CN115397032A - Randomized Medium Access Control (MAC) address for multi-link devices (MLD) - Google Patents

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices related to a randomized Medium Access Control (MAC) address of a multi-link device (MLD) are described. The device may set a Medium Access Control (MAC) privacy indication to a value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement. The device may change a multi-link device (MLD) MAC address to a random value. The device may enable maintaining a single MLD MAC address during a connection across an Extended Service Set (ESS).

Description

Randomized Medium Access Control (MAC) address for multi-link devices (MLD)

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for wireless communication. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to randomized Medium Access Control (MAC) addresses of multi-link devices (MLDs).

Background

Wireless devices are becoming widely popular and increasingly require access to wireless channels. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is setting one or more standards that utilize Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) in channel allocation.

Disclosure of Invention

Some example embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus comprising processing circuitry coupled to a memory, the processing circuitry configured to: setting a Medium Access Control (MAC) privacy indication to a value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement; changing a multi-link device (MLD) MAC address to a random value; and to maintain a single MLD MAC address during a connection across an Extended Service Set (ESS).

Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide corresponding Access Points (APs), media, methods, and apparatuses.

Drawings

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers may be used in different drawings to identify the same or similar elements. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth such as particular structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the various embodiments.

However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the various aspects of the embodiments may be practiced in other examples that depart from these specific details. In certain instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the respective embodiments with unnecessary detail.

Fig. 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment for a randomized Medium Access Control (MAC) address for multi-link devices (MLDs) according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 shows an illustrative schematic diagram of a randomized MAC address for MLD according to one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 3 shows a flow diagram of an illustrative process for a randomized MAC address system for an illustrative MLD in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates a functional diagram of an exemplary communication station that may be suitable for use as a user equipment in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine on which any of one or more techniques (e.g., methods) may be performed in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a radio architecture in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 illustrates example front end module circuitry for use in the radio architecture of fig. 6, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 illustrates an example radio IC circuit for use in the radio architecture of fig. 6, according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 shows example baseband processing circuitry for use in the radio architecture of fig. 6, according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may include structural, logical, electrical, process, algorithmic, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in or substituted for those of others. Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.

The MAC address randomization rule of MLD is not defined. There is no previous solution to the MAC address randomization rule of MLD.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems, methods, and devices for randomized MAC addresses for MLD.

In one embodiment, a randomized MAC address system for MLD may extend the rules for MAC address randomization in the 802.11 standard to MLD.

In one or more embodiments, the randomized MAC address system for MLD may facilitate the non-AP MLD MAC address to follow the rules currently defined in 802.11 for the MAC address of non-AP STAs.

In one or more embodiments, a randomized MAC address system for MLD may allow non-AP STAs affiliated with non-AP MLD to use randomized MAC addresses even during connection and roaming.

In one or more embodiments, a randomized MAC address system for MLD may define a capability setting for MAC address policy in AP MLD.

In one or more embodiments, a MAC address randomization rule for MLD is defined.

The foregoing description is for the purpose of illustration and is not meant to be limiting. Many other examples, configurations, processes, algorithms, etc., are possible, some of which are described in more detail below. Example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment for privacy enhancement in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Wireless network 100 may include one or more user devices 120 and one or more Access Points (APs) 102, which may communicate in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 communication standard. The user device 120 may be a mobile device that is non-stationary (e.g., does not have a fixed location), or may be a stationary device.

In some embodiments, user device 120 and AP 102 may include one or more computer systems similar to the functional diagram of fig. 4 and/or the example machine/system of fig. 5.

One or more illustrative user devices 120 and/or APs 102 may be operated by one or more users 110. It should be noted that any addressable unit may be a Station (STA). A STA may exhibit a number of different characteristics, each of which shapes its functionality. For example, a single addressable unit may be a portable STA, a quality of service (QoS) STA, a dependent STA, and a hidden STA at the same time. One or more of the illustrative user devices 120 and the AP 102 may be STAs. One or more illustrative user devicesThe device 120 and/or the AP 102 may operate as a Personal Basic Service Set (PBSS) control point/access point (PCP/AP). User device 120 (e.g., 124, 126, or 128) and/or AP 102 may include any suitable processor-driven device, including but not limited to a mobile device or a non-mobile device (e.g., a stationary device). For example, user device 120 and/or AP 102 may include a user device (UE), a Station (STA), an Access Point (AP), a software-enabled AP (SoftAP), a Personal Computer (PC), a wearable wireless device (e.g., a bracelet, watch, glasses, ring, etc.), a desktop computer, a mobile computer, a laptop computer, a super-polar computer, etc ^TM <xnotran> , , , , , , (IoT) , , PDA , PDA , , , (, PDA ), , , , , , , , PCS , PDA , GPS , DVB , , , "carry small live large" (CSLL) , (UMD), PC (UMPC), (MID), "origami" , (DCC) , , , , A/V , (STB), (BD) , BD , (DVD) , (HD) DVD , DVD , HD DVD , (PVR), HD , , , , , , , , (PMP), (DVC), , , , , , , , </xnotran> Digital cameras (DSCs), media players, smart phones, televisions, music players, and the like. Other devices, including smart devices (e.g., lights, climate controls, automotive parts, home)By component, appliance, etc.) may also be included in the list.

As used herein, the term "internet of things (IoT) device" is used to refer to any object (e.g., appliance, sensor, etc.) that has an addressable interface (e.g., an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a bluetooth Identifier (ID), a Near Field Communication (NFC) ID, etc.) and is capable of sending information to one or more other devices over a wired or wireless connection. IoT devices may have passive communication interfaces (e.g., quick Response (QR) codes, radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, NFC tags, etc.) or active communication interfaces (e.g., modems, transceivers, transmitter-receivers, etc.). IoT devices may have a particular set of attributes (e.g., device status or state (e.g., whether the IoT device is on or off, idle or active, available for task execution or busy, etc.), cooling or heating functions, environmental monitoring or recording functions, lighting functions, sound emitting functions, etc.), which may be embedded in and/or controlled/monitored by a Central Processing Unit (CPU), microprocessor, ASIC, etc., and configured to connect to an IoT network (e.g., a local ad-hoc network or the internet). For example, ioT devices may include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, toasters, ovens, microwaves, freezers, dishwashers, hand tools, washers, dryers, furnaces, air conditioners, thermostats, televisions, light fixtures, dust collectors, sprinklers, electricity meters, gas meters, and the like, so long as the devices are equipped with an addressable communication interface for communicating with the IoT network. IoT devices may also include cell phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and the like. Thus, an IoT network may be composed of "legacy" internet-accessible devices (e.g., laptop or desktop computers, cell phones, etc.) as well as devices that typically do not have internet connectivity (e.g., dishwashers, etc.).

User equipment 120 and/or AP 102 may also comprise, for example, a mesh station in a mesh network, according to one or more IEEE 802.11 standards and/or 3GPP standards.

