Multi-link communication method and device, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a multi-link communication method and device, equipment and a storage medium, and belongs to the technical field of WIFI communication. The method comprises: an AP MLD sending a first management frame, the first management frame comprising first indication information, the first indication information comprising retrieval parameters of a plurality of first links, the plurality of first links being links corresponding to the AP MLD, a first non-AP MLD determining at least one first target link in a plurality of second links according to the first indication information, the plurality of second links are links which exist between the first non-AP MLD and the AP MLD and are mapped with downlink TIDs; and the first non-AP MLD retrieves the cached BU through the at least one first target link. Since the first indication information is relatively small, the signaling load of the beacon frame can be reduced by replacing the multi-link flow indication element with the first indication information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of WIFI communication technology, and specifically relates to a multi-link communication method, device, equipment and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] A station (non-Access Point Station, STA) in power saving mode can enter the sleep state when there is no data to send or receive; the access point (Access Point, AP) will cache the downlink bufferable unit (Bufferable Unit, BU) for the STA that enters the sleep state; the STA will enter the awake state every listening cycle to receive the beacon (Beacon) frame, and determine whether there is a cached BU to be retrieved based on the traffic indication map (Traffic Indication Map, TIM) element in the beacon frame. If so, it triggers the AP to send the cached BU by sending a Power Save Poll (PS-Poll) frame or a Quality of Service Null (QoS Null) frame.

[0003] In a multi-link system, multiple links can be established between a non-Access Point Station Multi-Link Device (non-AP MLD) and an Access Point Station Multi-Link Device (AP MLD). After receiving a beacon frame on one link, the non-AP MLD can learn whether there is a cached BU on another link through the Multi-Link Traffic Indication (MLTI) element in the beacon frame. Since the MLTI element carries more information, the signaling load of the beacon frame is larger. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application relates to a multi-link communication method, device, equipment and storage medium, which solves the technical problem of heavy signaling load of existing beacon frames.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a multi-link communication method, which is applied to an AP MLD, wherein the AP MLD includes a plurality of APs, and the plurality of APs correspond one-to-one to a plurality of first links. The method includes:

[0006] Sending a first management frame, where the first management frame includes first indication information;

[0007] The first indication information includes retrieval parameters of the multiple first links, and the first indication information is used to determine at least one first target link among the multiple first links, and the at least one first target link is used to retrieve a cached cacheable unit BU, and the cached BU is a BU to be retrieved by a first non-access point multi-link device non-AP MLD.

[0008] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links and / or service identifiers TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information further includes a maximum number of links that can be selected simultaneously, and the number of the at least one first target link is less than or equal to the maximum number of links.

[0010] In a possible implementation manner, the first non-AP MLD belongs to a first set, where the first set is a set consisting of non-AP MLDs associated with the AP MLD.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information is carried in a first element of the first management frame, the first element includes at least one candidate indication information, and the first indication information is one of the at least one candidate indication information.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner, the first element is a multi-link element or a newly defined element.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner, the first management frame is a beacon frame, a multi-link detection response frame, an association response frame, or a re-association response frame.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the first management frame further includes a multi-link traffic indication element, where the multi-link traffic indication element is used to indicate at least one second target link, where the at least one second target link is used by the second non-AP MLD to retrieve the cached BU, where the at least one second target link is a subset of the multiple first links, and the second non-AP MLD is the non-AP MLD indicated in the multi-link traffic indication element.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a multi-link communication method, which is applied to a first non-AP MLD, where a plurality of second links mapped with a downlink service identifier TID exist between the first non-AP MLD and the AP MLD, and the method includes:

[0016] receiving a first management frame, wherein the AP MLD corresponds to a plurality of first links, the plurality of second links are a subset of the plurality of first links, the first management frame includes first indication information, and the first indication information includes retrieval parameters of the plurality of first links;

[0017] Determine at least one first target link among the plurality of second links according to the first indication information;

[0018] The cacheable unit BU is retrieved from the cache via the at least one first target link.

[0019] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links and / or the TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit.

[0020] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information further includes a maximum number of links that can be selected simultaneously, and the number of the at least one first target link is less than or equal to the maximum number of links.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information is carried in a first element of the first management frame, the first element includes at least one candidate indication information, and the first indication information is one of the at least one candidate indication information.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner, the first element is a multi-link element or a newly defined element.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner, the first management frame is a beacon frame, a multi-link detection response frame, an association response frame, or a re-association response frame.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the first management frame further includes a multi-link traffic indication element, where the multi-link traffic indication element is used to indicate at least one second target link, where the at least one second target link is used by the second non-AP MLD to retrieve the cached BU, where the at least one second target link is a subset of the multiple first links, and the second non-AP MLD is the non-AP MLD indicated in the multi-link traffic indication element.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0026] receiving third indication information sent by any one AP in the AP MLD, where the third indication information is carried in a second management frame, where the second management frame includes an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or a newly defined frame;

[0027] The first indication information is determined from the at least one to-be-selected indication information according to the third indication information.

[0028] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes probabilities of being selected of the plurality of first links; and determining at least one first target link from the plurality of second links according to the first indication information includes:

[0029] Determine a maximum random number range and a random number range corresponding to each second link according to the selection probabilities of the multiple first links;

[0030] generating at least one random number within the maximum random number range;

[0031] For any random number, a first target link is determined from the plurality of second links according to a random number range in which the random number is located.

[0032] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit; and determining at least one first target link from the multiple second links according to the first indication information includes:

[0033] Determine a target TID of the cached BU;

[0034] Among the plurality of second links, a second link corresponding to the same TID as the target TID and tending to be transmitted is determined as the first target link.

[0035] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links and the TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit; and determining at least one first target link from the multiple second links according to the first indication information includes:

[0036] Determine a target TID of the cached BU;

[0037] Determine a maximum random number range and a random number range corresponding to each second link according to the target TID and the selection probabilities of the multiple first links;

[0038] generating at least one random number within the maximum random number range;

[0039] Among the plurality of second links, the second link corresponding to the random number range in which each random number is located and the second link corresponding to the TID that is the same as the target TID and is inclined to be transmitted are determined as at least one first target link.

