Direct link communications in multi-link operations
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for handling direct link communications in multi-link systems. An example method by a multi-link device (MLD) generally includes establishing a direct link between a first wireless station and a second wireless station affiliated with the MLD and communicating with the first wireless station via the direct link, wherein the direct link is inoperative for the MLD while a third wireless station affiliated with the MLD is communicating.
1 . A multi-link device (MLD), comprising:
one or more memories; and
one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors and the one or more memories being configured to cause the MLD to:
establish a communication link between a first wireless station that is not affiliated with the MLD and a second wireless station that is affiliated with the MLD;
communicate, via the second wireless station, with the first wireless station via the communication link, wherein the communication link is a non-simultaneous transmit and receive (n-STR) link that is inoperative for the MLD while a third wireless station affiliated with the MLD is communicating via another communication link, wherein the communication link is between non-access point (AP) stations including the first wireless station and the second wireless station; and
transmit, to an access point (AP) MLD with which the MLD has performed association, an indication of a state associated with the MLD or one or more wireless stations affiliated with the MLD, wherein the state corresponds to a constraint due to the communication link being the n-STR link and the third wireless station communicating, wherein the state is configured to enable transmission from the AP MLD of a first frame requesting to send data; and
receive the first frame requesting to send data in response to the indication of the state.
2 . The MLD of claim 1 , wherein the third wireless station is inoperative while the communication link is not idle.
3 . The MLD of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors and the one or more memories are configured to cause the MLD to:
receive, from an access point affiliated with the AP MLD, the first frame requesting to send data to the third wireless station affiliated with the MLD in response to the indication of the state; and
take one or more actions in response to the first frame.
4 . The MLD of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors and the one or more memories are further configured to cause the MLD to:
transmit, to the access point affiliated with the AP MLD, a second frame indicating the access point affiliated with the AP MLD is free to transmit data to the MLD; and
receive, from the access point affiliated with the AP MLD, data via the third wireless station based on the transmission of the second frame.
5 . The MLD of claim 4 , wherein the one or more processors and the one or more memories are further configured to cause the MLD to:
receive the first frame via the third wireless station on a channel in which the access point affiliated with the AP MLD is communicating with the third wireless station; and
transmit the second frame via the third wireless station on the channel.
6 . The MLD of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors and the one or more memories are further configured to cause the MLD to ignore the first frame when the second wireless station is communicating with the first wireless station.
7 . The MLD of claim 3 , wherein the state indicates to enable transmission of the first frame before another transmission from the AP MLD to the third wireless station affiliated with the MLD.
8 . The MLD of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors and the one or more memories are further configured to cause the MLD to transmit, to the access point affiliated with the AP MLD, an update to the state indicating to disable the transmission of the first frame before another transmission from the AP MLD to the third wireless station affiliated with the MLD.
9 . The MLD of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors and the one or more memories are configured to cause the MLD to transmit the indication via a control field of a medium access control (MAC) header of a frame, a management frame, or a control frame.
10 . An access point, comprising:
one or more memories; and
one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors and the one or more memories being configured to cause the access point to:
receive, from a multi-link device (MLD), an indication of a state associated with the MLD or one or more wireless stations affiliated with the MLD, wherein the MLD is a non-simultaneous transmit and receive (n-STR) MLD,
transmit, to the MLD, a first frame requesting to send data to the one or more wireless stations affiliated with the MLD based on the state, wherein the state indicates to enable transmission of the first frame before another transmission from an access point (AP) MLD to the one or more wireless stations affiliated with the MLD, the state corresponding to a constraint due to the MLD being the n-STR MLD and another wireless station affiliated with the MLD communicating, and
transmit, to the one or more wireless stations, the data when the access point receives a second frame granting permission to send the data from the MLD.
11 . The access point of claim 10 , wherein the MLD has performed association with the AP MLD with which the access point is affiliated.
12 . The access point of claim 10 , wherein the MLD has performed association with an AP MLD with which the access point is affiliated, and wherein the one or more processors and the one or more memories are further configured to cause the access point to receive, from the MLD, an update to the state indicating to disable the transmission of the first frame before a transmission from the AP MLD to the one or more wireless stations affiliated with the MLD.
