CN116233986A

CN116233986A - Multilink operation method, device, equipment and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN116233986A
Application number: CN202310272597.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴昊; 尹蕾
Original assignee: Yibin Jimi Photoelectric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Yibin Jimi Photoelectric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-03-20
Filing date: 2023-03-20
Publication date: 2023-06-06

Abstract

The invention discloses a multilink operation method, a device, equipment and a storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: the first multilink device sends a first message to the second multilink device on a first link, the first message including a multilink operation mode; the first multilink device and the second multilink device perform data transmission according to the multilink operation mode contained in the first message. By defining an enhanced multi-link operation mode, the invention can provide data transmission service for the equipment by using a single link on the premise of not reducing user experience, effectively utilizes network resources and reduces the energy consumption of the multi-link equipment.

Description

Multilink operation method, device, equipment and storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method, an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium for multilink operation.

Background

In the 802.11 system, an access point device (AP STA) and a terminal device (Non-AP STA) are internally deployed with a MAC layer and a PHY layer, wherein main functions of the MAC layer include channel management, connection management, quality of service management, power control, time synchronization, and the like, and main functions of the PHY layer include modulation, coding, transmission, and the like.

Both the MAC layer and the PHY layer conceptually include management entities referred to as a MAC layer management entity MLME (MAC sublayer management entity) and a physical layer management entity PLME (PHY sublayer management entity), respectively. These units provide low-level management service interfaces through which low-level management functions can be invoked.

In order to provide proper MAC operation, each STA (including Non-AP STA and AP STA) has a high-level management entity therein, such as SME (station management entity, device management entity), which means that the high-level management entity above the MAC layer is a layer-independent unit that is located in a separate management plane.

Action of SME: typically, the unit is responsible for functions such as collecting layer-related states from various layer management entities (MLME and PLME), and similarly it will also set layer-specific parameter values. SMEs typically perform such functions on behalf of general system management entities. Fig. 1 depicts the relationship between management entities.

802.11 networks, i.e., wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), enhance functionality through a range of system characteristics and a variety of mechanisms to achieve high wireless local area network throughput. As the use of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) continues to grow, it is increasingly important to provide wireless data services in many environments, such as homes, businesses, and hotspots. In particular, video traffic will continue to be the dominant traffic type in many WLAN deployments. The throughput requirements of these applications are evolving due to the advent of 4k and 8k video (20 Gbps uncompressed rate). New high throughput, low latency applications such as virtual or augmented reality, gaming, remote offices, and cloud computing will proliferate (e.g., latency for real-time gaming is less than 5 milliseconds).

In view of the high throughput and stringent real-time delay requirements of these applications, users desire to support their applications over a WLAN with higher throughput, higher reliability, less delay, and higher power efficiency. The 802.11be system aims to ensure the competitiveness of WLAN by further improving the overall throughput and reducing the delay while ensuring backward compatibility and coexistence with legacy technology standards.

Disclosure of Invention

For the multi-link access point device, the multi-group transceiver needs to be continuously opened to provide the service of simultaneously transmitting data on the multiple links, so that the energy consumption is high, the number of terminals connected with the access point device is not large in a home scene, the transmission competition is not normal, the data volume is not continuously large, and the multi-group transceiver of the multi-link access point device is not high in use efficiency. In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, device and storage medium for multi-link operation, which reduce the energy consumption of the multi-link access point device.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method of multilink operation, comprising:

receiving a first message sent by a first multi-link device on a first link, wherein the first message comprises a multi-link operation mode;

Monitoring a first link according to the multilink operation mode, and transmitting data to first multilink equipment on an idle link; or alternatively, the process may be performed,

and simultaneously monitoring a first link and a second link according to the multilink operation mode, and transmitting data to the first multilink device on the link which receives the control message transmitted by the first multilink device, wherein the first link and the second link are different links.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of multilink operation, comprising:

transmitting a first message to a second multi-link device on a first link, the first message including a multi-link mode of operation;

monitoring a first link according to the multilink operation mode, and transmitting data to a second multilink device on an idle link; or alternatively, the process may be performed,

according to the multilink operation mode, monitoring a first link and a second link simultaneously, sending a control message to the second multilink device on an idle link, and sending data to the second multilink device on a link receiving a response message, wherein the first link and the second link are different links.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a multi-link operation device, comprising an operation module for performing the steps of:

