CN114071511A

CN114071511A - Method, access point and station for managing color of basic service set

Info

Publication number: CN114071511A
Application number: CN202111174464.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李彦淳; 李云波
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-10-31
Filing date: 2016-10-31
Publication date: 2022-02-18
Also published as: CN108012278B9; CN108012278B; CN114071512A; CN108012278A

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a method for managing a BSS Color, which comprises the following steps: the AP sends an indication message to the STA, wherein the indication message is used for indicating the STA to set the BSS Color to be a first BSS Color, and the indication message carries the first BSS Color; the AP receives a confirmation message sent by the STA according to the indication message, wherein the confirmation message is used for indicating the STA to confirm that the BSS Color is set as the first BSS Color; and the AP communicates with the STA by adopting the first BSS Color according to the confirmation message. According to the method for managing the BSS Color, after the AP receives the confirmation message of the STA, the first BSS Color can be adopted to communicate with the STA, so that the packet loss rate of the STA can be reduced, the power waste is reduced, and the space reuse rate is improved.

Description

Method, access point and station for managing color of basic service set

The application is a divisional application of an invention application with the application date of 2016, 10 and 31, the application number of China being 201610929463.5 and the name of 'method for managing colors of basic service sets, access point and station'.

Technical Field

The embodiment of the invention relates to the field of communication, in particular to a method for managing Basic Service Set (BSS) color (color), an Access Point (AP) and a Station (STA).

Background

The BSS color domain carries the BSS color. The BSS color belongs to an identifier of a BSS, and is used to assist a station STA to identify a source of a received Physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), i.e., whether the STA comes from the BSS or an Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS). Due to the limited number of bits of the BSS Color, the BSS Color may be repeated in a location with dense APs, so that the STA cannot distinguish the source of the received PPDU. When the STA cannot distinguish the source of the received PPDU, the STA may miss the packet sent by the AP of the BSS, thereby causing the STA to lose the packet and waste power. For another example, when the STA cannot distinguish the source of the received PPDU, the STA may consider that the received packet is from the BSS, so that the STA may not perform spatial multiplexing, resulting in a low spatial multiplexing rate.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a method for managing a BSS Color, which can reduce the packet loss rate of an STA, reduce the waste of power and improve the space reuse rate.

In a first aspect, a method for managing a basic service set Color, BSS Color, is provided, including: an Access Point (AP) sends an indication message to a Station (STA), wherein the indication message is used for indicating the STA to set a BSS Color of a first BSS to which the AP belongs as the first BSS Color, and the indication message carries the first BSS Color which is used for identifying a Basic Service Set (BSS); the AP receives a confirmation message sent by the STA according to the indication message, wherein the confirmation message is used for indicating the STA to confirm that the BSS Color is set as the first BSS Color; and the AP communicates with the STA by adopting the first BSS Color according to the confirmation message.

In the method for managing the BSS Color according to the embodiment of the present invention, the AP instructs the STA to set the BSS Color through the indication message, and after receiving the confirmation message of the STA, the AP may communicate with the STA by using the updated BSS Color (i.e., the first BSS Color) instead of using the previous BSS Color (i.e., the second BSS Color) to communicate with the STA.

In the scenario where the BSS Color of the BSS is the same as the BSS Color of the OBSS, the solution in the prior art is that the AP indicates the new BSS Color and the start time of the new BSS Color to the STA associated therewith. The AP and STA start using the new BSS Color only at the start time of enablement, and both adopt the previous BSS Color before the start time of enablement. However, this scheme fails to solve the problem of BSS Color collision during the period from the BSS Color collision to the start of the activation of a new BSS Color, thereby affecting the normal transmission and spatial reuse rates of the AP and the STAs. According to the method for managing the BSS Color, the AP and the STA do not need to wait for the starting time of starting the new BSS Color to start the new BSS Color, so that the packet loss rate of the STA caused by BSS Color conflict can be reduced, the waste of power is reduced, and the space reuse rate can be improved.

In one possible implementation, before the access point AP sends the indication message to the station STA, the method may further include: the AP determines that a second BSS Color of a first BSS to which the current identification AP belongs is the same as a BSS Color of an OBSS (on-board service set) of the identification first BSS.

The method for managing the BSS Color according to the embodiment of the present invention may be performed when the BSS Color of the first BSS is the same as the BSS Color of the OBSS, or may be performed periodically or aperiodically. When the method is applied to the scene that the BSS colors of the first BSS and the OBSS are the same, the AP firstly needs to confirm that the BSS colors of the first BSS and the OBSS are the same, and then sends an indication message to the STA to indicate the STA to set the BSS colors as the first BSS colors.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the AP, that a second BSS Color of a first BSS to which the current identification AP belongs is the same as a BSS Color of an overlapping basic service set OBSS of the first BSS includes:

when the AP receives the first downlink physical layer protocol data unit PPDU and the BSS Color carried by the first downlink PPDU is the second BSS Color, or

When the AP receives the second downlink PPDU, the BSS Color carried by the second downlink PPDU is the second BSS Color, and there is no Device to Device (D2D) transmission in the first BSS, or

When the AP receives an uplink response message responding to the first trigger frame sent by the non-AP and the BSS Color carried by the uplink response message is the second BSS Color, or

When the AP receives the second trigger frame and the BSS Color carried by the second trigger frame is the second BSS Color, or when the AP receives the first beacon frame and the BSS Color carried by the first beacon frame is the second BSS Color,

the AP determines that the first BSS Color is the same as the BSS Color identifying the OBSS.

By the method, the AP can determine that the first BSS Color is the same as the BSS Color of the OBSS. In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the AP, that a second BSS Color of a first BSS to which the current identification AP belongs is the same as a BSS Color of an overlapping basic service set OBSS of the first BSS includes: the AP receives a conflict report sent by the STA, wherein the conflict report is used for indicating that the BSS Color of the OBSS is identified as a second BSS Color; and the AP determines that the first BSS Color is the same as the BSS Color identifying the OBSS according to the conflict report.

