CN117014523A

CN117014523A - Data transmission method and device

Info

Publication number: CN117014523A
Application number: CN202210454307.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 顾祥新
Original assignee: Spreadtrum Communications Shanghai Co Ltd
Current assignee: Spreadtrum Communications Shanghai Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-04-27
Filing date: 2022-04-27
Publication date: 2023-11-07

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a data transmission method and a data transmission device, which are applied to first equipment, wherein the method comprises the following steps: and sending indication information to the second device, wherein the indication information comprises a first field and a second field, the first field is used for indicating the first device to enable the enhanced multi-link multi-radio EMLMR mode, the second field is used for indicating a first link set containing at least one link, and the links in the first link set are links which reserve the capability of receiving the multicast frame in the EMLMR mode. Multicast frames are received on at least one link in a first set of links, the first device operating in EMLMR mode. By including the second field in the indication information indicating that the first device enables the EMLMR mode, where the second field is used to indicate the first link set including at least one link, the capability of receiving the multicast frame may be reserved for the links in the first link set in the EMLMR mode, so that the system efficiency may be effectively improved.

Description

Data transmission method and device

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to a communication technology, in particular to a data transmission method and device.

Background

A Multi-Link Device (MLD) is a Device supporting data transmission on multiple links simultaneously, and there is currently a non-Access Point (non-AP) MLD supporting an Enhanced Multi-Link Multi-Radio (EMLMR) mode.

Currently, the non-AP MLD will determine the EMLMR link set and will determine one particular link among the EMLMR link set for frame exchange between the multi-link devices. During frame exchange in the EMLMR mode in the prior art, the radio frequency chains on the other links in the EMLMR link set are switched to be used for frame exchange on the particular link.

However, switching the radio frequency links on other links to a particular link may result in a need to suspend frame switching for the particular link if the other links need to receive multicast frames, which may result in reduced system efficiency.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a data transmission method and device for improving system efficiency.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission method, applied to a first device, where at least two links are established between the first device and a second device, the method includes:

transmitting indication information to the second device, wherein the indication information comprises a first field and a second field, the first field is used for indicating the first device to enable an enhanced multi-link multi-radio-frequency (EMLMR) mode, the second field is used for indicating a first link set containing at least one link, and the links in the first link set are links which reserve the capability of receiving multicast frames in the EMLMR mode;

A multicast frame is received on at least one link in the first set of links, the first device operating in the EMLMR mode.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission method applied to a second device, where at least two links are established between the second device and a first device, and the method includes:

receiving indication information sent by the first device, wherein the indication information comprises a first field and a second field, the first field is used for indicating the first device to enable an EMLMR mode, the second field is used for indicating a first link set containing at least one link, and the links in the first link set are links which reserve the capability of receiving multicast frames in the EMLMR mode;

after the first device operates in the EMLMR mode, a multicast frame is transmitted on at least one link of the first set of links.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission apparatus, applied to a first device, where at least two links are established between the first device and a second device, where the apparatus includes:

a sending module, configured to send indication information to the second device, where the indication information includes a first field and a second field, where the first field is configured to indicate that the first device enables an enhanced multi-link multi-radio EMLMR mode, and the second field is configured to indicate a first link set including at least one link, where a link in the first link set is a link that reserves an ability to receive a multicast frame in the EMLMR mode;

And a receiving module, configured to receive a multicast frame on at least one link in the first link set, where the first device operates in the EMLMR mode.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission apparatus applied to a second device, where at least two links are established between the second device and a first device, where the apparatus includes:

a sending module, configured to receive indication information sent by the first device, where the indication information includes a first field and a second field, where the first field is used to indicate that the first device enables an EMLMR mode, and the second field is used to indicate a first link set including at least one link, where a link in the first link set is a link that reserves an ability to receive a multicast frame in the EMLMR mode;

the sending module is further configured to send a multicast frame on at least one link in the first link set after the first device operates in the EMLMR mode.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission apparatus, including:

a memory for storing a program;

a processor for executing the program stored by the memory, the processor being for performing the method as described in the first aspect above when the program is executed.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission apparatus, including:

a memory for storing a program;

a processor for executing the program stored by the memory, the processor being for performing the method as described in the second aspect above when the program is executed.

In a seventh aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a chip including instructions, the chip including a processor, the processor executing computer-executable instructions to cause the processor to perform the method as described above in the first aspect and in any of the various possible designs of the first aspect, and in the second aspect and in any of the various possible designs of the second aspect.

In an eighth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first aspect and any of the various possible designs of the first aspect, and the second aspect and any of the various possible designs of the second aspect, as described above.

In a ninth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements a method as described in the first aspect and any of the various possible designs of the first aspect, and in the second aspect and any of the various possible designs of the second aspect.

The embodiment of the application provides a data transmission method and a data transmission device, which are applied to first equipment, wherein the method comprises the following steps: and sending indication information to the second device, wherein the indication information comprises a first field and a second field, the first field is used for indicating the first device to enable the enhanced multi-link multi-radio EMLMR mode, the second field is used for indicating a first link set containing at least one link, and the links in the first link set are links which reserve the capability of receiving the multicast frame in the EMLMR mode. A multicast frame is received on at least one link in the first set of links, the first device operating in the EMLMR mode. By including the second field in the indication information indicating that the first device enables the EMLMR mode, where the second field is used to indicate the first link set including at least one link, the capability of receiving the multicast frame may be preserved in the EMLMR mode for the links in the first link set, so that the first device may receive the multicast frame on at least one link in the first link set without suspending the process of frame exchange when the first device operates in the EMLMR mode, and thus the system efficiency may be effectively improved.