[0040] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a multi-link communication device, which is applied to an AP MLD, wherein the APMLD includes multiple access points AP, and the multiple APs correspond to multiple first links one by one, and the device includes:

[0041] A sending module, configured to send a first management frame, wherein the first management frame includes first indication information;

[0042] The first indication information includes retrieval parameters of the multiple first links, and the first indication information is used to determine at least one first target link among the multiple first links, and the at least one first target link is used to retrieve a cached cacheable unit BU, and the cached BU is a BU to be retrieved by a first non-access point multi-link device non-AP MLD.

[0043] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a multi-link communication device, which is applied to a first non-AP MLD, wherein there are multiple second links mapped with a downlink service identifier TID between the first non-AP MLD and the AP MLD, and the device includes:

[0044] A receiving module, configured to receive a first management frame, wherein the AP MLD corresponds to a plurality of first links, the plurality of second links are a subset of the plurality of first links, the first management frame includes first indication information, and the first indication information includes retrieval parameters of the plurality of first links;

[0045] A determination module, configured to determine at least one first target link from the plurality of second links according to the first indication information;

[0046] The retrieval module is configured to retrieve the cached cacheable unit BU through the at least one first target link.

[0047] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, including: a processor and a memory;

[0048] The memory stores computer-executable instructions;

[0049] The processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor performs the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0050] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer execution instructions, and when the computer execution instructions are executed by a computer, the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect is executed.

[0051] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, enables the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect to be executed.

[0052] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the computer program is executed by the chip, the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect is executed.

[0053] In a possible implementation, the chip is a chip in a chip module.

[0054] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-link communication method, apparatus, device and storage medium. In the method, an APMLD sends a first management frame, the first management frame includes first indication information, the first indication information includes retrieval parameters of multiple first links, the multiple first links are links corresponding to the AP MLD, the first non-AP MLD determines at least one first target link from multiple second links according to the first indication information, the multiple second links are links with downlink TIDs mapped between the first non-AP MLD and the AP MLD; the first non-AP MLD retrieves the cached BU through at least one first target link. Since the first indication information is relatively small, the signaling load of the beacon frame can be reduced by replacing the multi-link traffic indication element with the first indication information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an application scenario provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a format of a TIM element in the related art;

[0057] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a format of a TID link mapping element in the related art;

[0058] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the format of an MLTI element in the related art;

[0059] Figure 5 A flowchart of a multi-link communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the format of a multi-link element provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-link communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 8A schematic diagram of the structure of another multi-link communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0066] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more.

[0067] The first, second, etc. descriptions in this application are only used for illustration and distinction of the described objects, and there is no order, nor does it indicate a special limitation on the number of objects in the embodiments of this application, and cannot constitute any limitation on the embodiments of this application. For example, the first link refers to the link corresponding to the AP MLD, and the second link refers to the link with the downlink traffic identifier (Traffic Identifier, TID) mapped between the first non-AP MLD and the AP MLD. The first, second, etc. descriptions are used only to distinguish different links, and do not indicate the difference in priority or importance of the two links.

[0068] In this application, "exemplary", "in some embodiments", "in other embodiments", etc. are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" in this application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete way.

[0069] The formats of the various elements given in this application are merely examples, and each element may include more or fewer fields, and this application does not limit this.

[0070] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11be (Extremely High Throughput, EHT) introduces multi-link. A multi-link device (Multi-Link Device, MLD) is a wireless communication device that supports multiple links for parallel transmission, including one or more subordinate sites. Among them, the subordinate site can be an AP or a STA. For the convenience of description, the multi-link device whose subordinate site is an AP may be referred to as a multi-link access point device or an access point multi-link device (APMLD) in this application; and a multi-link device whose subordinate site is a STA may be referred to as a non-access point multi-link device or a non-access point multi-link device (non-AP MLD).

[0071] One or more links can be established between two MLDs.

[0072] For ease of understanding, the following Figure 1 , the application scenarios to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable are described.

[0073] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by the embodiment of this application. Figure 1 , taking the wireless LAN as an example, it includes AP MLD101, non-AP MLD102 and non-AP MLD103. Among them, AP MLD101 includes AP1, AP2 and AP3, non-AP MLD102 includes three non-access point stations STA1, STA2 and STA3, and non-AP MLD103 includes two non-access point stations STA4 and STA5.

[0074] AP1 of AP MLD101 corresponds to link 1, AP2 corresponds to link 2, and AP3 corresponds to link 3; AP1 working in the 2.4 GHz frequency band can communicate with STA1 in non-AP MLD 102 through link 1; AP2 working in the 5 GHz frequency band can communicate with STA2 in non-AP MLD 102 through link 2, and can also communicate with STA4 in non-AP MLD103 through link 2; AP3 working in the 6 GHz frequency band can communicate with STA3 in non-AP MLD 102 through link 3, and can also communicate with STA5 in non-AP MLD 103 through link 3.

[0075] In order to explain the present application more clearly, the relevant technologies involved in the present application are first introduced below.

[0076] 1. Traffic Indication Map (TIM) Elements

[0077] A STA in power save mode (PSM) can enter doze state from awake state when it has no data to send or receive. The AP will cache downlink BUs (including data and / or management frames) for the STA in doze state.

[0078] A STA in PSM can enter the awake state from sleep based on the Listen Interval to receive beacon frames, and determine whether there are cached BUs to be retrieved through the TIM element in the beacon frame. If so, a PS-Poll frame or a QoS Null frame is sent to the AP to trigger the AP to send the cached BU to the STA.

[0079] The format of the TIM element is as follows Figure 2 As shown, it includes an element identifier (Element ID) field, a length (Length) field, a delivery traffic indication map (DTIM) count field, a DTIM period field, a bitmap control (Bitmap Control) field, and a partial virtual bitmap (Partial VirtualBitmap) field. Among them, the bitmap control field may include a traffic indication subfield and a bitmap offset subfield.

[0080] The partial virtual bitmap field can indicate whether the corresponding STA has a cached BU. During the process of establishing a link association between the STA and the AP, the AP will assign an association identifier (AID) to the STA in the association response frame; the AID of the corresponding STA can be determined by the bit position in the bitmap control field and the partial virtual bitmap field. Specifically, the bitmap offset * 16 + bit position indicates the corresponding AID.

