CN115720367A

CN115720367A - Direct link communication method, device, equipment and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN115720367A
Application number: CN202211444851.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李金桦; 吴昊; 尹蕾
Original assignee: Yibin Jimi Photoelectric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Yibin Jimi Photoelectric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-11-18
Filing date: 2022-11-18
Publication date: 2023-02-28

Abstract

The invention discloses a direct link communication method, a direct link communication device, a direct link communication equipment and a storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: the method comprises the steps that the first equipment obtains resource configuration used by a direct connection link between the first equipment and the second equipment from the third equipment; the method comprises the steps that a first device sends a first message to a second device, wherein the first message comprises resource configuration information used for indicating resource configuration used by a direct connection link; and the first equipment and the second equipment transmit data on the direct connection link according to the resource configuration used by the direct connection link. The invention manages the resources of the direct connection links among a plurality of terminals through one device (such as an access point) in a unified way, so that the resources for different direct connection links are different, and the competition conflict among different direct connection links is reduced.

Description

Direct link communication method, device, equipment and storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to a method, an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium for direct link communication.

Background

The 802.11be system, also called an Extra High Throughput (EHT) system, enhances functionality through a series of system features and a variety of mechanisms to achieve extra High Throughput. As the use of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) continues to grow, it becomes increasingly important to provide wireless data services in many environments, such as homes, businesses, and hot spots. In particular, video traffic will continue to be the dominant type of traffic in many WLAN deployments. With the advent of 4k and 8k video (uncompressed rates of 20 Gbps), the throughput requirements for these applications are constantly evolving. New high throughput, low latency applications such as virtual reality or augmented reality, gaming, remote offices, and cloud computing will proliferate (e.g., latency for real-time gaming below 5 milliseconds).

In view of the high throughput and stringent real-time latency requirements of these applications, users expect higher throughput, higher reliability, less latency and jitter, and higher power efficiency when supporting their applications over a WLAN. The 802.11be system aims to ensure the competitiveness of WLAN by further increasing overall throughput and reducing latency, while ensuring backward compatibility and coexistence with legacy technology standards. 802.11 compatible devices operating in the 2.4GHz,5GHz and 6GHz bands.

Disclosure of Invention

The terminals can establish a direct connection link, also called a direct connection link, to reduce data transmission transfer links, improve transmission rate and reduce transmission delay. The multilink terminal can establish a plurality of direct connection links, and the transmission rate is improved to a greater extent and the transmission delay is reduced by simultaneously using the multilink technology and the direct connection link technology. However, only one terminal and another terminal are supported to establish a direct link, and with the enrichment and expansion of applications, one terminal may need to establish multiple direct links with multiple terminals, which requires more coordination to reduce competition conflicts among different direct links. In view of this, the present invention provides a direct link communication method, apparatus, device and storage medium.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a direct link communication method, including:

the method comprises the steps that a first device sends a direct connection link resource request message to a third device, wherein the direct connection link resource request message is used for requesting resource configuration used by a direct connection link between the first device and a second device from the third device, and the resource configuration comprises at least one of frequency configuration and time configuration;

the method comprises the steps that a first device receives a direct connection link resource response message sent by a third device, wherein the direct connection link resource response message indicates resource configuration used by a direct connection link between the first device and a second device;

a first device sends a first message to a second device, wherein the first message comprises resource configuration information, and the resource configuration information is used for indicating resource configuration used by a direct link between the first device and the second device;

and the first equipment transmits data with the second equipment on the direct link according to the resource configuration used by the direct link between the first equipment and the second equipment.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes:

the first equipment sends a direct connection link establishment request message to the second equipment to request the establishment of a direct connection link with the second equipment;

the first device receives a direct link establishment response message from the second device, wherein the direct link establishment response message indicates whether the request is approved.

In a possible implementation manner, the direct link establishment request message includes resource configuration information.

In a possible implementation manner, the first message is a direct link establishment request message, and after the first device sends the first message to the second device, the method further includes:

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes:

the method comprises the steps that a first device receives resource scheduling information sent by a third device, wherein the resource scheduling information is used for indicating new resource configuration used by a direct link between the first device and a second device;

and the first equipment transmits data with the second equipment on the direct connection link according to the resource scheduling information.

