial Reuse parameter sets, or Uplink (UL) Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) Random Access (UORA) parameter sets.

[0072] In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may generate and transmit a second frame indicating updates to one or more BSS parameters of the primary link and updates to one or more BSS parameters of a non-primary link, but only on the primary link. Specifically, when the NSTR softAP MLD receives or determines updates to one or more BSS parameters of the primary link, it may increment the BPCC value associated with the primary link and insert the incremented BPCC value into the BPCC subfield of the common information field of the ML element held in the second frame. When the NSTR softAP MLD receives or determines updates to one or more BSS parameters of a non-primary link, it may increment the BPCC value associated with the non-primary link and insert the incremented BPCC value into the BPCC subfield of the MLD parameter field in the neighbor AP information field of the RNR element held in the second frame. In some cases, NSTR softAP MLD may also set a critical update flag (CUF) held in the capability information field of the second frame based on incrementing the BPCC value associated with the non-primary link.

[0073] The STA may receive and analyze the second frame to obtain BSS parameter updates for the primary and non-primary links. In some implementations, the second frame may be one of the following: a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a re-association response frame. In some cases, the second frame may contain updated BSS parameters for one or both of the primary and non-primary links. In other implementations, the second frame may be an action frame, such as an announcement frame. In some embodiments, one or more updated BSS parameters for each communication link may be part of a partial profile of each communication link. For example, in some embodiments, the NSTR softAP MLD may send an unsolicited broadcast probe response frame on the primary link, holding a partial profile of each communication link with one or more updated BSS parameters. The STA may then send UL data to the NSTR softAP MLD, at least on the primary link, and the NSTR softAP MLD may send DL data to the STA, at least on the primary link.

[0074] Figure 7B shows a sequence diagram illustrating another exemplary multilink communication 710 in several implementation forms. In the example in Figure 7B, the multilink communication 710 may be performed between an NSTR softAP MLD and one or more associated STAs (only one associated STA is shown for simplification) as described with reference to Figure 7A. The NSTR softAP MLD may include a first AP associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with the non-primary link. In some cases, the first and second APs may be softAPs implemented by an STA acting as an NSTR softAP MLD.

[0075] As explained with reference to Figure 7A, the NSTR softAP MLD may broadcast the complete profiles of both the primary and non-primary links only on the primary link. Broadcasting the complete profiles of both links only on the primary link may allow non-legacy devices to discover and associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on one or both of the primary and non-primary links, while preventing legacy devices from discovering and associating with the NSTR softAP MLD on the non-primary link.

[0076] In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may determine that the non-primary link is unavailable. The non-primary link may be unavailable for various reasons for multilink communication between the NSTR softAP MLD and its associated STA. For example, the non-primary link may be unavailable when it is used for a cellular link in a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network (RAN) or a fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) access network. In another example, the non-primary link may be unavailable when it is placed in a power-saving mode (including sleep mode or dose mode) to reduce power consumption or to extend the battery life of the STA operating as the NSTR softAP MLD. In yet another example, the non-primary link may be unavailable when it is used for peer-to-peer (P2P) communication or intra-STA communication.

[0077] Aspects of this disclosure recognize that a primary link may be more suitable for notifying an STA associated with an NSTR softAP MLD of the unavailability of a non-primary link. In some implementations, an NSTR softAP MLD may generate a first frame that includes a critical update flag (CUF) set to 1 and a Do Not Transmit (DNT) bit set to 1, based on the unavailability of a non-primary link. In some cases, the CUF may be held in the capability information field of the first frame, and the DNT bit may be held in a per-STA profile sub-element or RNR element of the first frame.

[0078] An NSTR softAP MLD can only transmit the first frame to the STA (and other associated devices operating on the primary link) over the primary link. In some implementations, an NSTR softAP MLD can operate as a single-link device on the primary link based on an unavailable non-primary link. For example, in some cases, an NSTR softAP MLD can remain fully operational on the primary link while putting the softAP (or other transmit chains, receive chains, signal processing circuits, etc.) associated with the non-primary link into sleep, dose, or power-off state. In this single-link state, the NSTR softAP MLD can operate the BSS as a single-link BSS on the primary link while reducing (or nearly eliminating) the power consumption associated with operating on the non-primary link.

[0079] The STA may receive the first frame and analyze it to obtain an indication that the non-primary link is unavailable. In some cases, the first frame may be one of the following: a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a re-association response frame. In other cases, the first frame may be an action frame, such as a notification frame. The NSTR softAP MLD operates as a single-link device on the primary link, but the NSTR softAP MLD and its associated STA can only exchange frames with each other on the primary link.

[0080] Non-primary links may become available while the NSTR softAP MLD is operating as a single-link device on the primary link. The NSTR softAP MLD may determine that a non-primary link is available and transmit an indication that it is available. In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may reset the DNT bit associated with the non-primary link and transmit a second frame with at least the reset DNT bit, but only on the primary link. In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may operate as a multi-link device on both the primary and non-primary links based on its determination that a non-primary link is available. For example, the NSTR softAP MLD may restore the softAP (or other transmit chain, receive chain, signal processing circuit, etc.) associated with the non-primary link to a fully operational state. In this multi-link state, the NSTR softAP MLD can operate the BSS on both the primary and non-primary links.

[0081] The STA may receive a second frame and analyze it to obtain an indication that the non-primary link is available. In some cases, the second frame may be one of the following: a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a re-association response frame. In other cases, the second frame may be an action frame, such as a notification frame. Subsequently, the NSTR softAP MLD and its associated STA may exchange frames with each other over one or both of the primary and non-primary links.

[0082] In some implementations, determining the unavailability of a non-primary link may include or be associated with placing the non-primary link into a power-saving state (including sleep or dose state), which may reduce power consumption and extend the battery life of the NSTR softAP MLD. In some other implementations, determining the unavailability of a non-primary link may include or be associated with disabling the non-primary link. In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may disable a non-primary link by removing it from the multilink context associated with the primary and non-primary links, thereby preventing the NSTR softAP MLD's associated STA from using the non-primary link. When the non-primary link becomes available, the NSTR softAP MLD may return or add the non-primary link to the multilink context, thereby enabling the NSTR softAP MLD's associated STA to use the non-primary link (in addition to the primary link). In some embodiments, the NSTR softAP MLD may send a first notification frame on the primary link to indicate that the non-primary link is no longer included in the multilink context, and a second notification frame on the primary link to indicate that the non-primary link has been added to the multilink context. In some other embodiments, the NSTR softAP MLD may disable the non-primary link by remapping the Traffic Identifier (TID) from the non-primary link to the primary link. When the non-primary link becomes available, the NSTR softAP MLD may remapping the TID from the primary link to the non-primary link.In some embodiments, the NSTR softAP MLD may send a first notification frame on the primary link to indicate that a TID associated with a non-primary link has been remapped to the primary link, and may send a second notification frame on the primary link to indicate that several TIDs associated with the primary link have been remapped to a non-primary link.

[0083] Figure 8A shows a sequence diagram illustrating exemplary multilink communication 800 in several other implementation forms. In the example in Figure 8A, multilink communication 800 may be performed between an NSTR softAP MLD and one or more associated STAs (only one associated STA is shown for simplification) as described with reference to Figures 7A and 7B. The NSTR softAP MLD may include a first AP associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with the non-primary link. In some cases, the first and second APs may be softAPs implemented by an STA acting as an NSTR softAP MLD.

[0084] As explained, the NSTR softAP MLD can advertise a complete profile of both the primary and non-primary links in one or more frames transmitted only on the primary link. Therefore, a non-legacy device may be able to discover a non-primary link while operating on the primary link, and a legacy device operating on either the primary or non-primary link may not be able to discover a non-primary link associated with the NSTR softAP MLD. In this way, communication between the NSTR softAP MLD and legacy devices may be restricted to the primary link, which in turn may reduce the possibility of UL transmissions on non-primary links while the NSTR softAP MLD is transmitting DL data to one or more associated devices on the primary link. This in turn may prevent or reduce cross-link interference on DL transmissions on the primary link resulting from simultaneous UL transmissions on non-primary links.

[0085] As explained, an NSTR softAP MLD may send a management frame on the primary link only, containing the complete profile of the primary link and indicating the complete profiles of non-primary links. The STA can receive the management frame and use the complete profile of the primary link to associate it with and authenticate the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link. In some cases, the STA can use the complete profile of the non-primary link to associate it with and authenticate the NSTR softAP MLD on the non-primary link.

[0086] In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may instruct the STA to exchange ready-to-send (RTS) and clear-to-send (CTS) frames with the NSTR softAP MLD before sending UL data to the NSTR softAP MLD. In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may send a frame containing instructions to perform RTS / CTS frame exchange on the primary link before sending UL data to the NSTR softAP MLD. In some other cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may instruct the STA to perform RTS / CTS frame exchange during association with the NSTR softAP MLD before sending UL data to the NSTR softAP MLD.

[0087] The STA receives the command. Later, such as when the STA queues the UL data to be sent, the STA may send an RTS frame to the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link. The NSTR softAP MLD receives the RTS frame, determines that the non-primary link is available, and sends a CTS frame to the STA on both the primary and non-primary links. The STA receives the CTS frame on both the primary and non-primary links and, based on having received the CTS frame on both the primary and non-primary links, determines that the non-primary link is available. The STA sends one or more UL PPDUs to the NSTR softAP MLD on one or both of the primary and non-primary links. In some cases, sending the CTS frame to the STA on both the primary and non-primary links may allow the STA to link the non-primary and primary links together.

[0088] The NSTR softAP MLD may later determine that the non-primary link is unavailable. In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may set CUF to equal to 1 and the DNT bit to equal to 1 based on its determination that the non-primary link is unavailable. In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may indicate the non-primary link's unavailability by sending a CTS frame only on the primary link based on its reception of an RTS frame from the STA. For example, when the STA has queued UL data, the STA sends another RTS frame to the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link. The NSTR softAP MLD receives the RTS frame and, based on the non-primary link's unavailability, sends a CTS frame to the STA only on the primary link. The STA receives the CTS frame and, based on receiving a CTS frame only on the primary link, determines that the non-primary link is unavailable. The STA sends one or more UL PPDUs to the NSTR softAP MLD only on the primary link.

[0089] In some other implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may perform a channel switching operation based on its determination that the non-primary link is unavailable. For example, in some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may switch the primary link from the first wireless channel to the second wireless channel while simultaneously switching the non-primary link from the second wireless channel to the first wireless channel. In some embodiments, the first wireless channel may be located in the 6GHz frequency band and the second wireless channel may be located in the 5GHz frequency band. In other embodiments, the first wireless channel may be located in the 5GHz frequency band and the second wireless channel may be located in the 6GHz frequency band. In some other embodiments, the first wireless channel may be located in one of the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz frequency bands, and the second wireless channel may be located in another one of the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz frequency bands.

[0090] The NSTR softAP MLD may use any preferred rule or mechanism to simultaneously switch channels on primary and non-primary links. In some implementations, when performing a channel switching operation, the NSTR softAP MLD may use a channel switching announcement (CSA) element or an extended channel switching announcement (eCSA) element contained in the body of a management frame (such as a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, or reassociation response frame) transmitted on the primary link.

[0091] Figure 8B shows a sequence diagram illustrating another exemplary multilink communication 810 in several other implementation forms. In the example in Figure 8B, the multilink communication 810 may be performed between an NSTR softAP MLD and one or more associated STAs (only one associated STA is shown for simplification) as described with reference to Figures 7A and 7B. The NSTR softAP MLD may include a first AP associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with a non-primary link. In some cases, the first and second APs may be softAPs implemented by an STA acting as an NSTR softAP MLD. As described, the NSTR softAP MLD may only advertise primary and non-primary link profiles on the primary link.

[0092] In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD transmits a first frame containing a complete profile of the primary link and MLD information common to both primary and non-primary links, only on the primary link. In some cases, the first frame may contain a frame body with multiple fields and elements followed by an ML element. These fields and elements may hold the complete profile of the primary link. The ML element may consist of MLD common information; that is, the ML element contained in the first frame may not include link information relevant to non-primary links. In some cases, the MLD common information may include (but is not limited to) the MLD Media Access Control (MAC) address field, the Link ID information field, the BPCC field, the synchronization delay field, the Enhanced Multi-Link (EML) capability field, and the MLD capability field. The MLD MAC address field may contain the MAC address of the NSTR softAP MLD. The BPCC field may indicate updates to one or more BSS parameters associated with the primary link.

[0093] The STA may receive a first frame transmitted over the primary link, analyze the first frame to obtain a complete profile of the primary link and MLD common information. The STA may use the complete profile of the primary link to discover or associate an NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link, and may use the MLD common information to determine whether to request a complete profile of a non-primary link from the AP MLD.

[0094] The STA sends a second frame on the primary link containing a request for a complete profile of the non-primary link. In some cases, the second frame may be a probe request frame. In other cases, the second frame may be an association request frame. In some other cases, the second frame may be a re-association request frame.

[0095] The NSTR softAP MLD receives the second frame and parses the request for a complete profile of the non-primary link. In response to the request, the NSTR softAP MLD sends a third frame, showing the complete profile of the non-primary link, only on the primary link. In some implementations, the body of the third frame may include an ML element and an RNR element. The ML element may hold profile sub-elements for each STA showing the complete profile of the non-primary link. The RNR element may include a neighbor AP information field associated with the non-primary link, consisting of the BSSID of the non-primary link and one or more MLD parameters. In some cases, the MLD parameter field of the TBTT information field held in the neighbor AP information field may include a PBCC field that holds a value indicating whether any of the non-primary link's BSS parameters have been updated. In some other cases, the value indicating whether any of the non-primary link's BSS parameters have been updated may be held in another preferred field, element, or header of the third frame.

[0096] As explained with reference to Figure 7A, the primary link may be configured as a full BSS, while the non-primary link may be configured as a pseudo-BSS that shares at least some capability and operational parameters with the primary link. In some cases, the non-primary link may have the same SSID, TSF value, and beacon interval as the primary link, and may inherit these values ​​from the primary link. The non-primary link may also inherit the TBTT offset, abbreviated SSID, BSS parameters, and PSD limit of the primary link. Therefore, the TBTT offset, abbreviated SSID, BSS parameters, and PSD subfields are not present in the TBTT information field held in the neighbor AP information field associated with the non-primary link, thereby reducing the length or size of the corresponding RNR element.

