CN111278140A

CN111278140A - Resource scheduling method and related product

Info

Publication number: CN111278140A
Application number: CN202010097289.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 徐桂权
Original assignee: Spreadtrum Communications Shanghai Co Ltd
Current assignee: Spreadtrum Communications Shanghai Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-02-17
Filing date: 2020-02-17
Publication date: 2020-06-12
Anticipated expiration: 2040-02-17
Also published as: CN111278140B

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a resource scheduling method and a related product. The method comprises the following steps: and under the condition that the first network mode is started and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode conflicts with the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode, adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode. In the embodiment of the application, the conflict of the TBTT in the first network mode and the TBTT in the second network mode is staggered by adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode, and the running time proportion allocated to the dual network mode by the time allocation module is dynamically determined according to the respective actual traffic in the dual network mode of the first network mode and the second network mode, so that the service in the dual network mode can be scheduled and run in a time-sharing and slicing manner, the signal transceiving efficiency is improved, and the service is not affected.

Description

Resource scheduling method and related product

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a resource scheduling method and a related product.

Background

With the development of mobile communication technology and the demand of people for mobile communication technology, more and more mobile terminals start to support an operation mode in which dual network modes coexist. The coexistence of the dual network modes means that the mobile terminal can work in the first network mode and connect to the corresponding opposite terminal device, and can also work in the second network mode and connect to the corresponding opposite terminal device. The coexistence of the dual network mode currently common includes coexistence of a terminal mode (STA) and a wireless access Point (Soft AP), coexistence of the terminal mode and a Peer-to-Peer mode (Peer-to-Peer, P2P), coexistence of the wireless access Point and the Peer-to-Peer mode, and the like. In a single-chip Soft AP and P2P dual-network mode system, if the operating channels of the two network modes are different, the service of one network mode often interferes with the service of the other network mode, which reduces the signal transceiving efficiency, and thus deteriorates the user experience. Particularly in the presence of delay or jitter sensitive traffic in one or both of the two network modes, the efficiency of signaling may be lower.

For the above problems, in the prior art, dual Wireless networks (WiFi) may be used to enable dual network modes of SoftAP and P2P to completely and independently operate in respective network modes without interfering with each other, so as to improve the signal transceiving efficiency, however, this method requires two WiFi, which results in higher cost and is not favorable for technical popularization; in the single WiFi method, if the Soft AP network mode and the P2P network mode are not on the same working channel, the two network modes can only use resources such as a Media Access Control (MAC) layer, a Physical layer (PHY) layer, or a Radio Frame (RF) layer in a time-division and fragmentation manner, so that there is a certain probability that the Soft AP network mode and the P2P network mode cause resource collision and mutual interference, and the signal transceiving efficiency is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application discloses a resource scheduling method and a related product. In the method, the conflict problem of two TBTTs in a single-chip Soft AP and P2P dual-network mode system is avoided by setting and adjusting the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT) of the single-chip Soft AP and P2P dual-network mode coexistence system, the service of the Soft AP and P2P network modes can be scheduled and operated in a time-sharing and slicing mode, the signal transceiving efficiency is improved, and the service is not influenced.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a resource scheduling method, where the method includes:

adjusting a target beacon transmission time parameter of a first network mode or a target beacon transmission time parameter of a second network mode if the first network mode has been activated and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode conflicts with the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode.

In the implementation mode, the conflict of TBTT between the first network mode and the second network mode is staggered by adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode, and the running time proportion distributed to the double network mode by the time distribution module is dynamically determined according to the respective actual traffic in the double network modes of the first network mode and the second network mode, so that the service of the double network mode can be scheduled and run in a time-sharing and slicing mode, the signal transceiving efficiency is improved, and the service is not influenced. The first network mode and the second network mode include multiple possible modes such as Soft AP mode, P2P mode, etc., and the combination of the modes can derive multiple possible situations, and the TBTT collision problem can be solved by adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode.

In an optional implementation, the conflict between the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode includes:

and the distance between the target beacon transmission time of the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time of the first network mode is smaller than a target threshold value.

In this implementation manner, a manner is provided for determining whether there is a conflict between the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode, and if the distance between the target beacon transmission time of the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time of the first network mode is smaller than a target threshold, it is considered that the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode conflict, where the target threshold is the minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module, and may be different values in different application scenarios. Because when the target beacon transmission time of the two network modes is very close, there is a situation that one network mode needs to transmit a broadcast frame and the other network mode needs to transmit and receive the broadcast frame through another channel, at this time, resource conflict is caused, and it is impossible to consider that services in the two network modes can be normally performed at the same time.

In an optional implementation manner, after the adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode, the method further includes:

starting the second network mode if the conflict does not exist between the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode.

In the implementation mode, after the TBTT parameters of the first network mode and the second network mode are set and adjusted, the second network mode is started under the condition that the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode do not conflict with each other, so that the time slice can be reasonably allocated to the two modes by the time scheduling module, and the two network modes can simultaneously work through time division and fragmentation multiplexing resources under different working channels in the first network mode and the second network mode without mutual interference, thereby greatly improving the signal transceiving efficiency, and even if one of the two network modes or a delay or jitter sensitive service exists at the same time, the two network modes can also cope with each other.

In an optional implementation manner, the adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode includes:

adjusting a target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode if the first network mode is a peer-to-peer P2P mode and the second network mode is a wireless access point mode.