The embodiment of the application provides a data transmission method and a data transmission device, which are applied to a second device, wherein the method comprises the following steps: and receiving indication information sent by the first device, wherein the indication information comprises a first field and a second field, the first field is used for indicating the first device to enable an EMLMR mode, the second field is used for indicating a first link set containing at least one link, and the links in the first link set are links which reserve the capability of receiving multicast frames in the EMLMR mode. After the first device operates in the EMLMR mode, the multicast frame is transmitted on at least one link in the first set of links. By including the second field in the indication information indicating that the first device enables the EMLMR mode, where the second field is used to indicate the first link set including at least one link, the capability of receiving the multicast frame can be preserved for the links in the first link set in the EMLMR mode, so that the second device can send the multicast frame to the first device on at least one link in the first link set when the first device operates in the EMLMR mode, and the first device does not need to stop the process of frame exchange, thereby effectively improving the system efficiency.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings that are needed in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below, it will be obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and that other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort to a person skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a link between multiple link devices according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a format of an EML control field according to an embodiment of the application;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of a transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a format of an EML control field according to an embodiment of the application;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating implementation of data transmission in EMLMR mode according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a second flowchart of a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a second structure of a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 10 is a schematic hardware structure of a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic hardware structure of a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to better understand the technical scheme of the application, the related technology related to the application is further described in detail.

802.11be is the next generation WiFi standard, an 802.11be network, also known as Extremely High Throughput (EHT, very high throughput) network, which is enhanced in functionality through a range of system features and mechanisms to achieve very high throughput, 802.11be is a new WLAN standard proposed next to WiFi6 (802.11 ax).

According to the definition of the two communication ends in 802.11, one end is an AP device, and the other end is an STA device, for example, the communication scenario may be understood with reference to fig. 1, and fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the communication scenario provided by the embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 1, in this communication scenario, one end is an Access Point (AP) device, and the other end is a Station (STA) device.

The AP may be an access point of a mobile subscriber operating in a wired network, and is mainly deployed in a home, a building, and a campus, where a typical coverage radius is several tens meters to hundreds meters, and of course, may be deployed outdoors. The AP is equivalent to a bridge connecting a wired network and a wireless network, and mainly serves to connect each wireless network client together and then access the wireless network to the ethernet. In particular, the AP may be a terminal device or a network device with a wireless-fidelity (WiFi) chip. The AP may be a device supporting the 802.11ax standard. The AP may be a device supporting multiple wireless local area network (wireless local area networks, WLAN) standards such as 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11 a.

The STA may be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal. Such as a mobile phone supporting a WiFi communication function, a tablet computer supporting a WiFi communication function, a set top box supporting a WiFi communication function, a smart television supporting a WiFi communication function, a smart wearable device supporting a WiFi communication function, a vehicle communication device supporting a WiFi communication function, and a computer supporting a WiFi communication function. Optionally, the STA may support the 802.11ax standard. The STA may also support multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11 a.

In the actual implementation process, the specific implementation manner of the AP device and the STA device may be selected according to actual requirements, which is not limited in this embodiment, as long as the AP device may be used as an access point, and the STA device may be used as a station.

At present, in 802.11be, a function capable of supporting 802.11 Multiple Links (MLD) is defined, and in the above description, one end is an AP MLD (access point multi-link device) and the other end is an STA MLD (station multi-link device), where the STA MLD may also be referred to as a non-AP MLD (non-access point device multi-link).

And Multi-link device (MLD) MLD, which is currently introduced in 802.11be (EHT), is a device that supports simultaneous data transmission over multiple links. For example, the multi-link device can simultaneously communicate in the frequency bands of 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 60GHz, and even if the number of antennas is limited, the multi-link device can switch in different frequency bands, so that the optimal frequency band is selected, and the communication quality is ensured.

The multi-link STA MLD and the multi-link AP MLD can utilize the advantages of the multi-link to transmit and receive data on a plurality of links so as to achieve the advantages of high throughput, low time delay and the like.

Wherein the multi-link device may contain one or more APs if the multi-link device is an AP device, and one or more STAs if the multi-link device is an STA device.

It will be appreciated that whether an STA or AP multilink device is a device in nature, the AP MLD described above may include one or more APs, and the STA MLD may include one or more STAs, which may be understood as including one or more virtual entities in the multilink device, where each logical entity communicates data with the other end of the communication via a link, which is a radio resource for transmitting data, respectively.

For example, the multi-link between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD may be understood in conjunction with fig. 2, and fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a link between multi-link devices according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 2, it is assumed that AP1, AP2, …, APn are currently included in the AP MLD, and STA1, STA2, …, STA n are included in the non-AP MLD, where a link (link) 1 is established between AP1 and STA1, a link 2 is established between AP2 and STA2, …, a link n is established between APn and STA n, in one possible implementation, each AP may operate on a different frequency band, and each STA may operate on a different frequency band, and accordingly, each link established is a link on a corresponding frequency band. Data may be transmitted over multiple links.

In the actual implementation process, the specific number of APs included in the AP multi-link device and the specific number of STAs included in the STA multi-link device may be selected according to actual requirements, which is not limited in this embodiment.

Currently, the standard specifies two non-AP MLDs:

multiple link single radio frequency (Multi-Link Single Radio, MLSR) non-AP MLD, wherein the MLSR non-AP MLD has only one radio and can only transmit data on one link at a time;

multiple-Link multiple-Radio (MLMR) non-AP MLD with multiple Radio groups can transmit data on multiple links at the same time.

Furthermore, the standard also specifies an MLMR non-AP MLD supporting Enhanced Multi-Link Multi-Radio mode EMLMR (Enhanced Multi-Link Multi-Radio) mode.

Wherein the non-AP MLD supporting the EMLMR mode may send an enhanced multi-link operation mode notification frame (EML Operating Mode Notificaiton frame) to the AP MLD indicating that it wants to enable the EMLMR mode by setting the EMLMR mode subfield (EMLMR Mode subfield) therein to 1. The EMLMR mode may then be enabled after EML Operating Mode Notificaiton frame of the AP MLD reply.

The enhanced multi-link operation mode notification frame (EML Operating Mode Notification frame format) is described in detail below.

The EML operation mode notification frame is used to indicate that the non-AP MLD to which the STA transmitting the data belongs is changing its EML operation.

The operation field format (EML Operating Mode Notification frame Action field format) of the EML operation mode notification frame is described below in conjunction with table 1.

TABLE 1

Wherein the category field is defined in 9.4.1.11 (Action field) in the protocol;

The EHT operation field is defined in 9.6.34.1 (EHT Actionfield)

The dialog token field is set by the non-AP MLD to a non-zero value selected by the non-AP MLD and by the AP MLD to a value copied from the corresponding received EML operation mode notification frame;

the EML control field is defined in 9-144i (EML Control field format).

