CN115699983A - Mechanism for indicating simultaneous transmit receive or non-simultaneous transmit receive constraints - Google Patents

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus related to Simultaneous Transmit Receive (STR)/non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR) designation. A device may establish multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), where the non-AP MLD includes one or more logical entities that define individual Stations (STAs). The device may establish multiple links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, where the multi-link operation allows each link of the multiple links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD. The device may generate a frame comprising a Multilink (ML) element including an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field includes information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD. The device may indicate to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit Receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR). The device may cause the frame to be transmitted to a non-AP MLD.

Description

Mechanism for indicating simultaneous transmit receive or non-simultaneous transmit receive constraints

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 63/052,112, filed 7, 15, 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for wireless communication, and more particularly to mechanisms for signaling (signal) simultaneous transmit-receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit-receive (NSTR) constraints.

Background

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

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment for STR/NSTR designation according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 depicts an illustrative schematic diagram of a multi-link device (MLD) between two logical entities in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 depicts an illustrative schematic diagram of a multi-link device (MLD) between an AP with a logical entity and a non-AP with a logical entity in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 depicts an illustrative schematic of STR/NSTR designation according to one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 5 depicts an illustrative schematic of STR/NSTR designation according to one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a process for an illustrative STR/NSTR designation system in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 illustrates a functional diagram of an example communication station that may be suitable for use as user equipment in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 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. 9 is a block diagram of a radio architecture according to some examples.

Fig. 10 illustrates example front end module circuitry for use in the radio architecture of fig. 9 in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11 illustrates an example radio IC circuit for use in the radio architecture of fig. 9, according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 illustrates example baseband processing circuitry for use in the radio architecture of fig. 9 in accordance with 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 incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, algorithm, 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.

Multi-link operation (MLO) allows a multi-link device (MLD) to operate on multiple links and communicate with another multi-link capable device. Several different modes of MLO operation are possible, such as:

single radio/link device: a pattern of data frames can only be exchanged with an Access Point (AP) MLD over one link at a time.

A multi-radio device: a mode that can transmit simultaneously on multiple links. There are further two types:

simultaneous transmit-receive (STR): each pair of links may be used for a mode of simultaneously transmitting and receiving data frames.

Non-simultaneous transmit-receive (NSTR): there is a pattern of at least one pair of links: in the pair of links, it is not possible to simultaneously transmit data frames on one link and receive on the other link.

It is important that the AP MLD knows the exact capabilities of the peer MLD and vice versa in order to decide its transmission mode (e.g., modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), number of Spatial Streams (NSS) to use), scheduling, whether to align physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) transmission, etc.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems, methods, and apparatus for a mechanism to indicate simultaneous transmit-receive (STR)/non-simultaneous transmit-receive (NSTR) constraints.

In one embodiment, the STR/NSTR labeling system may facilitate labeling specific MLO capabilities of MLDs in Multiple Link (ML) elements exchanged between AP and non-AP MLDs as:

the maximum number of links in which MLD can exchange frames simultaneously, indicated in the common part of the ML element.

-bitmap indication in ML elements, where each bit indicates STR/NSTR capabilities of a pair of links.

In one embodiment, the STR/NSTR labeling system may provide an easy to implement and low overhead solution for labeling of STR/NSTR constraints.

The foregoing description is for the purpose of illustration and is not intended to be limiting. Many other examples, configurations, processes, algorithms, etc., may exist, 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 STR/NSTR designation, according to 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 IEEE802.11 communication standard. The user equipment 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 comprise one or more computer systems, similar to that shown in the functional diagram of fig. 7 and/or the example machine/system of fig. 8.

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 have a number of different features, 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 devices 120 and/or APs 102 may operate as Personal Basic Service Set (PBSS) control points/access points (PCPs/APs). 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, such as a stationary device. For example, user device 120 and/or AP 102 may include a User Equipment (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, an ultrabook computer, and the like ^TM A computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a server computer, a handheld device, an internet of things (IoT) device, a sensor device, a PDA device, a handheld PDA device, an in-vehicle device, an off-vehicle device, a hybrid device (e.g., a cellular telephone)Functionality in combination with PDA device functionality), a consumer device, an in-vehicle device, an off-vehicle device, a mobile or portable device, a non-mobile or non-portable device, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a PCS device, a PDA device including a wireless communication device, a mobile or portable GPS device, a DVB device, a relatively small computing device, a non-desktop computer, a "touch-up", a life-sharing "(CSLL) device, an ultra-mobile device (UMD), an ultra-mobile PC (UMPC), a Mobile Internet Device (MID)," origami "device, or a computing device, a Dynamic Combination Computing (DCC) enabled device, a context aware device, a video device, an audio device, an A/V device, a Set Top Box (STB), a Blu-ray disc (BD) player, a BD recorder, a Digital Video Disc (DVD) player, a High Definition (HD) DVD player, a DVD recorder, an HD DVD recorder, a Personal Video Recorder (PVR), a broadcast high definition receiver, a video source, an audio source, a video receiver, an audio receiver, a stereo tuner, a broadcast radio receiver, a flat panel display, a Personal Media Player (PMP), a Digital Video Camera (DVC), a digital audio player, a speaker, an audio receiver, an audio amplifier, a gaming device, a data source, a data receiver, a digital camera (DSC), a media player, a smart phone, a television, a music player, and the like. Other devices, including smart devices such as light fixtures, climate controls, automotive components, household components, appliances, etc., may also be included in this list.

As used herein, the term "internet of things (IoT) device" is used to refer to any object (e.g., an appliance, a 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 can transmit information to one or more other devices over a wired or wireless connection. The internet of things devices may have passive communication interfaces, such as Quick Response (QR) codes, radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, NFC tags, etc., or active communication interfaces, such as modems, transceivers, transmitter-receivers, etc. The internet of things devices may have a particular set of attributes (e.g., device status, such as whether the internet of things 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, sounding functions, etc.) that 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, such as a local ad hoc network or the internet. For example, the internet of things devices may include, but are not limited to, a refrigerator, toaster, oven, microwave oven, freezer, dishwasher, tableware, hand tool, washing machine, dryer, stove, air conditioner, thermostat, television, light fixture, vacuum cleaner, sprinkler, electricity meter, gas meter, etc., as long as the devices are equipped with an addressable communication interface for communicating with the internet of things network. Internet of things devices may also include cell phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and the like. Thus, an internet of things network may include a combination of "traditional" internet-accessible devices (e.g., laptop or desktop computers, cell phones, etc.) as well as devices that are not typically internet-connected (e.g., dishwashers, etc.).