In the implementation mode, if the peer-to-peer P2P mode is already started, if the TBTT parameter started by the wireless access point mode conflicts with the TBTT parameter started by the peer-to-peer P2P mode, the method for adjusting the starting position and the TBTT parameter started by the wireless access point mode avoids the TBTT parameter conflict of the two network modes, and ensures that the services of the two network modes can be scheduled and operated in a time-sharing and slicing manner without mutual interference.

adjusting a target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode when the first network mode is a wireless access point mode and the second network mode is a peer-to-peer group owned end, P2P GO, mode.

In the implementation mode, if the TBTT parameter started by the peer-to-peer group owning terminal P2P GO mode conflicts with the wireless access point mode under the condition that the wireless access point mode is started, by adjusting the method for starting the TBTT parameter and the starting position by the peer-to-peer group owning terminal P2P GO mode, the TBTT parameter conflict of the two network modes is avoided, and the service of the two network modes can be scheduled and operated in a time-sharing and fragmentation manner without mutual interference.

In an optional implementation manner, the adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode includes:

and adjusting the target beacon transmission time period and the target beacon transmission time position of the second network mode at least once until the distance between the target beacon transmission time of the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time of the first network mode is not less than a target threshold value.

In the implementation manner, the distance between the TBTT of the first network mode and the TBTT of the second network mode is too close to the minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module, that is, the target threshold, which results in that the time scheduling module cannot consider the TBTT times of the two network modes at the same time, and the target beacon transmission time period and the target beacon transmission time position of the second network mode are adjusted at least once, so as to stagger the periodic TBTT of the second network mode started later from the TBTT of the first network mode, ensure that the time scheduling module can schedule the target beacon transmission times of the two network modes in the subsequent service process, ensure that the two network modes can both run normally and do not interfere with each other, and provide service quality.

adjusting a target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode if the first network mode is a wireless access point mode and the second network mode is a peer-to-peer group client P2P GC mode.

In the implementation manner, if the TBTT parameter started by the peer-to-peer group client P2P GC mode conflicts with the wireless access point mode under the condition that the wireless access point mode is started, the TBTT parameter conflict between the two network modes is avoided by adjusting the method of starting the TBTT parameter and the starting position of the wireless access point mode, and it is ensured that the services of the two network modes can be scheduled and operated in a time-sharing and fragmentation manner without interfering with each other.

In an optional implementation manner, the adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode includes:

and adjusting the target beacon transmission time period and the target beacon transmission time position of the wireless access point mode at least once until the distance between the target beacon transmission time of the wireless access point mode and the target beacon transmission time of the peer-to-peer group client P2P GC mode is not less than a target threshold value.

In the implementation manner, the distance between the TBTT of the wireless access point mode and the TBTT of the peer-to-peer group client P2P GC mode is too close to each other, and the distance is smaller than the minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module, i.e. the target threshold, so that the time scheduling module cannot take into account the TBTT times of the two network modes at the same time, and under the condition that the wireless access point mode is started first and the peer-to-peer group client P2P GC mode is started later, the target beacon transmission time period and the target beacon transmission time position of the wireless access point mode are adjusted at least once, so as to stagger the periodic TBTT of the later started peer-to-peer group client P2P GC mode and the TBTT of the wireless access point mode, and ensure that the time scheduling module can schedule the target beacon transmission times of the two network modes in the subsequent service process, and ensure that both network modes can normally operate, do not interfere with each other and provide quality of service.

In the embodiment of the application, by setting and adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the single-chip wireless access point mode and point-to-point P2P mode coexistence system, the problem of collision of two TBTTTs in the single-chip wireless access point mode and point-to-point P2P mode coexistence system is avoided, the service of the wireless access point mode and the point-to-point P2P mode can be scheduled and operated in a time-sharing and slicing mode, the signal transceiving efficiency is improved, and the service is not affected.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a resource scheduling apparatus, where the apparatus includes:

an adjusting unit, configured to adjust a target beacon transmission time parameter of a first network mode or a target beacon transmission time parameter of a second network mode when the first network mode is started and a target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode conflicts with the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode.

In an optional implementation, the apparatus further comprises:

and the judging unit is used for judging that the distance between the target beacon transmission time of the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time of the first network mode is smaller than a target threshold value.

In an optional implementation, the apparatus further comprises:

a starting unit, configured to start the second network mode when the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode do not have the conflict.

In an optional implementation manner, the adjusting unit is specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode when the first network mode is the peer-to-peer P2P mode and the second network mode is the wireless access point mode.

In an optional implementation manner, the adjusting unit is specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode when the first network mode is a wireless access point mode and the second network mode is a peer-to-peer group owner peer-to-peer (P2P GO) mode.

In an optional implementation manner, the adjusting unit is specifically further configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time period and the target beacon transmission time position of the second network mode at least once until a distance between the target beacon transmission time of the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time of the first network mode is not less than a target threshold.

In an optional implementation manner, the adjusting unit is specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode when the first network mode is a wireless access point mode and the second network mode is a peer-to-peer group client P2P GC mode.

