WO2024082244A1

WO2024082244A1 - Communication method and apparatus, and device and storage medium

Info

Publication number: WO2024082244A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/126540
Authority: WO
Inventors: 董贤东
Original assignee: 北京小米移动软件有限公司
Priority date: 2022-10-20
Filing date: 2022-10-20
Publication date: 2024-04-25

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the technical field of communications. Provided are a communication method and apparatus, and a device and a storage medium, which can be applied to a first AP device. The method comprises: determining a first message frame, wherein the first message frame comprises first communication information, the first communication information comprises a first communication time period in which a first AP device communicates with at least one first station (STA) device in a target overlapping basic service set (OBSS), the first AP device establishes a communication connection with each first STA device, and the target OBSS is an OBSS, which is formed, at a sub-7GHz frequency band, by means of a plurality of AP devices including the first AP device; and sending the first message frame. The embodiments of the present disclosure can provide a mode for coordinating communication between each AP device and an STA device in an OBSS.

Description

Communication method, device, equipment and storage medium

Technical Field

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of communication technology. Specifically, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, apparatus, device and storage medium.

Background technique

With the continuous development of Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) technology, researchers have proposed the next generation of Wi-Fi technology: Ultra High Reliablity (UHR). Its vision is to improve the reliability of WLAN connections, reduce latency, improve manageability, increase system throughput, and reduce the power consumption of corresponding devices. UHR technology can enable device communication at least in the sub-7GHz band. When devices need to communicate with high throughput, they can communicate simultaneously in the sub-7GHz band, 45GHz band, and 60GHz band.

Multiple access point AP devices will form an Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) in the sub-7GHz frequency band. When an AP device communicates with a STA device in the OBSS that has established a communication connection with it, other AP devices cannot communicate with the STA device in the OBSS that has established a communication connection with it. Therefore, it is necessary to coordinate the communication between each AP device and the STA device in the OBSS.

Summary of the invention

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium, which can coordinate the communication between various AP devices and STA devices in an OBSS.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which can be applied to a first AP device, the method comprising:

Determine a first message frame, the first message frame includes first communication information, the first communication information includes a first communication period during which the first AP device communicates with at least one first station STA device in a target overlapping basic service set OBSS, the first AP device establishes a communication connection with each of the first STA devices, and the target OBSS is an OBSS formed by multiple AP devices including the first AP device in a sub-7 GHz frequency band;

The first message frame is sent.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which can be applied to a second AP device, the method comprising:

Receive a first message frame, the first message frame includes first communication information, the first communication information includes a first communication time period for the first AP device to communicate with at least one first STA device in the target OBSS, the first AP device establishes a communication connection with each of the first STA devices, the target OBSS is an OBSS formed by multiple AP devices including the first AP device in the sub-7GHz frequency band, and the second AP device is any AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device, the device comprising:

A determining unit, configured to determine a first message frame, wherein the first message frame includes first communication information, wherein the first communication information includes a first communication period during which the first AP device communicates with at least one first station STA device in a target overlapping basic service set OBSS, wherein a communication connection is established between the first AP device and each of the first STA devices, and the target OBSS is an OBSS formed by multiple AP devices including the first AP device in a sub-7 GHz frequency band;

The first transceiver unit is used to send the first message frame.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device, the device comprising:

A second transceiver unit is used to receive a first message frame, where the first message frame includes first communication information, and the first communication information includes a first communication time period for the first AP device to communicate with at least one first STA device in the target OBSS. The first AP device establishes a communication connection with each of the first STA devices. The target OBSS is an OBSS formed by multiple AP devices including the first AP device in the sub-7GHz frequency band, and the second AP device is any AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an AP device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the processor executes the program, the communication method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure is implemented.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, any one of the communication methods provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure is implemented.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for coordinating the AP devices corresponding to the OBSS to communicate with the corresponding STA devices in the OBSS when multiple AP devices form an OBSS within a sub-7 GHz frequency band.

Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be partially given in the description below, which will become apparent from the description below, or will be learned through the practice of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

FIG1 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a first example of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG3 is a second schematic diagram of the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a scenario of an OBSS provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG5 is another schematic diagram of a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG7 is another schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed ways

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "and/or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and/or B may represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

The term "plurality" in the embodiments of the present disclosure refers to two or more than two, and other quantifiers are similar thereto.

Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements when the following description refers to the drawings. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present invention. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present invention as detailed in the appended claims.

The terms used in this disclosure are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. The singular forms "a", "the" and "the" used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and/or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in the present disclosure to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, for example, the word "if" used herein may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining".

The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Among them, the method and the device are based on the same public concept. Since the principles of solving problems by the method and the device are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can refer to each other, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

The AP device may be a wireless switch for a wireless network and also an access device for the wireless network. The AP device may include software applications and/or circuits so that other types of nodes in the wireless network can communicate with the outside and inside of the wireless network through the AP device. As an example, the AP device may be a terminal device or a network device equipped with a Wi-Fi chip.