In a possible implementation manner, before the first device sends the direct link establishment request message to the second device, the method further includes:

the first equipment sends a direct connection link discovery request message to the second equipment;

the first device receives a direct link discovery response message from a second device, wherein the direct link discovery response message indicates at least one of resources which can be used by the second device for the direct link and resources which cannot be used by the second device for the direct link;

the first device obtains, from the third device, a resource configuration used by the direct link between the first device and the second device according to at least one of the resources that the second device can use for the direct link and the resources that the second device cannot use for the direct link, which are indicated in the direct link discovery response message.

In a possible implementation manner, the direct connection link discovery request message indicates at least one of resources that the first device may use for the direct connection link and resources that the first device cannot use for the direct connection link, so that the second device determines the resources that may be used for the direct connection link.

In a possible implementation manner, the direct connection link resource request message includes an identifier of the first device, an identifier of the second device, and resource configuration information.

In a possible implementation manner, the direct link resource request message further indicates a resource allocation mode, where the resource allocation mode includes at least one of dynamic allocation and semi-static allocation;

the first device and the second device transmit data on the direct link according to the resource configuration used by the direct link between the first device and the second device, wherein the data transmission comprises at least one of the following items:

if the resource allocation mode is dynamic allocation, the first device and the second device transmit data on the direct link at a specified frequency or/and within a specified time duration; when data needs to be transmitted next time, the first device sends the direct link resource request message to the third device again;

if the resource allocation pattern is semi-static allocation, the first device periodically transmits data with the second device on a direct link on a specified frequency; and if the resource scheduling information sent by the third equipment is received and indicates new resource configuration, transmitting data on the direct connection link with the second equipment by using the new resource configuration.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a direct link communication method, including:

the method comprises the steps that a first device reads direct connection link resource pool information from a broadcast message sent by a third device, and resources meeting requirements are selected to serve as resource configuration used by a direct connection link between the first device and a second device according to the direct connection link resource pool information;

In a possible implementation manner, the first message is a direct link establishment request message; alternatively, the method further comprises:

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a direct link communication method, including:

the second device receives a first message from the first device, wherein the first message contains resource configuration information, the resource configuration information is used for indicating resource configuration used by a direct link between the first device and the second device, and the resource configuration comprises at least one of frequency configuration and time configuration;

and the second equipment transmits data with the first equipment on the direct link according to the resource configuration used by the direct link between the first equipment and the second equipment.

In a possible implementation manner, the first message is a direct link establishment request message, and after the second device receives the first message from the first device, the method further includes:

and the second equipment sends a direct connection link establishment response message to the first equipment, wherein the direct connection link establishment response message indicates whether the request is approved or not.

In one possible implementation manner, before the second device receives the first message from the first device, the method further includes:

the second device receives a direct link discovery request message from the first device;

if the direct connection link discovery request message indicates at least one of resources which can be used by the first device for the direct connection link and resources which cannot be used by the first device for the direct connection link, the second device determines the resources which can be used for the direct connection link according to the direct connection link discovery request message, and sends the determined indication of the resources which can be used for the direct connection link to the first device in a direct connection link discovery response message; otherwise, the second device determines at least one of the resources available for the direct link and the resources unavailable for the direct link according to the configuration of the second device, and includes an indication of the determined at least one of the resources available for the direct link and the resources unavailable for the direct link in the direct link discovery response message to send the indication to the first device.

In a possible implementation manner, the first message further indicates a resource allocation mode, where the resource allocation mode includes at least one of dynamic allocation and semi-static allocation;

the second device transmits data on the direct link with the first device according to the resource configuration used by the direct link between the first device and the second device, wherein the data comprises at least one of the following items:

if the resource allocation mode indicated in the first message is dynamic allocation, the second device transmits data with the first device on the direct link on a specified frequency or/and within a specified time duration; when data needs to be transmitted next time, the second device sends a direct connection link resource request message to the third device, and requests the third device for resource configuration used by a direct connection link between the first device and the second device;

if the resource allocation pattern indicated in the first message is a semi-static allocation, the second device periodically transmits data on the direct link with the first device on a designated frequency; and if the resource scheduling information sent by the third equipment or the first equipment is received and indicates new resource configuration, transmitting data on the direct connection link with the first equipment by using the new resource configuration.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a direct link communication device, including a direct link communication module, where the direct link communication module is configured to perform the following steps:

