Direct link communications in multi-link operations

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for handling direct link communications in multi-link systems. An example method generally includes transmitting, to a first wireless station via a direct link between the first wireless station and one or more second wireless stations affiliated with a multi-link device (MLD), a data frame comprising a transmitter address field set to an address of the MLD, which is one of a plurality of addresses associated with the MLD and the second wireless stations being affiliated with the MLD for multi-link operations. The method also includes communicating with the first wireless station via the direct link.

1 . A first multi-link device (MLD), comprising:
 a memory; and   a processor coupled to the memory, the processor and the memory being configured to:
 transmit, to a first wireless station via a direct link between the first wireless station and at least one of a plurality of second wireless stations affiliated with the first MLD, a data frame comprising a transmitter address field set to an address of the first MLD, which is one of a plurality of addresses associated with the first MLD and the second wireless stations being affiliated with the first MLD for multi-link operations, and 
 communicate with the first wireless station via the direct link. 
   
     
     
         2 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein the address of the first MLD comprises a multi-link logical medium access control (MAC) address, and the plurality of addresses includes the multi-link logical MAC address and MAC addresses associated with each of the second wireless stations. 
     
     
         3 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to transmit, to the first wireless station via an access point, a request associated with the direct link, wherein the request frame comprises a link identifier element having a direct link initiator address set as the address of the first MLD. 
     
     
         4 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to transmit, to the first wireless station, a response associated with the direct link, wherein the response comprises a link identifier element having a direct link responder address set as the address of the first MLD. 
     
     
         5 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to transmit, to the first wireless station, a response associated with the direct link comprising the transmitter address field set to the address of the first MLD. 
     
     
         6 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to receive, from the first wireless station via the direct link, a frame comprising a receiver address field set to the address of the first MLD. 
     
     
         7 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:
 cease transmission to the first wireless station via the second wireless stations, except for the at least one of the second wireless stations, based on the direct link being operative.   
     
     
         8 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:
 generate an encryption key based at least in part on the address of the first MLD;   transmit, to the first wireless station, an indication of the encryption key; and   communicate encrypted frames with the first wireless station based on the encryption key.   
     
     
         9 . The first MLD of  claim 8 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to generate the encryption key further based on at least one of an address of an access point MLD or an address of an access point. 
     
     
         10 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the direct link is a tunneled direct link; and   the data frame comprises a MAC header including the transmitter address field.   
     
     
         11 . The first MLD of  claim 10 , wherein the first wireless station is affiliated with a second MLD for multi-link communications with the first MLD, and the second MLD further has two or more third wireless stations, including the first wireless station, being affiliated therewith for multi-link communications with the first MLD. 
     
     
         12 . The first MLD of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the direct link comprises a plurality of tunneled direct link sessions; and   each of the plurality of tunneled direct link sessions is associated with a separate link between one of the second wireless stations and one of the third wireless stations.   
     
     
         13 . The first MLD of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the direct link comprises a single tunneled direct link session; and   a plurality of links between the second wireless stations and the third wireless stations are associated with the single tunneled direct link session.   
     
     
         14 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:
 transmit, to the first wireless station, an indication to setup the direct link as a multi-link direct link, wherein the indication comprises at least one of:
 a basic service set identifier (BSSID) field comprises a value indicating to setup the direct link as the multi-link direct link, or 
 a multi-link element in a direct link discovery frame or a direct link setup frame; and 
   communicate with the first wireless station via one or more links of the multi-link direct link based on the indication.   
     
     
         15 . The first MLD of  claim 14 , wherein the value comprises a link identifier associated with the one or more links. 
     
     
         16 . The first MLD of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the first wireless station is affiliated with a second MLD for multi-link communications with the first MLD, and the second MLD further has two or more third wireless stations, including the first wireless station, being affiliated therewith for multi-link communications with the first MLD; and   the multi-link element includes:
 a first indication having an identifier of the direct link in a station profile sub-element associated with the at least one of the second wireless stations; or 
 a second indication of one or more capabilities of the second wireless stations associated with links between the second wireless stations and the third wireless stations. 
   