The implementation mode is that the STA discovers that the first BSS Color is the same as the BSS Color identifying the OBSS, and sends a conflict report to the AP. The AP may determine from the collision report that the first BSS Color is the same as the BSS Color identifying the OBSS.

Optionally, the collision report may include a BSS Color of the OBSS. It should be understood that there may be one or more OBSSs for the first BSS. When the BSS Color of the first BSS is the same as the BSS Color of any OBSS, the STA sends a collision report to the AP, which may include the BSS colors of all OBSSs of the first BSS. After the first BSS acquires the BSS colors of all the OBSS, when the first BSS is set, the conflict between the first BSS Color and the BSS colors of all the OBSS is avoided as much as possible.

Optionally, the collision report may further include a BSS Color of the OBSS, a BSSID of the OBSS, and a correspondence between the BSSID and the BSS Color. In this way, in the case where the first BSS Color is not sufficient to be different from BSS colors of all OBSSs, the first BSS may set the new BSS Color to be the BSS Color of the OBSS having the smallest or smaller overlap with the AP coverage, that is, the first BSS Color.

In one possible implementation, the sending, by the access point AP, the indication message to the station STA includes: the AP broadcasts a second beacon frame, wherein a Media Access Control (MAC) Service Data Unit (MSDU) of the second beacon frame carries a first BSS Color; wherein, the AP receiving the acknowledgement message sent by the STA according to the indication message includes: and the AP receives the confirmation message sent by the STA according to the second beacon frame, wherein the value of the BSS Color domain of the confirmation message is the first BSS Color.

In one possible implementation, the sending, by the access point AP, the indication message to the station STA includes: the AP sends a third trigger frame to the STA, the third trigger frame is used for triggering the STA to adopt the first BSS Color to carry out uplink transmission, and an MSDU of the third trigger frame carries the first BSS Color; wherein, the AP receiving the acknowledgement message sent by the STA according to the indication message includes: and the AP receives a response data frame sent by the STA according to the third trigger frame, wherein the value of the BSS Color domain of the response data frame is the first BSS Color.

In a possible implementation manner, the MAC frame header of the indication message includes a first field and a second field, a value in the first field is used to indicate that the second field is a BSS Color value field, a value in the second field is a first BSS Color, or an MSDU of the indication message carries a second BSS Color; wherein, the AP receiving the acknowledgement message sent by the STA according to the indication message includes: the AP receives an Acknowledgement (ACK) frame transmitted by the STA according to the indication message.

In one possible implementation manner, the AP receiving the acknowledgement message sent by the STA according to the third beacon frame includes: and the AP receives a probe request frame or an association request frame sent by the STA according to the third beacon frame, wherein the probe response frame or the association request frame is used for indicating the STA to confirm that the BSS Color is set as the first BSS Color.

In one possible implementation, before the access point AP sends the indication message to the station STA, the method may further include: the AP receives a detection request frame sent by the STA; wherein, the access point AP sends an indication message to the station STA, including: the AP sends a detection response frame to the STA according to the detection request frame, wherein the detection response frame is used for indicating the STA to set the BSS Color to be a first BSS Color, and the detection response frame carries the first BSS Color; wherein, the AP receiving the acknowledgement message sent by the STA according to the indication message includes: and the AP receives an association request frame sent by the STA according to the probe response frame, wherein the association request frame is used for indicating the STA to confirm that the BSS Color is set as the first BSS Color.

In one possible implementation, the sending, by the access point AP, the indication message to the station STA includes:

the AP sends an indication message to the STA and starts a timer; the method further comprises the following steps: and the AP deactivates the second BSS Color after the timer is overtime.

When the AP sends the indication message to the STA, the AP starts a timer at the same time. If all STAs associated with the AP receive the indication message before the timer has not expired, and all transmit an acknowledgement message to the AP. Then the AP will employ the first BSS Color and deactivate the second BSS Color when communicating with all STAs associated with it. Before the timer is not overtime, if there is an STA which does not receive the indication message or an STA which receives the indication message but does not reply the confirmation message in all STAs associated with the AP, the AP still communicates with the STA which does not receive the indication message or the STA which receives the indication message but does not reply the confirmation message by using the second BSS Color before the timer is overtime, and communicates with the STA which replies the confirmation message by using the first BSS Color. And after the timer is overtime, the AP stops using the second BSS Color and adopts the first BSS Color to communicate with all the STAs associated with the first BSS Color. By the method, the packet loss rate of the STA caused by BSS Color conflict can be further reduced, the waste of power is reduced, and the space reuse rate can be improved.

In a second aspect, a method for managing a basic service set Color, BSS Color, is provided, including: a station STA receives an indication message sent by an access point AP, wherein the indication message is used for indicating the STA to set a BSS Color of a first BSS to which the AP belongs as the first BSS Color, and the indication message carries the first BSS Color which is used for identifying a basic service set BSS; the STA sends a confirmation message to the AP according to the indication message, wherein the confirmation message is used for indicating the STA to confirm that the BSS Color is set as the first BSS Color; and the STA communicates with the AP by adopting the first BSS Color.

In a possible implementation manner, before the station STA receives the indication message sent by the access point AP, the method may further include: the STA determines that a second BSS Color of a first BSS to which the current identification AP belongs is the same as a BSS Color of an OBSS (on-Board service set) of the identification first BSS; and the STA sends a collision report to the AP, wherein the collision report is used for indicating that the BSS Color of the OBSS is identified as a second BSS Color to the AP.