sending a direct connection link resource request message to a third device through a first device, wherein the direct connection link resource request message is used for requesting resource configuration used by a direct connection link between the first device and a second device from the third device, and the resource configuration comprises at least one of frequency configuration and time configuration;

receiving, by a first device, a direct connection link resource response message sent by a third device, where the direct connection link resource response message indicates a resource configuration used by a direct connection link between the first device and a second device;

sending a first message to a second device through a first device, wherein the first message comprises resource configuration information, and the resource configuration information is used for indicating resource configuration used by a direct link between the first device and the second device;

and transmitting data with the second equipment on the direct link through the first equipment according to the resource configuration used by the direct link between the first equipment and the second equipment.

In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a direct link communication device, including a direct link communication module, where the direct link communication module is configured to perform the following steps:

reading direct connection link resource pool information from a broadcast message sent by third equipment through first equipment, and selecting a resource meeting requirements as resource configuration used by a direct connection link between the first equipment and second equipment according to the direct connection link resource pool information;

In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a direct link communication device, including a direct link communication module, where the direct link communication module is configured to perform the following steps:

receiving, by a second device, a first message from a first device, where the first message includes resource configuration information, where the resource configuration information is used to indicate a resource configuration used by a direct link between the first device and the second device, and the resource configuration includes at least one of a frequency configuration and a time configuration;

and transmitting data with the first equipment on the direct link through the second equipment according to the resource configuration used by the direct link between the first equipment and the second equipment.

In a seventh aspect, the present invention provides an electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the method of the first aspect, the second aspect or the third aspect.

In an eighth aspect, the invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method of the first or second or third aspect.

In a ninth aspect, the invention provides a computer program product comprising computer readable code, or a non-transitory computer readable storage medium carrying computer readable code, which when run in an electronic device, a processor in the electronic device performs the method of the first or second or third aspect.

It should be noted that the apparatus in the fourth aspect is configured to execute the method in the foregoing first aspect, the apparatus in the fifth aspect is configured to execute the method in the foregoing second aspect, the apparatus in the sixth aspect is configured to execute the method in the foregoing third aspect, the electronic device in the seventh aspect, the storage medium in the eighth aspect, and the computer program product in the ninth aspect are configured to execute the method in the foregoing first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, and therefore the same beneficial effects as those of the method in the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect may be achieved, and the present invention is not repeated again.

The invention manages the resources of the direct connection links among a plurality of terminals through one device (such as the access point) in a unified way, and the terminals can negotiate the resources of the direct connection links with the access point, so that the resources of different direct connection links are different, and the competition conflict among different direct connection links is reduced.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a direct link communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make those skilled in the art better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention. While the present disclosure has been described in terms of one or more exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that each aspect of the disclosure can be implemented as a separate entity, or entity. The embodiments described below and the features of the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

In the embodiments of the present invention, "at least one" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more. For the convenience of clearly describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, in the embodiments of the present invention, the words "first", "second", and the like are used for distinguishing the same items or similar items with basically the same functions and actions, and those skilled in the art can understand that the words "first", "second", and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, are used for illustrating and distinguishing the description objects, do not divide the order, do not represent the special limitation on the quantity of the devices or the messages in the embodiments of the present invention, and do not constitute any limitation on the embodiments of the present invention. The term "comprising" is used to indicate the presence of the features hereinafter claimed, but does not exclude the addition of further features.

First, briefly explaining the multilink technology related to the present invention, in a multilink scenario, generally, one physical device may include a plurality of logical entities, where the physical device may refer to devices such as a mobile phone, a television, a projector, and the like, and the logical entity may refer to a logical unit in the physical device, and belongs to a virtual function module. Each logical entity can independently manage data transmission and reception, and each logical entity independently operates on one link, and such a physical device is called a Multi-link device (MLD).

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the communication system includes a terminal TX STA, an access point AP and a terminal RX STA, wherein the access point AP is connected with the terminal TX STA and the terminal RX STA, respectively.

It should be understood that fig. 1 is only an architecture diagram of a communication system, and the number, types, and the like of devices in the communication system are not limited in the embodiment of the present invention, for example, more terminals or access points may be included, and the terminals and the access points may be multi-link devices or single-link devices. Further, those skilled in the art will understand that the term "access point" (AP) according to the present application may also be used to describe an access port or any other access point capable of receiving and transmitting wireless signals within a network architecture in accordance with the principles and functions described herein, and thus, the use of an access point is merely exemplary.