In a possible implementation, the multilink operation mode indicates an operation mode used, and the operation module is further configured to perform the following steps:

judging which operation mode is used according to the multi-link operation mode, and monitoring a first link if a first mode is used; if the second mode is used, the first link and the second link are simultaneously listened to.

In a possible implementation, the sending data to the first multilink device over the idle link includes:

if the first link is idle, transmitting data to the first multi-link device on the first link; if the first link is not idle, continuously monitoring the first link for a predefined first delay time, if the first link is not idle at all times, monitoring whether the second link is idle, and if the second link is idle, transmitting data to the first multi-link device on the second link; if the second link is not idle, continuing to monitor the second link for a second delay time, and if the second link is not idle at all times, monitoring whether the first link is idle again.

In a possible implementation, the first delay time is longer than the second delay time.

In a possible implementation manner, the sending data to the first multi-link device on the link that receives the control message sent by the first multi-link device includes:

if a control message sent by the first multi-link device is received on the first link, sending a response message to the first multi-link device on the first link, adjusting a transceiver currently operating on the second link to the first link, and sending data to the first multi-link device on the first link;

and if the control message sent by the first multi-link device is received on the second link, sending a response message to the first multi-link device on the second link, adjusting a transceiver currently operating on the first link to the second link, and sending data to the first multi-link device on the second link.

In a possible implementation manner, the operation module is further configured to perform the following steps:

transmitting a connection request message to the first multi-link device on the first link, wherein the connection request message comprises information for establishing connection on the first link and information for establishing connection on the second link;

The first message is a connection response message, the connection response message also indicates that the first link is a main link, and the second link is a non-main link.

a broadcast message sent by a first multi-link device is received on a first link, the broadcast message indicating whether enhanced multi-link operation is supported and a second link is a non-primary link.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a multi-link operation device, including an operation module, where the operation module is configured to perform the following steps:

In a possible implementation, the sending data to the second multilink device on the idle link includes:

if the first link is idle, transmitting data to the second multi-link device on the first link; if the first link is not idle, monitoring whether the second link is idle, if the second link is idle, sending a message indicating that data is received on the second link to the second multi-link device on the first link, and sending data to the second multi-link device on the second link; if the second link is not idle, simultaneously monitoring whether the first link and the second link are idle, transmitting data on the first link to the second multi-link device once the first link is idle, transmitting a message on the first link indicating receipt of data on the second link to the second multi-link device once the second link is idle, and transmitting data on the second link to the second multi-link device.

Receiving a connection request message sent by a second multi-link device on a first link, wherein the connection request message comprises information for establishing connection on the first link and information for establishing connection on the second link;

setting a first link as a main link and a second link as a non-main link;

a broadcast message is sent on the first link indicating whether enhanced multi-link operation is supported and the second link is a non-primary link.

In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides an electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory, the processor executing the computer program to implement the method of the first or second aspect.

In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which when executed by a processor implements the method of the first or second aspect.

In a seventh aspect, the present invention provides a computer program product comprising computer readable code, or a non-transitory computer readable storage medium carrying computer readable code, which when run in an electronic device, causes a processor in the electronic device to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

It should be noted that, the apparatus according to the third aspect is configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect, the apparatus according to the fourth aspect is configured to perform the method provided in the second aspect, the electronic device according to the fifth aspect, the storage medium according to the sixth aspect, and the computer program product according to the seventh aspect are configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect, so that the same advantages as those of the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect can be achieved, and the present invention will not be repeated.

