Multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring

Abstract

An electronic device includes a transceiver configured to adapt between single-link operation (SLO) and multi-link (MLO) operation, and a processor operably coupled to the transceiver. The processor is configured to determine a quality of service (QoS) of a video call for a number of time steps, and determine, based on the QoS of the video call over the number of time steps, whether to adjust a number of links utilized by the transceiver. The processor is further configured to, in response to a determination to adjust the number of links, adjust the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

Description

MULTI-LINK ADAPTATION BASED ON NETWORK QUALITY MONITORING

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to wireless networks. More specifically, this disclosure relates to multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring.

[0002] Wireless fidelity WiFi-7 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11be) is the latest amendment of the IEEE 802.11 protocol that focuses on providing wireless local area network (WLAN) services with higher capacity and better reliability. Compared to previous versions of WiFi, WiFi-7 provides several features to enhance its performance, including: (1) Multi-link Operation (MLO) among channels over 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), 5GHz, and 6GHz, (2) 320 megahertz (MHz) bandwidth and more efficient spectrum utilization over 6GHz, and (3) spatial streams and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) protocol enhancement. The MLO feature can improve network capacity and reliability by providing extra channel resources.

[0003] This disclosure provides apparatuses and methods for multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring.

[0004] According to embodiments in the disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a transceiver configured to adapt between single-link operation (SLO) and multi-link (MLO) operation, and a processor operably coupled to the transceiver. The processor is configured to determine a quality of service (QoS) of a video call, and determine, based on the QoS of the video call over the number of time steps, whether to adjust a number of links utilized by the transceiver. The processor is further configured to, in response to a determination to adjust the number of links, adjust the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0005] According to embodiments in the disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device is provided. The method includes determining a QoS of a video call, and determining, based on the QoS of the video call over the number of time steps, whether to adjust a number of links utilized by a transceiver configured to adapt between SLO and multi-link MLO operation. The method further includes, in response to a determination to adjust the number of links, adjusting the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0006] According to embodiments in the disclosure, a non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program is provided. The computer program includes program code that, when executed by a processor of a device, causes the device to determine a QoS of a video call, and determine, based on the QoS of the video call over the number of time steps, whether to adjust a number of links utilized by a transceiver configured to adapt between SLO and MLO operation. The computer program also includes program code that, when executed by the processor of the device, causes the device to, in response to a determination to adjust the number of links, adjust the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0007] Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.

[0008] Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The term "couple" and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The terms "transmit," "receive," and "communicate,"as well as derivatives thereof, encompass both direct and indirect communication. The terms "include" and "comprise," as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term "or" is inclusive, meaning and / or. The phrase "associated with," as well as derivatives thereof, means to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, have a relationship to or with, or the like. The term "controller" means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation. Such a controller may be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software and / or firmware. The functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. The phrase "at least one of," when used with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and only one item in the list may be needed. For example, "at least one of: A, B, and C" includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.

[0009] Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed from computer readable program code and embodied in a computer readable medium. The terms "application" and "program" refer to one or more computer programs, software components, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computer readable program code. The phrase "computer readable program code" includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase "computer readable medium" includes any type of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of memory. A "non-transitory" computer readable medium excludes wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transport transitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer readable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored and media where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as a rewritable optical disc or an erasable memory device.

[0010] The following documents and standards descriptions are hereby incorporated into the present disclosure as if fully set forth herein: [1] IEEE 802.11-2020, "Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specification"; and [2] IEEE P802.11be / D1.01.

[0011] Definitions for other certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document. Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

[0012] For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] FIGURE 1 illustrates an example wireless network according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIGURE 2A illustrates an example access point according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIGURE 2B illustrates an example station according to various embodiments of this disclosure;

[0016] FIGURE 3 illustrates an example wireless network with an access point-multi-link device and a non-access point-multi-link device according to various embodiments of this disclosure;

[0017] FIGURES 4A-4B illustrate an example method for quality classification using medium access control (MAC)-layer features according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIGURE 5 illustrates an example method for decision tree classification using MAC-layer features according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIGURES 6A-6B illustrate an example method for quality classification using both MAC-layer features and IP layer features according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIGURE 7 illustrates an example method for collecting MAC-layer features and internet protocol (IP)-layer features according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIGURE 8 illustrates an example decision tree for quality classification according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIGURE 9 illustrates an example state machine to add / remove links based on quality classification according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIGURE 10 illustrates another example state machine to add / remove links based on quality classification according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIGURE 11 illustrates another example decision tree for quality classification according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIGURE 12 illustrates an example state machine to add / remove links based on score-based quality classification according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIGURE 13 illustrates an example method for hysteresis thresholding based dynamic MLO adaptation according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0027] FIGURE 14 illustrates an example method for multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIGURE 15 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a network environment.

[0029] FIGURES 1 through 14, discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of this disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of this disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

[0030] Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11be [2] supports multiple bands of operation, where an access point (AP) and a non-AP device may communicate with each other, called links. Thus, both the AP and non-AP device may be capable of communicating on different bands / links, which is referred to as mutli-link operation (MLO). Devices capable of such MLO are referred to as multi-link devices (MLDs).

[0031] FIGURE 1 illustrates an example wireless network 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the wireless network 100 shown in FIGURE 1 is for illustration only. Other embodiments of the wireless network 100 could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0032] The wireless network 100 includes APs 101 and 103. The APs 101 and 103 communicate with at least one network 130, such as the Internet, a proprietary Internet Protocol (IP) network, or other data network. The AP 101 provides wireless access to the network 130 for a plurality of stations (STAs) 111-114 within a coverage area 120 of the AP 101. The APs 101-103 may communicate with each other and with the STAs 111-114 using wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) or other wireless local area network (WLAN) communication techniques.

[0033] Depending on the network type, other well-known terms may be used instead of "access point" or "AP," such as "router" or "gateway." For the sake of convenience, the term "AP" is used in this disclosure to refer to network infrastructure components that provide wireless access to remote terminals. In WLAN, given that the AP also contends for the wireless channel, the AP may also be referred to as a STA (e.g., an AP STA). Also, depending on the network type, other well-known terms may be used instead of "station" or "STA," such as "mobile station," "subscriber station," "remote terminal," "user equipment," "wireless terminal,", "electronic device", or "user device" For the sake of convenience, the terms "station" and "STA" are used in this disclosure to refer to remote wireless equipment that wirelessly accesses an AP or contends for a wireless channel in a WLAN, whether the STA is a mobile device (such as a mobile telephone or smartphone) or is normally considered a stationary device (such as a desktop computer, AP, media player, stationary sensor, television, etc.). This type of STA may also be referred to as a non-AP STA.

[0034] In various embodiments of this disclosure, each of the APs 101 and 103 and each of the STAs 111-114 may be an MLD. In such embodiments, APs 101 and 103 may be AP MLDs, and STAs 111-114 may be non-AP MLDs. Each MLD is affiliated with more than one STA. For convenience of explanation, an AP MLD is described herein as affiliated with more than one AP (e.g., more than one AP STA), and a non-AP MLD is described herein as affiliated with more than one STA (e.g., more than one non-AP STA). For example, non-AP MLD may be referred to STA-MLD.

[0035] Dotted lines show the approximate extents of the coverage areas 120 and 125, which are shown as approximately circular for the purposes of illustration and explanation only. It should be clearly understood that the coverage areas associated with APs, such as the coverage areas 120 and 125, may have other shapes, including irregular shapes, depending upon the configuration of the APs and variations in the radio environment associated with natural and man-made obstructions.

[0036] As described in more detail below, one or more of the APs may include circuitry and / or programming for facilitating multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring. Although FIGURE 1 illustrates one example of a wireless network 100, various changes may be made to FIGURE 1. For example, the wireless network 100 could include any number of APs and any number of STAs in any suitable arrangement. Also, the AP 101 could communicate directly with any number of STAs and provide those STAs with wireless broadband access to the network 130. Similarly, each AP 101-103 could communicate directly with the network 130 and provide STAs with direct wireless broadband access to the network 130. Further, the APs 101 and / or 103 could provide access to other or additional external networks, such as external telephone networks or other types of data networks.

[0037] FIGURE 2A illustrates an example AP 101 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the AP 101 illustrated in FIGURE 2A is for illustration only, and the AP 103 of FIGURE 1 could have the same or similar configuration. In the embodiments discussed herein below, the AP 101 is an AP MLD. However, APs come in a wide variety of configurations, and FIGURE 2A does not limit the scope of this disclosure to any particular implementation of an AP.