In an optional implementation manner, the adjusting unit is further specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time period and the target beacon transmission time position of the wireless access point mode at least once until a distance between the target beacon transmission time of the wireless access point mode and the target beacon transmission time of the peer-to-peer group client P2P GC mode is not less than a target threshold.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a resource scheduling apparatus, including a processor and a memory; the processor is configured to support the resource scheduling device to perform corresponding functions in the method of the first aspect and the optional implementation manner in the first aspect. The memory holds programs (instructions) and data necessary for the resource scheduling device. Optionally, the resource scheduling device may further include an input/output interface, configured to support communication between the resource scheduling device and other devices.

In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer-readable storage medium, which stores one or more instructions adapted to be loaded by the processor and execute the method according to the first aspect and the implementation manner in the first aspect.

In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product containing instructions, which when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first aspect and any optional implementation manner thereof.

In the application, the conflict of TBTT between the first network mode and the second network mode is staggered by adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode, and the running time proportion distributed to the double network mode by the time distribution module is dynamically determined according to the respective actual traffic in the double network modes of the first network mode and the second network mode, so that the service of the double network mode can be scheduled and run in a time-sharing and slicing mode, the signal transceiving efficiency is improved, and the service is not influenced.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments or the background art of the present application, the drawings required to be used in the embodiments or the background art of the present application will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram of a resource scheduling method of a dual network mode coexistence system;

FIG. 1b is a diagram illustrating another resource scheduling method of a dual network mode coexistence system;

fig. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3a is a schematic flowchart of another resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3b is a schematic structural diagram of a resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4a is a schematic flowchart of another resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4b is a schematic structural diagram of another resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5a is a schematic flowchart of another resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5b is a schematic structural diagram of another resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a resource scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the embodiments of the present application better understood, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments.

The terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. in the description embodiments and claims of the present application and the above-described drawings are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. The terms "comprises" and "comprising," and any variations thereof, in the description examples and claims of this application, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such as, for example, a list of steps or elements. A method, system, article, or apparatus is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements explicitly listed, but may include other steps or elements not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, system, article, or apparatus.

Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of the phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by one skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

In order to more clearly describe the scheme of the present application, the following description is made on the embodiments of the present application with reference to the drawings.

In a single chip Soft AP and P2P dual network mode system, if the operating channels of the two network modes are different, it often happens that the traffic of one network mode affects the delay or jitter sensitive traffic of the other network mode. When the TBTT times of the Soft AP and P2P dual-network modes are very close, if the TBTT distance is smaller than the minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module, the time scheduling module cannot simultaneously consider the TBTT times of the two network modes, and because of resource conflict, common resources such as MAC, PHY, RF, etc. can only be allocated to one of the network modes for use or the two network modes can be used alternately.

Specifically, referring to fig. 1a, fig. 1a is a schematic diagram illustrating a resource scheduling method of a dual network mode coexistence system. As shown in fig. 1a, in a single chip Soft AP and P2P GO/GC dual network mode system, the TBTT time of the Soft AP and P2P GO/GC dual network modes is very close, the distance is less than the minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module, resource conflict between the Soft AP and the P2PGO/GC dual-network modes is caused, in this case, the time scheduling module allocates the common resources such as MAC, PHY, RF, etc. to the Soft AP network mode for use, so the Soft AP network mode can obtain the TBTT1 time period for transceiving Beacon, or other broadcast management frames or data frames, perform normal traffic, however, the P2P GO/GC network mode cannot receive and transmit Beacon or other broadcast management frames or data frames in the TBTT2 time period, and the service requirement in the network mode cannot be met due to disconnection or unavailable functions.

Specifically, referring to fig. 1b, fig. 1b is a schematic diagram illustrating a resource scheduling method of another dual network mode coexistence system. As shown in fig. 1b, in a single-chip Soft AP and P2P GO/GC dual-network mode system, the TBTT times of the Soft AP and P2P GO/GC dual-network modes are very close to each other, and the distance between the TBTT times is smaller than the minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module, which causes resource conflict between the Soft AP and P2P GO/GC dual-network modes, in this case, the time scheduling module allocates common resources such as MAC, PHY, RF, etc. to the Soft AP network mode and the P2P GO/GC network mode for alternate use, so the Soft AP network mode can obtain the TBTT1 time period for transceiving Beacon or other broadcast management frames or data frames, and the P2PGO/GC network mode can obtain the TBTT2 time period for transceiving Beacon or other broadcast management frames or data frames, and perform normal service. However, the two network modes alternately use the TBTT time period, which also results in that the network mode that does not obtain the TBTT time period cannot receive and transmit Beacon or other broadcast management frame or data frame in the TBTT time period, which may cause the functions to be affected and the user experience to be deteriorated, and if one or two of the two network modes have delay or jitter sensitive traffic at the same time, the effect is worse.

Aiming at the existing problems, the core of the solution is to avoid the problem of two TBTT conflicts in a single-chip Soft AP and P2P dual-network mode system as far as possible, and only by solving the basic problem, the time scheduling module can reasonably allocate time slices to the two modes to meet the service requirements of the respective network modes, and even if one of the two network modes or a delay or jitter sensitive service exists at the same time, the time scheduling module can also cope with the service requirements of the respective network modes.

Referring to fig. 2, fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application.

201. And under the condition that the first network mode is started and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode conflicts with the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode, adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode.