Any user device 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may be configured to communicate with each other, wirelessly or by wire, via one or more communication networks 130 and/or 135. User devices 120 may also communicate with each other peer-to-peer or directly, with or without AP 102. Any of the communication networks 130 and/or 135 may include, but are not limited to, any of a combination of different types of suitable communication networks, such as a broadcast network, a wired network, a public network (e.g., the internet), a proprietary network, a wireless network, a cellular network, or any other suitable proprietary and/or public network. Further, any of communication networks 130 and/or 135 may have any suitable communication range associated therewith and may include, for example, a global network (e.g., the internet), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), or a Personal Area Network (PAN). Further, any of the communication networks 130 and/or 135 may include any type of medium that can carry network traffic, including but not limited to coaxial cable, twisted pair, fiber optic, hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) medium, microwave terrestrial transceiver, radio frequency communication medium, white space communication medium, ultra high frequency communication medium, satellite communication medium, or any combination thereof.

Any user device 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may include one or more communication antennas. The one or more communication antennas may be any suitable type of antenna corresponding to the communication protocol used by user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102. Some non-limiting examples of suitable communication antennas include Wi-Fi antennas, institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards family compliant antennas, directional antennas, non-directional antennas, dipole antennas, folded dipole antennas, patch antennas, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, omni-directional antennas, quasi-omni-directional antennas, and the like. One or more communication antennas may be communicatively coupled to the radio to transmit signals (e.g., communication signals) to user device 120 and/or AP 102 and/or to receive signals from user device 120 and/or AP 102.

Any user device 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may be configured to perform directional transmission and/or directional reception in connection with wireless communication in a wireless network. Any user device 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may be configured to perform such directional transmission and/or reception using a set of multiple antenna arrays (e.g., DMG antenna arrays, etc.). Each of the plurality of antenna arrays may be used for transmission and/or reception in a particular respective direction or range of directions. Any user device 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 can be configured to perform any given directional transmission to one or more defined transmit sectors. Any user device 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may be configured to perform any given directional reception from one or more defined reception sectors.

MIMO beamforming in a wireless network may be implemented using RF beamforming and/or digital beamforming. In some embodiments, in performing a given MIMO transmission, user device 120 and/or AP 102 may be configured to perform MIMO beamforming using all or a subset of its one or more communication antennas.

Any user device 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may include any suitable radio and/or transceiver for transmitting and/or receiving Radio Frequency (RF) signals in a bandwidth and/or channel corresponding to a communication protocol by which any user device 120 and AP 102 communicate with each other. The radio may include hardware and/or software for modulating and/or demodulating communication signals according to a pre-established transmission protocol. The radio may also have hardware and/or software instructions to communicate via one or more Wi-Fi and/or Wi-Fi direct protocols standardized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard. In some example embodiments, the radio in cooperation with the communications antenna may be configured to communicate via 2.4GHz channels (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11 ax), 5GHz channels (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11 ax), or 60GHz channels (e.g., 802.11ad, 802.11 ay), 800MHz channels (e.g., 802.11 ah). The communication antenna may operate at 28GHz and 40 GHz. It should be understood that this list of communication channels according to some 802.11 standards is only a partial list and that other 802.11 standards (e.g., next generation Wi-Fi or other standards) may be used. In some embodiments, non-Wi-Fi protocols may be used for communication between devices, such as bluetooth, dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), ultra High Frequency (UHF) (e.g., IEEE 802.11af, IEEE 802.22), white band frequencies (e.g., white space), or other packetized radio communication. The radio may comprise any known receiver and baseband suitable for communicating via a communication protocol. The radio components may also include a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), additional signal amplifiers, analog-to-digital (a/D) converters, one or more buffers, and a digital baseband.

In one embodiment, and referring to fig. 1, the ap 102 may facilitate randomizing the MAC address 142 of the MLD with one or more user devices 120.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive.

Fig. 2 shows an illustrative schematic diagram of a randomized MAC address for MLD according to one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

While pursuing an endless pursuit to achieve high throughput, 802.11be created a framework that allows multiple links to be connected while connected to a network, as shown below. Each party has two multi-link devices including multiple STAs that can establish links with each other. The detailed definitions are as follows.

Multi-link device (MLD): a logical entity containing one or more STAs. The logical entity has one MAC data service interface and primitive to LLC (logical link control) and a single address associated with the interface that can be used for communication over DSM (distributed shared memory).

Note that the multilink device allows STAs within the multilink logical entity to have the same MAC address.

Note that the exact name may be changed.

For the infrastructure framework, there are multi-link AP devices (including the AP of one party) and multi-link non-AP devices (including the non-AP of the other party). The detailed definitions are as follows.

Multi-link AP device: a multi-link device, where each STA within the multi-link device is an EHT (enhanced high throughput) AP.

Multi-link non-AP device: a multi-link device, wherein each STA within the multi-link device is a non-AP EHT STA. Note that this framework is a natural extension from single link operation between two STAs, namely AP and non-AP STAs under the infrastructure framework.

Each MLD has an MLD MAC address. Each STA of MLD also has a STA MAC address. Different STAs of the MLD have different MAC addresses. The MAC address of the MLD may be the same as or different from one of the MAC addresses of the STAs of the MLD. The MAC address of MLD is introduced to ensure that the conventional mapping of AP and STA from a higher layer perspective is preserved under multi-link, and the mapping is replaced with AP MLD and non-AP MLD independent of the MAC address used by the STAs of MLD.

The MAC addresses of 802.11aq are randomized as follows.

In the baseline specification, the following rules are defined.

When dot11MAC privacy activated is set to true, MAC privacy enhancement is enabled on the non-AP STA. The STA should periodically change its MAC address to a random value without being associated with a BSS (basic service set). STA should be in accordance with IEEE Std802-2014 and IEEE Std802 c ^TM -constructing a randomized MAC address from the locally administered address space defined in 2017.

If such a non-AP STA starts any transaction that establishes a state of binding to a MAC address, and may choose to establish an association with a discovered BSS or establish a transaction state, it should check the value of dot11 localyaddministered MAC config and should configure its MAC address according to the local address space rules before the transaction starts. The state created by the AP using the previous MAC address, e.g., RSN pre-authentication state or FT (fast basic service set transition) state established by over-the-DS (on DS), is bound to the MAC address used when creating the state. The non-AP STA should change its MAC address to the MAC address used in the creation state before establishing an association with the AP.

A non-AP STA connected to an infrastructure BSS should reserve a single MAC address during its connection across ESS (extended service set). A PMKSA (pairwise master key security association) created as part of RSNA (robust secure network association) will contain the MAC address used to create the PMKSA. If necessary, the non-AP STA supporting the PMKSA cache should change its MAC address back to this value when attempting a subsequent association with the ESS using the PMKSA cache.

To construct a random MAC address, the STA should choose a randomized MAC address according to IEEE Std802-2014 and IEEE Std802 c-2017.

When dot11MAC Address Policy activated is true (true), the AP shall set the MAC Address Policy field in the Extended Capabilities field to 1, indicating that the MAC Address Policy exists. When dot11MAC Address Policy activated is false (false), the AP STA shall set the MAC Address Policy field in the Extended Capabilities field to 0, indicating that the local MAC Address is not restricted.

A non-AP STA that receives the Extended Capabilities field with the Local MAC Address Policy subfield set to 1 from the AP should (unless it has previously stored the MAC Address Policy of the ESS) use the MAC Address Policy ANQP element to discover this Policy before sending any Association Request (Association Request) frame to the AP using the Local MAC Address as the TA (transmit Address).

In one or more embodiments, a randomized MAC address system for MLD can facilitate MAC address randomization for MLD as follows.