[0081] 2. TID-To-Link Mapping Element

[0082] After multiple links are established between the non-AP MLD and the AP MLD, data can be transmitted on multiple links. The specific links for transmission can be determined by the mapping between the TID corresponding to the data and the link. The mapping relationship can be established through the TID link mapping process. The standard does not specify which link is selected for transmission among the links mapped by the TID.

[0083] The format of the TID link mapping element is as follows Figure 3 As shown, it includes an element ID field, a length field, an element ID extension field, a TID link mapping control field, a mapping switch time field, an expected period field, a link mapping of TID0 (optional), ..., a link mapping of TID7 (optional). Among them, the TID link mapping control field includes a direction subfield, a default link mapping subfield, a mapping switch time present subfield, an expected period present subfield, a link mapping size subfield, a reserved subfield, and a link mapping presence indication subfield (optional).

[0084] In the Direction subfield, 0 indicates downlink, 1 indicates uplink, and 2 indicates both downlink and uplink. If the Default Link Mapping subfield is set to 1, it means that all TIDs are mapped to all links, and there is no Link Mapping field for TID x.

[0085] Exemplarily, if there are link 1, link 2 and link 3, when the default link mapping subfield is set to 1, it means that TID0 is mapped to link 1, link 2 and link 3, TID1 is mapped to link 1, link 2 and link 3, TID2 is mapped to link 1, link 2 and link 3, TID3 is mapped to link 1, link 2 and link 3, TID4 is mapped to link 1, link 2 and link 3, TID5 is mapped to link 1, link 2 and link 3, TID6 is mapped to link 1, link 2 and link 3, and TID7 is mapped to link 1, link 2 and link 3.

[0086] If the default link mapping subfield is set to 0, the link mapping field of TID x indicates the link mapped by TID x, and the number of link mapping fields of TID x is indicated by the link mapping existence indication subfield. A link not mapped by a TID is a disabled link.

[0087] Exemplarily, the link mapping field of TID0 indicates the link mapped by TID0.

[0088] 3. MLTI elements

[0089] In a multi-link system, a non-AP MLD receives a beacon frame on any link and can learn whether there are buffered BUs on other links, which is indicated by the MLTI element.

[0090] The format of the MLTI element is as follows Figure 4 As shown, it includes an element ID field, a length field, an element ID extension field, a multi-link traffic indication control field, and a per-link traffic indication list field. Among them, the multi-link traffic indication control field includes a bitmap size subfield, an AID offset subfield, and a reserved subfield, and the per-link traffic indication list field includes N per-link traffic indication bitmap subfields and a padding subfield.

[0091] When the bitmap size subfield is m, the per-link traffic indication bitmap subfield is m+1 bits.

[0092] The per-link traffic indication list field includes N per-link traffic indication bitmap subfields, indicating whether there is a buffered BU on each link corresponding to the N non-AP MLDs.

[0093] The AID of the corresponding non-AP MLD can be determined by the AID offset and the position of the per-link traffic indication bitmap. Specifically, the AID offset+the position of the per-link traffic indication bitmap indicates the AID of the corresponding non-AP MLD.

[0094] If the non-AP MLD is indicated by the TIM as having a cached BU, and the non-AP MLD negotiates TID link mapping with the AP MLD, and different TIDs map to different links, the beacon frame must carry the MLTI element to know which links have cached BUs. Since the MLTI element is very large, the signaling load of the beacon frame is large, and the beacon frame is too large, which may cause the traditional STA to be unable to receive and process it.

[0095] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application carries the first indication information in the management frame, the first indication information includes the retrieval parameters of multiple first links, and the first indication information is used to replace the MLTI element. Since the first indication information is small, the signaling load of the beacon frame is reduced.

[0096] The technical solution shown in the present application is described in detail below through specific embodiments. It should be noted that the following embodiments can exist independently or in combination with each other, and the same or similar contents will not be described repeatedly in different embodiments.

[0097] Figure 5 A flowchart of a multi-link communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 , the method comprising:

[0098] S501. AP MLD sends a first management frame, where the first management frame includes first indication information, and the first indication information includes retrieval parameters of multiple first links.

[0099] Correspondingly, the first non-AP MLD receives the first management frame.

[0100] The AP MLD may send the first management frame in a broadcast or unicast manner.

[0101] The AP MLD includes multiple APs, and the multiple APs correspond to multiple first links one by one, that is, each AP corresponds to one first link.

[0102] The first management frame may be sent by any AP in the AP MLD.

[0103] In a possible implementation manner, the first management frame may further include a TIM element, where the TIM element indicates that the first non-AP MLD has a cached downlink BU to be retrieved.

[0104] The first non-AP MLD is an MLD associated with the AP MLD, that is, the first non-AP MLD is an MLD that establishes a connection relationship with the AP MLD.

[0105] In a possible implementation manner, the first non-AP MLD belongs to a first set, and the first set is a set consisting of non-AP MLDs associated with the APMLD.

[0106] Exemplarily, if there is only one non-AP MLD associated with the AP MLD, the non-APMLD associated with the AP MLD is the first non-AP MLD; if there are multiple non-AP MLDs associated with the AP MLD, the first non-AP MLD is any one of the multiple non-AP MLDs associated with the APMLD.

[0107] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links and / or the TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit.

[0108] Exemplarily, if the AP MLD corresponds to three first links, namely link 1, link 2 and link 3, the first indication information may include the selection probability of link 1, the selection probability of link 2 and the selection probability of link 3; or, the first indication information may include the TID that link 1 tends to transmit, the TID that link 2 tends to transmit and the TID that link 3 tends to transmit; or, the first indication information may include the selection probability of link 1, the selection probability of link 2, the selection probability of link 3, the TID that link 1 tends to transmit, the TID that link 2 tends to transmit and the TID that link 3 tends to transmit.

[0109] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information further includes a maximum number of links that can be selected simultaneously, and the number of at least one target link is less than or equal to the maximum number of links.

[0110] Exemplarily, if the maximum number of simultaneously selectable links included in the first indication information is 2, it means that the first target link finally determined for retrieving the cached BU may be 1 or two.

[0111] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information may be carried in a first element of a first management frame, the first element may include at least one candidate indication information, and the first indication information is one of the at least one candidate indication information.

[0112] When the first element includes one candidate indication information, the candidate indication information can be directly used as the first indication information; when the first element includes multiple candidate indication information, each candidate indication information includes the selection probability of multiple first links and / or the TIDs that multiple first links tend to transmit, and the maximum number of links that can be selected at the same time (optional); the first indication information can be any one of the multiple candidate indication information.

