CN116095775A

CN116095775A - Method, device, equipment and storage medium for switching access points

Info

Publication number: CN116095775A
Application number: CN202310091794.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴昊; 尹蕾
Original assignee: Yibin Jimi Photoelectric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Yibin Jimi Photoelectric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-01-12
Filing date: 2023-01-12
Publication date: 2023-05-09

Abstract

The invention discloses a method, a device, equipment and a storage medium for switching access points, and relates to the field of wireless communication. The method comprises the following steps: the first access point sends a wireless measurement request message to the first terminal; the method comprises the steps that a first terminal receives a wireless measurement request message, measures an access point according to the wireless measurement request message, and sends a wireless measurement report to the first access point; the method comprises the steps that a first access point receives a wireless measurement report sent by a first terminal, and a target access point is determined according to the wireless measurement report; the method comprises the steps that a first access point sends a switching command message to a first terminal, wherein the switching command message comprises an identification of a target access point; the first terminal receives the switching command message, disconnects the connection with the first access point and establishes connection with the target access point. The method and the device indicate the terminal to perform advanced measurement and interaction through the access point, ensure that data is not interrupted, further ensure service continuity and improve user experience.

Description

Method, device, equipment and storage medium for switching access points

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 switching access points.

Background

802.11be systems, also known as extremely high throughput (EHT, extremely High Throughput) systems, enhance functionality through a range of system characteristics and mechanisms to achieve extremely high throughput. As the use of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) continues to grow, it is increasingly important to provide wireless data services in many environments, such as homes, businesses, and hotspots. In particular, video traffic will continue to be the dominant traffic type in many WLAN deployments. The throughput requirements of these applications are evolving due to the advent of 4k and 8k video (20 Gbps uncompressed rate). New high throughput, low latency applications such as virtual or augmented reality, gaming, remote offices, and cloud computing will proliferate (e.g., latency for real-time gaming is less than 5 milliseconds).

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

Disclosure of Invention

The movement of a wireless communication device (e.g., a WIFI device) from the coverage of one Access Point (AP) to the coverage of another AP is typically accomplished by disconnecting the AP, searching for a connectable AP, establishing a connection with the appropriate AP, and sending data from scratch, which can be a significant delay for the terminal from service interruption to service restoration. In view of this, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, device and storage medium for switching access points, which ensure service continuity.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for switching an access point, including:

the method comprises the steps that a first access point sends a wireless measurement request message to a first terminal, wherein the wireless measurement request message is used for requesting the first terminal to measure the access point, and the first terminal is connected with the first access point;

the method comprises the steps that a first access point receives a wireless measurement report sent by a first terminal, a target access point is determined according to the wireless measurement report, and the wireless measurement report comprises a measurement result of the first terminal or identification of candidate access points determined by the first terminal;

the first access point sends a switching command message to the first terminal, wherein the switching command message contains an identifier of a target access point and is used for indicating the access point to which the first terminal can be switched.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes:

the method comprises the steps that a first access point sends a switching preparation message to a target access point, wherein the switching preparation message comprises an identification of a first terminal and configuration information of the first terminal;

the method comprises the steps that a first access point receives a switching preparation confirmation message sent by a target access point, wherein the switching preparation confirmation message comprises configuration information of the target access point;

the handover command message also includes configuration information of the target access point.

In a possible implementation manner, the wireless measurement request message includes an evaluation condition of the candidate access point, which is used for determining the candidate access point by the first terminal; the wireless measurement report contains the identification of the candidate access point determined by the first terminal.

In a possible implementation manner, the wireless measurement request message includes an identifier of an access point to be measured, and the identifier is used for indicating the first terminal to measure the access point to be measured indicated by the identifier of the access point to be measured.

In a possible implementation manner, at least one of the following is further indicated in the wireless measurement request message: measuring a time length; the evaluation condition of the connection access point; the duration is evaluated.

In a possible implementation manner, any one or more of the following are further included:

If the first access point has cache data which is not successfully transmitted to the first terminal, transmitting the cache data to a target access point;

the first access point forwards the data packet of the first terminal received from the server to the target access point;

the first access point sends the uplink data receiving state of the first terminal to the target access point.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes:

the first access point receives the switching completion message sent by the target access point, deletes the information of the first terminal, stops sending the uplink data of the first terminal to the server, and sends the uplink data of the first terminal which is not sent to the sender of the switching completion message.