[0038] The AP MLD 101 is affiliated with multiple APs 202a-202n (which may be referred to, for example, as AP1-APn). Each of the affiliated APs 202a-202n includes multiple antennas 204a-204n, multiple RF transceivers 209a-209n, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 214, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 219. The AP MLD 101 also includes a controller / processor 224, a memory 229, and a backhaul or network interface 234.

[0039] The illustrated components of each affiliated AP 202a-202n may represent a physical (PHY) layer and a lower media access control (LMAC) layer in the open systems interconnection (OSI) networking model. In such embodiments, the illustrated components of the AP MLD 101 represent a single upper MAC (UMAC) layer and other higher layers in the OSI model, which are shared by all of the affiliated APs 202a-202n.

[0040] For each affiliated AP 202a-202n, the RF transceivers 209a-209n receive, from the antennas 204a-204n, incoming RF signals, such as signals transmitted by STAs in the network 100. In some embodiments, each affiliated AP 202a-202n operates at a different bandwidth,e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz, and accordingly the incoming RF signals received by each affiliated AP may be at a different frequency of RF. The RF transceivers 209a-209n down-convert the incoming RF signals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals are sent to the RX processing circuitry 219, which generates processed baseband signals by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signals. The RX processing circuitry 219 transmits the processed baseband signals to the controller / processor 224 for further processing.

[0041] For each affiliated AP 202a-202n, the TX processing circuitry 214 receives analog or digital data (such as voice data, web data, e-mail, or interactive video game data) from the controller / processor 224. The TX processing circuitry 214 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate processed baseband or IF signals. The RF transceivers 209a-209n receive the outgoing processed baseband or IF signals from the TX processing circuitry 214 and up-convert the baseband or IF signals to RF signals that are transmitted via the antennas 204a-204n. In embodiments wherein each affiliated AP 202a-202n operates at a different bandwidth,e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz, the outgoing RF signals transmitted by each affiliated AP may be at a different frequency of RF.

[0042] The controller / processor 224 can include one or more processors or other processing devices that control the overall operation of the AP MLD 101. For example, the controller / processor 224 could control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by the RF transceivers 209a-209n, the RX processing circuitry 219, and the TX processing circuitry 214 in accordance with well-known principles. The controller / processor 224 could support additional functions as well, such as more advanced wireless communication functions. For instance, the controller / processor 224 could support beam forming or directional routing operations in which outgoing signals from multiple antennas 204a-204n are weighted differently to effectively steer the outgoing signals in a desired direction. The controller / processor 224 could also support OFDMA operations in which outgoing signals are assigned to different subsets of subcarriers for different recipients (e.g., different STAs 111-114). Any of a wide variety of other functions could be supported in the AP MLD 101 by the controller / processor 224 including facilitating multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring. In some embodiments, the controller / processor 224 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller. The controller / processor 224 is also capable of executing programs and other processes resident in the memory 229, such as an OS. The controller / processor 224 can move data into or out of the memory 229 as required by an executing process.

[0043] The controller / processor 224 is also coupled to the backhaul or network interface 234. The backhaul or network interface 234 allows the AP MLD 101 to communicate with other devices or systems over a backhaul connection or over a network. The interface 234 could support communications over any suitable wired or wireless connection(s). For example, the interface 234 could allow the AP MLD 101 to communicate over a wired or wireless local area network or over a wired or wireless connection to a larger network (such as the Internet). The interface 234 includes any suitable structure supporting communications over a wired or wireless connection, such as an Ethernet or RF transceiver. The memory 229 is coupled to the controller / processor 224. Part of the memory 229 could include a RAM, and another part of the memory 229 could include a Flash memory or other ROM.

[0044] As described in more detail below, the AP MLD 101 may include circuitry and / or programming for facilitating multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring. Although FIGURE 2A illustrates one example of AP MLD 101, various changes may be made to FIGURE 2A. For example, the AP MLD 101 could include any number of each component shown in FIGURE 2A. As a particular example, an AP MLD 101 could include a number of interfaces 234, and the controller / processor 224 could support routing functions to route data between different network addresses. As another particular example, while each affiliated AP 202a-202n is shown as including a single instance of TX processing circuitry 214 and a single instance of RX processing circuitry 219, the AP MLD 101 could include multiple instances of each (such as one per RF transceiver) in one or more of the affiliated APs 202a-202n. Alternatively, only one antenna and RF transceiver path may be included in one or more of the affiliated APs 202a-202n, such as in legacy APs. Also, various components in FIG. 2A could be combined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components could be added according to particular needs.

[0045] FIGURE 2B illustrates an example STA 111 according to various embodiments of this disclosure. The embodiment of the STA 111 illustrated in FIGURE 2B is for illustration only, and the STAs 111-115 of FIGURE 1 could have the same or similar configuration. In the embodiments discussed herein below, the STA 111 is a non-AP MLD. However, STAs come in a wide variety of configurations, and FIGURE 2B does not limit the scope of this disclosure to any particular implementation of a STA.

[0046] The non-AP MLD 111 is affiliated with multiple STAs 203a-203n (which may be referred to, for example, as STA1-STAn). Each of the affiliated STAs 203a-203n includes antenna(s) 205, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 210, TX processing circuitry 215, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 225. The non-AP MLD 111 also includes a microphone 220, a speaker 230, a controller / processor 240, an input / output (I / O) interface (IF) 245, a touchscreen 250, a display 255, and a memory 260. The memory 260 includes an operating system (OS) 261 and one or more applications 262.

[0047] The illustrated components of each affiliated STA 203a-203n may represent a PHY layer and an LMAC layer in the OSI networking model. In such embodiments, the illustrated components of the non-AP MLD 111 represent a single UMAC layer and other higher layers in the OSI model, which are shared by all of the affiliated STAs 203a-203n.

[0048] For each affiliated STA 203a-203n, the RF transceiver 210 receives from the antenna(s) 205, an incoming RF signal transmitted by an AP of the network 100. In some embodiments, each affiliated STA 203a-203n operates at a different bandwidth,e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz, and accordingly the incoming RF signals received by each affiliated STA may be at a different frequency of RF. The RF transceiver 210 down-converts the incoming RF signal to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal. The IF or baseband signal is sent to the RX processing circuitry 225, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signal. The RX processing circuitry 225 transmits the processed baseband signal to the speaker 230 (such as for voice data) or to the controller / processor 240 for further processing (such as for web browsing data).

[0049] For each affiliated STA 203a-203n, the TX processing circuitry 215 receives analog or digital voice data from the microphone 220 or other outgoing baseband data (such as web data, e-mail, or interactive video game data) from the controller / processor 240. The TX processing circuitry 215 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. The RF transceiver 210 receives the outgoing processed baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuitry 215 and up-converts the baseband or IF signal to an RF signal that is transmitted via the antenna(s) 205. In embodiments wherein each affiliated STA 203a-203n operates at a different bandwidth,e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz, the outgoing RF signals transmitted by each affiliated STA may be at a different frequency of RF.

[0050] The controller / processor 240 can include one or more processors and execute the basic OS program 261 stored in the memory 260 in order to control the overall operation of the non-AP MLD 111. In one such operation, the main controller / processor 240 controls the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by the RF transceiver 210, the RX processing circuitry 225, and the TX processing circuitry 215 in accordance with well-known principles. The main controller / processor 240 can also include processing circuitry configured to facilitate EMLMR operations for MLDs in WLANs. In some embodiments, the controller / processor 240 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0051] The controller / processor 240 is also capable of executing other processes and programs resident in the memory 260, such as operations for facilitating multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring. The controller / processor 240 can move data into or out of the memory 260 as required by an executing process. In some embodiments, the controller / processor 240 is configured to execute a plurality of applications 262, such as applications for facilitating multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring. The controller / processor 240 can operate the plurality of applications 262 based on the OS program 261 or in response to a signal received from an AP. The main controller / processor 240 is also coupled to the I / O interface 245, which provides non-AP MLD 111 with the ability to connect to other devices such as laptop computers and handheld computers. The I / O interface 245 is the communication path between these accessories and the main controller 240.

[0052] The controller / processor 240 is also coupled to the touchscreen 250 and the display 255. The operator of the non-AP MLD 111 can use the touchscreen 250 to enter data into the non-AP MLD 111. The display 255 may be a liquid crystal display, light emitting diode display, or other display capable of rendering text and / or at least limited graphics, such as from web sites. The memory 260 is coupled to the controller / processor 240. Part of the memory 260 could include a random-access memory (RAM), and another part of the memory 260 could include a Flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

[0053] Although FIGURE 2B illustrates one example of non-AP MLD 111, various changes may be made to FIGURE 2B. For example, various components in FIGURE 2B could be combined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components could be added according to particular needs. In particular examples, one or more of the affiliated STAs 203a-203n may include any number of antenna(s) 205 for MIMO communication with an AP 101. In another example, the non-AP MLD 111 may not include voice communication or the controller / processor 240 could be divided into multiple processors, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). Also, while FIGURE 2B illustrates the non-AP MLD 111 configured as a mobile telephone or smartphone, non-AP MLDs can be configured to operate as other types of mobile or stationary devices.