Among them, STA devices may specifically include but are not limited to: cellular phones, smart phones, wearable devices, computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal communication system (PCS) devices, personal information managers (PIMs), personal navigation devices (PNDs), global positioning systems, multimedia devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc.

A communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to a first AP device. For details, please refer to FIG1 , which is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Optionally, the method may include the following steps:

Step S11, determine the first message frame, the first message frame includes first communication information, the first communication information includes a first time period for the first AP device to communicate with at least one first STA device in the target OBSS, the first AP device establishes a communication connection with each first STA device, and the target OBSS is an OBSS formed by multiple AP devices including the first AP device in the sub-7GHz frequency band.

The first STA device is a STA device in the target OBSS that has established a communication connection with the first AP device, that is, for the first AP device, each STA device in the target OBSS that has established a communication connection with it is a first STA device in the target OBSS.

Among them, each AP device forms its own Basic Service Set (BSS) within the sub-7GHz frequency band. When the BSSs of multiple AP devices overlap, the overlapping part is determined as OBSS.

In a wireless LAN, a Basic Service Set (BSS) can be composed of an AP and one or more stations (STA) communicating with the AP. A Basic Service Set can be connected to a Distribution System (DS) through its AP, and then connected to another Basic Service Set to form an Extended Service Set (ESS).

Optionally, AP is a device with wireless to wired bridging function, and is responsible for extending the services provided by the wired network to the wireless network; STA is an electronic device with wireless network access function, and provides frame delivery service to enable information to be transmitted.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the AP and the STA may be devices supporting multiple connections, for example, they may be represented as AP MLD and non-AP MLD, respectively. For ease of description, the following mainly describes an example in which an AP communicates with a STA under multiple connections, however, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

In the disclosed embodiment, the first AP is affiliated to the first AP MLD, the second AP is affiliated to the second AP, and the first AP MLD and the second AP MLD are different.

As a first example, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , AP MLD may represent an access point supporting a multi-connection communication function, and non-AP MLD may represent a site supporting a multi-connection communication function.

2, the AP MLD may include three subordinate APs, such as AP1, AP2 and AP3 as shown in FIG2; each AP may work in connection 1, connection 2 and connection 3 respectively; the non-AP MLD may also include three subordinate STAs, such as STA1, STA2 and STA3 as shown in FIG2; STA1 works in connection 1, STA2 works in connection 2 and STA3 works in connection 3. In FIG3, AP1 and STA1 constitute BSS1, and AP2 and STA2 constitute BSS2. In the example of FIG2, it is assumed that AP1 communicates with STA1 through the corresponding first connection Link 1, similarly, AP2 communicates with STA2 through the corresponding second connection Link 2, and AP communicates with STA3 through the third connection Link 3. In addition, Link 1 to Link 3 may be multiple connections at different frequencies, for example, connections at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, or several connections of the same or different bandwidths at 2.4 GHz. In addition, multiple channels may exist under each connection. It will be understood that the communication scenario shown in FIG. 2 is merely exemplary and the concept of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, an AP MLD may be connected to multiple (three) non-AP MLDs, or in each connection, the AP may communicate with multiple other types of site devices.

As shown in FIG. 4 , FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the OBSS scenario provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. AP device 1 forms BSS1 within the sub-7GHz frequency band, and AP device 2 forms BSS2 within the sub-7GHz frequency band. The overlapping portion of BSS1 and BSS2 is the target OBSS. AP device 1 and AP device 2 form BSS3 and BSS4 within the 45GHz frequency band or the 60GHz frequency band, respectively, and BSS3 and BSS4 do not overlap.

Among them, STA1 and STA2 are both located in the target OBSS, and STA1 has established a communication connection with AP device 1, and STA2 has established a communication connection with AP device 2. If AP device 1 is the first AP device, STA1 is the first STA device. If AP device 2 is the first AP device, STA2 is the first STA device.

Among them, the first communication information includes the first communication period when the first AP device communicates with at least one first STA device in the target OBSS, and may also include other relevant information such as the communication link when the first AP device communicates with at least one STA device in the target OBSS, which is not limited here.

When the first AP device needs to coordinate the communication between the AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS and the corresponding STA devices in the target OBSS, the first AP device can determine a first message frame to send the first communication time period between the first AP device and at least one first STA device in the target OBSS with which a communication connection is established to other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS.

Among them, the sub-7GHz frequency band can specifically support the 2.4GHz frequency band, 5GHz frequency band and 6GHz frequency band.

Step S12: Send a first message frame.

After the first message frame is determined, the first message frame may be sent to other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS.

In the communication method applied to the first AP device provided in the present disclosure, the first message frame may be a management frame, such as a communication resource coordination frame.