By defining an enhanced multi-link operation mode, the invention can provide data transmission service for the equipment by using a single link on the premise of not reducing user experience, effectively utilizes network resources and reduces the energy consumption of the multi-link equipment.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a management entity of a device according to the prior art;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method for operating multiple links according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the following description will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. While the present disclosure has been described in terms of an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it should be understood that each aspect of the disclosure may be separately provided as a complete solution. The following embodiments and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

In embodiments of the present invention, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. In order to clearly describe the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, in the embodiment of the present invention, the words "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish identical items or similar items having substantially the same function and effect, and those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first", "second", etc. do not limit the number and execution order, but merely illustrate and distinguish between the objects of the description, without dividing the order, nor do they indicate that the number of devices or messages in the embodiment of the present invention is particularly limited, and cannot constitute any limitation of the embodiment of the present invention. The term "comprising" is used to indicate the presence of the features stated hereafter, but does not exclude the addition of other features.

Firstly, the multilink technology according to the present invention will be briefly described, and in a multilink scenario, generally one physical device may include a plurality of logical entities, where the physical device may refer to devices such as a mobile phone, a television, and a projector, and the logical entity may refer to a logical unit in the physical device, and belongs to a virtual function module. One logical entity corresponds to one transceiver, each logical entity can independently manage data transmission and reception, and each logical entity independently operates on one link, and such a physical device is called a Multi-link device (MLD). In the embodiment of the invention, the logic entity in the multi-link terminal equipment is called a logic terminal, and the logic entity in the multi-link access point equipment is called a logic access point.

Both the terminal device and the access point device include a low-level management entity and a high-level management entity, where the low-level management entity is a unit for managing and controlling data transmission of the device, such as MLME and PLME, and the high-level management entity is a unit for managing services or applications of the device, such as a device management entity SME and an application management entity AME (application management entity).

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the communication system includes a multi-link terminal device STA MLD and a multi-link access point device AP MLD, where the multi-link terminal device STA MLD includes two logical terminals STA1 and STA2, and the multi-link access point device AP MLD includes two logical access points AP1 and AP2.STA1 is connected to AP1, STA2 is connected to AP2, and in the embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that AP1 operates on a 2.4GHz link, sets a link identifier as link1, AP2 operates on a 5GHz link, and sets a link identifier as link2. Wherein, the access point is wireless access point equipment supporting 802.11 protocol, which has wireless receiving and transmitting functions, such as router, wireless switch, etc.; the terminal refers to a device with wireless transceiving function, such as a mobile phone, a computer, a television, a projector, etc., which supports 802.11 protocol.

It should be understood that fig. 2 is only a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system, and in an embodiment of the present invention, the number, types, etc. of devices in the communication system are not limited, and for example, more terminals or access points may be included, where a terminal and an access point may be a multi-link device, a single-link device, or the number of logical entities in different multi-link devices may also be different. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the term "Access Point (AP)" in accordance with the principles and functions described herein may also be used to describe an access port or any other access point capable of receiving and transmitting wireless signals within a network architecture, and thus, the use of an access point is merely exemplary.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method for operating multiple links according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the multilink operation method includes the following:

s1001, the AP1 sends a first message to the STA1, where the first message includes a multilink operation mode.

The AP MLD may send a first message to the STA MLD according to factors such as a load and a data amount, or may send a first message to the STA MLD according to a request of the STA MLD, instruct the STA MLD to enable an enhanced multi-link operation mode, or instruct the STA MLD to use which operation mode, if the first mode is used, the STA MLD monitors only one link in the same period, and receives or sends a control message and data only on one link; if the second mode is used, the STA MLD listens to both links for the same period of time, and can receive control messages on both links, but only receive and transmit traffic data on one link.

S1002, STA MLD and AP MLD perform data transmission according to the multi-link operation mode.

The STA MLD and the AP MLD may be configured with an implementation of the enhanced multi-link operation mode before leaving the factory, that is, the AP MLD indicates to enable the enhanced multi-link operation mode, and the STA MLD and the AP MLD perform corresponding operations according to the previous configuration, or may divide the enhanced multi-link operation mode into different operation modes, where the different operation modes correspond to different operations.