When dot11MAC privacy activated is set to true, MAC privacy enhancement is enabled on the non-AP MLD. The non-AP MLD should periodically change its MLD MAC address to a random value without associating with the AP MLD. The non-AP MLD should be in accordance with IEEE Std802-2014 and IEEE Std802 c ^TM -constructing a randomized MLD MAC address from the locally administered address space defined in 2017.

However, the non-AP MLD may not change its MLD MAC address during transaction exchanges, e.g., transmitting public action frames for pre-association discovery, or during creating state on the AP MLD using pre-association capabilities (e.g., robust Security Network (RSN) pre-authentication or FT over-the-DS).

If such a non-AP MLD initiates any transaction that establishes a state bound to the MLD MAC address, and may choose to establish an association with the discovered AP MLD or establish a transaction state, it should check the value of dot11 LocalyAdministered MAC Config and should configure its MLD MAC address according to the local address space rules before the transaction begins. The state created by the AP MLD using the previous MLD MAC address, e.g., the RSN pre-authentication state or the FT state established by the over-the-DS, is bound to the MLD MAC address used when the state was created. Before establishing an association with the AP MLD, the non-AP MLD should change its MLD MAC address to the MLD MAC address used when creating the state.

A Site Management Entity (SME) of the non-AP MLD may change the MLD MAC address by generating a mlmeupdatemac address. After receiving the MLME-updatemacaddress.request primitive, the MLME (MAC sublayer management entity) should attempt to update the MLD MAC address that the MAC entity will use and should generate a MLME updatemacaddress.confirm primitive to inform the SME whether the MLD MAC address has been changed to a new value.

Every time the MLD MAC address changes to a new random value, the counters in all sequence number space used to identify each MSDU or MMPDU should be RESET (see 10.3.2.14.2), and the non-AP MLD should set the TXVECTOR parameter SCRAMBLER _ RESET to RESET _ SCRAMBLER on the next transmitted PPDU transmitted by each affiliated non-AP STA of the non-AP MLD.

The non-AP MLD connected to the AP MLD should retain a single MLD MAC address during its connection across the ESS. The PMKSA created as part of the RSNA will contain the MLD MAC address used to create the PMKSA. If desired, the non-AP MLD supporting the PMKSA cache should change its MLD MAC address back to this value when attempting subsequent associations with the ESS using the PMKSA cache.

The non-AP MLD connected to the AP MLD, that is, sending a (Re) association Request frame to the APs attached to the AP MLD, should select the MAC address of each attached non-AP STA as a random value.

The randomized MAC addresses of the affiliated non-AP STAs are in accordance with IEEE Std802-2014 and IEEE Std802 c ^TM Built from the locally administered address space defined in 2017.

When dot11MAC Address Policy activated of the AP MLD is true (true), each AP attached to the AP MLD shall set the MAC Address Policy field in the Extended Capabilities field to 1, indicating that the MAC Address Policy exists. When the dot11MAC Address Policy activated of the AP MLD is false (false), each AP attached to the AP MLD shall set the MAC Address Policy field in the Extended Capabilities field to 0, indicating that the local MAC Address is not restricted.

A non-AP MLD that receives the Extended Capabilities field with the Local MAC Address Policy subfield set to 1 from an AP attached to the AP MLD should (unless it has previously stored the MAC Address Policy of the ESS) use the MAC Address Policy ANQP element to discover the Local MLD MAC Address included in the Association Request frame and send any Association Request frame to the AP attached to the AP MLD using the Local MAC Address as a TA.

Fig. 3 shows a flow diagram of an illustrative process 300 for a randomized MAC address system for MLD in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

At block 302, a device (e.g., user device 120 and/or AP 102 of fig. 1) may set a Medium Access Control (MAC) privacy indication to a value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement.

At block 304, the device may change a multi-link device (MLD) MAC address to a random value.

At block 306, the device may cause a single MLD MAC address to be maintained during a connection across an Extended Service Set (ESS).

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive.

Fig. 4 illustrates a functional diagram of an example communication station 400 in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, fig. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of a communication station that may be suitable for use as AP 102 (fig. 1) or user equipment 120 (fig. 1) in accordance with some embodiments. Communication station 400 may also be suitable for use as a handheld device, mobile device, cellular telephone, smartphone, tablet computer, netbook, wireless terminal, laptop computer, wearable computer device, femtocell, high Data Rate (HDR) subscriber station, access point, access terminal, or other Personal Communication System (PCS) device.

Communication station 400 may include communication circuitry 402 and a transceiver 410 for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from other communication stations using one or more antennas 401. Communication circuitry 402 may include circuitry that may operate physical layer (PHY) communication and/or Medium Access Control (MAC) communication for controlling access to a wireless medium, and/or any other communication layers for transmitting and receiving signals. Communication station 400 may also include processing circuitry 406 and memory 408 arranged to perform the operations described herein. In some embodiments, the communication circuit 402 and the processing circuit 406 may be configured to perform the operations detailed in the figures, diagrams, and flows above.

According to some embodiments, the communication circuitry 402 may be arranged to: contend for the wireless medium, and configure the frame or packet for communication over the wireless medium. The communication circuit 402 may be arranged to transmit and receive signals. The communication circuit 402 may also include circuits for modulation/demodulation, up/down conversion, filtering, amplification, and so on. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 406 of communication station 400 may include one or more processors. In other embodiments, two or more antennas 401 may be coupled to the communication circuit 402 arranged to transmit and receive signals. The memory 408 may store information for configuring the processing circuitry 406 to perform operations for configuring and transmitting message frames and performing various operations described herein. Memory 408 can comprise any type of memory, including non-transitory memory, for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, memory 408 may include computer-readable storage devices, read Only Memory (ROM), random Access Memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, and other storage devices and media.

In some embodiments, the communication station 400 may be part of a portable wireless communication device, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer with wireless communication capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone, a smart phone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, a television, a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), a wearable computer device, or another device that may receive and/or transmit information wirelessly.

In some embodiments, communication station 400 may include one or more antennas 401. Antenna 401 may include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some embodiments, instead of two or more antennas, a single antenna with multiple apertures may be used. In these embodiments, each aperture may be considered a separate antenna. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, antennas may be effectively separated for spatial diversity and different channel characteristics that may result between each antenna and the antennas of the transmitting station.

In some embodiments, the communication station 400 may include one or more of a keypad, a display, a non-volatile memory port, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, an application processor, speakers, and other mobile device elements. The display may be an LCD screen including a touch screen.

Although communication station 400 is illustrated as having several separate functional elements, two or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFICs), and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements of communication station 400 may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

Some embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. Other embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may be read and executed by at least one processor to perform the operations described herein. A computer-readable storage device may include any non-transitory memory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer-readable storage device may include Read Only Memory (ROM), random Access Memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, and other storage devices and media. In some embodiments, communication station 400 may include one or more processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device.

Fig. 5 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a machine 500 or system on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods) discussed herein may be implemented. In other embodiments, the machine 500 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 500 may operate in the role of a server machine, a client machine, or both, in server-client network environments. In an example, the machine 500 may operate in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment as a peer machine. The machine 500 may be a Personal Computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a wearable computer device, a network appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine (e.g., a base station). Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), or other computer cluster configurations.