[0113] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information may be determined in at least one piece of indication information to be selected in the following manner:

[0114] The first non-AP MLD receives third indication information sent by any AP in the AP MLD, where the third indication information is carried in a second management frame, and the second management frame includes one or more of an association response frame, a re-association response frame, and a newly defined frame; based on the third indication information, the first indication information is determined in at least one selected indication information.

[0115] The third indication information may be used to indicate the identifier of the first indication information.

[0116] Exemplarily, if there are two candidate indication information, namely the first candidate indication information and the second candidate indication information. When the first non-AP MLD is associated with the AP MLD, the AP MLD may instruct the first non-AP MLD to use the first candidate indication information as the first indication information through an association response frame or a re-association response frame; or after the association, the AP MLD may instruct the first non-AP MLD to use the second candidate indication information as the first indication information through a newly defined frame.

[0117] In a possible implementation manner, the first element may be a multilink element or a newly defined element.

[0118] The newly defined element may be called a cache BU parameter retrieval element, or may be other names, which is not limited in this application.

[0119] In a possible implementation manner, the first management frame may be a beacon frame, a multi-link detection response frame, an association response frame, or a re-association response frame.

[0120] The multilink element may include multilink related information, and the multilink element may be carried in a beacon frame, a multilink detection response frame, an association response frame, or a reassociation response frame sent by one or more APs of the AP MLD.

[0121] The frame format of the multilink element is as follows Figure 6 As shown, it includes an element ID field, a length field, an element ID extension field, a multi-link control field, a common information (Common Info) field and a link information (Link Info) field. Among them, the multi-link control field includes a type subfield, a reserved subfield and a presence bitmap subfield; the presence bitmap subfield may include a link ID information presence (Link ID Info Present) subfield, a basic service set (Basic Service Set, BSS) parameter change count presence subfield, a media synchronization delay information presence (Medium Synchronization Delay Information Present) subfield, an enhanced multi-link (Enhanced Multi-Link, EML) capability presence subfield, an MLD capability and operation presence (MLD Capabilities And Operations Present) subfield, an APMLD ID presence subfield, an extended MLD capability and operation presence subfield, and a reserved subfield; the public information field may include a public information length subfield, an MLD MAC address subfield, a link ID information subfield, a BSS parameter change count subfield, a media synchronization delay information subfield, an EML capability subfield, an MLD capability and operation subfield, an AP MLD ID subfield and an extended MLD capability and operation subfield.

[0122] In a possible implementation manner, a subfield may be added to the common information field of the multilink element to indicate at least one piece of indication information to be selected.

[0123] In a possible implementation manner, whether there is at least one to-be-selected indication information may be indicated by the existence bitmap subfield in the multilink control subfield of the multilink element.

[0124] S502: The first non-AP MLD determines at least one first target link from multiple second links according to the first indication information.

[0125] The plurality of second links may refer to links between the first non-AP MLD and the AP MLD to which the TID is mapped.

[0126] The multiple second links are a subset of the multiple first links, that is, the multiple second links may be part of the multiple first links or may be all of the multiple first links.

[0127] For example, Figure 4 As shown, AP MLD401 has 3 links, and non-AP MLD402 can communicate with AP MLD401 through 3 links. If all 3 links are mapped with TID, then all 3 links are second links; if only link 1 and link 2 are mapped with TID, then only link 1 and link 2 are second links.

[0128] In a possible implementation manner, when the first indication information includes the selection probabilities of multiple first links, at least one first target link may be determined from the multiple second links according to the first indication information in the following manner:

[0129] According to the selection probabilities of the multiple first links, determine the maximum random number range and the random number range corresponding to each second link; generate at least one random number within the maximum random number range; for any random number, determine the first target link among the multiple second links according to the random number range in which the random number is located.

[0130] The number of random numbers generated may be determined by the maximum number of links that can be selected simultaneously in the first indication information. If the maximum number of links that can be selected simultaneously is 2, two random numbers may be generated first; if the two generated random numbers are in the random number range corresponding to the same link, random numbers may continue to be generated until two of the generated random numbers are in the random number range corresponding to different links.

[0131] For example, if the AP MLD corresponds to three links, the probability of link 1 being selected is 30%, the probability of link 2 being selected is 40%, and the probability of link 3 being selected is 30%, the first non-AP MLD and the AP MLD can communicate through link 1, link 2, and link 3, and link 1, link 2, and link 3 are all mapped with downlink TIDs; then the first non-AP MLD can determine, according to the ratio of the probabilities of the three links being selected, that the random number range corresponding to link 1 is 1-30, the random number range corresponding to link 2 is 31-70, the random number range corresponding to link 3 is 71-100, and the maximum random number range is 1-100; the first non-AP MLD randomly generates a random number 57 within 1-100, and 57 is within the random number range corresponding to link 2, then link 2 can be determined as the target link.

[0132] If the first indication information also includes the maximum number of links that can be selected at the same time, and the maximum number of links is 2, the first non-AP MLD may first randomly generate a random number 57 within 1-100, and then randomly generate a random number 21 within 1-100; since 57 is within the random number range corresponding to link 2, and 21 is within the random number range corresponding to link 1, link 1 and link 2 may be determined as target links. If the random numbers generated by the first non-AP MLD twice are within the same random number range, random numbers may continue to be generated until two target links can be selected.

[0133] In a possible implementation manner, when the first indication information includes TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit, at least one first target link may be determined from the multiple second links according to the first indication information in the following manner:

[0134] Determine a target TID of the cached BU; and determine, among the plurality of second links, a second link corresponding to the TID that is the same as the target TID and that is intended to be transmitted as a first target link.

[0135] The target TID may be determined by the periodic characteristics of the service and the current time, or by other methods, which are not limited in this application.

[0136] Exemplarily, if the AP MLD corresponds to 3 links, the TID that link 1 tends to transmit is 0-3, the TID that link 2 tends to transmit is 4-7, and the TID that link 3 tends to transmit is 4-7, the first non-AP MLD can communicate with the AP MLD through link 1, link 2 and link 3, and link 1, link 2 and link 3 are all mapped with downlink TID; if the first non-AP MLD is indicated to have a cached BU, the first non-AP MLD estimates that the target TID of the cached BU at this moment is TID0, then link 1 can be determined as the target link.