The specific implementation of the EML control field will be described in detail below, and can be understood with reference to fig. 3, where fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the format of the EML control field according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 3, the total length of the EML control field may be 65 bits, or 89 bits, or 113 bits, and a plurality of subfields are included inside the EML control field, and are described below, respectively.

Wherein, the EMLSR Mode field occupies 1 bit and is located at bit 0. The EMLSR mode field is used to indicate whether the non-AP MLD enables the EMLSR mode, which is actually the non-AP MLD operating in EMLSR mode.

And, the EMLMR Mode (EMLMR Mode) field occupies 1 bit, which is located at bit 1. The EMLMR mode field is used to indicate whether the non-AP MLD is enabled for the EMLMR mode, which is actually the non-AP MLD operating in the EMLMR mode.

And the EMLSR link bitmap (EMLSR Link Bitmap) field occupies 16 bits, located at bit 2-bit 17. The EMLSR link bitmap field is used to indicate the EMLSR link set in which links are used for frame switching between AP MLD and non-AP MLD in EMLSR mode. For example, the EMLSR link bitmap field may be 11100000 00000000 (Bit 0 is at the forefront), indicating that the EMLSR link set includes: link1, link2, link3.

And the Reserved (Reserved) field occupies 6 bits, located in bits 18-23.

And, the EMLMR link bitmap (EMLMR Link Bitmap) field occupies 0 bits or 16 bits, located at bit 24-bit 39. The EMLMR link bitmap field is used to indicate the EMLMR link set, the links in which are used for frame exchange between the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD in EMLMR mode. For example, the EMLMR link bitmap field may be 11000000 00000000 (Bit 0 is forward most), indicating that the EMLMR link set includes: link1, link2.

And the number of bits occupied by the EMLMR supported MAS and NSS set (EMLMR Supported MCS And NSS Set) fields is variable, and may be located in bits 42-65, 42-89, or 42-113. Wherein the EMLMR supported MAS and NSS set fields are used to indicate the set of supported modulation and coding strategies (Modulation and Coding Scheme, MCS) and spatial streams (Number of Spatial Stream, NSS) for the non-AP MLD in EMLMR mode.

And, the MCS Map Count field occupies 0 bits or 2 bits, located in bit 40-bit 41. The MCS mapping number field is used to indicate which bits occupied by the above-mentioned MAS and NSS set fields supported by EMLMR are, specifically, any of the following three types: bit 42-bit 65, bit 42-bit 89, bit 42-bit 113.

After the meaning of the fields and the corresponding bits described above are described, it should also be noted that it is specifically whether EMLSR mode or EMLMR mode is supported for a non-AP MLD, which is an inherent attribute for a non-AP MLD. Thus for a non-AP MLD, it either enables EMLSR mode through the EMLSR mode field or enables EMLMR mode through the EMLMR mode field.

The format of the EML control field is described above in connection with fig. 3, and further description is required based on the above description.

In the EMLMR mode, the non-AP MLD may, after a first frame exchange (frame exchange) of a link in the EMLMR link set indicated by EMLMR Link Bitmap subfield:

receiving protocol data units (Presentation Protocol Data Unit, PPDUs) over the link with a received spatial stream number (the number of Spatial Stream) indicated by a maximum of EMLMR Supported MCS And NSS Set;

On this link, the PPDU is transmitted with a transmission spatial stream number (the number of Spatial Stream) indicated by a maximum of EMLMR Supported MCS And NSS Set;

the above description is performed until the frame exchange is finished, and after the frame exchange is finished, the rest links in the EMLMR link set can not transmit and receive data.

And it will be appreciated that during frame exchange in EMLMR mode, the non-AP MLD essentially acts to switch the radio frequency chains (Radio Frequency Chain, RF Chain) of the other links in the EMLMR link set to the link for which frame exchange is performed so that the link obtains the transceiving capability indicated by EMLMR Supported MCS And NSS Set.

However, a problem that arises is that during EMLMR, the non-AP MLD switches the radio frequency chains of other links in the EMLMR link set to the link for frame exchange, resulting in the other links having no transceiving capability at all.

The transmission of the multicast frame (group addressed frame) occurs periodically, and therefore, the suspension EMLMR frame exchange is required before other links need to receive the multicast frame, because of fragmentation on the resource time axis, overhead of acquiring transmission opportunities (Transmit Opportunity, TXOP) by enhanced distributed channel access (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access, EDCA), sounding channel (sounding), and so on, which may result in a decrease in system efficiency. And, when there are multiple other links and the timing of transmitting the multicast frame is not synchronous, EMLMR frame exchange may be frequently suspended in advance, and the system efficiency is greatly reduced.

Aiming at the problem of reduced system efficiency caused by the need of suspending the frame exchange process of the links for frame exchange when receiving multicast frames by other links as described above, the application provides the following technical conception: by indicating that part of links reserve the capability of receiving multicast frames, frame exchange of a specific link is not required to be stopped even if other links are to receive multicast data, so that the system efficiency can be effectively improved.

Based on the above description, the transmission method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to a specific embodiment, where the data transmission method provided by the embodiment of the present application may be applied to a first device or may be applied to a second device. At least two links are established between the first device and the second device in this embodiment. The first device may be, for example, the non-AP MLD described above, and the second device may be the AP MLD described above; alternatively, the first device may be, for example, the AP MLD described above, and the second device may be the non-AP MLD described above, where the specific implementation manner of the first device and the second device is not limited, and the specific number of links between the first device and the second device is not limited, and may be selected and extended according to actual needs.

Taking the first device as a non-AP MLD and the second device as an AP MLD as an example, the data transmission method of the first device side will be described with reference to fig. 4, and fig. 4 is a flowchart of a transmission method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 4, the method includes:

s401, sending indication information to a second device, wherein the indication information comprises a first field and a second field, the first field is used for indicating the first device to enable an enhanced multi-link multi-radio EMLMR mode, the second field is used for indicating a first link set containing at least one link, and the links in the first link set are links which keep the capability of receiving multicast frames in the EMLMR mode.

In this embodiment, the first device may send indication information to the second device, where the indication information may inform the second device that the first device intends to enable the EMLMR mode. In one possible implementation, the indication information in this embodiment may include, for example, a first field, where the first field is used to indicate that the first device enables the EMLMR mode.

