Communication method, communication apparatus, and communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026067969-A1
Application number	US-202519326940-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 12, 2025
Priority date	Mar 13, 2023
Publication date	Mar 5, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

This application provides a communication method, a communication apparatus, and a communication system. In the method, when a non-access point multi-link device establishes a connection to a collocated access point multi-link device in a non-collocated access point multi-link device, the collocated access point multi-link device that is requested to establish the connection allocates an association identifier to the non-access point multi-link device, and the allocated association identifier has not been allocated by the collocated access point multi-link device before. This can avoid repetition of association identifiers of different non-access point multi-link devices accessed by a same collocated access point multi-link device, thereby implementing proper management of the non-access point multi-link devices.

First claim

1 . A communication method, comprising:
sending, by a non-access point multi-link device, a first request message to a first collocated access point multi-link device in a non-collocated access point multi-link device, wherein the first request message comprises identification information of a second collocated access point multi-link device in the non-collocated access point multi-link device and identification information of a first link in the second collocated access point multi-link device, the first request message is used to request to establish the first link, and the first link is a link between the non-access point multi-link device and the second collocated access point multi-link device; and receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, a first response message, wherein the first response message comprises a first association identifier allocated by the second collocated access point multi-link device to the non-access point multi-link device.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, the first response message comprises:
receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, the first response message from the first collocated access point multi-link device; or receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, the first response message from the second collocated access point multi-link device.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first association identifier has not been allocated by the second collocated access point multi-link device before.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first request message is a multi-link reconfiguration request message, and the first response message is a multi-link reconfiguration response message, wherein
the multi-link reconfiguration response message comprises a frame body of an association response message, and an association identifier field in the frame body comprises the first association identifier; or the multi-link reconfiguration response message comprises an association identifier element, and the association identifier element comprises the first association identifier.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first request message further comprises identification information of the first collocated access point multi-link device and identification information of a second link in the first collocated access point multi-link device, the first request message is further used to request to establish the second link, and the second link is a link between the non-access point multi-link device and the first collocated access point multi-link device.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, the first response message comprises:
receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, the first response message from the first collocated access point multi-link device, wherein the first response message further comprises a second association identifier allocated by the first collocated access point multi-link device to the non-access point multi-link device, and the second association identifier has not been allocated by the first collocated access point multi-link device before.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the first request message is an association request message, and the first response message is an association response message, wherein
an association identifier field in the association response message comprises the first association identifier, and a multi-link element in the association response message comprises the second association identifier; or the association response message comprises two multi-link elements, and the two multi-link elements respectively comprise the first association identifier and the second association identifier; or the association response message comprises two association identifier elements, and the two association identifier elements respectively comprise the first association identifier and the second association identifier.

8 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, the first response message comprises:
receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, the first response message from the second collocated access point multi-link device.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, a second response message from the first collocated access point multi-link device, wherein the second response message comprises a second association identifier allocated by the first collocated access point multi-link device to the non-access point multi-link device, and the second association identifier has not been allocated by the first collocated access point multi-link device before.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first request message further comprises identification information of a third collocated access point multi-link device in the non-collocated access point multi-link device and identification information of a third link in the third collocated access point multi-link device, the first request message is further used to request to establish the third link, and the third link is a link between the non-access point multi-link device and the third collocated access point multi-link device.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, the first response message comprises:
receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, the first response message from the first collocated access point multi-link device, wherein the first response message further comprises a third association identifier allocated by the third collocated access point multi-link device to the non-access point multi-link device, and the third association identifier has not been allocated by the third collocated access point multi-link device before.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the first request message is a multi-link reconfiguration request message, and the first response message is a multi-link reconfiguration response message, wherein
the multi-link reconfiguration response message comprises a frame body of an association response message and a multi-link element, an association identifier field in the frame body comprises the first association identifier, and the multi-link element comprises the third association identifier; or the multi-link reconfiguration response message comprises two multi-link elements, and the two multi-link elements respectively comprise the first association identifier and the third association identifier; or the multi-link reconfiguration response message comprises two association identifier elements, and the two association identifier elements respectively comprise the first association identifier and the third association identifier.

13 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, the first response message comprises:
receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, the first response message from the second collocated access point multi-link device.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving, by the non-access point multi-link device, a third response message from the third collocated access point multi-link device, wherein the third response message comprises a third association identifier allocated by the third collocated access point multi-link device to the non-access point multi-link device, and the third association identifier has not been allocat

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lin Yousi
• Guo Yuchen
• Huang Guogang
• Li Yunbo

Classifications

• H04W76/11 Primary

  Allocation or use of connection identifiers · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W76/20

  Manipulation of established connections · CPC title

• H04W76/15 Primary

  Setup of multiple wireless link connections · CPC title

• H04W40/12

  based on transmission quality or channel quality · CPC title