When the second network mode is started under the condition that the first network mode and the second network mode coexist, different starting processing flows of the second network mode are required to be carried out according to different starting states of the first network mode. If the first network mode is not started, the second network mode is started by a default TBTT parameter, if the first network mode is started and does not work in the same channel with the second network mode, firstly, whether the second network mode is started by the default TBTT parameter and possibly conflicts with the TBTT parameter started and used by the first network mode is judged, if no conflict exists, the second network mode is still started by the default TBTT parameter, if possible conflict exists, the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode is adjusted, the purpose is to stagger the conflict of the TBTT in the first network mode and the second network mode, the running time proportion distributed to the double network mode by a time distribution module is dynamically determined according to the respective actual traffic in the double network mode of the first network mode and the second network mode, and therefore the traffic of the double network mode can be scheduled and run in a time-sharing and fragmentation mode, the signal receiving and transmitting efficiency is improved, and the services are not affected.

The first network mode and the second network mode include Soft AP mode, P2P mode, etc. the P2P mode includes P2P GO mode and P2P GC mode, which can be combined to derive many possible situations, and the TBTT collision problem can be solved by adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode. Specifically, a first network mode and a second network mode composed of the Soft AP mode and the P2P mode will be briefly described. Optionally, when the first network mode is the P2P mode and the second network mode is the Soft AP mode, if the TBTT parameter started by the Soft AP mode conflicts with the TBTT parameter of the P2P mode under the condition that the P2P mode is already started, the method for adjusting the start TBTT parameter and the start position of the Soft AP mode avoids the conflict, so as to ensure that the services of the Soft AP network mode and the P2P network mode can be scheduled and operated in a time-sharing and slice-sharing manner, and ensure that the services of the Soft AP network mode and the P2P network mode are not affected. Optionally, when the first network mode is a Soft AP mode and the second network mode is a P2P GO mode, if a TBTT parameter started in the P2P GO mode conflicts with a TBTT parameter started in the Soft AP mode under the condition that the Soft AP mode is started, the conflict is avoided by adjusting the TBTT parameter started in the P2P GO and the start position, so as to ensure that services in the Soft AP network mode and the P2P GO network mode can be scheduled and operated in a time-sharing and time-sharing manner, and ensure that services in both the Soft AP network mode and the P2PGO network mode are not affected. Optionally, when the first network mode is a Soft AP mode and the second network mode is a P2PGC mode, under the condition that the Soft AP mode is already started, if a TBTT parameter started by the P2P GC mode conflicts with a TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode, the P2P GC mode is still started at this time, and by using a method of dynamically adjusting the TBTT parameter and the position of the Soft AP, the conflict is avoided, so that it is ensured that services of the Soft AP network mode and the P2P GC network mode can be scheduled and operated in a time-sharing and slicing manner, and it is ensured that services of both the Soft AP network mode and the P2P GC network mode are not affected.

In this embodiment, the problem of determining whether there is a conflict between the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode is also involved. The embodiment may provide a determination manner, and if a distance between a target beacon transmission time in the second network mode and a target beacon transmission time in the first network mode is smaller than a target threshold, it is determined that a target beacon transmission time parameter in the second network mode conflicts with a target beacon transmission time parameter in the first network mode, where the target threshold is a minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module and may be a different value in different application scenarios. Because when the target beacon transmission time of the two network modes is very close, there is a situation that one network mode needs to transmit a broadcast frame and the other network mode needs to transmit and receive the broadcast frame through another channel, at this time, resource conflict is caused, and it is impossible to consider that services in the two network modes can be normally performed at the same time.

Optionally, after setting and adjusting the TBTT parameters of the first network mode and the second network mode, the second network mode is started under the condition that there is no conflict between the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode, so that the time slice can be reasonably allocated to the two modes by the time scheduling module, and the first network mode and the second network mode can implement simultaneous operation of the two network modes through time-division multiplexing resources under different operating channels without mutual interference, thereby greatly improving the signal transceiving efficiency, and even if there is a delay or jitter sensitive service in one of the two network modes or in both of the two network modes, the two network modes can also cope with the delay or jitter sensitive service.

Referring to fig. 3a, fig. 3a is a schematic flowchart illustrating another resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application.

301. A determination is made as to whether the P2P mode has been enabled.

When the P2P mode and the Soft AP mode coexist, it is necessary to determine whether the P2P mode is activated before activating the Soft AP mode. If the P2P mode is not started, the time scheduling module only needs to allocate a time slice to the Soft AP mode to be started to meet the service requirement, so that there is no resource conflict between the dual network modes, and the Soft AP mode can be started according to the default TBTT parameter, that is, the following step 305 is executed. If the P2P mode is already enabled, the TBTT parameters of the dual network mode may have a conflict problem, and it is specifically determined whether the P2P mode and the Soft AP mode are on the same channel, i.e., the following step 302 is executed.

302. And judging whether the P2P mode and the Soft AP mode are in the same channel.

If the P2P mode and the Soft AP mode coexist and the P2P mode is determined to be activated, it is necessary to continuously determine whether the P2P mode and the Soft AP mode are on the same channel. If the P2P mode and the Soft AP mode operate on the same channel, for a mobile terminal supporting coexistence of dual network modes, two modes on the same operating channel may share resources such as MAC, PHY, and RF, even if the P2P mode is activated, the two modes will not cause resource conflict with the Soft AP mode, and will not interfere with each other, and the Soft AP mode may be activated according to the default TBTT parameter, that is, the following step 305 is executed. If the P2P mode and the Soft AP mode do not work in the same channel, and the two modes can only use resources such as MAC, PHY, RF, etc. in a time-sharing and fragmentation manner, it is likely that the TBTT times of the Soft AP mode and the P2P mode are very close to each other, thereby causing a resource conflict problem, and therefore it is further determined whether the TBTT parameter of the P2P mode conflicts with the TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode, that is, the following step 303 is executed.