With reference to fig. 1, a direct link may be established between the terminal TX STA and the terminal RX STA, and the TX STA is assumed to be an initiating terminal and the RX STA is assumed to be a responding terminal in the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a direct link communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the direct link communication method includes the following steps:

s201, before the initiating terminal TX STA needs to establish a direct link, acquiring, from the AP, a resource configuration for the direct link with the responding terminal RX STA. Specific acquisition modes include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

1) The TX STA can read the direct link resource pool information from the broadcast message sent by the AP, and selects the resource meeting the requirement from the resource pool as the resource configuration used by the direct link. Illustratively, the direct link resource pool in the broadcast message includes at least one parameter, TDLSresource, each TDLSresource containing the following parameters:

RU allocation: frequency;

time allocation: time;

expiration time: an expiration time, valid before this time.

The frequency and the time may be either one or both, as long as the resources used by different direct links are different. It should be noted that, here, a frequency resource may refer to a sub-resource in a channel, one channel may be grouped into smaller sub-channels, which are referred to as RUs (resource units), and one channel may be divided into RUs of different sizes according to the number of sub-carriers, and the resource units used may be indicated by the frequency configuration information instead of the channels, so that the entire frequency space may be avoided to be used more effectively.

It should be understood that the direct link resource pool in the broadcast message is dynamic, and if the original direct link resource pool includes 4 parameters TDLSresource1, TDLSresource2, TDLSresource3, and TDLSresource4, when the AP detects that there is a resource configuration indicated by the terminal using TDLSresource1, the AP includes 3 parameters TDLSresource2, TDLSresource3, and TDLSresource4 in the direct link resource pool in its broadcast message; if the AP detects that the resource configuration indicated by the TDLSresource1 is released again, the direct link resource pool in its broadcast message contains 4 parameters TDLSresource1, TDLSresource2, TDLSresource3, and TDLSresource4, so that the resources used by different direct links can be made different.

2) The TX STA requesting AP allocation specifically includes:

2.1 the TX STA sends a direct link resource request message (e.g., a TDLSresourcerequest message) to the AP requesting resources from the AP for the direct link with the RX STA. Illustratively, the direct link resource request message includes the following parameters:

link info: the direct link information comprises the identification of the TX STA and the identification of the RX STA, such as the address of the TX STA and the address of the RX STA;

resource allocation mode: resource allocation patterns, such as dynamic allocation or semi-static allocation;

RU allocation: frequency configuration information set according to a resource allocation mode;

time allocation: time configuration information, set according to a resource allocation mode;

buffer status report (optional): the data volume to be sent by the direct connection link;

TID (optional): and the service types to be sent by the direct connection link.

The dynamic allocation means that allocated resources are used for receiving and transmitting data for one Time, and if the type of service to be sent by a direct connection link is a VR service, dynamic allocation can be requested, and at this Time, RU allocation can be used for indicating a resource unit RU to be sent, and Time allocation can be used for indicating a sending Time TXOP; semi-static allocation refers to that allocated resources are used for periodic data receiving and sending, and if the type of service to be sent by a direct connection link is a screen projection service, semi-static allocation can be requested, at this Time, RU allocation can be used for indicating a resource unit RU to be sent, and Time allocation can be used for indicating a period and a sending Time of each Time.

2.2 the AP allocates the available resources for the direct link between the TX STA and the RX STA to the terminal according to the parameters in the direct link resource request message, thereby ensuring that the resources used by different direct links are different and reducing the competition conflict between different direct links.

And 2.3 the AP sets resource configuration information according to the allocated resources, and the resource configuration information is contained in a direct link resource response message (such as a TDLSResourceResponse message) and is sent to the TX STA. Illustratively, the direct link resource response message includes the following parameters:

status code: indicating whether to approve, if the Success is set, indicating to approve; set to SUGGESTED, indicating that a new parameter is SUGGESTED; set to Reject, indicating disagreement;

resource allocation mode: a resource allocation mode, which may not be included when Status code is Success; when Status code is SUGGESTED, it needs to be included; when Status code is Reject, it does not contain;

RU allocation: frequency configuration information, which may not be included when Status code is Success; when Status code is SUGGESTED, it needs to include; when Status code is Reject, it does not contain;

time allocation: time configuration information, which may not be included when Status code is Success; when Status code is SUGGESTED, it needs to include; when Status code is Reject, it is not included.

