US 12,356,313 B2
Communication method between multi-link devices and apparatus
Ming Gan, Shenzhen (CN); Yuchen Guo, Shenzhen (CN); Yunbo Li, Shenzhen (CN); Dandan Liang, Shenzhen (CN); Jian Yu, Shenzhen (CN); Mao Yang, Xi'an (CN); and Bo Li, Xi'an (CN)
Assigned to Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Shenzhen (CN)
Filed by Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Shenzhen (CN)
Filed on May 6, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/738,985.
Application 17/738,985 is a continuation of application No. PCT/CN2020/127299, filed on Nov. 6, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 201911089950.5 (CN), filed on Nov. 8, 2019; and application No. 202010172040.X (CN), filed on Mar. 12, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0264429 A1, Aug. 18, 2022
Int. Cl. H04W 48/08 (2009.01); H04L 1/1607 (2023.01); H04W 52/02 (2009.01); H04L 69/14 (2022.01); H04W 36/28 (2009.01); H04W 72/044 (2023.01)
CPC H04W 48/08 (2013.01) [H04L 1/1614 (2013.01); H04W 52/0209 (2013.01); H04L 69/14 (2013.01); H04W 36/28 (2013.01); H04W 72/0473 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A communication method between multi-link devices, applied to a first station (STA) multi-link device, wherein the first STA multi-link device comprises one or more second STAs, the one or more second STAs share an association identifier (AID), the method comprises:
receiving, by the first STA multi-link device, downlink traffic indication information sent by a first access point (AP) multi-link device,
wherein the first STA multi-link device communicates with the first AP multi-link device over a plurality of links,
wherein one second STA included in the first STA multi-link device operates on one of the plurality of links, and
wherein the downlink traffic indication information comprises information indicating whether the first STA multi-link device has downlink unicast traffic; and
determining, by the first STA multi-link device based on the downlink traffic indication information, whether the one or more second STAs should receive the downlink unicast traffic,
wherein the downlink traffic indication information is carried in a traffic indication map (TIM) element field in a management frame,
wherein the TIM element field comprises a partial virtual bitmap field,
wherein the partial virtual bitmap field comprises a bit that is associated with the AID, and the bit indicates whether the first STA multi-link device has the downlink unicast traffic, and
wherein the management frame further comprises a multi-link identifier bitmap field that indicates one or more links of the first STA multi-link device to receive a downlink unicast traffic.