CN116419351A

CN116419351A - Multilink cooperative operation method, device, equipment and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN116419351A
Application number: CN202310304412.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴昊; 尹蕾
Original assignee: Yibin Jimi Photoelectric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Yibin Jimi Photoelectric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-03-27
Filing date: 2023-03-27
Publication date: 2023-07-11

Abstract

The invention discloses a multilink cooperative operation method, device, equipment and storage medium. In the invention, if the second multi-link device detects that the main link has interference, an event report message is sent to the first multi-link device on the main link or the non-main link, and the first multi-link device executes the main link switching operation according to the received event report message. The invention flexibly uses the link resources according to the interference state based on the characteristic that the multi-link equipment has a plurality of independently operable logic entities, improves the utilization efficiency of the resources, avoids the interference of different equipment to another equipment, and improves the user experience.

Description

Multilink cooperative operation method, device, equipment and storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method, an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium for multi-link cooperative operation.

Background

802.11 networks, i.e., wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), enhance functionality through a range of system characteristics and a variety of mechanisms to achieve high wireless local area network 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 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.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to guarantee the coverage area of network services in one area, a plurality of access points are usually deployed, and coverage areas are inevitably overlapped among the access points, and terminals in the overlapped area are interfered by adjacent non-service access points, so that the influence of high packet error rate, low transmission rate and the like of the terminals in the overlapped coverage areas is caused. In view of this, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, device and storage medium for multi-link co-operation, which avoid interference to terminals between different access points.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method of multi-link co-operation, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that first multi-link equipment sends a first broadcast message on a first link, the first broadcast message indicates that a second link is a non-main link, and a logic entity operated on the second link and a logic entity sending the first broadcast message belong to the same multi-link equipment, wherein the first multi-link equipment establishes connection with the second multi-link equipment at least through the first link and the second link;

The method comprises the steps that a first multi-link device receives an event report message sent by a second multi-link device on a first link or a second link, wherein the event report message is used for reporting main link interference;

the first multi-link device performs a primary link switching operation according to the received event report message.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of multi-link co-operation, comprising:

the second multi-link device receives a first broadcast message sent by the first multi-link device on a first link, wherein the first broadcast message indicates that the second link is not a main link and a logic entity operated on the second link and a logic entity sending the first broadcast message belong to the same multi-link device, and the second multi-link device establishes connection with the first multi-link device at least through the first link and the second link;

and if the second multi-link device detects that the first link has interference, sending an event report message to the first multi-link device on the first link or the second link, wherein the event report message is used for reporting the interference of the main link and is used for indicating the first multi-link device to switch the main link.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a method of multi-link co-operation, comprising:

The third multi-link device receives a first interface message sent by the first multi-link device, wherein the first interface message indicates that a first link is a main link and a second link is a non-main link;

the third multi-link device sets a third link as a non-main link and a fourth link as a main link according to the first interface message, wherein the third link and the first link use the same channel configuration; the fourth link and the second link use the same channel configuration.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a multi-link co-operating apparatus, comprising a multi-link co-module for performing the following operations:

transmitting a first broadcast message on a first link through a first multi-link device, wherein the first broadcast message indicates that a second link is a non-main link and a logic entity operating on the second link and the logic entity transmitting the first broadcast message belong to the same multi-link device, and the first multi-link device establishes connection with the second multi-link device through at least the first link and the second link;

receiving, by the first multi-link device, an event report message sent by the second multi-link device on the first link or the second link, where the event report message is used to report the primary link interference;

And executing the main link switching operation according to the received event report message by the first multi-link equipment.

In a possible implementation manner, the performing, by the first multi-link device, the main link switching operation according to the received event report message includes:

switching, by the first multi-link device, the primary link from the first link to the second link according to the received event report message;

transmitting a second broadcast message on the first link through the first multilink device, wherein the second broadcast message indicates that the second link is a main link and a logic entity operated on the second link and the logic entity transmitting the first broadcast message belong to the same multilink device;

and transmitting a third broadcast message on the second link through the first multilink device, wherein the third broadcast message indicates that the first link is a non-main link and that the logic entity operating on the first link and the logic entity transmitting the third broadcast message belong to the same multilink device.

In a possible implementation manner, the event report message includes a first parameter and a second parameter, where the first parameter is used to indicate an interfering link; the second parameter is used to indicate the source of interference.