And, the indication information in this embodiment may further include a second field, where the second field is used to indicate a first link set, where the first link set may include at least one link, and the links in the first link set are links that reserve a capability of receiving a multicast frame in an EMLMR mode.

It will be appreciated that the first device indicates via the second field that part of the links retain the ability to receive multicast frames, thereby ensuring that the frame exchange process of the link over which the frame is exchanged does not need to be aborted when the multicast frames are subsequently received on these links.

In the actual implementation process, the first device may determine which links specifically receive the multicast frame, so that the links included in the first link set indicated by the second field in this embodiment may be links that need to receive the multicast frame, and may be selected and set according to actual requirements.

In one possible implementation, a specific implementation of reserving the capability to receive multicast frames in EMLMR mode for a portion of the links in the first set of links may be, for example, reserving at least one first radio frequency chain for each link in the first set of links in EMLMR mode. The first radio frequency chain is used to provide the links in the first set of links with the ability to receive multicast frames. The number of the first rf chains reserved for each link may be selected according to actual requirements, which is not limited in this embodiment.

S402, receiving a multicast frame on at least one link in a first link set, wherein the first device operates in the EMLMR mode.

After the first device sends the indication information, if response information replied by the second device is received before timeout, the response information may also be an enhanced multi-link operation mode notification frame, the specific content of each field in the response information is the same as the specific content of each field in the indication information, and then the first device may operate in the EMLMR mode according to the indication of the response information.

The first device may then receive multicast frames on at least one link of the first set of links in the EMLMR mode.

The data transmission method provided by the embodiment of the application comprises the following steps: and sending indication information to the second device, wherein the indication information comprises a first field and a second field, the first field is used for indicating the first device to enable the enhanced multi-link multi-radio EMLMR mode, the second field is used for indicating a first link set containing at least one link, and the links in the first link set are links which reserve the capability of receiving the multicast frame in the EMLMR mode. Multicast frames are received on at least one link in a first set of links, the first device operating in EMLMR mode. By including the second field in the indication information indicating that the first device enables the EMLMR mode, where the second field is used to indicate the first link set including at least one link, the capability of receiving the multicast frame may be preserved in the EMLMR mode for the links in the first link set, so that the first device may receive the multicast frame on at least one link in the first link set without suspending the process of frame exchange when the first device operates in the EMLMR mode, and thus the system efficiency may be effectively improved.

Based on the foregoing, further details of the implementation of the first device to receive multicast frames over at least one link in the first set of links in the EMLMR mode are provided below.

In one possible implementation, the first device may receive a beacon (beacon) message, for example, on a first target link in a first link set.

The first target link is not specifically limited to which link in the first link set, and which link in the first link set receives the beacon message, so that the link is the first target link, that is, the first target link can be selected and set according to actual requirements.

And then analyzing the beacon message, wherein if the beacon message is determined to indicate that the multicast frame to be transmitted exists on the first target link, the first device can receive the multicast frame on the first target link through a first radio frequency link reserved for the link. In the process, frame exchange does not need to be stopped, so that the system efficiency can be effectively improved.

It may be appreciated that, when the first target link in the first link set receives the beacon packet, by parsing the beacon packet, if it is determined that there is a multicast frame to be received on the first target link, the first device may receive the multicast frame on the first target link through the first radio frequency link. The first radio frequency chain is reserved for the first target link, and has no conflict with the radio frequency chain of the link for carrying out frame exchange, so that the transmission of multicast frames on other links can be effectively ensured without stopping frame exchange.

And based on the foregoing, in a possible implementation manner, the indication information in this embodiment may further include a third field, where the third field is used to indicate a second link set, where the second link set includes at least one link, and the links in the second link set are links that can be exchanged between the first device and the second device in the EMLMR mode.

It will be appreciated that a plurality of links may be included in the second set of links, and that it is presently only the links that may be frame exchanged, and that it is not necessary to say that the links are all frame exchanged. Therefore, when a specific frame exchange is performed later, one of the second link sets is selected for the frame exchange.

Thus in one possible implementation, in EMLMR mode, the first device may exchange frames with the second device over at least one link in the second set of links, and in an implementation of frame exchange, specific exchanged frame types may include: data frames, management frames, control frames.

Further, based on the foregoing, implementation of frame exchange between the first device and the second device in the EMLMR mode on at least one link in the second link set is described in further detail below.

In this embodiment, the second device may select one of the plurality of links in the second set of links for frame exchange and the second device may send the initial control frame on the selected link. The link for transmitting the initial control frame in the second link set may be regarded as a second target link, and the embodiment does not limit which link the second target link is specifically, and may be selected and set according to actual requirements, so long as the link for transmitting the initial control frame may be used as the second target link in the embodiment.

The first device in this embodiment may therefore receive the initial control frame sent by the second device on the second target link in the second link set. Then, the first device may send acknowledgement information corresponding to the initial control frame to the second device.

The first device may then exchange frames with the second device over the second target link, that is, over the second target link.

Based on the above description, it may be determined that in the EMLMR mode, the first device switches the radio links on the remaining links in the second set of links to the second target link.

However, in the present application, since each link in the first set of links needs to reserve at least one radio frequency link, its ability to accept multicast frames is guaranteed. The first device in this embodiment switches the second rf chains to the second target link, wherein the second rf chains include the rf chains of each link of the second set of links, except for the first rf chains reserved by each link of the first set of links.

It can be understood that the first link set and the second link set may have an intersection portion, so that when the radio frequency chains are switched, only the radio frequency chains reserved by each link in the first link set are excluded, and then the radio frequency chains of the rest links are switched to the second target link, so that the second target link can be ensured to obtain stronger transceiving capability, and each link in the first link set is ensured to reserve the capability of receiving the multicast frame.

And in one possible implementation manner, the first device in this embodiment may exchange frames on the second target link through the second radio frequency link and the second device obtained after the above-mentioned handover.

It can be understood that in this embodiment, the second target link is determined in the second link set, and then the remaining radio frequency chains except the first radio frequency chain reserved by each link in the first link set among the radio frequency chains of each link in the second link set are switched to the second target link, so that the second target link performing frame exchange can be ensured to obtain more transmission stream numbers and receiving stream numbers, and can be ensured to obtain stronger transceiving capability. Meanwhile, each link in the first link set can be ensured to keep the capability of receiving the multicast frame.

