IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,363,612
Granted Patent B2
US 12,363,612 · App. 18/475,270 · Granted Jul 15, 2025

Multi-link device probing method and communication apparatus

Inventors: Yuchen Guo (Shenzhen, CN); Ming Gan (Shenzhen, CN); Yunbo Li (Shenzhen, CN); Yiqing Li (Shenzhen, CN)
Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
H04W40/246H04W76/15
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,363,612
App. No.
18/475,270
Granted
Jul 15, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

This application discloses a multi-link device probing method and a communication apparatus, which may be applied to a wireless local area network supporting the 802.11 be standard. The method includes: A station (STA) multi-link device generates a probe request frame, where the probe request frame carries first indication information used to indicate a first access appoint (AP) working on a first link in an AP multi-link device to feed back communication information of an AP that works on a second link and that is in the AP multi-link device, the communication information is used by the STA multi-link device to perform multi-link communication with the AP multi-link device, the second link is different from a first link; and the STA multi-link device sends the probe request frame on the first link.

Claims (44)

1. A first access point (AP), comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and storing computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the first AP to perform:

receiving a probe request frame, wherein the probe request frame comprises a multi-link element that is used to indicate the first AP working on a first link of an AP multi-link device to feed back information of one or more second access points (APs) working on one or more second links of the AP multi-link device; wherein the multi-link element comprises a feedback type with a first value, the first value of the feedback type being used to indicate the AP multi-link device to feed back information of APs that work on all links and that are in the AP multi-link device; and

sending a probe response frame.

2. The first AP of claim 1 , wherein the multi-link element comprises a first field for indicating the AP multi-link device and a second field for identifying a second link of at least one of the one or more second APs.

3. The first AP of claim 2 , wherein the second field carries:

a link identifier of the second link of at least one of the one or more second APs.

4. The first AP of claim 1 , wherein the probe response frame carries the information of the one or more second APs.

5. The first AP of claim 1 , wherein the multi-link element comprises a first field for carrying at least one of the following:

an address of the AP multi-link device;

an identifier of the AP multi-link device;

a service set identifier (SSID) of the AP multi-link device;

an SSID of the AP multi-link device on the first link; or

a value of the first field is a preset value, and the first field is used to indicate the AP multi-link device that receives the probe request frame to feed back the information.

6. A multi-link device probing method, comprising:

receiving a probe request frame, wherein the probe request frame comprises a multi-link element that is used to indicate a first access point (AP) working on a first link of an AP multi-link device to feed back information of one or more second access points (APs) working on one or more second links of the AP multi-link device; wherein the multi-link element comprises a feedback type with a first value, the first value of the feedback type being used to indicate the AP multi-link device to feed back information of APs that work on all links and that are in the AP multi-link device; and

sending a probe response frame.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the multi-link element comprises a first field for indicating the AP multi-link device and a second field for identifying a second link of at least one of the one or more second APs.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second field carries:

an identifier of the second link of the at least one of the one or more second APs.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

wherein the probe response frame carries the information of the one or more second APs.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the multi-link element comprises a first field for carrying at least one of the following:

an address of the AP multi-link device;

an identifier of the AP multi-link device;

a service set identifier (SSID) of the AP multi-link device;

an SSID of the AP multi-link device on the first link; or

a value of the first field is a preset value, and the first field is used to indicate the AP multi-link device that receives the probe request frame to feed back the information.

11. An access point (AP) multi-link device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor and storing computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the AP multi-link device to perform:

receiving a probe request frame, wherein the probe request frame comprises a multi-link element that is used to indicate a first access point (AP) working on a first link of the AP multi-link device to feed back information of one or more second APs working on one or more second links of the AP multi-link device; wherein the multi-link element comprises a feedback type with a first value, the first value of the feedback type being used to indicate the AP multi-link device to feedback information of APs that work on all links and that are in the AP multi-link device; and

sending a probe response frame.

12. The AP multi-link device of claim 11 , wherein the multi-link element comprises a first field for indicating the AP multi-link device and a second field for identifying a second link of at least one of the one or more second APs.

13. The AP multi-link device of claim 12 , wherein the second field carries:

an identifier of a second link of at least one of the one or more second APs.

14. The AP multi-link device of claim 11 , wherein the probe response frame carries the information of the one or more second APs.

15. The AP multi-link device of claim 11 , wherein the multi-link element comprises a first field for carrying at least one of the following:

an address of the AP multi-link device;

an identifier of the AP multi-link device;

a service set identifier (SSID) of the AP multi-link device;

an SSID of the AP multi-link device on the first link; or

a value of the first field is a preset value, and the first field is used to indicate the AP multi-link device that receives the probe request frame to feed back the information.

Priority Claims (1)
CN 202010629027.2 · Jul 2, 2020 · national
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17987213 · Nov 15, 2022
Continuation PCTCN2021104114 · Jul 1, 2021
Related Publication 20240022995A1 · Jan 18, 2024
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