In one possible implementation manner, the determining, by the STA, that a second BSS Color of a first BSS to which the current identification AP belongs is the same as a BSS Color of an overlapping basic service set OBSS that identifies the first BSS includes:

when the STA receives the first message, the BSS Color domain of the first message is the second BSS Color, and the value in the source address field of the first message is different from the MAC address of the AP stored by the STA, or

When the STA receives the second message, the BSS Color domain of the second message is the second BSS Color, the value in the source address field of the second message is different from the MAC address of the AP stored by the STA, and the signal strength of the second message is greater than the preset threshold value,

the STA determines that the first BSS Color is the same as the BSS Color identifying the OBSS.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving, by a station STA, an indication message sent by an access point AP includes: the STA receives a beacon frame broadcasted by the AP, and a Media Access Control (MAC) service data unit (MSDU) of the beacon frame carries a first BSS Color; wherein, the STA sends the acknowledgement message to the AP according to the indication message, including: and the STA sends a confirmation message to the AP according to the beacon frame, wherein the value of the BSS Color domain of the confirmation message is the first BSS Color. It is to be understood that the beacon frame herein is the second beacon frame described in the first aspect.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving, by a station STA, an indication message sent by an access point AP includes: the method comprises the steps that an STA receives a trigger frame sent by an AP, the trigger frame is used for triggering the STA to adopt a first BSS Color to carry out uplink transmission, and an MSDU of the trigger frame carries the first BSS Color; wherein, the STA sends the acknowledgement message to the AP according to the indication message, including: and the STA sends a response data frame to the AP according to the trigger frame, wherein the value of the BSS Color domain of the response data frame is the first BSS Color. It should be understood that the trigger frame herein is the third trigger frame described in the first aspect.

In a possible implementation manner, the MAC frame header or MSDU of the indication message includes a first field and a second field, a value in the first field is used to indicate that the second field is a BSS Color value field, a value in the second field is a first BSS Color, or the MSDU of the indication message carries a second BSS Color; wherein, the STA sends the acknowledgement message to the AP according to the indication message, including: and the STA sends an Acknowledgement (ACK) frame to the AP according to the indication message.

In one possible implementation, the STA sending the acknowledgement message to the AP according to the beacon frame includes: and the STA sends a probe request frame or an association request frame to the AP according to the beacon frame, wherein the probe response frame or the association request frame is used for indicating the STA to confirm that the BSS Color is set as the first BSS Color.

In a possible implementation manner, before the station STA receives the indication message sent by the access point AP, the method may further include: the STA sends a detection request frame to the AP; the method for receiving the indication message sent by the access point AP by the station STA includes: the STA receives a detection response frame sent by the AP according to the detection request frame, wherein the detection response frame is used for indicating the STA to set the BSS Color to be a first BSS Color, and the detection response frame carries the first BSS Color; wherein, the STA sends the acknowledgement message to the AP according to the indication message, including: and the STA sends an association request frame to the AP according to the probe response frame, wherein the association request frame is used for indicating the STA to confirm that the BSS Color is set as the first BSS Color.

In a third aspect, an access point AP is provided for performing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect. In particular, the access point AP comprises means for performing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, a station STA is provided for performing the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect. In particular, the station STA comprises means for performing the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

In a fifth aspect, an access point AP is provided that includes a receiver, a transmitter, a processor, a memory, and a bus system. The receiver, the transmitter, the processor and the memory are connected through a bus system, the memory is used for storing instructions, and the processor is used for executing the instructions stored in the memory so as to control the receiver to receive signals and control the transmitter to transmit signals. And when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

In a sixth aspect, a station STA is provided that includes a receiver, a transmitter, a processor, a memory, and a bus system. The receiver, the transmitter, the processor and the memory are connected through a bus system, the memory is used for storing instructions, and the processor is used for executing the instructions stored in the memory so as to control the receiver to receive signals and control the transmitter to transmit signals. And when executed by a processor, perform the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided for storing a computer program comprising instructions for performing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium for storing a computer program comprising instructions for performing the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method of managing BSS Color according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an access point AP of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a station STA of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an access point AP according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a station STA according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

The embodiment of the invention can be applied to Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), and the standard adopted by the WLAN at present is IEEE802.11 series. The WLAN may include multiple BSSs, where the network node in the BSSs is an STA, and the STA includes an Access Point (AP) class Station and a non-Access Point (non-AP) class Station. Each BSS may contain an AP and a plurality of non-AP STAs associated with the AP.

The embodiment of the invention takes the communication between the STA and the AP as an example, and can also be used for the communication between the STA and the STA.

An AP is also referred to as a wireless access point or hotspot, etc. The AP is an access point for a mobile subscriber to enter a wired network, and is mainly deployed in a home, a building, and a campus, and typically has a coverage radius of several tens of meters to hundreds of meters, and may be deployed outdoors. The AP acts as a bridge connecting the network and the wireless network, and mainly functions to connect the wireless network clients together and then to access the wireless network to the ethernet. Specifically, the AP may be a terminal device or a network device with a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) chip. Optionally, the AP may be a device supporting 802.11ax standard, and further optionally, the AP may be a device supporting multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11 a.

The non-AP STA can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor or a wireless communication terminal. For example: the mobile phone supporting the WiFi communication function, the tablet computer supporting the WiFi communication function, the set top box supporting the WiFi communication function, the smart television supporting the WiFi communication function, the smart wearable device supporting the WiFi communication function, the vehicle-mounted communication device supporting the WiFi communication function and the computer supporting the WiFi communication function. Optionally, the station may support an 802.11ax system, and further optionally, the station supports multiple WLAN systems such as 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11 a.

802.11ax introduces BSS color as an identifier of the BSS to assist the receiving STA in identifying the source of the received PPDU, e.g., from the own OBSS or from the OBSS, so that the STA may employ a spatially multiplexed channel access mechanism or otherwise save power.

A High efficiency signaling field (HE-SIG) in the PPDU contains a BSS color field (currently, the standard specifies 6 bits, that is, an available BSS color value is an integer value between 0 and 63) for indicating the BSS color of the transmission frame. Generally, the BSS color is set by the AP. After the AP selects the BSS color of the BSS, the AP informs all STAs of the BSS of the selected BSS color value. All STAs of the BSS use the BSS color when sending PPDU, i.e., the value of the BSS color field is set to the BSS color. Typically, a BSS has only one BSS color. BSS colors of different BSSs are set by respective APs, and theoretically, BSS colors of different BSSs are different. Therefore, after receiving a PPDU, an STA can determine whether the received PPDU is from the BSS or the OBSS by reading the BSS color domain. However, there are exceptions. For example, in a location with a dense AP, BSS Color repetition may occur due to the limited number of bits of the BSS Color, so that the STA cannot distinguish the source of the received PPDU.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, BSS1 includes AP101, STA103, and STA 104. The OBSS of BSS1 is BSS2, and BSS2 includes AP102 and STA 105. STA103 is located in an overlapping area in the coverage areas of AP101 and AP 102.