In a possible implementation manner, the target access point determined by the first access point includes a plurality of target access points, and the method further includes:

the first access point transmits an indication message to a target access point other than the sender of the handover complete message, the indication message indicating release of information of the first terminal.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes:

the first access point obtains a first-level key from the central access point according to the first index number, and generates a second-level key according to the first-level key and a basic service set identifier of the first access point, wherein the second-level key is used for data transmission between the first terminal and the first access point, and the first access point and the adjacent access point are slave nodes connected with the central access point.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for switching an access point, including:

the method comprises the steps that a first terminal receives a wireless measurement request message sent by a first access point, and the access point is measured according to the wireless measurement request message, wherein the first terminal is connected with the first access point;

the method comprises the steps that a first terminal sends a wireless measurement report to a first access point, wherein the wireless measurement report comprises a measurement result of the first terminal or identification of candidate access points determined by the first terminal;

the method comprises the steps that a first terminal receives a switching command message sent by a first access point, wherein the switching command message comprises an identification of a target access point;

the first terminal disconnects from the first access point and establishes a connection with the target access point.

In a possible implementation manner, the wireless measurement request message includes an evaluation condition of the candidate access point; the method further comprises the steps of:

the first terminal determines candidate access points according to the measurement results and the evaluation conditions of the candidate access points; the wireless measurement report contains the identity of the candidate access point determined by the first terminal.

In a possible implementation manner, the wireless measurement request message includes an identifier of the access point to be measured; the measuring the access point according to the wireless measurement request message includes:

And measuring the access point to be tested indicated by the identification of the access point to be tested.

In a possible implementation manner, at least one of the following is further indicated in the wireless measurement request message: measuring a time length; the evaluation condition of the connection access point; evaluating the time length; the method further comprises one of:

the first terminal measures the access point according to the measurement duration indicated in the wireless measurement request message;

the first terminal also determines candidate access points according to the evaluation conditions of the connection access points;

the first terminal also determines candidate access points according to the evaluation duration indicated in the wireless measurement request message.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes:

if the first terminal has a data packet which is not successfully transmitted when the first terminal is connected with the first access point, the data packet which is not successfully transmitted is transmitted to a target access point for establishing connection, and an old serial number is used for the data packet which is not successfully transmitted; and after the data packet which is not successfully transmitted is transmitted, numbering the data packet to be transmitted by using a new serial number, wherein the old serial number is a serial number set for the data packet when the first terminal is connected with the first access point.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes:

the method comprises the steps that a first terminal generates a first-level key according to a basic service set identifier of a central access point, and generates a second-level key according to the first-level key and the basic service set identifier of the first access point, wherein the second-level key is used for data transmission between the first terminal and the first access point, and the first access point and an adjacent access point are slave nodes connected with the central access point;

and the first terminal generates a new second-level key according to the first-level key and the basic service set identifier of the target access point for establishing connection, wherein the new second-level key is used for data transmission between the first terminal and the target access point for establishing connection.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for switching access points, including an access point switching module, where the access point switching module is configured to perform the following steps:

transmitting a wireless measurement request message to a first terminal through a first access point, wherein the wireless measurement request message is used for requesting the first terminal to measure the access point, and the first terminal is connected with the first access point;

receiving a wireless measurement report sent by a first terminal through a first access point, and determining a target access point according to the wireless measurement report, wherein the wireless measurement report comprises a measurement result of the first terminal or an identification of a candidate access point determined by the first terminal;

And sending a switching command message to the first terminal through the first access point, wherein the switching command message comprises an identifier of a target access point and is used for indicating the access point to which the first terminal can be switched.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for switching access points, including an access point switching module, where the access point switching module is configured to perform the following steps:

receiving a wireless measurement request message sent by a first access point through a first terminal, and measuring the access point according to the wireless measurement request message, wherein the first terminal is connected with the first access point;

transmitting a wireless measurement report to a first access point through a first terminal, wherein the wireless measurement report comprises a measurement result of the first terminal or an identification of a candidate access point determined by the first terminal;

receiving a switching command message sent by a first access point through a first terminal, wherein the switching command message comprises an identification of a target access point;

and disconnecting the first terminal from the first access point and establishing connection with the target access point.

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

In a sixth aspect, the present 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 aspect.