If the multilink operation mode included in the first message indicates that the enhanced multilink operation mode is enabled, the STA MLD and the AP MLD perform data transmission according to the previous configuration, for example, as follows:

1.1 when the STA MLD needs to send data to the AP MLD, the STA MLD listens to the link1, if the link1 is idle, then sends data to the AP1 on the link1 through the STA1, if the link1 is not idle, then continues to listen to the link1 or to listen to the link2, if the link2 is idle, then sends data to the AP2 on the link2 through the STA2, if the link2 is not idle, then listens to the link1 again, and so on.

Or alternatively, the process may be performed,

the STA MLD monitors the links link1 and link2 at the same time, if a control message is received on the link1, a response message is sent to the AP1 on the link1, and data is sent to the AP MLD on the link 1; if the control message is received on link2, a response message is sent to the AP2 on link2 and data is sent to the AP MLD on link 2.

1.2 when the AP MLD needs to send data to the STA MLD, the AP MLD monitors the link1, if the link1 is idle, the AP MLD sends the data to the STA1 on the link1, if the link1 is not idle, continues to monitor the link1 or monitors the link2, if the link2 is idle, the AP MLD sends the data to the STA2 on the link2, if the link2 is not idle, the AP MLD monitors the link1 again, and the steps are repeated.

Or alternatively, the process may be performed,

the AP MLD monitors the links link1 and link2 at the same time, if the link1 is monitored to be idle, a control message is sent to the STA MLD on the link1, and if the link1 is monitored to be idle, and the link2 is monitored to be idle, a control message is sent to the STA MLD on the link 2; after receiving the control message, the STA MLD sends a response message to the AP MLD on a link which receives the control message; after receiving the response message, the AP MLD transmits data to the STA MLD on the link on which the response message was received.

If the multilink operation mode included in the first message indicates the operation mode to be used, the STA MLD and the AP MLD perform data transmission according to the operation mode to be used, as follows:

2.1 when the STA MLD needs to send data to the AP MLD, if the multi-link operation mode included in the first message indicates to use the first mode, the STA MLD listens to the link1, if the link1 is idle, sends data to the AP1 on the link1 through the STA1, if the link1 is not idle, listens to the link2, if the link2 is idle, sends data to the AP2 on the link2 through the STA2, if the link2 is not idle, listens to the link1 again, and so on.

If the multi-link operation mode contained in the first message indicates to use the second mode, the STA MLD monitors the links link1 and link2 simultaneously, if a control message is received on the link1, a response message is sent to the AP1 on the link1, and data is sent to the AP MLD on the link 1; if the control message is received on link2, a response message is sent to the AP2 on link2 and data is sent to the AP MLD on link 2.

2.2 if the multilink operation mode included in the first message indicates to use the first mode, the AP MLD listens to link1, if link1 is idle, transmits data to STA1 on link1 through AP1, if link1 is not idle, listens to link2, if link2 is idle, transmits data to STA2 on link2 through AP2, if link2 is not idle, listens to link1 again, and so on.

If the multi-link operation mode contained in the first message indicates to use the second mode, the AP MLD monitors the link1 and the link2 simultaneously, if the link1 is monitored to be idle, the control message is sent to the STA MLD on the link1, and if the link1 is monitored to be not idle and the link2 is monitored to be idle, the control message is sent to the STA MLD on the link 2; after receiving the control message, the STA MLD sends a response message to the AP MLD on a link which receives the control message; after receiving the response message, the AP MLD transmits data to the STA MLD on the link on which the response message was received.

In some embodiments, in step S1001, the AP MLD may also send the first message to STA2 of the STA MLD through AP2, and in step S1002, monitor the link2 if only one link is monitored, and monitor the link2 first and then monitor the link1 if the loop monitors repeatedly.