[0054] FIGURE 3 illustrates an example wireless network 300 with an AP MLD and a non-AP MLD according to various embodiments of this disclosure. The embodiment of the system in FIGURE 3 is for illustration only. Other embodiments of a wireless communication system could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0055]

[0056] Although FIGURE 3 illustrates one example of a wireless network with an AP MLD and a non-AP MLD device, various changes may be made to FIGURE 3. For example, the number of AP MLD devices may change, the number of non-AP MLD devices may change, etc.

[0057] WiFi-7 includes features to reduce communication latency and improve the network throughput by enabling an asynchronous and simultaneous medium access control (MAC) and physical (PHY) layer operation in separate channels / links. However, activating multiple links at the same time will also incur more power consumption for WiFi-7 and reduce the battery life of the WiFi-7 devices. To lessen the effect of these issues, the present disclosure provides various embodiments that include dynamic adaptation of multi-link operation (MLO) configurations. In Wi-Fi technology, MLO is a feature introduced in Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) that enables the simultaneous use of multiple links across various frequency bands, such as 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), 5GHz, and 6GHz. The MLO improves overall network performance by providing higher data throughput, reduced latency, and enhanced reliability. By utilizing multiple links concurrently, MLO enables faster data transfer compared to single-link operation. Additionally, by distributing network traffic across multiple links, MLO minimizes link congestion, thereby lowering latency, which is particularly beneficial for latency-sensitive applications, such as online gaming and video streaming. Furthermore, in the event of a disruption on one link, MLO enables data to be rerouted through alternative links, thus improving connection stability. MLO technology is particularly advantageous for applications that require fast and stable network connections, such as IoT devices and augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) applications. For example, some embodiments include a control algorithm that dynamically adapt between single-link operation (SLO) and MLO to balance the trade-off between power consumption and network performance while preserving the device application's quality of service (QoS). In some embodiments, the application QoS is predicted to determine whether to add or remove a link, or maintain a current link configuration.

[0058] In some embodiments, the application QoS can be predicted based on the quality of a video call. If the quality of the video call is "good" while using the current link configuration, the call can continue using the same link configuration without expecting poor QoS. In some embodiments, if the quality of video call is good, a link can be dropped to save power. In some embodiments, if the quality of the video call degrades, which means either the frame rate drops, or the resolution of frames drop or if jitter is experienced in the call, another link can be added to improve the QoS of the video call.

[0059] The AP (e.g., AP MLD) and a STA (e.g., smartphone, non-AP MLD) establish the maximum number of links used for the MLO when the STA associates with the AP. After the association, the STA can configure the number of active links depending on the traffic requirements with the AP with control signaling. The term 'active link' refers to a link usable for communication between the AP and the STA. Thus, the term 'active link' may be referred as the term 'communication link'. For example, if the QoS is bad and a link is required to be added, the STA may transmit a request signal that the STA would like to use a specific link to the AP and the AP may activate the link for the STA. For example, if the QoS is good and a link is required to be deleted to reduce power consumption, the STA may transmit a request signal that the STA would like to cancel a specific link to the AP and the AP may deactivate the link for the STA.

[0060] In some embodiments, medium access control (MAC)-layer features may be used to classify a video call quality as being "good" or "bad."

[0061] FIGURES 4A-4B illustrate an example method for quality classification using MAC-layer features 400 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method illustrated in FIGURES 4A-4B is for illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIGURES 4A-4B may be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more of the components may be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the noted functions. Other embodiments of a method for quality classification using MAC-layer features could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0062] In the example of FIGURES 4A-4B, a machine learning classifier 420 is used with MAC-layer features 410 to classify the quality of calls as good or bad. In some embodiments, the MAC-layer features include one or more of: (1) the portion of time the link stays in different link state (Tx / Rx / clear channel assessment (CCA)_busy / Idle), (2) the transmission success rate, (3) the interframe space durations (e.g., distributed interframe space (DIFS), short interframe space (SIFS), and (4) the PHY rate.

[0063] At link decision 440, whenever the quality of calls is classified as bad, the application quickly adds another link to preserve the QoS. However, when the quality of calls is classified as good, the application takes time to ensure persistent good quality before dropping a link. In some embodiments, as shown in FIGURE 4B, a state machine 430 can be used after classifier 420, to provide a fast attack (e.g., in the case of adding a link) and slow release strategy (e.g., in the case of dropping a link) for respectively enabling / disabling links depending on the quality of calls obtained from classifier 420.

[0064] Although FIGURES 4A-4B illustrate one example method for quality classification using MAC-layer features 400, various changes may be made to FIGURES 4A-4B. For example, while shown as a series of steps, various steps in FIGURES 4A-4B could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, occur any number of times, be omitted, or replaced by other steps.

[0065] In some embodiments, classification of call quality (e.g., by classifier 420) may be performed using a decision tree classifier. To use the decision tree classifier, extensive data collection and analysis may be performed.

[0066] FIGURE 5 illustrates an example method for decision tree classification using MAC-layer features 500 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method illustrated in FIGURE 5 is for illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIGURE 5 may be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more of the components may be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the noted functions. Other embodiments of a method for decision tree classification using MAC-layer features could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, the operations in the disclosure may be performed by an electronic device like non-AP MLD (e.g., non-AP MLD 111 of FIG.1 and FIG. 2B, non-AP MLD 302 of FIG. 3).

[0067]

[0068]

[0069]

[0070] refers the ratio of time the link is in clear channel assessment (CCA)_BUSY over the time the link radio is on. CCA is a method of finding if any other RF transmissions are occupying the channel. CCA uses two different thresholds to listen to the RF medium - a signal detect (SD) threshold, and an energy detect (ED) threshold. The SD threshold is used to detect any other WiFi transmissions, while the ED threshold is used to detect any other type of RF transmissions during CCA. CCA_BUSY refers to the time the PHY indicates to the MAC that the channel is occupied by another (WiFi or other RF) transmission. The ratio is expected to be low in a good-quality call

[0071]

[0072]

[0073]

[0074] Although FIGURE 5 illustrates one example method for decision tree classification using MAC-layer features 500, various changes may be made to FIGURE 5. For example, while shown as a series of steps, various steps in FIGURE 5 could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, occur any number of times, be omitted, or replaced by other steps. In another example, more link features and another classifier could be used to perform quality classification.

[0075] In some embodiments, both MAC-layer features and internet protocol (IP)-layer features may be used to classify a video call quality as being "good" or "bad."

[0076] Although the three conditions are described in series in FIG. 5, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, each condition may be determined independently or in parallel. Although the three conditions are described in FIG. 5, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, in order to determine whether the link quality is good quality or bad quality, only two of the three conditions may be used. For another example, in order to determine whether the link quality is good quality or bad quality, only one of the three conditions may be used. For yet another example, in order to determine whether the link quality is good quality or bad quality, the three conditions and at least one additional condition may be used.

[0077] FIGURES 6A-6B illustrate an example method for quality classification using both MAC-layer features and IP layer features 600 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method illustrated in FIGURES 6A-6B is for illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIGURES 6A-6B may be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more of the components may be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the noted functions. Other embodiments of a method for quality classification using MAC-layer features could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0078] In the example of FIGURES 6A-6B, a machine learning classifier 630 is used with MAC-layer features 610 and IP-layer features 620 to classify the quality of calls as good or bad. In some embodiments, the MAC-layer features include one or more of: (1) the portion of time the link stays in different link state (Tx / Rx / CCA_busy / Idle), (2) the transmission success rate, (3) the interframe space durations (e.g., DIFS, SIFS), and (4) the PHY rate.

[0079] At link decision 650, whenever the quality of calls is classified as bad, the application quickly adds another link to preserve the QoS. However, when the quality of calls is classified as good, the application takes time to ensure persistent good quality before dropping a link. In some embodiments, as shown in FIGURE 6B, a state machine 640 can be used after classifier 630, to provide a fast attack (e.g., in the case of adding a link) and slow release strategy (e.g., in the case of dropping a link) for respectively enabling / disabling links depending on the quality of calls obtained from classifier 630.

[0080] Although FIGURES 6A-6B illustrate one example method for quality classification using both MAC-layer features and IP layer features 600, various changes may be made to FIGURES 6A-6B. For example, while shown as a series of steps, various steps in FIGURES 6A-6B could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, occur any number of times, be omitted, or replaced by other steps.

