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US-20260129563-A1 - ULTRA HIGH RELIABILITY NEIGHBOR ACCESS POINT PROBING

US20260129563A1US 20260129563 A1US20260129563 A1US 20260129563A1US-20260129563-A1

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices related to enhanced access probing. A device may receive a management frame to probe one or more neighbor AP MLDs comprising at least one Probe Request Multi-link element indicating a target access point multi-link device (AP MLD). The device may analyze the Probe Request Multi-link element to determine requested APs affiliated with the target AP MLD based on a presence or absence of per-station (per-STA) profiles. The device may generate a response management frame comprising at least one Basic Multi-link element for each requested AP MLD, wherein each Basic Multi-link element includes a per-STA profile for each requested AP. The device may transmit the response management frame, prioritizing inclusion of requested AP MLDs based on an order indicated in the management frame to probe the one or more neighbor AP MLDs.

Inventors

  • Po-Kai Huang
  • Ido Ouzieli
  • Laurent Cariou

Assignees

  • Po-Kai Huang
  • Ido Ouzieli
  • Laurent Cariou

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251219

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A device, the device comprising processing circuitry coupled to storage, the processing circuitry configured to: receive a management frame to probe one or more neighbor AP MLDs comprising at least one Probe Request Multi-link element indicating a target access point multi-link device (AP MLD); analyze the Probe Request Multi-link element to determine requested APs affiliated with the target AP MLD based on a presence or absence of per-station (per-STA) profiles; generate a response management frame comprising at least one Basic Multi-link element for each requested AP MLD, wherein each Basic Multi-link element includes a per-STA profile for each requested AP; and transmit the response management frame, prioritizing inclusion of requested AP MLDs based on an order indicated in the management frame to probe the one or more neighbor AP MLDs.
  2. 2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to identify all APs affiliated with the target AP MLD as requested APs when the Probe Request Multi-link element does not include any per-STA profiles.
  3. 3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to identify only APs whose link ID matches a link ID value in a per-STA profile within the Probe Request Multi-link element as requested APs.
  4. 4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to process multiple Probe Request Multi-link elements in the management frame to probe the one or more neighbor AP MLDs, each indicating a different target AP MLD.
  5. 5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to prioritize responding to information requested in a first Probe Request Multi-link element and, if space is available, respond to information requested in subsequent Probe Request Multi-link elements.
  6. 6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to include, in the per-STA profile, at least the elements requested from a Request element or Extended Request element carried in the management frame to probe the one or more neighbor AP MLDs.
  7. 7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to indicate, in a Present Bitmap field of the Probe Request Multi-link element, a presence of an address field for neighbor AP MLD probing within a Common Info field of the Probe Request Multi-link element.
  8. 8 . The device of claim 7 , wherein the address field comprises a basic service set identifier (BSSID) field for an AP affiliated with the target AP MLD or comprises a target AP MLD media access control (MAC) address field.
  9. 9 . The device of claim 7 , wherein the address field is restricted from being set to a broadcast address or multicast address.
  10. 10 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising: receiving a management frame to probe one or more neighbor AP MLDs comprising at least one Probe Request Multi-link element indicating a target access point multi-link device (AP MLD); analyzing the Probe Request Multi-link element to determine requested APs affiliated with the target AP MLD based on a presence or absence of per-station (per-STA) profiles; and generating a response management frame comprising at least one Basic Multi-link element for each requested AP MLD, wherein each Basic Multi-link element includes a per-STA profile for each requested AP; and transmitting the response management frame, prioritizing inclusion of requested AP MLDs based on an order indicated in the management frame to probe the one or more neighbor AP MLDs.
  11. 11 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise identifying all APs affiliated with the target AP MLD as requested APs when the Probe Request Multi-link element does not include any per-STA profiles.
  12. 12 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise identifying only APs whose link ID matches a link ID value in a per-STA profile within the Probe Request Multi-link element as requested APs.
  13. 13 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise processing multiple Probe Request Multi-link elements in the management frame to probe the one or more neighbor AP MLDs, each indicating a different target AP MLD.
  14. 14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise prioritizing responding to information requested in a first Probe Request Multi-link element and, if space is available, respond to information requested in subsequent Probe Request Multi-link elements.
  15. 15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise including, in the per-STA profile, at least the elements requested from a Request element or Extended Request element carried in the management frame to probe the one or more neighbor AP MLDs.