In a possible implementation manner, the second broadcast message further indicates a remaining time of changing to the new main link; the method multilink coordination module is also used for executing the following operations:

and stopping sending the broadcast message on the first link by the first multi-link device according to the residual time changed to the new main link.

In a possible implementation manner, the first broadcast message further indicates whether the third link is a primary link and the logical entity operating on the third link and the logical entity sending the first broadcast message do not belong to the same multi-link device, and includes an identifier of a cooperative group to which the logical entity operating on the third link belongs.

In a possible implementation manner, the multi-link coordination module is further configured to perform the following operations:

and sending a first interface message to a third multi-link device through the first multi-link device, wherein the first interface message indicates that the first link is a main link and the second link is a non-main link, and the first interface message is used for the third multi-link device to set the main link and the non-main link according to the first interface message.

Receiving a second interface message sent by fourth multi-link equipment through first multi-link equipment, wherein the second interface message indicates that the first link is a main link;

and setting the first link as a main link according to the second interface message through the first multi-link equipment.

and sending wake-up period information of a second link on the first link through the first multi-link device, wherein the wake-up period information is used for the second multi-link device to send data to the first multi-link device on the second link according to the wake-up period information.

In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a multi-link co-operating apparatus, including a multi-link co-module for performing the following operations:

receiving, by a second multilink device, a first broadcast message sent by a first multilink device on a first link, where the first broadcast message indicates that the second link is a non-primary link and a logical entity operating on the second link and the logical entity sending the first broadcast message belong to the same multilink device, and the second multilink device establishes a connection with the first multilink device at least through the first link and the second link;

receiving, by a second multilink device, a second broadcast message sent by the first multilink device on the first link, where the second broadcast message indicates that the second link is a primary link and that a logical entity operating on the second link and a logical entity sending the first broadcast message belong to the same multilink device;

and receiving, by the second multilink device, a third broadcast message sent by the first multilink device on the second link, where the third broadcast message indicates that the first link is a non-primary link and that a logical entity operating on the first link and a logical entity sending the third broadcast message belong to the same multilink device.

In a possible implementation manner, the first broadcast message further indicates whether the third link is a primary link and the logical entity operating on the third link and the logical entity sending the first broadcast message do not belong to the same multi-link device, and includes an identifier of a cooperative group to which the logical entity operating on the third link belongs;

the sending the event report message to the first multi-link device over the first link or the second link comprises:

and judging whether an interference source on the first link and a logic entity for sending the first broadcast message belong to the same cooperative group, and if so, sending an event report message to the first multi-link device on the first link or the second link.

receiving wake-up period information of a second link sent by a first multi-link device on the first link through the second multi-link device;

monitoring whether the first link is idle or not through the second multi-link device, and if so, sending data to the first multi-link device on the first link; if not, judging whether the monitoring result is not idle due to interference, if not, continuing to monitor the first link; if so, determining a period of time when the first multi-link device can receive data on the second link according to the awakening period information, and transmitting the data to the first multi-link device on the second link in the period of time.

In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a multi-link co-operating apparatus, including a multi-link co-module for performing the following operations:

receiving a first interface message sent by a first multi-link device through a third multi-link device, wherein the first interface message indicates that a first link is a main link and a second link is a non-main link;

setting a third link as a non-main link and a fourth link as a main link according to the first interface message through a third multi-link device, wherein the third link and the first link use the same channel configuration; the fourth link and the second link use the same channel configuration.

transmitting a fourth broadcast message on a third link through a third multilink device, wherein the fourth broadcast message indicates that the fourth link is a main link and a logic entity operating on the fourth link and a logic entity transmitting the fourth broadcast message belong to the same multilink device;

and transmitting a fifth broadcast message on the fourth link through the third multilink device, wherein the fifth broadcast message indicates that the third link is a non-main link and that the logic entity operating on the third link and the logic entity transmitting the fifth broadcast message belong to the same multilink device.

In a possible implementation manner, the delay duration before the start of the enhanced multi-link operation is further indicated in the fourth broadcast message; the multi-link collaboration module is further configured to perform the following operations:

and stopping sending the broadcast message on the third link according to the delay time length by the third multi-link device.

receiving a third interface message sent by fourth multi-link equipment through third multi-link equipment, wherein the third interface message comprises an indication of a main link;

and setting a main link according to the third interface message through a third multi-link device.