The user equipment 120 and/or the AP 102 may also include, for example, mesh stations in a mesh network according to one or more IEEE802.11 standards and/or 3GPP standards.

Any of user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may be configured to communicate with each other, wirelessly or in a wired manner, 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 one 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 private network, a wireless network, a cellular network, or any other suitable private 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 of user devices 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 device 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, and 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 series standard 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 and/or receive signals, e.g., communication signals, to and/or from user devices 120 and/or AP 102.

Any of user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 may be configured to perform directional transmission and/or directional reception in conjunction with wireless communications in a wireless network. Any of the user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and the AP 102 may be configured to perform such directional transmission and/or reception using a set of multi-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 of user devices 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 transmission sectors. Any of user devices 120 (e.g., user devices 124, 126, 128) and AP 102 can 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 of user devices 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 used by any of user devices 120 and AP 102 for communicating with each other. The radio components may include hardware and/or software to modulate and/or demodulate communication signals according to pre-established transmission protocols. The radio may also have hardware and/or software instructions to communicate via one or more Wi-Fi and/or Wi-Fi direct protocols, as 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 over 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 40GHz. It should be understood that the 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., IEEE802.11 af, IEEE 802.22), white band frequency (e.g., white space), or other packet radio communication. The radio components may include 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, referring to fig. 1, user device 120 may communicate with one or more APs 102. For example, one or more APs 102 may implement STR/NSTR flag 142 with one or more user devices 120. One or more APs 102 may be multi-link devices (MLDs) and one or more user devices 120 may be non-AP MLDs. Each of the one or more APs 102 may include a plurality of individual APs (e.g., AP1, AP 2.,. APn, where n is an integer), and each of the one or more user devices 120 may include a plurality of individual STAs (e.g., STA1, STA2, \8230;, STAn). The AP MLD and non-AP MLD may establish one or more links (e.g., link1, link2, \8230; link n) between each individual AP and STA. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive.

Fig. 2 depicts an illustrative schematic diagram of a multi-link device (MLD) between two logical entities in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 2, two multi-link logical entities on either side are shown, including multiple STAs that can establish links with each other. A multi-link device (MLD) may be a logical entity that contains one or more STAs. The logical entity has one MAC data service interface and primitive to a Logical Link Control (LLC) and a single address associated with the interface that is available for communication over a Distribution System Medium (DSM). It should be noted that the multilink entity allows STAs within the multilink logical entity to have the same MAC address. It should also be noted that the exact name may vary.

In this example of fig. 2, the multilink logical entity 1 and the multilink logical entity 2 may be two separate physical devices, each of which includes several virtual or logical devices. For example, multilink logical entity 1 may include three STAs, STA1.1, STA1.2 and STA1.3, while multilink logical entity 2 may include three STAs, STA2.1, STA2.2 and STA2.3. This example shows that logical device STA1.1 communicates with logical device STA2.1 over link1, logical device STA1.2 communicates with logical device STA2.2 over link2, and device STA1.3 communicates with logical device STA2.3 over link 3.

Fig. 3 depicts an illustrative schematic diagram of a multi-link device (MLD) between an AP with a logical entity and a non-AP with a logical entity in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 3, two multi-link logical entities on either side are shown, including multiple STAs that can establish links with each other. For the infrastructure framework, the multi-link AP logical entity may include APs (e.g., AP1, AP2, and AP 3) on one side, and the multi-link non-AP logical entity, which may include non-APs (STA 1, STA2, and STA 3) on the other side. Multi-link AP device (AP MLD): a multi-link device, wherein each STA within the multi-link device is an EHT AP. It should be noted that the terms multilink logical entity and MLD are interchangeable and refer to the same type of entity. Multi-link non-AP device (non-AP MLD): a multi-link device, wherein each STA within the multi-link device is a non-AP EHT STA. It should be noted that this framework is a natural extension of a link operation between two STAs, an AP and a non-AP STA under the infrastructure framework (e.g., when the AP is used as an intermediary for communication between STAs).

In the example of fig. 3, the multi-link AP logical entity and the multi-link non-AP logical entity may be two separate physical devices, each of which includes several virtual or logical devices. For example, the multi-link AP logical entity may include three APs, AP1 operating at 2.4GHz, AP2 operating at 5GHz, and AP3 operating at 6 GHz. In addition, the multi-link non-AP logical entity may include three non-AP STAs, STA1 communicating with AP1 over link1, STA2 communicating with AP2 over link2, and STA3 communicating with AP3 over link 3.

The multi-link AP logical entity is shown in fig. 3 as being capable of accessing a Distribution System (DS), which is a system for interconnecting a set of BSSs to create an Extended Service Set (ESS). The multi-link AP logical entity is also shown in fig. 3 as having access to a Distribution System Medium (DSM), a medium used by the DS for BSS interconnection. Briefly, the DS and DSM allow the AP to communicate with different BSSs.

It should be understood that while this example shows three logical entities within the multi-link AP logical entity and three logical entities within the multi-link non-AP logical entity, this is for illustration only and other numbers of logical entities for each of the multi-link AP and non-AP logical entities are contemplated.

Fig. 4-5 depict illustrative schematic diagrams of STR/NSTR designations in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 4, an example of STR capability designation in a common portion of ML elements is shown.

Assume that the ML element contains an indication that allows the recipient of the ML element to determine the number of STA profiles (e.g., field 404) included therein. This can be done by explicit or implicit indication. The number of such STA profiles (e.g., N, where N is a positive integer) indicates the number of links established between a pair of MLDs when exchanged in association request/response frames during ML establishment.