     
     
         17 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:
 receive, from the first wireless station via an access point, a request associated with the direct link, wherein the request indicates a first link for communications between the first wireless station and the at least one of the second wireless stations, wherein the request indicates the first link via a link identifier element having a basic service set identifier (BSSID) field, which includes a value indicating the first link.   
     
     
         18 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:
 transmit, from the first wireless station, a plurality of requests associated with the direct link, wherein each of the requests has a different value for a BSSID field in a link identifier element.   
     
     
         19 . The first MLD of  claim 17 , wherein a multi-link element indicates one or more links including the first link in the request. 
     
     
         20 . The first MLD of  claim 19 , wherein the multi-link element further indicates capability information associated with the first link. 
     
     
         21 . The first MLD of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the first wireless station is affiliated with a second MLD for multi-link communications with the first MLD, and the second MLD further has two or more third wireless stations, including the first wireless station, being affiliated therewith for multi-link communications with the first MLD; and   the processor and the memory are further configured to:
 transmit directly, to the first wireless station affiliated with the second MLD, a first response responsive to the request via the first link indicated in the request; 
 transmit directly, to one or more of the third wireless stations affiliated with the second MLD, a second response responsive to the request via a second link; 
 communicate with the one or more third wireless stations via the second link; and 
 communicate with the first wireless station via the first link indicated in the request. 
   
     
     
         22 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first wireless station is affiliated with a second MLD for multi-link communications with the first MLD, and the second MLD further has two or more third wireless stations, including the first wireless station, being affiliated therewith for multi-link communications with the first MLD; and   the processor and the memory are further configured to:
 select at least one link among a plurality of links between the second wireless stations affiliated with the first MLD and the third wireless stations affiliated with the second MLD, and 
 transmit, to one or more of the third wireless stations affiliated with the second MLD, a request to setup the direct link on the selected at least one link. 
   
     
     
         23 . The first MLD of  claim 22 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:
 receive, from the third wireless stations affiliated with the second MLD, discovery response frames via one or more of the plurality of links; and   wherein the selection of the at least one link is based on a signal quality associated with the discovery response frames.   
     
     
         24 . The first MLD of  claim 22 , wherein the selected at least one link includes two or more of the plurality of links. 
     
     
         25 . The first MLD of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first wireless station is affiliated with a second MLD for multi-link communications with the first MLD, and the second MLD further has two or more third wireless stations, including the first wireless station, being affiliated therewith for multi-link communications with the first MLD; and   the processor and the memory are further configured to:
 transmit, to one of the third wireless stations affiliated with the second MLD via an access point, a first request to discover a peer wireless station for the direct link, wherein the first request indicates a first link for communications between the one of the third wireless stations and one of the second wireless stations affiliated with the first MLD, 
 determine that a duration has passed without receiving a response to the first request, and 
 transmit, to another one of the third wireless stations affiliated with the second MLD via the access point, a second request to discover a peer wireless station for the direct link based on the determination, wherein the second request indicates a second link for communications between the other one of the third wireless stations and another one of the second wireless stations affiliated with the first MLD. 
   
     
     
         26 . A method of wireless communication by a first multi-link device (MLD), comprising:
 transmitting, to a first wireless station via a direct link between the first wireless station and at least one of a plurality of second wireless stations affiliated with the first MLD, a data frame comprising a transmitter address field set to an address of the first MLD, which is one of a plurality of addresses associated with the first MLD and the second wireless stations being affiliated with the first MLD for multi-link operations, and   communicating with the first wireless station via the direct link.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the address of the first MLD comprises a multi-link logical medium access control (MAC) address, and the plurality of addresses includes the multi-link logical MAC address and MAC addresses associated with each of the second wireless stations. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising transmitting, to the first wireless station via an access point, a request associated with the direct link, wherein the request frame comprises a link identifier element having a direct link initiator address set as the address of the first MLD. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising transmitting, to the first wireless station, a response associated with the direct link, wherein the response comprises a link identifier element having a direct link responder address set as the address of the first MLD. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising ceasing transmission to the first wireless station via the second wireless stations, except for the at least one of the second wireless stations, based on the direct link being operative.