In a seventh 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 or third aspects.

In an eighth 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 or third aspects.

In a ninth 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 or third aspect.

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

The invention flexibly uses the link resources according to the interference state based on the characteristic that the multi-link equipment has a plurality of independently operable logic entities, improves the utilization efficiency of the resources, avoids the interference of different equipment to another equipment, and improves the user experience.

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 multi-link cooperative operation 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 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 embodiments of the present invention, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. 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.

Firstly, the multilink technology according to the present invention will be briefly described, and 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, and a projector, and the logical entity may refer to a logical unit in the physical device, and belongs to a virtual function module. One logical entity corresponds to one transceiver, 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). In the embodiment of the invention, the logic entity in the multi-link terminal equipment is called a logic terminal, and the logic entity in the multi-link access point equipment is called a logic access point.

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 multi-link terminal device STA MLD1, a multi-link access point device AP MLD1 and an AP MLD2, where the AP MLD1 and the AP MLD2 may form a multi-AP network by a wired or wireless backhaul manner, so as to exchange data and control and management commands and parameters in the network. Each multi-AP network has a unique identifier that identifies the multi-AP network.

The multi-link access point device (AP MLD 1) comprises two logic access points (AP 1) and (AP 2), wherein the AP1 operates on a 2.4GHz link, a link identifier is set as link1, the AP2 operates on a 5GHz link, and the link identifier is set as link2; the multi-link access point device AP MLD2 includes two logical access points AP3 and AP4, where AP3 operates on a 2.4GHz link, sets a link identifier as link3, and AP2 operates on a 5GHz link, sets a link identifier as link4. The link identifiers link1, link2, link3 and link4 are used for uniquely identifying a logic access point in a multi-link access point device, and the link identifier corresponds to an information set and comprises the BSSID, the operation level and the operation channel of the logic access point. The operation channels of link1 and link3 are the same, and the operation channels of link2 and link4 are the same.

An Access Point (AP) refers to a wireless access point device supporting an 802.11 protocol, which has a wireless transceiving function, such as a router, a 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. It should be understood that fig. 1 is only a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system, and in an embodiment of the present invention, the number, types, etc. of devices in the communication system are not limited, for example, more terminals or access points may be included, and the terminals and the access points may be multi-link devices, or may be single-link devices, or the number of logical entities in different multi-link devices may also be different. 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.

In the embodiment of the invention, the AP MLD1 can set the link1 as a main link and the link2 as a non-main link according to the requirement or the self characteristic. The AP MLD1 can send a broadcast message on a main link and transmit data on the main link; no broadcast message is sent on the non-primary link, which may be used for data transmission when there is interference on the primary link.

With continued reference to fig. 1, sta MLD1 establishes a connection with AP MLD1 through link1 and link2, and both may perform data transmission on link1 and link 2. The method for establishing connection between STA MLD1 and AP MLD1 may refer to the related art, and a method for establishing connection is exemplarily given as follows.

S1001, the logical access point AP1 of the AP MLD1 sends a broadcast message, the logical access point AP2 does not send a broadcast message, and the broadcast message sent by the AP1 includes the neighboring access point information element BSSinfo 1. Illustratively, BSSinfo 1 contains the following parameters:

MLD ID: the multi-link device identifier is set to 0, which indicates that the access point and the AP1 sending the broadcast message belong to the same multi-link device, and is set to 1, which indicates that the access point and the AP1 sending the broadcast message do not belong to the same multi-link device, and is set to 0 in this embodiment;

Link ID: the link identifier is set as link2 in this embodiment;

primary Link: whether the primary link is indicated, if set to 0, the non-primary link is indicated, set to 1, the primary link is indicated, and the embodiment is set to 0.

S1002, after reading a broadcast message sent by an AP MLD1 on link1, a terminal STA MLD1 sends a multi-link detection request message (such as an ML probe request message) to the AP MLD1 on link1, wherein the message contains link identifiers link1 and link2 and is used for indicating that information of access points corresponding to the link1 and link2 need to be acquired.

After receiving the multi-link probe request message, the AP MLD1 in S1003 includes the information of the AP1 corresponding to the link1 and the information of the AP2 corresponding to the link2 in a multi-link probe response message (e.g. ML probe response message), and sends the multi-link probe response message to the STA MLD1 on the link 1.