In the communication method applied to the first AP device provided in the present disclosure, each first communication time period in the first communication information is used to indicate that each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device does not communicate with the second STA device with which a communication connection has been established in the target OBSS during the corresponding first communication time period, and each second STA device does not establish a communication connection with the first AP device.

The target OBSS includes a first STA device and a second STA device, the first STA device is a STA device that has established a communication connection with the first AP device, and the second STA device is a STA device that has not established a communication connection with the first AP device.

As an example, the target OBSS includes STA1, STA2 and STA3, and STA1 and STA3 only establish communication connections with AP device 1, and STA2 only establishes communication connections with AP device 2. The target OBSS is formed by AP device 1 and AP device 2 within the sub-7GHz frequency band.

AP device 1 sends a first message frame, the first message frame includes first communication information, the first communication information includes a first communication time period for communication between AP device 1 and STA1, and a first communication time period for communication between AP device 1 and STA3. The first communication time period for communication between AP device 1 and STA1 is used to indicate that AP device 2 does not communicate with STA2 during the first communication time period. The first communication time period for communication between AP device 1 and STA3 is used to indicate that AP device 2 does not communicate with STA2 during the first communication time period.

In the communication method applied to the first AP device provided in the present disclosure, each first communication time period in the first communication information is also used to indicate that each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device is allowed to communicate with a third STA device with which a communication connection has been established in the 45GHz frequency band and/or the 60GHz frequency band within the corresponding first communication time period.

For each AP device except the first AP device corresponding to the target OBSS, the STA device that has established a communication connection with the AP device in the 45 GHz frequency band and/or the 60 GHz frequency band is the third STA device.

As an example, the target OBSS includes STA1 and STA2, and STA1 only establishes a communication connection with AP device 1, and STA2 only establishes a communication connection with AP device 2. The target OBSS is an OBSS formed by AP device 1 and AP device 2 within the sub-7 GHz frequency band.

AP device 1 sends a first message frame, the first message frame includes first communication information, and the first communication information includes a first communication period for communication between AP device 1 and STA1. If the STA device with which AP device 2 has established a communication connection in the 45 GHz frequency band and/or the 60 GHz frequency band is STA3, the first communication period for communication between AP device 1 and STA1 is also used to indicate that AP device 2 is allowed to communicate with STA3 in the first communication period.

In the communication method applied to the first AP device provided in the present disclosure, each first communication time period in the first communication information is also used to indicate that each AP device except the first AP device corresponding to the target OBSS is allowed to communicate with the fourth STA device within the corresponding first communication time period.

The fourth STA device corresponding to each AP device except the first AP device corresponding to the target OBSS is a STA device of the AP device in the sub-7 GHz frequency band and outside the target OBSS.

As an example, the target OBSS includes STA1 and STA2, and STA1 only establishes a communication connection with AP device 1, and STA2 only establishes a communication connection with AP device 2. The target OBSS is formed by AP device 1 and AP device 2 within the sub-7GHz frequency band, and AP device 2 also includes STA4 within the sub-7GHz frequency band.

AP device 1 sends a first message frame, which includes first communication information. The first communication information includes a first communication period for communication between AP device 1 and STA1. The first communication period is also used to indicate that AP device 2 is allowed to communicate with STA4 within the sub-7GHz frequency band.

In the communication method applied to the first AP device provided in the present disclosure, the method further includes:

Send the Time Sync Function (TSF) parameter. The TSF parameter is used to perform clock synchronization with other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device.

The first AP device may send TSF parameters to other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS through a wired link for clock synchronization. That is, the first AP device may perform clock synchronization with other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS through a wired clock synchronization mechanism.

The first AP device may send TSF parameters to other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS via a wireless link for clock synchronization. That is, the first AP device may perform clock synchronization with other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS via a wireless air interface clock synchronization mechanism.

Among them, the first AP device maintains clock synchronization with other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS, which can ensure that each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device does not communicate with the second STA device with which a communication connection has been established in the target OBSS during each first communication time period included in the first communication information.

Second communication information sent by each AP device except the first AP device corresponding to the target OBSS is received, where each second communication information includes a second time period for the corresponding AP device to communicate with the STA device with which the communication connection has been established.

Among them, for each AP device except the first AP device corresponding to the target OBSS, the second communication information sent by the AP device may include a second communication time period for the AP device to communicate with a STA device in the target OBSS with which a communication connection has been established with the AP device, and may also include a second communication time period for the AP device to communicate with a STA device with which a communication connection has been established within the sub-7GHz frequency band, and may also include a second communication time period for the AP device to communicate with a STA device with which a communication connection has been established within the 45GHz frequency band and/or 60GHz frequency band, without limitation here.

Among them, for the first AP device, the first AP device can adjust the communication time period for the first AP device to communicate with the first STA device associated with the target OBSS according to the second communication time period for other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS to communicate with the STA device with which the communication connection has been established.