303. And judging whether the TBTT parameter of the P2P mode conflicts with the TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode.

Under the condition that the P2P mode and the Soft AP mode coexist and the P2P mode is started and the P2P mode and the Soft AP mode do not work in the same channel, whether the TBTT parameter of the P2P mode conflicts with the TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode needs to be judged. If there is no conflict in TBTT parameters between the dual network modes, the Soft AP mode may be started with the default TBTT parameters, i.e. the following step 305 is performed. If there is a conflict between the TBTT parameters of the dual network modes, the TBTT parameters of the SoftAP mode need to be adjusted to avoid the above conflict problem, so that the time scheduling module considers the TBTT times of the two network modes at the same time, i.e. the following step 304 is executed.

304. And adjusting the TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode.

By adjusting the method for starting the TBTT parameter and the starting position of the Soft AP mode, the aim is to stagger the periodic TBTT1 of the later-started Soft AP mode and the TBTT2 of the P2P mode, guarantee that a time scheduling module can schedule the moments of starting the TBTT1 and the TBTT2 in the subsequent service process, guarantee that both the Soft AP mode and the P2P mode can normally run, and provide service quality.

305. The Soft AP mode is initiated.

Fig. 3a is a schematic flow diagram of a resource scheduling method and a schematic structural diagram of the method, please refer to fig. 3b, and fig. 3b is a schematic structural diagram of a resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 3b, in the Soft AP mode and P2P mode coexistence system, the time scheduling module dynamically determines the running time ratio allocated to the Soft AP mode and the P2P mode according to the actual traffic of the Soft AP mode and the P2P mode, the black block area represents the running time allocated to the Soft AP mode, and the bar block area represents the running time allocated to the P2P mode, wherein the P2P mode includes the P2P GO mode and the P2P GC mode. Under the condition that the P2P mode is started and the P2P mode and the Soft AP mode are in different channels, the TBTT mark of the Soft AP mode is TBTT1 and the TBTT mark of the P2P mode is TBTT2, the transmission time of two target beacons is too close, the distance between the TBTT1 and the TBTT2 is smaller than the minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module, namely a target threshold value, and the time scheduling module cannot give consideration to the TBTT time of the two network modes at the same time, therefore, the TBTT1 time of the Soft AP mode needs to be adjusted to the target position TBTT1 ', the position of the TBTT2 is not changed, the distance between the TBTT1 and the TBTT2 is not smaller than the minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module, at the moment, the TBTT conflict between the Soft AP mode and the TBTT of the P2P mode is avoided, the time scheduling module can be ensured to be capable of scheduling TBTT 1' and TBTT2 times in the subsequent service process, the Soft AP mode and the P2P mode can be ensured to operate normally, and the.

Referring to fig. 4a, fig. 4a is a schematic flowchart illustrating another resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application.

401. And judging whether the Soft AP mode is started.

In the case where the P2P GO mode and Soft AP mode coexist, it is necessary to determine whether the Soft AP mode is activated before activating the P2P GO mode. If the Soft AP mode is not started, the time scheduling module only needs to allocate a time slice to the P2P GO mode to be started to meet the service requirement, so there is no resource conflict between the dual network modes, and the P2P GO mode can be started according to the default TBTT parameter, that is, the following step 405 is executed. If the Soft AP mode is already started, the TBTT parameters of the dual network mode may have a conflict problem, and it is specifically determined whether the P2P GO mode and the Soft AP mode are on the same channel, that is, the following step 402 is executed.

402. Whether the Soft AP mode and the P2P GO mode are in the same channel is judged.

Under the condition that the P2P GO mode and the Soft AP mode coexist and the Soft AP mode is judged to be started, whether the P2P GO mode and the Soft AP mode are on the same channel needs to be continuously judged. If the P2P GO mode and Soft AP mode work in the same channel, for a mobile terminal supporting coexistence of dual network modes, two modes on the same working channel can share resources such as MAC, PHY, RF, etc., even if the Soft AP mode is started, resource collision with the P2P GO mode will not occur, and there is no mutual interference, and the P2P GO mode can be started according to the default TBTT parameter, that is, the following step 405 is executed. If the P2P GO mode and the Soft AP mode do not work in the same channel, and the two modes can only use resources such as MAC, PHY, RF, etc. by time division and fragmentation, it is likely that the TBTT time of the Soft AP mode and the P2P GO mode are very close to each other, which may cause resource conflict problem, and therefore, it is further determined whether the TBTT parameter of the P2P GO mode conflicts with the TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode, that is, the following step 403 is executed.

403. And judging whether the TBTT parameter of the P2P GO mode conflicts with the TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode.

Under the condition that the P2P GO mode and the Soft AP mode coexist and the Soft AP mode is started and the P2P GO mode and the Soft AP mode do not work in the same channel, whether the TBTT parameter of the P2P GO mode conflicts with the TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode needs to be judged. If there is no conflict in TBTT parameters between the dual network modes, the P2P GO mode may be started with the default TBTT parameters, i.e. the following step 405 is performed. If there is a conflict between the TBTT parameters of the dual network modes, the TBTT parameters of the P2P GO mode need to be adjusted to avoid the above conflict problem, so that the time scheduling module considers the TBTT times of the two network modes at the same time, i.e. the following step 404 is executed.