S1004, the STA MLD1 sends a connection request message (e.g. association request message) to the AP MLD1 on the link1, where the message includes information of the logical terminal STA1 operating on the link1 and information of the logical terminal STA2 operating on the link 2.

After receiving the connection request message, the AP MLD1 sends a connection response message (such as association response message) to the STA MLD1 on link1 if the request of the STA MLD1 is granted, wherein the message indicates the grant request, and indicates that the AP1 is operating on the main link, and the AP2 is operating on the non-main link; if the request of STA MLD1 is not granted, the disagreement request is indicated in the connection response message. In the embodiment of the invention, the AP MLD1 agrees with the request of the STA MLD1, and the AP MLD1 and the STA MLD1 establish connection through link1 and link 2.

After the STA MLD1 and the AP MLD1 establish connection through link1 and link2, data transmission can be performed on link1 and link 2. Since the AP MLD1 is provided with a main link and a non-main link, both may take into consideration data transceiving in the main link, and examples are as follows:

and 6A, when the AP MLD1 needs to send data to the STA MLD1, firstly monitoring whether the link1 of the main link is idle, if so, sending the data to the STA MLD1 on the link1, and if not, judging whether the link1 is idle because of monitoring, wherein the interference also comprises a scene that the coverage area of the access point is overlapped to cause the detection of the non-idle, if not, continuing to wait for the link1 to be idle, and if so, monitoring whether the link2 is idle.

If link2 is idle, transmitting data to STA MLD1 on link2, or setting a transmission duration on link2 according to a remaining duration of a duration occupied by a main link, after transmitting data to STA MLD1 on link2, transmitting data to STA MLD1 on the main link in a contention transmission opportunity on link 1;

if link2 is not idle, then both link1 and link2 are monitored, during which:

1) If the link1 monitors idle, transmitting data to the STA MLD1 on the link 1;

2) If link1 monitors that the interference is not detected, stopping monitoring link2 and continuously monitoring link1;

3) If link1 monitors that interference still exists, link2 is idle, data is sent to STA MLD1 on link 2.

And 6B, when the STA MLD1 needs to send data to the AP MLD1, firstly monitoring whether the link1 of the main link is idle, if so, sending the data to the AP MLD1 on the link1, and if not, judging whether the link1 is idle because of monitoring, wherein the interference also comprises a scene that the coverage area of the access point is overlapped to cause the detection of the non-idle, if not, continuing to wait for the link1 to be idle, and if so, monitoring whether the link2 is idle.

If link2 is idle, transmitting data to AP MLD1 on link2, setting the transmission time on link2 according to the residual time of the occupied time of the main link, after the transmission of data to AP MLD1 on link2 is finished, link1 competing transmission time on the main link and transmitting data to AP MLD1 on the main link;

if link2 is not idle, then both link1 and link2 are monitored, during which:

1) If the link1 monitors the idle state, transmitting data to the AP MLD1 on the link1;

3) If link1 monitors that interference still exists, link2 is idle, data is sent to AP MLD1 on link 2.

In some embodiments, in addition to setting the main link and the non-main link, the AP MLD1 may further keep the AP1 operating on the main link1 in a continuously activated state, and the AP2 operating on the non-main link2 may not send a broadcast message, but also be in a power saving state, so as to save energy, and the AP MLD1 may include wake-up period information of the AP2 in a broadcast message or a connection response message sent to the STA MLD1, etc., to instruct the STA MLD1 to send data to the AP MLD1 on the link2 according to the wake-up period information. For example, in step S1005, the AP MLD1 further includes a non-main link operation information element in the association response message sent to the STA MLD1, where the information element includes the following parameters:

WakeTime: a wake-up period for indicating a time at which data may be received, such as including a period, a duration, etc.

In step 6B, when the STA MLD1 needs to send data to the AP MLD1, it first monitors whether the link1 is idle, if so, sends data to the AP MLD1 on the link1, if not, it determines whether the link1 is idle because of interference, where the interference further includes a scenario that the coverage area of the access point overlaps to cause detection of the idle, if not, it continues to wait for the link1 to be idle, if so, it determines a period in which the AP MLD1 can receive data on the non-main link according to a wake-up period included in the non-main link operation information element, and if so, sends data to the AP MLD1 on the non-main link in the period.