  16. 16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise indicating, in a Present Bitmap field of the Probe Request Multi-link element, a presence of an address field for neighbor AP MLD probing within a Common Info field of the Probe Request Multi-link element.
  17. 17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the address field comprises a basic service set identifier (BSSID) field for an AP affiliated with the target AP MLD or comprises a target AP MLD media access control (MAC) address field.
  18. 18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the address field is restricted from being set to a broadcast address or multicast address.
  19. 19 . A method comprising: receiving a management frame to probe one or more neighbor AP MLDs comprising at least one Probe Request Multi-link element indicating a target access point multi-link device (AP MLD); analyzing the Probe Request Multi-link element to determine requested APs affiliated with the target AP MLD based on a presence or absence of per-station (per-STA) profiles; and generating a response management frame comprising at least one Basic Multi-link element for each requested AP MLD, wherein each Basic Multi-link element includes a per-STA profile for each requested AP; and transmitting the response management frame, prioritizing inclusion of requested AP MLDs based on an order indicated in the management frame to probe the one or more neighbor AP MLDs.
  20. 20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising identifying all APs affiliated with the target AP MLD as requested APs when the Probe Request Multi-link element does not include any per-STA profiles.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/891,491, filed Oct. 1, 2025, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full. BACKGROUND Wireless devices are becoming more prevalent, necessitating efficient access to wireless channels. Standards are evolving to enhance connectivity, integrating advanced technologies in modern networks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example network environment for enhanced access probing, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGS. 2A-2D, 3A-3B, and 4A-4D depict illustrative schematic diagrams for enhanced access probing, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates a flow of a process for an illustrative enhanced access probing system, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates a functional diagram of an exemplary communication station that may be suitable for use as a user device, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine upon which any of one or more techniques (e.g., methods) may be performed, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a radio architecture in accordance with some examples. FIG. 9 illustrates an example front-end module circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG. 8, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 illustrates an example radio IC circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG. 8, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 illustrates an example baseband processing circuitry for use in the radio architecture of FIG. 8, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, algorithm, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments. Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims. Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn or ultra high reliability (UHR)) is the next generation of Wi-Fi and a successor to the IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) standard. In line with all previous Wi-Fi standards, Wi-Fi 8 will aim to improve wireless performance in general along with introducing new and innovative features to further advance Wi-Fi technology. UHR agrees to have a mechanism to probe neighbor AP. The design direction is to have non-AP MLD send a management frame to current AP MLD that will request information of the neighbor AP MLD that is the potential roaming target. Some companies propose to include Probe Request Multi-Link element in the management frame to follow similar design of multi-link probe request. However, the format of the Probe Request Multi-link element is not currently designed to probe neighbor AP or AP MLDs. Specifically, MLD MAC address field is currently used for IRM to identify the non-AP MLD. Further, AP MLD ID is only for differentiation among AP MLD in multiple BSSID set and is not designed for identifying neighbor AP MLD. Hence, there is a fundamental issue to identify which AP MLD is requested. Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems, methods, and devices for IEEE 802.11bn (11 bn) UHR Neighbor AP Probing. Disclosed herein are systems and methods for enhanced Multi-Link Operation (MLO) probing. In various embodiments, the proposed mechanism introduces an additional address field within the Probe Request Multi-link element. This address field is configured to target and probe a specific neighbor Access Point Multi-Link Device (AP MLD). Furthermore, the system allows for the inclusion of a plurality of Probe Request Multi-link elements within a single management frame. This configuration enables a station (STA) to probe more than one neighbor AP MLD simultaneously within a single transmission, thereby improving efficiency. In accordance with some embodiments, specifically those involving Ultra High Reliability (UHR) Access Points, the Neighbor Report element is mandated to include a Basic Multi-link element. Within this Basic Multi-link element, the Common Info field is configured to contain the MLD MAC address of the target AP. Additionally, the present disclosure clarifies the context of the Per-Station (per-STA) profile located within the Basic Multi-link element of a Response frame. Specifically, the information within the per-STA profile is formatted and interpreted based on the structure of a Probe Response fra