Examples as described herein may include, or may operate on, logic or multiple components, modules, or mechanisms. A module is a tangible entity (e.g., hardware) capable, when operated, of performing specified operations. The modules include hardware. In an example, the hardware may be specifically configured to perform certain operations (e.g., hardwired). In another example, the hardware may include configurable execution units (e.g., transistors, circuits, etc.) and a computer readable medium containing instructions that configure the execution units to perform specific operations when operated. Configuration may occur under the direction of an execution unit or loading mechanism. Thus, when the device is operating, the execution unit is communicatively coupled to the computer-readable medium. In this example, an execution unit may be a member of more than one module. For example, in operation, an execution unit may be configured by a first set of instructions to implement a first module at one point in time and reconfigured by a second set of instructions to implement a second module at a second point in time.

The machine (e.g., computer system) 500 may include a hardware processor 502 (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 504 and a static memory 506, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnect (e.g., bus) 508. The machine 500 may also include a power management device 532, a graphical display device 510, an alphanumeric input device 512 (e.g., a keyboard), and a User Interface (UI) navigation device 514 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the graphical display device 510, alphanumeric input device 512, and UI navigation device 514 may be a touch screen display. The machine 500 may additionally include a storage device (i.e., drive unit) 516, a signal generation device 518 (e.g., a speaker), a randomized MAC address device 519 of the MLD, a network interface device/transceiver 520 coupled to an antenna 530, and one or more sensors 528 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor). The machine 500 may include an output controller 534, such as a serial (e.g., universal Serial Bus (USB)) connection, a parallel connection, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near Field Communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, card reader, etc.). Operations according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed by a baseband processor. The baseband processor may be configured to generate a corresponding baseband signal. The baseband processor may also include physical layer (PHY) and media access control layer (MAC) circuitry and may also interface with the hardware processor 502 for generating and processing baseband signals and controlling the operation of the main memory 504, the storage device 516, and/or the randomized MAC address device 519 of the MLD. The baseband processor may be provided on a single radio card, a single chip, or an Integrated Circuit (IC).

The storage device 516 may include a machine-readable medium 522 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 524 (e.g., software) embodying or used by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 524 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 504, within static memory 506, or within the hardware processor 502 during execution thereof by the machine 500. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 502, the main memory 504, the static memory 506, or the storage device 516 may constitute machine-readable media.

The randomized MAC address facility 519 of the MLD may perform or execute any of the operations and processes (e.g., process 300) described and illustrated above.

It should be understood that the above are only a subset of what the MLD randomized MAC address device 519 may be configured to perform, and that other functions included throughout this disclosure may also be performed by the MLD randomized MAC address device 519.

While the machine-readable medium 522 is shown to be a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" can include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store the one or more instructions 524.

Various embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in software and/or firmware. The software and/or firmware may take the form of instructions contained in or on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Those instructions may then be read and executed by one or more processors to enable performance of the operations described herein. The instructions may be in any suitable form, such as but not limited to source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, and the like. Such computer-readable media may include any tangible, non-transitory media for storing information in one or more computer-readable forms, such as, but not limited to, read Only Memory (ROM); random Access Memory (RAM); a magnetic disk storage medium; an optical storage medium; flash memory and the like

The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 500 and that cause the machine 500 to perform any one or more of the techniques of this disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting examples of machine-readable media may include solid-state memory, as well as optical and magnetic media. In an example, a mass machine-readable medium includes a machine-readable medium having a plurality of particles with a static mass. Specific examples of a mass machine-readable medium may include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices); magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

The instructions 524 may further be transmitted or received over a communication network 526 using a transmission medium via the network interface device/transceiver 520 using any one of a number of transmission protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet Protocol (IP), transmission Control Protocol (TCP), user Datagram Protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks can include a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the internet), a mobile telephone network (e.g., a cellular network), a Plain Old Telephone (POTS) network, a wireless data network (e.g., referred to as

Of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, referred to as

IEEE 802.16 family of standards), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, etc. In an example, the network interface device/transceiver 520 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., ethernet jacks, coaxial jacks, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communications network 526. In an example, a network interface device/TransmitMachine 520 may include multiple antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. The term "transmission medium" shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 500, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

The operations and processes described and illustrated above may be performed or carried out in any suitable order as desired in various implementations. Further, in some implementations, at least a portion of the operations may be performed in parallel. Further, in some implementations, fewer or more operations than described may be performed.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of radio architectures 605A, 605B according to some embodiments, which may be implemented in any of the example AP 102 and/or the example STA 120 of fig. 1. The radio architectures 605A, 605B may include radio Front End Module (FEM) circuits 604a-B, radio IC circuits 606a-B, and baseband processing circuits 608a-B. The illustrated radio architectures 605A, 605B include Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) functionality and Bluetooth (BT) functionality, but the embodiments are not so limited. In this disclosure, "WLAN" and "Wi-Fi" may be used interchangeably.

The FEM circuits 604a-b may include a WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuit 604a and a Bluetooth (BT) FEM circuit 604b. The WLAN FEM circuitry 604a may include a receive signal path including circuitry configured to operate on WLAN RF signals received from the one or more antennas 601, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the WLAN radio IC circuitry 606a for further processing. BT FEM circuitry 604b may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on BT RF signals received from one or more antennas 601, amplify the receive signal, and provide an amplified version of the receive signal to BT radio IC circuitry 606b for further processing. FEM circuitry 604a may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify WLAN signals provided by radio IC circuitry 606a for wireless transmission through one or more antennas 601. Further, FEM circuitry 604b may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify BT signals provided by radio IC circuitry 606b for wireless transmission through one or more antennas. In the embodiment of fig. 6, although FEM 604a and FEM 604b are shown as being different from each other, embodiments are not limited thereto and include within their scope: a FEM (not shown) is used that contains transmit and/or receive paths for both WLAN and BT signals, or one or more FEM circuits are used, where at least some of the FEM circuits share transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

Radio IC circuits 606a-b as shown may include WLAN radio IC circuit 606a and BT radio IC circuit 606b. The WLAN radio IC circuitry 606a may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry to down-convert WLAN RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 604a and provide baseband signals to WLAN baseband processing circuitry 608 a. The BT radio IC circuitry 606b may also include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry to down-convert BT RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 604b and provide baseband signals to the BT baseband processing circuitry 608b. The WLAN radio IC circuitry 606a may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry to up-convert WLAN baseband signals provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuitry 608a and provide WLAN RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 604a for subsequent wireless transmission through the one or more antennas 601. BT radio IC circuitry 606b may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry to up-convert BT baseband signals provided by BT baseband processing circuitry 608b and provide BT RF output signals to FEM circuitry 604b for subsequent wireless transmission via one or more antennas 601. In the embodiment of fig. 6, although radio IC circuits 606a and 606b are shown as being different from each other, embodiments are not so limited and are included within their scope; a radio IC circuit (not shown) containing transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals is used, or one or more radio IC circuits are used, wherein at least some of the radio IC circuits share transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

The baseband processing circuits 608a-b may include a WLAN baseband processing circuit 608a and a BT baseband processing circuit 608b. The WLAN baseband processing circuit 608a may include a memory, such as a set of RAM arrays of a fast fourier transform or inverse fast fourier transform block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing circuit 608 a. Each of the WLAN baseband circuitry 608a and BT baseband circuitry 608b may also include one or more processors and control logic to process signals received from a corresponding WLAN or BT receive signal path of the radio IC circuitry 606a-b and also to generate corresponding WLAN or BT baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the radio IC circuitry 606 a-b. Each of the baseband processing circuits 608a and 608b may also include physical layer (PHY) and media access control layer (MAC) circuits and may also interface with devices for generating and processing baseband signals and controlling operation of the radio IC circuits 606 a-b.