In one or more embodiments, the STR/NSTR labeling system may facilitate the following:

the ML element contains a field that indicates the maximum number of links (e.g., M, where M is a positive integer) in which the MLD can exchange data frames simultaneously. This may be indicated in a common part of the ML element. For example, for a single link/single radio STA, this value may be 1. For a dual radio STA, this value may be 2.

In one embodiment, rather than specifying a single value, the ML element may contain a bit that indicates whether it is a single radio STA MLD. If the bit indicates that the MLD is not a single radio, there may be an optional field indicating the exact number of links in which the MLD can simultaneously exchange data frames.

Simultaneous transmit-receive (STR): each pair of links may be used for a mode of simultaneously transmitting and receiving data frames.

Non-simultaneous transmit-receive (NSTR): there is a pattern of at least one pair of links: in the pair of links, it is not possible to simultaneously transmit data frames on one link and receive on the other link.

In one or more embodiments, the ML element contains an STR capability bitmap that indicates, for a pair of links, whether the pair of links is STR or non-STR.

In one embodiment, if M >1, the bitmap exists.

In one embodiment, the designation may be in a common portion of the ML elements. An example of this is shown in figure 4. All possible link combinations are ordered as: (Link 1, link 2), \ 8230; (Link 1, link N-1), (Link 2, link 3), \ 8230; (Link N-1, link N). If the corresponding link pair is STR, the bit is set to 1, otherwise if the bit is set to 0, the corresponding link pair is considered non-STR.

Fig. 5 depicts an illustrative schematic of STR/NSTR designation according to one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to fig. 5, an example of STR capability indication in the STA profile section of the ML element is shown.

In one embodiment, the indication may be in a STA profile portion of the ML element (e.g., information field 504 about the STA). An example of this is shown in fig. 5. Each STA profile has a bitmap of length N-1, where the jth bit corresponds to a link pair in the STA profile, i corresponds to a link pair: if j < i, then (link i, link j), and if j > i, then (link i, link j + 1).

Simultaneous transmit-receive (STR): each pair of links may be used for a mode of simultaneously transmitting and receiving data frames.

Non-simultaneous transmit-receive (NSTR): there is a pattern of at least one pair of links: in the pair of links, it is not possible to simultaneously transmit data frames on one link and receive on the other link.

In one embodiment, if M >1, the bitmap exists.

In one embodiment, the designation may be in a common portion of the ML elements. An example of this is shown in fig. 5. All possible link combinations are ordered as: (Link 1, link 2), \ 8230; (Link 1, link N-1), (Link 2, link 3), \ 8230; (Link N-1, link N). If the corresponding link pair is STR, the bit is set to 1, otherwise if the bit is set to 0, the corresponding link pair is considered non-STR.

In one embodiment, for STR AP, the STR capability bitmap may not be included because by default it is implicitly assumed to be STR on all N or M links.

In one embodiment, for MLD, the STR capability bitmap may not be included because by default it is implicitly assumed to be STR on all M links.

The ML element may contain additional fields that indicate whether the MLD can receive frames to indicate dynamic changes in STR conditions (e.g., by Operation Mode Indication (OMI)).

In one embodiment, this designation may be included in a common portion of the ML element. This field will indicate whether the indication of STR condition change can be done in any link of the MLD.

In one embodiment, this indication may be included in the STA profile portion of the ML element. It indicates whether the STR capabilities of any link pair of which the corresponding link is a part can be dynamically changed.

In addition to the STR capability bitmap, the STA MLD may also indicate additional information about cross-link interference between its different links. This information may help the AP MLD to derive the correct MCS and other transmission parameters.

In one embodiment, cross-link interference may be indicated by adding an element similar to a co-located interference report element. Note that currently, this element reports mainly the co-located interference level on a given link, as well as the center frequency of the interferer. The baseline co-located interference reporting element may be extended to indicate additional interference levels for multiple interference sources.

This element may be tagged as a sub-element inside the ML element, or a co-located interference request/response frame or a new frame or element may be reused.

In one embodiment, the cross-link interference estimate is implicitly signaled in the form: when the STA MLD transmits simultaneously on another link, the maximum receive (Rx) Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) value for a given (bandwidth (BW), number of Spatial Streams (NSS)) combination to be used for Downlink (DL) transmission (Tx) on one link. This may be indicated in the ML element or a different element at any time during MLO setup or during operation. In addition, the STA may also mark the Tx power level (e.g., maximum, average, or standard defined Tx power level) against which this maximum Rx MCS value is calculated. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive.

Fig. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of an illustrative process 600 for an STR/NSTR designation system in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

At block 602, a device (e.g., the device 819 of fig. 8, the user device(s) 120 of fig. 1, and/or the AP 102) may establish a multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), where the non-AP MLD includes one or more logical entities defining individual station devices (STAs).

At block 604, the device may establish a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each link of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD.

At block 608, the device may generate a frame comprising a Multilink (ML) element including an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field includes information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD. The MLD common information field includes the number of supportable links and the maximum number of simultaneous links.

At block 610, the device may indicate to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit Receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR). Indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is STR compatible or NSTR compatible includes including an STR capability bitmap. The STR capability bitmap includes one or more bits associated with a subset of the plurality of links. When the maximum number of simultaneous links is greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links comprises: a first set comprising the first link and the second link, and a second set comprising the first link and the third link. When the number of the plurality of links is equal to 3, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising the first link and the second link, and a second set comprising the first link and the third link. When the maximum number of simultaneous links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link. When the number of the plurality of links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link. A first bit of the one or more bits is set to 1 to indicate that the subset is STR or is set to 0 to indicate that the subset is NSTR.

At block 612, the device may cause the frame to be transmitted to a non-AP MLD.

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

Fig. 7 illustrates a functional diagram of an exemplary communication station 700 in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, fig. 7 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 700 may also be suitable for use as a handheld device, mobile device, cellular telephone, smartphone, tablet, 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 700 may include communication circuitry 702 and transceiver 710 to transmit signals to and receive signals from other communication stations using one or more antennas 701. The communication circuitry 702 may include circuitry that may operate to communicate: physical layer (PHY) communication and/or Medium Access Control (MAC) communication for controlling access to a wireless medium, and/or any other communication layer for transmitting and receiving signals. The communication station 700 may also include processing circuitry 706 and memory 708 arranged to perform the operations described herein. In some embodiments, the communication circuit 702 and the processing circuit 706 may be configured to perform the operations detailed in the figures, illustrations, and flows above.