[0097] In various implementations, the first frame may be a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a reassociation response frame. The second frame may be a probe request frame, an association request frame, or a reassociation request frame. The third frame may be a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a reassociation response frame.

[0098] Figure 9A shows a timing diagram of an exemplary multilink communication 900 in several implementation configurations. In the example of Figure 9A, the multilink communication 900 may be performed between an NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figures 7A, 7B, 8A, or 8B, and two associated wireless stations STA1 and STA2. The STAs can be any suitable wireless communication devices, including, for example, STA104 and 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. The NSTR softAP MLD may include a first AP associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with a non-primary link. In some cases, the first and second APs may be softAPs implemented by an STA operating as an NSTR softAP MLD. In some implementations, STA1 is a legacy device configured to operate in accordance with revisions to the 802.11 family of wireless communication standards such as IEEE 802.11ax or earlier, while STA2 is a non-legacy device configured to operate in accordance with revisions to the 802.11 family of wireless communication standards such as IEEE 802.11be or later.

[0099] Before time t0, the NSTR softAP MLD competes for channel access to the primary link using a suitable channel access mechanism (such as the EDCA mechanism) and obtains a transmission opportunity (TXOP) on the primary link. After obtaining a TXOP on the primary link, the NSTR softAP MLD may also obtain channel access to non-primary links. In some cases, obtaining channel access to non-primary links may be based on obtaining channel access or a TXOP on the primary link. In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may restrict transmission on non-primary links to individually addressed frames.

[0100] At time t0, the NSTR softAP MLD transmits a first beacon frame 901 on the primary link only, which includes the complete profile of the primary link and shows the complete profile of the non-primary link. The primary link may be configured as a complete BSS, and the non-primary link may be configured as a pseudo-BSS that inherits one or more capability and operational parameters from the primary link. For example, in some embodiments, the non-primary link may inherit the SSID, TSF value, and beacon interval from the primary link.

[0101] The beacon frame 901 includes a frame body containing multiple fields and elements followed by an ML element. These fields and elements may hold a complete profile of the primary link. The ML element may contain profile sub-elements per STA indicating a complete profile of a non-primary link. The ML element may include a common information field containing a BPCC field indicating an update to one or more BSS parameters associated with the primary link. In some cases, one or more bits in the multilink control field or common information field held in the ML element may indicate whether the first beacon frame 901 is transmitted from a first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD. For example, one or more bits in the multilink control field or common information field may be set to a first value to indicate that the first beacon frame 901 is transmitted from a first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD, or to a second value to indicate that the first beacon frame 901 is transmitted from an AP associated with a simultaneous transmit / receive (STR) device (such as an AP MLD).

[0102] The first beacon frame 901 may also include an RNR element that has a neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link. The neighbor AP information field may have a TBTT information field consisting of the BSSID and one or more MLD parameters of the non-primary link. In some cases, the MLD parameter field of the TBTT information field may include a BPCC field that has values ​​indicating updates to one or more BSS parameters associated with the non-primary link. In some other cases, one or more values ​​indicating updates to one or more BSS parameters associated with the non-primary link may be held in another preferred field, element, or header of the first beacon frame 901.

[0103] STA1 and STA2 can receive the first beacon frame 901 on the primary link and analyze the first beacon frame 901 to obtain a complete profile of the primary and non-primary links. In some implementations, each of STA1 and STA2 can analyze or decode the complete profile of the primary link contained in the fields and elements contained in the body of the first beacon frame 901. As a non-legacy device, STA2 may also be able to analyze or decode the complete profile of the non-primary link indicated in the ML element of the first beacon frame 901. As a legacy device, STA1 may not be able to analyze or decode one or more portions of the ML elements contained in the first beacon frame 901, and therefore may not be able to obtain capability, operational parameters, and other discovery information associated with the non-primary link from the first beacon frame 901. STA1 may also not be able to analyze or decode one or more portions of the RNR elements contained in the first beacon frame 901. Therefore, STA2 may be able to use the information obtained from the first beacon frame 901 to discover and associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on both the primary and non-primary links, while STA1 may only be able to use the information obtained from the first beacon frame 901 to discover and associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link. In this way, communication between the NSTR softAP MLD and STA1 (and other legacy devices associated with the NSTR softAP MLD) may be restricted to the primary link.

[0104] At time t1, the NSTR softAP MLD transmits the first DL PPDU 911 to STA1 on the primary link and simultaneously transmits the second DL PPDU 912 to STA2 on the non-primary link. In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may use the first group of antenna resources to transmit DL PPDU 911 to the first group of STAs (such as STA1) on the primary link, and the second group of antenna resources to transmit DL PPDU 912 to the second group of STAs (such as STA2) on the non-primary link.

[0105] Between times t1 and t2, STA1 receives the first DL PPDU 911 on the primary link, and STA2 receives the second DL PPDU 912 on the non-primary link. Simultaneous transmission of DL PPDUs 911 and 912 on the primary and non-primary links may prevent wireless communication devices associated with the NSTR softAP MLD (such as STA1 and STA2) from transmitting UL data to the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary and non-primary links between times t1 and t2.

[0106] In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD competes for channel access to the primary link at time t2-t3 using a suitable channel access mechanism to acquire another TXOP on the primary link. After acquiring a TXOP on the primary link, the NSTR softAP MLD may acquire channel access to a non-primary link and acquire a TXOP on that non-primary link. In some other cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may hold TXOPs acquired on the primary and non-primary links at time t0-t1 and may not need to compete for channel access at time t2-t3.

[0107] At time t3, the NSTR softAP MLD transmits the second beacon frame 902 only on the primary link. In some implementations, the second beacon frame 902 may be similar to the first beacon frame 901 by, for example, holding the complete profile of the primary link and indicating the complete profile of the non-primary link. In some other implementations, the second beacon frame 902 may contain less information than the first beacon frame 901. For example, in some cases, the second beacon frame 902 may hold or indicate a partial profile of either the primary link or the non-primary link, or both. In some other cases, the second beacon frame 902 may hold the complete or partial profile of the primary link and may not include capability or operational parameters of the non-primary link. In some implementations, the second beacon frame 902 may be similar to the first frame described with reference to Figure 8B by, for example, holding or indicating only the BSSID and MLD common parameters of the non-primary link.

[0108] At time t4, the NSTR softAP MLD transmits a DL PPDU 921 to STA1 over the primary link. STA1 may receive the DL PPDU 921 over the primary link between times t4 and t5. Aspects of this disclosure recognize that crosslink interference resulting from the transmission of the DL PPDU 921 over the primary link may cause a period of “defness” over the non-primary link during which the NSTR softAP MLD may be unable to receive or properly decode UL transmissions over the non-primary link. In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may cause the non-primary link to enter a def state 914 while transmitting the DL PPDU 921 over the primary link. While in the def state 914, the non-primary link may not be available for communication between the NSTR softAP MLD and its associated STA. Specifically, in some embodiments, STA2 (and other wireless communication devices associated with the NSTR softAP MLD) may not be permitted to transmit UL data over the non-primary link during the def state 914. In this way, UL transmissions that may not be received or properly decoded by the NSTR softAP MLD due to crosslink interference resulting from the transmission of DL PPDU 921 on the primary link can be prevented or delayed until after the DL transmission has finished.

[0109] The def state 914 can be any preferred duration. In some cases, the duration of the def state 914 may be temporally aligned with the transmission duration of the DL PPDU 921 on the primary link. In some other cases, the duration of the def state 914 may include a guard time, followed by the transmission duration of the DL PPDU 921, and then another guard time. Other durations may be preferred for the def state 914. In some implementations, the guard time may be selected to prevent (or reduce by a certain amount or more) the effects of crosslink interference on DL communications transmitted over a non-primary link. For example, in some cases, the duration of the guard time may be configured to ensure that the first and last symbols of the DL PPDU 921 do not interfere with UL transmissions over a non-primary link.

[0110] After the transmission of DL PPDU 921 is complete, the NSTR softAP MLD restores the non-primary link from the defied state 914. The NSTR softAP MLD may restore the non-primary link from the defied state 914 using any preferred defied restoration rule or mechanism. In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may send an indication of the availability of the non-primary link on the primary link based on the restoration of the non-primary link. In implementations where the NSTR softAP MLD removed the non-primary link from the multilink context when the non-primary link was placed in the defied state 914 (and thus made unavailable), restoring the non-primary link from the defied state 914 may include adding the non-primary link to the multilink context. In some embodiments, the NSTR softAP MLD may send a notification frame on the primary link to indicate that the non-primary link has been added to the multilink context. In an implementation where the NSTR softAP MLD remaps TIDs from the non-primary link to the primary link when the non-primary link is placed in deficient state 914 (and thus made unavailable), restoring the non-primary link from deficient state 914 may include remapping TIDs from the primary link to the non-primary link. In some embodiments, the NSTR softAP MLD may send a notification frame on the primary link to indicate that some TIDs belonging to the primary link have been remapped to the non-primary link.

[0111] At time t6, STA1 transmits UL PPDU 922 to NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link, and STA2 transmits UL PPDU 923 to NSTR softAP MLD on the non-primary link. NSTR softAP MLD receives UL PPDU 922 and 923 at times t6-t7. Simultaneous transmission of UL PPDU 922 and 923 on the primary and non-primary links can prevent NSTR softAP MLD from transmitting DL data on the primary and non-primary links at times t6-t7, thus eliminating the need to place the non-primary link in a deficient state at times t6-t7.

[0112] In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD competes for channel access to the primary link at time t7-t8, using a suitable channel access mechanism to acquire another TXOP on the primary link. After acquiring a TXOP on the primary link, the NSTR softAP MLD may acquire channel access to a non-primary link and acquire a TXOP on that non-primary link.

[0113] At time t8, the NSTR softAP MLD transmits the third beacon frame 903 only on the primary link. In some implementations, the third beacon frame 903 may be similar to the first beacon frame 901, for example, by containing the complete profile of the primary link and indicating the complete profile of the non-primary link. In some other implementations, the third beacon frame 903 may be similar to the second beacon frame 902, for example, by containing less information than the first beacon frame 901.

[0114] At time t9, STA1 sends UL PPDU 931 to NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link. 10The NSTR softAP MLD receives the UL PPDU 931 on the primary link. Aspects of this disclosure recognize that cross-link interference resulting from the transmission of the UL PPDU 931 on the primary link may interfere with DL transmissions on the non-primary link. In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD places the non-primary link in a defied state 932 while transmitting the UL PPDU 931 on the primary link. While in the defied state 931, the non-primary link may not be available for communication between the NSTR softAP MLD and its associated STA. In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may not transmit DL data on the non-primary link while in the defied state 932. In this way, DL transmissions on the non-primary link, which are susceptible to cross-link interference resulting from the transmission of the UL PPDU 931 on the primary link, may be prevented or delayed until after the defied state 932 has ended. In some cases, STA2 (and other wireless communication devices associated with NSTR softAP MLD) may not be permitted to transmit UL data over a non-primary link during DEF state 932.

[0115] The def state 932 can be any preferred duration. In some cases, the duration of the def state 932 may be temporally aligned with the transmission duration of the UL PPDU 931 on the primary link. In some other cases, the duration of the def state 932 may include a guard time, followed by the transmission duration of the UL PPDU 931, and then another guard time. Other durations may be preferred for the def state 932. In some implementations, the guard time may be selected to prevent (or reduce by a certain amount or more) the effects of cross-link interference on DL communications transmitted over the non-primary link. For example, in some cases, the duration of the guard time may be configured to ensure that DL transmissions on the non-primary link do not interfere with the first or last symbol of the UL PPDU 931. After the transmission of the UL PPDU 931 has finished, or after the def state 932 has expired, the NSTR softAP MLD returns the non-primary link from the def state 932.

[0116] Figure 9B shows a timing diagram illustrating exemplary multilink communication 940 in several other implementations. In some implementations, multilink communication 940 may be performed between the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 9A and wireless stations STA1 and STA2. In some other implementations, multilink communication 940 may be performed between the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figures 7A, 7B, 8A, or 8B and associated wireless stations STA1 and STA2. The STAs can be any suitable wireless communication devices, including, for example, the STA104 and 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. The NSTR softAP MLD may include a first AP associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with a non-primary link. In some cases, the first and second APs may be softAPs implemented by the STAs operating as the NSTR softAP MLD. As explained, STA1 is a legacy device configured to operate in accordance with revisions to the 802.11 family of wireless communication standards, such as IEEE 802.11ax or earlier, while STA2 is a non-legacy device configured to operate in accordance with revisions to the 802.11 family of wireless communication standards, such as IEEE 802.11be or later.

[0117] Before time t0, the NSTR softAP MLD competes for channel access to the primary link using a suitable channel access mechanism (such as the EDCA mechanism) and obtains a TXOP on the primary link. After obtaining a TXOP on the primary link, the NSTR softAP MLD may also obtain channel access to non-primary links. In some cases, obtaining channel access to non-primary links may be based on obtaining channel access or a TXOP on the primary link. In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may restrict transmission on non-primary links to individually addressed frames.

[0118] At time t0, the NSTR softAP MLD transmits a first beacon frame 941 only on the primary link. The first beacon frame 941 may contain the complete profile of the primary link and may represent the complete profile of the non-primary link. As described, the primary link may be configured as a complete BSS, and the non-primary link may be configured as a pseudo-BSS that inherits one or more capability and operational parameters from the primary link. For example, in some embodiments, the non-primary link may have the same SSID, TSF value, and beacon interval as the primary link and may inherit the SSID, TSF value, and beacon interval from the primary link.

[0119] In some implementations, the first beacon frame 941 may be similar to the first beacon frame 901 in Figure 9A. That is, the first beacon frame 941 may include a frame body containing multiple fields and elements followed by an ML element. The multiple fields and elements may hold the complete profile of the primary link. The ML element may hold profile sub-elements for each STA showing the complete profile of the non-primary link. The ML element may include a common information field containing a BPCC field indicating an update to one or more BSS parameters of the primary link. One or more bits of the multilink control field or common information field held in the ML element may indicate whether the first beacon frame 941 is transmitted from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD. The first beacon frame 941 may also include an RNR element containing a neighbor AP information field associated with the non-primary link. The neighbor AP information field may contain a TBTT information field consisting of the BSSID and one or more MLD parameters of the non-primary link. In some cases, the MLD parameter field of the TBTT information field held in the neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link may include a BPCC field that holds a value indicating an update to one or more BSS parameters of the non-primary link. In some other cases, the value indicating an update to one or more BSS parameters of the non-primary link may be held in another preferred field, element, or header of the first beacon frame 941.