[0081] As described above, regarding FIGURES 6A-6B, the MAC-layer features 610 and IP-layer features 620 may imply the channel condition and can be used to estimate the Maximum Achievable Rate (MAR) of the device's application over each link as shown in FIGURE 7. Similarly, The IP-layer features can be used to compute the actual throughput of the device's application over each link as shown in FIGURE 7. The MAR and throughput may then be utilized by the classifier (e.g., classifier 630) to perform a quality classification. In some embodiments, the IP-layer features include one or more of: (1) transmitted / received bytes, and (2) payload size.

[0082] FIGURE 7 illustrates an example method for collecting MAC-layer features and IP-layer features 700 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method illustrated in FIGURE 7 is for illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIGURE 7 may be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more of the components may be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the noted functions. Other embodiments of a method for collecting MAC-layer features and IP-layer features could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0083] In the example of FIGURE 7, a device such as non-AP MLD 302 of FIGURE 3 includes a first timer for MAC-layer features, and a second timer for IP-layer features. The method begins with two separate branches that run concurrently. The first branch begins at step 705, and the second branch begins at step 725.

[0084] At step 705, the device resets the first timer (i.e., the MAC-layer timer).

[0085] At step 710, the device checks whether the MAC-layer timer has elapsed. If the MAC-layer timer has elapsed the first branch proceeds to step 715. Otherwise, if the MAC-layer timer has not elapsed, the first branch returns to step 710.

[0086] At step 715, the device obtains MAC-layer features for each link of the device (e.g., each of links 306 1 throughNof FIGURE 3). The MAC-layer features may include the portion of time the link stays in different link state (Tx / Rx / CCA_busy / Idle), the transmission success rate, the interframe space durations (e.g., DIFS, SIFS), and the PHY rate. The device then updates the MAR at step 735, and the first branch returns to step 705.

[0087] At step 720, the device resets the second time (i.e., the IP-layer timer).

[0088] At step 725, the device checks whether the IP-layer timer has elapsed. If the IP-layer timer has elapsed the second branch proceeds to step 730. Otherwise, if the IP-layer timer has not elapsed, the second branch returns to step 725.

[0089] At step 730, the device obtains IP-layer features for each link of the device (e.g., each of links 306 1 throughNof FIGURE 3). The IP layer features may include transmitted / received bytes and the Payload size. The IP layer features may be used when the device updates the MAR at step 735.

[0090] At step 735, the device updates the estimated MAR of the device's application over each link based on the MAC-layer features obtained in step 715, as well as IP-layer features obtained at step 730. The estimated MAR value is updated every MAC-layer timer cycle. In some embodiments, the MAR for the application may be estimated as follows:

[0091]

[0092] Similar as described regarding, FIGURE 5:

[0093]

[0094]

[0095] refers the ratio of time the link is in clear channel assessment (CCA)_BUSY over the time the link radio is on. CCA is a method of finding if any other RF transmissions are occupying the channel. This ratio in the second term above refers to the portion of time the target link is under interference, only the portion of time with no interference that contributes to the throughput is considered. The ratio is expected to be low in a good-quality call.

[0096]

[0097] Concurrent with step 735, at step 740, the device computes the throughput of the device's application over each link based on the IP layer features obtained in step 730. The throughput is updated every IP-layer timer cycle.

[0098] At step 745, the MAR and the throughput are directly aggregated among the multiple links to get the total MAR and throughput for the application traffic. Every time the application throughput is updated, the device computes a Resource Utilization (RU) rate.

[0099] At step 750, the device triggers the classifier (e.g., classifier 630) every IP-layer timer cycle to make a decision of whether the call quality is "bad"bor "good" based on the MAC-layer and IP-layer features. The second branch then returns to step 720.

[0100] In some embodiments, the following IP-layer features are used in the classifier (e.g., classifier 630) to perform video call quality classification:

[0101]

[0102]

[0103]

[0104] If the RU rate is too large, then the device's channel resource becomes stringent and is prone to have congestion and is indicative of bad video quality. This could indicate that the device should switch to a link configuration with higher bandwidth (e.g., activate an additional helper link, or switch the link channel to another frequency with a higher bandwidth) to ensure the QoS.

[0105] On the other hand, if RU rate is too low, the device becomes energy-inefficient as it provides too may extra channel resources compared to the application demand, so it would mean that the video call quality is good. This could indicate that the device should switch to a link configuration with a lower bandwidth (e.g., deactivate other helper links, or switch the link channel to another frequency with a lower bandwidth) to save power.

[0106]

[0107] In some embodiments, the cycle of MAC-layer timer and the IP-layer timer are variables that can be manually tuned. For example, a smaller timer cycle may provide the device more robust channel condition changes over time and reduce the delay in MLO adaptation. However, if the timer cycle is too small the MAC-layer and IP-layer features may also become inaccurate due to high deviations of the traffic statistics, and the MLO adaptation may become energy-inefficient as chipset reporting for MAC-layer features may have high energy costs.

[0108] Although FIGURE 7 illustrates one example method for collecting MAC-layer features and IP-layer features 700, various changes may be made to FIGURE 7. For example, while shown as a series of steps, various steps in FIGURE 7 could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, occur any number of times, be omitted, or replaced by other steps.

[0109] As described above regarding FIGURE 7, a device may estimate an MAR for the device's application. In some embodiments, the MAR for the application may be estimated as follows:

[0110] In the examples of FIGURES 6A-6B, any machine learning classifier can be used with the MAC-layer and / or IP-layer features described herein to perform quality classification of calls. In some embodiments, a decision tree is used to perform classification as shown in FIGURE 8.

[0111] FIGURE 8 illustrates an example decision tree for quality classification 800 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of a decision tree of FIGURE 8 is for illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIGURE 8 may be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more of the components may be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the noted functions. Different embodiments of a decision tree for quality classification could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure. As a non-limiting example, the decision tree for quality classification may be implemented as an algorithm or table, or according to a defined model (e.g., an AI model) within the electronic device (e.g., AP MLD 101 of FIG.1 and FIG. 2A, AP MLD 304 of FIG. 3, non-AP MLD 111 of FIG.1 and FIG. 2B, or non-AP MLD 302 of FIG. 3).

[0112]

[0113]

[0114]

[0115]

[0116]

[0117]

[0118] Although FIGURE 8 illustrates an example decision tree for quality classification 800, various changes may be made to FIGURE 8. For example, various changes to the number and type of link features used to perform quality classification could be made according to particular needs.

[0119] As previously described herein, some embodiments may use a state machine to add / remove links based on the quality classification. Example state machines are shown in FIGURE 9 and FIGURE 10.

[0120] FIGURE 9 illustrates an example state machine to add / remove links based on quality classification 900 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of a state machine of FIGURE 9 is for illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIGURE 9 may be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more of the components may be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the noted functions. Different embodiments of a state machine to add / remove links based on quality classification could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0121] In the example of FIGURE 9, when the classifier declares bad quality for at least a preconfigured number of time stepsM, whereMis greater than or equal to 2, the state transitions to state 920 where a link is quickly added to a number of links in useNto increase the QoS. By not changing states immediately after the first time step with a bad quality classification, occasional bad quality classification outliers do not trigger the addition of links.

[0122]

[0123] Although FIGURE 9 illustrates an example state machine to add / remove links based on quality classification 900, various changes may be made to FIGURE 9. For example, various changes to the number states, as well as the transition conditions could be made according to particular needs.

[0124] FIGURE 10 illustrates another example state machine to add / remove links based on quality classification 1000 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of a state machine of FIGURE 10 is for illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIGURE 10 may be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more of the components may be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the noted functions. Different embodiments of a state machine to add / remove links based on quality classification could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0125]

[0126] When the classifier declares bad quality for all of theNlinks for at least a preconfigured number of time steps , where is greater than or equal to 2, the state transitions to state 1020 where a link is quickly added to a number of links in use to increase the QoS. By not changing states immediately after the first time step with bad quality classification for all of the links, occasional bad quality classification outliers do not trigger the addition of links.

[0127]

[0128]

[0129] Although FIGURE 10 illustrates an example state machine to add / remove links based on quality classification 1000, various changes may be made to FIGURE 10. For example, various changes to the number states, as well as the transition conditions could be made according to particular needs.