Under the condition that BSS colors of BSS1 and BSS2 collide, that is, BSS colors of BSS1 and BSS2 are the same, when STA103 detects that a certain PPDU is in a single-user downlink packet format or downlink from an extended mode, STA103 considers that AP101 may be transmitting for it because STA103 does not carry an Identification (ID) of STA103, and then STA103 receives this packet. Alternatively, when the STA103 detects that a certain PPDU is a multi-user downlink packet whose header (e.g., HE-SIG-B) contains the ID of the STA103, the STA103 also considers that the AP101 may be transmitting for the certain PPDU, and then the STA103 receives the certain PPDU. If the PPDU is actually transmitted by the AP102, it may cause the STA103 to miss the downlink packet of the real AP 101. For another example, if a certain PPDU is actually a single-user uplink, a distance extension mode uplink, or a multi-user uplink packet that does not include the ID of the STA103 and is transmitted by the STA105, since the PPDU does not carry the ID of the STA103, the STA103 considers that the AP101 is participating in communication with the STA104, and the STA103 sleeps during this period, so that the STA103 misses the downlink packet of the real AP 101. In summary, in the case that BSS colors of BSS1 and BSS2 are the same, the STA103 may receive and decode PPDU of the AP102 or the STA105, so that the STA103 misses downlink packets of the real AP101, and normal transmissions of the STA103 and the AP101 are affected. In addition, in the case where BSS colors of BSS1 and BSS2 are the same, STA103 may consider that the received packet actually from BSS2 is from BSS1, so that STA103 does not perform spatial multiplexing, resulting in low spatial multiplexing rate.

In case of BSS Color conflicts, the prior art solution is for the AP to indicate the new BSS Color and the start time of the enablement of the new BSS Color to the STAs associated with it. The AP and STA start using the new BSS Color only at the start time of enablement, and both adopt the previous BSS Color before the start time of enablement. However, this scheme fails to solve the problem of BSS Color collision during the period from the BSS Color collision to the start of the activation of a new BSS Color, thereby affecting the normal transmission and spatial reuse rates of the AP and the STAs.

Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention provides a method for managing BSS Color, and the method for managing BSS Color according to the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below.

Fig. 2 illustrates a method of managing BSS Color according to an embodiment of the present invention.

At S210, the AP transmits an instruction message to STA # i among STAs #1 to # m associated therewith. i belongs to [1, n ], n is more than or equal to 1, and n is less than or equal to m.

Specifically, before the AP sends the indication message, the BSS Color of the BSS (i.e., the present BSS) in which the AP and the STAs #1 to # m are located is the second BSS Color, and the AP and the STAs #1 to # m transmit using the second BSS Color. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the BSS in which the AP and the STAs #1 to # m are located is referred to as a first BSS. It can be understood that, when the AP and the STAs #1 to # m transmit using the second BSS Color, it means that when the AP and the STAs #1 to # m transmit, the values of the BSS Color fields of the PPDUs sent by the AP or the STAs are all the first BSS Color. In some cases, for example, when the BSS Color of the first BSS and the OBSS of the first BSS are the same, or when the AP needs to change the BSS Color regularly or irregularly, the AP may instruct the STA # i to set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color by sending an indication message carrying the first BSS Color. In other words, the AP instructs STA # i to adopt the first BSS Color and stop using the second BSS Color when communicating with it by transmitting an instruction message to some or all of STAs #1 to # m.

It should be understood that the indication message in the embodiment of the present invention may be a broadcast message or a unicast message.

S220, STA # i, upon receiving the indication message, transmits an acknowledgement message to the AP. The acknowledgement message is used to instruct the STA # i to acknowledge setting the BSS Color to the first BSS Color.

Specifically, the STA # i indicates to the AP that the STA # i has set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color by transmitting an acknowledgement message to the AP after receiving the indication message. In other words, the STA # i indicates that the STA # i will adopt the first BSS Color when interacting with the AP by sending the acknowledgement message, and the STA # i can recognize the downlink transmission initiated by the AP by adopting the first BSS Color.

And S230, the AP communicates with the STA # i by adopting the first BSS Color according to the confirmation message.

Specifically, the AP may confirm that the STA # i has successfully received the indication message through the confirmation message, and may confirm that the STA # i has set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color. Then the AP communicating with said STA # i will adopt the first BSS Color and not use the second BSS Color anymore.

In the method for managing the BSS Color according to the embodiment of the invention, the AP instructs the STA to set the BSS Color through the indication message, and after the AP receives the confirmation message of the STA, the AP can communicate with the STA by adopting the updated BSS Color (namely, the first BSS Color) instead of the previous BSS Color (namely, the second BSS Color). Therefore, under the scene that the BSS Color of the BSS is the same as the BSS Color of the OBSS, the method for managing the BSS Color can reduce the packet loss rate of the STA, reduce the waste of power and improve the space reuse rate.

Alternatively, for S210 and S220, the AP and the STA may perform in the following several ways. In the following, several ways of the AP transmitting the indication message and the STA transmitting the acknowledgement message will be described in detail.

In a first mode

The AP sends an indication message to the STA by broadcasting the second beacon frame, and the STA sends a confirmation message to the AP after receiving the second beacon frame.

Specifically, the AP may transmit an indication message to the STA # i through a broadcast beacon frame (referred to as a second beacon frame herein for convenience of distinction and description) carrying the first BSS Color. Since STA # i can currently recognize only the physical header of the BSS Color field with the value of the first BSS Color, the AP may indicate a new BSS Color to STA # i by carrying the first BSS Color in the MSDU of the second beacon frame. After receiving the second beacon frame, the STA # i may obtain the first BSS Color by parsing the MSDU and store the first BSS Color. After the STA # i sets the BSS Color to the first BSS Color, it indicates that the STA # i has set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color by transmitting an acknowledgement message to the AP. Thereafter, the AP communicates with STA # i using the first BSS Color.