In a seventh aspect, the present 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, causes a processor in the electronic device to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

It should be noted that, the apparatus according to the third aspect is configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect, the apparatus according to the fourth aspect is configured to perform the method provided in the second aspect, the electronic device according to the fifth aspect, the storage medium according to the sixth aspect, and the computer program product according to the seventh aspect are configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect, so that the same advantages as those of the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect can be achieved, and the present invention will not be repeated.

According to the invention, the wireless measurement request message is sent to the terminal through the access point currently connected with the terminal, the terminal is requested to measure the access point, then the target access point is determined according to the wireless measurement report sent by the terminal, the identification of the target access point is contained in the switching command message and is sent to the terminal, the terminal is instructed to switch to the target access point, the terminal is instructed to conduct measurement and interaction in advance through the access point currently connected with the terminal, so that the data is not interrupted, the service continuity is ensured, and the user experience is improved.

Drawings

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

fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for switching access points according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a data packet structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the following description will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. While the present disclosure has been described in terms of an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it should be understood that each aspect of the disclosure may be separately provided as a complete solution. The following embodiments and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

In the present invention, "at least one item" means one or more items, and "multiple items" means two or more items. In order to clearly describe the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, in the embodiment of the present invention, the words "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish identical items or similar items having substantially the same function and effect, and those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first", "second", etc. do not limit the number and execution order, but merely illustrate and distinguish between the objects of the description, without dividing the order, nor do they indicate that the number of devices or messages in the embodiment of the present invention is particularly limited, and cannot constitute any limitation of the embodiment of the present invention. The term "comprising" is used to indicate the presence of the features stated hereafter, but does not exclude the addition of other features.

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 an access point AP1, an access point AP2, and a terminal STA1, where STA1 is connected to AP1, and AP1 and AP2 can communicate with each other through wired or wireless means. Wherein, the access point is wireless access point equipment supporting 802.11 protocol, which has wireless receiving and transmitting functions, such as router, wireless switch, etc.; the terminal refers to a device with wireless transceiving function, such as a mobile phone, a computer, a television, a projector, etc., which supports 802.11 protocol. In the embodiment of the present invention, at least one terminal STA1 is connected to the AP1, the number of terminals connected to the AP1 may be one or more, and the number of terminals connected to other access points may be any number within the range supported by them. Optionally, the communication system may further comprise an access point AP3, AP3 being a central node, i.e. a central access point, AP1 and AP2 being slave nodes connected to AP 3.

It should be understood that fig. 1 is only a schematic architecture of a communication system, and the number, types, etc. of devices in the communication system are not limited in the embodiment of the present invention, and may include more terminals or access points. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the term "Access Point (AP)" in accordance with the principles and functions described herein 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, and thus, the use of an access point is merely exemplary.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for switching an access point according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the method for switching access points includes the following:

s201, the AP1 sends a wireless measurement request message to the STA1, where the wireless measurement request message is used to request the STA1 to measure the access point. Illustratively, the wireless measurement request message includes the following parameters:

measurement type: the measurement type is set as mobility, and the indication is mobility management;

measurement request (optional): the measured parameters may include the following:

measurement duration: measuring a time length, such as set to time1;

candidate Aps: a list of access points to be tested, such as addresses of the access points to be tested or other information capable of identifying the access points to be tested;

th-s: an evaluation threshold value of the connection access point;

th-n: an evaluation threshold value of the candidate access point;

evaluation time: the duration is evaluated.

The AP1 may send a wireless measurement request message to the STA1 according to its policy, for example, the number of terminals that the AP1 supports when the connected terminals exceed, a new access point appears in the cell, the load of the AP1 is large, etc., which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

S202, the STA1 receives the wireless measurement request message, measures the access point according to the wireless measurement request message, and sends a wireless measurement report to the AP1.

After receiving the wireless measurement request message, the STA1 measures the access points to be measured indicated in the candidate Aps if the parameter candidate Aps are included in the message, and if the parameter candidate Aps are not included, the STA1 determines the measured access points to be measured by itself, for example, all the access points capable of searching for signals are used as the access points to be measured. It should be noted that, since the AP1 instructs the STA1 to perform measurement, the STA1 may only measure the access point to be measured, or may also measure the access point to be measured and the AP1 currently connected. STA1 may measure signal quality, signal strength (received signalstrength indication, RSSI) and the like of the access point, and the embodiment of the present invention will be described taking the measurement result as the signal strength as an example.