[0130] In some embodiments, other machine learning classifiers, for example Support Vector Machine (SVM), random forest, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), multi-layer perceptron (MLP), convolutional neural network (CNN), etc, can be trained using training data to classify the call quality. In some embodiments, based on a division of training data across different leaf nodes of a decision tree, scores can be assigned to features (e.g., the MAC-layer and / or IP-layer features described herein). For example, the scores could indicate the probability that data belongs to a bad quality of call. For instance, if the this may indicate that the feature represents a bad quality of call with a 100% confidence. Alternatively, if the this may indicate good video call quality with 100% confidence. In one embodiment, call quality is classified according to scores based on the decision tree shown in FIGURE 11.

[0131] FIGURE 11 illustrates another example decision tree for quality classification 1100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of a decision tree of FIGURE 11 is for illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIGURE 11 may be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more of the components may be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the noted functions. Different embodiments of a decision tree for quality classification could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure. As a non-limiting example, the decision tree for quality classification may be implemented as an algorithm or table, or according to a defined model (e.g., an AI model) within the electronic device (e.g., AP MLD 101 of FIG.1 and FIG. 2A, AP MLD 304 of FIG. 3, non-AP MLD 111 of FIG.1 and FIG. 2B, or non-AP MLD 302 of FIG. 3).

[0132]

[0133]

[0134]

[0135]

[0136]

[0137]

[0138] Although FIGURE 11 illustrates an example decision tree for quality classification 1100, various changes may be made to FIGURE 11. For example, various changes to the number and type of link features used to perform quality classification could be made according to particular needs.

[0139] In some embodiments, a state machine such as shown in FIGURE 12 is used to add / drop links using score-based quality classification (for example, based on decision tree 1100 of FIGURE 11).

[0140] FIGURE 12 illustrates an example state machine to add / remove links based on score-based quality classification 1200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of a state machine of FIGURE 12 is for illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIGURE 12 may be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more of the components may be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the noted functions. Different embodiments of a state machine to add / remove links based on quality classification could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0141]

[0142]

[0143] Although FIGURE 12 illustrates an example state machine to add / remove links based on score-based quality classification 1200, various changes may be made to FIGURE 12. For example, various changes to the number states, as well as the transition conditions could be made according to particular needs.

[0144] Various embodiments discussed above reflect cases where a link is added or removed. In some embodiments, a link configuration may be changed based on the decision of whether the call quality is "good" or "bad" Example link configurations that can be changed can include operating bandwidth(s). In some of these embodiments, every time the application throughput is updated, the device computes the Resource Utilization (RU) rate as the updated actual throughput divided by the current version of the MAR. Then the device performs the call quality determination as discussed herein. If the call quality is classified as "bad" then device can change to a link configuration with more bandwidth too avoid congestion and preserve the QoS. If the call quality is classified as "good" the device can change to a link configuration with less bandwidth to save power. Otherwise, the device can remain its current link configuration. In some embodiments, the link adaptation is triggered every cycle of an IP-layer timer cycle. As an alternative to the above embodiments, various embodiments of the present disclosure may adapt the data rate based as described below.

[0145] In the some embodiments, instead of adapting according to the data rate, which is constrained by both the nature of application and the channel resources (e.g., in real-time traffic congestion control, the target bit rate is the minimum of maximum achievable transmission rate of the application, and the maximum achievable receiving rate that is largely determined by channel resource conditions), the device has the extra capability to adapt its link configuration to remove itself from the constraints of the channel resources. Therefore, WiFi-7 with dynamic adaptation over its MLO configuration can improve QoS performance under busy channel scenarios, as the congestion control is more focused on adding more channel resources instead of reducing the application data rate. On the other hand, dynamic adaptation of WiFi-7 MLO can also remain energy-efficient as the device can save the underutilized channel resources when traffic is light.

[0146] For example, the general setup of MLO where the device can operate on 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz with the set of all MLO configurations (also referred to as states) is provided as shown, for example, below (in a descending order of total bandwidth / power consumption) in Table　1:

[0147] State Definition (Bandwidth)Power Consumption Score6GHz (160MHz) + 2.4GHz (20MHz)56GHz (160MHz)45GHz (80MHz) + 2.4GHz (20MHz)35GHz (80MHz)22.4GHz (20MHz)1

[0148] In some embodiments, the device adapts its MLO state every IP-layer timer cycle in a stepwise manner by switching to the MLO state adjacent to the current state in Table 1 (e.g., with a current MLO state being 5GHz, the device can only switch its MLO state to 5GHz + 2.4GHz or 2.4GHz). In some embodiments, the devices use the RU rate metric introduced herein as the threshold triggering the adaptation of the MLO state. However, the adjacent state switching, is not mandatory, and some embodiments may switch from one state to another state which is not adjacent in the Table 1.

[0149]

[0150] FIGURE 13 illustrates an example method for hysteresis thresholding based dynamic MLO adaptation 1300 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method illustrated in FIGURE 1300 is for illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIGURE 1300 may be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more of the components may be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the noted functions. Other embodiments for hysteresis thresholding based dynamic MLO adaptation could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0151]

[0152]

[0153] At step 1304, the device collects the throughput and MAR for a linki(Throughput(i), MAR(i)). After the collection, the method proceeds concurrently in two parallel branches. The first branch begins at step 1306, and the second branch begins step 1310.

[0154]

[0155]

[0156] At step 1310, the devices determines whether linkibelongs to the set of activated links in the MLO configuration with one lower power consumption score than the present MLO configuration. If linkibelongs to the set of activated links in the set of activated links in the MLO configuration with one lower power consumption score than the present MLO configuration, the second branch proceeds to step 1312. Otherwise, the second branch proceeds to step 1314 where the second branch converges with the first branch.

[0157] At step 1312, the device increasesM'by an amount equal to the MAR collected at step 1304. The second branch then proceeds to step 1314 where it converges with the first branch.

[0158] At step 1314, the device determines whether link numberiis less than the number of total possible links the device can connect to (Nlink). If so, the method proceeds to step 1318. Otherwise, the method proceeds to step 1316.

[0159] At step 1316, variableiis incremented by one, and the method returns to step 1304.

[0160] At step 1318, the device calculates the RU rate (RU) as the aggregated throughput of the activated links (T)divided by the aggregated MAR of the activated links (M).

[0161]

[0162]

[0163] At step 1322, the device switches to the MLO configuration with one higher power consumption score than the present MLO configuration.

[0164]

[0165] At step 1326, the device switches to the MLO configuration with one lower power consumption score than the present MLO configuration.

[0166] At step 1328, the device maintains the current MLO configuration.

[0167] Although FIGURE 13 illustrates one example method for hysteresis thresholding based dynamic MLO adaptation 1300, various changes may be made to FIGURE 13. For example, while shown as a series of steps, various steps in FIGURE 13 could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, occur any number of times, be omitted, or replaced by other steps.

[0168] FIGURE 14 illustrates an example method for multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring 1400 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method illustrated in FIGURE 14 is for illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIGURE 14 may be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more of the components may be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the noted functions. Other embodiments of a method for multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0169] In the Example of FIGURE 14, method 1400 begins at step 1410. At step 1410, a device such as non-AP MLD 302 of FIGURE 3 determines a QoS of a video call for a number of time steps.

[0170] In some embodiments, the device may classify the quality of the video call based on at least one MAC layer feature and at least one IP layer feature. In some embodiments, the QoS of the video call may be determined based on the classification. In some embodiments, the device may estimate, based on the at least one MAC layer feature and the at least one IP layer feature, a MAR. In some embodiments, the device may estimate, based on the at least one IP layer feature, an RU rate. In some embodiments, the quality of the video call may be classified based on the RU and the MAR.

[0171] In some embodiments, the device may classify the quality of the video call, according to a decision tree, based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature. In some embodiments, the QoS of the video call may be determined based on the classification.

[0172] At step 1420, the device determines based on the QoS of the video call over the number of time steps, whether to adjust a number of links utilized by a transceiver configured to adapt between SLO and MLO operation. If the device determines to adjust the number of links, the method proceeds to step 1430. Otherwise, the method returns to step 1410.

[0173] In some embodiments, for each time step, the determination of the QoS of the video call may include an evaluation for each link utilized by the transceiver of one of good or bad. In some embodiments, when the evaluation for each link utilized by the transceiver is bad for a number of consecutive time steps exceeding a first threshold, the device may determine to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver. In some embodiments, when the evaluation for at least one link utilized by the transceiver is good for a latest time step and a number of previous time steps exceeding a second threshold, and a flow of the video call has not been in at least one less link than the number of links utilized by the transceiver in a number of previous time steps exceeding a third threshold, the device may determine to decrease the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0174] In some embodiments, the determination of the QoS of the video call may include, for each link utilized by the transceiver, a score determined from a decision tree. In some embodiments, when an average score of all the links over a number of previous time steps exceeds a first threshold, the device may determine to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver. In some embodiments, when an average score of all the links utilized by the transceiver over another number of previous time steps exceeds a second threshold, the device may determine to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver. In some embodiments, when an average score of all the links over a number of previous time steps falls below a third threshold and a most recent score for at least one link utilized by the transceiver falls below a fourth threshold, the device may determine to decrease the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0175] At step 1430, the device adjusts the number of links utilized by the transceiver, and the method returns to step 1410.