According to some embodiments, the communication circuit 702 may be arranged to contend for a wireless medium and configure a frame or packet for communication over the wireless medium. The communication circuit 702 may be arranged to send and receive signals. The communication circuitry 702 may also include circuitry for modulation/demodulation, frequency up/down conversion, filtering, amplification, and so forth. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 706 of communication station 700 may include one or more processors. In other embodiments, two or more antennas 701 may be coupled to the communication circuitry 702 arranged to transmit and receive signals. The memory 708 may store information used to configure the processing circuit 706 to perform operations for configuring and transmitting message frames and to perform various operations described herein. Memory 708 may include 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 708 may include a computer-readable storage device, 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 communications station 700 may be part of a portable wireless communications device, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer with wireless communications capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone, a smartphone, 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 other device that may receive and/or transmit information wirelessly.

In some embodiments, communication station 700 may include one or more antennas 701. Antenna 701 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, a single antenna with multiple apertures may be used instead of two or more antennas. 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 arise between each antenna and the antennas of a transmitting station.

In some embodiments, communication station 700 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 700 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 700 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 700 may include one or more processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device.

Fig. 8 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a machine 800 or system on which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methods) discussed herein may be performed. In other embodiments, the machine 800 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 800 may operate in the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both in server-client network environments. In an example, the machine 800 may operate as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The machine 800 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.

As described herein, an example may include or may operate on logic or multiple components, modules, or mechanisms. A module is a tangible entity (e.g., hardware) capable of performing specified operations when operated on. The modules include hardware. In one 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 executed. Configuration may occur under the direction of an execution unit or loading mechanism. Thus, when the device is run, 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) 800 may include a hardware processor 802 (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 804 and a static memory 806, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnection link (e.g., bus) 808. The machine 800 may also include a power management device 832, a graphical display device 810, an alphanumeric input device 812 (e.g., a keyboard), and a User Interface (UI) navigation device 814 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the graphical display device 810, the alphanumeric input device 812, and the UI navigation device 814 may be a touch screen display. The machine 800 may also include a storage device (i.e., drive unit) 816, a signal generation device 818 (e.g., a speaker), an STR/NSTR identification device 819, a network interface device/transceiver 820 coupled to an antenna 830, and one or more sensors 828, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor. The machine 800 may include an output controller 834, such as a serial (e.g., universal Serial Bus (USB)), parallel, 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 further interface with the hardware processor 802 for generation and processing of baseband signals and for controlling operation of the main memory 804, the memory device 816, and/or the STR/NSTR marking device 819. The baseband processor may be provided on a single radio card, a single chip, or an Integrated Circuit (IC).

The storage device 816 may include a machine-readable medium 822 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 824 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 824 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 804, within static memory 806, or within the hardware processor 802 during execution thereof by the machine 800. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 802, the main memory 804, the static memory 806, or the storage device 816 may constitute machine-readable media.

The STR/NSTR device 819 may perform or implement any of the operations and processes (e.g., the process 600) described and illustrated above.

It should be understood that the above is only a subset of the functions that the STR/NSTR marking device 819 may be configured to perform, and that other functions included throughout this disclosure may also be performed by the STR/NSTR marking device 819.

While the machine-readable medium 822 is illustrated as 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 824.

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. Which 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, parsed 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, etc.

The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 800 and that cause the machine 800 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present 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 and optical and magnetic media. In one example, the number of machine-readable media 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 824 may also be transmitted or received over a communication network 826 using a transmission medium through the network interface device/transceiver 820, which network interface device/transceiver 820 utilizes 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 may 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., the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, referred to as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards

IEEE 802.16 series of standards, referred to as

) IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others. In an example, the network interface device/transceiver 820 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., ethernet, coaxial, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communication network 826. In an example, the network interface device/transceiver 820 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 800, 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 implemented in any suitable order as desired in various embodiments. Further, in some embodiments, at least a portion of the operations may be performed in parallel. Further, in some embodiments, fewer or more operations than are described may be performed.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of radio architectures 105A, 105B according to some embodiments that may be implemented in any of the example AP 102 and/or the example STA 120 of fig. 1. The radio architectures 105A, 105B may include radio Front End Module (FEM) circuits 904a-B, radio IC circuits 906a-B, and baseband processing circuits 908a-B. The illustrated radio architectures 105A, 105B include Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) functionality and Bluetooth (BT) functionality, but embodiments are not so limited. In this disclosure, "WLAN" and "Wi-Fi" are used interchangeably.

The FEM circuits 904a-b may include WLAN or Wi-Fi FEM circuits 904a and Bluetooth (BT) FEM circuits 904b. The WLAN FEM circuitry 904a may include a receive signal path including circuitry configured to operate on WLAN RF signals received from the one or more antennas 901, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the WLAN radio IC circuitry 906a for further processing. BT FEM circuitry 904b may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on BT RF signals received from one or more antennas 901, amplify the received signals, and provide amplified versions of the received signals to BT radio IC circuitry 906b for further processing. FEM circuitry 904a may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify WLAN signals provided by radio IC circuitry 906a for wireless transmission by one or more of antennas 901. Further, the FEM circuitry 904b may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify BT signals provided by the radio IC circuitry 906b for wireless transmission by one or more antennas. In the embodiment of fig. 9, although FEM 904a and FEM 904b are shown as being distinct from one another, embodiments are not so limited and include within their scope the use of a FEM (not shown) that includes a transmit path and/or a receive path for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more FEM circuits, wherein at least some of the FEM circuits share transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