The STA1 may directly send the measurement result to the AP1 in the wireless measurement report, or may first determine the candidate access point according to the measurement result, and then, if the measurement result meets the condition, take the access point to be measured as the candidate access point (if the measurement result of the AP1 is also measured, the measurement result of the AP1 needs to meet the handover condition), send the identification of the candidate access point to the AP1 in the wireless measurement report, and take the parameter Measurement request included in the wireless measurement request message as an example for detailed description.

The STA1 measures the access point to be measured and the AP1 according to the duration indicated by Measurement duration, and adds the access point to be measured to a candidate access point list when the measurement result of the access point to be measured and the measurement result of the AP1 meet the following evaluation conditions, and sends the candidate access point list to the AP1, wherein the candidate access point list can contain the identification of one or more candidate access points.

Evaluation conditions: the measurement result of the AP1 is smaller than the threshold value Th-s, the measurement result of the access point to be measured is larger than or equal to the threshold value Th-n, and the duration of continuous Evaluation time is satisfied.

S203, the AP1 receives the wireless measurement report, determines a target access point according to the wireless measurement report, and sends a switching command message to the STA1, wherein the message contains the identification of the target access point.

If the wireless measurement report includes a measurement result, the AP1 may use the access point to be measured, where the measurement result satisfies the preset condition, as a target access point, e.g., the access point to be measured, where the measurement result is the largest and is greater than or equal to the threshold value, as the target access point, or directly use the access point to be measured, where the measurement result is greater than or equal to the threshold value, as the target access point. If the wireless measurement report includes a candidate access point list, the AP1 may directly use the candidate access points in the candidate access point list as the target access points, or select the target access points from the candidate access point list according to its own policy. It should be understood that one or more target access points determined by AP1 may also be used, and the embodiment of the present invention assumes that the target access point is AP2.

In some embodiments, AP1 may also interact with the target access point before sending a handoff command message to STA1, examples of which are as follows:

s2031, the AP1 sends a handover preparation message to the target access point, where the message may include the following parameters:

handover STA: the identifier of the terminal to be switched is set as the identifier of the STA1, such as the address of the STA1 or other information capable of identifying the STA 1;

STA profile: configuration information of the terminal, the embodiment of the present invention sets the configuration information used by STA1 to connect to AP 1.

S2032, the AP1 receives a handover preparation acknowledgement message sent by the target access point, where the message may include the following parameters:

AP profile: configuration information of the access point, the embodiment of the invention is set as the configuration information of the AP 2.

In this embodiment, the handover command message sent by the AP1 to the STA1 may further include configuration information of the access point acquired from the handover preparation acknowledgement message, so that the STA1 and the target access point acquire configuration information of each other in advance, and need not renegotiate the configuration information, thereby saving signaling overhead, ensuring service continuity, and improving user experience. Illustratively, the handover command message includes the following parameters:

Target AP: the identifier of the target access point indicates the access point for terminal switching, and the embodiment of the invention is set as the address of the AP2 or other information capable of identifying the AP 2;

AP profile: configuration information of the target access point, the embodiment of the invention is set as the configuration information of the AP 2.

And if the AP1 has the cache data which is not successfully transmitted to the STA1, transmitting the cache data to the target access point. The data that is not successfully transmitted to STA1 may include two types, the first is that it has not attempted to be transmitted to STA1 (e.g., the data received from the server has not yet been transmitted to STA 1), and the second is that it has been transmitted but no acknowledgement of STA1 has been received (e.g., data packets numbered 1-10 are transmitted to STA1, only acknowledgement information of 1-8 is received, and data packets numbered 9, 10 are this type); the buffered data may be in the form of MSDUs (MAC Service Data Unit, MAC service data units) and sequence numbers set by AP1 for these MSDUs, and in other embodiments, may be in other forms, such as MPDUs (MAC Protocol Data Unit, MAC protocol data units).

The AP1 continues to forward the data packets of STA1 received from the server to the target access point. Optionally, the AP1 may also send the uplink data receiving status of the STA1 to the target access point, where the uplink data receiving status may be the number of the successfully received data packet or the number of the unsuccessfully received data packet, so as to tell the target access point which uplink data packets are received and which are not received.