404. Adjust the TBTT parameter of the P2P GO mode.

The method for starting the TBTT parameter and the starting position by adjusting the P2P GO mode aims to stagger the periodic TBTT2 of the later started P2PGO mode and the TBTT1 of the Soft AP mode, ensures that a time scheduling module can schedule the moments of starting the TBTT1 and the TBTT2 in the subsequent service process, ensures that both the Soft AP mode and the P2P GO mode can normally run, and provides service quality.

405. The P2P GO mode is initiated.

Fig. 4a is a schematic flow diagram of a resource scheduling method corresponding to a schematic structure diagram of the method, please refer to fig. 4b, and fig. 4b is a schematic structure diagram of a resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 4b, in the Soft AP mode and P2P GO mode coexistence system, the time scheduling module dynamically determines the running time ratio allocated to the Soft AP mode and the P2P GO mode according to the actual traffic of the Soft AP mode and the P2P GO mode, the black block area represents the running time allocated to the Soft AP mode, and the bar block area represents the running time allocated to the P2P GO mode. In the case where Soft AP mode has been enabled and P2P GO mode and Soft AP mode are on different channels, the TBTT label of the Soft AP mode is TBTT1, the TBTT label of the Soft AP mode is TBTT2, the TBTT label of the P2P GO mode is TBTT2, the distance between the TBTT1 and the TBTT2 is smaller than the minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module, i.e., the target threshold, the time schedule module cannot take into account the TBTT times of both network modes, therefore, the time of TBTT2 of the P2P GO mode needs to be adjusted to the target position TBTT 2', the position of TBTT1 is not changed, the distance between TBTT1 and TBTT2 is not less than the minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module, and at this time, the method avoids the TBTT conflict between the Soft AP mode and the P2P GO mode, ensures that the time scheduling module can schedule the moments of starting TBTT 1' and TBTT2 in the subsequent service process, ensures that both the Soft AP mode and the P2P GO mode can normally run, and provides service quality.

Referring to fig. 5a, fig. 5a is a schematic flowchart illustrating another resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application.

501. And judging whether the Soft AP mode is started.

In the case where the P2P GC mode and the Soft AP mode coexist, it is necessary to determine whether the Soft AP mode is activated before activating the P2P GC mode. If the Soft AP mode is not started, the time scheduling module only needs to allocate a time slice to the P2P GC mode to be started to meet the service requirement, so there is no resource conflict between the dual network modes, and the P2P GC mode can be started according to the default TBTT parameter, that is, the following step 505 is executed. If the Soft AP mode is already started, the TBTT parameters of the dual network mode may have a conflict problem, and it is specifically determined whether the P2P GC mode and the Soft AP mode are on the same channel, that is, the following step 502 is executed.

502. It is determined whether the Soft AP mode and the P2P GC mode are on the same channel.

When the P2P GC mode and the Soft AP mode coexist and the Soft AP mode is judged to be started, whether the P2P GC mode and the Soft AP mode are on the same channel needs to be continuously judged. If the P2P GC mode and the Soft AP mode operate on the same channel, for a mobile terminal supporting coexistence of dual network modes, two modes on the same operating channel can share resources such as MAC, PHY, RF, etc., and even if the Soft AP mode is started, resource collision with the P2P GC mode will not occur and will not interfere with each other, and the P2P GC mode can be started according to the default TBTT parameters, that is, the following step 505 is executed. If the P2P GC mode and the Soft AP mode do not work in the same channel, and the two modes can only use resources such as MAC, PHY, RF, etc. in a time-sharing and fragmentation manner, it is likely that the TBTT times of the Soft AP mode and the P2P GC mode are very close to each other, thereby causing a problem of resource collision, and therefore, it is further determined whether the TBTT parameter of the P2P GC mode collides with the TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode, that is, the following step 503 is executed.

503. And judging whether the TBTT parameter of the P2P GC mode conflicts with the TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode.

Under the condition that the P2P GC mode and the Soft AP mode coexist and the Soft AP mode is started and the P2P GC mode and the Soft AP mode do not work in the same channel, whether the TBTT parameter of the P2P GC mode conflicts with the TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode needs to be judged. If there is no conflict in the TBTT parameters between the dual network modes, the P2P GC mode may be started with the default TBTT parameters, i.e. the following step 505 is executed. If there is a conflict between the TBTT parameters of the dual network modes, the TBTT parameters of the P2P GC mode need to be adjusted to avoid the above conflict problem, so that the time scheduling module considers the TBTT times of the two network modes at the same time, i.e. the following step 504 is executed.