In other embodiments, the AP MLD may set the primary link and the non-primary link in advance and send these information to the STA MLD, further reducing the power consumption of the AP MLD by configuring the link. In the embodiment of the invention, the AP MLD sets the link1 as a main link and the link2 as a non-main link, so that the AP MLD sends other messages such as broadcast messages and the like on the main link1 through the AP 1. Further, if there are multiple non-main links, the operation of the other non-main links is the same as link2 in the above embodiment, and the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention will not be provided.

The invention is further described below in connection with a specific embodiment.

S2001, a device management entity SME of the multi-Link access point device AP MLD sends an MLME-START request primitive to a media access layer management entity MLME of the AP MLD, wherein the primitive comprises parameters Link info 1 and Link info 2 for setting information of a plurality of logical access points of the AP MLD, and the Link info 1 comprises the following parameters:

Link ID: the link identifier is set as link1 in this embodiment, and is used to indicate the link where the AP1 is located;

primary link: indicating whether it is the primary link, this embodiment is set to 1, denoted primary link.

Link info 2 includes the following parameters:

link ID: the link identifier is set as link2 in this embodiment, and is used to indicate the link where the AP2 is located;

primary link: indicating whether it is the primary link, this embodiment is set to 0, indicated as non-primary link.

S2002, after the MLME of the AP MLD receives the MLME-START.request primitive, a logic access point AP1 is established according to the Link info 1, a logic access point AP2 is established according to the Link info 2, and the AP1 comprises the following parameters in a broadcast message:

multilink info: multilink information;

neighbor info: neighboring access point information.

Wherein the Multi link info contains the following parameters:

EMLSR supported: whether or not enhanced multilink operation is supported is set to 1 in the present embodiment, which indicates that enhanced multilink operation is supported.

The Neighbor info contains the following parameters:

MLD ID: the multilink device identifier indicates whether the logical access point transmitting the broadcast message belongs to the same multilink device, and in this embodiment, is set to 0, which indicates that the logical access point transmitting the broadcast message belongs to the same multilink device;

primary link: indicating whether the primary link, in this embodiment set to 0, indicates a non-primary link.

S2003, the multi-link terminal device STA MLD reads the broadcast message sent by the AP 1.

S2004, the logical terminal STA1 of the STA MLD sends a probe request message (e.g., ML probe request message) to the AP1, where the message includes a Link ID (i.e., link 1) identifying the AP1 and a Link ID (i.e., link 2) identifying the AP 2.

S2005, after receiving the probe request message, the AP1 includes the information of the corresponding AP in a probe response message (e.g. ML probe response message) according to the Link ID information, and sends the probe response message to the STA1.

S2006, the logic terminal STA1 of the STA MLD sends a connection request message (e.g. association request message) to the AP1, requesting to establish a multi-Link connection with the AP1 and the AP2, where the message includes Link info 1, which is used to include information for establishing a connection with the AP1, and Link info 2, which is used to include information for establishing a connection with the AP2, and the Link info 1 includes the following parameters:

link ID: the link identifier in this embodiment is set to link1, and is used to indicate the link where the AP1 is located.

Link info 2 contains the following parameters:

link ID: the link identifier in this embodiment is set to link2, and is used to indicate the link where the AP2 is located.

S2007, after receiving the connection request message, the AP1 sends a connection response message (e.g. association response message) to the STA1, where the message includes the following parameters:

operating mode: a multilink operation mode, which is used to instruct the terminal which operation mode to use; if set to 1, indicating that the terminal uses a first mode, in which the terminal monitors only one link in the same period of time and receives or transmits control messages and data only on one link; setting to 2, indicating that the terminal is instructed to use a second mode in which the terminal listens to both links in the same period of time, can receive control messages on both links, but only receives and transmits traffic data on one link;

link info 1: link information for setting information for establishing connection with the AP 1;

link info 2: link information for setting information for establishing a connection with the AP 2.

Wherein Link info 1 contains the following parameters:

primary link: indicating whether the primary link, in this embodiment set to 1, is indicated as primary link.

Link info 2 contains the following parameters:

Primary link: indicating whether the primary link, in this embodiment set to 0, is indicated as non-primary link.