Mode two

The AP sends an indication message by sending a third trigger frame to the STA, and the STA sends a confirmation message to the AP after receiving the third trigger frame.

Specifically, the AP may instruct the STA # i to perform uplink transmission using the first BSS Color through a downlink trigger frame (here, a third trigger frame). Similarly, referring to the first embodiment, since STA # i can only currently identify that the value of the physical BSS Color field is the physical header of the first BSS Color, the AP may instruct STA # i to set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color by carrying the first BSS Color in the MSDU of the third trigger frame. After receiving the third trigger frame, STA # i may obtain the first BSS Color by parsing the MSDU. And then, the STA # i responds to the trigger of the AP and initiates uplink transmission to the AP by adopting the first BSS Color. That is, the STA # i transmits an acknowledgement message that the value of the BSS Color field is the first BSS Color to the AP in response to the trigger of the AP, indicating that the STA # i has set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color. Thereafter, the AP communicates with STA # i using the first BSS Color.

Mode III

The AP may instruct the STA to set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color by sending an indication message carrying the BSS Color type value and the BSS Color value in the MAC frame header or MSDU to the STA. After receiving the indication message, the STA confirms to the AP that the STA has set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color by sending an acknowledgement ACK frame to the AP.

Specifically, if two fields in the protocol definition reserved field can respectively represent the BSS Color type field and the BSS Color value field, the AP can instruct the STA to set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color by setting the two fields. For convenience of description, the two fields described above may be referred to as a first field and a second field, respectively, where the first field may be used to indicate a BSS Color type, and the second field may be used to indicate a BSS Color value. For example, if the value in the first field is 0, the value in the second field is the BSS Color value. Then, the AP may instruct the STA # i to set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color by setting the value in the first field to 0 and the value in the second field to the first BSS Color in the indication message. STA # i receives the indication message, and can acquire the first BSS Color by parsing the first field and the second field. Subsequently, STA # i replies with an ACK frame indicating that it correctly received the indication message. The AP may determine that the STA # i has set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color from the ACK frame. Thereafter, the AP communicates with STA # i using the first BSS Color.

It should be understood that the ACK frame may or may not be encapsulated by the first BSS Color, which is not particularly limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

The method is as follows: the AP may instruct the STA to set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color by carrying an indication message of the first BSS Color in the MSDU. After receiving the indication message, the STA sends an Acknowledgement (ACK) frame to the AP.

Specifically, the indication message may be an Operation Mode Notification (Operation Mode Notification) frame, where the MSDU of the Operation Mode Notification frame may carry the first BSS Color. After receiving the behavior pattern indication frame sent by the AP, the STA # i may obtain the first BSS Color by parsing the MSDU in the behavior pattern indication frame. Subsequently, STA # i replies with an ACK frame indicating that it correctly received the indication message. The AP may determine that the STA # i has set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color from the ACK frame. Thereafter, the AP communicates with STA # i using the first BSS Color.

Optionally, when the method for managing a BSS Color according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied in the same scenario as the BSS Color of the BSS and the BSS Color of the OBSS, before S210, the method further includes: the AP determines that the second BSS Color currently identifying the first BSS is the same as the BSS Color identifying the overlapping OBSS of the first BSS. When the AP determines that the BSS Color of the BSS, i.e., the OBSS of the first BSS, is the second BSS Color, the AP may send an indication message to the STA # i, instructing the STA # i to set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color.

Optionally, the AP may determine the BSS Color of the OBSS as the second BSS Color by itself. Specifically, the AP may determine the BSS Color of the OBSS as the second BSS Color in any of the following cases.

Situation one

When the AP receives the first downlink PPDU, the BSS Color carried by the first downlink PPDU is the second BSS Color.

Specifically, the AP may determine that the first PPDU is a downlink PPDU according to the physical header of the first PPDU, and because the first PPDU is a downlink PPDU, the AP considers that the first PPDU is a PPDU transmitted by an AP of an OBSS, rather than being transmitted by an STA in the first BSS. If the value of the BSS Color field of the first PPDU is the second BSS Color, then the AP may determine that the BSS Color of the OBSS is also the second BSS Color.

Situation two

When the AP receives the second downlink PPDU, the BSS Color carried by the second downlink PPDU is the second BSS Color, and no device-to-device D2D transmission exists in the first BSS.

Specifically, the AP may determine that the second PPDU is a downlink PPDU according to the physical header of the second PPDU, and because the second PPDU is a downlink PPDU, the AP may consider that the second PPDU is a PPDU transmitted by the AP of the OBSS, rather than being transmitted by the STA in the first BSS. Further, if there is no device-to-device D2D transmission in the first BSS, the AP may further confirm that the second PPDU is a PPDU sent by the AP of the OBSS. And when the AP detects that the value of the BSS Color domain of the second PPDU is the second BSS Color, the AP can determine that the BSS Color of the OBSS is the second BSS Color.

It should be understood that, in the above description, the first PPDU and the second PPDU may be the same PPDU or different PPDUs, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

Situation three

And when the AP receives an uplink response message responding to the first trigger message which is not sent by the AP, the BSS Color carried by the uplink response message is the second BSS Color.

Specifically, the AP can determine whether the received uplink response message is an uplink response message in response to the trigger message sent by the AP. For ease of understanding and distinction, the trigger message sent by the AP in the present BSS is referred to as a first trigger message. In this embodiment of the present invention, if the uplink response message received by the AP is not an uplink response message in response to the first trigger message sent by the AP, the AP may determine that the uplink response message is a trigger message sent by an AP in an OBSS, and the uplink response message is sent by an STA in the OBSS. And if the value of the BSS Color field of the uplink response cancellation is the second BSS Color, the AP may determine that the BSS Color of the OBSS is the second BSS Color.

Situation four

And when the AP receives the second trigger frame, the BSS Color carried by the second trigger frame is the second BSS Color.

