Multi-Link Traffic Indication Map Element for Wireless Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
In multi-link wireless communications, devices with multiple logical entities waste power and resources due to the need to be awake for multiple beacons across different links, and traditional traffic indication methods are inefficient in managing traffic across multiple frequency bands.
Innovation Solution
The use of a multi-link traffic indication map element that includes a TIM element for the current frequency band and additional ML-TIM elements for other frequency bands, allowing devices to remain in a doze state unless explicitly woken up for traffic, and eliminating the need for per-link address lookups by using a shared AID for all logical entities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional separate TIM elements are used for each link, then traffic indication accuracy is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase due to multiple wake-ups
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate TIM elements (one for each link) into a single unified TIM element that serves all links. This unified TIM element contains a bitmap where each bit corresponds to a specific link, allowing the device to indicate traffic status across multiple links simultaneously without requiring separate TIM elements for each link, thus reducing device complexity while maintaining traffic indication accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The unified TIM element serves multiple functions by providing traffic indication for all links through a single element. The bitmap structure allows each bit to represent a different link, enabling one TIM element to perform the function of multiple separate TIM elements, thereby reducing the number of wake-ups required and simplifying the overall device operation
2Reliability
If devices wake up for each beacon across multiple links, then traffic reception reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple TIM indications into a single unified TIM element, the patent enables devices to check traffic status for all links in one wake-up event rather than requiring separate wake-ups for each link's beacon, thus maintaining reliable traffic reception while significantly reducing power consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic beacon transmission with a unified TIM element that provides comprehensive traffic indication for all links at each beacon interval. This periodic structure allows devices to enter doze state between beacons and only wake up periodically to check the unified TIM, ensuring reliable traffic reception while minimizing active time and power consumption
3Measurement precision
If per-link address lookups are performed, then traffic routing precision is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary organization of address-to-link mapping by maintaining a table that pre-establishes the relationship between addresses and link identifiers. This preliminary action eliminates the need for runtime lookups across multiple links, as the unified TIM bitmap directly indicates which links have traffic for the addressed device, thus maintaining routing precision while reducing processing time
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices related to traffic indications for multi-link devices (MLDs). A device may generate a first traffic indication map (TIM) with a first bitmap including a first indication that traffic is to be sent by a first access point (AP) device of the MLD to a first non-AP device of a second MLD using a first communication link. The device may generate a second TIM with a second bitmap including a second indication that no traffic is to be sent by a second AP device of the MLD to a second non-AP device of the second MLD using a second communication link. The device may send, using the first communication link, the beacon, the beacon including the first TIM and the second TIM. The device may send, using the first communication link, a data frame to the first non-AP device of the second MLD.