[0120] STA1 and STA2 can receive the first beacon frame 941 on the primary link and analyze the beacon frame 941 to obtain a complete profile of the primary and non-primary links. In some implementations, each of STA1 and STA2 can analyze or decode the complete profile of the primary link contained in the fields and elements included in the body of the first beacon frame 941. As a non-legacy device, STA2 may also be able to analyze or decode the complete profile of the non-primary link indicated in the ML element of the first beacon frame 941. As a legacy device, STA1 may not be able to analyze or decode one or more portions of the ML elements contained in the first beacon frame 941, and therefore may not be able to obtain the capabilities, operating parameters, and other discovery information of the non-primary link from the first beacon frame 941. STA1 may also not be able to analyze or decode one or more portions of the RNR elements contained in the first beacon frame 941. Therefore, STA2 may be able to use the information obtained from the first beacon frame 941 to discover and associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on both the primary and non-primary links, while STA1 may only be able to use the information obtained from the first beacon frame 941 to discover and associate with the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link. In this way, communication between the NSTR softAP MLD and STA1 (and other legacy devices) may be limited to the primary link.

[0121] At time t1, NSTR softAP MLD transmits a second trigger frame 952 on the non-primary link and a first trigger frame 951 on the primary link. The first trigger frame 951 may request UL transmissions from the first group of STAs (including STA1) on the primary link, and the second trigger frame 952 may request UL transmissions from the second group of STAs (including STA2) on the non-primary link.

[0122] Between times t2 and t3, STA1 transmits a trigger-based (TB) PPDU 961 to the NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link based on receiving the first trigger frame 951, and STA2 transmits a TB PPDU 962 to the NSTR softAP MLD on the non-primary link based on receiving the second trigger frame 952. The simultaneous transmission of TB PPDUs 961 and 962 from STA1 and STA2 on the primary and non-primary links, respectively, can prevent the NSTR softAP MLD from transmitting DL data on the primary and non-primary links between times t2 and t3, thereby eliminating the need to place the non-primary link in a deficient state between times t2 and t3.

[0123] In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD can establish coordinated TWT sessions on primary and non-primary links. Although not shown in Figure 9B for simplification, a TWT session on a primary link may include one or more service periods (SPs) that the NSTR softAP MLD can schedule transmissions to and from STA1 or a first group of STAs on the primary link, and a TWT session on a non-primary link may include one or more SPs that the NSTR softAP MLD can schedule transmissions to and from STA2 or a second group of STAs on the non-primary link. In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD can synchronize the TWT SPs of each TWT session established on the primary and non-primary links with each other. For example, coordinating each TWT session or TWT SP on the primary and non-primary links may enable the NSTR softAP MLD to schedule the UL transmission of TB PPDU 961 from STA1 on the primary link simultaneously with the UL transmission of TB PPDU 962 from STA2 on the non-primary link. In this way, the transmission of TB PPDU 961 from STA1 on the primary link can be timely synchronized with the transmission of TB PPDU 962 from STA2 on the non-primary link.

[0124] In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD uses a suitable channel access mechanism (such as an EDCA mechanism) to compete for channel access to the primary link at times t3-t4 and obtain a TXOP on the primary link. After obtaining a TXOP on the primary link, the NSTR softAP MLD may acquire channel access to a non-primary link and obtain a TXOP on that link. In some other cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may hold onto TXOPs obtained on both the primary and non-primary links at times t0-t1, and may not need to compete for channel access at times t3-t4.

[0125] At time t4, the NSTR softAP MLD transmits a second beacon frame 942 only on the primary link. In some implementations, the second beacon frame 942 may be similar to the first beacon frame 941 by, for example, holding the complete profile of the primary link and indicating the complete profile of the non-primary link. In some other implementations, the second beacon frame 942 may contain less information than the first beacon frame 941. For example, in some cases, the second beacon frame 942 may hold or indicate a partial profile of either or both of the primary and non-primary links. In some other cases, the second beacon frame 942 may hold the complete or partial profile of the primary link and may not include capability or operational parameters related to the non-primary link. In some implementations, the second beacon frame 942 may be similar to the first frame described with reference to Figure 8B by, for example, holding or indicating only the BSSID and MLD common parameters of the non-primary link.

[0126] At time t5, NSTR softAP MLD transmits a third trigger frame 953 on the non-primary link. The third trigger frame 953 requests a UL transmission from STA2 (or from the STA of the second group) on the non-primary link. At times t6-t7, STA2, having received the third trigger frame 953, transmits a TB PPDU 963 to NSTR softAP MLD on the non-primary link. In the example in Figure 9B, STA1 transmits an unrequested UL PPDU 971 to NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link at times t6-t7. The transmissions of UL PPDU 971 and TB PPDU 963 from STA1 and STA2 on the primary and non-primary links, respectively, can prevent NSTR softAP MLD from transmitting DL data on the primary and non-primary links at times t6-t7, thus eliminating the need to place the non-primary link in a deficient state at times t6-t7.

[0127] In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may establish an independent TWT session on a non-primary link to schedule the transmission of TB PPDU 963 to the NSTR softAP MLD. Although not shown in Figure 9B for simplification, the independent TWT session on a non-primary link may include one or more SPs on which the NSTR softAP MLD can schedule UL transmissions from STA2 or DL ​​transmissions to STA2 (and other associated devices) on the non-primary link.

[0128] At time t8, NSTR softAP MLD transmits the first DL PPDU 981 to STA1 on the primary link and simultaneously transmits the second DL PPDU 982 to STA2 on the non-primary link. Between times t8 and t9, STA1 receives the first DL PPDU 981 on the primary link, and STA2 receives the second DL PPDU 982 on the non-primary link. NSTR softAP MLD does not receive any UL communications between times t8 and t9, and therefore the simultaneous transmissions of DL PPDUs 981 and 982 on the primary and non-primary links may not see any cross-link interference resulting from the UL transmissions between times t8 and t9.

[0129] In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may establish coordinated TWT SPs on the primary and non-primary links to schedule the transmission of DL PPDUs 981 and 982 to STA1 and STA2 on the primary and non-primary links, respectively. In this way, the NSTR softAP MLD can ensure that STA1 and STA2 are awake to receive the transmissions of DL PPDUs 981 and 982, respectively. In some cases, the TWT SP on the non-primary link may be synchronized with the TWT SP on the primary link so that DL transmissions on the primary and non-primary links are time-aligned with each other. In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may use the antenna resources of the first group to transmit DL PPDU 981 to the first group of STAs (including STA1) on the primary link, and the antenna resources of the second group to transmit DL PPDU 982 to the second group of STAs (including STA2) on the non-primary link.

[0130] Time t 10In this configuration, NSTR softAP MLD transmits the third beacon frame 943 only on the primary link. In some implementations, the third beacon frame 943 may be similar to the first beacon frame 941, for example, by containing the complete profile of the primary link and indicating the complete profile of the non-primary link. In some other implementations, the third beacon frame 943 may be similar to the second beacon frame 942, for example, by containing less information than the first beacon frame 941.

[0131] Time t 11 In this scenario, STA1 sends UL PPDU 991 to NSTR softAP MLD on the primary link. NSTR softAP MLD then receives a message at time t 11 ~t 12 The UL PPDU 991 can be received on the primary link. Aspects of this disclosure recognize that crosslink interference resulting from the transmission of the UL PPDU 991 on the primary link may cause a period of defness on the non-primary link. In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may place the non-primary link into a def state 992 while transmitting the UL PPDU 991 on the primary link. When in a def state 992, the non-primary link may not be available for communication between the NSTR softAP MLD and its associated STA. In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may not transmit DL data on the non-primary link while in a def state 992. In this way, DL transmission on the non-primary link, which is susceptible to crosslink interference resulting from the transmission of the UL PPDU 991 on the primary link, can be prevented or delayed until after the end of the def state 992. In some cases, STA2 (and other wireless communication devices associated with NSTR softAP MLD) may not be permitted to transmit UL data over a non-primary link during DEF state 992.

[0132] The def state 992 can be any preferred duration. In some cases, the duration of the def state 992 may be temporally aligned with the transmission duration of the UL PPDU 991 on the primary link. In some other cases, the duration of the def state 992 may include a guard time, followed by the transmission duration of the UL PPDU 991, and then another guard time. Other durations may be preferred for the def state 992. In some implementations, the guard time may be selected to prevent (or reduce by a certain amount) the effects of cross-link interference on DL communications transmitted over the non-primary link. For example, in some cases, the duration of the guard time may be configured to ensure that DL transmissions on the non-primary link do not interfere with the first or last symbol of the UL PPDU 991. After the transmission of the UL PPDU 991 has finished, or after the def state 992 has expired, the NSTR softAP MLD returns the non-primary link from the def state 992.

[0133] Figure 10A shows an exemplary management frame 1000A usable for wireless communication supporting NSTR softAP MLD in several implementation forms. The management frame 1000A may be a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or any other suitable management frame. In some embodiments, the management frame 1000A may be an exemplary implementation of the first or second frame in Figure 7A, the first or second frame in Figure 7B, the frame in Figure 8A, the third frame in Figure 8B, the beacon frame in Figure 9A, or the beacon frame in Figure 9B. For the sake of simplicity, some information elements of frame 1000A may also be referred to as “fields,” “subfields,” “elements,” or “sub-elements,” which may be considered interchangeable terms for the purposes of this specification.

[0134] Frame 1000A is shown to include multiple elements and fields 1010, a reduced neighbor report (RNR) element 1020, capability and operation parameters 1030, and a basic multilink (ML) element 1040. The elements and fields 1010 may contain a complete profile of the primary link. The RNR element 1020 may contain one or more AP entries 1022. Each AP entry 1022 may be associated with each AP in the AP MLD and may contain or indicate one or more parameters of each AP. In some implementations, one or more parameters may include the BSSID and MLD parameters of each AP. In some cases, each AP entry 1022 may not contain one or more of the TBTT offset, shortened SSID, BSS parameters, or PSD limits of the corresponding non-primary link. The capability and operation parameters 1030 may contain any number of capability and operation parameters associated with the primary link. ML element 1040 may include common information 1042 and several STA-specific profile sub-elements 1044(1) to 1044(n). Common information 1042 may include MLD parameters and other information common to the primary link and one or more non-primary links. Each of the STA-specific profile sub-elements 1044(1) to 1044(n) may be associated with the corresponding non-primary link of the AP MLD and may hold or indicate the complete profile of the corresponding non-primary link.

[0135] Figure 10B shows another exemplary management frame usable for multilink communication with NSTR softAP MLD in several implementation forms. Management frame 1000B may be a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or any other suitable management frame. In some embodiments, management frame 1000B may be an exemplary implementation of the first frame in Figure 8B. For the sake of simplicity, some information elements of frame 1000A may also be referred to as “fields,” “subfields,” “elements,” or “sub-elements,” which may be considered interchangeable terms for the purposes of this specification.

[0136] Frame 1000B is shown to include multiple elements and fields 1010, an RNR element 1020, capability and operation parameters 1030, and a basic ML element 1050. The elements and fields 1010 may contain a complete profile of the primary link. The RNR element 1020 may contain one or more AP entries 1022. Each AP entry 1022 may be associated with each AP in the AP MLD and may contain or indicate one or more parameters of each AP. In some implementations, one or more parameters may include the BSSID and MLD parameters of each AP. In some cases, each AP entry 1022 may not contain one or more of the TBTT offset, shortened SSID, BSS parameters, or PSD limits of the corresponding non-primary link. The capability and operation parameters 1030 may contain any number of capability and operation parameters associated with the primary link. The ML element 1050 may contain common information 1042. Common information 1042 may include MLD parameters and other information common to the primary link and one or more non-primary links associated with the AP MLD.

[0137] Figure 11A shows exemplary RNR element 1100 usable for multilink communication in several implementation forms. In some implementation forms, RNR element 1100 may be exemplary implementation forms of RNR element 1020 of exemplary management frames 1000A and 1000B, described with reference to Figures 10A and 10B, respectively. In some cases, RNR element 1100 may be included in frames such as (but not limited to) beacon frames, probe response frames, association response frames, or reassociation response frames transmitted from the AP MLD. For simplicity of explanation, some information elements of RNR element 1100 may be referred to as “fields,” “subfields,” “elements,” or “sub-elements,” which may be considered interchangeable terms for the purposes of this specification.

[0138] The RNR element 1100 may be used to indicate channel information, parameters, and other information belonging to one or more APs related to the AP MLD. As shown in the figure, the RNR element 1100 includes an element ID field 1102, a length field 1104, and one or more neighbor AP information fields 1106. The element ID field 1102 holds a value that identifies the RNR element 1100. The length field 1104 holds a value that indicates the length of the RNR element 1100. Each neighbor AP information field 1106 holds information indicating the timing criteria, operating class, channel number, and other parameters of the corresponding AP in the AP MLD.

[0139] As shown in the figure, the neighboring AP information field 1106 includes a TBTT information header 1111, an operation class field 1112, a channel number field 1113, and a TBTT information set field 1114. The TBTT information header 1111 holds general information about the corresponding AP. The operation class field 1112, along with the channel number field, indicates the channel start frequency that shows the primary channel of the BSS of the AP associated with the neighboring AP information field. The channel number field 1113 indicates the last known primary channel of the AP associated with the neighboring AP information field. The TBTT information set field 1114 includes one or more TBTT information fields that hold TBTT information, operation parameters, and MLD parameters for the AP associated with the neighboring AP information field.

[0140] In some implementations, the RNR element 1100 may be extended to include a link ID field that stores one or more unique link IDs, which can be used to map entries in the neighbor AP information field 1106 to information stored in the STA-specific profile sub-elements of the ML element. In some other implementations, the RNR element 1100 may be extended to include a do not transmit (DNT) field that can hold a DNT instruction for the corresponding communication link. In addition, or instead, one or more elements or fields of the RNR element 1100 may be combined, added, removed, or modified.