[0137] In a possible implementation manner, when the first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links and the TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit, at least one first target link may be determined from the multiple second links according to the first indication information in the following manner:

[0138] Determine a target TID of the cached BU; determine a maximum random number range and a random number range corresponding to each second link according to the target TID and the selection probability of the plurality of first links; generate at least one random number within the maximum random number range; and determine, among the plurality of second links, a second link corresponding to the random number range in which each random number is located and a second link corresponding to the TID that is the same as the target TID as the at least one first target link.

[0139] The maximum random number range may be determined according to the probability of at least one second link corresponding to the target TID being selected.

[0140] Exemplarily, if the AP MLD corresponds to 3 links, the probability of link 1 being selected is 30%, the probability of link 2 being selected is 40%, and the probability of link 3 being selected is 30%; the maximum number of links that can be selected at the same time is 2; the TIDs that link 1 tends to transmit are 0-3, the TIDs that link 2 tends to transmit are 4-7, and the TIDs that link 3 tends to transmit are 4-7; the first non-AP MLD can communicate with the AP MLD through link 1, link 2 and link 3, and link 1, link 2 and link 3 are all mapped with downlink TIDs; the first non-APMLD estimates that the target TID of the BU cached at this moment is TID5, and randomly generates a random number 57 within 31-100 for the first time, and then randomly generates a random number 78 within 31-100, then link 2 and link 3 can be determined as target links.

[0141] S503: The first non-AP MLD retrieves the cached BU through at least one first target link.

[0142] The first non-AP MLD may send a PS-Poll frame or a QoS Null frame to the AP MLD through at least one first target link, triggering the AP MLD to send the buffered BU to the first non-AP MLD through the at least one first target link.

[0143] If there are multiple first target links, the AP MLD may distribute the buffered BU on the multiple first target links and send the buffered BU to the first non-AP MLD.

[0144] exist Figure 5In the illustrated embodiment, the AP MLD sends a first management frame, the first management frame includes first indication information, the first indication information includes retrieval parameters of multiple first links; after receiving the first management frame, the first non-AP MLD determines at least one first target link from multiple second links according to the first indication information; and retrieves the cached BU through the at least one first target link. The AP MLD can share its cached BU on at least one target link through the first indication information, and use the first indication information instead of the MLTI element. Since the first indication information is smaller, the signaling load of the beacon frame can be reduced.

[0145] exist Figure 5 Based on the illustrated embodiment, the first management frame may also carry an MLTI element, where the MLTI element is used to indicate at least one second target link, where the at least one second target link is used for the second non-AP MLD to retrieve the cached BU, where the at least one second target link is a subset of the multiple first links, and the second non-AP MLD is the non-APMLD indicated in the MLTI element.

[0146] The second non-AP MLD is a non-AP MLD associated with the AP MLD.

[0147] In a possible implementation manner, the second non-AP MLD is a subset of the non-AP MLD associated with the AP MLD.

[0148] The at least one second target link may be a link between the AP MLD and the second non-AP MLD to which a downlink TID is mapped.

[0149] The first indication information is used together with the MLTI element. For non-AP MLDs that are not indicated by the MLTI element, their cached downlink BUs can be retrieved through the first indication information. AP MLD can accurately indicate the retrieval link of low-latency service data for a small number of non-APMLDs with low-latency services through MLTI, and other non-AP MLDs can balance the service load of each link through the first indication information.

[0150] For ease of understanding, a detailed example is given below to illustrate the multi-link communication method of the present application.

[0151] Example 1

[0152] AP MLD has three subordinate APs, namely AP1, AP2 and AP3. AP1 corresponds to link 1, AP2 corresponds to link 2, and AP3 corresponds to link 3.

[0153] The beacon frames sent by the three APs under the AP MLD include a set of candidate indication information, and the candidate indication information includes: the probability of link 1 being selected is 30%, the probability of link 2 being selected is 30%, and the probability of link 3 being selected is 40%.

[0154] Through the association process, Non-AP MLD1 has three subordinate STAs, namely STA11, STA12 and STA13. STA11 establishes link 1 with AP1, STA12 establishes link 2 with AP2, and STA13 establishes link 3 with AP3. The TID link mapping is the default mode (that is, all TIDs are mapped to all links).

[0155] At time t1, STA11 receives the beacon frame and checks the TIM element. The TIM element indicates that Non-AP MLD1 has a downlink buffer BU to be retrieved. Non-AP MLD1 generates a random number 56 within 1-100, and determines link 2 as the target link. Non-AP MLD1 retrieves the downlink buffer BU through link 2.

[0156] Example 2

[0157] AP MLD has three subordinate APs, namely AP1, AP2 and AP3. AP1 corresponds to link 1, AP2 corresponds to link 2, and AP3 corresponds to link 3.

[0158] The beacon frames sent by the three APs under AP MLD include a set of candidate indication information, including: the probability of link 1 being selected is 30%, the probability of link 2 being selected is 30%, the probability of link 3 being selected is 40%, and the maximum number of links that can be selected at the same time is 2.

[0159] Through the association process, Non-AP MLD1 has three subordinate STAs, namely STA11, STA12 and STA13. STA11 establishes link 1 with AP1, STA12 establishes link 2 with AP2, and STA13 establishes link 3 with AP3. The TID link mapping is the default mode.

[0160] At time t1, STA11 receives the beacon frame and checks the TIM element. The TIM element indicates that Non-AP MLD1 has downlink cache BU to be retrieved. Non-AP MLD1 generates two 1-100 random numbers 56 and 78, and then determines link 2 and link 3 as target links. Non-AP MLD1 retrieves the downlink cache BU through link 2 and link 3.

[0161] Example 3 (Link 3 is used to transmit low-latency data)

[0162] AP MLD has three subordinate APs, namely AP1, AP2 and AP3. AP1 corresponds to link 1, AP2 corresponds to link 2, and AP3 corresponds to link 3.

[0163] The beacon frames sent by the three APs under AP MLD include two sets of candidate indication information. The first set of candidate indication information includes: the probability of link 1 being selected is 20%, the probability of link 2 being selected is 20%, and the probability of link 3 being selected is 60%; the second set of candidate indication information includes: the probability of link 1 being selected is 40%, the probability of link 2 being selected is 40%, and the probability of link 3 being selected is 20%.