Still referring to fig. 6, in accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the WLAN-BT coexistence circuit 613 may include logic to provide an interface between the WLAN baseband circuit 608a and the BT baseband circuit 608b to implement use cases requiring WLAN and BT coexistence. Further, a switch 603 may be provided between the WLAN FEM circuitry 604a and the BT FEM circuitry 604b to allow switching between WLAN and BT radios according to application needs. Further, although antenna 601 is depicted as being connected to WLAN FEM circuit 604a and BT FEM circuit 604b, respectively, embodiments include within their scope: one or more antennas are shared between the WLAN and BT FEMs, or more than one antenna is provided connected to each FEM 604a or 604b.

In some embodiments, front-end module circuits 604a-b, radio IC circuits 606a-b, and baseband processing circuits 608a-b may be provided on a single radio card (e.g., radio card 602). In some other embodiments, one or more antennas 601, FEM circuits 604a-b, and radio IC circuits 606a-b may be provided on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuits 606a-b and the baseband processing circuits 608a-b may be provided on a single chip or Integrated Circuit (IC) (e.g., IC 612).

In some embodiments, radio card 602 may comprise a WLAN radio card and may be configured for Wi-Fi communication, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some of these embodiments, the radio architectures 605A, 605B may be configured to receive and transmit Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication signals over a multicarrier communication channel. An OFDM or OFDMA signal may include a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

In some of these multicarrier embodiments, the radio architectures 605A, 605B may be part of a Wi-Fi communication Station (STA) (e.g., a wireless Access Point (AP), a base station, or a mobile device including a Wi-Fi device). In some of these embodiments, the radio architectures 605A, 605B may be configured to: signals may be transmitted and received in accordance with particular communication standards and/or protocols, such as any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards, including the 802.11n-2009, IEEE 802.11-2012, IEEE 802.11-2016, 802.11n-2009, 802.11ac, 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, and/or 802.11ax standards, and/or the specifications set forth for WLANs, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The radio architectures 605A, 605B may also be adapted to transmit and/or receive communications in accordance with other techniques and standards.

In some embodiments, the radio architectures 605A, 605B may be configured for high-efficiency Wi-Fi (HEW) communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard. In these embodiments, the radio architectures 605A, 605B may be configured to communicate in accordance with OFDMA techniques, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some other embodiments, the radio architectures 605A, 605B may be configured to: transmit signals using one or more other modulation techniques and receive signals transmitted using one or more other modulation techniques such as spread spectrum modulation (e.g., direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) and/or frequency hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA)), time Division Multiplexing (TDM) modulation, and/or Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) modulation, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, BT baseband circuitry 608b may conform to a Bluetooth (BT) connection standard, such as bluetooth, bluetooth 8.0, or bluetooth 6.0, or any other generation of the bluetooth standard.

In some embodiments, the radio architectures 605A, 605B may include other radio cards, for example cellular radio cards configured for cellular (e.g., 5GPP such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, or 7G communications).

In some IEEE 802.11 embodiments, radio architectures 605A, 605B may be configured for communication over various channel bandwidths, including bandwidths having center frequencies of approximately 900MHz, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and bandwidths of approximately 2MHz, 4MHz, 5MHz, 5.5MHz, 6MHz, 8MHz, 10MHz, 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz (continuous bandwidth), or 80+80MHz (160 MHz) (discontinuous bandwidth). In some embodiments, a 920MHz channel bandwidth may be used. However, the scope of the embodiments is not limited to the above center frequencies.

Fig. 7 illustrates a WLAN FEM circuit 604a according to some embodiments. While the example of fig. 7 is described in connection with WLAN FEM circuitry 604a, the example of fig. 7 may be described in connection with example BT FEM circuitry 604b (fig. 6), other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

In some embodiments, FEM circuitry 604a may include TX/RX switch 702 to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. FEM circuit 604a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuitry 604a may include a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) 706 to amplify received RF signal 703 and provide an amplified received RF signal 707 as an output (e.g., to radio IC circuitry 606a-b (fig. 6)). The transmit signal path of circuit 604a may include: a Power Amplifier (PA) to amplify an input RF signal 709 (e.g., provided by radio IC circuits 606 a-b) and one or more filters 712, such as Band Pass Filters (BPFs), low Pass Filters (LPFs), or other types of filters, to generate an RF signal 715 for subsequent transmission via an example duplexer 714 (e.g., via one or more antennas 601 (fig. 6)).

In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communications, FEM circuitry 604a may be configured to operate in the 2.4GHz spectrum or the 5GHz spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of FEM circuit 604a may include a receive signal path duplexer 704 to separate signals from each spectrum and provide a separate LNA 706 for each spectrum, as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of FEM circuit 604a may also include a power amplifier 710 and filter 712 (e.g., BPF, LPF, or another type of filter) for each spectrum and transmit signal path duplexer 704 to provide signals of one of the different spectrums onto a single transmit path for subsequent transmission through one or more antennas 601 (fig. 6). In some embodiments, BT communications may utilize a 2.4GHz signal path and may utilize the same FEM circuitry 604a as is used for WLAN communications.

Fig. 8 illustrates a radio IC circuit 606a according to some embodiments. The radio IC circuit 606a is one example of a circuit that may be suitable for use as the WLAN or BT radio IC circuits 606a/606b (fig. 6), but other circuit configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, the example of fig. 8 may be described in connection with the example BT radio IC circuit 606b.

In some embodiments, radio IC circuitry 606a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of radio IC circuit 606a may include at least a mixer circuit 802 (e.g., a down-conversion mixer circuit), an amplifier circuit 806, and a filter circuit 808. The transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 606a may include at least a filter circuit 812 and a mixer circuit 814 (e.g., an up-conversion mixer circuit). The radio IC circuit 606a may also include a synthesizer circuit 804 for synthesizing the frequency 805 for use by the mixer circuit 802 and the mixer circuit 814. According to some embodiments, mixer circuits 802 and/or 814 may each be configured to provide direct conversion functionality. The latter type of circuit presents a simpler architecture than standard superheterodyne mixer circuits and any flicker noise brought by it can be mitigated by using OFDM modulation, for example. Fig. 8 shows only a simplified version of the radio IC circuitry, and may include (although not shown) embodiments in which each of the depicted circuits may include more than one component. For example, mixer circuit 814 may each include one or more mixers and filter circuits 808 and/or 812 may each include one or more filters, e.g., one or more BPFs and/or LPFs, as desired by the application. For example, when the mixer circuits are of the direct conversion type, they may each comprise two or more mixers.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 802 may be configured to: the RF signals 707 received from the FEM circuits 604a-b (fig. 6) are downconverted based on the composite frequency 805 provided by the synthesizer circuit 804. The amplifier circuitry 806 may be configured to amplify the downconverted signal, and the filter circuitry 808 may include an LPF configured to: unwanted signals are removed from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal 807. The output baseband signal 807 may be provided to baseband processing circuits 608a-b (fig. 6) for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal 807 may be a zero frequency baseband signal, although this is not required. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 802 may comprise a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, mixer circuit 814 may be configured to: an input baseband signal 811 is upconverted based on a synthesized frequency 805 provided by a synthesizer circuit 804 to generate an RF output signal 709 for the FEM circuits 604 a-b. The baseband signal 811 may be provided by the baseband processing circuits 608a-b and may be filtered by the filter circuit 812. Filter circuit 812 may include an LPF or BPF, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, mixer circuit 802 and mixer circuit 814 may each comprise two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and/or up-conversion, respectively, with the aid of synthesizer 804. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 802 and mixer circuit 814 may each include two or more mixers, each configured for image rejection (e.g., hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, mixer circuit 802 and mixer circuit 814 may be arranged for direct down-conversion and/or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 802 and mixer circuit 814 may be configured for superheterodyne operation, but this is not required.