[0141] Figure 11B shows exemplary TBTT information headers 1120 in several implementation forms. In some cases, the TBTT information header 1120 may be an exemplary implementation form of the TBTT information header 1111 in Figure 11A. As shown, the TBTT information header 1120 includes a TBTT information field type subfield 1121, a filtered neighbor AP subfield 1122, a reserved subfield 1123, a TBTT information count subfield 1124, and a TBTT information length subfield 1125. The TBTT information field type subfield 1121 holds a value indicating the type or format of the TBTT information field. In some implementation forms, the value of the TBTT information field type subfield 1121 may be set to 1 or a reserved value to indicate that the TBTT information field is a new type or format associated with the NSTR device. In this way, a wireless communication device receiving an RNR element having a TBTT information field type subfield set to 1 or a reserved value can determine that the frame containing the RNR element was transmitted by an NSTR device.

[0142] The filtered neighbor AP subfield 1122 is reserved unless reduced neighbor reporting elements are present in the probe response frame transmitted by the TVHT AP. The reserved subfield 1123 contains one or more reserved or unused bits. The TBTT information count subfield 1124 indicates the number of TBTT information fields included in the TBTT information set field of the neighbor AP information field minus one. The TBTT information length subfield 1125 indicates the length of each TBTT information field included in the TBTT information set field of the neighbor AP information field.

[0143] Figure 11C shows an exemplary TBTT information field 1130 in several implementation forms. In some cases, the TBTT information field 1130 may be an implementation form of the TBTT information field held in the TBTT information set field 1114 in Figure 11A. As shown, the TBTT information field 1130 includes a neighboring AP TBTT offset subfield 1131, an optional BSSID subfield 1132, an optional shortened SSID subfield 1133, a BSS parameter subfield 1134, a 20MHz PSD subfield 1135, and an MLD parameter subfield 1136. The neighboring AP TBTT offset subfield 1131 indicates the offset (in TU units) of the next TBTT of the reported AP from the TBTT immediately preceding the reporting AP. The optional BSSID subfield 1132 holds the BSSID of the reported AP. The optional shortened SSID subfield 1133 holds the shortened SSID of the reported AP. The BSS parameter subfield 1134 shows one or more BSS parameters of the reported AP, including (but not limited to) the OCT recommended subfield, same SSID subfield, multiple BSSID subfields, transmitted BSSID subfield, ESS member subfield, unsolicited probe response active subfield, and colocate AP subfield. The 20MHz PSD subfield 1135 shows the maximum transmit power for the corresponding AP on the primary 20MHz channel. In some cases, the neighboring AP TBTT offset subfield 1131, shortened SSID subfield 1133, BSS parameter subfield 1134, and 20MHz PSD subfield 1135 may be omitted from the TBTT information field 1130.

[0144] The MLD parameter subfield 1136 includes the MLD ID subfield, the Link ID subfield, the BSS parameter change count (BPCC) subfield, and the Reserved subfield. The MLD ID subfield indicates the identifier of the AP MLD and can be used to identify the list of reported APs associated with the AP MLD. The Link ID subfield indicates the link identifier of the corresponding AP and is unique to the corresponding AP. The BSS parameter change count subfield is an unsigned integer initialized to 0 and increments when a significant update occurs to the beacon frame of the reported AP. The Reserved subfield contains one or more reserved or unused bits.

[0145] Figure 12A shows exemplary multilink (ML) element 1200 usable for multilink communication in several implementations. In some implementations, ML element 1200 may be an exemplary implementation of ML element 1040 described with reference to Figure 10A. In some cases, ML element 1200 may be included in frames such as (but not limited to) beacon frames, probe response frames, association response frames, or reassociation response frames transmitted from the NSTR softAP MLD. For the sake of simplicity, some information elements of ML element 1200 may be referred to as “fields,” “subfields,” “elements,” or “sub-elements,” which may be considered interchangeable terms for the purposes of this specification.

[0146] ML element 1200 includes an element ID field 1201, a length field 1202, an element ID extension field 1203, a multilink control field 1204, a common information field 1205, and a link information field 1206. The element ID field 1201 and the element ID extension field 1203 hold values ​​indicating that element 1200 is an ML element and values ​​indicating the type of ML element. The length field 1202 holds a value indicating the length of ML element 1200. The multilink control field 1204 holds information indicating the presence of various fields and subfields within the common information field 1205. The common information field 1205 holds information common to one or more non-primary links associated with the AP MLD. The link information field 1206 holds information specific to each of the non-primary links associated with the AP MLD. In some cases, the link information field 1206 includes one or more profile sub-elements per STA that may hold or indicate the complete profile of one or more corresponding non-primary links of an AP MLD, such as an NSTR softAP MLD.

[0147] Figure 12B shows an exemplary multilink control field 1210 in several implementation forms. In some cases, the multilink control field 1210 may be an implementation form of the multilink control field 1204 of the ML element 1200 in Figure 12A. As shown, the multilink control field 1210 includes a type field 1211, a reserved field 1212, and an existence bitmap field 1213. The type field 1211 is used to distinguish variants of the ML element 1200 (such as a basic ML element and a probe request ML element). The reserved field 1212 contains one or more reserved or unused bits. The existence bitmap field 1213 is used to indicate the presence of various subfields within the common information field 1205 of the ML element 1200. For example, the existence bitmap field 1213 may indicate the presence of the MLD MAC address field, link ID information field, BSS parameter change count (BPCC) field 1223, media synchronization delay information field, extended multilink (EML) capability field, and MLD capability field within the common information field 1205 of the ML element 1200.

[0148] Figure 12C shows an exemplary common information field 1220 in several implementation forms. In some cases, the common information field 1220 may be an implementation form of the common information field 1205 of the ML element 1200 in Figure 12A. As shown, the common information field 1220 includes the MLD MAC address field 1221, the link ID information field 1222, the BPCC field 1223, the media synchronization delay information field 1224, the extended multilink (EML) capability field 1225, and the MLD capability field 1226. The MLD MAC address field 1221 holds the MAC address of the MLD (such as an NSTR softAP MLD). The link ID information field 1222 holds the link identifier of the AP that transmits the ML element 1200. The BSS parameter change count (BPCC) field 1223 holds an unsigned integer that is initialized to 0 and increments when a significant update occurs to the operating parameters of the AP that transmits the basic variant ML element.

[0149] The medium synchronization delay information field 1224 holds a value indicating the duration of the MediumSyncDelay timer. The EML capability field 1225 includes several subfields used to indicate the capability for EML Single-Radio (SR) operation and EML Multiple-Radio (MR) operation. The MLD capability field 1226 indicates various capabilities of the MLD. In some cases, the MLD capability field 1226 may indicate the maximum number of links that support simultaneous transmission or reception of frames, whether the MLD supports reception of frames that have an SRS control subfield, whether the MLD supports TID vs. link mapping negotiation, and the minimum frequency gap between any two links recommended by a non-AP MLD for STR operation.

[0150] Figure 12D shows exemplary STA-specific profile sub-elements 1230 in several implementation forms. In some cases, the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230 may be one implementation form of the STA-specific profile sub-element held in the link information field 1206 of the ML element 1200 in Figure 12A. As shown, the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230 may include a sub-element ID field 1231, a length field 1232, an STA control field 1233, an STA information field 1234, and an STA profile field 1235. The sub-element ID field 1231 holds a value indicating the type of the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230. The length field 1232 holds a value indicating the length of the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230. The STA control field 1233 holds information indicating the presence (or absence) of various fields and sub-fields within the STA profile field 1235. The STA information field 1234 holds information related to the AP corresponding to the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230. The STA profile field 1235 holds information that shows the complete profile of the AP corresponding to the profile sub-element 1230 for each STA.

[0151] Figure 12E shows exemplary STA control fields 1240 in several implementation forms. In some cases, the STA control field 1240 may be an implementation form of the STA control field 1233 of the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230 in Figure 12D. As shown, the STA control field 1240 includes a link ID field 1241, a complete profile field 1242, a MAC address presence field 1243, a beacon interval presence field 1244, a DTIM information presence field 1245, an NSTR link pair presence field 1246, an NSTR bitmap size field 1247, and a reserved field 1248. The link ID field 1241 holds a value that uniquely identifies the communication link associated with the AP corresponding to the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230. The complete profile field 1242 holds a value that indicates whether the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230 holds the complete profile of the corresponding AP. The MAC address presence field 1243 holds a value indicating whether the profile sub-element 1230 for each STA holds the MAC address of the corresponding AP. The beacon interval presence field 1244 holds a value indicating whether the STA information field 1234 of the profile sub-element 1230 for each STA holds the beacon interval of the corresponding AP. The DTIM information presence field 1245 holds a value indicating whether the STA information field 1234 of the profile sub-element 1230 for each STA holds the DTIM information of the corresponding AP. The NSTR link pair presence field 1246 holds a value indicating whether the profile sub-element 1230 for each STA holds information about the pair of communication links (such as primary and non-primary links) associated with the NSTR softAP MLD. The NSTR bitmap size field 1247 holds a value indicating the size of the NSTR instruction bitmap field included in the profile sub-element 1230 for each STA.

[0152] Figure 12F shows exemplary STA information field 1250 in several implementation forms. In some cases, STA information field 1250 may be one implementation form of STA information field 1234 of the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230 in Figure 12D. As shown, STA information field 1250 includes MAC address field 1251, beacon interval field 1252, DTIM field 1253, NSTR link pair field 1254, and NSTR bitmap field 1255. MAC address field 1251 holds the MAC address of the AP corresponding to the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230. Beacon interval field 1252 holds information indicating the beacon interval of the AP corresponding to the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230. DTIM field 1253 holds information indicating the DTIM count and DTIM duration of the AP corresponding to the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230. NSTR link pair field 1254 holds information identifying the pair of communication links associated with the AP corresponding to the STA-specific profile sub-element 1230. The NSTR bitmap field 1255 holds the NSTR bitmap of the AP corresponding to the profile sub-element 1230 for each STA.

[0153] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1300 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 1300 may be performed by a wireless communication device, such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 1300 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 1300 may be performed by an AP MLD, such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7A.

[0154] In some implementations, process 1300 begins in block 1302 by operating as an NSTR softAP MLD associated with the primary and non-primary links. In block 1304, process 1300 continues by transmitting a frame only on the primary link, the frame containing the complete profile of the primary link and the complete profile of the non-primary link, each of which contains at least the beacon interval, capability information, service set identifier (SSID), support rate, timing synchronization function (TSF) value, and one or more additional fields or elements associated with the discovery of the respective link. The frame is transmitted only on the primary link and may be one of the following: a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, or reassociation response frame. In some cases, the beacon interval, SSID, and TSF values ​​of the non-primary link's complete profile are inherited from the primary link's complete profile. Therefore, the beacon interval, SSID, and TSF values ​​of the non-primary link may not be present in the frame.

[0155] In some implementations, the frame includes a frame body containing multiple fields and elements that hold the complete profile of the primary link, and a multilink (ML) element that holds a profile sub-element for each STA that shows the complete profile of the non-primary link. The ML element includes a common information field that holds a BPCC field indicating an update to one or more BSS parameters associated with the primary link. One or more bits in the multilink control field or common information field of the ML element may indicate whether the frame is being transmitted from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD.

[0156] The frame body may also include an RNR element that holds a neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link. The neighbor AP information field may hold a TBTT information field consisting of the BSSID and one or more MLD parameters for the non-primary link. In some cases, the TBTT offset, abbreviated SSID, BSS parameters, and PSD parameters for the non-primary link may be inherited from the primary link. Therefore, the TBTT offset subfield, abbreviated SSID subfield, BSS parameter subfield, and PSD subfield may be omitted from the TBTT information field in the neighbor AP information field associated with the non-primary link, thereby reducing the size and overhead of the RNR element. In some embodiments, this reduced-size TBTT information field may be a new type of TBTT information field not defined by any of the existing corrections to the 802.11 family of wireless communication standards. Therefore, the neighbor AP information field may include a TBTT information field type set to a value that indicates the neighbor AP information field holds information relevant only to the non-primary link. In some cases, the TBTT information field type may be set to 1 or a reserved value to indicate this new or undefined type of TBTT information field. Setting the TBTT information field type to 1 or a reserved value may also indicate that the frame containing the associated neighbor AP information field, and thus the corresponding RNR element, is transmitted from an AP associated with the NSTR softAP MLD.

[0157] In some implementations, the length of the TBTT information field indicates whether the frame was sent from the first AP in the NSTR softAP MLD. In some cases, the length of the TBTT information field is 9 octets. One or more MLD parameters in the TBTT information field may include a BPCC field indicating an update to one or more BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link.

[0158] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1400 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. For example, process 1400 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 1400 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 1400 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7A.

[0159] In some implementations, process 1400 may be executed after sending a frame in block 1304 of Figure 13. For example, in block 1402, process 1400 begins by receiving an update for at least one of the BSS parameters associated with the non-primary link. In block 1404, process 1400 continues by incrementing the value of the BPCC field in the TBTT information field contained in the RNR element of another frame based on the received update. In block 1406, process 1400 continues by setting a critical update flag (CUF) in the capability information field of the above other frame based on the increment of the value held in the BPCC field. In block 1408, process 1400 continues by sending the above other frame only over the primary link, the above other frame indicating an update for at least one BSS parameter associated with the non-primary link. In some cases, the above other frame may be an action frame such as a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, reassociation response frame, or notification frame.

[0160] In some implementations, the BSS parameters may include at least one of the following: Channel Switch Announcement (CSA) elements, Extended Channel Switch Announcement (eCSA) elements, Extended Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) parameters, Waiting Period elements, Direct Spreading Scheme (DSSS) parameter sets, High Throughput (HT) operation elements, Very High Throughput (VHT) operation elements, High Efficiency (HE) operation elements, Ultra High Throughput (EHT) operation elements, Broadband Channel Switch elements, Operation Mode Notification elements, Broadcast Target Waiting Time (TWT) elements, BSS Color Change Announcement elements, Multi-User (MU) EDCA parameter sets, Spatial Reuse parameter sets, or Uplink (UL) Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) Random Access (UORA) parameter sets.

[0161] Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1500 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 1500 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 1500 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 1500 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described above with reference to Figure 7A.

[0162] In various implementations, process 1500 may execute after sending a frame in block 1304 of Figure 13. For example, in block 1502, process 1500 begins by receiving updates to one or more BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link. In block 1504, process 1500 continues by sending the one or more updated BSS parameters associated with the non-primary link, but only on the primary link. In some implementations, the one or more updated BSS parameters may be held in a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, or re-association response frame. In some other implementations, the one or more updated BSS parameters may be part of a partial profile of the non-primary link. In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may send an unsolicited broadcast probe response frame on the primary link that holds a partial profile of the non-primary link (and thus indicates one or more updated BSS parameters of the non-primary link).