[0164] Through the association process, Non-AP MLD1 has three subordinate STAs, namely STA11, STA12 and STA13. STA11 establishes link 1 with AP1, STA12 establishes link 2 with AP2, and STA13 establishes link 3 with AP3. The TID link mapping is the default mode, and the first set of selected indication information is used as the first indication information.

[0165] Through the association process, Non-AP MLD2 has two subordinate STAs, namely STA21 and STA22. STA21 establishes link 1 with AP1, and STA22 establishes link 2 with AP2. The TID link mapping is the default mode, and the second set of selected indication information is used as the first indication information.

[0166] Through the association process, Non-AP MLD3 has three subordinate STAs, namely STA31, STA32 and STA33. STA31 establishes link 1 with AP1, STA32 establishes link 2 with AP2, and STA33 establishes link 3 with AP3. The TID link mapping is that all TIDs are mapped to link 1 and link 2 (link 3 is unavailable), and the second set of selected indication information is used as the first indication information.

[0167] At time t1, STA11 receives the beacon frame and checks the TIM element. The TIM element indicates that Non-AP MLD1 has a downlink buffer BU to be retrieved. Non-AP MLD1 generates a random number 56 from 1 to 100, and determines link 3 as the target link. Non-AP MLD1 retrieves the downlink buffer BU through link 3.

[0168] At time t2, STA22 receives the beacon frame and checks the TIM element. The TIM element indicates that Non-AP MLD2 has a downlink buffer BU to be retrieved. Non-AP MLD2 generates a 1-80 random number 56, then determines link 2 as the target link, and Non-AP MLD2 retrieves the downlink buffer BU through link 2.

[0169] At time t3, STA31 receives the beacon frame and checks the TIM element. The TIM element indicates that Non-AP MLD3 has a downlink buffer BU to be retrieved. Non-AP MLD3 generates a 1-80 random number 56, then determines link 2 as the target link, and Non-AP MLD3 retrieves the downlink buffer BU through link 2.

[0170] Different non-AP MLDs may use different first indication information, and AP MLDs may use different first indication information to dedicate a link to transmit low-latency data. For example, the above-mentioned link 3 is used to transmit low-latency data.

[0171] Example 4

[0172] AP MLD has three subordinate APs, namely AP1, AP2 and AP3. AP1 corresponds to link 1, AP2 corresponds to link 2, and AP3 corresponds to link 3.

[0173] The beacon frames sent by the three APs under AP MLD contain a set of candidate indication information, including: the probability of link 1 being selected is 30%, the probability of link 2 being selected is 30%, the probability of link 3 being selected is 40%, the maximum number of links that can be selected at the same time is 2, the TIDs that link 1 tends to transmit are TID0-3, the TIDs that link 2 tends to transmit are TID4-7, and the TIDs that link 3 tends to transmit are TID4-7.

[0174] Through the association process, Non-AP MLD1 has three subordinate STAs, namely STA11, STA12 and STA13. STA11 establishes link 1 with AP1, STA12 establishes link 2 with AP2, and STA13 establishes link 3 with AP3. The TID link mapping is the default mode.

[0175] At time t1, STA11 receives the beacon frame and checks the TIM element. The TIM element indicates that Non-AP MLD1 has a downlink buffer BU to be retrieved. When non-AP MLD1 estimates that the service data is TID0, it determines link 1 as the target link, and Non-AP MLD1 retrieves the downlink buffer BU through link 1.

[0176] At time t2, STA11 receives the beacon frame and checks the TIM element. The TIM element indicates that Non-AP MLD1 has a downlink cache BU to be retrieved. Non-AP MLD1 estimates that the service data is TID5. The first random number 56 from 31-100 is generated, and the second random number 78 from 31-100 is generated. Link 2 and link 3 are determined as target links, and Non-AP MLD1 retrieves the downlink cache BU through link 2 and link 3.

[0177] Example 5 (used with MLTI)

[0178] AP MLD has three subordinate APs, namely AP1, AP2 and AP3. AP1 corresponds to link 1, AP2 corresponds to link 2, and AP3 corresponds to link 3.

[0179] The beacon frames sent by the three APs under the AP MLD include a set of candidate indication information. The first set of candidate indication information includes: the probability of link 1 being selected is 20%, the probability of link 2 being selected is 20%, and the probability of link 3 being selected is 60%.

[0180] Through the association process, Non-AP MLD1 has three subordinate STAs, namely STA11, STA12 and STA13. STA11 establishes link 1 with AP1, STA12 establishes link 2 with AP2, and STA13 establishes link 3 with AP3. The TID link mapping is the default mode, and the first set of selected indication information is used as the first indication information.

[0181] Through the association process, Non-AP MLD2 has two subordinate STAs, namely STA21 and STA22. STA21 establishes link 1 with AP1, and STA22 establishes link 2 with AP2. The TID link mapping is the default mode, and the first set of candidate indication information is used as the first indication information.

[0182] At time t1, STA11 receives the beacon frame and checks the TIM element. The TIM element indicates that Non-AP MLD1 has a downlink cache BU to be retrieved. Non-AP MLD1 has no corresponding MLTI. Non-AP MLD1 generates a random number 56 from 1 to 100, and determines link 3 as the target link. Non-AP MLD1 retrieves the downlink cache BU through link 3.

[0183] At time t2, STA22 receives the beacon frame and checks the TIM element. The TIM element indicates that Non-AP MLD2 has a downlink buffer BU to be retrieved. The MLTI corresponding to Non-AP MLD2 supports it to retrieve the downlink buffer BU on link 2. Link 2 is determined as the target link, and Non-AP MLD2 retrieves the downlink buffer BU through link 2.

[0184] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-link communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 The device is applied to an AP MLD, the AP MLD includes a plurality of APs, the plurality of APs correspond to a plurality of first links one by one, and the device 10 may include:

[0185] A sending module 11, configured to send a first management frame, where the first management frame includes first indication information;

[0186] The first indication information includes retrieval parameters of multiple first links, and the first indication information is used to determine at least one first target link among the multiple first links, and the at least one first target link is used to retrieve the cached BU, and the cached BU is the BU to be retrieved by the first non-AP MLD.