The illustrated radio IC circuits 906a-b may include a WLAN radio IC circuit 906a and a BT radio IC circuit 906b. The WLAN radio IC circuitry 906a may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry to down-convert a WLAN RF signal received from the FEM circuitry 904a and provide a baseband signal to WLAN baseband processing circuitry 908 a. BT radio IC circuitry 906b may, in turn, comprise a receive signal path that may comprise circuitry to down-convert BT RF signals received from FEM circuitry 904b and provide baseband signals to BT baseband processing circuitry 908b. The WLAN radio IC circuitry 906a may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry to up-convert WLAN baseband signals provided by the WLAN baseband processing circuitry 908a and provide WLAN RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 904a for subsequent wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 901. The BT radio IC circuitry 906b may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry to up-convert BT baseband signals provided by the BT baseband processing circuitry 908b and provide BT RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 904b for subsequent wireless transmission by the one or more antennas 901. In the embodiment of fig. 9, although radio IC circuits 906a and 906b are shown as being distinct from one another, embodiments are not so limited and include within their scope the use of radio IC circuits (not shown) that include transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals, or the use of one or more radio IC circuits, at least some of which share transmit and/or receive signal paths for both WLAN and BT signals.

The baseband processing circuits 908a-b may include a WLAN baseband processing circuit 908a and a BT baseband processing circuit 908b. The WLAN baseband processing circuitry 908a may include a memory, such as a set of RAM arrays in a fast fourier transform or inverse fast fourier transform block (not shown) of the WLAN baseband processing circuitry 908 a. Each of the WLAN baseband circuitry 908a and the BT baseband circuitry 908b may further include one or more processors and control logic to process signals received from the corresponding WLAN or BT receive signal path of the radio IC circuitry 906a-b and also to generate corresponding WLAN or BT baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the radio IC circuitry 906 a-b. Each of the baseband processing circuits 908a and 908b may further include physical layer (PHY) and medium access control layer (MAC) circuits and may further interface with devices for generation and processing of baseband signals and for controlling operation of the radio IC circuits 906 a-b.

Still referring to fig. 9, in accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the WLAN-BT coexistence circuit 913 may include logic to provide an interface between the WLAN baseband circuit 908a and the BT baseband circuit 908b to implement a use case requiring WLAN and BT coexistence. In addition, a switch 903 may be provided between WLAN FEM circuitry 904a and BT FEM circuitry 904b to allow switching between WLAN and BT radios depending on the application needs. Further, while antenna 901 is depicted as being connected to WLAN FEM circuitry 904a and BT FEM circuitry 904b, respectively, embodiments include within their scope sharing one or more antennas between the WLAN and BT FEMs, or providing more than one antenna connected to each FEM 904a or 904b.

In some embodiments, the front end module circuits 904a-b, radio IC circuits 906a-b, and baseband processing circuits 908a-b may be disposed on a single radio card, such as radio card 902. In other embodiments, one or more of the antenna 901, the FEM circuitry 904a-b, and the radio IC circuitry 906a-b may be disposed on a single radio card. In some other embodiments, the radio IC circuits 906a-b and the baseband processing circuits 908a-b may be provided on a single chip or Integrated Circuit (IC), such as IC 912.

In some embodiments, radio card 902 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 architecture 105A, 105B 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 105A, 105B may be part of a Wi-Fi communication Station (STA), such as a wireless Access Point (AP), a base station, or a mobile device that includes a Wi-Fi device. In some of these embodiments, radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured to transmit and receive signals in accordance with a particular communication standard and/or protocol, such as any Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard, 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 802.11ax standard and/or the proposed WLAN specification, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The radio architectures 105A, 105B may also be adapted to send and/or receive communications in accordance with other techniques and standards.

In some embodiments, the radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured for high-efficiency Wi-Fi (HEW) communications in accordance with the ieee802.11ax standard. In these embodiments, radio architectures 105A, 105B 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 105A, 105B may be configured to transmit 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, as further shown in fig. 6, BT baseband circuitry 908b may conform to a Bluetooth (BT) connection standard, such as bluetooth, bluetooth 8.0 or bluetooth 6.0, or any other iteration of the bluetooth standard.

In some embodiments, the radio architecture 105A, 105B may include other radio cards, for example cellular radio cards configured for cellular (e.g., 5GPP such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, or 5G communications).

In some IEEE802.11 embodiments, radio architectures 105A, 105B may be configured for communication over various channel bandwidths, including bandwidths having center frequencies of approximately 900MHz, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and approximately 2MHz, 4MHz, 5MHz, 5.5MHz, 6MHz, 8MHz, 10MHz, 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz (with contiguous bandwidth), or 80+80MHz (160 MHz) (with non-contiguous bandwidth). In some embodiments, a channel bandwidth of 920MHz may be used. However, the scope of embodiments is not limited to the center frequency described above.

Fig. 10 illustrates a WLAN FEM circuit 904a in accordance with some embodiments. Although the example of fig. 10 is described in connection with WLAN FEM circuitry 904a, the example of fig. 10 may be described in connection with example BT FEM circuitry 904b (fig. 9), although other circuit configurations may also be suitable.

In some embodiments, FEM circuitry 904a may include a TX/RX switch 1002 to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry 904a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 904a may include a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) 1006 to amplify the received RF signal 1003 and provide an amplified received RF signal 1007 as an output (e.g., to the radio IC circuitry 906a-b (fig. 9)). The transmit signal path of the circuit 904a may include a Power Amplifier (PA) to amplify an input RF signal 1009 (e.g., provided by the radio IC circuits 906 a-b), and one or more filters 1012, such as a Band Pass Filter (BPF), a Low Pass Filter (LPF), or other type of filter, to generate an RF signal 1015 for subsequent transmission via the example duplexer 1014 (e.g., by one or more antennas 901 (fig. 9)).

In some dual-mode embodiments for Wi-Fi communications, the FEM circuit 904a may be configured to operate in the 2.4GHz spectrum or the 5GHz spectrum. In these embodiments, the receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 904a may include a receive signal path duplexer 1004 to separate the signal from each spectrum and provide a separate LNA 1006 for each spectrum, as shown. In these embodiments, the transmit signal path of FEM circuit 904a may also include a power amplifier 1010 and filters 1012, such as BPFs, LPFs, or other types of filters for each spectrum, and a transmit signal path duplexer 1004 to provide signals of one of the different spectrums onto a single transmit path for subsequent transmission by one or more antennas 901 (fig. 9). In some embodiments, BT communications may utilize a 2.4GHz signal path and may utilize the same FEM circuitry 904a as used for WLAN communications.