It should be understood that when the value of the Status code in the direct link Resource response message is Success, if the message does not contain the Resource allocation mode, RU allocation and Time allocation, the Resource configuration indicated in the direct link Resource request message is indicated to be used.

In some embodiments, the direct link resource request message sent by the TX STA to the AP in step 2.1 may not include the parameter, and after receiving the request of the TX STA, the AP may allocate a resource that can be used for the direct link between the pair of terminals, that is, the TX STA and the RX STA, according to its own policy, so as to ensure that the resources used by different direct links are different; then the direct link resource response message sent by the AP to the TX STA in step 2.3 needs to include resource configuration information, indicating the resources that can be used by the direct link between the TX STA and the RX STA for the pair of terminals.

And 2.4 after receiving the direct link resource response message, the TX STA determines the resource configuration used by the direct link according to the resource configuration information.

In some embodiments, before step S201, the TX STA and the RX STA may negotiate resources that may be used for the direct link or resources that may not be used for the direct link, for example, if the TX STA or the RX STA has negotiated with the AP to determine the timed wakeup period TWT resources, and if the TX STA or the RX STA has established the direct link with other terminals and has determined to transmit data on the direct link using the corresponding resources, the resources may not be used for the direct link between the TX STA and the RX STA, and the TX STA acquires, according to a result of the negotiation, a resource configuration for the direct link between the TX STA and the RX STA from the AP, which may avoid data transceiving failure between the TX STA and the TX RXSTA. Examples are as follows:

s1001, the TX STA sends a direct link discovery request message (e.g., a TDLS discovery request message) to the RX STA through the AP, where the message may include resource configuration information. Illustratively, the direct link discovery request message includes the following parameters:

RU allocation (frequency and time may alternatively or both include): frequency configuration information such as link, channel, frequency, transmit or receive power, etc.;

time allocation (frequency and Time may alternatively or both include): time configuration information, such as duration, period, etc. for the direct link; for example, for one-time data transceiving, only including a time length; if the device is used for periodic data transceiving, the device comprises a period and a duration.

It should be noted that RU allocation and Time allocation may be used to indicate resources that can be used for a direct link, or may be used to indicate resources that cannot be used for a direct link.

S1002, the RX STA may feed back resources (available link, channel, frequency, or available period) that may be used for the direct link or resources (unavailable link, channel, frequency, or unavailable period) that may not be used for the direct link to the TXSTA, and the fed back information is included in a direct link discovery response message (tdlsdiscovery response message), for example:

1) If the direct link discovery request message has resource configuration information, the RXSTA may determine which resources may be used according to the resource configuration information in the request message, and include the available resources in the direct link discovery response message to the TXSTA.

2) If the direct link discovery request message does not contain resource configuration information, the RXSTA may determine resources that can be used for the direct link or resources that cannot be used for the direct link according to its own configuration and/or policy, and include these indications in the direct link discovery response message to the TXSTA.

It should be noted that the RX STA may directly send the direct link discovery response message to the TX STA, or may send the direct link discovery response message to the TX STA through the AP.

S202, the TX STA sends a direct link setup request message (e.g., a TDLSsetuprequest message) to the RX STA through the AP, where the message includes resource configuration information for indicating resource configuration used by the direct link. Illustratively, the direct link establishment request message includes the following parameters:

resource allocation mode: a resource allocation pattern;

RU allocation: frequency configuration information;

time allocation: time configuration information.

S203, the RX STA sends a direct link establishment response message (such as a TDLSsetuppresson message) to the TX STA, wherein the message contains a parameter status code and indicates whether to approve the request, and if the status code is set to success, the request is approved; set to failed, indicates a rejection of the request.

In some embodiments, after receiving the direct link establishment request message, the RX STA may first determine whether the resource configuration indicated by the resource configuration information in the request message may be used for the direct link between the TX STA and the RX STA, where if the resource configuration indicated by the resource configuration information in the request message overlaps with a TWT resource negotiated between the RX STA and the AP, or if the RX STA has used the resource configuration indicated by the resource configuration information in the request message and transmits data on the direct link with another terminal, the resource configuration indicated by the resource configuration information in the request message may not be used for the direct link between the TX STA and the RX STA, and indicates to reject the request in the direct link establishment response message; the grant request is indicated in the direct link setup response message if the resource configuration indicated by the resource configuration information in the request message is available for the direct link between the TX STA and the RX STA.