Specifically, the AP may determine, according to the physical header of the second trigger frame, that the second trigger frame is a downlink message, and further may determine that the second trigger frame is a downlink message sent by the AP in the OBSS, instead of a message sent by the STA in the BSS to the AP. If the value of the BSS Color field of the second trigger frame is the second BSS Color, the AP may determine that the BSS Color of the OBSS is the second BSS Color.

Situation five

When the AP receives the first beacon frame, the BSS Color carried by the first beacon frame is the second BSS Color.

Specifically, the AP may determine, according to the physical header of the first beacon frame, that the first beacon frame is a beacon frame sent by the AP in the OBSS. If the AP detects that the value of the BSS Color domain of the first beacon frame is the second BSS Color, the AP can determine that the BSS Color of the OBSS is the second BSS Color.

Optionally, the STA # j may send the collision report to the AP when determining that the BSS Color of the OBSS of the BSS to which the AP belongs is the second BSS Color. The AP may determine the BSS Color of the OBSS as the second BSS Color based on the collision report.

It is to be understood that the STA # j may be any one of the STAs #1 to # m. That is, in the embodiment of the present invention, as long as any STA associated with the AP detects that the BSS Color of the OBSS is the second BSS Color, the AP may determine that the BSS Color of the present BSS is the same as the BSS Color of the OBSS. Generally, STA # j is an STA in an overlapping area in the coverage areas of the AP and the AP in the OBSS.

Specifically, when the STA # j receives a first message using the BSS Color field with a value of a second BSS Color, and the value in the source address field of the first message is different from the MAC address of the AP stored by the STA, the STA # j may determine that the BSS Color of the OBSS of the BSS to which the AP belongs is the second BSS Color. In detail, the MAC address of the downlink message transmitted by the AP to the STA # j should be the MAC address stored by the STA # j. When STA # j detects that the MAC address in the first message is different from the MAC address stored by STA # j, STA # j may determine that the first message was not transmitted by the AP, but should be transmitted by the AP of the OBSS. STA # j, upon discovering the BSS Color collision problem, may send a collision report to the AP, informing the AP that the BSS Color of the OBSS of that BSS is also the second BSS Color,

further, the STA # j may further send a collision report to the AP when detecting that the signal strength of the first message is greater than the preset threshold. Specifically, when the signal strength of a downlink packet received by the STA # j is less than the threshold, the STA # j regards that the packet is not transmitted from the AP and discards the packet. When the signal intensity of the packet (e.g., the first message) received by the STA # j is greater than the preset threshold, the STA # j considers that the packet is possibly transmitted by the AP, and thus parses the packet. And when the STA # j determines that the first message is not transmitted by the AP according to the MAC address, it may be determined that the first message is transmitted by the AP of the OBSS. At this time, the STA # AP transmits a collision report to notify the AP that the BSS Color of the OBSS of the BSS is also the second BSS Color.

By way of example and not limitation, the collision report may include a BSS Color of the OBSS. It should be understood that there may be one or more OBSSs. When the BSS Color of the first BSS is the same as the BSS Color of any OBSS, the STA sends a collision report to the AP, which may include the BSS colors of all OBSSs of the first BSS. After the first BSS acquires the BSS colors of all the OBSS, when the first BSS is set, the conflict between the first BSS Color and the BSS colors of all the OBSS is avoided as much as possible.

Further, the collision report may also include the BSSID of the OBSS and the correspondence of the BSSID with the BSS Color. Because BSS Color is limited, when the first BSS Color cannot be different from the BSS colors of all OBSSs, after the AP learns the BSS colors of all OBSSs and the BSSIDs of the OBSSs, and when the BSS Color of the present BSS is reset, the BSS Color may be set to the BSS Color of the OBSS having the smallest or smaller overlapping area with the coverage area of the AP, that is, the first BSS Color.

It should be understood that the MAC address stored by STA # j may be one or more. When the MAC address is plural, the MAC address corresponds to the STA packet one to one. Each STA packet includes one or more STAs from STA #1 to STA # m. The STA grouping technique may refer to the prior art and will not be described in detail herein for the sake of brevity.

Alternatively, the AP may start the timer at the same time when transmitting the indication message to the STA. After the timer expires, the AP deactivates the second BSS Color.

Specifically, the AP starts a timer at the same time when transmitting the indication message to the STA. If the indication messages are received by all the STAs #1 to # m before the timer is not timed out, the confirmation messages are sent to the AP. Then, the AP will use the first BSS Color and deactivate the second BSS Color when communicating with STA #1 to STA # m. Before the timer is not overtime, if there is an STA which does not receive the indication message or an STA which receives the indication message but does not reply the confirmation message in the STAs # 1-STAs # m, the AP still communicates with the STA which does not receive the indication message by adopting the second BSS Color or the STA which receives the indication message but does not reply the confirmation message by adopting the first BSS Color to communicate with the STA # i before the timer is overtime. And after the timer is overtime, the AP stops using the second BSS Color and adopts the first BSS Color to communicate with the STAs # 1-STA # m.

Alternatively, the AP may instruct the STA # i to set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color by a method of migrating the STA # i to the reconstructed BSS by reconstructing the BSS Color as the BSS of the first BSS Color.

By way of example and not limitation, the indication message may be the third beacon frame described above. After receiving the third beacon frame carrying the first BSS Color, STA # i may re-associate with the AP. The STA # i may indicate that the STA # i has set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color by transmitting a probe request frame to the AP or by transmitting an association request frame to the AP.

By way of example and not limitation, STA # i may first send a probe request frame to the AP requesting association with the AP. Upon receiving the probe request frame transmitted by STA # i, the AP replies a probe response frame to the AP. The BSS Color carried by the probe response frame is the first BSS Color. And after the STA # i receives the probe response frame, setting the BSS Color as the first BSS Color. And requests association with the AP by transmitting an association request frame to the AP while indicating to the AP that the STA # i has set the BSS Color to the first BSS Color.

The method for managing BSS Color according to the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail above with reference to fig. 1 and 2. Hereinafter, an apparatus for managing a BSS Color according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 3 to 6.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of an access point AP 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the access point AP 300 includes: a transmitting unit 310, a receiving unit 320 and a communication unit 330.