[0187] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links and / or the TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit.

[0188] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information further includes a maximum number of links that can be selected simultaneously, and the number of at least one first target link is less than or equal to the maximum number of links.

[0189] In a possible implementation manner, the first non-AP MLD belongs to a first set, where the first set is a set consisting of non-AP MLDs associated with the APMLD.

[0190] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information is carried in a first element of a first management frame, the first element includes at least one candidate indication information, and the first indication information is one of the at least one candidate indication information.

[0191] In a possible implementation manner, the first element is a multi-link element or a newly defined element.

[0192] In a possible implementation manner, the first management frame is a beacon frame, a multi-link detection response frame, an association response frame, or a re-association response frame.

[0193] In a possible implementation, the first management frame further includes a multi-link traffic indication element, where the multi-link traffic indication element is used to indicate at least one second target link, where the at least one second target link is used for a second non-AP MLD to retrieve a cached BU, where the at least one second target link is a subset of the multiple first links, and where the second non-AP MLD is a non-AP MLD indicated in the multi-link traffic indication element.

[0194] The multi-link communication device 10 can execute the steps executed by the AP MLD in the above method embodiment, and its implementation principles and beneficial effects are similar, which will not be described in detail here.

[0195] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another multi-link communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 The device is applied to a first non-AP MLD, and there are multiple second links with downlink TIDs mapped between the first non-AP MLD and the AP MLD. The device 20 includes:

[0196] The receiving module 21 is configured to receive a first management frame sent by the AP MLD, where the AP MLD corresponds to multiple first links, the multiple second links are subsets of the multiple first links, and the first management frame includes first indication information, where the first indication information includes retrieval parameters of the multiple first links;

[0197] A determination module 22, configured to determine at least one first target link from the plurality of second links according to the first indication information;

[0198] The retrieving module 23 is configured to retrieve the cached BU through at least one first target link.

[0199] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links and / or service identifiers TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit.

[0200] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information further includes a maximum number of links that can be selected simultaneously, and the number of at least one first target link is less than or equal to the maximum number of links.

[0201] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information is carried in a first element of a first management frame, the first element includes at least one candidate indication information, and the first indication information is one of the at least one candidate indication information.

[0202] In a possible implementation manner, the first element is a multi-link element or a newly defined element.

[0203] In a possible implementation manner, the first management frame is a beacon frame, a multi-link detection response frame, an association response frame, or a re-association response frame.

[0204] In a possible implementation, the first management frame further includes a multi-link traffic indication element, where the multi-link traffic indication element is used to indicate at least one second target link, where the at least one second target link is used for a second non-AP MLD to retrieve a cached BU, where the at least one second target link is a subset of the multiple first links, and where the second non-AP MLD is a non-AP MLD indicated in the multi-link traffic indication element.

[0205] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 21 is further configured to receive third indication information sent by any AP in the AP MLD, where the third indication information is carried in a second management frame, where the second management frame includes an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or a newly defined frame;

[0206] The determination module 22 is further configured to determine the first indication information from at least one candidate indication information according to the third indication information.

[0207] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links; and the determination module 22 is specifically configured to:

[0208] Determine a maximum random number range and a random number range corresponding to each second link according to the selection probabilities of the multiple first links;

[0209] Generate at least one random number within the maximum random number range;

[0210] For any random number, a first target link is determined from among the plurality of second links according to the random number range in which the random number is located.

[0211] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes TIDs of multiple first links that tend to be transmitted; and the determination module 22 is specifically configured to:

[0212] Determine the target TID of the cached BU;

[0213] Among the plurality of second links, a second link corresponding to the same TID as the target TID and tending to be transmitted is determined as the first target link.

[0214] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links and the TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit; the determination module 22 is specifically configured to:

[0215] Determine the target TID of the cached BU;

[0216] Determine a maximum random number range and a random number range corresponding to each second link according to the target TID and the selection probabilities of the plurality of first links;

[0217] Generate at least one random number within the maximum random number range;

[0218] Among the multiple second links, the second link corresponding to the random number range in which each random number is located and the second link corresponding to the TID that is the same as the target TID and is inclined to be transmitted are determined as at least one first target link.

[0219] The multi-link communication device 20 may execute the steps executed by the first non-AP MLD in the above method embodiment, and the implementation principles and beneficial effects thereof are similar and will not be described in detail herein.

[0220] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 9, the electronic device 30 may include a transceiver 31, a memory 32, and a processor 33. The transceiver 31 may include: a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transmitter may also be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, a transmission port, a transmission interface, or similar descriptions, and the receiver may also be referred to as a receiver, a receiver, a reception port, a reception interface, or similar descriptions. Exemplarily, the transceiver 31, the memory 32, and the processor 33 are interconnected via a bus 34.

[0221] The memory 32 is used to store program instructions;

[0222] The processor 33 is used to execute the program instructions stored in the memory, so as to enable the electronic device 30 to execute any of the multi-link communication methods shown above.

[0223] The transceiver 31 is used to perform the transceiver function of the electronic device 30 in the multi-link communication method.

[0224] The electronic device may be a chip, a module, an integrated development environment (IDE), etc.

[0225] Fig. 9 The electronic device 30 shown in the embodiment can execute the steps executed by the AP MLD in the above method embodiment, and its implementation principles and beneficial effects are similar, which will not be described in detail here.

[0226] Fig.10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.10 The electronic device 40 includes a transceiver 41, a memory 42, and a processor 43. The transceiver 41 may include: a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transmitter may also be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, a transmission port, a transmission interface, or similar descriptions, and the receiver may also be referred to as a receiver, a receiver, a reception port, a reception interface, or similar descriptions. Exemplarily, the transceiver 41, the memory 42, and the processor 43 are interconnected via a bus 44.

[0227] The memory 42 is used to store program instructions;

[0228] The processor 43 is used to execute the program instructions stored in the memory, so as to enable the electronic device 40 to execute any of the multi-link communication methods shown above.

[0229] The transceiver 41 is used to perform the transceiver function of the electronic device 40 in the above communication method.

[0230] The electronic device may be a chip, a module, an IDE, etc.

[0231] Fig.10The electronic device 40 shown in the embodiment can execute the steps executed by the first non-AP MLD in the above method embodiment, and its implementation principles and beneficial effects are similar, which will not be described in detail here.