Furthermore, on the basis of ensuring that each link in the first link set reserves multicast receiving capability, only one radio frequency chain can be reserved for each link in the first link set in order to enable the second target link to obtain optimal receiving and transmitting capability, so that the receiving and transmitting capability of the second target link for frame exchange can be effectively ensured to be strong, and the speed and efficiency of data transmission are improved.

Based on the above description, in one possible implementation manner, the indication information in the present application may be, for example, the enhanced multi-link operation mode notification frame described above.

The first field in this embodiment may be the EMLMR Mode field (EMLMR Mode) introduced above, accordingly. And, the second field in this embodiment may be a newly introduced field, which may be referred to as an EMLMR link bitmap multicast reservation (EMLMR Link Bitmap Multicast Reserved) field, for example. And, the third field in this embodiment may be the EMLMR link bitmap field (EMLMR Link Bitmap) introduced above.

Next, referring to fig. 5, a description is given of a format of an EML control field in the case where the indication information is an enhanced multi-link operation mode notification frame, and fig. 5 is a schematic diagram two of the format of the EML control field according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 5, in the EML control field of the enhanced multi-link operation mode notification frame, it may include: an EMLSR Mode (EMLSR Mode) field, an EMLMR Mode field, an EMLSR link bitmap (EMLSR Link Bitmap) field, a Reserved (Reserved) field, an EMLMR link bitmap (EMLMR Link Bitmap) field, an EMLMR link bitmap multicast Reserved (EMLMR Link Bitmap Multicast Reserved) field, an EMLMR supported MAS and NSS set (EMLMR Supported MCS And NSS Set) field, an MCS mapping number (MCS Map Count) field.

The EMLMR mode field is the first field described above, the EMLMR link bitmap multicast reserved (EMLMR Link Bitmap Multicast Reserved) field is the second field described above, and the EMLMR link bitmap field is the third field described above.

The bits and meanings of most of the fields are the same as those of the above embodiments, and only the differences are described herein.

Unlike the EML control field described above, the EML control field in this embodiment includes an EMLMR link bitmap multicast reservation (EMLMR Link Bitmap Multicast Reserved) field, which occupies 0 bits or 16 bits and is located in bits 40-55. The EMLMR link bitmap multicast reservation field is used to indicate a first set of links that include links that need to reserve the ability to receive multicast frames. For example, the EMLMR link bitmap multicast reserved field may be 11100000 00000000 (Bit 0 at the forefront), indicating that the first link set includes: link1, link2, link3. It represents that link1, link2 and link2 need to retain the ability to receive multicast frames.

Since the second field is accessed in the EML control field, the MCS Map Count (MCS Map Count) field in this embodiment occupies 0 bit or 2 bits, which are located in bits 56 to 57. The meaning is the same as that described above, and will not be described again here.

And, the number of bits occupied by the EMLMR-supported MAS and NSS set (EMLMR Supported MCS And NSS Set) fields in this embodiment is likewise variable, possibly at bit 58-bit 81, possibly at bit 58-bit 105, and possibly at bit 58-bit 129. The meaning is the same as that described above, and will not be described again here.

And it should be further noted that, the bits occupied by the second field described above in connection with fig. 5 is just one possible implementation manner, and in an actual implementation process, the bits occupied by the second field in the indication information may be selected and set according to actual requirements, so long as the second field can be ensured to be included in the indication information, and the second field indicates the first link set.

And in an optional implementation manner, the indication information in this embodiment may further include a fourth field, where the fourth field may indicate whether the second field exists.

For example, when the fourth field indicates that the second field exists, then the second field is used to indicate the first link set, and then the EML control field may satisfy the description of fig. 5, where the 40 th bit to the 55 th bit are the positions of the second field.

Alternatively, for example, when the fourth field indicates that the second field is not present, it indicates that there is no first link set currently, which may be understood that other links need not retain the ability to receive multicast frames. In this case, the EML control field may satisfy the description of fig. 3, and still keep bits 40 to 41 in the location of the MCS mapping number field, and bits after 42 in the location of the EMLMR supported MAS and NSS set fields.

In one possible implementation, the fourth field may occupy one bit, for example, a reserved field, i.e., one of the 18 th-23 th bits, may be used as the fourth field to indicate whether the second field is present.

By providing the fourth field in the indication information, whether the second field exists in the current indication information or not can be simply and effectively indicated, so that the second equipment can quickly acquire the related indication information, and the information processing speed is further improved. Meanwhile, by providing the fourth field, the configuration of the second field can be made optional, so that the flexibility of the configuration of the indication information is improved.

Based on the above description, a specific example is described below with reference to fig. 6, where the data transmission method provided by the present application is further described in detail, and fig. 6 is a schematic implementation diagram of data transmission in EMLMR mode provided by an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 6, it is assumed that the first device is a non-AP MLD and the second device is an AP-MLD.

Among them, the non-AP MLD has three STAs, STA1, STA2, STA3, respectively, which each support 2 Spatial streams (Spatial streams), and it is assumed that the non-AP MLD supports the EMLMR mode.

And, there are three APs, AP1, AP2, AP3, respectively, operating at 2.4GHz and 5GHz and 6GHz, respectively, each supporting 4 Spatial Stream (Spatial Stream) capability, and assuming that the AP MLD supports EMLMR mode.

Wherein STA1 and AP1 establish a link, refer to link 1 in fig. 6; STA2 and AP2 establish a link, referring to link 2 in fig. 6; STA3 and AP3 establish a link, see link 3 in fig. 6. Wherein, the association identifier (Association Identifier, AID) of the non-AP MLD association is AID1.

Based on the above description, it may be determined that the non-AP MLD may interact with the AP MLD for an EML operation mode control frame in which the EMLMR mode field (i.e., the first field) may be set to, for example, 1 to indicate that the non-AP MLD intends to enable the EMLMR mode.

And, assume that the EMLMR link bitmap field (i.e., the third field) in the EML operation mode control frame is: 11100000 00000000 (Bit 0 is at the forefront), then the second link set representing the current indication includes: link 1, link 2, link 3, that is, all 3 links can be used for frame exchange in EMLMR mode.