S2008 when the STA MLD needs to transmit data to the AP MLD,

1) If the operating mode value is 1,

the logic terminal STA1 of the STA MLD monitors whether a link where the AP1 is located is idle, and if so, sends data to the AP1 on link 1;

if the link where the AP1 is located is not idle, continuously monitoring the link where the AP1 is located within a predefined Delay time Delay1, if not, monitoring whether the link where the AP2 is located is idle, and if so, transmitting data to the AP2 on link 2;

if the link where the AP2 is located is not idle, continuously monitoring the link where the AP2 is located in a predefined Delay time Delay2, and if the link where the AP1 is located is not idle all the time, monitoring whether the link where the AP1 is located is idle;

this is repeated.

Optionally, delay1 is greater than Delay2, so that STA MLD uses the main link as much as possible, and further reduces the energy consumption of AP MLD.

2) If the operating mode value is 2,

the STA MLD monitors a link where the AP1 is located and a link where the AP2 is located by using two sets of transceivers at the same time, if a control message is received on the link where the AP1 is located, a response message is sent to the AP1 on the link where the AP1 is located, after a predefined time interval is reserved after the response message is sent, the transceiver on the link where the AP2 is located is adjusted to the link where the AP1 is located, data is sent to the AP1 on link1 by using two sets of transceivers, and after the data is sent, the transceiver is adjusted back to monitor the link where the AP1 is located and the link where the AP2 is located at the same time; if the control message is received on the link where the AP2 is located, sending a response message to the AP2 on the link where the AP2 is located, adjusting a transceiver on the link where the AP1 is located to the link where the AP2 is located after a predefined time interval is completed after the response message is sent, sending data to the AP2 on link2 by using two sets of transceivers, and adjusting the transceiver back to monitor the link where the AP1 is located and the link where the AP2 is located at the same time after the data is sent.

When the AP MLD needs to transmit data to the STA MLD,

1) If the operating mode value is 1,

the AP1 monitors whether a link where the AP1 is located is idle, and if the link is idle, data is sent to the STA1 on the link 1;

if not, the AP2 monitors whether the link is idle, if so, the AP1 indicates the STA MLD to receive downlink data on the link of the AP2 in a broadcast message; after receiving the indication information in the broadcast message, the logic terminal STA1 of the STA MLD sends an inquiry message to the AP2, and after receiving the inquiry message, the AP2 sends data to the STA2 on the link 2;

if the link where the AP2 is located is not idle, the AP1 and the AP2 monitor whether the link is idle continuously, and once the link where the AP1 is located is idle, data is sent to the STA1 on the link1, and once the link where the AP2 is located is idle, the AP1 indicates the STA MLD to receive downlink data on the link where the AP2 is located in a broadcast message; after receiving the indication information in the broadcast message, the logic terminal STA1 of the STA MLD sends an inquiry message to the AP2, and after receiving the inquiry message, the AP2 sends data to the STA2 on the link 2.

2) If the operating mode value is 2,

the method comprises the steps that an AP1 and an AP2 monitor whether links where the AP1 and the AP2 are located are idle, if the AP1 monitors that the links are idle, a control message is sent to an STA1 on a link1, if the AP1 monitors that the links are not idle, and the AP2 monitors that the links are idle, the AP2 sends the control message to the STA2 on the link2, if the AP1 and the AP2 monitor that the links are not idle, the monitoring is continued, and if the links are idle, the AP MLD sends the control message to the STA MLD on the links;

After receiving the control message, the STA MLD sends a response message to the AP MLD on a link which receives the control message, and after a predefined interval duration, receives data sent by the AP MLD on the link;

after receiving the response message, the AP MLD transmits data to the STA MLD on the link on which the response message was received.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a multi-link operation device, which comprises an operation module, wherein the operation module is used for executing the following steps:

In an alternative example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above apparatus may be specifically configured as the STA MLD in the above embodiment, and the apparatus may be configured to perform each flow and/or step corresponding to the STA MLD in the above method, which is not repeated herein.