504. And adjusting the TBTT parameter of the Soft AP mode.

It should be noted that the processing flow of the P2P GC mode is completely different from that of the P2P GO mode at this time, because in the P2PGroup, only the P2P GO mode can determine the parameters of the TBTT, the P2P GC mode can only follow the parameter setting of the P2P GO mode, and the peer device P2P GO does not know and does not consider the dual network mode scenarios of the native Soft AP and P2P GC. Therefore, under the scene that the Soft AP mode is started after the P2P GC mode is started, the situation that the TBTT of the P2P GC mode conflicts with the TBTT of the Soft AP mode inevitably occurs, at this time, parameters such as the TBTT starting time or period at the starting time of the P2P GC mode cannot be modified, in order to stagger the periodic TBTT2 of the P2P GC mode which is started after the start and the TBTT1 of the Soft AP mode, the time scheduling module can be ensured to schedule the TBTT1 and TBTT2 times in the subsequent service process only by dynamically adjusting the parameters and the position of the TBTT of the Soft AP mode under the condition that the Soft AP mode is started, and the Soft AP mode and the P2P GC mode can both normally operate and provide service quality. When the TBTT position and period of the Soft AP mode are dynamically adjusted, the condition that the adjustment span of each time cannot be too large needs to be considered, if the TBTT position and period of the Soft AP mode exceed the Station processing range associated with the Soft AP mode, the situation that the Station loses Beacon or a data packet may occur, therefore, the TBTT position and period of the Soft AP mode need to be adjusted for multiple times, the Station of an opposite end needs to synchronously update new parameters for multiple times, and the influence on the existing service is avoided. After adjusting the TBTT parameter of Soft AP mode, it is determined whether the adjusted TBTT parameter of P2P GC mode conflicts with the TBTT parameter of Soft AP mode, i.e. the process jumps back to step 503. If there is a conflict, continue to execute step 504, adjust the TBTT parameter of Soft AP mode, and loop in this way until it is determined that there is no conflict between the TBTT parameter of P2PGC mode after a certain adjustment and the TBTT parameter of Soft AP mode, start the process for P2P GC, that is, execute the following step 505.

505. The P2P GC mode is initiated.

Fig. 5a is a schematic flow diagram of a resource scheduling method corresponding to a schematic structure diagram of the method, please refer to fig. 5b, and fig. 5b is a schematic structure diagram of a resource scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 5b, in the Soft AP mode and P2P GC mode coexistence system, the time scheduling module dynamically determines the running time ratio allocated to the Soft AP mode and the P2P GC mode according to the actual traffic of the Soft AP mode and the P2P GC mode, the black block area represents the running time allocated to the Soft AP mode, and the bar block area represents the running time allocated to the P2P GC mode. Under the condition that the Soft AP mode is started and the P2P GC mode and the Soft AP mode are in different channels, the transmission moments of two target beacons, namely a TBTT1 marker of the Soft AP mode and a TBTT2 marker of the P2P GC mode are too close to each other, the distance between the TBTT1 and the TBTT2 is smaller than the minimum scheduling overhead of the time scheduling module, namely a target threshold value, and the time scheduling module cannot give consideration to the TBTT time of the two network modes at the same time. At this time, the processing flow of the P2P GC mode is completely different from that of the P2P GO mode, because in the P2P Group, only the P2P GO mode can determine the parameters of the TBTT, the P2P GC mode can only follow the parameter setting of the P2PGO mode, and the peer device P2P GO does not know and does not consider the dual network mode scenarios of the native Soft AP and P2P GC. Therefore, in the scenario that the Soft AP mode is turned on after the P2P GC mode is turned on, the collision between the TBTT of the P2P GC mode and the TBTT of the Soft AP mode inevitably occurs. At this time, parameters such as the TBTT starting time or period at the starting time of the GC mode of P2P cannot be modified, and in order to make the periodic TBTT2 of the later-started GC mode of P2P deviate from the TBTT1 of the Soft AP mode, the parameters and the position of the TBTT of the Soft AP mode can be dynamically adjusted only when the Soft AP mode is started, the TBTT position of the Soft AP mode is dynamically adjusted from TBTT1 to TBTT1 ', the TBTT period is dynamically adjusted from TBTT1 to TBTT1 ', and the new period of the TBTT of the Soft AP mode is made to deviate from the TBTT1 ' of the time position TBTT2 of the P2P GC mode. When the TBTT position and period of the Soft AP mode are dynamically adjusted, the condition that the adjustment span of each time cannot be too large needs to be considered, if the TBTT position and period of the Soft AP mode exceed the Station processing range associated with the Soft AP mode, the situation that the Station loses Beacon or a data packet may occur, therefore, the TBTT position and period of the Soft AP mode need to be adjusted for multiple times, the Station of an opposite end needs to synchronously update new parameters for multiple times, and the influence on the existing service is avoided. After multiple adjustments, the time scheduling module can schedule the moments of starting TBTT1 and TBTT2 in the subsequent service process, so that both Soft AP and P2PGC dual-network modes can normally operate, and the service quality is provided.

The method of the embodiments of the present application is set forth above in detail and the apparatus of the embodiments of the present application is provided below.

Referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a resource scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device includes: an adjustment unit 61. Wherein:

the adjusting unit 61 is configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode when the first network mode is started and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode conflicts with the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode.

Further, the above apparatus further comprises:

and a judging unit 62, configured to judge that a distance between the target beacon transmission time in the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time in the first network mode is smaller than a target threshold.

Further, the above apparatus further comprises:

a starting unit 63, configured to start the second network mode when there is no conflict between the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode.

Further, the adjusting unit 61 is specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode when the first network mode is the peer-to-peer P2P mode and the second network mode is the wireless access point mode.

Further, the adjusting unit 61 is specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode when the first network mode is the wireless access point mode and the second network mode is the peer-to-peer group owner peer P2P GO mode.

Further, the adjusting unit 61 is specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time period and the target beacon transmission time position of the second network mode at least once until a distance between the target beacon transmission time of the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time of the first network mode is not less than a target threshold.

