Multi-Link Channel Reservation for Low-Latency XR Communication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication technologies struggle to maintain low latency and high reliability in multi-link operations for extended reality applications, where traffic across multiple links is interdependent, leading to undesired delays and performance degradation.

Innovation Solution

Implementing joint peer-to-peer multi-link operation (P2P MLO) sessions with coordinated channel access mechanisms to synchronize and reserve transmit opportunities across multiple links, ensuring low latency and reliable data exchange by anticipating data unit arrival times and reserving resources accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple links are established for data exchange in multi-link operations, then communication reliability and throughput are improved, but latency increases due to uncoordinated channel access and resource contention

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidlatency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by reserving transmit opportunities (TXOPs) in advance for multiple links based on expected data unit arrivals. The first communication device determines expected arrival times of second data units at the second communication device and reserves TXOPs beforehand, so that when data units need to be transmitted, the channel access rights are already secured, eliminating waiting delays and reducing latency while maintaining multi-link reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If transmit opportunities are reserved in advance for multiple links, then latency is reduced and communication efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases due to coordination overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication efficiencyVSAvoidcoordination overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the TXOP reservation operations across multiple links by having the first communication device coordinate and reserve transmit opportunities for both link 1 and link 2 in a unified manner. Instead of independently managing each link's channel access, the device combines the reservation process, determining expected arrivals and securing TXOPs for multiple links simultaneously, thereby reducing the overall coordination overhead while improving communication efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS20260052590A1First and second communication devices and methods for use in a multi-link operation in a wireless communication scenario

Publication Date: 2026.02.19 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

First communication device configured to simultaneously exchange data units via at least two links with one or more other communication devices including a second communication device that is configured to simultaneously exchange data units via at least two links with at least one or more third communication devices, the first communication device comprising circuitry configured to reserve, if second data units are expected to be queued at the second communication device at an expected arrival time, two links for data exchange once first data units are queued at the first communication device or once third data units are queued at the second or third communication device.