It should be noted that the RX STA may directly send a direct link setup response message to the TX STA, or may send a direct link setup response message to the TX STA through the AP.

And S204, the TX STA receives a direct link establishment response message, and if the value of the parameter status is success, the TXTSTA can send a direct link establishment confirmation message (such as a TDLSsetupconfirm message) to the RXTSTA to confirm establishment of the direct link.

S205, the TX STA and the RX STA transmit data according to the resource configuration used by the direct link, for example as follows:

1) If the resource allocation mode is dynamic allocation, transmitting/receiving data at a specified time length or/and a specified frequency; and when the data needs to be sent next time, the data sender sends the direct link resource request message to the AP again to request the resource.

2) If the resource allocation mode is semi-static allocation, periodically transmitting/receiving data by using a designated frequency/channel/link; during data transmission, if resource scheduling information of the AP is received indicating a new resource configuration, data is transmitted or received using the new resource configuration. The sending of the resource scheduling information of the AP may include any one of the following manners:

a) The AP sends the information to the TXSTA, and then the TXSTA informs the RXSTA in a negotiation mode;

b) The AP transmits to TXSTA and RXSTA.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the TX STA acquires the resource configuration of the direct link with the RX STA from the AP before the direct link needs to be established, in some other embodiments, the TX STA may also first establish the direct link with the RX STA (the direct link establishment request message does not include resource configuration information for the direct link), then acquire the resource configuration of the direct link with the RX STA from the AP, and send the acquired resource configuration to the RX STA, and the TX STA and the RXSTA use the resource configuration to perform data transmission on the direct link.

In some embodiments, the negotiation message between the TX STA and the AP, and the notification or negotiation message between the TA STA and the RX STA may not include a parameter resource allocation mode, and indicate a resource allocation mode by a value of the parameter time allocation, or do not indicate a resource allocation mode in the message, but default a communication mode of the direct link, for example, directly default that resources need to be acquired from the AP each time data is transmitted on the direct link, or after resources are acquired from the AP, the previous resources are used until resource scheduling information sent by the AP is received, or after resources are acquired from the AP, the resources are used (that is, the resources are not changed) until the direct link is terminated, and after the resources are released, the resources are used for other direct links.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a direct link communication device, which comprises a direct link communication module, wherein the direct link communication module is used for executing the following steps:

In an optional example, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the apparatus may be embodied as a TX STA in the foregoing embodiment, and the apparatus may be configured to perform each procedure and/or step corresponding to the TX STA in the foregoing method, and in order to avoid repetition, details are not described here again.

reading direct connection link resource pool information from a broadcast message sent by third equipment through first equipment, and selecting resources meeting requirements as resource configuration used by a direct connection link between the first equipment and second equipment according to the direct connection link resource pool information;

and transmitting data on the direct connection link with the second equipment through the first equipment according to the resource configuration used by the direct connection link between the first equipment and the second equipment.

In an optional example, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the apparatus may be specifically an RX STA in the foregoing embodiment, and the apparatus may be configured to perform each procedure and/or step corresponding to the RX STA in the foregoing method, and in order to avoid repetition, details are not described here again.

It should be understood that the means herein are embodied in the form of functional modules. The term module herein may refer to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared, dedicated, or group processor) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that support the described functionality. The device has the functions of realizing the corresponding steps in the method; the above functions may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above. In an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus may also be a chip or a system of chips, for example: system on chip (SoC). The invention is not limited thereto.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides an electronic device, and fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device provided in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the device 300 comprises a processor 301, a memory 302 and a communication interface 303, wherein the processor 301, the memory 302 and the communication interface 303 communicate with each other via a bus 304, and the memory 302 stores instructions executable by the processor 301, and the instructions are loaded and executed by the processor 301 to control the communication interface 303 to send and/or receive signals.