[0232] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer-executable instructions are stored. When the computer-executable instructions are executed on a computer, any of the above-mentioned multi-link communication methods is executed.

[0233] The embodiment of the present application may also provide a computer program product, which may be executed by a processor. When the computer program product is executed by a computer, any of the above-mentioned multi-link communication methods is executed.

[0234] All or part of the steps of the above-mentioned method embodiments can be completed by hardware related to program instructions. The aforementioned program can be stored in a readable memory. When the program is executed, the steps of the above-mentioned method embodiments are executed; and the aforementioned memory (storage medium) includes: read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical disc and any combination thereof.

[0235] The embodiments of the present application are described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processing unit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processing unit of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0236] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture including an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0237] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process in the computer or other programmable device. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0238] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A multi-link communication method, characterized in that: Applied to an access point multi-link device AP MLD, the AP MLD includes multiple access points AP, the multiple APs correspond one-to-one to multiple first links, and the method includes: Sending a first management frame, where the first management frame includes first indication information; The first indication information includes retrieval parameters of the multiple first links, and the first indication information is used to determine at least one first target link among the multiple first links, and the at least one first target link is used to retrieve a cached cacheable unit BU, and the cached BU is a BU to be retrieved by a first non-access point multi-link device non-AP MLD.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links and / or service identifiers TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first indication information also includes a maximum number of links that can be selected simultaneously, and the number of the at least one first target link is less than or equal to the maximum number of links.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first non-AP MLD belongs to a first set, which is a set consisting of non-AP MLDs associated with the AP MLD.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first indication information is carried in a first element of the first management frame, the first element includes at least one to-be-selected indication information, and the first indication information is one of the at least one to-be-selected indication information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first element is a multi-link element or a newly defined element.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first management frame is a beacon frame, a multi-link detection response frame, an association response frame or a re-association response frame.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first management frame also includes a multi-link traffic indication element, where the multi-link traffic indication element is used to indicate at least one second target link, where the at least one second target link is used by the second non-AP MLD to retrieve the cached BU, where the at least one second target link is a subset of the multiple first links, and the second non-AP MLD is the non-AP MLD indicated in the multi-link traffic indication element.

9. A multi-link communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first non-AP MLD, where there are multiple second links mapped with downlink service identifiers TID between the first non-AP MLD and the access point multi-link device AP MLD, the method includes: receiving a first management frame, wherein the AP MLD corresponds to a plurality of first links, the plurality of second links are a subset of the plurality of first links, the first management frame includes first indication information, and the first indication information includes retrieval parameters of the plurality of first links; Determine at least one first target link among the plurality of second links according to the first indication information; The cacheable unit BU is retrieved from the cache via the at least one first target link.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links and / or the TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first indication information also includes a maximum number of links that can be selected simultaneously, and the number of the at least one first target link is less than or equal to the maximum number of links.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that: The first indication information is carried in a first element of the first management frame, the first element includes at least one to-be-selected indication information, and the first indication information is one of the at least one to-be-selected indication information.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first element is a multi-link element or a newly defined element.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first management frame is a beacon frame, a multi-link detection response frame, an association response frame or a re-association response frame.

15. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first management frame also includes a multi-link traffic indication element, where the multi-link traffic indication element is used to indicate at least one second target link, where the at least one second target link is used by the second non-AP MLD to retrieve the cached BU, where the at least one second target link is a subset of the multiple first links, and the second non-AP MLD is the non-AP MLD indicated in the multi-link traffic indication element.

16. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving third indication information sent by any one AP in the AP MLD, where the third indication information is carried in a second management frame, where the second management frame includes an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, or a newly defined frame; The first indication information is determined from the at least one to-be-selected indication information according to the third indication information.

17. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links; Determining at least one first target link from the plurality of second links according to the first indication information includes: Determine a maximum random number range and a random number range corresponding to each second link according to the selection probabilities of the multiple first links; generating at least one random number within the maximum random number range; For any random number, a first target link is determined from the plurality of second links according to a random number range in which the random number is located.

18. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first indication information includes TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit; and determining at least one first target link from the multiple second links according to the first indication information includes: Determine a target TID of the cached BU; Among the plurality of second links, a second link corresponding to the same TID as the target TID and tending to be transmitted is determined as the first target link.

19. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first indication information includes the selection probabilities of the multiple first links and the TIDs that the multiple first links tend to transmit; Determining at least one first target link from the plurality of second links according to the first indication information includes: Determine a target TID of the cached BU; Determine a maximum random number range and a random number range corresponding to each second link according to the target TID and the selection probabilities of the multiple first links; generating at least one random number within the maximum random number range; Among the plurality of second links, the second link corresponding to the random number range in which each random number is located and the second link corresponding to the TID that is the same as the target TID and is inclined to be transmitted are determined as at least one first target link.

20. A multi-link communication device, characterized in that: Applied to an access point multi-link device AP MLD, the APMLD includes multiple access points AP, the multiple APs correspond one-to-one to multiple first links, and the device includes: A sending module, configured to send a first management frame, wherein the first management frame includes first indication information; The first indication information includes retrieval parameters of the multiple first links, and the first indication information is used to determine at least one first target link among the multiple first links, and the at least one first target link is used to retrieve a cached cacheable unit BU, and the cached BU is a BU to be retrieved by a first non-access point multi-link device non-AP MLD.

21. A multi-link communication device, characterized in that: Applied to a first non-AP MLD, where there are multiple second links mapped with downlink service identifiers TID between the first non-AP MLD and the access point multi-link device AP MLD, the device includes: A receiving module, configured to receive a first management frame, wherein the AP MLD corresponds to a plurality of first links, the plurality of second links are a subset of the plurality of first links, the first management frame includes first indication information, and the first indication information includes retrieval parameters of the plurality of first links; A determination module, configured to determine at least one first target link from the plurality of second links according to the first indication information; The retrieval module is configured to retrieve the cached cacheable unit BU through the at least one first target link.

22. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: Processor, memory; The memory stores computer-executable instructions; The processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or executes the method according to any one of claims 9 to 19.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a computer, enable the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 to be executed, or enable the method described in any one of claims 9 to 19 to be executed.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that The invention comprises a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, enables the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 to be executed, or enables the method according to any one of claims 9 to 19 to be executed.

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