[0163] Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1600 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 1600 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 1600 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 1600 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7B.

[0164] In some implementations, process 1600 begins in block 1602 by acting as an NSTR softAP MLD associated with the primary and non-primary links. In block 1604, process 1600 continues by determining that the non-primary link is unavailable. In block 1606, process 1600 continues by sending a frame that indicates the non-primary link is unavailable only on the primary link. In some cases, the frame may be one of the following: a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a re-association response frame. In some other cases, the frame may be an action frame, such as a notification frame.

[0165] Non-primary links may be unavailable for a variety of reasons. For example, a non-primary link may be unavailable for multilink communications associated with an NSTR softAP MLD when it is used for a cellular link in a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Radio Access Network (RAN) or a 5th Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) Access Network. In another example, a non-primary link may be unavailable for multilink communications associated with an NSTR softAP MLD when it is placed in a power-saving mode (including sleep mode or dose mode) to reduce power consumption or extend the battery life of the NSTR softAP MLD. In yet another example, a non-primary link may be unavailable for multilink communications associated with an NSTR softAP MLD when it is used for peer-to-peer (P2P) communications or intra-STA communications.

[0166] Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 1700 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 1700 can be performed by a wireless communication device, such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 1700 can be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 1700 can be performed by an AP MLD, such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7B.

[0167] In some implementations, process 1700 may be executed in conjunction with sending instructions in block 1606 of Figure 16. For example, in block 1702, process 1700 begins by setting the Do Not Transmit (DNT) bit to a value of 1 based on the unavailability of the non-primary link. In some cases, the DNT bit may be held in the per-STA profile sub-element or RNR element of the frame transmitted over the primary link. In some other implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may also set the Critical Update Flag (CUF) held in the frame to a value of 1 based on the unavailability of the non-primary link. In some cases, the frame includes a capability information field that holds a CUF set to a value of 1.

[0168] Figure 18 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 1800 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 1800 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 1800 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 1800 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7B.

[0169] In some implementations, process 1800 may be executed after transmitting a frame containing instructions in block 1606 of Figure 16. For example, in block 1802, process 1800 begins by operating as a single-link device on the primary link based on the unavailability of the non-primary link. In some embodiments, when the non-primary link is unavailable, the NSTR softAP MLD may remain fully operational on the primary link while putting the softAP (or other transmit chains, receive chains, and signal processing circuits, etc.) associated with the non-primary link into a sleep, dosed, or powered-off state. In this single-link state, the NSTR softAP MLD can operate the BSS as a single-link BSS on the primary link, while also reducing the power consumption associated with operating on the non-primary link.

[0170] Figure 19 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1900 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. For example, process 1900 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 1900 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 1900 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7B.

[0171] In some implementations, process 1900 may run while the NSTR softAP MLD is operating as a single-link device in block 1802 of Figure 18. For example, in block 1902, process 1900 begins by determining that a non-primary link is available while operating as a single-link device on the primary link. In block 1904, process 1900 continues by resetting the Do Not Transmit (DNT) bit to a value of 0 based on the availability of the non-primary link. In block 1906, process 1900 continues by sending the reset DNT bit in another frame, only on the primary link, and the other frame contains a per-STA profile sub-element or reduced neighbor report (RNR) element having a reset DNT bit with a value of 0. In some cases, the other frame may be one of a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, or re-association response frame. In some other cases, the other frame may be an action frame, such as a notification frame.

[0172] Figure 20 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 2000 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. For example, process 2000 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 2000 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 2000 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7B.

[0173] In some implementations, process 2000 may be executed after process 1600 in Figure 16. For example, in block 2002, process 2000 begins by determining that the non-primary link is available after sending an instruction. In block 2004, process 2000 continues by sending an instruction for the availability of the non-primary link, only on the primary link. In block 2006, process 2000 continues by operating as a multilink device on both the primary and non-primary links, based on the availability of the non-primary link. In some cases, the instruction may be sent on the primary link in a preferred management frame, such as a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, or re-association response frame (but not limited to these). In some other cases, the instruction may be sent on the primary link in a preferred action frame, such as a notification frame. In some embodiments, the NSTR softAP MLD may power on the softAP associated with the non-primary link when the non-primary link becomes available (or within a configured time). In this multilink configuration, NSTR softAP MLD can operate BSS on both the primary and non-primary links.

[0174] Figure 21 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 2100 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 2100 may be performed by a wireless communication device, such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 2100 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 2100 may be performed by an AP MLD, such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7B.

[0175] In some implementations, process 2100 may be executed after determining the unavailability of the non-primary link in block 1604 of Figure 16. For example, in block 2102, process 2100 begins by disabling the non-primary link or placing it into a power-saving state based on its unavailability. In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may remain fully operational on the primary link while putting the softAP (or other transmit chains, receive chains, and signal processing circuits, etc.) associated with the non-primary link into a sleep, dosed, or powered-off state. In this way, the NSTR softAP MLD can reduce the power consumption associated with operating on the non-primary link and reduce cross-link interference resulting from UL transmission on the non-primary link.

[0176] Figure 22 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 2200 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. For example, process 2200 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 2200 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 2200 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7B.

[0177] In some implementations, process 2200 may be one implementation that disables the non-primary link in block 2102 of Figure 21. For example, in block 2202, process 2200 begins by removing the non-primary link from the multilink context associated with the NSTR softAP MLD. In some cases, when the non-primary link is removed from the multilink context, the wireless communication device associated with the NSTR softAP MLD may not be able to access or utilize the non-primary link. In some embodiments, the NSTR softAP MLD may send a notification frame on the primary link to indicate that the non-primary link is no longer included in the multilink context.

[0178] Figure 23 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 2300 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 2300 can be performed by a wireless communication device, such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 2300 can be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 2300 can be performed by an AP MLD, such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7B.

[0179] In some implementations, process 2300 may be executed after removing the non-primary link from the multilink context in block 2202 of Figure 22. For example, in block 2302, process 2300 begins by determining that the non-primary link is available after it has been removed from the multilink context. In block 2304, process 2300 continues by adding the non-primary link to the multilink context based on the determined availability of the non-primary link. In some cases, a wireless communication device associated with the NSTR softAP MLD may be able to access and utilize the non-primary link without disassociating or reassociating with the NSTR softAP MLD once the non-primary link has been added to the multilink context. In some embodiments, the NSTR softAP MLD may send a notification frame on the primary link to indicate that the non-primary link has been added to the multilink context.

[0180] Figure 24 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 2400 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 2400 can be performed by a wireless communication device, such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 2400 can be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 2400 can be performed by an AP MLD, such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7B.

[0181] In some implementations, process 2400 may be an alternative implementation that disables the non-primary link in block 2102 of Figure 21. For example, in block 2402, process 2400 begins by remapping traffic identifiers (TIDs) from the non-primary link to the primary link. For example, the primary link may initially be associated with or belong to a first TID value indicating a first type or flow of traffic, and the non-primary link may initially be associated with or belong to a second TID value indicating a second type or flow of traffic. When the non-primary link is unavailable, the NSTR softAP MLD may remapping the second TID value from the non-primary link to the primary link. In this way, the traffic type or flow indicated by the second TID value can be communicated over the primary link (and not over the non-primary link). In some embodiments, the NSTR softAP MLD may send a notification frame over the primary link to indicate that a TID belonging to the non-primary link has been remapping to the primary link.

[0182] Figure 25 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 2500 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 2500 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 2500 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 2500 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7B.

[0183] In some implementations, process 2500 may be executed after remapping TIDs from the non-primary link to the primary link in block 2402 of Figure 24. For example, in block 2502, process 2500 begins by disabling the non-primary link and then determining that the non-primary link is available. In block 2504, process 2500 continues by remapping TIDs from the primary link to the non-primary link based on the availability of the non-primary link. Continuing the example described with reference to Figure 24, when the non-primary link becomes available, the NSTR softAP MLD may remapping a second TID value from the primary link to the non-primary link. In this way, communication of the traffic type or flow indicated by the second TID value may be returned to the non-primary link. In some embodiments, the NSTR softAP MLD may send a notification frame on the primary link to indicate that some TIDs belonging to the primary link have been remapping to the non-primary link.

[0184] Figure 26 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 2600 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 2600 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 2600 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 2600 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7B.

[0185] In some implementations, process 2600 may be executed after the frame is transmitted in block 1606 of Figure 16. For example, in block 2602, process 2600 begins by switching the non-primary link from the second channel to the first channel, while simultaneously switching the primary link from the first channel to the second channel. In some cases, the first channel is in either the 5GHz or 6GHz frequency band, and the second channel is in the other of the 5GHz or 6GHz frequency band.

[0186] Figure 27 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 2700 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 2700 can be performed by a wireless communication device, such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 2700 can be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 2700 can be performed by an AP MLD, such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 8A.

[0187] In some implementations, process 2700 begins in block 2702 by receiving a Ready to Send (RTS) frame from the STA MLD on the primary link. In block 2704, process 2700 continues by sending Ready to Send (CTS) frames to the STA MLD on the primary and non-primary links, based on the receipt of the RTS frame. In block 2706, process 2700 continues by receiving one or more Uplink (UL) Physical Layer Protocol Data Units (PPDUs) from the STA MLD on the primary and non-primary links. In some cases, the NSTR softAP MLD may indicate non-primary link availability by sending CTS frames on both the primary and non-primary links. When the STA MLD receives CTS frames on both the primary and non-primary links, the STA MLD may send UL data on both the primary and non-primary links. Conversely, if the STA MLD receives CTS frames only on the primary link, the STA MLD may send UL data to the NSTR softAP MLD only on the primary link.

[0188] Figure 28 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 2800 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 2800 can be performed by a wireless communication device, such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 2800 can be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 2800 can be performed by an STA MLD, such as the STA MLD described with reference to Figure 8B.

[0189] In some implementations, process 2800 begins in block 2802 by receiving a first frame from the NSTR softAP MLD associated with the primary and non-primary links, but only on the primary link. The first frame may include a complete profile of the primary link and MLD information common to the primary and non-primary links. The complete profile may include at least the beacon interval, capability information, SSID, support rate, TSF value, and one or more additional fields or elements related to the discovery of the primary link. In block 2804, process 2800 continues by sending a second frame to the NSTR softAP MLD, but only on the primary link, requesting a complete profile of the non-primary links. In block 2806, process 2800 continues by receiving a third frame from the NSTR softAP MLD, but only on the primary link, indicating a complete profile of the non-primary links. In some cases, the first frame may be one of a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a re-association response frame. The second frame may be one of a probe request frame, an association request frame, or a re-association request frame. The third frame may be one of a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a re-association response frame.

[0190] In some implementations, the first frame includes a frame body containing multiple fields and elements that hold the complete profile of the primary link, and an ML element consisting of MLD common information. The third frame may include a frame body containing an ML element that holds profile sub-elements for each STA showing the complete profile of the non-primary link. The body of the third frame may also include an RNR element that holds a neighbor AP information field associated with the non-primary link. The neighbor AP information field may hold a TBTT information field consisting of the BSSID and one or more MLD parameters of the non-primary link. In some cases, the TBTT offset, abbreviated SSID, BSS parameters, and PSD parameters of the non-primary link may be inherited from the primary link. Therefore, the TBTT offset subfield, abbreviated SSID subfield, BSS parameter subfield, and PSD subfield may be omitted from the TBTT information field in the neighbor AP information field associated with the non-primary link, thereby reducing the size and overhead of the RNR element. In some embodiments, the length of the TBTT information field is 9 octets.

[0191] Figure 29 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 2900 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 2900 can be performed by a wireless communication device, such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 2900 can be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 2900 can be performed by an AP MLD, such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 7A.

[0192] In some implementations, process 2900 begins in block 2902 as an NSTR softAP MLD associated with primary and non-primary links. In block 2904, process 2900 continues by transmitting a frame on the primary link only, containing one or more timing parameters associated with the primary link, where the timing parameters for the non-primary link are based on one or more timing parameters associated with the primary link. In some embodiments, the timing parameters for the non-primary link are inherited from the primary link. The frame may be one of the following: a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a reassociation response frame. In some cases, the primary link is associated with the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT), and the non-primary link may be a pseudo-BSS aligned with the primary link's TBTT. The one or more timing parameters may include at least one of the following: a channel switching announcement, a waiting period, or a beacon interval.

[0193] Figure 30 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 3000 for wireless communication with an NSTR softAP MLD in several implementation configurations. Process 3000 can be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 3000 can be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA or within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 3000 can be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 9A.

[0194] In some implementations, process 3000 begins in block 3002 by operating as an NSTR softAP MLD associated with the primary and non-primary links. In block 3004, process 3000 continues by acquiring channel access on the primary link. In block 3006, process 3000 continues by sending a first frame to the first associated STA on the primary link. In block 3008, process 3000 continues by putting the non-primary link into a defied state for the duration of the frame transmission on the primary link. In block 3010, process 3000 continues by bringing the non-primary link out of the defied state after the frame transmission on the primary link has finished. In some implementations, the frame may be any preferred frame, including (but not limited to) management frames, control frames, or data frames.

[0195] Figure 31 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 3100 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 3100 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 3100 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 3100 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 9A.

[0196] In some implementations, process 3100 may be executed after restoring the non-primary link in block 3010 of Figure 30. For example, in block 3102, process 3100 begins by acquiring channel access on the non-primary link based on channel access to the primary link. In block 3104, process 3100 continues by transmitting a second frame on the non-primary link to a second associated STA, simultaneously with transmitting a third frame on the primary link to a first associated STA. In some implementations, the NSTR softAP MLD may synchronize the transmission of the second frame on the non-primary link with the transmission of the third frame on the primary link. In some cases, the first associated STA is a legacy device configured to operate according to IEEE 802.11ax or earlier revisions to the 802.11 family of wireless communication standards, and the second associated STA is a non-legacy device configured to operate according to IEEE 802.11be or later revisions to the 802.11 family of wireless communication standards.

[0197] Figure 32 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 3200 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. For example, process 3200 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 3200 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 3200 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 9A.

[0198] In some implementations, process 3200 may be executed after the non-primary link is restored in block 3010 of Figure 30. For example, in block 3202, process 3200 begins by acquiring channel access on the non-primary link while at least a portion of the channel access acquired on the primary link is still active. In block 3204, process 3200 continues by sending a second frame to one or more second associated STAs on the non-primary link while the first frame is being sent on the primary link.

