Multi-access point coordination method, wireless communication device, and multi-access point coordination system capable of triggering coordinated transmission

Abstract

A multi-access point (M-AP) coordination method includes: a processor of a second access point (AP) receiving a coordination control frame, wherein the coordination control frame is sent by a first AP, wherein the coordination control frame includes at least one user information field for at least one shared AP, and each user information field includes an AP ID of the shared AP and coordination transmission parameter information of the shared AP; if the AP ID of the second AP is in one of the user information fields, the processor identifies the second AP as a shared AP; and the processor sends a packet during a transmission opportunity (TX OP) shared by the first AP based on the coordination transmission parameter information in the user information field containing the AP ID of the second AP.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a multi-access point coordination method, a wireless communication device, and a multi-access point coordination system. Prior Technology

[0002] Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) have become essential for high-speed wireless internet access. The IEEE 802.11 standard, especially the revisions from 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) to 802.11bn (Wi-Fi 8), proposes using multi-access point (M-AP) coordination schemes to improve performance and reliability. These M-AP coordination schemes, including coordinated spatial reuse (CSR), coordinated beamforming (CBF), and coordinated time division multiple access (TDMA), allow multiple access points (APs) to cooperate and share resources, such as transmission opportunities (TX OPs), thereby optimizing network efficiency and user experience.

[0003] However, there is currently no solution to coordinate transmission by notifying transmission parameters. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In one embodiment, a multi-access point (M-AP) coordination method is disclosed. The M-AP coordination method includes: a processor of a second access point (AP) receiving a coordination control frame sent by a first AP, wherein the coordination control frame includes at least one user information field corresponding to the second AP, and each of the at least one user information field includes coordination transmission parameter information corresponding to the second AP; and the processor sending packets during a shared transmission opportunity (TX OP) of the first AP based on the coordination transmission parameter information in the user information field corresponding to the second AP.

[0005] In another embodiment, a multi-access point (M-AP) coordination method is disclosed, the method comprising: a processor of a first access point (AP) generating a coordination control frame, wherein the coordination control frame includes: at least one user information field corresponding to a second AP, and each of the at least one user information field includes coordination transmission parameter information corresponding to the second AP; and the processor sending the coordination control frame to the second AP.

[0006] In another embodiment, a wireless communication device is disclosed. The wireless communication device includes a transceiver configured to perform transmission and / or reception operations, and a processor configured to perform the following operations: receiving a coordination control frame via the transceiver, wherein the coordination control frame is transmitted by a first access point (AP), wherein the coordination control frame includes at least one user information field corresponding to the wireless communication device, and each of the at least one user information field includes coordination transmission parameter information corresponding to the wireless communication device; and transmitting packets via the transceiver during a shared transmission opportunity (TX OP) of the first AP according to the coordination transmission parameter information in the user information field corresponding to the wireless communication device.

[0007] These and other objects of the invention will undoubtedly become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments illustrated in the various figures. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0008] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a multi-access point (M-AP) coordination system based on an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an architecture diagram of the first and second access points of the M-AP coordination system in Figure 1. Figure 3A shows a schematic diagram of the coordination control frame. Figure 3B shows a schematic diagram of the user information field in the coordination control frame. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the signal sequence of the M-AP coordination system in the first mode of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the signal sequence of the M-AP coordination system in the second mode of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the signal sequence of the M-AP coordination system in the third mode of Figure 1. Figure 7 is a flowchart of the M-AP coordination method executed by the shared AP in the M-AP coordination system. Figure 8 is a flowchart of the M-AP coordination method executed by the sharing AP in the M-AP coordination system. Implementation

[0009] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a multi-access point (M-AP) coordination system 100 based on an embodiment of the present invention. The M-AP coordination system 100 is a pioneering innovation designed to optimize the performance and reliability of M-AP networks within the IEEE 802.11 framework, particularly suitable for the development of Wi-Fi 7 and the upcoming Wi-Fi 8 standards. This system addresses the challenge of coordinating multiple access points by introducing a novel trigger frame mechanism. By enhancing traditional trigger frames with rich information fields, seamless communication and collaboration between access points are achieved, promoting technologies such as coordinated spatial reuse (CSR), coordinated beamforming (CBF), and coordinated time division multiple access (TDMA).

[0010] In Figure 1, the M-AP coordination system 100 includes a first access point (AP) 10 and a second AP 11. The first AP 10, also known as a sharing AP, is a key component of the M-AP coordination system. It is designed to share its transmission opportunities (TX OP) with other APs to achieve coordinated transmission and improve network efficiency. Both the first AP 10 and the second AP 11 can communicate with the network 12. Furthermore, the first AP 10 can also communicate with N stations, such as stations STA101 to STA10N. N is a positive integer. It should be understood that in this embodiment, the TX OP is the time interval during which the first AP 10 is allowed to send data packets. The duration of the TX OP can vary depending on factors such as the data rate at which the AP sends data packets to the STAs, the queue size used by the AP to store data for the STAs, and network conditions. The second AP 11 is a shared AP used to send frames (e.g., PPDUs) according to its transmission parameter information during the shared TX OP provided by the first AP 10. The transmission parameter information of the second AP 11 is obtained through a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+). The second AP 11 can communicate with network 12. The second AP 11 can communicate with M sites, such as sites STA111 to STA11M. M is a positive integer. In this embodiment, the M-AP coordination system 100 includes a first AP 10 and a second AP 11. However, it should be understood that, in a more general sense, the M-AP coordination system 100 may include at least one wireless communication device. Here, the term "wireless communication device" is used as a general term to include any type of AP, thus indicating that the system is not limited to a specific configuration of two APs.