Further, the adjusting unit 61 is specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode when the first network mode is the wireless access point mode and the second network mode is the peer-to-peer group client P2P GC mode.

Further, the adjusting unit 61 is specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time period and the target beacon transmission time position in the wireless access point mode at least once until a distance between the target beacon transmission time in the wireless access point mode and the target beacon transmission time in the peer-to-peer group client P2P GC mode is not less than a target threshold.

According to the embodiment of the present application, each step involved in the method executed by the terminal in fig. 2, fig. 3a, fig. 4a, and fig. 5a may be executed by each unit in the apparatus shown in fig. 6. For example, 301 shown in FIG. 3a is performed by 62 shown in FIG. 6; as another example, 401 shown in fig. 4a is performed by 62 shown in fig. 6.

According to the embodiment of the present application, the units in the apparatus shown in fig. 6 may be respectively or entirely combined into one or several other units to form a structure, or some unit(s) therein may be further split into multiple functionally smaller units to form a structure, which may achieve the same operation without affecting the achievement of the technical effect of the embodiment of the present application. The units are divided based on logic functions, and in practical application, the functions of one unit can be realized by a plurality of units, or the functions of a plurality of units can be realized by one unit. In other embodiments of the present application, the terminal-based terminal may also include other units, and in practical applications, these functions may also be implemented by being assisted by other units, and may be implemented by cooperation of multiple units.

Based on the description of the method embodiment and the device embodiment, the embodiment of the application further provides a schematic structural diagram of the terminal. As shown in fig. 7, the terminal 700 corresponds to the terminal in the above-described embodiment, and the terminal 700 may include: at least one processor 701, e.g., a CPU, at least one network interface 704, a user interface 703, a memory 705, at least one communication bus 702. Wherein a communication bus 702 is used to enable connective communication between these components. The user interface 703 may include a display screen (display) and an input device, and the optional user interface 703 may also include a standard wired interface and a standard wireless interface. The network interface 704 may optionally include a standard wired interface, a wireless interface (e.g., WI-FI interface). The memory 705 may be a high-speed RAM memory or a non-volatile memory (e.g., at least one disk memory). The memory 705 may optionally also be at least one storage device located remotely from the processor 701. As shown in fig. 7, the memory 705, which is a type of computer storage medium, may include therein an operating system, a network communication module, a user interface module, and a device control application program.

In the terminal 700 shown in fig. 7, the network interface 704 is mainly used for connecting other terminal devices; the user interface 703 is mainly used as an interface for providing input to the user; and processor 701 may be used to invoke a device control application stored in memory 705 to implement: adjusting a target beacon transmission time parameter of a first network mode or a target beacon transmission time parameter of a second network mode if the first network mode has been activated and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode conflicts with the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode. It should be understood that the terminal 700 may perform the operations performed by the terminal in the foregoing embodiments, such as the operations performed by the terminal in fig. 2.

Further, here, it is to be noted that: an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, where a computer program executed by the aforementioned terminal is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program includes program instructions, and when the processor executes the program instructions, the description of the resource scheduling method in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 2, or fig. 3a, or fig. 4a, or fig. 5a can be performed, so that details are not repeated here. In addition, the beneficial effects of the same method are not described in detail. For technical details not disclosed in embodiments of the computer-readable storage medium referred to in the present application, reference is made to the description of embodiments of the method of the present application.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the processes of the methods of the embodiments described above can be implemented by a computer program, which can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, can include the processes of the embodiments of the methods described above. The storage medium may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), or the like.

The above disclosure is only for the purpose of providing examples, and it is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, so that the claims and their equivalents will fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling resources, comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conflict between the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode comprises:

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein after adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode, further comprising:

4. The method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode comprises:

5. The method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode comprises:

adjusting a target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode when the first network mode is a wireless access point mode and the second network mode is a peer-to-peer group owned peer-to-peer (P2 PGO) mode.

6. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode comprises:

7. The method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode or the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode comprises:

adjusting a target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode when the first network mode is a wireless access point mode and the second network mode is a peer-to-peer group client P2PGC mode.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the adjusting the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode comprises:

9. A resource scheduling apparatus, comprising:

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

11. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10, further comprising:

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11,

the adjusting unit is specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode when the first network mode is the peer-to-peer P2P mode and the second network mode is the wireless access point mode.

13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11,

the adjusting unit is specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time parameter of the second network mode when the first network mode is a wireless access point mode and the second network mode is a peer-to-peer group owner end P2P GO mode.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 or 13,

the adjusting unit is specifically further configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time period and the target beacon transmission time position in the second network mode at least once until a distance between the target beacon transmission time in the second network mode and the target beacon transmission time in the first network mode is not less than a target threshold.

15. The apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11,

the adjusting unit is specifically configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time parameter of the first network mode when the first network mode is a wireless access point mode and the second network mode is a peer-to-peer group client P2P GC mode.

16. The apparatus of claim 15,

the adjusting unit is specifically further configured to adjust the target beacon transmission time period and the target beacon transmission time position in the wireless access point mode at least once until a distance between the target beacon transmission time in the wireless access point mode and the target beacon transmission time in the peer-to-peer group client P2PGC mode is not less than a target threshold.

17. An electronic device, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 8.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon one or more instructions adapted to be loaded by the processor and to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 8.