[0176] Although FIGURE 14 illustrates one example method for multi-link adaptation based on network quality monitoring 1400, various changes may be made to FIGURE 14. For example, while shown as a series of steps, various steps in FIGURE 14 could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, occur any number of times, be omitted, or replaced by other steps.

[0177] As described above, the operations in the disclosure may be performed by an electronic device like non-AP MLD (e.g., non-AP MLD 111 or STA 111 of FIG.1 and FIG. 2B, non-AP MLD 302 of FIG. 3). For the electronic device, the following descriptions may be applied.

[0178] FIGURE 15 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a network environment. Referring to Fig. 15, the electronic device 1501 in the network environment 1500 may communicate with an electronic device 1502 via a first network 1598 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or an electronic device 1504 or a server 1508 via a second network 1599 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 1501 may communicate with the electronic device 1504 via the server 1508. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 1501 may include a processor 1520, memory 1530, an input device 1550, a sound output device 1555, a display device 1560, an audio module 1570, a sensor module 1576, an interface 1577, a haptic module 1579, a camera module 1580, a power management module 1588, a battery 1589, a communication module 1590, a subscriber identification module (SIM) 1596, or an antenna module 1597. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., the display device 1560 or the camera module 1580) of the components may be omitted from the electronic device 1501, or one or more other components may be added in the electronic device 1501. In some embodiments, some of the components may be implemented as single integrated circuitry. For example, the sensor module 1576 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an illuminance sensor) may be implemented as embedded in the display device 1560 (e.g., a display).

[0179] The processor 1520may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program 1540) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device 1501 coupled with the processor 1520, and may perform various data processing or computation. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or computation, the processor 1520 may load a command or data received from another component (e.g., the sensor module 1576 or the communication module 1590) in volatile memory 1532, process the command or the data stored in the volatile memory 1532, and store resulting data in non-volatile memory 1534. According to an embodiment, the processor 1520 may include a main processor 1521 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor 1523 (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that is operable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor 1521. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 1523 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 1521, or to be specific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 1523 may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 1521.

[0180] The auxiliary processor 1523 may control at least some of functions or states related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 1560, the sensor module 1576, or the communication module 1590) among the components of the electronic device 1501, instead of the main processor 1521 while the main processor 1521 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor 1521 while the main processor 1521 is in an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 1523 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., the camera module 1580 or the communication module 1590) functionally related to the auxiliary processor 1523.

[0181] The memory 1530 may store various data used by at least one component (e.g., the processor 1520 or the sensor module 1576) of the electronic device 1501. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., the program 1540) and input data or output data for a command related thererto. The memory 1530 may include the volatile memory 1532 or the non-volatile memory 1534.

[0182] The program 1540 may be stored in the memory 1530 as software, and may include, for example, an operating system (OS) 1542, middleware 1544, or an application 1546.

[0183] The input device 1550 may receive a command or data to be used by other component (e.g., the processor 1520) of the electronic device 1501, from the outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 1501. The input device 1550 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, or a keyboard.

[0184] The sound output device 1555 may output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device 1501. The sound output device 1555 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receiver may be used for an incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

[0185] The display device 1560 may visually provide information to the outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 1501. The display device 1560 may include, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector and control circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display, hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the display device 1560 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch, or sensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure the intensity of force incurred by the touch.

[0186] The audio module 1570 may convert a sound into an electrical signal and vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 1570 may obtain the sound via the input device 1550, or output the sound via the sound output device 1555 or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device 1502) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly coupled with the electronic device 1501.

[0187] The sensor module 1576 may detect an operational state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device 1501 or an environmental state (e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 1501, and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 1576 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0188] The interface 1577 may support one or more specified protocols to be used for the electronic device 1501 to be coupled with the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 1502) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 1577 may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

[0189] A connecting terminal 1578 may include a connector via which the electronic device 1501 may be physically connected with the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 1502). According to an embodiment, the connecting terminal 1578 may include, for example, a HDMI connector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector),

[0190] The haptic module 1579 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus which may be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinesthetic sensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 1579 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electric stimulator.

[0191] The camera module 1580 may capture a still image or moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera module 1580 may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0192] The power management module 1588 may manage power supplied to the electronic device 1501. According to one embodiment, the power management module 1588 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0193] The battery 1589 may supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 1501. According to an embodiment, the battery 1589 may include, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, a secondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

[0194] The communication module 1590 may support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 1501 and the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 1502, the electronic device 1504, or the server 1508) and performing communication via the established communication channel. The communication module 1590 may include one or more communication processors that are operable independently from the processor 1520 (e.g., the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired) communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication module 1590 may include a wireless communication module 1592 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 1594 (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules may communicate with the external electronic device via the first network 1598 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™ wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or the second network 1599 (e.g., a long-range communication network, such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separate from each other. The wireless communication module 1592 may identify and authenticate the electronic device 1501 in a communication network, such as the first network 1598 or the second network 1599, using subscriber information (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module 1596.

[0195] The antenna module 1597 may transmit or receive a signal or power to or from the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of the electronic device 1501. According to an embodiment, the antenna module 1597 may include one or more antennas, and, therefrom, at least one antenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communication network, such as the first network 1598 or the second network 1599, may be selected, for example, by the communication module 1590 (e.g., the wireless communication module 1592). The signal or the power may then be transmitted or received between the communication module 1590 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna.

[0196] At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutually and communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)).

[0197] According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device 1501 and the external electronic device 1504 via the server 1508 coupled with the second network 1599. Each of the electronic devices 1502 and 1504 may be a device of a same type as, or a different type, from the electronic device 1501. According to an embodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronic device 1501 may be executed at one or more of the external electronic devices 1502, 1504, or 1508. For example, if the electronic device 1501 should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 1501, instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service, may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or the service. The one or more external electronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least part of the function or the service requested, or an additional function or an additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome of the performing to the electronic device 1501. The electronic device 1501 may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of the outcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing technology may be used, for example.

[0198] The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one of various types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limited to those described above.

[0199] It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technological features set forth herein to particular embodiments and include various changes, equivalents, or replacements for a corresponding embodiment. With regard to the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of such phrases as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C," may include all possible combinations of the items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. As used herein, such terms as "1st" and "2nd," or "first" and "second" may be used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another, and does not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance or order). It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or without the term "operatively" or "communicatively", as "coupled with," "coupled to," "connected with," or "connected to" another element (e.g., a second element), it means that the element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

[0200] As used herein, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used with other terms, for example, "logic," "logic block," "part," or "circuitry". A module may be a single integral component, or a minimum unit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. For example, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in a form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0201] Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software (e.g., the program 1540) including one or more instructions that are stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 1536 or external memory 1538) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 1501) . For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 1520) of the machine (e.g., the electronic device 1501) may invoke at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with or without using one or more other components under the control of the processor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The one or more instructions may include a code generated by a complier or a code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Wherein, the term "non-transitory" simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but this term does not differentiate between where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data is temporarily stored in the storage medium.

[0202] According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments of the disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online via an application store (e.g., Play Store™, or between two user devices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at least part of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or at least temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such as memory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store, or a relay server.

[0203] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include a single entity or multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above-described components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they are performed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components before the integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by the module, the program, or another component may be carried out sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0204] According to embodiments of the disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device comprises a transceiver configured to adapt between single-link operation (SLO) and multi-link (MLO) operation; and a processor operably coupled to the transceiver, configured to determine a quality of service (QoS) of a video call for a number of time steps; determine, based on the QoS of the video call over the number of time steps, whether to adjust a number of links utilized by the transceiver; and in response to a determination to adjust the number of links, adjust the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0205] For example, to determine the QoS of the video call, the processor is further configured to classify the quality of the video call based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature and at least one internet protocol (IP) layer feature; and determine the QoS of the video call based on the classification.

[0206] For example, to classify the quality of the video call based on at least one MAC layer feature and the at least one IP layer feature, the processor is further configured to estimate, based on the at least one MAC layer feature and the at least one IP layer feature, a maximum achievable rate (MAR).

[0207] For example, to classify the quality of the video call based on the least one MAC layer feature and the at least one IP layer feature, the processor is further configured to estimate, based on the at least one IP layer feature, a resource utilization (RU) rate; and classify the quality of the video call based on the RU and the MAR.