The second communication information sent by each AP device may also include other relevant information such as the communication link when the AP device communicates with the corresponding STA device, and each second communication period may be an uplink and downlink communication period between the corresponding AP device and the corresponding STA device.

The third communication information sent by each STA device that has established a communication connection with the first AP device is received, and each third communication information includes a third communication time period for the corresponding STA device to communicate with the first AP device.

Among them, the first AP device can receive the third communication information sent by the first STA device that has established a communication connection with the first AP device in the target OBSS, and can also receive the third communication information sent by the STA device that has established a communication connection within the sub-7GHz frequency band, and can also receive the third communication information sent by the STA device that has established a communication connection within the 45GHz frequency band and/or 60GHz frequency band, without any limitation here.

Among them, the third communication information sent by each STA device may also include other relevant information such as the communication link when the STA device communicates with the first AP device, and each third communication time period may specifically be a communication time period for uplink communication between the STA device and the first AP device.

For the first AP device, the first AP device can determine the first communication period for the first AP device to communicate with each first STA device with which it has established a communication association in the target OBSS by receiving the third communication information sent by each STA device with which the communication connection has been established, and then send the first message frame.

Determine a second message frame, where the second message frame includes a first identification bit, and the first identification bit is used to indicate that the first AP device sends the first message frame;

Send the second message frame.

Among them, the first AP device that sends the first message frame is the master AP device, and other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS are slave AP devices. When the master AP device communicates with the STA device that establishes a communication connection with it in the target OBSS, the slave AP device does not communicate with the STA device that establishes a communication connection with it in the target OBSS, but can communicate with the STA device that has established a communication connection within the 45GHz frequency band and/or the 60GHz frequency band.

For the first AP device, the first AP device may send a second message frame, and indicate through the first identification bit in the second message frame that it is about to send the first message frame, that is, used to indicate that the first AP device is a main AP device.

The first AP device may send the second message frame to other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS via a wired link or a wireless link.

The first identification bit may indicate that the first AP device is a main AP device through a first value.

That is, all AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS can negotiate the main AP device through a wired link or a wireless link. Specifically, each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS can send a second message frame to other AP devices. When the identification value of the first identification bit in any second message frame is a first value, it indicates that the corresponding AP device is a main AP device, that is, the first AP device. When the identification value of the second identification bit in the second message frame is a second value, it indicates that the corresponding AP device is a slave AP device.

Optionally, the first flag may also be used to indicate the flag of the TSF parameter. That is, after the first AP device sends the second message frame including the TSF parameter to other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS, the first AP device is indicated as the main AP device and then sends the first message frame.

That is, for all AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS, the first AP device that sends the second message frame including the first identification bit for indicating the TSF parameter is the main AP device, and sends the first message frame as the first AP device in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the communication method applied to the second AP device provided in the present disclosure, the first message frame sent by the first AP device can be a beacon frame or a probe response frame.

In the communication method applied to the second AP device provided in the present disclosure, the second message frame includes an extended capabilities information element, and the extended capabilities information element includes a first identification bit.

A communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a second AP device. For details, please refer to FIG5 , which is another flow chart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Optionally, the method may include the following steps:

Step S51, receiving a first message frame, the first message frame including first communication information, the first communication information including a first time period for the first AP device to communicate with at least one first STA device in the target OBSS, the first AP device establishing a communication connection with each first STA device, the target OBSS is an OBSS formed by multiple AP devices including the first AP device in the sub-7GHz frequency band, and the second AP device is any AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device.

Among them, the first STA device is a STA device in the target OBSS that has established a communication connection with the first AP device, that is, for the first AP device, each STA device in the target OBSS that has established a communication connection with it is the first STA device in the target OBSS.

Each AP device forms its own BSS within the sub-7 GHz frequency band. When the BSSs of multiple AP devices overlap, the overlapping parts are determined as OBSS.

Among them, the second AP device can be attached to any AP MLD.

As shown in Figure 4, AP device 1 forms BSS1 in the sub-7GHz frequency band, and AP device 2 forms BSS2 in the sub-7GHz frequency band. The overlapping part of BSS1 and BSS2 is the target OBSS. AP device 1 and AP device 2 form BSS3 and BSS4 in the 45GHz frequency band or 60GHz frequency band respectively, and BSS3 and BSS4 do not overlap.

Among them, STA1 and STA2 are both located in the target OBSS, and STA1 has established a communication connection with AP device 1, and STA2 has established a communication connection with AP device 2. If AP device 1 is the first AP device, STA1 is the first STA device, and AP device 2 can be the second AP device. If AP device 2 is the first AP device, STA2 is the first STA device, and AP device 1 can be the second AP device.

The first message frame is determined by the first AP device when it is necessary to coordinate the communication between each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS and the corresponding STA device in the target OBSS.

For the second AP device, the second AP device may receive the first message frame sent by the first AP device.

In the communication method applied to the second AP device provided in the present disclosure, the first message frame may be a management frame, such as a communication resource coordination frame.