According to one embodiment, the mixer circuit 802 may include: quadrature passive mixers (e.g., for in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) paths). In such embodiments, the RF input signal 707 from fig. 8 may be down-converted to provide I and Q baseband output signals to be sent to the baseband processor.

The quadrature passive mixers may be driven by zero and ninety degree time-varying LO switching signals provided by quadrature circuits that may be configured to receive an LO frequency (fLO), such as LO frequency 805 of synthesizer 804 (fig. 8), from a local oscillator or synthesizer. In some embodiments, the LO frequency may be the carrier frequency, while in other embodiments the LO frequency may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., half the carrier frequency, one third of the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the zero and ninety degree time-varying switching signals may be generated by a synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the LO signals may differ in duty cycle (percentage of a cycle in which the LO signal is high) and/or offset (difference between the start of the cycle). In some embodiments, the LO signal may have a duty cycle of 85% and an offset of 80%. In some embodiments, each branch of the mixer circuit (e.g., in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) paths) may operate at an 80% duty cycle, which may result in a significant reduction in power consumption.

RF input signal 707 (fig. 7) may comprise a balanced signal, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The I and Q baseband output signals may be provided to a low noise amplifier (e.g., amplifier circuit 806 (fig. 8)) or filter circuit 808 (fig. 8).

In some embodiments, output baseband signal 807 and input baseband signal 811 may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal 807 and the input baseband signal 811 may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the radio IC circuitry may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry.

In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuitry may be provided to process signals for each spectrum or other spectrum not mentioned herein, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 804 may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N/N +1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, the synthesizer circuit 804 can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase locked loop with a frequency divider. According to some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 804 may comprise a digital synthesizer circuit. An advantage of using a digital synthesizer circuit is that although it may still include some analog components, its footprint may be much smaller than that of an analog synthesizer circuit. In some embodiments, the frequency input to the synthesizer circuit 804 may be provided by a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO), but this is not required. The baseband processing circuits 608a-b (fig. 6) may further provide divider control inputs according to a desired output frequency 805. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table (e.g., within a Wi-Fi card) based on the channel number and channel center frequency determined or indicated by the example application processor 610. The application processor 610 may include or otherwise be connected to one of the example security signal converter 6101 or the example received signal converter 6103 (e.g., depending on which device the example radio architecture is implemented in).

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 804 may be configured to generate the carrier frequency as the output frequency 805, while in other embodiments, the output frequency 805 may be a portion of the carrier frequency (e.g., half the carrier frequency, one third of the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the output frequency 805 may be the LO frequency (fLO).

Fig. 9 illustrates a functional block diagram of a baseband processing circuit 608a, according to some embodiments. The baseband processing circuit 608a is one example of a circuit that may be suitable for use as the baseband processing circuit 608a (fig. 6), but other circuit configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, the example BT baseband processing circuit 608b of fig. 6 may be implemented using the example of fig. 8.

The baseband processing circuitry 608a may include a receive baseband processor (RX BBP) 902 to process receive baseband signals 809 provided by the radio IC circuitry 606a-b (fig. 6) and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 904 to generate transmit baseband signals 811 for the radio IC circuitry 606 a-b. The baseband processing circuit 608a may also include control logic 906 to coordinate the operation of the baseband processing circuit 608 a.

In some embodiments (e.g., when analog baseband signals are exchanged between the baseband processing circuits 608a-b and the radio IC circuits 606 a-b), the baseband processing circuits 608a may include an ADC 910 to convert analog baseband signals 909 received from the radio IC circuits 606a-b to digital baseband signals for processing by the RX BBP 902. In these embodiments, the baseband processing circuit 608a may also include a DAC 912 to convert the digital baseband signal from the TX BBP 904 to an analog baseband signal 911.

In some embodiments, for example, where the OFDM signal or OFDMA signal is communicated by the baseband processor 608a, the transmit baseband processor 904 may be configured to: an OFDM or OFDMA signal suitable for transmission is generated by performing an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT). The receive baseband processor 902 may be configured to: the received OFDM signal or OFDMA signal is processed by performing FFT. In some embodiments, the receive baseband processor 902 may be configured to: the presence of the OFDM signal or the OFDMA signal is detected by performing autocorrelation to detect a preamble (e.g., a short preamble) and by performing cross-correlation to detect a long preamble. The preamble may be part of a predetermined frame structure for Wi-Fi communication.

Referring back to fig. 6, in some embodiments, antennas 601 (fig. 6) may each include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, antennas may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result. Antennas 601 may each include a set of phased array antennas, but embodiments are not limited thereto.

Although the radio architectures 105A, 105B are illustrated as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFICs), and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, a functional element may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. As used herein, the terms "computing device," "user device," "communication station," "handheld device," "mobile device," "wireless device," and "user equipment" (UE) refer to a wireless communication device, such as a cellular telephone, smartphone, tablet computer, netbook, wireless terminal, laptop computer, femtocell, high Data Rate (HDR) subscriber station, access point, printer, point-of-sale device, access terminal, or other Personal Communication System (PCS) device. The device may be mobile or stationary.

As used in this document, the term "communication" is intended to include either transmitting or receiving, or both. This may be particularly useful in claims when describing the organization of data sent by one device and received by another, but only the functionality of one of these devices is required to infringe the claims. Similarly, when the functionality of only one of the devices is claimed, the two-way data exchange between the two devices (the two devices transmitting and receiving during the exchange) may be described as "communicating. The term "communicate" as used herein with respect to wireless communication signals includes transmitting wireless communication signals and/or receiving wireless communication signals. For example, a wireless communication unit capable of communicating wireless communication signals may include a wireless transmitter for transmitting wireless communication signals to at least one other wireless communication unit, and/or a wireless communication receiver for receiving wireless communication signals from at least one other wireless communication unit.

As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives "first", "second", "third", etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

The term "access point" (AP) as used herein may be a fixed station. An access point may also be referred to as an access node, a base station, an evolved node B (eNodeB), or some other similar terminology known in the art. An access terminal may also be called a mobile station, user Equipment (UE), a wireless communication device, or some other similar terminology known in the art. Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to wireless networks. Some embodiments may relate to a wireless network operating according to one of the IEEE 802.11 standards.

Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with various devices and systems, such as Personal Computers (PCs), desktop computers, mobile computers, laptop computers, notebook computers, tablet computers, server computers, handheld devices, personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices, handheld PDA devices, onboard devices, off-board devices, hybrid devices, onboard devices, offboard devices, mobile or portable devices, consumer devices, non-mobile or non-portable devices, wireless communication stations, wireless communication devices, wireless Access Points (APs), wired or wireless routers, wired or wireless modems, video devices, audio-video (A/V) devices, wired or wireless networks, wireless local area networks, wireless video local area networks (WVANs), local Area Networks (LANs), wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), personal Area Networks (PANs), wireless PANs (WPANs), and the like.

Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with the following devices: one-way and/or two-way radio communication systems, cellular radiotelephone communication systems, mobile telephones, cellular telephones, radiotelephones, personal Communication Systems (PCS) devices, PDA devices that include wireless communication devices, mobile or portable Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, devices that include GPS receivers or transceivers or chips, devices that include RFID elements or chips, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transceivers or devices, single-input multiple-output (SIMO) transceivers or devices, multiple-input single-output (MISO) transceivers or devices, devices having one or more internal and/or external antennas, digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) devices or systems, multi-standard radio devices or systems, wired or wireless handheld devices (e.g., smart phones), wireless Application Protocol (WAP) devices, and the like.

Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with one or more types of wireless communication signals and/or systems that conform to one or more wireless communication protocols, such as Radio Frequency (RF), infrared (IR), frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal FDM (OFDM), time Division Multiplexing (TDM), time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), extended TDMA (E-TDMA), general Packet Radio Service (GPRS), extended GPRS, code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA 2000, single carrier CDMA, multi-carrier modulation (MDM), discrete Multitone (DMT), bluetooth, global Positioning System (GPS), wi-Fi, wi-Max, zigBee, ultra Wideband (UWB), global system for mobile communications (GSM), 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, fifth generation (5G) mobile networks, 3GPP, long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advance, enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), and so forth. Other embodiments may be used in various other devices, systems, and/or networks.

The following examples pertain to further embodiments.

Example 1 may include an apparatus comprising processing circuitry coupled to a memory, the processing circuitry configured to: setting a Medium Access Control (MAC) privacy indication to a value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement; changing a multi-link device (MLD) MAC address to a random value; and to maintain a single MLD MAC address during a connection across an Extended Service Set (ESS).

Example 2 may include the apparatus of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the apparatus is a non-AP MLD.

Example 3 may include the apparatus of example 2 and/or some other example herein, wherein changing the MLD MAC address to the random value is performed periodically when the apparatus is not associated with the AP MLD.

Example 4 may include the apparatus of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the MLD MAC address changes to a random value, the apparatus RESETs a sequence number used to identify the MAC service data unit and the MAC management protocol data unit and sets a parameter scrambller _ RESET to RESET _ scrambller on a next transmitted physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit.

Example 5 may include the apparatus of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the apparatus is to retain the MLD MAC address during a transaction exchange or during creation of the state on the AP MLD.

Example 6 may include the apparatus of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the apparatus, when transmitting the Association Request frame or the responsiveness Request frame to the AP affiliated with the AP MLD, selects a MAC address of each affiliated non-AP STA as a random value constructed from a locally managed address space.

Example 7 may include the apparatus of example 6 and/or some other example herein, wherein the apparatus selects the MAC address of the affiliated non-AP STA based on the discovered MAC address policy using a local MAC address policy ANQP element.

Example 8 may include the apparatus of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the apparatus selects to randomize the MLD MAC address based on the discovered MAC address policy using a native MAC address policy ANQP element.

Example 9 may include the apparatus of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the state created by the AP MLD using the previous MLD MAC address is bound to a MLD MAC address used in creating the state, and the apparatus changes the MLD MAC address of the apparatus to the MLD MAC address used in creating the state prior to establishing the association with the AP MLD.

Example 10 may include the apparatus of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the random value is constructed from a locally managed address space.

Example 11 may include an Access Point (AP) affiliated with an AP multi-link device (MLD), the AP including processing circuitry coupled to a memory, the processing circuitry configured to: the MAC Address Policy field in the Extended Capabilities fields of each AP attached to the AP MLD is set to the same value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement.

Example 12 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the following: setting a Medium Access Control (MAC) privacy indication to a value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement; changing a multi-link device (MLD) MAC address to a random value; and to maintain a single MLD MAC address during a connection across an Extended Service Set (ESS).

Example 13 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 12 and/or some other example herein, wherein the one or more processors are disposed on a device other than the AP MLD.

Example 14 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 13 and/or some other example herein, wherein changing the MLD MAC address to the random value is performed periodically when the device is not associated with the AP MLD.

Example 15 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 12 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the MLD MAC address changes to a random value, the device comprising the one or more processors RESETs a sequence number used to identify the MAC service data unit and the MAC management protocol data unit and sets a parameter SCRAMBLER _ RESET to RESET _ SCRAMBLER on a next transmitted physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit.

Example 16 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 12 and/or some other example herein, wherein the device comprising the one or more processors retains the MLD MAC address during a transaction exchange or during creation of a state on the AP MLD.

Example 17 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 12 and/or some other example herein, wherein the device comprising the one or more processors, when transmitting the Association Request frame or the Reassociation Request frame to the AP affiliated with the AP MLD, selects a MAC address of each affiliated non-AP STA as a random value constructed from a locally administered address space.

Example 18 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 17 and/or some other example herein, wherein the device selects a MAC address of the affiliated non-AP STA based on the discovered MAC address policy using a local MAC address policy ANQP element.

Example 19 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 12 and/or some other example herein, wherein the device comprising the one or more processors selects to randomize the MLD MAC address based on the discovered MAC address policy using a native MAC address policy ANQP element.

Example 20 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 12 and/or some other example herein, wherein a state created by the AP MLD using a previous MLD MAC address is bound to a MLD MAC address used in creating the state, and the device comprising the one or more processors changes the MLD MAC address of the device to the MLD MAC address used in creating the state prior to establishing the association with the AP MLD.

Example 21 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 12 and/or some other example herein, wherein the random value is constructed from a locally managed address space.

Example 22 may include a method comprising: setting, by one or more processors, a Medium Access Control (MAC) privacy indication to a value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement; changing a multi-link device (MLD) MAC address to a random value; and to maintain a single MLD MAC address during a connection across an Extended Service Set (ESS).

Example 23 may include the method of example 22 and/or some other example herein, wherein the one or more processors are disposed on a device other than the AP MLD.

Example 24 may include the method of example 23 and/or some other example herein, wherein changing the MLD MAC address to the random value is performed periodically when the device is not associated with the AP MLD.

Example 25 may include the method of example 22 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the MLD MAC address changes to a random value, the device, including the one or more processors, RESETs sequence numbers identifying the MAC service data unit and the MAC management protocol data unit and sets a parameter SCRAMBLER _ RESET to RESET _ SCRAMBLER on a next transmitted physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit.

Example 26 may include the method of example 22 and/or some other example herein, wherein the device comprising the one or more processors retains the MLD MAC address during a transaction exchange or during creation of a state on the AP MLD.

Example 27 may include the method of example 22 and/or some other example herein, wherein the device, including the one or more processors, when transmitting the Association Request frame or the responsiveness Request frame to the AP affiliated with the AP MLD, selects the MAC address of each affiliated non-AP STA as a random value constructed from a locally administered address space.

Example 28 may include the method of example 27 and/or some other example herein, wherein the device selects the MAC address of the affiliated non-AP STA based on the discovered MAC address policy using a local MAC address policy ANQP element.

Example 29 may include the method of example 22 and/or some other example herein, wherein the device comprising the one or more processors selects to randomize the MLD MAC address based on the discovered MAC address policy using a native MAC address policy ANQP element.