[0208] For example, for each time step, the determination of the QoS of the video call includes an evaluation for each link utilized by the transceiver of one of good or bad; and the processor is further configured to, when the evaluation for each link utilized by the transceiver is bad for a number of consecutive time steps exceeding a first threshold, determine to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver; and when the evaluation for at least one link utilized by the transceiver is good for a latest time step and a number of previous time steps exceeding a second threshold, and a flow of the video call has not been in at least one less link than the number of links utilized by the transceiver in a number of previous time steps exceeding a third threshold, determine to decrease the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0209] For example, for each time step, the determination of the QoS of the video call includes, for each link utilized by the transceiver, a score determined from a decision tree; and the processor is further configured to. when an average score of all the links over a number of previous time steps exceeds a first threshold, determine to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver; when an average score of all the links utilized by the transceiver over another number of previous time steps exceeds a second threshold, determine to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver; and when an average score of all the links over a number of previous time steps falls below a third threshold and a most recent score for at least one link utilized by the transceiver falls below a fourth threshold, determine to decrease the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0210] For example, to determine the QoS of the video call, the processor is further configured to classify the quality of the video call, according to a decision tree, based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature; and determine the QoS of the video call based on the classification.

[0211] According to embodiments of the disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device is provided. The method comprises determining a quality of service (QoS) of a video call for a number of time steps; determining, based on the QoS of the video call over the number of time steps, whether to adjust a number of links utilized by a transceiver configured to adapt between single-link operation (SLO) and multi-link (MLO) operation; and in response to a determination to adjust the number of links, adjusting the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0212] For example, the method comprises classifying the quality of the video call based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature and at least one internet protocol (IP) layer feature. The QoS of the video call is determined based on the classification.

[0213] For example, the method comprises estimating, based on the at least one MAC layer feature and the at least one IP layer feature, a maximum achievable rate (MAR).

[0214] For example, the method comprises estimating, based on the at least one IP layer feature, a resource utilization (RU) rate. The quality of the video call is classified based on the RU and the MAR.

[0215] For example, for each time step, the determination of the QoS of the video call includes an evaluation for each link utilized by the transceiver of one of good or bad; and the method further comprises, when the evaluation for each link utilized by the transceiver is bad for a number of consecutive time steps exceeding a first threshold, determining to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver; and when the evaluation for at least one link utilized by the transceiver is good for a latest time step and a number of previous time steps exceeding a second threshold, and a flow of the video call has not been in at least one less link than the number of links utilized by the transceiver in a number of previous time steps exceeding a third threshold, determining to decrease the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0216] For example, for each time step, the determination of the QoS of the video call includes, for each link utilized by the transceiver, a score determined from a decision tree; and the method further comprises, when an average score of all the links over a number of previous time steps exceeds a first threshold, determining to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver; when an average score of all the links utilized by the transceiver over another number of previous time steps exceeds a second threshold, determining to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver; and when an average score of all the links over a number of previous time steps falls below a third threshold and a most recent score for at least one link utilized by the transceiver falls below a fourth threshold, determining to decrease the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0217] For example, the method comprises classifying the quality of the video call, according to a decision tree, based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature. The QoS of the video call is determined based on the classification.

[0218] According to a non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program is provided. The computer program comprising program code that, when executed by a processor of a device, causes the device to determine a quality of service (QoS) of a video call for a number of time steps; determine, based on the QoS of the video call over the number of time steps, whether to adjust a number of links utilized by a transceiver configured to adapt between single-link operation (SLO) and multi-link (MLO) operation; and in response to a determination to adjust the number of links, adjust the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0219] For example, to determine the QoS of the video call, the program code, when executed by the processor of the device, further causes the device to classify the quality of the video call based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature and at least one internet protocol (IP) layer feature; and determine the QoS of the video call based on the classification.

[0220] For example, to classify the quality of the video call based on at least one MAC layer feature and the at least one IP layer feature, the program code, when executed by the processor of the device, further causes the device to estimate, based on the at least one MAC layer feature and the at least one IP layer feature, a maximum achievable rate (MAR); estimate, based on the at least one IP layer feature, a resource utilization (RU) rate; and classify the quality of the video call based on the RU and the MAR.

[0221] For example, for each time step, the determination of the QoS of the video call includes an evaluation for each link utilized by the transceiver of one of good or bad; and the program code, when executed by the processor of the device, further causes the device to when the evaluation for each link utilized by the transceiver is bad for a number of consecutive time steps exceeding a first threshold, determine to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver; and when the evaluation for at least one link utilized by the transceiver is good for a latest time step and a number of previous time steps exceeding a second threshold, and a flow of the video call has not been in at least one less link than the number of links utilized by the transceiver in a number of previous time steps exceeding a third threshold, determine to decrease the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0222] For example, for each time step, the determination of the QoS of the video call includes, for each link utilized by the transceiver, a score determined from a decision tree; and the program code, when executed by the processor of the device, further causes the device to when an average score of all the links over a number of previous time steps exceeds a first threshold, determine to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver; when an average score of all the links utilized by the transceiver over another number of previous time steps exceeds a second threshold, determine to increase the number of links utilized by the transceiver; and when an average score of all the links over a number of previous time steps falls below a third threshold and a most recent score for at least one link utilized by the transceiver falls below a fourth threshold, determine to decrease the number of links utilized by the transceiver.

[0223] For example, to determine the QoS of the video call, the program code, when executed by the processor of the device, further causes the device to classify the quality of the video call, according to a decision tree, based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature; and determine the QoS of the video call based on the classification.

[0224] According to embodiments, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device comprises at least one processor; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to execute a video call; determine, based on a quality of service (QoS) of the video call, whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links among links used for multi-link operation (MLO) between the electronic device and the external electronic device; and in response to a determination to adjust the number of one or more communication links, perform a communication with the external electronic device based on the adjusted number of one or more communication links.

[0225] For example, to determine whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to classify each of the links based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature; and determine the QoS of the video call based on the classification. The at least one MAC layer feature includes, for each link, a physical (PHY) rate indicating a date rate when all channel resource are being utilized, a transmission success rate indicating a ratio of successful transmissions to the total transmissions, and a ratio of a time during a corresponding link is in clear channel assessment (CCA)_busy over a time during the corresponding link is on.

[0226] For example, to classify each of the links, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to determine a link quality of a corresponding link as a good quality or a bad quality based on at least one of whether the PHY rate is greater than or equal to a first threshold or not, whether the transmission success rate is greater than or equal to a second threshold or not, or whether the ratio is lower than or equal to a third threshold or not.

[0227] For example, to determine whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to in case that all of the links used for the MLO between the electronic device and the external electronic device have bad quality, determine to increase the number of one or more communication links, and in case that at least one of the links used for the MLO between the electronic device and the external electronic device has good quality, determine to decrease the number of one or more communication links.

[0228] For example, to classify each of the links, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to estimate, based on the at least one MAC layer feature and at least one internet protocol (IP) layer feature, a maximum achievable rate (MAR). The at least one IP layer feature includes one or more of transmitted or received bytes or a payload size.

[0229] For example, to classify each of the links, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to estimate, based on the at least one IP layer feature, a resource utilization (RU) rate; and classify each of the links based on the RU rate and the MAR. The RU rate is determined in accordance with a ratio of a total throughput to the MAR.

[0230] For example, the MLO is usable for wireless local area network (WLAN) communication with the external electronic device based on at least two of the links. The links includes a first link on a first frequency band of 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), a second link on a second frequency band of 5 GHz, and a third link on a third frequency band of 6 GHz.

[0231] According to embodiments, a method performed by an electronic device is provided. The method comprises executing a video call; determining, based on a quality of service (QoS) of the video call, whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links among links used for multi-link operation (MLO) between the electronic device and the external electronic device; and in response to a determination to adjust the number of one or more communication links, performing a communication with the external electronic device based on the adjusted number of one or more communication links.

[0232] For example, the determining whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links comprises classifying each of the links based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature; and determining the QoS of the video call based on the classification. The at least one MAC layer feature includes, for each link, a physical (PHY) rate indicating a date rate when all channel resource are being utilized, a transmission success rate indicating a ratio of successful transmissions to the total transmissions, and a ratio of a time during a corresponding link is in clear channel assessment (CCA)_busy over a time during the corresponding link is on.

[0233] For example, the classifying of each of the links comprises determining a link quality of a corresponding link as a good quality or a bad quality based on at least one of whether the PHY rate is greater than or equal to a first threshold or not, whether the transmission success rate is greater than or equal to a second threshold or not, or whether the ratio is lower than or equal to a third threshold or not.