In the communication method applied to the second AP device provided in the present disclosure, each first communication time period in the first communication information is used to indicate that each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device does not communicate with the second STA device with which a communication connection has been established in the target OBSS during the corresponding first communication time period, and each second STA device does not establish a communication connection with the first AP device.

AP device 2 receives the first message frame as a second AP device, the first message frame includes first communication information, the first communication information includes a first communication time period for communication between AP device 1 and STA1, and a first communication time period for communication between AP device 1 and STA3. The first communication time period for communication between AP device 1 and STA1 is used to indicate that AP device 2 does not communicate with STA2 during the first communication time period. The first communication time period for communication between AP device 1 and STA3 is used to indicate that AP device 2 does not communicate with STA2 during the first communication time period.

In the communication method applied to the second AP device provided in the present disclosure, each first communication time period in the first communication information is also used to indicate that each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device is allowed to communicate with a third STA device with which a communication connection has been established in the 45GHz frequency band and/or the 60GHz frequency band within the corresponding first communication time period.

AP device 2 receives the first message frame as a second AP device, the first message frame includes first communication information, and the first communication information includes a first communication period for communication between AP device 1 and STA1. If the STA device with which AP device 2 has established a communication connection in the 45 GHz frequency band and/or the 60 GHz frequency band is STA3, the first communication period for communication between AP device 1 and STA1 is also used to indicate that AP device 2 is allowed to communicate with STA3 in the first communication period.

In the communication method applied to the second AP device provided in the present disclosure, each first communication period in the first communication information is also used to indicate that each AP device except the first AP device corresponding to the target OBSS is allowed to communicate with the fourth STA device within the corresponding first communication period.

AP device 2 receives the first message frame as a second AP device. The first message frame includes first communication information. The first communication information includes a first communication time period for communication between AP device 1 and STA1. The first communication time period is also used to indicate that AP device 2 is allowed to communicate with STA4 within the sub-7GHz frequency band.

In the communication method applied to the second AP device provided in the present disclosure, the method further includes:

Receive TSF parameters. When the first AP device sends the TSF parameters, the TSF parameters are used to perform clock synchronization with other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device. When the second AP device receives the TSF parameters, the second AP device can perform clock synchronization with the first AP device based on the TSF parameters.

The second AP device may receive the TSF parameters sent by the first AP device via a wired link to perform clock synchronization with the first AP device, that is, the second AP device may perform clock synchronization with the first AP device via a wired clock synchronization mechanism.

The second AP device may receive the TSF parameters sent by the first AP device via a wireless link to perform clock synchronization with the first AP device, that is, the second AP device may perform clock synchronization with the first AP device via a wireless air interface clock synchronization mechanism.

The second AP device can ensure that the second AP device does not communicate with the second STA device with which a communication connection has been established in the target OBSS during each first communication period included in the first communication information by maintaining clock synchronization with the first AP device.

The second communication information sent, each second communication information includes a second time period during which the second AP device communicates with the STA device with which the communication connection has been established.

Among them, the second communication information sent by the second AP device may include a second communication period for the second AP device to communicate with a STA device in the target OBSS with which a communication connection has been established with the second AP device, and may also include a second communication period for the second AP device to communicate with a STA device with which a communication connection has been established within a sub-7GHz frequency band. It may also include a second communication period for the second AP device to communicate with a STA device with which a communication connection has been established within a 45GHz frequency band and/or a 60GHz frequency band, and there is no limitation here.

Among them, after the second AP device sends the second communication information to the first AP device, the first AP device can adjust the communication time period for the first AP device to communicate with the first STA device with which it has established an association in the target OBSS according to the second communication time period for the second AP device to communicate with the STA device with which it has established a communication connection.

The second communication information sent by the second AP device may also include other relevant information such as the communication link when the second AP device communicates with the corresponding STA device, and each second communication period may be an uplink and downlink communication period between the second AP device and the corresponding STA device.

The fourth communication information sent by each STA device that has established a communication connection with the second AP device is received, and each fourth communication information includes a fourth communication time period for the corresponding STA device to communicate with the first AP device.

Among them, the second AP device can receive the third communication information sent by the STA device in the target OBSS that has established a communication connection with the second AP device, and can also receive the fourth communication information sent by the STA device that has established a communication connection within the sub-7GHz frequency band, and can also receive the fourth communication information sent by the STA device that has established a communication connection within the 45GHz frequency band and/or the 60GHz frequency band, without any limitation here.

Among them, the fourth communication information sent by each STA device may also include other relevant information such as the communication link when the STA device communicates with the second AP device, and each fourth communication time period may specifically be a communication time period for uplink communication between the STA device and the second AP device.