In an alternative example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above apparatus may be specifically an AP MLD in the above embodiment, and the apparatus may be configured to perform each flow and/or step corresponding to the AP MLD in the above method, which is not repeated herein.

It should be understood that the apparatus herein is embodied in the form of functional modules. The term module herein may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared, dedicated, or group processor, etc.) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that support the described functionality. The device has the function of realizing the corresponding steps in the method; the above functions may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above. In an embodiment of the invention, the device may also be a chip or a system of chips, for example: system on chip (SoC). The invention is not limited herein.

The embodiment of the invention also provides an electronic device, and fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 4, the device 300 comprises a processor 301, a memory 302 and a communication interface 303, wherein the processor 301, the memory 302 and the communication interface 303 communicate with each other via a bus 304, and instructions executable by the processor 301 are stored in the memory 302, and are loaded and executed by the processor 301 to control the communication interface 303 to send signals and/or receive signals.

It should be understood that the apparatus 300 may be specifically configured as the STA MLD or the AP MLD in the above embodiments, or the functions of the STA MLD or the AP MLD in the above embodiments may be integrated in the apparatus 300, and the apparatus 300 may be configured to perform the respective steps and/or flows corresponding to the STA MLD or the AP MLD in the above embodiments. Alternatively, the memory 302 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor 301. A portion of memory 302 may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory 302 may also store information of the device type. The processor 301 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 301, and when the processor 301 executes the instructions, the processor 301 may perform corresponding steps and/or flows in the above-described method embodiments.

It should be appreciated that in embodiments of the present invention, the processor may be a central processing unit (centralprocessing unit, CPU), the processor may also be other general purpose processors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

In implementation, the steps of the above method may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present invention may be embodied directly in a hardware processor for execution, or in a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor for execution. The software modules may be located in a random access memory, flash memory, read only memory, programmable read only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. as well known in the art. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor executes instructions in the memory to perform the steps of the method described above in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, a detailed description is not provided herein.

The above embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any other combination. When implemented in software, the above-described embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product comprises one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are produced in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center by wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that contains one or more sets of available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium may be a solid state disk.

It should be understood that, in various embodiments of the present invention, the sequence numbers of the foregoing processes do not mean the order of execution, and the order of execution of the processes should be determined by the functions and internal logic thereof, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention. The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed over a plurality of network modules, where some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purposes of the embodiment of the present invention.

In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus, device and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the modules is merely a logical function division, and there may be other manners of dividing the modules or components into multiple modules or components when actually implemented, or multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not performed. Alternatively, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed with each other may be an indirect coupling or communication connection via some interfaces, devices or modules, which may be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative modules and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art will readily recognize that variations or substitutions are within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of multilink operation comprising:

2. A method of multilink operation according to claim 1, wherein the multilink operation mode indicates the operation mode used, the method further comprising:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting data to the first multilink device over the idle link comprises:

4. A method of multilink operation as claimed in claim 3 wherein the first delay time is longer than the second delay time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting data to the first multi-link device on the link that received the control message transmitted by the first multi-link device comprises:

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to said receiving the first message sent by the first multilink device on the first link:

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to said receiving the first message sent by the first multilink device on the first link:

8. A method of multilink operation comprising:

9. A method of multilink operation as claimed in claim 8 wherein the multilink operation mode indicates the operation mode being used, the method further comprising:

10. The method of claim 8, wherein transmitting data to the second multilink device over the idle link comprises:

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising, prior to said sending the first message to the second multilink device on the first link:

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising, prior to said sending the first message to the second multilink device on the first link:

setting a first link as a main link and a second link as a non-main link;

13. A multi-link operation device, comprising an operation module for performing the steps of:

14. A multi-link operation device, comprising an operation module for performing the steps of:

15. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory, characterized in that the processor executes the computer program to implement the method of any one of claims 1-12.

16. A computer readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that the computer program when executed by a processor implements the method of any one of claims 1-12.