[0199] Figure 33 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 3300 for wireless communication with an NSTR softAP MLD in several implementation configurations. Process 3300 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 3300 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA or within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 3300 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 9B.

[0200] In some implementations, process 3300 begins in block 3302 by operating as an NSTR softAP MLD associated with the primary and non-primary links. In block 3304, process 3300 continues by acquiring channel access to the primary and non-primary links. In block 3306, process 3300 continues by establishing coordinated target wait times (TWT) sessions on the primary and non-primary links. In block 3308, process 3300 continues by sending a first trigger frame on the primary link, which requests an uplink (UL) transmission from the first group of STAs on the primary link. In block 3310, process 3300 continues by sending a second trigger frame on the non-primary link simultaneously with sending the first trigger frame on the primary link, which requests an UL transmission from the second group of STAs on the non-primary link. In some cases, a coordinated TWT session may include one or more respective service periods (SPs) that the corresponding STA or the STA of the corresponding group can schedule or trigger for UL transmission on their respective primary and non-primary links.

[0201] Figure 34 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 3400 for wireless communication with an NSTR softAP MLD in several implementation configurations. Process 3400 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 3400 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA or within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 3400 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 9B.

[0202] In some implementations, process 3400 may execute after sending trigger frames in blocks 3308 and 3310 of Figure 33. For example, process 3400 begins in block 3402 by receiving one or more first UL PPDUs from a first group of STAs on the primary link based on a first trigger frame. In block 3404, process 3400 continues by receiving one or more second UL PPDUs from a second group of STAs on a non-primary link based on a second trigger frame. In some cases, the transmission of the first and second UL PPDUs from the first and second groups of STAs may be synchronized with each other.

[0203] Figure 35 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 3500 for wireless communication with an NSTR softAP MLD in several implementation configurations. Process 3500 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 3500 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA or within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 3500 may be performed by an AP MLD such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 9B.

[0204] In some implementations, process 3500 may be executed in conjunction with process 3300 in Figure 33. For example, process 3500 begins in block 3502 by synchronizing one or more TWT service periods on a non-primary link with one or more TWT service periods on the primary link. In this way, the transmission of one or more first UL PPDUs by a first group of STAs on the primary link can be time-coordinated with the transmission of one or more second UL PPDUs by a second group of STAs on a non-primary link.

[0205] Figure 36 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary process 3600 for wireless communication supporting multilink communication with an NSTR softAP MLD, in several implementation configurations. Process 3600 may be performed by a wireless communication device, such as the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. In some implementation configurations, process 3600 may be performed by a wireless communication device that operates as an STA, or operates within an STA, such as one of the STA104 or 604 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some cases, process 3600 may be performed by an AP MLD, such as the NSTR softAP MLD described with reference to Figure 9B.

[0206] In some implementations, process 3600 may be executed after receiving one or more first and second UL PPDUs in blocks 3402 and 3404 of Figure 34. For example, process 3600 begins in block 3602 by sending one or more first downlink (DL) PPDUs to a first group of STAs on the primary link. In block 3604, process 3600 continues by sending one or more first DL PPDUs to a first group of STAs on the primary link, while simultaneously sending one or more second DL PPDUs to a second group of STAs on a non-primary link.

[0207] Figure 37 shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device 3700 in several implementation forms. In some implementation forms, the wireless communication device 3700 is configured to perform communication 700 in Figure 7A, communication 710 in Figure 7B, or communication 810 in Figure 8A. The wireless communication device 3700 may be an exemplary implementation form of the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. For example, the wireless communication device 3700 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device including at least one processor and at least one modem (e.g., a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem). In some implementation forms, the wireless communication device 3700 may be a device for use in an STA, such as one of the STAs 104 and 604 described with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some other implementation forms, the wireless communication device 3700 may be an STA including such a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device and at least one antenna (e.g., antenna 625 in Figure 6B). In various implementations, the wireless communication device 3700 may be one or more examples of the NSTR softAP MLDs described herein.

[0208] The wireless communication device 3700 includes a receiving component 3710, a communication manager 3720, and a transmitting component 3730. The communication manager 3720 further includes a channel access component 3721, a frame generation component 3722, a link profile component 3723, a link availability component 3724, a parameter update component 3725, and a timing and synchronization component 3726. One or more of the components may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. In some implementations, at least some of the components 3721, 3722, 3723, 3724, 3725, and 3726 are implemented at least partially as software stored in memory (such as memory 508 in Figure 5). For example, one or more of the components 3721, 3722, 3723, 3724, 3725, and 3726 may be implemented as non-transient instructions (or "code") that can be executed by a processor (such as processor 506 in Figure 5) to perform the function or operation of each component.

[0209] The receiving component 3710 is configured to receive RX signals from other wireless communication devices over one or more wireless channels or links. The communication manager 3720 is configured to control or manage communication with other wireless communication devices. In some implementations, the channel access component 3721 competes for and obtains channel access to the primary and / or non-primary links associated with the wireless communication device 3700. The frame generation component 3722 generates frames for transmitting discovery information, profile information, operating parameters, updates to operating parameters, link availability, link timing criteria, and other suitable information related to MLD operating on the primary and non-primary links. The link profile component 3723 generates a complete or partial profile for one or more of the primary and non-primary links. The link availability component 3724 indicates whether the primary and / or non-primary links are available. The parameter update component 3725 determines changes to one or more parameters of the primary and non-primary links and transmits parameter update instructions. The timing and synchronization component 3726 generates a timing reference for the non-primary link relative to the primary link.

[0210] The transmitting component 3730 is configured to transmit a TX signal to one or more other wireless communication devices on a wireless channel. In some implementations, the transmitting component 3730 may transmit frames containing or indicating discovery information, profile information, operating parameters, updates to operating parameters, link availability, link timing criteria, and other preferred information regarding primary and non-primary links associated with the wireless communication device 3700.

[0211] Figure 38 shows a block diagram of another exemplary wireless communication device 3800 in several implementation forms. In some implementation forms, the wireless communication device 3800 is configured to perform communication 810 in Figure 8B. The wireless communication device 3800 may be an exemplary implementation form of the wireless communication device 500 described above with reference to Figure 5. For example, the wireless communication device 3800 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device including at least one processor and at least one modem (e.g., a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem). In some implementation forms, the wireless communication device 3800 may be a device for use in an STA, such as one of the STAs 104 and 604 described with reference to Figures 1 and 6B, respectively. In some other implementation forms, the wireless communication device 3800 may be an STA including such a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device, as well as at least one antenna (e.g., antenna 625 in Figure 6B). In various implementations, the wireless communication device 3800 may be one or more embodiments of the STA MLDs described herein.

[0212] The wireless communication device 3800 includes a receiving component 3810, a communication manager 3820, and a transmitting component 3830. The communication manager 3820 further includes a channel access component 3821, a frame generation component 3822, and a profile request component 3823. One or more parts of the components may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. In some implementations, at least parts of components 3821, 3822, and 3823 are implemented at least partially as software stored in memory (such as memory 508). For example, one or more parts of components 3821, 3822, and 3823 may be implemented as non-transient instructions (or "code") that can be executed by a processor (such as processor 506) to perform the function or operation of each component.

[0213] The receiving component 3810 is configured to receive RX signals from other wireless communication devices over one or more wireless channels or links. The communication manager 3820 is configured to control or manage communication with other wireless communication devices. In some implementations, the channel access component 3821 competes for and obtains channel access to primary and / or non-primary links associated with an AP MLD such as an NSTR softAP MLD. The frame generation component 3822 generates frames to hold the capabilities and operating parameters of the wireless communication device 3800. The profile request component 3823 generates a request for the AP MLD to provide a complete or partial profile of one or more primary and non-primary links.

[0214] The transmitting component 3830 is configured to transmit a TX signal to one or more other wireless communication devices on a wireless channel. In some implementations, the transmitting component 3830 may transmit frames containing or indicating capabilities, operating parameters, profile requirements, and other preferred information regarding the primary and non-primary links associated with the AP MLD.

[0215] The following numbered items will explain implementation examples. 1. A method for wireless communication using a wireless station (STA), It operates as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) soft AP multilink device (MLD) that includes a first access point (AP) associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with the non-primary link, A method comprising transmitting a frame only on a primary link, wherein the frame includes a complete profile of the primary link and indicates a complete profile of a non-primary link, and each complete profile of the primary and non-primary links includes at least a beacon interval, capability information, a service set identifier (SSID), a support rate, a timing synchronization function (TSF) value, and one or more additional fields or elements associated with the discovery of each link.

[0216] 2. The method according to item 1, wherein the frame is one of a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a reassociation response frame.

[0217] 3. The method described in one or more of items 1-2, wherein the beacon interval, SSID, and TSF value of the non-primary link are inherited from the primary link.

[0218] 4. The frame includes the frame body, and the frame body is Multiple fields and elements that contain the complete profile of the primary link, A method according to any one of items 1 to 3, including a multilink (ML) element that has a profile sub-element for each STA showing the complete profile of a non-primary link.

[0219] 5. The method according to item 4, wherein the ML element further includes a common information field that holds a BSS parameter change count (BPCC) value indicating an update to one or more basic service set (BSS) parameters associated with the primary link.

[0220] 6. One or more bits of the multilink control field or common information field of an ML element indicate whether the frame is being transmitted from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD, in any one or more of the manner described in items 4-5.

[0221] 7. The method according to any one or more of items 4 to 6, wherein the frame body further includes a reduced neighbor reporting (RNR) element which includes a neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link, and the neighbor AP information field includes a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) information field which consists of basic service set identification information (BSSID) for the non-primary link and one or more MLD parameters.

[0222] 8. The method described in item 7, wherein the TBTT offset subfield, abbreviated SSID subfield, BSS parameter subfield, and power spectral density (PSD) subfield are not present in the TBTT information field corresponding to the non-primary link.

[0223] 9. The method described in one or more of items 7-8, wherein the Neighbor AP Information field includes a TBTT Information field type set to a value indicating that the Neighbor AP Information field holds information relating only to non-primary links.

[0224] 10. The method described in item 9, wherein the TBTT information field type is set to 1 or a reserved value.

[0225] 11. The length of the TBTT information field is determined by one or more of the methods described in items 7-10, indicating whether the frame was sent from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD.

[0226] 12. A method of one or more of items 7-11 in which the length of the TBTT information field is 9 octets.

[0227] 13. The method described in one or more of items 7-12, wherein one or more MLD parameters held in the TBTT information field include a BSS parameter change count (BPCC) value indicating an update to one or more basic service set (BSS) parameters associated with a non-primary link.

[0228] 14. To receive updates to at least one of the BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link, Based on the received update, the value of the Basic Service Set (BSS) parameter change count (BPCC) field in the Target Beacon Transmit Time (TBTT) information field included in the Reduced Neighborhood Report (RNR) element of another frame is incremented, Based on incrementing the value of the BPCC field, a critical update flag (CUF) is set in the capability information field of the other frame mentioned above, The method of item 13, further comprising transmitting the above-mentioned additional frame only on the primary link, wherein the above-mentioned additional frame indicates an update to at least one BSS parameter associated with a non-primary link.

[0229] 15. The method according to item 13, wherein the BSS parameters include at least one of the following: Channel Switch Announcement (CSA) elements, Extended Channel Switch Announcement (eCSA) elements, Extended Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) parameters, Waiting Period elements, Direct Spreading Scheme (DSSS) parameter set, High Throughput (HT) operation elements, Very High Throughput (VHT) operation elements, High Efficiency (HE) operation elements, Ultra High Throughput (EHT) operation elements, Broadband Channel Switch elements, Operation Mode Notification elements, Broadcast Target Waiting Time (TWT) elements, BSS Color Change Announcement elements, Multi-User (MU) EDCA parameter set, Spatial Reuse parameter set, or Uplink (UL) Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) Random Access (UORA) parameter set.

[0230] 16. Receiving updates to one or more Basic Service Set (BSS) parameters associated with a non-primary link, The method described in any one or more of items 1 through 15, further including sending one or more updated BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link only on the primary link.

[0231] 17. The method described in item 16, in which one or more updated BSS parameters are part of a partial profile of a non-primary link.

[0232] 18. Wireless communication device, At least one modem and At least one modem and at least one processor coupled in a communicative manner, It is communicatively coupled to at least one processor and comprises at least one memory for storing processor-readable code, and when the processor-readable code is executed by at least one processor in conjunction with at least one modem, It operates as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) soft AP multilink device (MLD) that includes a first access point (AP) associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with the non-primary link, and A wireless communications device configured to transmit frames only on a primary link, wherein the frames include a complete profile of the primary link and indicate a complete profile of a non-primary link, and each complete profile of the primary and non-primary links includes at least the beacon interval, capability information, service set identifier (SSID), support rate, timing synchronization function (TSF) value, and one or more additional fields or elements associated with the discovery of the respective link.

[0233] 19. A wireless communication device as described in item 18, wherein the frame is one of a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, or reassociation response frame.

[0234] 20. Wireless communication devices described in one or more of items 18-19, in which the beacon interval, SSID, and TSF value of the non-primary link are inherited from the primary link.

[0235] 21. The frame includes the frame body, and the frame body is Multiple fields and elements that contain the complete profile of the primary link, A wireless communication device as described in one or more of items 18-20, including a multilink (ML) element that has a profile sub-element for each STA showing the complete profile of a non-primary link.

[0236] 22. A wireless communication device as described in item 21, wherein the ML element further includes a common information field that holds a BSS parameter change count (BPCC) value indicating an update to one or more basic service set (BSS) parameters associated with the primary link.

[0237] 23. One or more bits in the multilink control field or common information field of the ML element indicate whether the frame is being transmitted from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD, as described in one or more of the wireless communication devices described in any one of items 21-22.

[0238] 24. A wireless communication device as described in any one of items 21 to 23, wherein the frame body further includes a reduced neighbor report (RNR) element which includes a neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link, and the neighbor AP information field includes a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) information field which consists of basic service set identification information (BSSID) for the non-primary link and one or more MLD parameters.

[0239] 25. A wireless communication device as described in item 24, in which the TBTT offset subfield, abbreviated SSID subfield, BSS parameter subfield, and power spectral density (PSD) subfield are not present in the TBTT information field corresponding to the non-primary link.