The second AP device may specifically communicate with the corresponding STA device during the second period by receiving fourth communication information sent by each STA device with which the communication connection has been established.

receiving a second message frame, where the second message frame includes a first identification bit, where the first identification bit is used to indicate that the first AP device sends the first message frame;

For the second AP device, the second AP device receives the second message frame and determines through the first identification bit in the second message frame that the first AP device is going to send the first message frame, and thus determines that the first AP device is the main AP device.

The second AP device may receive the second message frame sent by the first AP device via a wired link or a wireless link.

Optionally, the first identification bit can also be used to indicate the identification bit of the TSF parameter. That is, after the second AP device receives the second message frame including the TSF parameter sent by any other AP device corresponding to the target OBSS, it can determine that the AP device sending the second message frame is the main AP device, and further determine that the AP device is the first AP device to send the first message frame thereafter.

That is to say, for all AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS, the first AP device that sends the second message frame including the first identification bit for indicating the TSF parameter is the master AP device, and sends the first message frame as the first AP device in the embodiment of the present disclosure. The AP device that does not send the second message frame for indicating the first identification bit of the TSF parameter is the slave AP device, and receives the first message frame as the second AP device in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the communication method applied to the second AP device provided in the present disclosure, the first message frame received by the second AP device may be a beacon frame or a probe response frame.

In the communication method applied to the second AP device provided in the present disclosure, the second message frame received by the second AP device includes an extended capabilities information element, and the extended capabilities information element includes a first identification bit.

The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, which can be applied to a third AP device, including:

Receive a first wireless frame, the first wireless frame including a first time period in which a fourth AP communicates with a first station STA device using a first frequency band (e.g., a sub-7 GHz frequency band); wherein the fourth AP is associated with the first STA, and the third AP and the fourth AP form an overlapping basic service set OBSS in the first frequency band;

Determine not to use the first frequency band to communicate with the first STA device in the first time period.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining not to use the first frequency band to communicate with the first STA device in the first time period includes any one of the following:

Determine to communicate with the first STA device using the first frequency band in a second time period, wherein the second time period does not overlap with the first time period;

Alternatively, it is determined to use a second frequency band (such as a 45 GHz frequency band and/or a 60 GHz frequency band) to communicate with the first STA device in a third time period, wherein the third time period overlaps or does not overlap with the first time period.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the third AP and the fourth AP do not form an OBSS in the second frequency band.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes:

A second wireless frame is sent, wherein the second wireless frame includes a fourth time period in which the third AP and the first STA device use the first frequency band; the second wireless frame is used to notify other APs that form an OBSS with the third AP not to use the first frequency band to communicate with the first STA in the fourth time period.

Send a clock synchronization function TSF parameter, where the TSF parameter is used to perform clock synchronization with the fourth AP.

The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, which can be applied to a fourth AP device, including:

A first wireless frame is sent, wherein the first wireless frame includes a first time period in which the fourth AP communicates with the first station STA device using the first frequency band; wherein the fourth AP is associated with the first STA, and the first time period is used to indicate that the third AP does not communicate with the first STA device using the first frequency band during the first time period, and the third AP and the fourth AP form an overlapping basic service set OBSS in the first frequency band.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the third AP not communicating with the first STA device using the first frequency band in the first time period includes any of the following:

The third AP communicates with the first STA device using the first frequency band in a second time period, wherein the second time period does not overlap with the first time period;

Alternatively, the third AP communicates with the first STA device using the second frequency band in a third time period, wherein the third time period overlaps or does not overlap with the first time period.

receiving a second wireless frame, where the second wireless frame includes a fourth time period in which the third AP and the first STA device use the first frequency band;

Determine not to use the first frequency band to communicate with the first STA in the fourth time period.

Send a clock synchronization function TSF parameter, where the TSF parameter is used to perform clock synchronization with the third AP.

As shown in FIG6 , an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, including:

A determining unit 61 is configured to determine a first message frame, wherein the first message frame includes first communication information, wherein the first communication information includes a first communication period during which the first AP device communicates with at least one first station STA device in a target overlapping basic service set OBSS, wherein a communication connection is established between the first AP device and each of the first STA devices, and the target OBSS is an OBSS formed by multiple AP devices including the first AP device in a sub-7 GHz frequency band;

The first transceiver unit 62 is configured to send the first message frame.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the above-mentioned first communication time period is used to indicate that each AP device corresponding to the above-mentioned target OBSS except the above-mentioned first AP device does not communicate with the second STA device with which a communication connection has been established in the above-mentioned target OBSS during the corresponding first communication time period, and each of the above-mentioned second STA devices does not establish a communication connection with the above-mentioned first AP device.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the above-mentioned first communication time periods is also used to indicate that each AP device corresponding to the above-mentioned target OBSS except the above-mentioned first AP device is allowed to communicate with a third STA device that has established a communication connection in the 65GHz frequency band and/or the 60GHz frequency band within the corresponding first communication time period.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first transceiver unit 62 is further configured to:

Send clock synchronization function TSF parameters, where the TSF parameters are used to perform clock synchronization with other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS.