And, assuming that the EMLMR link bitmap multicast reserved field (i.e., the second field) in the EML operation mode control frame is: 11100000 00000000 (Bit 0 is at the forefront), then the first link set representing the current indication includes: links 1, 2, 3, that is, these 3 links remain capable of receiving multicast frames in EMLMR mode.

And, assuming that EMLMR supported MAS and NSS set fields indicate that the highest 4-stream reception capability, 4-stream transmission capability, is supported during EMLMR frame exchange.

For non-AP MLD, the enabling of EMLMR mode may be accomplished by interacting with the EML operation mode control frames described above, after which the non-AP MLD will operate in EMLMR mode.

After the non-AP MLD will operate in the EMLMR mode, referring to fig. 6, assuming that at time T1, STA2 receives an initial control frame through link 2, it may determine that link 2 is a second target link, where the initial control frame may be, for example, a QoS Null frame (QoS Null frame), where the initial control frame corresponding to the EMLMR mode may be selected according to actual requirements, which is not limited in this embodiment.

And, the non-AP MLD may reply with acknowledgement information (ACK, acknowledge character) over link 2. It may be determined that the link 2 is currently the second target link, and it may be determined based on the foregoing description that in this embodiment, the second radio frequency link needs to be switched to the second target link, where the second radio frequency link includes the remaining radio frequency links except for the first radio frequency link reserved by each link in the first link set among the radio frequency links of each link in the second link set.

Then in the present example, the first link set includes: link 1, link 2, link 3, and the second set of links includes: link 1, link 2, link 3, while the second target link is link 2, while assuming that each link in the first set of links each remains a radio frequency chain. Based on this, where the two radio chains of link 2 themselves do not need to be switched, the second radio chain actually comprises one radio chain of link 1, one radio chain of link 3, and two radio chains of link 2. The 4 radio frequency chains are used as the radio frequency chains of the link 2 to carry out subsequent frame exchange, thereby ensuring that the link 2 can support 4-stream receiving capability and 4-stream transmitting capability.

In one possible implementation, the non-AP MLD may complete the above-described radio chain handoff within a short interframe space (Short Inter Frame Space, SIFS) after sending the ACK, so that link 2 obtains transmit and receive performance for 4 spatial streams after SIFS, and may then begin EMLMR frame exchange.

For example, referring to fig. 6, sta2 may exchange frames with 4 spatial stream capability, may be the EHT MU PPDU of fig. 6, and reply with Block Ack (BA) information. Where MU means Multi-User. So that a frame exchange over link 2 can be achieved.

And as shown in fig. 6, at time T2, it is assumed that STA1 receives a Beacon packet through link 1, and then link 1 in this embodiment is the first target link described above, and it is assumed that the Beacon packet indicates that there is a multicast frame to be transmitted currently on link 1.

STA1 may receive the multicast frame following the Beacon message via the reserved radio link on link 1. Because the radio frequency chain is reserved on the link 1, the STA1 still has the capability of receiving the multicast frame, so that the AP2 does not need to stop at the time of T2 when transmitting the EHT MU PPDU, thereby effectively improving the system efficiency.

In summary, in the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the indication information includes the second field, where the second field may indicate the first link set including at least one link, and the links in the first link set may reserve the capability of receiving the multicast frame in the EMLMR mode, for example, may reserve at least one radio frequency chain for the portion of the links. Therefore, the non-AP MLD can effectively ensure that the frame exchange of the EMLMR does not need to be stopped before the link which reserves the capability of receiving the multicast frame needs to receive the multicast frame in the EMLMR period, so as to effectively improve the system efficiency.

The foregoing describes an implementation of a data transmission method on the first device side, and the following describes an implementation on the second device side with reference to fig. 7, where fig. 7 is a flowchart two of the data transmission method provided by the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 7, the method includes:

s701, receiving indication information sent by a first device, where the indication information includes a first field and a second field, where the first field is used to indicate that the first device enables an EMLMR mode, and the second field is used to indicate a first link set including at least one link, and a link in the first link set is a link that reserves an ability to receive a multicast frame in the EMLMR mode.

The implementation manner of the indication information is the same as that described in the foregoing embodiment, and details of the implementation manner of the indication information are not described in this embodiment.

S702, after the first device operates in the EMLMR mode, a multicast frame is transmitted on at least one link of the first set of links.

The first device may operate in the EMLMR mode after transmitting the indication information, and the second device may transmit the multicast frame on at least one link in the first link set after the first device operates in the EMLMR mode, because the link in the first link set retains the capability of receiving the multicast frame, it may not be necessary to suspend frame exchange, and thus system efficiency may be effectively improved.

Various possible implementations in this embodiment are similar to those described in the above embodiments, and are not repeated here.

The data transmission method provided by the embodiment of the application comprises the following steps: and receiving indication information sent by the first device, wherein the indication information comprises a first field and a second field, the first field is used for indicating the first device to enable an EMLMR mode, the second field is used for indicating a first link set containing at least one link, and the links in the first link set are links which reserve the capability of receiving multicast frames in the EMLMR mode. After the first device operates in the EMLMR mode, the multicast frame is transmitted on at least one link in the first set of links. By including the second field in the indication information indicating that the first device enables the EMLMR mode, where the second field is used to indicate the first link set including at least one link, the capability of receiving the multicast frame can be preserved for the links in the first link set in the EMLMR mode, so that the second device can send the multicast frame to the first device on at least one link in the first link set when the first device operates in the EMLMR mode, and the first device does not need to stop the process of frame exchange, thereby effectively improving the system efficiency.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 8, the apparatus 80 includes: a transmitting module 801, a receiving module 802, and a transmitting module 803.

A sending module 801, configured to send indication information to the second device, where the indication information includes a first field and a second field, where the first field is used to indicate that the first device enables an enhanced multi-link multi-radio EMLMR mode, and the second field is used to indicate a first link set including at least one link, where a link in the first link set is a link that reserves a capability of receiving a multicast frame in the EMLMR mode;

a receiving module 802, configured to receive a multicast frame on at least one link in the first link set, where the first device operates in the EMLMR mode.