Fig. 11 illustrates a radio IC circuit 906a in accordance with some embodiments. The radio IC circuit 906a is one example of a circuit that may be suitable for use as the WLAN or BT radio IC circuits 906a/906b (fig. 9), but other circuit configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, the example of fig. 11 may be described in connection with an example BT radio IC circuit 906b.

In some embodiments, the radio IC circuitry 906a may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of radio IC circuitry 906a may include at least mixer circuitry 1102, such as down-conversion mixer circuitry, amplifier circuitry 1106, and filter circuitry 1108. The transmit signal path of the radio IC circuit 906a may include at least a filter circuit 1112 and a mixer circuit 1114, such as an upconversion mixer circuit. Radio IC circuit 906a may also include a synthesizer circuit 1104 for synthesizing a frequency 1105 for use by mixer circuit 1102 and mixer circuit 1114. According to some embodiments, the mixer circuits 1102 and/or 1114 may each be configured to provide direct conversion functionality. The latter type of circuit presents a simpler architecture compared to standard superheterodyne mixer circuits, and any flicker noise brought by it can be mitigated by using OFDM modulation, for example. Fig. 11 shows only a simplified version of the radio IC circuitry, and may include (although not shown) embodiments in which each depicted circuit may include more than one component. For example, mixer circuits 1114 may each include one or more mixers, and filter circuits 1108 and/or 1112 may each include one or more filters, such as 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 1102 may be configured to down-convert an RF signal 1007 received from the FEM circuits 904a-b (fig. 9) based on a synthesized frequency 1105 provided by the synthesizer circuit 1104. The amplifier circuitry 1106 may be configured to amplify the downconverted signal and the filter circuitry 1108 may include an LPF configured to remove unwanted signals from the downconverted signal to generate an output baseband signal 1107. The output baseband signal 1107 may be provided to baseband processing circuits 908a-b (fig. 9) for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal 1107 may be a zero-frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1102 may comprise a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1114 may be configured to upconvert the input baseband signal 1111 based on the synthesized frequency 1105 provided by the synthesizer circuit 1104 to generate an RF output signal 1009 for the FEM circuits 904 a-b. The baseband signal 1111 may be provided by the baseband processing circuits 908a-b and may be filtered by the filter circuit 1112. Filter circuit 1112 may include an LPF or BPF, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1102 and mixer circuit 1114 may each include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and/or upconversion, respectively, with the aid of synthesizer 1104. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1102 and mixer circuit 1114 may each include two or more mixers, each configured for image rejection (e.g., hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1102 and the mixer circuit 1114 may be arranged for direct down-conversion and/or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1102 and mixer circuit 1114 may be configured for superheterodyne operation, but this is not required.

According to one embodiment, the mixer circuit 1102 may include: quadrature passive mixers (e.g., for in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) paths). In such embodiments, the RF input signal 1007 from fig. 11 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 circuitry that may be configured to receive an LO frequency (fLO) from a local oscillator or synthesizer, such as LO frequency 1105 (fig. 11) of synthesizer 1104. 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., one-half of the carrier frequency, one-third of the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, the zero degree 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 LO signal in one cycle high) and/or offset (difference between start points of cycles). 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 1007 (fig. 10) 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, such as amplifier circuit 1106 (fig. 11) or filter circuit 1108 (fig. 11).

In some embodiments, output baseband signal 1107 and input baseband signal 1111 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 1107 and the input baseband signal 1111 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 circuits may be provided to process signals for each frequency spectrum, or for other frequency spectrums not mentioned herein, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1104 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, synthesizer circuit 1104 may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase locked loop with a frequency divider. Synthesizer circuit 1104 may include a digital synthesizer circuit according to some embodiments. One advantage of using a digital synthesizer circuit is that although it may still contain some analog components, its footprint may be much smaller than that of an analog synthesizer circuit. In some embodiments, the frequency input to synthesizer circuit 1104 may be provided by a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. The divider control inputs may further be provided by baseband processing circuits 908a-b (fig. 9), depending on the desired output frequency 1105. 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 910. The application processor 910 may include or otherwise be connected to one of the example secure signal converter 101 or the example receive signal converter 103 (e.g., depending on which device the example radio architecture is implemented in).

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 1104 may be configured to generate the carrier frequency as the output frequency 1105, while in other embodiments the output frequency 1105 may be a fraction of the carrier frequency (e.g., one-half of the carrier frequency, one-third of the carrier frequency). In some embodiments, output frequency 1105 may be the LO frequency (fLO).

Fig. 12 illustrates a functional block diagram of a baseband processing circuit 908a, according to some embodiments. The baseband processing circuit 908a is one example of a circuit that may be suitable for use as the baseband processing circuit 908a (fig. 9), although other circuit configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, the example of fig. 11 may be used to implement the example BT baseband processing circuit 908b of fig. 9.

The baseband processing circuitry 908a may include a receive baseband processor (RX BBP) 1202 to process receive baseband signals 1109 provided by the radio IC circuitry 906a-b (fig. 9), and a transmit baseband processor (TX BBP) 1204 to generate transmit baseband signals 1111 for the radio IC circuitry 906 a-b. The baseband processing circuit 908a may also include control logic 1206 to coordinate the operation of the baseband processing circuit 908 a.

In some embodiments (e.g., when analog baseband signals are exchanged between the baseband processing circuits 908a-b and the radio IC circuits 906 a-b), the baseband processing circuits 908a may include an ADC1210 to convert the analog baseband signals 1209 received from the radio IC circuits 906a-b into digital baseband signals for processing by the RX BBP 1202. In these embodiments, baseband processing circuit 908a may also include a DAC 1212 to convert the digital baseband signal from TX BBP 1204 into an analog baseband signal 1211.