The second communication information sent by each AP device except the first AP device corresponding to the target OBSS is received, wherein each second communication information includes a second communication period for the corresponding AP device to communicate with the STA device with which the communication connection has been established.

The third communication information sent by each STA device that has established a communication connection with the first AP device is received, and each of the third communication information includes a third communication time period for the corresponding STA device to communicate with the first AP device.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining unit 61 is further configured to:

Determine a second message frame, the second message frame includes a first identification bit, and the first identification bit is used to indicate that the first AP device sends the first message frame;

The first transceiver unit 62 is further used for:

The second message frame is sent.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first message frame is a beacon frame or a probe response frame.

As shown in FIG. 7 , an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, including:

The second transceiver unit 71 is used to receive a first message frame, the first message frame includes first communication information, the first communication information includes a first communication time period for the first AP device to communicate with at least one first STA device in the target OBSS, the first AP device establishes a communication connection with each of the first STA devices, the target OBSS is an OBSS formed by multiple AP devices including the first AP device in the sub-7GHz frequency band, and the second AP device is any AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the above-mentioned first communication time periods is also used to indicate that each AP device corresponding to the above-mentioned target OBSS except the above-mentioned first AP device is allowed to communicate with a third STA device that has established a communication connection in the 47GHz frequency band and/or the 70GHz frequency band within the corresponding first communication time period.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second transceiver unit 71 is further configured to:

Receive clock synchronization function TSF parameters, where the TSF parameters are used to perform clock synchronization with the first AP device.

Sending second communication information, where the second communication information includes a second communication period during which the second AP device communicates with the STA device with which the communication connection has been established.

The fourth communication information sent by each STA device that has established a communication connection with the second AP device is received, and each of the fourth communication information includes a fourth communication time period for the corresponding STA device to communicate with the second AP device.

A second message frame is received, where the second message frame includes a first identification bit, and the first identification bit is used to indicate that the first AP device sends the first message frame.

The embodiment of the present disclosure also provides an electronic device, as shown in FIG8 , the electronic device 8000 shown in FIG8 includes: a processor 8001 and a memory 8003. The processor 8001 and the memory 8003 are connected, such as through a bus 8002. Optionally, the electronic device 8000 may further include a transceiver 8004. It should be noted that in actual applications, the transceiver 8004 is not limited to one, and the structure of the electronic device 8000 does not constitute a limitation on the embodiment of the present disclosure.

The memory 8003 is used to store application code for executing the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the execution is controlled by the processor 8001. When the electronic device 8000 acts as a first AP device, the processor 8001 is used to execute the application code stored in the memory 8003 to implement the communication method applicable to the first AP device in the present solution. When the electronic device 8000 acts as a second AP device, the processor 8001 is used to execute the application code stored in the memory 8003 to implement the communication method applicable to the second AP device in the present solution.

The bus 8002 may include a path for transmitting information between the above components. The bus 8002 may be a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus or an EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) bus. The bus 8002 may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, FIG8 is represented by only one thick line, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The memory 8003 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to these.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer can execute the corresponding contents of the aforementioned method embodiment.

It should be understood that, although the steps in the flowchart of the accompanying drawings are displayed in sequence as indicated by the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise specified herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and they can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a part of the steps in the flowchart of the accompanying drawings may include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages, and these sub-steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and their execution order is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed in turn or alternately with other steps or at least a part of the sub-steps or stages of other steps.

It should be noted that the computer-readable storage medium disclosed above may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium or any combination of the above two. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or device, or any combination of the above. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, device or device. In the present disclosure, a computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, in which a computer-readable program code is carried. This propagated data signal may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. The computer readable signal medium may also be any computer readable storage medium other than a computer readable storage medium, which may send, propagate or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device. The program code contained on the computer readable storage medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to: wires, optical cables, RF (radio frequency), etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

The computer-readable storage medium may be included in the wireless local area network initiating device or responding device; or may exist independently without being assembled into the wireless local area network initiating device or responding device.

The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs. When the above-mentioned one or more programs are executed by the first AP device or the second AP device, the first AP device or the second AP device executes the corresponding communication method.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product or a computer program is provided, the computer program product or the computer program including computer instructions, the computer instructions being stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions, so that the computer device executes the communication method provided in the above-mentioned various optional implementations.

Computer program code for performing the operations of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages, or a combination thereof, including object-oriented programming languages, such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a separate software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In cases involving a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

The flow chart and block diagram in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architecture, function and operation of the system, method and computer program product according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each square box in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment or a part of a code, and the module, the program segment or a part of the code contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some implementations as replacements, the functions marked in the square box can also occur in a sequence different from that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two square boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each square box in the block diagram and/or flow chart, and the combination of the square boxes in the block diagram and/or flow chart can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs a specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

The modules involved in the embodiments described in the present disclosure may be implemented by software or hardware. The name of a module does not limit the module itself in some cases. For example, module A may also be described as "module A for performing operation B".