A sending unit 310, configured to send an indication message to a station STA, where the indication message is used to indicate the STA to set a basic service set Color BSS Color to a first BSS Color, where the indication message carries the first BSS Color, and the BSS Color is used to identify a basic service set BSS.

A receiving unit 320, configured to receive a confirmation message sent by the STA according to the indication message, where the confirmation message is used to instruct the STA to confirm that the BSS Color is set as the first BSS Color;

a communication unit 330, configured to communicate with the STA by using the first BSS Color according to the acknowledgement message received by the receiving unit 320.

The units of the access point AP 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention and the other operations or functions described above are respectively corresponding flows executed by the access point AP in order to implement the above-described method. For brevity, no further description is provided herein.

Therefore, the AP according to the embodiment of the present invention instructs the STA to set the BSS Color through the indication message, and after the AP receives the acknowledgement message of the STA, the AP may use the updated BSS Color (i.e., the first BSS Color) to communicate with the STA instead of using the previous BSS Color (i.e., the second BSS Color) to communicate with the STA.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a station STA 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 4, the station STA 400 includes: a receiving unit 410, a transmitting unit 420 and a communication unit 430.

A receiving unit 410, configured to receive an indication message sent by an access point AP, where the indication message is used to indicate the STA to set a basic service set Color BSS Color to a first BSS Color, where the indication message carries the first BSS Color, and the BSS Color is used to identify a basic service set BSS.

A sending unit 420, configured to send, according to the indication message received by the receiving unit, an acknowledgement message to the AP, where the acknowledgement message is used to indicate the STA to confirm that the BSS Color is set as the first BSS Color;

a communication unit 430, configured to communicate with the AP by using the first BSS Color.

The units and other operations or functions of the station STA 400 according to the embodiment of the present invention are respectively corresponding processes performed by the station STA in order to implement the above method. For brevity, no further description is provided herein.

Therefore, the STA according to the embodiment of the present invention sets the BSS Color according to the indication message of the AP, and replies the acknowledgement message to the AP, so that the AP can communicate with the STA using the updated BSS Color (i.e., the first BSS Color) after receiving the acknowledgement message, instead of using the previous BSS Color (i.e., the second BSS Color) to communicate with the STA.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an access point AP 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 5, the access point AP 500 includes: a receiver 510, a transmitter 520, a processor 530, a memory 540, and a bus system 550. Wherein the receiver 510, the transmitter 520, the processor 530 and the memory 540 are connected by a bus system 550, the memory 540 is used for storing instructions, and the processor 530 is used for executing the instructions stored in the memory 540 to control the receiver 510 to receive signals and control the transmitter 520 to transmit signals.

A transmitter 520, configured to send an indication message to a station STA, where the indication message is used to indicate the STA to set a basic service set Color BSS Color to a first BSS Color, where the indication message carries the first BSS Color, and the BSS Color is used to identify a basic service set BSS.

A receiver 510, configured to receive an acknowledgement message sent by the STA according to the indication message, where the acknowledgement message is used to indicate that the STA acknowledges that the BSS Color is set as the first BSS Color.

And a processor 530, which communicates with the STA by using the first BSS Color according to the acknowledgement message.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the processor 530 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and the processor 530 may also be other general-purpose processors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, and the like. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

The memory 540 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor 530. A portion of memory 540 may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, memory 540 may also store device type information.

The bus system 550 may include a power bus, a control bus, a status signal bus, and the like, in addition to a data bus. For clarity of illustration, however, the various buses are designated in the figure as bus system 550.

In implementation, the steps of the above method may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware or instructions in the form of software in the processor 530. The steps of the method for managing the BSS Color according to the embodiment of the present invention may be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module may be located in ram, flash memory, rom, prom, or eprom, registers, etc. storage media as is well known in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory 540, and the processor 530 reads the information in the memory 540, and completes the steps of the method in combination with the hardware thereof. To avoid repetition, it is not described in detail here.

The units in the access point AP 500 according to the embodiment of the present invention and the other operations or functions described above are respectively for executing the corresponding flows executed by the access point AP in the above-described method. For brevity, no further description is provided herein.

Therefore, the AP of the embodiment of the present invention instructs the STA to set the BSS Color through the indication message, and after the AP receives the acknowledgement message of the STA, the AP may communicate with the STA using the updated BSS Color (i.e., the first BSS Color) instead of using the previous BSS Color (i.e., the second BSS Color) to communicate with the STA. In addition, according to the access point AP, the AP and the STA of the embodiment of the invention, the new BSS Color does not need to be started up when the starting time of the new BSS Color is started, so that the packet loss rate of the STA caused by the conflict of the BSS colors can be reduced, the waste of power is reduced, and the space reuse rate can be improved.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a station STA600 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6, the station STA600 includes: a receiver 610, a transmitter 620, a processor 630, a memory 640, and a bus system 650. Wherein the receiver 610, the transmitter 620, the processor 630 and the memory 640 are connected by a bus system 650, the memory 640 is used for storing instructions, and the processor 630 is used for executing the instructions stored in the memory 640 to control the receiver 610 to receive signals and control the transmitter 620 to transmit signals.

A receiver 610, configured to receive an indication message sent by an access point AP, where the indication message is used to indicate the STA to set a basic service set Color BSS Color to a first BSS Color, where the indication message carries the first BSS Color, and the BSS Color is used to identify a basic service set BSS.

A transmitter 620, configured to transmit an acknowledgement message to the AP according to the indication message received by the receiving unit, where the acknowledgement message is used to indicate the STA to confirm that the BSS Color is set as the first BSS Color.

A processor 630, configured to communicate with the AP using the first BSS Color.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the processor 630 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and the processor 630 may also be other general-purpose processors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or the like. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

The memory 640 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor 630. A portion of the memory 640 may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory 640 may also store device type information.

The bus system 650 may include a power bus, a control bus, a status signal bus, and the like, in addition to a data bus. For clarity of illustration, the various buses are designated in the figure as the bus system 650.