In some embodiments, such as where the OFDM signal or OFDMA signal is communicated by the baseband processor 908a, the transmit baseband processor 1204 may be configured to generate an OFDM or OFDMA signal suitable for transmission by performing an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT). The receive baseband processor 1202 may be configured to process a received OFDM signal or OFDMA signal by performing FFT. In some embodiments, the receive baseband processor 1202 may be configured to detect the presence of OFDM signals or OFDMA signals by performing auto-correlation to detect preambles such as short preambles and to detect long preambles by performing cross-correlation. The preamble may be part of a predetermined frame structure for Wi-Fi communication.

Referring back to fig. 9, in some embodiments, antennas 901 (fig. 9) 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 suitable antennas for transmission of radio frequency 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 901 may each comprise a set of phased array antennas, although embodiments are not so limited.

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, 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 transmitting or receiving, or both. This may be particularly useful in claims when describing the organization of data transmitted by one device and received by another device, but only the functionality of one of these devices is required to infringe the claims. Similarly, a bi-directional exchange of data between two devices (the two devices that transmit and receive during the exchange) may be described as "communicating" when the functionality of only one of these devices is required. The term "communicate" with respect to wireless communication signals as used herein includes transmitting wireless communication signals and/or receiving wireless communication signals. For example, a wireless communication unit capable of transmitting wireless communication signals may include a wireless transmitter to transmit wireless communication signals to at least one other wireless communication unit, and/or a wireless communication receiver to receive 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 IEEE802.11 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, in-vehicle devices, off-vehicle devices, hybrid devices, in-vehicle devices, off-vehicle 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 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 systems or devices: one-way and/or two-way radio communication systems, cellular radio-telephone communication systems, mobile telephones, cellular telephones, radiotelephones, personal Communication Systems (PCS) devices, PDA devices that incorporate wireless communication devices, mobile or portable Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, devices that incorporate GPS receivers or transceivers or chips, devices that incorporate 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., smartphones), 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, for example, 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), CDMA2000, single carrier CDMA, multi-carrier modulation (MDM), discrete multi-tone (DMT), or the like,

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 advanced, enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), and the like. Other embodiments may be used in various other devices, systems, and/or networks.

The following examples relate to further embodiments.

Example 1 an apparatus, comprising processing circuitry coupled with a storage device, the processing circuitry configured to: establishing a multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD includes one or more logical entities defining individual Stations (STAs); establishing a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each link of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD; generating a frame comprising a Multilink (ML) element, the ML element comprising an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field comprises information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD; indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit Receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR); and causing the frame to be sent to the non-AP MLD.

Example 2 may include the apparatus of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein the MLD common information field comprises a number of supportable links and a maximum number of simultaneous links.

Example 3 may include the apparatus of example 2 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the number of maximum simultaneous links may be greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

Example 4 may include the apparatus of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may equal 3, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

Example 5 may include the apparatus of example 2 and/or some other example herein, wherein the subset of the plurality of links comprises a first set including a first link and a second link when the number of maximum simultaneous links may be equal to 2.

Example 6 may include the apparatus of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link.

Example 7 may include the apparatus of example 1 and/or some other example herein, wherein indicating to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is STR compatible or NSTR compatible comprises the processing circuitry being further configured to include an STR capability bitmap.

Example 8 may include the apparatus of example 7 and/or some other example herein, wherein the STR capability bitmap comprises one or more bits associated with a subset of the plurality of links.

Example 9 may include the apparatus of example 8 and/or some other example herein, wherein a first bit of the one or more bits may be set to 1 to indicate the subset may be STRs or set to 0 to indicate the subset may be NSTR.

Example 10 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an Access Point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising: establishing a multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD comprises one or more logical entities defining individual Stations (STAs); establishing a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each link of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD; generating a frame comprising a Multilink (ML) element, the ML element comprising an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field comprises information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD; indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit Receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR); and causing the frame to be sent to the non-AP MLD.

Example 11 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein the MLD common information field includes a number of supportable links and a number of maximum simultaneous links.

Example 12 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 11 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links may be greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

Example 13 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may equal 3, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

Example 14 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 11 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links may be equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link.

Example 15 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link.

Example 16 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 10 and/or some other example herein, wherein indicating to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is STR compatible or NSTR compatible includes the processing circuit being further configured to include an STR capability bitmap.

Example 17 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 16 and/or some other example herein, wherein the STR capability bitmap includes one or more bits associated with a subset of the plurality of links.

Example 18 may include the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 17 and/or some other example herein, wherein a first bit of the one or more bits may be set to 1 to indicate the subset may be STRs or set to 0 to indicate the subset may be NSTR.

Example 19 may include a method comprising: establishing, by one or more processors of an Access Point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), a multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD comprises one or more logical entities defining individual Stations (STAs); establishing a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each link of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD; generating a frame comprising a Multilink (ML) element, the ML element comprising an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field comprises information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD; indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit Receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR); and causing the frame to be sent to the non-AP MLD.

Example 20 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, wherein the MLD common information field includes a number of supportable links and a maximum number of simultaneous links.

Example 21 may include the method of example 20 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links may be greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

Example 22 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may equal 3, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

Example 23 may include the method of example 20 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the number of maximum simultaneous links may be equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link.

Example 24 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link.

Example 25 may include the method of example 19 and/or some other example herein, wherein indicating to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is STR compatible or NSTR compatible includes the processing circuit being further configured to include an STR capability bitmap.

Example 26 may include the method of example 25 and/or some other example herein, wherein the STR capability bitmap comprises one or more bits associated with a subset of the plurality of links.

Example 27 may include the method of example 26 and/or some other example herein, wherein a first bit of the one or more bits may be set to 1 to indicate the subset may be STRs or set to 0 to indicate the subset may be NSTR.

Example 28 may include an apparatus comprising means for: establishing a multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD comprises one or more logical entities defining individual Stations (STAs); establishing a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each link of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD; generating a frame comprising a Multilink (ML) element, the ML element comprising an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field comprises information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD; indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit Receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR); and causing the frame to be sent to the non-AP MLD.