[0234] For example, the determining of whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links, comprises in case that all of the links used for the MLO between the electronic device and the external electronic device have bad quality, determining to increase the number of one or more communication links, and in case that at least one of the links used for the MLO between the electronic device and the external electronic device has good quality, determining to decrease the number of one or more communication links.

[0235] For example, classifying each of the links comprises estimating, based on the at least one MAC layer feature and at least one internet protocol (IP) layer feature, a maximum achievable rate (MAR). The at least one IP layer feature includes one or more of transmitted or received bytes or a payload size.

[0236] For example, classifying each of the links comprises estimating, based on the at least one IP layer feature, a resource utilization (RU) rate; and classifying each of the links based on the RU rate and the MAR. The RU rate is determined in accordance with a ratio of a total throughput to the MAR.

[0237] For example, the MLO is usable for wireless local area network (WLAN) communication with the external electronic device based on at least two of the links. The links includes a first link on a first frequency band of 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), a second link on a second frequency band of 5 GHz, and a third link on a third frequency band of 6 GHz.

[0238] According to embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program is provided. The computer program comprising program code that, when executed by a processor of a device, causes the device to executing a video call; determine, based on a quality of service (QoS) of the video call, whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links among links used for multi-link operation (MLO) between the electronic device and the external electronic device; and in response to a determination to adjust the number of one or more communication links, perform a communication with the external electronic device based on the adjusted number of one or more communication links.

[0239] For example, to determine whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links, the program code, when executed by the processor of the device, further causes the device to classify each of the links based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature; and determine the QoS of the video call based on the classification. The at least one MAC layer feature includes, for each link, a physical (PHY) rate indicating a date rate when all channel resource are being utilized, a transmission success rate indicating a ratio of successful transmissions to the total transmissions, and a ratio of a time during a corresponding link is in clear channel assessment (CCA)_busy over a time during the corresponding link is on.

[0240] For example, to classify each of the links, the program code, when executed by the processor of the device, causes the device to determine a link quality of a corresponding link as a good quality or a bad quality based on at least one of whether the PHY rate is greater than or equal to a first threshold or not, whether the transmission success rate is greater than or equal to a second threshold or not, or whether the ratio is lower than or equal to a third threshold or not.

[0241] For example, to determine whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links, when executed by the processor of the device, causes the device to in case that all of the links used for the MLO between the electronic device and the external electronic device have bad quality, determine to increase the number of one or more communication links, and in case that at least one of the links used for the MLO between the electronic device and the external electronic device has good quality, determine to decrease the number of one or more communication links.

[0242] For example, to classify each of the links, the program code, when executed by the processor of the device, causes the device to estimate, based on the at least one MAC layer feature and at least one internet protocol (IP) layer feature, a maximum achievable rate (MAR), estimate, based on the at least one IP layer feature, a resource utilization (RU) rate, and classify each of the links based on the RU rate and the MAR. The RU rate is determined in accordance with a ratio of a total throughput to the MAR.

[0243] For example, the MLO is usable for wireless local area network (WLAN) communication with the external electronic device based on at least two of the links. The links includes a first link on a first frequency band of 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), a second link on a second frequency band of 5 GHz, and a third link on a third frequency band of 6 GHz.

[0244] Any of the above variation embodiments can be utilized independently or in combination with at least one other variation embodiment. The above flowcharts illustrate example methods that can be implemented in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure and various changes could be made to the methods illustrated in the flowcharts herein. For example, while shown as a series of steps, various steps in each figure could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, or occur multiple times. In another example, steps may be omitted or replaced by other steps.

[0245] Although the present disclosure has been described with exemplary embodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the present disclosure encompass such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims. None of the description in this application should be read as implying that any particular element, step, or function is an essential element that must be included in the claim scope. The scope of patented subject matter is defined by the claims.

Claims

1.An electronic device comprising:at least one processor; andmemory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:execute a video call;determine, based on a quality of service (QoS) of the video call, whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links among links used for multi-link operation (MLO) between the electronic device and the external electronic device; andin response to a determination to adjust the number of one or more communication links, perform a communication with the external electronic device based on the adjusted number of one or more communication links.2.The electronic device of Claim 1, wherein, to determine whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:classify each of the links based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature; anddetermine the QoS of the video call based on the classification, andwherein the at least one MAC layer feature includes, for each link, a physical (PHY) rate indicating a date rate when all channel resource are being utilized, a transmission success rate indicating a ratio of successful transmissions to the total transmissions, and a ratio of a time during a corresponding link is in clear channel assessment (CCA)_busy over a time during the corresponding link is on.3.The electronic device of Claim 2,wherein, to classify each of the links, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:determine a link quality of a corresponding link as a good quality or a bad quality based on at least one of:whether the PHY rate is greater than or equal to a first threshold or not,whether the transmission success rate is greater than or equal to a second threshold or not, orwhether the ratio is lower than or equal to a third threshold or not.4.The electronic device of Claim 3, wherein, to determine whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:in case that all of the links used for the MLO between the electronic device and the external electronic device have bad quality, determine to increase the number of one or more communication links, andin case that at least one of the links used for the MLO between the electronic device and the external electronic device has good quality, determine to decrease the number of one or more communication links.5.The electronic device of Claim 3, wherein, to classify each of the links, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:estimate, based on the at least one MAC layer feature and at least one internet protocol (IP) layer feature, a maximum achievable rate (MAR), andwherein the at least one IP layer feature includes one or more of transmitted or received bytes or a payload size.6.The electronic device of Claim 5, wherein, to classify each of the links, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:estimate, based on the at least one IP layer feature, a resource utilization (RU) rate; andclassify each of the links based on the RU rate and the MAR, andwherein the RU rate is determined in accordance with a ratio of a total throughput to the MAR.7.The electronic device of Claim 1,wherein the MLO is usable for wireless local area network (WLAN) communication with the external electronic device based on at least two of the links, andwherein the links includes a first link on a first frequency band of 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), a second link on a second frequency band of 5 GHz, and a third link on a third frequency band of 6 GHz.8.A method performed by an electronic device, the method comprising:executing a video call;determining, based on a quality of service (QoS) of the video call, whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links among links used for multi-link operation (MLO) between the electronic device and the external electronic device; andin response to a determination to adjust the number of one or more communication links, performing a communication with the external electronic device based on the adjusted number of one or more communication links.9.The method of Claim 8, wherein the determining of whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links, comprises:classifying each of the links based on at least one medium access control (MAC) layer feature; anddetermining the QoS of the video call based on the classification, andwherein the at least one MAC layer feature includes, for each link, a physical (PHY) rate indicating a date rate when all channel resource are being utilized, a transmission success rate indicating a ratio of successful transmissions to the total transmissions, and a ratio of a time during a corresponding link is in clear channel assessment (CCA)_busy over a time during the corresponding link is on.10.The method of Claim 9, wherein the classifying of each of the links comprises:determining a link quality of a corresponding link as a good quality or a bad quality based on at least one of:whether the PHY rate is greater than or equal to a first threshold or not,whether the transmission success rate is greater than or equal to a second threshold or not, orwhether the ratio is lower than or equal to a third threshold or not.11.The electronic device of Claim 10, wherein the determining of whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links, comprises:in case that all of the links used for the MLO between the electronic device and the external electronic device have bad quality, determining to increase the number of one or more communication links, andin case that at least one of the links used for the MLO between the electronic device and the external electronic device has good quality, determining to decrease the number of one or more communication links.12.The method of Claim 10, wherein classifying each of the links comprises:estimating, based on the at least one MAC layer feature and at least one internet protocol (IP) layer feature, a maximum achievable rate (MAR), andwherein the at least one IP layer feature includes one or more of transmitted or received bytes or a payload size.13.The method of Claim 12, wherein classifying each of the links comprises:estimating, based on the at least one IP layer feature, a resource utilization (RU) rate; andclassifying each of the links based on the RU rate and the MAR, andwherein the RU rate is determined in accordance with a ratio of a total throughput to the MAR.14.The method of Claim 8,wherein the MLO is usable for wireless local area network (WLAN) communication with the external electronic device based on at least two of the links, andwherein the links includes a first link on a first frequency band of 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), a second link on a second frequency band of 5 GHz, and a third link on a third frequency band of 6 GHz.15.A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program, the computer program comprising program code that, when executed by a processor of a device, causes the device to:executing a video call;determine, based on a quality of service (QoS) of the video call, whether to adjust the number of one or more communication links among links used for multi-link operation (MLO) between the electronic device and the external electronic device; andin response to a determination to adjust the number of one or more communication links, perform a communication with the external electronic device based on the adjusted number of one or more communication links.

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