# US 12,120,760 B2 · Multi-link device (MLD) setup and multi-link operation (MLO)

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- Number: US 12,120,760 B2
- Document ID: US12120760B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/452,061
- Filed: 2021-10-23
- Published: 2022-04-28
- Granted: 2024-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2020-10-23
- Assignees: NXP USA, Inc.
- Applicants: NXP USA, Inc.
- Inventors: Liwen Chu; Young Hoon Kwon; Hongyuan Zhang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12120760B2

## CPC

- H04W 76/15: Setup of multiple wireless link connections
- H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

One example discloses a multi-link device (MLD) within a wireless local area network (WLAN), including: a controller configured to generate a management frame having a set of multi-link information elements (ML IEs); wherein the MLD is configured to be coupled to a set of PHY-layer links; and wherein the controller is configured to perform a multi-link setup with a second MLD using the set of ML IEs over the PHY-layer links.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A first multi-link device (MLD) within a wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising:
a controller configured to transmit a request frame to a second MLD;
wherein the second MLD includes an established set of links with a third MLD;
wherein the request frame from the first MLD includes a set of multi-link information elements (ML IEs) that request a set of information elements to be reported on at least one of the second MLD's established links with the third MLD;
wherein the set of information elements is less than a complete set of information elements for the at least one of the links with the third MLD; and
wherein in a response frame the second MLD reports on the requested set of information elements;
wherein the ML IEs include a set of common IEs, wherein the set of common IEs includes a multi-link control IE, and wherein the multi-link control IE includes an MLSR multi-link single-radio) indication subelement, an ESRMR (enhanced single-radio multi-radio) indication subelement, an ESRMR MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme) Nss number of spatial streams) Present subelement, a low latency support subelement, a low latency link ID (identifier) subelement, and a ML maximal MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit) length subelement.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1:
wherein the ML IEs include the set of common IEs and a set of link IEs.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2:
wherein the common IEs also include a set of low latency link ID(s).

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2:
wherein the link IEs include a set of per-STA-profiles.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The device of claim 4:
wherein the per-STA-profiles include a set of low latency link ID(s).

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1:
wherein the ML IEs are included in a management frame, which is at least one of: a beacon frame, a probe request frame, a probe response frame, an association request frame, an association response frame, a reassociation request frame, or a reassociation response frame.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1:
wherein the set of ML IEs generated by the controller are different for different management frame types.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1:
wherein the second MLD is a STA (station), the first MLD is an AP (access point).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1:
wherein both the first and second MLDs are STAs (stations).

### Claim 10

A method for multi-link setup between a first Multi-Link Device (MLD) and a third Multi-Link Device (MLD), comprising:
receiving, by a second MLD, a request frame from the first MLD for multi-link setup with the third MLD;
wherein the request frame from the first MLD includes a set of multi-link information elements (ML IEs) that request a set of information elements to be reported on at least one of the second MLD's established links with the third MLD;
wherein the set of information elements is less than a complete set of information elements for the at least one of the links with the third MLD;
wherein the multi-link setup is defined by the set of ML IEs;
and
transmitting, by the second MLD, a response frame, that reports on the requested set of information elements,
wherein the ML IEs include a set of common IEs, wherein the set of common IEs includes a multi-link control IE, and wherein the multi-link control IE includes an MLSR (multi-link single-radio) indication subelement, an ESRMR (enhanced single-radio multi-radio) indication subelement, an ESRMR MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme) Nss (number of spatial streams) Present subelement, a low latency support subelement, a low latency link ID (identifier) subelement, and a ML maximal MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit) length subelement.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10:
receiving a second request frame from the first MLD for multi-link setup with the third MLD on another one of the links with the third MLD; and
transmitting, by the second MLD, a second response frame, that includes an additional set of ML IEs reporting on the another one of the links with the third MLD.