In one possible design, at least one first radio frequency chain is reserved for each link in the first set of links in the EMLMR mode, wherein the first radio frequency chain is configured to provide the capability of receiving multicast frames for each link in the first set of links.

In one possible design, the receiving module 802 is specifically configured to:

Receiving a beacon message on a first target link in the first link set;

and when the beacon message indicates that the multicast frame to be transmitted exists on the first target link, receiving the multicast frame on the first target link through the first radio frequency chain.

In one possible design, the indication information further includes a third field, where the third field is used to indicate a second link set including at least one link, where the link in the second link set is a link exchanged between the first device and the second device in the EMLMR mode.

In one possible design, the apparatus further comprises: a transmission module 803;

the transmission module 803 is configured to exchange frames with the second device on at least one link in the second link set in the EMLMR mode.

In one possible design, the transmission module 803 is specifically configured to:

receiving an initial control frame sent by the second device on a second target link in the second link set;

transmitting acknowledgement information corresponding to the initial control frame to the second equipment;

a frame exchange is performed with the second device over the second target link.

switching a second radio frequency chain to the second target link, wherein the second radio frequency chain comprises the rest of radio frequency chains except the first radio frequency chain reserved by each link in the first link set;

and on the second target link, performing frame exchange through the second radio frequency link and the second device.

In one possible design, the indication information further includes a fourth field, where the fourth field is used to indicate whether the second field exists.

In one possible design, the indication information is an enhanced multi-link mode of operation notification frame.

The device provided in this embodiment may be used to implement the technical solution of the foregoing method embodiment, and its implementation principle and technical effects are similar, and this embodiment will not be described herein again.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 9, the apparatus 90 includes: a transmitting module 901 and a transmitting module 902.

A sending module 901, configured to receive indication information sent by the first device, where the indication information includes a first field and a second field, where the first field is used to indicate that the first device enables an EMLMR mode, and the second field is used to indicate a first link set including at least one link, where a link in the first link set is a link that reserves an ability to receive a multicast frame in the EMLMR mode;

In one possible design, the sending module 901 is specifically configured to:

and sending a beacon message on a first target link in the first link set, wherein the beacon message is used for indicating that a multicast frame to be transmitted exists on the first target link.

In one possible design, the apparatus further comprises: a transmission module 902;

the transmitting module 902 is configured to exchange frames with the first device on at least one link in the second link set after the first device operates in the EMLMR mode.

In one possible design, the transmission module 902 is specifically configured to:

transmitting an initial control frame to the first device on a second target link in the second set of links;

receiving acknowledgement information corresponding to the initial control frame sent by the first device;

a frame exchange is performed with the first device over the second target link.

In one possible design, a second radio frequency chain exists on the second target link, wherein the second radio frequency chain includes the remaining radio frequency chains of the radio frequency chains of each link in the second set of links, except the first radio frequency chain reserved by each link in the first set of links.

Fig. 10 is a schematic hardware structure of a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 10, a data transmission device 100 of this embodiment includes: a processor 1001 and a memory 1002; wherein the method comprises the steps of

Memory 1002 for storing computer-executable instructions;

the processor 1001 is configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so as to implement the steps executed by the data transmission method in the foregoing embodiment. Reference may be made in particular to the relevant description of the embodiments of the method described above.

Alternatively, the memory 1002 may be separate or integrated with the processor 1001.

When the memory 1002 is provided separately, the data transfer device further comprises a bus 1003 for connecting said memory 1002 and the processor 1001.

Fig. 11 is a schematic hardware structure of a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 11, a data transmission device 110 of this embodiment includes: a processor 1101 and a memory 1102; wherein the method comprises the steps of

Memory 1102 for storing computer-executable instructions;

the processor 1101 is configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to implement the steps performed by the data transmission method in the above embodiment. Reference may be made in particular to the relevant description of the embodiments of the method described above.

Alternatively, the memory 1102 may be separate or integrated with the processor 1101.

When the memory 1102 is provided separately, the data transmission device further comprises a bus 1103 for connecting said memory 1102 and the processor 1101.

The embodiment of the application also provides a chip, which comprises a processor, wherein the processor can be used for executing computer-executed instructions stored in a memory to realize the data transmission method in any of the above method embodiments of the application. Alternatively, the memory storing the computer-executable instructions may be a memory internal to the chip or may be a memory external to the chip.

With respect to each of the apparatuses and each of the modules/units included in the products described in the above embodiments, it may be a software module/unit, a hardware module/unit, or a software module/unit, and a hardware module/unit. For example, for each device or product applied to or integrated on a chip, each module/unit included in the device or product may be implemented in hardware such as a circuit, or at least part of the modules/units may be implemented in software program, where the software program runs on a processor integrated inside the chip, and the rest (if any) of the modules/units may be implemented in hardware such as a circuit; for each device and product applied to or integrated in the chip module, each module/unit contained in the device and product can be realized in a hardware manner such as a circuit, different modules/units can be located in the same component (such as a chip, a circuit module and the like) or different components of the chip module, or at least part of the modules/units can be realized in a software program, the software program runs on a processor integrated in the chip module, and the rest (if any) of the modules/units can be realized in a hardware manner such as a circuit; for each device and product applied to or integrated in the terminal device/network device, each module/unit included in the device/network device may be implemented in hardware such as a circuit, and different modules/units may be located in the same component (e.g. a chip, a circuit module, etc.) or different components in the terminal device/network device, or at least part of the modules/units may be implemented in a software program, where the software program runs on a processor integrated in the terminal device/network device, and the remaining (if any) part of the modules/units may be implemented in hardware such as a circuit.

The embodiment of the application also provides a computer readable storage medium, wherein computer execution instructions are stored in the computer readable storage medium, and when a processor executes the computer execution instructions, the data transmission method executed by the data transmission device is realized.

In the several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described embodiments of the apparatus are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the modules is merely a logical function division, and there may be additional divisions when actually implemented, for example, multiple modules 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.

The integrated modules, which are implemented in the form of software functional modules, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. The software functional module is stored in a storage medium, and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor (english: processor) to perform some of the steps of the methods according to the embodiments of the application.