In some embodiments, the AP1 may determine whether to indicate whether the buffered data is completely transmitted according to the sequence number of the forwarding data packet, and the target access point may number the data packet to be transmitted to the STA1 with the new sequence number after transmitting all the buffered data of the STA1 received from the AP1 to the STA1 according to the indication. If the number of the last data packet in the buffered data is the maximum value of the available sequence numbers, the AP1 may not make other indications if the number of the last data packet is the maximum value, if the number of the last data packet is not the maximum value, an end mark may be added to the last data packet to indicate that the data packet is the last data packet, after the forwarding of the data is completed, the target access point may also be instructed to reset the sequence number of the data packet after the forwarding of the data packet is completed, and the reset sequence number may be instructed to the STA1, so as to avoid the error data packet receiving state information caused by the asynchronous sequence numbers between the STA1 and the target access point; or the AP1 can also not judge the number of the data packet, and directly adds an end mark in the last data packet; or the AP1 can also send a data forwarding end message to the target access point after the forwarding data is sent, and indicates that the forwarding data is sent.

S204, the STA1 receives the switching command message, disconnects the connection with the AP1 and establishes connection with the target access point.

Specifically, after receiving the handover command message, STA1 stops sending uplink data to AP1, and buffers the packets that have not been successfully sent. The STA1 sends a connection request message (such as association request or reassociation request message) to the target access point according to the target access point indicated in the handover command message, where the connection request message may further include a parameter reflection code, set to handover, and indicate a connection request for handover. It should be noted that, if the parameter Target AP in the handover command message includes the identifiers of multiple Target access points, the STA1 also needs to select one of the multiple Target access points as a handover Target, for example, the STA1 selects the Target access point with the greatest signal strength as the handover Target at this time, or randomly selects one of the Target access points as the handover Target, and then switches to the determined handover Target.

After receiving the connection request message, the target access point sends a connection response message (e.g., association response or reassociation response message) to STA1.

After the STA1 establishes a connection with the target access point, if there are data packets which are not successfully transmitted when the STA1 connects with the AP1, the STA transmits the data packets to the target access point which establishes the connection, uses old sequence numbers for the data packets, and after the data packets which are not successfully transmitted when the STA1 connects with the AP1 are transmitted, uses new starting sequence numbers to number the data packets to be transmitted, wherein the old sequence numbers refer to sequence numbers set for the data packets when the STA1 connects with the AP.

In some embodiments, STA1 may indicate whether packets that were not successfully transmitted while connected to AP1 are transmitted, and the target access point may receive the packets of STA1 using a new window after receiving the packets according to the indication. If the number of the last data packet in the data packets is the maximum value of the available sequence numbers, the STA1 may determine whether the number of the last data packet is the maximum value of the available sequence numbers, if the number of the last data packet is the maximum value, no other indication may be made, if the number of the last data packet is not the maximum value, a sequence number reset indication SN reset may be added in the last data packet, and the starting number of the sequence number allocated to the data packet is reset after the data packet is sent; or STA1 may not judge the number of the data packet, and directly include the SN reset instruction in the last data packet; or STA1 may send a data end message to the target access point after the transmission of the buffered data is completed, indicating that the transmission of the buffered data is completed. The method for adding the sequence number reset indication SN reset to the data packet is exemplified as follows:

a packet typically includes a header and a data portion, as shown in fig. 3, where the header of the packet may include some control information, such as a field control field, where the following parameters may be included:

Control ID: a control flag indicating the role of the control field, e.g., set to 56, indicating that the control field is used for sequence number reset;

reset operation: whether the serial number is reset, if set to 1, the serial number is reset, and set to 0, the serial number is not reset;

direction: the direction of the data packet to which the reset sequence number applies, for example, set to 0, indicates that the sequence number of the uplink data is reset, set to 1, indicates that the sequence number of the downlink data is reset, set to 2, and indicate that the sequence numbers of the uplink data and the downlink data are reset.

After establishing a connection with STA1 (for example, after transmitting a connection response message to STA 1), the target access point transmits the buffered data received from AP1 to STA1, and uses the old sequence number for these packets, where the old sequence number refers to the number of the MSDU corresponding to the packet number received from AP1 in step S203. After transmitting all the buffered data received from the AP1 to the STA1, the target access point may number the data packet to be transmitted to the STA1 using the new sequence number.