Further, if the STA MLD1 detects that there is interference on the primary link1, the primary link interference may be reported to the AP MLD1, and the AP MLD1 may perform the primary link switching operation according to the primary link interference reported by the STA MLD1, as shown in fig. 2.

S2001, if the STA MLD1 detects that the link1 has interference, an event report message is sent to the AP MLD1 on the link1 or the link 2. Illustratively, the event report message contains the following parameters:

event ID: event identification, the embodiment is set to a predefined value, and is used for indicating that the event is a main link interference report;

interfered link ID: optionally, a link identifier, configured to indicate an interfering link, where link1 is set in this embodiment;

interfering BSSID: optionally, the interference source identifier is used to indicate an interference source, such as a BSSID, a MAC address, and the like of the interference source, and this embodiment is set to the BSSID of AP 3.

Optionally, the Event report message may be predefined, that is, the main link interference report message, without indicating by the parameter Event ID.

The manner in which STA MLD1 detects interference may be to detect a data packet received on a channel corresponding to link1, and if address information of the data packet indicates that the data packet is sent by other APs, determine that the data packet is interference; or when the STA MLD1 detects that the channel quality of link1 is lower than a preset value, determining that the link is interfered. The STA MLD1 may detect interference of the main link when data needs to be transmitted, and may also periodically detect interference according to a predefined period, send an event report message to the AP MLD1 on the link2 when confirming that there is interference, or send an event report message to the AP MLD1 on the link1 when waiting for the link1 to be idle after confirming that there is interference, or send an event report message to the AP MLD1 on the link1 or the link2 when the detected main link interference event exceeds a threshold value in a unit time or the total number of detected main link interference events exceeds a threshold value.

S2002, the AP MLD1 executes the main link switching operation according to the received event report message.

Specifically, after receiving the event report message, the AP MLD1 may perform a main link switching operation according to a local policy. Illustratively, the local policy includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:

1) After receiving the event report message, executing the main link switching operation;

2) When the main link interference event exceeds a threshold value T1 in unit time, executing main link switching operation;

3) And when the total number of the main link interference events exceeds a threshold value T2, executing main link switching operation.

The embodiment of the invention assumes that the local policy of the AP MLD1 is satisfied, and the AP MLD1 switches the main link from link1 to link2. It should be noted that, when the AP MLD1 has multiple non-primary links, the STA MLD1 may optionally select one of the multiple non-primary links or select one with the best channel quality to send the event report message, and the AP MLD1 may switch the primary link from link1 to any one of the multiple non-primary links or receive the event report message.

The AP MLD1 sends a broadcast message on the link1, where the broadcast message includes a main link change information element Primary link change and an adjacent access point information element BSSinfo 2, and Primary link change may include the following parameters:

Target primary link ID: the target main link identifier is set as link2 in this embodiment;

primary link Change delay: the remaining time to the new primary link is changed.

BSSinfo 2 contains the following parameters:

link ID: the link identifier is set as link2 in this embodiment;

primary Link: whether the primary link is indicated, if set to 0, the non-primary link is indicated, set to 1, the primary link is indicated, and the embodiment is set to 1.

It should be understood that the broadcast message may not include Primary link change, but only BSSinfo 2, and through the information in BSSinfo 2, STA MLD1 may still know that the main link is changed to link2.

After the duration indicated by Primary link Change delay, the AP MLD1 stops sending broadcast messages on the link 1. Primary link Change delay is to allow a terminal, which is previously connected to the AP MLD1 and sets link1 as a main link, to be notified of an event of a main link change for a while; and a terminal newly connected with the AP MLD1 in Primary link Change delay, wherein the AP MLD1 indicates link2 as a main link in a connection response message.

AP MLD1 may send a broadcast message on link2, containing neighbor access point information element BSSinfo 3,

1) Immediately transmitting a broadcast message;

2) Primary link Change time sends a broadcast message at any time before the end of the duration indicated by Primary link Change time;

3) Primary link Change time, a broadcast message is sent at any time after the end of the duration indicated.

Wherein BSSinfo 3 contains the following parameters:

link ID: link identification, the present embodiment is set as link1;

After receiving the broadcast message, the STA MLD1 starts to monitor whether the link2 has downlink data, monitors whether the link2 is idle at first when there is data to be transmitted, and if so, transmits the data on the link 2.

