Multi-Link Group-Addressed Traffic Indication for Selective Listening
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Solution Overview
Problem
The IEEE 802.11ax next-generation Wi-Fi protocol-EHT devices consume excessive power due to periodic listening for downlink group addressed traffic by stations in multi-link devices, despite the potential for improved transmission rates and bandwidth through multi-link cooperation.
Innovation Solution
A group addressed traffic transmission method is introduced, where an access point generates and sends group addressed traffic indication information on a link, indicating whether one or more access points have traffic, allowing stations to selectively listen and reducing unnecessary power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stations in a station multi-link device periodically listen for downlink group addressed traffic on each link, then traffic transmission reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
An access point multi-link device acts as an intermediary to notify station multi-link devices of group addressed traffic status. The AP MLD sends indication information on each link about whether it has buffered group addressed traffic, allowing STAs to selectively listen only when traffic is present, thus maintaining reliability while reducing power consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The access point performs preliminary action by notifying the station in advance about the presence or absence of group addressed traffic before the station would otherwise need to listen. This preliminary notification allows the station to adjust its listening behavior proactively, avoiding unnecessary power consumption while ensuring traffic is not missed
2Productivity
If multi-link cooperation technology is used to simultaneously send data packets to the same station, then transmission rate is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the multi-link device into distinct components: an access point multi-link device that manages traffic and sends indications, and a station multi-link device that receives indications and executes selective listening. This segmentation simplifies the overall system architecture while enabling parallel operation across multiple links, thus improving transmission rate without proportionally increasing complexity
Data Source
AI summary
This application is applicable to a group addressed traffic transmission method applicable to a plurality of links and an apparatus. In the method, group addressed traffic indication information is used to indicate whether each AP or an AP other than a first AP in an AP MLD has group addressed traffic; or group addressed traffic indication information is used to indicate whether each AP or an AP other than a first AP in an AP MLD and each AP or an AP other than a non-transmitted AP in an AP MLD in which the non-transmitted AP in a multiple BSSID set in which the first AP is located have group addressed traffic. This application is applied to a wireless local area network system that supports an IEEE 802.11ax next-generation Wi-Fi EHT protocol, for example, an 802.11 series protocol such as 802.11be.