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and an explanation of the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of disclosure involved in the present disclosure is not limited to the technical solutions formed by a specific combination of the above technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the above disclosed concept. For example, the above features are replaced with the technical features with similar functions disclosed in the present disclosure (but not limited to) by each other.

Claims

A communication method, characterized in that it is applied to a first access point AP device, the method comprising:

Determine a first message frame, where the first message frame includes first communication information, where the first communication information includes a first communication period during which the first AP device communicates with at least one first site STA device in a target overlapping basic service set OBSS, where the first AP device establishes a communication connection with each of the first STA devices, and the target OBSS is an OBSS formed by multiple AP devices including the first AP device in a sub-7 GHz frequency band;

The first message frame is sent.
According to the method according to claim 1, it is characterized in that each of the first communication time periods is used to indicate that each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device does not communicate with the second STA device with which a communication connection has been established in the target OBSS during the corresponding first communication time period, and each of the second STA devices does not establish a communication connection with the first AP device.
According to the method according to claim 1, it is characterized in that each of the first communication time periods is also used to indicate that each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device is allowed to communicate with a third STA device that has established a communication connection in the 45GHz frequency band and/or the 60GHz frequency band within the corresponding first communication time period.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises:

A clock synchronization function TSF parameter is sent, where the TSF parameter is used to perform clock synchronization with other AP devices corresponding to the target OBSS.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises:

Receive second communication information sent by each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device, each of the second communication information includes a second communication time period for the corresponding AP device to communicate with the STA device with which the communication connection has been established.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises:

The third communication information sent by each STA device that has established a communication connection with the first AP device is received, and each of the third communication information includes a third communication time period for the corresponding STA device to communicate with the first AP device.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises:

Determine a second message frame, where the second message frame includes a first identification bit, where the first identification bit is used to indicate that the first AP device sends the first message frame;

The second message frame is sent.
The method according to claim 7 is characterized in that the first message frame is a beacon frame or a probe response frame.
A communication method, characterized in that it is applied to a second AP device, the method comprising:

A first message frame is received, wherein the first message frame includes first communication information, wherein the first communication information includes a first communication time period in which a first AP device communicates with at least one first STA device in a target OBSS, wherein a communication connection is established between the first AP device and each of the first STA devices, and the target OBSS is an OBSS formed in a sub-7 GHz frequency band by multiple AP devices including the first AP device, and the second AP device is any AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device.
According to the method according to claim 9, it is characterized in that each of the first communication time periods is used to indicate that each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device does not communicate with the second STA device with which a communication connection has been established in the target OBSS during the corresponding first communication time period, and each of the second STA devices does not establish a communication connection with the first AP device.
The method according to claim 9 is characterized in that each of the first communication time periods is also used to indicate that each AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device is allowed to communicate with a third STA device that has established a communication connection in the 45GHz frequency band and/or the 60GHz frequency band within the corresponding first communication time period.
The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the method further comprises:

A clock synchronization function TSF parameter is received, where the TSF parameter is used to perform clock synchronization with the first AP device.
The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the method further comprises:

Sending second communication information, where the second communication information includes a second communication period during which the second AP device communicates with the STA device with which the communication connection has been established.
The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the method further comprises:

Fourth communication information sent by each STA device that has established a communication connection with the second AP device is received, and each of the fourth communication information includes a fourth communication time period for the corresponding STA device to communicate with the second AP device.
The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the method further comprises:

A second message frame is received, where the second message frame includes a first identification bit, where the first identification bit is used to indicate that the first AP device sends the first message frame.
The method according to claim 15 is characterized in that the first message frame is a beacon frame or a probe response frame.
A communication device, characterized in that the device comprises:

a determining unit, configured to determine a first message frame, wherein the first message frame includes first communication information, wherein the first communication information includes a first communication period during which the first AP device communicates with at least one first station STA device in a target overlapping basic service set OBSS, wherein a communication connection is established between the first AP device and each of the first STA devices, and the target OBSS is an OBSS formed by multiple AP devices including the first AP device in a sub-7 GHz frequency band;

The first transceiver unit is used to send the first message frame.
A communication device, characterized in that the device comprises:

A second transceiver unit is used to receive a first message frame, where the first message frame includes first communication information, where the first communication information includes a first communication time period for a first AP device to communicate with at least one first STA device in a target OBSS, where a communication connection is established between the first AP device and each of the first STA devices, where the target OBSS is an OBSS formed in a sub-7 GHz frequency band by multiple AP devices including the first AP device, and where the second AP device is any AP device corresponding to the target OBSS except the first AP device.
An access point AP device, characterized in that the AP device includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the processor executes the program, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 or the method described in any one of claims 9 to 16 is implemented.
A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that a computer program is stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16 is implemented.