Example 30 may include the method of example 22 and/or some other example herein, wherein the state created by the AP MLD using the previous MLD MAC address is bound to a MLD MAC address used in creating the state, and the device comprising the one or more processors changes the MLD MAC address of the device to the MLD MAC address used in creating the state prior to establishing the association with the AP MLD.

Example 31 may include the method of example 22 and/or some other example herein, wherein the random value is constructed from a locally managed address space.

Example 32 may include an apparatus comprising: means for setting a Medium Access Control (MAC) privacy indication to a value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement; means for changing a multi-link device (MLD) MAC address to a random value; and means for causing a single MLD MAC address to be maintained during a connection across an Extended Service Set (ESS).

Example 33 may include the apparatus of example 32 and/or some other example herein, wherein the apparatus is disposed at a device other than the AP MLD.

Example 34 may include the apparatus of example 33 and/or some other example herein, wherein changing the MLD MAC address to the random value is performed periodically when the device is not associated with the AP MLD.

Example 35 may include the apparatus of example 32 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the MLD MAC address changes to a random value, the device comprising the apparatus RESETs sequence numbers used to identify the MAC service data unit and the MAC management protocol data unit and sets a parameter scrambller _ RESET to RESET _ scrambller on a next transmitted physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit.

Example 36 may include the apparatus of example 32 and/or some other example herein, wherein a device comprising the apparatus retains the MLD MAC address during a transaction exchange or during creation of the state on the AP MLD.

Example 37 may include the apparatus of example 32 and/or some other example herein, wherein a device comprising the apparatus selects the MAC address of each affiliated non-AP STA as a random value constructed from a locally administered address space when transmitting an Association Request frame or a response Request frame to an AP affiliated with the AP MLD.

Example 38 may include the apparatus of example 37 and/or some other example herein, wherein the device selects the MAC address of the affiliated non-AP STA based on the discovered MAC address policy using a local MAC address policy ANQP element.

Example 39 may include the apparatus of example 32 and/or some other example herein, wherein a device comprising the apparatus selects to randomize the MLD MAC address based on the discovered MAC address policy using a native MAC address policy ANQP element.

Example 40 may include the apparatus of example 32 and/or some other example herein, wherein the state created by the AP MLD using the previous MLD MAC address is bound to the MLD MAC address used in creating the state, and the device comprising the apparatus changes the MLD MAC address of the device to the MLD MAC address used in creating the state before establishing the association with the AP MLD.

Example 41 may include the apparatus of example 32 and/or some other example herein, wherein the random value is constructed from a locally managed address space.

Example 42 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, when executed by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-41, or to perform any other method or process described herein.

Example 43 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, and/or circuitry to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-41, or to perform any other method or process described herein.

Example 44 may include, or portions of, a method, technique, or process described in or related to any of examples 1-41.

Example 45 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process described in or related to any of examples 1-41, or portions thereof.

Example 46 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

Example 47 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

Example 48 may include a device to provide wireless communications as shown and described herein.

Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure are disclosed in particular in the accompanying claims directed to methods, storage media, devices and computer program products, wherein any feature mentioned in one claim category (e.g., method) may also be claimed in another claim category (e.g., system). The dependencies or references in the appended claims are chosen solely for formal reasons. However, any subject matter resulting from an intentional reference to any previous claim (in particular multiple dependencies) may also be claimed, such that any combination of a claim and its features is disclosed and can be claimed, irrespective of the dependency selected in the appended claims. The subject matter that can be claimed comprises not only the combinations of features set forth in the appended claims, but also any other combination of features in the claims, wherein each feature mentioned in the claims can be combined with any other feature or combination of other features in the claims. Furthermore, any embodiments and features described or depicted herein may be claimed in a separate claim and/or in any combination with any embodiment or feature described or depicted herein or with any feature of the appended claims.

The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure are described above with reference to block diagrams and flowchart illustrations of systems, methods, apparatuses, and/or computer program products according to various implementations. It will be understood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, respectively, can be implemented by computer-executable program instructions. Likewise, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the order presented, or may not need to be performed at all, according to some implementations.

These computer-executable program instructions may be loaded onto a special purpose computer or other specific machine, processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particular machine, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart block or blocks. As an example, certain implementations may provide a computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code or program instructions embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational elements or steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide elements or steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of elements or steps for performing the specified functions and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by special purpose, hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions, elements or steps, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Conditional language, such as "may," "can," "might," or "might," unless expressly stated otherwise or otherwise understood within the context of usage, is generally intended to convey that certain implementations may include, while other implementations do not include, certain features, elements, and/or operations. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or operations are in any way required for one or more implementations or that one or more implementations necessarily include logic for making decisions, with or without user input or prompting, whether or not such features, elements, and/or operations are included or are to be performed in any particular implementation.

Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific implementations disclosed and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (14)

1. An apparatus comprising processing circuitry coupled to a memory, the processing circuitry configured to:

setting a Medium Access Control (MAC) privacy indication to a value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement;

changing a multi-link device (MLD) MAC address to a random value; and

such that a single MLD MAC address is maintained during a connection across an Extended Service Set (ESS).

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a non-AP MLD.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein changing the MLD MAC address to a random value is performed periodically when the device is not associated with an AP MLD.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the MLD MAC address is changed to a random value, the apparatus RESETs sequence numbers for identifying the MAC service data unit and the MAC management protocol data unit and sets a parameter scrambller _ RESET to RESET _ SCRAMBLER on a next transmitted physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the device retains the MLD MAC address during a transaction exchange or during creation of a state on the AP MLD.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the device, when transmitting an Association Request frame or a Reassociation Request frame to an AP affiliated with an AP MLD, selects the MAC address of each affiliated non-AP STA as a random value constructed from a locally managed address space.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the device selects the MAC address of the affiliated non-AP STA based on the discovered MAC address policy using a local MAC address policy (ANQP) element.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device selects a randomized MLD MAC address based on a discovered MAC address policy using a native MAC address policy ANQP element.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein a state created by the AP MLD using a previous MLD MAC address is bound to the MLD MAC address used in creating the state, and the device changes the MLD MAC address of the device to the MLD MAC address used in creating the state before establishing an association with the AP MLD.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the random value is constructed from a locally managed address space.

11. An Access Point (AP) affiliated with an AP multi-link device (MLD), the AP comprising processing circuitry coupled to a memory, the processing circuitry configured to:

the MAC Address Policy field in the Extended Capabilities fields of each AP attached to the AP MLD is set to the same value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the following operations:

setting a Medium Access Control (MAC) privacy indication to a value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement;

changing a multi-link device (MLD) MAC address to a random value; and

such that a single MLD MAC address is maintained during a connection across an Extended Service Set (ESS).

13. A method, comprising:

setting, by one or more processors, a Medium Access Control (MAC) privacy indication to a value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement;

changing a multi-link device (MLD) MAC address to a random value; and

such that a single MLD MAC address is maintained during a connection across an Extended Service Set (ESS).

14. An apparatus, comprising:

means for setting a Medium Access Control (MAC) privacy indication to a value to indicate MAC privacy enhancement;

means for changing a multi-link device (MLD) MAC address to a random value; and

means for causing a single MLD MAC address to be maintained during a connection across Extended Service Sets (ESS).

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