In some embodiments, in step S1001, the broadcast message sent by the AP1 may further include neighboring access point information elements BSSinfo 2 and BSSinfo 3, where BSSinfo 2 includes the following parameters:

MLD ID: the multi-link device identifier is set to 0, which indicates that the access point and the AP1 sending the broadcast message belong to the same multi-link device, and is set to 1, which indicates that the access point and the AP1 sending the broadcast message do not belong to the same multi-link device, and is set to 1 in this embodiment;

link ID: link identification, the present embodiment is set as link3;

primary Link: indicating whether a main link is set to 0, indicating that the main link is not a main link, setting to 1, and indicating that the main link is a main link;

Co-AP ID: the AP cooperative group identifier is used to indicate a cooperative group to which the AP3 belongs, for example, the AP1 sending the broadcast message may be set to the same value, or a certain value may be set to indicate whether the AP belongs to the same cooperative group as the AP1 sending the broadcast message, for example, the AP cooperative group identifier is set to 0, which indicates that the AP belongs to the same cooperative group, the AP cooperative group identifier is set to 1, which indicates that the AP does not belong to the same cooperative group, and the embodiment may be set to 0.

BSSinfo 3 contains the following parameters:

link ID: the link identifier is set as link4 in this embodiment;

Co-AP ID: the AP cooperative group identifier is used to indicate a cooperative group to which the AP4 belongs, for example, the AP1 sending the broadcast message may be set to the same value, or a certain value may be set to indicate whether the AP belongs to the same cooperative group as the AP1 sending the broadcast message, for example, the AP cooperative group identifier is set to 0, indicates that the AP belongs to the same cooperative group, is set to 1, indicates that the AP does not belong to the same cooperative group, and may be set to 0 in this embodiment.

In step S2001, if the STA MLD1 detects that there is interference on link1, it may also determine whether the interference source and the AP1 transmitting the broadcast message belong to the same cooperative group, and only when the interference source and the AP1 belong to the same cooperative group, the STA MLD1 reports the main link interference to the AP MLD1, so that the multi-link access point devices in the cooperative group may perform flexible cooperative operation, not only the AP MLD1 may change the main link, but also the multi-link access point devices that generate interference in the cooperative group may change the main link, thereby more flexibly solving the interference problem.

In some embodiments, the AP MLD1 may further instruct other multi-link access point devices (such as AP MLD 2) belonging to the same cooperative group to set a main link and a non-main link, for example, after the AP MLD1 sets the main link and the non-main link, it may instruct the AP MLD2 to set the main link, or instruct the AP MLD2 to set the main link when the main link interference reported by the STA MLD1 is received and the interference source is AP3, so that the main link of the two uses different operation channels, thereby reducing interference. The following describes in detail an example in which the AP MLD1 instructs the AP MLD2 to perform setting after setting itself with the primary link and the non-primary link.

S3001, AP MLD1 sends an access point interface message to AP MLD2, wherein the access point interface message comprises a capability information element and link information elements link info1 and link info2, and the capability information element comprises the following parameters:

EML supported: indicating whether or not enhanced multi-link operation is supported, the present embodiment is set to 1, indicating that enhanced multi-link operation is supported.

link info1 contains the following parameters:

link ID: link identification, the present embodiment is set as link1;

primary link: indicating whether the primary link, in this embodiment set to 1, indicates that it is the primary link.

link info2 contains the following parameters:

link ID: the link identifier is set as link2 in this embodiment;

primary link: indicating whether the primary link, in this embodiment set to 0, indicates a non-primary link.

After receiving the access point interface message, the AP MLD2 configures its own logical access point according to the information in the access point interface message, sets the link4 configured by using the same channel as the link2 as a main link, sets the link3 configured by using the same channel as the link1 as a non-main link, and includes the following parameters in the broadcast message on the link 3:

neighbor BSS info: adjacent access point information elements;

EML operation: the multilink operation information is enhanced.

Wherein Neighbor BSS info may comprise the following parameters:

link ID: the link identifier is set as link4 in this embodiment;

EML operation may include the following parameters:

EML enabled: indicating whether or not to start enhanced multi-link operation, the present embodiment is set to 1, indicating start-up;

primary link ID: the main link identifier is set as link4 in this embodiment;

transmission delay: indicating the delay period before the enhanced multi-link operation is initiated.