In some embodiments, the target access point may determine whether the buffered data of STA1 on the AP1, i.e. the forwarding data, is sent completely according to the indication of AP1 in step S203, and indicate to STA1 whether the data is sent completely. If the number of the last data packet in the forwarding data is the maximum value of the available sequence numbers, the target access point can judge whether the number of the last data packet in the forwarding data is the maximum value, if the number of the last data packet is the maximum value, other instructions can not be made, if the number of the last data packet is not the maximum value, a sequence number reset instruction SN rest is added in the last data packet, and the starting number of the sequence number allocated to the data packet is reset after the data packet is sent; or the target access point may not judge the number of the data packet, and directly send the last data packet received from the AP1 to the STA1, where the last data packet includes a sequence number reset indication SN reset; or the target access point may send a data forwarding end message to the STA1 after the transmission of the buffered data is completed, to indicate that the transmission of the forwarding data is completed. After receiving the instruction of finishing transmitting the forwarding data, the STA1 uses a new window to receive the data transmitted by the target access point. The method for adding the sequence number reset indication SN reset to the data packet is exemplified as follows:

direction: in the embodiment of the invention, in the data packet sent by the target access point to the STA1, the parameter value may be set to 1 or 2, for example, if the target access point has received the uplink data receiving state sent by the AP1 before, the parameter value is set to 1, if the target access point has not received the uplink data receiving state sent by the AP1 before, the parameter value is set to 2, and after the STA1 receives the data packet including the parameter Direction and having the value of 2, the data packet to be sent is numbered by using the new starting sequence number.

Optionally, if the target access point has received the uplink data receiving state sent by the AP1 before, after receiving the data packet sent by the STA1, if there is a data packet that has not been successfully received, the target access point sends a data packet acknowledgement message to the STA1, where the message indicates a data packet sequence number that has not been successfully received, and the STA1 sends a corresponding data packet to the target access point that establishes a connection according to the sequence number in the data packet acknowledgement message.

Further, the target access point sends the handoff completion message to the AP1 after receiving the connection request message of the STA1, and the handoff completion message may be sent before the target access point sends the connection response message, or simultaneously with or after sending the connection response message. After receiving the handoff completion message, the AP1 deletes the information of STA1, stops sending the uplink data of STA1 to the server, and sends the uplink data of STA1 that is not sent to the target access point. It should be understood that, if the parameter Target AP in the handover command message includes the identifiers of multiple Target access points, after receiving the handover complete message, the AP1 needs to send an indication message to Target access points other than the Target access point (i.e. the sender of the handover complete message) where the STA1 establishes a connection among the Target access points indicated by the parameter Target AP in the handover command message, and instruct the Target access points to release the information of the STA1, such as the buffered data, the uplink data receiving state, the configuration information of the STA1 in step S203.

After sending the connection response message to the STA1, the target access point sends a ds_sta_notify message to the server, where the message includes the address of the STA1, and is used to instruct the server to change the mapping relationship between the terminal and the access point, and the target access point sends the uplink data of the STA1 sent by the AP1 to the server. Optionally, the server may also send a data end indication message to AP1; after receiving the data end indication message, the AP1 sends a data forwarding end message to the target access point; after the target access point sends all the forwarded data packets to STA1, the data packets to be sent may be numbered using the new starting sequence number.

With continued reference to fig. 1, when the central node AP3 exists, the STA1 may use the two-stage security key to perform communication, reduce signaling transmission, and improve user experience. Examples are as follows:

when the STA1 is connected with the AP1 for the first time, a two-stage security secret key is established, a first-stage secret key S-level1 uses a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the AP3 as one of secret key generation parameters, the generated secret key is stored in the STA1 and the AP3, and meanwhile, the AP3 distributes an index number S1-index of the S-level1 and sends the index number S1-index to the STA1 through the AP1; the second-level key S-level2 uses the S-level1 and the BSSID of the AP1 as two key generation parameters, the STA1 locally stores the S-level1, the AP1 acquires the S-level1 from the AP3 through the S1-index, so that a key can be generated, and the STA1 and the AP1 use the S-level2 for data transmission.

When STA1 switches to AP2, STA1 and AP2 need to generate new second level keys S-level2-new, STA1 uses BSSIDs of S-level1 and AP2 as two of the key generation parameters, AP2 can obtain S1-index from STA1 or from AP1, S-level1 is obtained from AP3 using S1-index, so that BSSIDs of S-level1 and AP2 are used as two of the key generation parameters, and STA1 and AP2 use S-level2-new for data transmission.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a device for switching the access points, which comprises an access point switching module, wherein the access point switching module is used for executing the following steps:

In an alternative example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above apparatus may be specifically referred to as AP1 or a chip system in AP1 in the above embodiment, and the apparatus may be used to perform each flow and/or step corresponding to AP1 in the above method, which is not repeated herein.