13 . The access point of claim 12 , wherein the one or more processors and the one or more memories are further configured to cause the access point to:
transmit the first frame to the one or more wireless stations on a channel in which the access point affiliated with the AP MLD is communicating with the one or more wireless stations; and
receive the second frame from the one or more wireless stations on the channel.
14 . The access point of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors and the one or more memories are further configured to cause the access point to receive the indication via a control field of a medium access control (MAC) header of a frame, a management frame, or a control frame.
15 . A method of wireless communication by a multi-link device (MLD), comprising:
establishing a communication link between a first wireless station that is not affiliated with the MLD and a second wireless station affiliated with the MLD, wherein the communication link is between non-access point (AP) stations including the first wireless station and the second wireless station;
communicating, via the second wireless station, with the first wireless station via the communication link, wherein the communication link is a non-simultaneous transmit and receive (n-STR) link that is inoperative for the MLD while a third wireless station affiliated with the MLD is communicating via another communication link; and
transmitting, to an access point (AP) MLD with which the MLD has performed association, an indication of a state associated with the MLD or one or more wireless stations affiliated with the MLD, wherein the state corresponds to a constraint due to the communication link being the n-STR link and the third wireless station communicating, wherein the state is configured to enable transmission from the AP MLD of a first frame requesting to send data; and
receiving the first frame requesting to send data in response to transmission of the indication of the state.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the third wireless station is inoperative while the communication link is not idle.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the first frame is received, from an access point affiliated with the AP MLD, requesting to send data to the third wireless station affiliated with the MLD in response to the indication of the state; and
taking one or more actions in response to the first frame.
18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
transmitting, to the access point affiliated with the AP MLD, a second frame indicating the access point affiliated with the AP MLD is free to transmit data to the MLD; and
receiving, from the access point affiliated with the AP MLD, data via the third wireless station based on the transmission of the second frame.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
receiving the first frame via the third wireless station on a channel in which the access point affiliated with the AP MLD is communicating with the third wireless station; and
transmitting the second frame via the third wireless station on the channel.
20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising ignoring the first frame when the second wireless station is communicating with the first wireless station.
21 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the state indicates to enable the transmission of the first frame before a transmission from the AP MLD to the third wireless station affiliated with the MLD.
22 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising transmitting, to the access point affiliated with the AP MLD, an update to the state indicating to disable the transmission of the first frame before a transmission from the AP MLD to the third wireless station affiliated with the MLD.
23 . The MLD of claim 1 , wherein request to send (RTS) and clear to send (CTS) exchanges between the MLD and the AP MLD are disabled before receiving the indication of the state, and wherein the indication of the state is configured to enable the RTS and CTS exchanges, the first frame requesting to send data being received in response to the RTS and CTS exchange being enabled.
24 . The MLD of claim 23 , wherein, to transmit the indication of the state, the one or more processors and the one or more memories are configured to cause the MLD to transmit a frame including a field configured to enable the RTS and CTS exchange.
25 . A method of wireless communication by an access point, comprising:
receiving, from a multi-link device (MLD), an indication of a state associated with the MLD or one or more wireless stations affiliated with the MLD, wherein the MLD is a non-simultaneous transmit and receive (n-STR) MLD,
transmitting, to the MLD, a first frame requesting to send data to the one or more wireless stations affiliated with the MLD based on the state, wherein the state indicates to enable transmission of the first frame before another transmission from an access point (AP) MLD to the one or more wireless stations affiliated with the MLD, the state corresponding to a constraint due to the MLD being the n-STR MLD and another wireless station affiliated with the MLD communicating, and
transmitting, to the one or more wireless stations, the data when the access point receives a second frame granting permission to send the data from the MLD.
26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the MLD has performed association with the AP MLD with which the access point is affiliated.
27 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the MLD has performed association with an AP MLD with which the access point is affiliated, and wherein the method further comprises receiving, from the MLD, an update to the state indicating to disable the transmission of the first frame before a transmission from the AP MLD to the one or more wireless stations affiliated with the MLD.
28 . The method of claim 27 , further comprising:
transmitting the first frame to the one or more wireless stations on a channel in which the access point affiliated with the AP MLD is communicating with the one or more wireless stations; and
receiving the second frame from the one or more wireless stations on the channel.
29 . The method of claim 25 , further comprising receiving the indication via a control field of a medium access control (MAC) header of a frame, a management frame, or a control frame.