The broadcast message on link4 contains the following parameters:

neighbor BSS info: adjacent access point information elements;

EML operation: the multilink operation information is enhanced.

Wherein Neighbor BSS info may comprise the following parameters:

Link ID: link identification, the present embodiment is set as link3;

EML operation may include the following parameters:

primary link ID: the main link identifier is set as link4 in this embodiment;

After the Transition delay time expires, the AP MLD2 stops sending broadcast messages on link 3.

It should be appreciated that if the AP MLD2 has set link4 as the primary link and link3 as the non-primary link before receiving the access point interface message sent by the AP MLD1, then the configuration remains unchanged. If the AP MLD2 has set link3 as the primary link and link4 as the non-primary link before receiving the AP interface message sent by the AP MLD1, the primary link switching operation is performed, and the primary link switching operation is specifically performed with reference to the AP MLD1 in step S2002 and will not be described in detail herein.

In some embodiments, the cooperative group to which the AP MLD1 and the AP MLD2 belong includes more access point devices, and one of the access point devices has a central access point device, and the central access point device may configure a main link for other access point devices in the cooperative group, so that the main links of neighboring access point devices use different operation channels, and interference between neighboring access point devices is reduced. Examples are as follows:

S4001, the central access point device sends a location report request message to other access point devices.

S4002, the center access point device receives the position report information of other access point devices, and performs enhanced multi-link configuration for the other access point devices according to the position information.

S4003, the central access point device sends an access point interface message to other access point devices (such as AP MLD1 and AP MLD 2), where the message includes an EML operation that includes the following parameters:

primary link ID: a main link identifier, which is set as an identifier of a main link configured by each access point device, for example, if the main link identifier is an access point interface message sent to the AP MLD1, the main link identifier is set as link1, and if the main link identifier is an access point interface message sent to the AP MLD2, the main link identifier is set as link4;

Optionally, the following parameters may also be included in the access point interface message:

Link info1: configuration information of a certain link;

link info2: configuration information of a certain link.

The Link info1 may include the following parameters:

link ID: the link identifier is set as an identifier of a main link configured by each access point device, for example, if the identifier is an access point interface message sent to the AP MLD1, the link identifier is set as link1, and if the identifier is an access point interface message sent to the AP MLD2, the link identifier is set as link4;

primary link: indicating whether the primary link is set to 1, indicating that it is the primary link.

Link info2 may include the following parameters:

link ID: the link identifier is set as an identifier of a link other than a main link configured by each access point device, for example, if the link identifier is an access point interface message sent to the AP MLD1, the link identifier is set as link2, and if the link identifier is an access point interface message sent to the AP MLD2, the link identifier is set as link3;

primary link: indicating whether the primary link is set to 0, indicating a non-primary link.

S4004, AP MLD1 and AP MLD2 receive the access point interface message sent by the central access point device, and then configure the logic access point of the AP MLD1 according to the information in the access point interface message received by the AP MLD1, for example, the AP MLD1 sets link1 as a main link and sets link2 as a non-main link; the AP MLD2 sets link4 as the primary link and link3 as the non-primary link.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a multi-link cooperative operation device, which comprises a multi-link cooperative module, wherein the multi-link cooperative module is used for executing the following operations:

In an alternative example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above apparatus may be specifically referred to as AP MLD1 in the above embodiment, where AP MLD1 is defined as the first multi-link device, and the apparatus may be used to perform each flow and/or step corresponding to AP MLD1 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 STA MLD1 in the above embodiment, where STA MLD1 is defined as the second multi-link device, and the apparatus may be configured to perform each flow and/or step corresponding to STA MLD1 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 AP MLD2 in the above embodiment, where AP MLD2 is defined as a third multi-link device, and the apparatus may be used to perform each flow and/or step corresponding to AP MLD2 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 embodiments of the present invention are not limited herein.