It should be understood that the apparatus 300 may be embodied as the TX STA or RX STA or AP in the above embodiments, or the functions of the TX STA or RX STA or AP in the above embodiments may be integrated into the apparatus 300, and the apparatus 300 may be configured to perform various steps and/or procedures corresponding to the TX STA or RX STA or AP in the above embodiments. The memory 302 may optionally include both read-only memory and random access memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor 301. A portion of the memory 302 may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory 302 may also store device type information. The processor 301 may be configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 301, and when the processor 301 executes the instructions, the processor 301 may perform the corresponding steps and/or processes in the above method embodiments.

It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present invention, the processor may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and the processor 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, etc. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

In implementation, the steps of the above method may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or instructions in the form of software. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present invention may be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or may be 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 a memory, and a processor executes instructions in the memory, in combination with hardware thereof, to perform the steps of the above-described method. To avoid repetition, it is not described in detail here.

The above embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the above-described embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. The procedures or functions according to the embodiments of the present invention are wholly or partially generated when the computer instructions or the computer program are loaded or executed on a computer. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored on a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that contains one or more collections of available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium may be a solid state disk.

It should be understood that, in 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 each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention. The modules described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, may be located in one place, or may also be distributed on a plurality of network modules, and some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention.

In the embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the modules is only one logical division, and there may be other divisions in actual implementation, for example, one module or component may be divided into a plurality of modules or components, or a plurality of modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or modules, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative modules 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 invention.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention, and all the changes or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of direct link communication, comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

3. The direct link communication method according to claim 2, wherein the direct link establishment request message includes resource configuration information.

4. The direct link communication method according to claim 1, wherein the first message is a direct link establishment request message, and after the first device sends the first message to a second device, the method further comprises:

5. A direct link communication method according to any of claims 1-4, further comprising:

6. The direct link communication method according to claim 2 or 4, wherein before the first device sends the direct link establishment request message to the second device, further comprising:

the first device obtains, from the third device, a resource configuration used by the direct connection link between the first device and the second device according to at least one of the resources that the second device can use for the direct connection link and the resources that the second device cannot use for the direct connection link, which are indicated in the direct connection link discovery response message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the direct link discovery request message indicates at least one of resources that the first device may use for the direct link and resources that the first device may not use for the direct link, and wherein the resources that the second device may use for the direct link are determined by the second device.

8. The direct link communication method according to claim 1, wherein the direct link resource request message includes an identifier of the first device, an identifier of the second device, and resource configuration information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the direct link resource request message further indicates a resource allocation pattern, and wherein the resource allocation pattern comprises at least one of a dynamic allocation and a semi-static allocation;

if the resource allocation mode is dynamic allocation, the first device and the second device transmit data on the direct link at a specified frequency or/and within a specified time duration; when data needs to be transmitted next time, the first device sends the direct connection link resource request message to the third device again;

if the resource allocation pattern is semi-static allocation, the first device periodically transmits data with the second device on the direct link on a designated frequency; and if the resource scheduling information sent by the third equipment is received and indicates new resource configuration, transmitting data on the direct connection link with the second equipment by using the new resource configuration.

10. A method of direct link communication, comprising:

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first message is a direct link setup request message; alternatively, the method further comprises:

12. The method of claim 11, wherein before the first device sends the direct link setup request message to the second device, the method further comprises:

the method comprises the steps that a first device sends a direct connection link discovery request message to a second device;

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the direct link discovery request message indicates at least one of resources that the first device may use for the direct link and resources that the first device may not use for the direct link, and wherein the resources that the second device may use for the direct link are determined by the second device.

14. A method of direct link communication, comprising:

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first message is a direct link setup request message, and further comprising, after the second device receives the first message from the first device:

16. The direct link communication method of claim 15, further comprising, before the second device receives the first message from the first device:

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first message further indicates a resource allocation pattern, wherein the resource allocation pattern comprises at least one of a dynamic allocation and a semi-static allocation;

the second device transmitting data with the first device on the direct link according to the resource configuration used by the direct link between the first device and the second device includes at least one of the following items:

18. A direct link communication device comprising a direct link communication module configured to perform the steps of:

19. A direct link communication device, comprising a direct link communication module configured to perform the steps of:

20. A direct link communication device, comprising a direct link communication module configured to perform the steps of:

and transmitting data on the direct link with the first equipment through the second equipment according to the resource configuration used by the direct link between the first equipment and the second equipment.

21. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory, characterized in that the processor executes the computer program to implement the method of any of claims 1-17.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the method of any one of claims 1-17.