CQI enhancement for multi-link operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12425172-B2
Application number	US-202217932263-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2022
Priority date	Sep 22, 2021
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for facilitating enhanced channel quality measurements on links of a multi-link device (MLD) in a wireless local area network. A non-access point (AP) MLD comprises stations (STAs), each comprising a transceiver configured to form a link with a corresponding AP affiliated with an AP MLD and receive, over the link, a channel sounding signal. The non-AP MLD further comprises a processor configured to determine, based on the channel sounding signal received at a first time over a first one of the links, an initial channel quality indicator (CQI) value for the first link, and determine, based on interference caused on the first link by a second one of the links at a second time, a CQI offset value for the first link relative to the initial CQI value. The transceivers are configured to transmit, to the AP MLD, the initial CQI value and the CQI offset value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), comprising:
stations (STAs) each comprising a transceiver configured to:
form a link with a corresponding AP affiliated with an AP MLD, and
receive, from the corresponding AP over the link, a channel sounding signal; and

a processor operably coupled to the STAs, the processor configured to:
determine, based on the channel sounding signal received at a first time over a first one of the links, an initial channel quality indicator (CQI) value for the first link, and
determine, based on interference caused on the first link by a second one of the links at a second time, a CQI offset value for the first link that is relative to the initial CQI value, and
generate a CQI offset frame that includes the CQI offset value for the first link and an uplink interference power level on the second link at the first time, wherein an updated CQI value for the first link is obtained based on the CQI offset value and the uplink interference power level, and

wherein the transceivers are further configured to:
transmit, to the AP MLD, the initial CQI value, and
transmit, to the AP MLD, the CQI offset frame including the CQI offset value.

2. The non-AP MLD of claim 1 , wherein the CQI offset frame indicates whether to increase or decrease the initial CQI value by the CQI offset value to obtain the updated CQI value for the first link at the second time.

3. The non-AP MLD of claim 1 , wherein:
the CQI offset frame includes the CQI offset value as a lower CQI offset value and an upper CQI offset value, and
the updated CQI value for the first link at the second time is obtained by subtracting the lower CQI offset value from the initial CQI value or adding the upper CQI offset value to the initial CQI value.

4. The non-AP MLD of claim 3 , wherein:
the first link and the second link form a link pair,
the processor is further configured to:
based on a determination to switch the link pair from a simultaneous transmit/receive (STR) mode to a non-simultaneous transmit/receive (NSTR) mode between the first time and the second time, set the lower CQI offset value to zero and set the upper CQI offset value to an amount that reflects additional interference in the link pair relative to the initial CQI value; or
based on a determination to switch the link pair from the NSTR mode to the STR mode between the first time and the second time, set the lower CQI offset value to an amount that reflects reduced interference in the link pair relative to the initial CQI value and set the upper CQI offset value to zero, and

the transceivers are configured to transmit, to the AP MLD over the first link and the second link, the CQI offset frame.

5. The non-AP MLD of claim 3 , wherein:
the first link and the second link form a simultaneous transmit/receive (STR) link pair,
the processor is further configured to, based on a determination that interference in the link pair at the second time is different than interference in the link pair at the first time, set the lower CQI offset value to an amount that reflects a non-tolerable amount of interference in the link pair relative to the initial CQI value and set the upper CQI offset value to an amount that reflects no interference in the link pair relative to the initial CQI value, and
the transceivers are configured to transmit, to the AP MLD over the first link and the second link, the CQI offset frame.

6. The non-AP MLD of claim 1 , wherein:
the links form link pairs, and
the CQI offset frame further includes a non-simultaneous transmit/receive (NSTR) indication bitmap in which, for each link pair, two or more bits represent a value that reflects an interference level in the corresponding link pair.

7. An access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) comprising:
APs each comprising a transceiver configured to:
form a link with a corresponding station (STA) affiliated with a non-AP MLD,
transmit, to the corresponding STA over the link, a channel sounding signal,
receive, from the non-AP MLD, an initial channel quality indicator (CQI) value for a first one of the links, wherein the initial CQI value is based on the channel sounding signal received by the non-AP MLD at a first time over the first link, and
receive, from the non-AP MLD in a CQI offset frame, a CQI offset value for the first link and an uplink interference power level on a second one of the links at the first time, wherein the CQI offset value is relative to the initial CQI value and is based on interference caused on the first link by the second link at a second time; and

a processor operably coupled to the APs, the processor configured to determine, based on the initial CQI value, the CQI offset value, and the uplink interference power level, an updated CQI value for the first link at the second time.

8. The AP MLD of claim 7 , wherein the CQI offset frame indicates whether to increase or decrease the initial CQI value by the CQI offset value to determine the updated CQI value.

9. The AP MLD of claim 7 , wherein:
the CQI offset frame includes a lower CQI offset value and an upper CQI offset value, and
the processor is further configured to determine the updated CQI value by subtracting the lower CQI offset value from the initial CQI value or adding the upper CQI offset value to the initial CQI value.

10. The AP MLD of claim 9 , wherein:
the first link and the second link form a link pair,
the transceivers are configured to receive, from the non-AP MLD over the first link and the second link, the CQI offset frame, and
based on the link pair being switched from a simultaneous transmit/receive (STR) mode to a non-simultaneous transmit/receive (NSTR) mode between the first time and the second time, the lower CQI offset value is set to zero and the upper CQI offset value is set to an amount that reflects additional interference in the link pair relative to the initial CQI value, or
based on the link pair being switched from the NSTR mode to the STR mode between the first time and the second time, the lower CQI offset value is set to an amount that reflects reduced interference in the link pair relative to the initial CQI value and the upper CQI offset value is set to zero.

11. The AP MLD of claim 9 , wherein:
the first link and the second link form a simultaneous transmit/receive (STR) link pair,
the transceivers are configured to receive, from the non-AP MLD over the first link and the second link, the CQI offset frame, and
based on interference in the link pair at the second time being different than interference in the link pair at the first time, the lower CQI offset value is set to an amount that reflects a non-tolerable amount of interference in the link pair relative to the initial CQI value and the upper CQI offset value is set to an amount that reflects no interference in the link pair relative to the initial CQI value.

12. The AP MLD of claim 7 , wherein:
the links form link pairs, and
the CQI offset frame further includes a non-simultaneous transmit/receive (NSTR) indication bitmap in which, for each link pair, two or more bits represent a value that reflects an interference level in the corresponding link pair.

13. A method of wireless communication performed by a non-access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) that is configured to form links between stations (STAs) affiliated with the non-AP MLD and corresponding APs affiliated with an AP MLD, the method comprising:
receiving, from the AP MLD, a channel sounding signal at a first time over a first one of the links;
determining, based on the channel sounding signal, an initial channel quality indicator (CQI)

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shafin Rubayet
• Ibrahim Ahmed Atef Ibrahim
• Nayak Peshal
• Ng Boon Loong
• RATNAM Vishnu Vardhan
• Choi Junsu

Classifications

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title

• H04L5/0048

  Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091) · CPC title

• H04L5/0062

  Avoidance of ingress interference, e.g. ham radio channels · CPC title

• H04L5/0057 Primary

  Physical resource allocation for CQI · CPC title