The embodiment of the invention also provides an electronic device, and fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the 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 are in communication 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 an AP MLD1 or an STA MLD1 or an AP MLD2 in the above embodiments, or the functions of the AP MLD1 or the STA MLD1 or the AP MLD2 in the above embodiments may be integrated in the apparatus 300, and the apparatus 300 may be used to perform the respective steps and/or flows corresponding to the AP MLD1 or the STA MLD1 or the AP MLD2 in the above 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 multi-link co-operation, comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first multi-link device performing a main link handover operation according to the received event report message comprises:

the first multi-link device switches the main link from the first link to the second link according to the received event report message;

the first multi-link device sends a second broadcast message on the first link, wherein the second broadcast message indicates that the second link is a main link and a logic entity operated on the second link and the logic entity sending the first broadcast message belong to the same multi-link device;

the first multilink device sends a third broadcast message on the second link, wherein the third broadcast message indicates that the first link is a non-primary link and that the logical entity operating on the first link and the logical entity sending the third broadcast message belong to the same multilink device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the event report message includes a first parameter and a second parameter, and the first parameter is used for indicating an interfered link; the second parameter is used to indicate the source of interference.

4. A method of multi-link co-operation according to claim 2, wherein the second broadcast message also indicates the remaining time to change to the new primary link; the method further comprises the steps of:

the first multi-link device stops sending broadcast messages on the first link based on the remaining time to change to the new primary link.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first broadcast message further indicates whether the third link is a primary link and the logical entity operating on the third link and the logical entity transmitting the first broadcast message do not belong to the same multi-link device, and includes an identification of a cooperative group to which the logical entity operating on the third link belongs.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the first multi-link device sends a first interface message to the third multi-link device, wherein the first interface message indicates that the first link is a main link and the second link is a non-main link, and the first interface message is used for the third multi-link device to set the main link and the non-main link according to the first interface message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the first multi-link device receives a second interface message sent by a fourth multi-link device, wherein the second interface message indicates that the first link is a main link;

the first multi-link device sets the first link as the main link according to the second interface message.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the first multi-link device sends wake-up period information of the second link on the first link, and the second multi-link device is used for sending data to the first multi-link device on the second link according to the wake-up period information.

9. A method of multi-link co-operation, comprising:

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the second multilink device receives a second broadcast message sent by the first multilink device on the first link, wherein the second broadcast message indicates that the second link is a main link and a logic entity operating on the second link and a logic entity sending the first broadcast message belong to the same multilink device;

the second multilink device receives a third broadcast message sent by the first multilink device on the second link, wherein the third broadcast message indicates that the first link is a non-primary link and that a logic entity operating on the first link and a logic entity sending the third broadcast message belong to the same multilink device.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the event report message includes a first parameter and a second parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate an interfering link; the second parameter is used to indicate the source of interference.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first broadcast message further indicates whether the third link is a primary link and the logical entity operating on the third link and the logical entity transmitting the first broadcast message do not belong to the same multi-link device, and includes an identifier of a cooperative group to which the logical entity operating on the third link belongs;

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the second multi-link device receives wake-up period information of a second link sent by the first multi-link device on the first link;

the second multi-link device monitors whether the first link is idle, and if so, data is sent to the first multi-link device on the first link; if not, judging whether the monitoring result is not idle due to interference, if not, continuing to monitor the first link; if so, determining a period of time when the first multi-link device can receive data on the second link according to the awakening period information, and transmitting the data to the first multi-link device on the second link in the period of time.

14. A method of multi-link co-operation, comprising:

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

the third multilink device sends a fourth broadcast message on the third link, wherein the fourth broadcast message indicates that the fourth link is a main link and a logic entity operating on the fourth link and a logic entity sending the fourth broadcast message belong to the same multilink device;

the third multilink device sends a fifth broadcast message on the fourth link, wherein the fifth broadcast message indicates that the third link is a non-primary link and that the logical entity operating on the third link and the logical entity sending the fifth broadcast message belong to the same multilink device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the fourth broadcast message further indicates a delay period before the enhanced multi-link operation is initiated; the method further comprises the steps of:

and the third multi-link device stops sending the broadcast message on the third link according to the delay time length.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

the third multi-link device receives a third interface message sent by a fourth multi-link device, wherein the third interface message comprises an indication of a main link;

and the third multi-link device sets a main link according to the third interface message.

18. A multi-link co-operating device comprising a multi-link co-module for performing the following operations:

19. A multi-link co-operating device comprising a multi-link co-module for performing the following operations:

20. A multi-link co-operating device comprising a multi-link co-module for performing the following operations:

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 one of claims 1-17.

22. 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 1-17.