Example 29 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, wherein the MLD common information field includes a number of supportable links and a number of maximum simultaneous links.

Example 30 may include the apparatus of example 29 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links may be greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

Example 31 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may equal 3, the subset of the plurality of links includes: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

Example 32 may include the apparatus of example 29 and/or some other example herein, wherein the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link when the number of maximum simultaneous links may be equal to 2.

Example 33 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, wherein when the number of the plurality of links may be equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links includes a first set including a first link and a second link.

Example 34 may include the apparatus of example 28 and/or some other example herein, wherein indicating to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is STR compatible or NSTR compatible comprises the processing circuitry being further configured to include an STR capability bitmap.

Example 35 may include the apparatus of example 34 and/or some other example herein, wherein the STR capability bitmap comprises one or more bits associated with a subset of the plurality of links.

Example 36 may include the apparatus of example 35 and/or some other example herein, wherein a first bit of the one or more bits may be set to 1 to indicate the subset may be STRs or set to 0 to indicate the subset may be NSTR.

Example 37 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 the method described in any of examples 1-36 or in relation to any of examples 1-36, or any other method or process described herein.

Example 38 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, and/or circuitry to perform one or more elements of a method described in any of examples 1-36 or in connection with any of examples 1-36 or any other method or process described herein.

Example 39 may include a method, technique, or process as described in any of examples 1-36 or in relation to any of examples 1-36, or some portion thereof.

Example 40 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process as described in any of examples 1-36 or in relation to any of examples 1-36, or some portion thereof.

Example 41 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

Example 42 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

Example 43 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

Embodiments according to the present disclosure are disclosed, inter alia, in the accompanying claims directed to a method, a storage medium, an apparatus, and a computer program product, wherein any feature mentioned in one claim category (e.g., method) may also be claimed in another claim category (e.g., system). The dependent or back-referenced in the appended claims are selected solely for the sake of form. However, any subject matter resulting from deliberate re-citation of any preceding claim (especially multiple dependencies) may also be claimed such that any combination of claims and their features is disclosed and may be claimed regardless of the dependency selected in the appended claims. The claimable subject matter comprises not only the combinations of features recited in the appended claims, but also any other combination of features in the claims, wherein each feature mentioned in the claims may be combined with any other feature or combination of 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. Similarly, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the order presented, or may not necessarily 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 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. As an example, some implementations may provide a computer program product including a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code or program instructions embodied therein, the 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 "can," "might," "may," or "may," etc., unless specifically stated otherwise or understood otherwise 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 or necessary for one or more implementations or that one or more implementations necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these 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 (25)

1. An apparatus of an Access Point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), the apparatus comprising processing circuitry coupled with a storage device, the processing circuitry configured to:

establishing a multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD comprises one or more logical entities defining individual Stations (STAs);

establishing a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each link of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD;

generating a frame comprising a Multilink (ML) element, the ML element comprising an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field comprises information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD;

indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit Receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR); and is

Causing the frame to be sent to the non-AP MLD.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the MLD common information field includes a number of supportable links and a number of maximum simultaneous links.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links is greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links comprises: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the number of the plurality of links is equal to 3, the subset of the plurality of links comprises: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the subset of the plurality of links comprises a first set including a first link and a second link when the number of maximum simultaneous links is equal to 2.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the number of the plurality of links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links comprises a first set including a first link and a second link.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein indicating to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is STR compatible or NSTR compatible comprises the processing circuitry being further configured to include an STR capability bitmap.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the STR capability bitmap comprises one or more bits associated with a subset of the plurality of links.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a first bit of the one or more bits is set to 1 to indicate the subset is STR or 0 to indicate the subset is NSTR.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an Access Point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

establishing a multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD includes one or more logical entities defining individual Stations (STAs);

establishing a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each link of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD; generating a frame comprising a Multilink (ML) element, the ML element comprising an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field comprises information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD;

indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit Receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR); and

causing the frame to be sent to the non-AP MLD.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the MLD common information field includes a number of supportable links and a maximum number of simultaneous links.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein when the number of maximum simultaneous links is greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links comprises: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein when the number of the plurality of links equals 3, the subset of the plurality of links comprises: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein when the number of maximum simultaneous links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links comprises a first set including a first link and a second link.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein when the number of the plurality of links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links comprises a first set including a first link and a second link.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein indicating to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is STR compatible or NSTR compatible comprises the processing circuit further configured to include an STR capability bitmap.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the STR capability bitmap comprises one or more bits associated with a subset of the plurality of links.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein a first bit of the one or more bits is set to 1 to indicate the subset is STR or 0 to indicate the subset is NSTR.

19. A method, comprising:

establishing, by one or more processors of an Access Point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), a multi-link operation with a non-AP multi-link device (MLD), wherein the non-AP MLD comprises one or more logical entities defining individual Stations (STAs);

establishing a plurality of links between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD, wherein the multi-link operation allows each link of the plurality of links to connect an individual STA of the non-AP MLD with an individual AP of the AP MLD;

generating a frame comprising a Multilink (ML) element, the ML element comprising an MLD common information field, wherein the MLD common information field comprises information common to all STAs in the non-AP MLD;

indicating to the non-AP MLD whether a subset of the plurality of links is compatible with Simultaneous Transmit Receive (STR) or non-simultaneous transmit receive (NSTR); and

causing the frame to be sent to the non-AP MLD.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the MLD common information field includes a number of supportable links and a maximum number of simultaneous links.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein when the maximum number of simultaneous links is greater than 1, the subset of the plurality of links comprises: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein when the number of the plurality of links is equal to 3, the subset of the plurality of links comprises: a first set comprising a first link and a second set comprising the first link and a third link.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the subset of the plurality of links comprises a first set including a first link and a second link when the number of maximum simultaneous links is equal to 2.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein when the number of the plurality of links is equal to 2, the subset of the plurality of links comprises a first set including a first link and a second link.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein indicating to the non-AP MLD whether the subset of the plurality of links is STR compatible or NSTR compatible comprises the processing circuit being further configured to include an STR capability bitmap.

Images