In implementation, the steps of the above method may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware or instructions in the form of software in the processor 630. The steps of the method for managing the BSS Color according to the embodiment of the present invention may be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module may be located in ram, flash memory, rom, prom, or eprom, registers, etc. storage media as is well known in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory 640, and the processor 630 reads the information in the memory 640 and performs the steps of the above method in combination with the hardware thereof. To avoid repetition, it is not described in detail here.

Each unit and the other operations or functions described above in the station STA600 according to an embodiment of the present invention are respectively for performing the corresponding processes performed by the station in the above-described method. For brevity, no further description is provided herein.

Therefore, the STA according to the embodiment of the present invention sets the BSS Color according to the indication message of the AP, and replies the acknowledgement message to the AP, so that the AP can communicate with the STA using the updated BSS Color (i.e., the first BSS Color) after receiving the acknowledgement message, instead of using the previous BSS Color (i.e., the second BSS Color) to communicate with the STA. In addition, according to the access point AP, the AP and the STA of the embodiment of the invention, the new BSS Color does not need to be started up when the starting time of the new BSS Color is started, so that the packet loss rate of the STA caused by the conflict of the BSS colors can be reduced, the waste of power is reduced, and the space reuse rate can be improved.

It should be understood that the term "and/or" herein is merely one type of association relationship that describes an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.

It should be understood that, in the various embodiments of the present invention, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

Claims

1. A method for managing a basic service set Color, BSS Color, comprising:

the access point AP determines that a second BSS Color of a first BSS to which the AP belongs is identified currently is the same as a BSS Color of an OBSS (on-board service set) identifying the first BSS;

the AP sends an indication message to a Station (STA), wherein the indication message is used for indicating the STA to set a BSS Color of a first BSS to which the AP belongs as the first BSS Color, the indication message carries the first BSS Color, and the BSS Color is used for identifying a Basic Service Set (BSS);

the AP communicates with the STA by adopting the first BSS Color;

the AP determines that a second BSS Color of a first BSS to which the AP belongs is currently identified is the same as a BSS Color of an OBSS (basic service set) of the first BSS, and the method comprises the following steps:

the AP receives a conflict report sent by the STA, wherein the conflict report is used for indicating that the BSS Color of the OBSS is identified as the second BSS Color;

and the AP determines that the second BSS Color is the same as the BSS Color identifying the OBSS according to the conflict report.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the AP determining that a second BSS Color currently identifying a first BSS to which the AP belongs is the same as a BSS Color of an Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) of the first BSS, comprises:

when the AP receives a first downlink physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) and the BSS Color carried by the first downlink PPDU is the second BSS Color, or

When the AP receives the second downlink PPDU, the BSS Color carried by the second downlink PPDU is the second BSS Color, and there is no device-to-device D2D transmission in the first BSS, or

When the AP receives an uplink response message responding to a first trigger frame which is not sent by the AP and the BSS Color carried by the uplink response message is the second BSS Color, or

When the AP receives a second trigger frame and the BSS Color carried by the second trigger frame is the second BSS Color, or

When the AP receives a first beacon frame and the BSS Color carried by the first beacon frame is the second BSS Color,

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the access point AP sends an indication message to the station STA, comprising:

and the AP broadcasts a second beacon frame, wherein the second beacon frame carries the first BSS Color.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the access point AP sends an indication message to the station STA, comprising:

and the AP sends a third trigger frame to the STA, wherein the third trigger frame is used for triggering the STA to adopt the first BSS Color to carry out uplink transmission, and the third trigger frame carries the first BSS Color.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the access point AP sends an indication message to the station STA, comprising:

the AP sends the indication message to the STA and starts a timer;

the method further comprises the following steps:

and the AP deactivates the second BSS Color after the timer is overtime.

6. An access point, AP, comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send an indication message to a station STA, where the indication message is used to indicate the STA to set a basic service set Color, BSS Color, of a first BSS to which the AP belongs, to the first BSS Color, where the indication message carries the first BSS Color, and the BSS Color is used to identify a basic service set BSS;

a communication unit, configured to communicate with the STA by using the first BSS Color according to the acknowledgment message received by the receiving unit;

a determining unit, further configured to determine that a second BSS Color currently identifying a first BSS to which the AP belongs is the same as a BSS Color identifying an overlapping basic service set OBSS of the first BSS;

the receiving unit is configured to receive a collision report sent by the STA, where the collision report is used to indicate that a BSS Color of the OBSS is identified as the second BSS Color;

the determining unit is specifically configured to:

and determining that the second BSS Color is the same as the BSS Color identifying the OBSS according to the conflict report.

7. The AP of claim 6, wherein the receiving unit receives the request when it receives the request

A first downlink physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, and when the BSS Color carried by the first downlink PPDU is the second BSS Color, or

A second downlink PPDU, wherein the BSS Color carried by the second downlink PPDU is the second BSS Color, and when no device in the first BSS transmits to the device D2D, or

Responding to an uplink response message of a first trigger frame, which is not sent by the AP, and when the BSS Color carried by the uplink response message is the second BSS Color, or

A second trigger frame, and when the BSS Color carried by the second trigger frame is the second BSS Color, or

A first beacon frame, and when the BSS Color carried by the first beacon frame is the second BSS Color,

the determination unit is configured to determine that the first BSS Color is the same as a BSS Color identifying the OBSS.

8. The AP of claim 6 or 7, wherein the sending unit is specifically configured to:

broadcasting a second beacon frame, wherein the second beacon frame carries the first BSS Color.

9. The AP of claim 6 or 7,

the sending unit is specifically configured to:

and sending a third trigger frame to the STA, wherein the third trigger frame is used for triggering the STA to adopt the first BSS Color to carry out uplink transmission, and the third trigger frame carries the first BSS Color.

10. The AP of claim 6 or 7, wherein the sending unit is specifically configured to:

sending the indication message to the STA, and starting a timer;

the AP further comprises:

and the processing unit is used for deactivating the second BSS Color after the timer is overtime.