[0240] 26. A wireless communication device as described in any one of sections 24-25, which includes a TBTT information field type set to a reserved value indicating that the neighbor AP information field holds information relating only to non-primary links.

[0241] 27. The length of the TBTT information field indicates whether the frame is being transmitted from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD, as described in one or more of the wireless communication devices listed in items 24-26.

[0242] 28. A wireless communications device as described in item 24, wherein one or more MLD parameters held in the TBTT information field include a BSS parameter change count (BPCC) value indicating an update to one or more basic service set (BSS) parameters associated with a non-primary link.

[0243] 29. Execution of processor-readable code, To receive updates to at least one of the BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link, Based on the received update, the value of the Basic Service Set (BSS) parameter change count (BPCC) field in the Target Beacon Transmit Time (TBTT) information field included in the Reduced Neighborhood Report (RNR) element of another frame is incremented, Based on incrementing the value of the BPCC field, a critical update flag (CUF) is set in the capability information field of the other frame mentioned above, A wireless communications device as described in item 28, further configured to transmit the above-mentioned additional frame only over the primary link, wherein the above-mentioned additional frame indicates an update to at least one BSS parameter associated with a non-primary link.

[0244] 30. Execution of processor-readable code, Receiving updates to one or more basic service set (BSS) parameters associated with a non-primary link, A wireless communications device as described in one or more of items 18-29, further configured to transmit one or more updated BSS parameters associated with a non-primary link, but only on the primary link.

[0245] 31. A method for wireless communication by a wireless station (STA), It operates as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) soft AP multilink device (MLD) that includes a first access point (AP) associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with the non-primary link, Determining that non-primary links are unavailable, A method including transmitting a frame containing an indication of the unavailability of a non-primary link only on the primary link.

[0246] 32. The method described in item 31, wherein the frame includes one of the following: a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or an action frame.

[0247] 33. The method described in any one of items 31-32, wherein the frame includes a per-STA profile sub-element or reduced neighbor reporting (RNR) element that has a DNT bit set to a value of 1, and the DNT bit set to a value of 1 indicates the unavailability of a non-primary link.

[0248] 34. The method of any one or more of items 31-33, wherein the frame includes a capability information field that has a critical update flag (CUF), and the CUF is set to a value of 1 based on the unavailability of a non-primary link.

[0249] 35. The method of any one of items 31-34, further comprising operating as a single-link device on a primary link based on the unavailability of a non-primary link.

[0250] While operating as a single-link device on the primary link, determining that a non-primary link is available; Based on the availability of the non-primary link, resetting the Do Not Transmit (DNT) bit to a value of 0; Further comprising transmitting a reset DNT bit of another frame only on the primary link, wherein the other frame includes a profile sub-element for each STA having a reset DNT bit with a value of 0 or a reduced neighbor report (RNR) element, the method according to item 35.

[0251] After transmitting an indication, determining that a non-primary link is available; Transmitting an indication of the availability of the non-primary link only on the primary link; Based on the availability of the non-primary link, further comprising operating as a multi-link device on the primary link and the non-primary link, the method according to any one or more of items 31 to 36.

[0252] Further comprising invalidating the non-primary link or placing the non-primary link in a power-saving state based on the unavailability of the non-primary link, the method according to any one or more of items 31 to 36.

[0253] The method according to item 38, wherein invalidating the non-primary link includes removing the non-primary link from a multi-link context associated with an NSTR softAP MLD.

[0254] After removing the non-primary link from the multi-link context, determining that the non-primary link is available; Based on the availability of the non-primary link, further comprising adding the non-primary link to the multi-link context, the method according to item 39.

[0255] 41. The method described in item 38, which includes disabling a non-primary link by remapping the Traffic Identifier (TID) from the non-primary link to the primary link.

[0256] 42. Determining whether a non-primary link is available after disabling it, The method of item 41, further comprising remapping TIDs from primary links to non-primary links based on the availability of non-primary links.

[0257] 43. Receiving a Ready to Transmit (RTS) frame from STA MLD on the primary link, Based on the receipt of an RTS frame, transmittable (CTS) frames are sent to the STA MLD on the primary and non-primary links. The method of any one or more of items 31 to 42, further comprising receiving one or more uplink (UL) physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) from STA MLD on a primary link and a non-primary link.

[0258] 44. The method of any one of items 31-42, further comprising switching a non-primary link from the second channel to the first channel, and simultaneously switching the primary link from the first channel to the second channel.

[0259] 45. The method according to item 44, wherein the first channel is in either the 5GHz frequency band or the 6GHz frequency band, and the second channel is in the other of the 5GHz frequency band or the 6GHz frequency band.

[0260] 46. ​​Wireless communication device, At least one modem and At least one modem and at least one processor coupled in a communicative manner, It is communicatively coupled to at least one processor and comprises at least one memory for storing processor-readable code, and when the processor-readable code is executed by at least one processor in conjunction with at least one modem, It operates as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) soft AP multilink device (MLD), including a first access point (AP) associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with the non-primary link. Determine that the non-primary link is unavailable, and A wireless communications device configured to transmit frames containing instructions for the unavailability of non-primary links only over the primary link.

[0261] 47. A wireless communication device as described in item 46, whose frame includes one of the following: a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or an action frame.

[0262] 48. A wireless communications device as described in one or more of items 46-47, in which a frame contains a per-STA profile sub-element or reduced neighbor report (RNR) element having a DNT bit set to a value of 1, where the DNT bit set to a value of 1 indicates the unavailability of a non-primary link.

[0263] 49. A wireless communication device as described in one or more of items 46-47, wherein the frame includes a capability information field that has a critical update flag (CUF), and the CUF is set to a value of 1 based on the unavailability of a non-primary link.

[0264] 50. Execution of processor-readable code, A wireless communications device as described in one or more of items 46-49, which is further configured to operate as a single-link device on the primary link based on the unavailability of a non-primary link.

[0265] 51. Execution of the processor-readable code determines that a non-primary link is available while operating as a single-link device on the primary link, and based on the availability of the non-primary link, resets the Do Not Transmit (DNT) bit to a value of 0 and is further configured to transmit a reset DNT bit for another frame only on the primary link, where the other frame includes a profile sub-element for each STA having a reset DNT bit with a value of 0 or a reduced neighbor report (RNR) element, the wireless communication device according to item 50.

[0266] 52. Execution of the processor-readable code determines that a non-primary link is available after sending an indication, sends an indication of the availability of the non-primary link only on the primary link, and is further configured to operate as a multi-link device on the primary link and the non-primary link based on the availability of the non-primary link, the wireless communication device according to any one or more of items 46 to 51.

[0267]

[0268] 53. Execution of the processor-readable code is further configured to disable the non-primary link or put the non-primary link into a power-saving state based on the unavailability of the non-primary link, the wireless communication device according to any one or more of items 46 to 52.

[0269] 54. Disabling the non-primary link includes removing the non-primary link from the multi-link context associated with the NSTR softAP MLD, the wireless communication device according to item 53. 55. Execution of the processor-readable code After removing non-primary links from a multilink context, determine if non-primary links are still available, and A wireless communications device as described in item 54, further configured to add a non-primary link to a multilink context based on the availability of a non-primary link.

[0270] 56. A wireless communications device as described in item 53, in which disabling a non-primary link includes remapping a traffic identifier (TID) from the non-primary link to the primary link.

[0271] 57. Execution of processor-readable code, After disabling a non-primary link, determine if the non-primary link is available, and A wireless communications device as described in item 56, further configured to remap TIDs from the primary link to the non-primary link based on the availability of the non-primary link.

[0272] 58. Execution of processor-readable code, Receive a Ready to Send (RTS) frame from STA MLD on the primary link. Based on the receipt of an RTS frame, transmittable (CTS) frames are sent to STA MLD on the primary and non-primary links, and A wireless communications device as described in one or more of items 46 to 57, further configured to receive one or more uplink (UL) physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) from an STA MLD on a primary link and a non-primary link.

[0273] 59. Execution of processor-readable code, A wireless communication device as described in one or more of items 46-58, further configured to switch the primary link from the first channel to the second channel while simultaneously switching the non-primary link from the second channel to the first channel.

[0274] 60. The wireless communication device described in item 59, wherein the first channel is in either the 5GHz frequency band or the 6GHz frequency band, and the second channel is in the other of the 5GHz frequency band or the 6GHz frequency band.

[0275] 61. A method for wireless communication by a wireless station (STA), Receiving a first frame only on the primary link from an Non-Simultaneous Transceiver (NSTR) Soft Access Point (AP) Multilink Device (MLD) associated with the primary and non-primary links, wherein the first frame includes a complete profile of the primary link and MLD information common to the primary and non-primary links, and the complete profile includes at least the beacon interval, capability information, service set identifier (SSID), support rate, timing synchronization function (TSF) value, and one or more additional fields or elements associated with the discovery of the primary link. The second frame is sent to the NSTR softAP MLD only on the primary link, and the second frame requests a complete profile of the non-primary link. A method comprising receiving a third frame from an NSTR softAP MLD only on the primary link, wherein the third frame represents the complete profile of the non-primary link.

[0276] 62. The method according to item 61, wherein the first frame is a beacon frame, the second frame is a probe request frame, and the third frame is a probe response frame.

[0277] 63. The method according to any one or more of items 61-62, wherein the first frame includes a frame body that has a complete profile of the primary link and contains multilink (ML) elements consisting of MLD common information.

[0278] 64. The method described in item 63, wherein the MLD common information includes the MLD media access control (MAC) address field, the link ID information field, the basic service set (BSS) parameter change count (BPCC) field, the synchronous delay field, the extended multilink (EML) capability field, and the MLD capability field.

[0279] 65. The method described in item 64, wherein the BPCC field indicates an update to one or more BSS parameters associated with the primary link.

[0280] 66. The method described in one or more of items 64-65, where the link information for a non-primary link is not present in the ML element of the first frame.

[0281] 67. The method of any one of items 61-66, wherein the third frame includes a frame body containing a multilink (ML) element having a profile sub-element for each STA that shows the complete profile of the non-primary link.

[0282] 68. The method according to item 67, wherein the frame body of the third frame further includes a reduced neighbor reporting (RNR) element having a neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link, the neighbor AP information field having a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) information field consisting of basic service set identification information (BSSID) and one or more MLD parameters of the non-primary link.

[0283] 69. The method described in item 68, wherein the TBTT offset subfield, abbreviated SSID subfield, BSS parameter subfield, and power spectral density (PSD) subfield are not present in the TBTT information field corresponding to the non-primary link.

[0284] 70. The method described in one or more of items 61-69, wherein the beacon interval, SSID, and TSF value of a non-primary link are inherited from the primary link.

[0285] 71. Wireless communication device, At least one modem and At least one modem and at least one processor coupled in a communicative manner, It is communicatively coupled to at least one processor and comprises at least one memory for storing processor-readable code, and when the processor-readable code is executed by at least one processor in conjunction with at least one modem, Receiving a first frame only on the primary link from an Non-Simultaneous Transceiver (NSTR) Soft Access Point (AP) Multilink Device (MLD) associated with the primary and non-primary links, wherein the first frame includes a complete profile of the primary link and MLD information common to the primary and non-primary links, and the complete profile includes at least the beacon interval, capability information, service set identifier (SSID), support rate, timing synchronization function (TSF) value, and one or more additional fields or elements associated with the discovery of the primary link. The second frame is sent to the NSTR softAP MLD only on the primary link, and the second frame requests a complete profile of the non-primary link. A wireless communication device configured to receive a third frame from an NSTR softAP MLD only on the primary link, wherein the third frame represents the complete profile of the non-primary link.

[0286] 72. The wireless communication device described in item 71, wherein the first frame is a beacon frame, the second frame is a probe request frame, and the third frame is a probe response frame.

[0287] 73. A wireless communication device as described in any one of items 71 to 72, wherein the first frame includes a frame body that has a complete profile of the primary link and includes a multilink (ML) element consisting of MLD common information.

[0288] 74. A wireless communication device as described in item 73, wherein the MLD common information includes the MLD media access control (MAC) address field, the link ID information field, the basic service set (BSS) parameter change count (BPCC) field, the synchronous delay field, the extended multilink (EML) capability field, and the MLD capability field.

[0289] 75. A wireless communications device as described in item 74, in which the BPCC field indicates an update to one or more BSS parameters associated with the primary link.

[0290] 76. A wireless communication device as described in item 73, in which the link information for a non-primary link is not present in the ML element of the first frame.

[0291] 77. A wireless communication device as described in any one of items 71 to 76, wherein the third frame includes a frame body containing a multilink (ML) element having a profile sub-element for each STA that shows the complete profile of the non-primary link.

[0292] 78. A wireless communications device as described in item 77, wherein the frame body of the third frame further includes a reduced neighbor report (RNR) element having a neighbor AP information field associated with a non-primary link, the neighbor AP information field having a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) information field consisting of basic service set identification information (BSSID) and one or more MLD parameters of the non-primary link.

[0293] 79. A wireless communication device as described in item 78, in which the TBTT offset subfield, abbreviated SSID subfield, BSS parameter subfield, and power spectral density (PSD) subfield are not present in the TBTT information field corresponding to the non-primary link.

[0294] 80. Wireless communication devices described in one or more of items 71-79, in which the beacon interval, SSID, and TSF value of the non-primary link are inherited from the primary link.

[0295] 81. A method for wireless communication by a wireless station (STA), It operates as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) soft access point (AP) multilink device (MLD) associated with primary and non-primary links, A method comprising transmitting a frame containing one or more timing parameters associated with the primary link only on the primary link, and a non-primary link containing one or more timing parameters inherited from the primary link.

[0296] 82. The method according to item 81, wherein the frame is one of a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a reassociation response frame.

[0297] 83. The method according to one or more of the items 81 to 82, wherein one or more timing parameters include at least one of channel switch announcements, waiting periods, or beacon intervals.

[0298] 84. The method described in any one of items 81-83, wherein the primary link is associated with the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT) and the non-primary link includes a pseudo-BSS aligned with the primary link's TBTT.

[0299] 85. A method according to one or more of items 81-84, wherein a target wait time (TWT) session established on a non-primary link is synchronized with a TWT session established on a primary link.

[0300] 86. The method of any one of items 81-85, further comprising aligning uplink (UL) transmissions to NSTR softAP MLDs on non-primary links with UL transmissions to NSTR softAP MLDs on primary links.