It should be understood that the above processor may be a central processing unit (english: central Processing Unit, abbreviated as CPU), or may be other general purpose processors, digital signal processors (english: digital Signal Processor, abbreviated as DSP), application specific integrated circuits (english: application Specific Integrated Circuit, abbreviated as ASIC), or the like. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the present application may be embodied directly in a hardware processor for execution, or in a combination of hardware and software modules in a processor for execution.

The memory may comprise a high-speed RAM memory, and may further comprise a non-volatile memory NVM, such as at least one magnetic disk memory, and may also be a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory, a magnetic disk or optical disk, etc.

The bus may be an industry standard architecture (Industry Standard Architecture, ISA) bus, an external device interconnect (Peripheral Component, PCI) bus, or an extended industry standard architecture (Extended Industry Standard Architecture, EISA) bus, among others. The buses may be divided into address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, the buses in the drawings of the present application are not limited to only one bus or to one type of bus.

The storage medium may be implemented by any type or combination of volatile or nonvolatile memory devices such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic or optical disk. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that: all or part of the steps for implementing the method embodiments described above may be performed by hardware associated with program instructions. The foregoing program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. The program, when executed, performs steps including the method embodiments described above; and the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program code, such as ROM, RAM, magnetic or optical disks.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present application, and not for limiting the same; although the application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some or all of the technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit of the application.

Claims

1. A data transmission method, applied to a first device, wherein at least two links are established between the first device and a second device, the method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one first radio frequency chain is reserved for each link in the first set of links in the EMLMR mode, wherein the first radio frequency chain is configured to provide each link in the first set of links with the capability to receive multicast frames.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein receiving multicast frames on at least one link of the first set of links comprises:

Receiving a beacon message on a first target link in the first link set;

4. A method according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the indication information further comprises a third field, wherein the third field is used to indicate a second set of links comprising at least one link, the links in the second set of links being links for frame exchange between the first device and the second device in the EMLMR mode.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

in the EMLMR mode, frame exchanges are performed with the second device on at least one link in the second set of links.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein exchanging frames with the second device over at least one link in the second set of links comprises:

7. The method of claim 6, wherein exchanging frames with the second device over the second target link comprises:

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the indication information further includes a fourth field, and wherein the fourth field is used to indicate whether the second field exists.

9. The method according to any of claims 1-8, wherein the indication information is an enhanced multi-link operation mode notification frame.

10. A data transmission method, applied to a second device, wherein at least two links are established between the second device and a first device, the method comprising:

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one first radio frequency chain is reserved for each link in the first set of links in the EMLMR mode, wherein the first radio frequency chain is configured to provide each link in the first set of links with the capability to receive multicast frames.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein transmitting multicast frames on at least one link of the first set of links comprises:

13. The method according to any one of claims 10-12, wherein the indication information further comprises a third field, wherein the third field is used to indicate a second link set including at least one link, and wherein the links in the second link set are links exchanged in frames between the first device and the second device in the EMLMR mode.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

after the first device operates in the EMLMR mode, a frame exchange is performed with the first device over at least one link of the second set of links.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein exchanging frames with the first device over at least one link in the second set of links comprises:

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a second radio frequency chain is present on the second target link, wherein the second radio frequency chain comprises the remaining radio frequency chains of the radio frequency chains of each link in the second set of links, except the first radio frequency chain reserved for each link in the first set of links.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10-16, wherein the indication information further comprises a fourth field, and wherein the fourth field is used to indicate whether the second field exists.

18. The method according to any of claims 10-17, wherein the indication information is an enhanced multi-link operation mode notification frame.

19. A data transmission apparatus for use with a first device, wherein at least two links are established between the first device and a second device, the apparatus comprising:

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein at least one first radio frequency chain is reserved for each link in the first set of links in the EMLMR mode, wherein the first radio frequency chain is configured to provide each link in the first set of links with the capability to receive multicast frames.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the receiving module is specifically configured to:

receiving a beacon message on a first target link in the first link set;

22. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19-21, wherein the indication information further includes a third field, and wherein the third field is configured to indicate a second link set including at least one link, where a link in the second link set is a link exchanged between the first device and the second device in the EMLMR mode.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus further comprises: a transmission module;

The transmission module is configured to exchange frames with the second device on at least one link in the second link set in the EMLMR mode.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the transmission module is specifically configured to:

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the transmission module is specifically configured to:

26. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19-25, wherein the indication information further comprises a fourth field, and wherein the fourth field is used to indicate whether the second field exists.

27. The apparatus according to any of claims 19-26, wherein the indication information is an enhanced multi-link operation mode notification frame.

28. A data transmission apparatus for use with a second device, wherein at least two links are established between the second device and a first device, the apparatus comprising:

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein at least one first radio frequency chain is reserved for each link in the first set of links in the EMLMR mode, wherein the first radio frequency chain is configured to provide each link in the first set of links with the capability to receive multicast frames.

30. The apparatus according to claim 28 or 29, wherein the sending module is specifically configured to:

31. The apparatus according to any one of claims 28-30, wherein the indication information further includes a third field, wherein the third field is used to indicate a second link set including at least one link, and wherein the links in the second link set are links exchanged for frames between the first device and the second device in the EMLMR mode.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the apparatus further comprises: a transmission module;

the transmission module is configured to exchange frames with the first device on at least one link in the second set of links after the first device operates in the EMLMR mode.

33. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the transmission module is specifically configured to:

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein a second radio frequency chain is present on the second target link, wherein the second radio frequency chain comprises the remaining radio frequency chains of the radio frequency chains of each link in the second set of links, except the first radio frequency chain reserved for each link in the first set of links.

35. The apparatus according to any one of claims 28-34, wherein the indication information further comprises a fourth field, and wherein the fourth field is used to indicate whether the second field exists.

36. The apparatus according to any of claims 28-35, wherein the indication information is an enhanced multi-link operation mode notification frame.

37. A data transmission apparatus, comprising:

a memory for storing a program;

a processor for executing the program stored by the memory, the processor being for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 9 when the program is executed.

38. A data transmission apparatus, comprising:

a memory for storing a program;

a processor for executing the program stored by the memory, the processor being for performing the method of any one of claims 10 to 18 when the program is executed.

39. A chip comprising a processor that executes computer-executable instructions to cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9 or 10 to 18.

40. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 9 or any of claims 10 to 18.

41. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any of claims 1 to 9 or of claims 10 to 18.