TIM Element Group-Addressed Indication for Multi-Link Overhead Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Traffic Indication Map (TIM) elements in multi-link operations cause high overhead due to inefficient organization, leading to performance degradation and inefficient medium time usage in wireless devices.
Innovation Solution
A frame with a TIM element that includes a group-addressed buffered frame indication for reported Access Points (APs), where the indication is placed after the individual-addressed buffered frame indication, and a bitmap per BSSID Index is used to indicate whether the TIM element includes the group-addressed buffered frame indication, optimizing the organization and reducing overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional TIM elements are used with traditional organization of Partial Virtual Bitmap, then complete coverage of buffered frame indications is achieved, but high overhead is caused leading to performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The Partial Virtual Bitmap is segmented into multiple parts: individual-addressed buffered frame indication bits for non-AP MLDs, group-addressed buffered frame indication bits for reported APs, and bitmap per BSSID Index. This segmentation allows each segment to be optimized independently, reducing overall overhead while maintaining complete coverage of buffered frame indications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension by adding the bitmap per BSSID Index that indicates whether group-addressed buffered frame indications are present for reported APs with non-transmitted BSSID Index. This additional dimensional information allows for more efficient space utilization in the TIM element by conditionally including only necessary indication bits.
2Loss of information
If conventional TIM elements with inefficient Partial Virtual Bitmap organization are used, then all buffered frames can be indicated, but medium time usage becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the group-addressed buffered frame indication for reported APs with non-transmitted BSSID Index from the traditional Partial Virtual Bitmap structure and places it in a separate bitmap per BSSID Index. This extraction allows the main TIM element to focus on essential individual-addressed indications, reducing the time required to process TIM elements and improving medium time usage efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The bitmap per BSSID Index is prepared in advance to indicate the presence or absence of group-addressed buffered frame indications. This preliminary action allows receiving devices to quickly determine whether to expect additional indication bits, reducing processing time and improving medium time usage efficiency before actual frame exchanges occur.
3Ease of operation
If group-addressed buffered frame indication is placed before individual-addressed buffered frame indication, then organization is achieved, but overhead is not optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional organization order by placing individual-addressed buffered frame indication bits before group-addressed buffered frame indication bits in the Partial Virtual Bitmap. This inversion optimizes overhead by positioning the more frequently accessed individual-addressed indications first, allowing devices to quickly check for their specific buffered frames before processing group-addressed indications for reported APs.
Data Source
AI summary
A device, a system, and a method for multi-link operations are disclosed. In an embodiment, the device includes a processor configured to generate a frame that includes a Traffic Indication Map (TIM) element, where the TIM element includes a group-addressed buffered frame indication for reported Access Points (APs) that indicates a transmitted Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) AP and non-transmitted BSSID APs affiliated with the reported APs, and exchange buffered frames according to the TIM element.