In an alternative example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above apparatus may be specifically referred to as STA1 or a chip system in STA1 in the above embodiment, and the apparatus may be used to perform each flow and/or step corresponding to STA1 in the above method, which is not repeated herein.

It should be understood that the apparatus herein is embodied in the form of functional modules. The term module herein may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared, dedicated, or group processor, etc.) 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 function 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 invention, the device may also be a chip or a system of chips, for example: system on chip (SoC). The invention is not limited herein.

The embodiment of the invention also provides an electronic device, and fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 4, 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 instructions executable by the processor 301 are stored in the memory 302, and are loaded and executed by the processor 301 to control the communication interface 303 to send signals and/or receive signals.

It should be understood that the apparatus 300 may be specifically configured as STA1 or AP2 in the foregoing embodiments, or the functions of STA1 or AP2 in the foregoing embodiments may be integrated in the apparatus 300, and the apparatus 300 may be configured to perform the respective steps and/or flows corresponding to STA1 or AP2 in the foregoing embodiments. Alternatively, the memory 302 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor 301. A portion of memory 302 may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory 302 may also store information of the device type. The processor 301 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 301, and when the processor 301 executes the instructions, the processor 301 may perform corresponding steps and/or flows in the above-described method embodiments.

It should be appreciated that in embodiments of the present invention, the processor may be a central processing unit (centralprocessing unit, CPU), 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 by instructions in the form of software. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present invention may be embodied directly in a hardware processor for execution, or in a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor for execution. The software modules may be located in a random access memory, flash memory, read only memory, programmable read only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. as well known in the art. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor executes instructions in the memory to perform the steps of the method described above in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, a detailed description is not provided herein.

The above embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any other combination. 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 comprises one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are produced in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions may be stored in 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 site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center by wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer readable storage medium may 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 sets 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 foregoing processes do not mean the order of execution, and the order of execution of the processes should be determined by the functions and internal logic thereof, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention. The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed over a plurality of network modules, where some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purposes of the embodiment of the present invention.

In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus, device and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the modules is merely a logical function division, and there may be other manners of dividing the modules or components into multiple modules or components when actually implemented, or multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not performed. Alternatively, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed with each other may be an indirect coupling or communication connection via some interfaces, devices or modules, which may be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

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 solution. 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 foregoing is merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art will readily recognize that variations or substitutions are 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 switching access points, comprising:

2. The method of switching access points of claim 1, further comprising:

3. The method for switching access points according to claim 1, wherein the wireless measurement request message includes evaluation conditions of candidate access points for the first terminal to determine the candidate access points; the wireless measurement report contains the identification of the candidate access point determined by the first terminal.

4. The method for switching an access point according to claim 1, wherein the wireless measurement request message includes an identifier of an access point to be measured, and the identifier is used to instruct the first terminal to measure the access point to be measured indicated by the identifier of the access point to be measured.

5. A method of switching access points according to claim 3, wherein the wireless measurement request message further indicates at least one of: measuring a time length; the evaluation condition of the connection access point; the duration is evaluated.

6. The method of switching access points of claim 1, further comprising any one or more of:

7. The method of switching access points of claim 1, further comprising:

8. The method of switching access points of claim 7, wherein the target access point determined by the first access point comprises a plurality of target access points, the method further comprising:

9. The method of switching access points of claim 1, further comprising:

10. A method of switching access points, comprising:

11. The method for switching access points according to claim 10, wherein the wireless measurement request message includes evaluation conditions of candidate access points; the method further comprises the steps of:

12. The method for switching access points according to claim 10, wherein the wireless measurement request message includes an identifier of the access point to be measured; the measuring the access point according to the wireless measurement request message includes:

13. The method of switching access points according to claim 11, wherein the wireless measurement request message further indicates at least one of: measuring a time length; the evaluation condition of the connection access point; evaluating the time length; the method further comprises one of:

14. The method of switching access points of claim 10, further comprising:

15. The method of switching access points of claim 10, further comprising:

16. An apparatus for switching access points, comprising an access point switching module configured to perform the steps of:

17. An apparatus for switching access points, comprising an access point switching module configured to perform the steps of:

18. 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 one of claims 1-15.

19. A computer readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that the computer program when executed by a processor implements the method of any one of claims 1-15.