[0301] 87. Wireless communication device, At least one modem and At least one modem and at least one processor coupled in a communicative manner, It is communicatively coupled to at least one processor and comprises at least one memory for storing processor-readable code, and when the processor-readable code is executed by at least one processor in conjunction with at least one modem, It operates as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) soft access point (AP) multilink device (MLD) associated with primary and non-primary links, and A wireless communication device configured to transmit frames containing one or more timing parameters associated with the primary link only on the primary link, and whose non-primary links contain one or more timing parameters inherited from the primary link.

[0302] 88. A wireless communication device as described in item 87, wherein the frame is one of a beacon frame, probe response frame, association response frame, or reassociation response frame.

[0303] 89. A wireless communication device as described in one or more of the items 87 to 88, wherein one or more timing parameters include at least one of channel switch announcement, standby period, or beacon interval.

[0304] 90. A wireless communications device as described in any one of items 87-89, wherein the primary link is associated with the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT) and the non-primary link includes a pseudo-BSS that is aligned with the TBTT of the primary link.

[0305] 91. A wireless communication device described in one or more of items 87-90, in which a target latency (TWT) session established on a non-primary link is synchronized with a TWT session established on a primary link.

[0306] 92. Execution of processor-readable code, A wireless communications device as described in one or more of items 87-91, further configured to match uplink (UL) transmissions to an NSTR softAP MLD on a non-primary link with UL transmissions to an NSTR softAP MLD on a primary link.

[0307] 93. A method for wireless communication by a wireless station (STA), It operates as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) soft access point (AP) multilink device (MLD) associated with primary and non-primary links, Obtaining channel access on the primary link, Sending the first frame over the primary link to the first associated STA, During the duration of frame transmission on the primary link, the non-primary link is put into a differential state, A method comprising: restoring a non-primary link from a differential state after frame transmission on the primary link has finished.

[0308] 94. The method described in item 93, wherein the first frame includes a management frame, a control frame, or a data frame.

[0309] 95. Obtaining channel access on a non-primary link based on channel access obtained on the primary link, The method of any one or more of items 93 to 95, further comprising transmitting a third frame on a primary link to a first associated STA and simultaneously transmitting a second frame on a non-primary link to a second associated STA.

[0310] 96. The method according to item 95, wherein the first associated STA is a legacy device configured to operate in accordance with revisions to the 802.11 family of IEEE 802.11ax or earlier wireless communication standards, and the second associated STA is a non-legacy device configured to operate in accordance with revisions to the 802.11 family of IEEE 802.11be or later wireless communication standards.

[0311] 97. The method of item 95, further comprising synchronizing the transmission of a second frame over a non-primary link with the transmission of a third frame over a primary link.

[0312] 98. Obtaining channel access on a non-primary link during at least a portion of the channel access obtained on the primary link, The method according to item 93, further comprising transmitting a second frame on a non-primary link to one or more second associated STAs while a first frame is being transmitted on a primary link.

[0313] 99. The method according to item 98, wherein the first frame is a beacon frame and the second frame is an aggregated transmission to one or more second associated STAs.

[0314] 100. The method according to item 99, wherein one or more second associated STAs are multi-radio devices operating on primary and non-primary links.

[0315] 101. Wireless communication device, At least one modem and At least one modem and at least one processor coupled in a communicative manner, It is communicatively coupled to at least one processor and comprises at least one memory for storing processor-readable code, and when the processor-readable code is executed by at least one processor in conjunction with at least one modem, It operates as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) soft access point (AP) multilink device (MLD) associated with primary and non-primary links. Obtain channel access on the primary link, Send the first frame over the primary link to the first associated STA, During the duration of frame transmission on the primary link, the non-primary link is put into a differential state, and A wireless communication device configured to restore the non-primary link from a differential state after frame transmission on the primary link is complete.

[0316] 102. A wireless communication device as described in item 101, wherein the first frame includes a management frame, a control frame, or a data frame.

[0317] 103. Execution of processor-readable code, Based on channel access obtained on the primary link, channel access is obtained on the non-primary link, and A wireless communication device as described in one or more of items 101 to 102, further configured to transmit a third frame to a first associated STA on a primary link and simultaneously transmit a second frame to a second associated STA on a non-primary link.

[0318] 104. A wireless communications device as described in item 103, wherein the first associated STA is a legacy device configured to operate in accordance with revisions to the 802.11 family of wireless communications standards, such as IEEE 802.11ax or earlier, and the second associated STA is a non-legacy device configured to operate in accordance with revisions to the 802.11 family of wireless communications standards, such as IEEE 802.11be or later.

[0319] 105. Execution of processor-readable code, A wireless communication device as described in item 103, further configured to synchronize the transmission of a second frame over a non-primary link with the transmission of a third frame over a primary link.

[0320] 106. Execution of processor-readable code, During at least a portion of the channel access obtained on the primary link, channel access is obtained on a non-primary link, and The wireless communications device described in item 101, further configured to transmit a second frame on a non-primary link to one or more second associated STAs while a first frame is being transmitted on a primary link.

[0321] 107. A wireless communications device as described in item 106, wherein the first frame is a beacon frame and the second frame is an aggregated transmission to one or more second associated STAs.

[0322] 108. A wireless communications device as described in item 107, wherein one or more second associated STAs are multi-radio devices operating on primary and non-primary links.

[0323] 109. A method for wireless communication by a wireless station (STA), It operates as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) soft access point (AP) multilink device (MLD) associated with primary and non-primary links, Obtaining channel access to primary and non-primary links, Establish coordinated target wait times (TWT) sessions on primary and non-primary links, Sending a first trigger frame on the primary link, wherein the first trigger frame requests and sends an uplink (UL) transmission from the first group of STAs on the primary link. A method comprising transmitting a first trigger frame on a primary link and simultaneously transmitting a second trigger frame on a non-primary link, wherein the second trigger frame requests a UL transmission from a second group of STAs on the non-primary link.

[0324] 110. Based on the first trigger frame, receive one or more first UL Physical Layer Protocol Data Units (PPDUs) from the first group of STAs on the primary link, The method according to item 109, further comprising receiving one or more second UL PPDUs from a second group of STAs on a non-primary link based on a second trigger frame.

[0325] 111. The method of item 110, further comprising synchronizing one or more TWT service periods on a non-primary link with one or more respective TWT service periods on a primary link.

[0326] 112. The method of item 110, wherein the transmission of one or more second UL PPDUs by a second group STA on the primary link is time-coordinated with the transmission of one or more first UL PPDUs by a first group STA on the primary link.

[0327] 113. Sending one or more first downlink (DL) PPDUs on the primary link to the first group of STAs, The method according to item 110, further comprising transmitting one or more first DL PPDUs to a first group of STAs on a primary link, and simultaneously transmitting one or more second DL PPDUs to a second group of STAs on a non-primary link.

[0328] 114. Wireless communication device, At least one modem and At least one modem and at least one processor coupled in a communicative manner, It is communicatively coupled to at least one processor and comprises at least one memory for storing processor-readable code, and when the processor-readable code is executed by at least one processor in conjunction with at least one modem, It operates as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) soft access point (AP) multilink device (MLD) associated with primary and non-primary links. Obtain channel access to primary and non-primary links, Establish coordinated target wait times (TWT) sessions on the primary and non-primary links. A first trigger frame is transmitted on the primary link, the first trigger frame requests an uplink (UL) transmission from the first group of STAs on the primary link, and A wireless communication device configured to transmit a first trigger frame on the primary link and a second trigger frame on a non-primary link simultaneously, wherein the second trigger frame requests a UL transmission from a second group of STAs on the non-primary link.

[0329] 115. Execution of processor-readable code, Based on the first trigger frame, one or more first UL Physical Layer Protocol data units (PPDUs) are received on the primary link from the first group of STAs, and A wireless communications device as described in item 114, further configured to receive one or more second UL PPDUs on a non-primary link from a second group of STAs based on a second trigger frame.

[0330] 116. Execution of processor-readable code, A wireless communications device as described in item 115, further configured to synchronize one or more TWT service periods on a non-primary link with one or more respective TWT service periods on a primary link.

[0331] 117. A wireless communications device as described in item 115, wherein the transmission of one or more second UL PPDUs by a second group STA on the primary link is temporally synchronized with the transmission of one or more first UL PPDUs by a first group STA on the primary link.

[0332] 118. Execution of processor-readable code, Send one or more first downlink (DL) PPDUs on the primary link to the first group of STAs, and A wireless communications device as described in item 115, further configured to transmit one or more second DL PPDUs to a second group of STAs on a non-primary link, simultaneously with the transmission of one or more first DL PPDUs to a first group of STAs on a primary link.

[0333] Where used herein, the phrases referring to “at least one of” or “one or more of” the list of items refer to any combination of those items that includes a single member. For example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to encompass the possibilities of a only, b only, c only, a and b, a and c, b and c, and a, b, and c.

[0334] The various exemplary components, logic, logic blocks, modules, circuits, operations, and algorithmic processes described herein with respect to the implementation forms disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, firmware, software, or combinations of hardware, firmware, or software, including the structures disclosed herein and their structural equivalents. The compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software is described conceptually in terms of functionality and is shown above for the various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described herein. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0335] Various modifications of the implementations described herein may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, the claims should not be limited to the implementations shown herein, but should be given the broadest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles disclosed herein, and the novel features.

[0336] Furthermore, the various features described herein in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented separately or in any preferred partial combination in multiple implementations. Thus, features are described above as working in a particular combination, and may even be initially claimed as such, but in some cases, one or more features may be removed from the claimed combination, and the claimed combination may cover a partial combination or a variation of a partial combination.

[0337] Similarly, while operations are shown in a specific order in the diagrams, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in a specific or sequential order shown, or that all illustrated operations be performed, in order to achieve the desired result. Furthermore, diagrams may schematically illustrate one or more exemplary processes in the form of flowcharts or flow diagrams. However, other operations not shown may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated exemplary processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or in between any of the illustrated operations. In some situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the implementation forms described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementation forms, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication by a wireless station (STA), It operates as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) softAP multilink device (MLD), which includes a first access point (AP) associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with the non-primary link. The transmission of frames only on the primary link, wherein the frames include a complete profile of the primary link and a complete profile of the non-primary link, and each of the complete profiles of the primary and non-primary links includes at least a beacon interval, capability information, service set identifier (SSID), support rate, timing synchronization function (TSF) value, and one or more additional fields or elements associated with the discovery of each of the links. The method further comprises a reduced neighbor report (RNR) element in which the frame body includes a neighbor AP information field associated with the non-primary link, wherein the neighbor AP information field includes a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) information field consisting of basic service set (BSS) identification information (BSSID) and one or more MLD parameters for the non-primary link, and a TBTT offset subfield, a shortened SSID subfield, a BSS parameter subfield, and a power spectral density (PSD) subfield are not present in the TBTT information field corresponding to the non-primary link.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frame is one of a beacon frame, a probe response frame, an association response frame, or a reassociation response frame.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beacon interval, SSID, and TSF value of the non-primary link are inherited from the primary link.

4. The frame includes a frame body, and the frame body is Multiple fields and elements that possess the complete profile of the primary link, The method according to claim 1, comprising: a multilink element having a profile sub-element for each STA showing the complete profile of the non-primary link.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the multilink element further includes a common information field that holds BSS parameter change count (BPCC) values ​​indicating updates to one or more BSS parameters associated with the primary link.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein one or more bits of the multilink control field or common information field of the multilink element indicate whether the frame is transmitted from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the neighbor AP information field includes a TBTT information field type set to 1, or a reserved value indicating that the neighbor AP information field holds information relating only to the non-primary link.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the length of the TBTT information field is 9 octets, and the frame indicates whether or not it was transmitted from the first AP of the NSTR softAP MLD.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more MLD parameters held in the TBTT information field include a BSS parameter change count (BPCC) value indicating an update to one or more BSS parameters associated with the non-primary link.

10. Receiving an update to at least one of the BSS parameters associated with the non-primary link, Based on the received update, the value of the BSS parameter change count (BPCC) field in the TBTT information field contained in the RNR element of another frame is incremented, Based on incrementing the value of the BPCC field, a critical update flag (CUF) is set in the capability information field of the other frame, The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting the other frame only on the primary link, wherein the other frame indicates the update to at least one of the BSS parameters associated with the non-primary link.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the BSS parameters include at least one of the following: channel switch announcement (CSA) elements, extended channel switch announcement (eCSA) elements, extended distributed channel access (EDCA) parameters, standby time elements, direct spreading scheme (DSSS) parameter sets, high throughput (HT) operating elements, very high throughput (VHT) operating elements, high efficiency (HE) operating elements, ultra-high throughput (EHT) operating elements, broadband channel switch elements, operating mode notification elements, broadcast target latency (TWT) elements, BSS color change announcement elements, multi-user (MU) EDCA parameter sets, space reuse parameter sets, or uplink (UL) orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) random access (UORA) parameter sets.

12. Receiving updates to one or more BSS parameters associated with the aforementioned non-primary link, The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting one or more updated BSS parameters associated with the non-primary link only on the primary link.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the one or more updated BSS parameters are part of the partial profile of the non-primary link.

14. A wireless communication device, At least one modem and At least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one modem, The wireless communication device comprises at least one memory that is communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and stores processor-readable code, and when the processor-readable code is executed by the at least one processor in cooperation with the at least one modem, It is configured to operate as a non-simultaneous transmit / receive (NSTR) softAP multilink device (MLD), which includes a first access point (AP) associated with the primary link and a second AP associated with the non-primary link, and A wireless communication device configured to transmit frames only on the primary link, wherein the frame includes a complete profile of the primary link and indicates a complete profile of the non-primary link, and each of the complete profiles of the primary and non-primary links includes at least a beacon interval, capability information, service set identifier (SSID), support rate, timing synchronization function (TSF) value, and one or more additional fields or elements associated with the discovery of each of the links, and the frame body further includes a reduced neighbor report (RNR) element which includes a neighbor AP information field associated with the non-primary link, and the neighbor AP information field includes a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) information field which consists of basic service set (BSS) identification information (BSSID) and one or more MLD parameters of the non-primary link, and a TBTT offset subfield, a shortened SSID subfield, a BSS parameter subfield, and a power spectral density (PSD) subfield which are not present in the TBTT information field corresponding to the non-primary link.

15. A computer program including instructions, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

Images