[0011] In the M-AP coordination system 100, the second AP 11 receives a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) from the first AP 10. Based on the AP ID in the user information field of the coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+), the second AP 11 identifies itself as a shared AP. The second AP 11 can identify the first AP 10 as a shared AP based on the coordinated AP list and the AP ID of the first AP 10 in the coordination control frame. The second AP 11 obtains at least one coordination configuration of the first AP 10 and the second AP 11 based on at least one user information field in the coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+). Detailed information about the M-AP coordination system 100 is described below.

[0012] Figure 2 is an architecture diagram of the first AP 10 and the second AP 11 in the M-AP coordination system 100. The first AP 10 includes a transceiver 10a, a processor 10b, and a memory 10c. The transceiver 10a sends coordination control frames (e.g., MU-RTS+) to the second AP 11. The memory 10c stores the data and instructions required for AP operation, including software programs that control the generation and transmission of coordination control frames (e.g., MU-RTS+) to facilitate communication with the second AP 11. The processor 10b can generate coordination control frames (e.g., MUR-TS+), which include information about coordination transmission parameters, such as the maximum allowed transmission power, the RU allocation for transmitting PPDUs to the second AP 11, and the interference level.

[0013] The second AP 11 includes a transceiver 11a, a processor 11b, and a memory 11c. The transceiver 11a is used to send and receive packets, allowing the second AP 11 to coordinate and achieve coordinated communication with the first AP 10. This coordination process involves receiving coordination control frames (e.g., MU-RTS+) from the first AP 10 and sending response signals or synchronous transmission of physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) packets based on the received coordination control frames (e.g., MU-RTS+). The memory 11c stores data and instructions required for AP operation, including software for processing coordination control frames (e.g., MU-RTS+) received from the first AP 10. This software allows the second AP 11 to identify itself as a shared AP, identify the sharing AP, and obtain coordination transmission parameters. Furthermore, the memory 11c stores a list of coordinating APs for identification purposes and any pre-negotiated values ​​required for communication and coordination with the first AP 10. The processor 11b can control the transceiver 11a and the memory 11c. Processor 11b can execute processes related to M-AP coordination, as shown below.

[0014] In the M-AP coordination system 100, the second AP 11 receives a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS), wherein the coordination control frame includes a Media Access Control (MAC) header, common information fields, and one or more user information fields, as shown in Figure 3A. In some embodiments, the one or more user information fields in the coordination control frame include at least one user information field for the AP. In one embodiment, the one or more user information fields also include a user information field for the STA. In some embodiments, the coordination control frame includes special user information fields.

[0015] The coordination control frame may include at least one special user information field. The special user information field includes an AID field and some global announcement fields for the shared AP. The coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) uses a reserved or non-reserved AID as a special AID in the AID field of the special user information field to notify the shared AP of the existence of global announcement information, which is common information for the shared AP. The special AID may occupy 12 bits. The remaining 28 bits in the special user information field may carry common information for the shared AP. The common information for the shared AP may include the shared AP ID (e.g., the shared AP's AID in the shared AP's AID field, or a pre-negotiated unique ID of the shared AP in a non-AID field), coordination mode information, transmit power information for the shared AP, beamforming target, PHY (physical layer) mode, shared TX OP timing information (e.g., the start and end times of the shared TX OP), PPDU duration information, and one or more of the tolerable interference signal levels. Tolerable interference level indicates the strength of interference signals the sharing AP can tolerate from other APs or devices. PHY mode information indicates the protocol version followed by the sharing AP. Coordination mode information can indicate the coordinated transmission mode implemented during TX OP, such as CSR, CBF, or TDMA. Beamforming target indicates the object to which the sharing AP performs beamforming.

[0016] The second AP 11 can identify the first AP 10 as a shared AP based on the coordinated AP list and the AP ID of the first AP 10. The AP ID of the first AP 10 can be the transmitter address (TA) in the MAC header, the AP AID in the shared AP AID field of the coordination control frame, or a pre-negotiated unique ID of the first AP in a non-AID field of the coordination control frame. For example, the second AP 11 can obtain the AP ID of the first AP 10 based on the transmitter address (TA) in the MAC header, the shared AP AID field in the special user field, or the ALMAC field in the special user field indicating a pre-negotiated unique ID of the shared AP. If the shared AP ID of the first AP is in the coordinated AP list, the first AP identifies the first AP 10 as a shared AP.

[0017] For a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+), the coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) is used to coordinate the transmission of two or more APs. The coordination control frame includes at least one user information field for at least one shared AP. Each user information field in the at least one user information field for at least one shared AP in the coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) includes the AP ID of the target AP (shared AP) and corresponding coordination transmission parameter information. At least one user information field in this frame can be used to notify the target AP (shared AP) of their corresponding coordination transmission parameter information. Each target AP (shared AP, e.g., second AP 11) is assigned a unique AP ID for identification. Second AP 11 can check whether its unique AP ID is included in the user information field. In an embodiment, the unique AP ID of second AP 11 can be the MAC address of the second AP, the BSS ID of the basic service set (BSS) of the second AP, the AP AID of the second AP, or a pre-negotiated value of the second AP. A unique AP ID can be assigned per-BSS, per-radio, or per-AP. For example, with per-BSS assignment, the same AP can have different BSS IDs across different BSSs. With per-radio assignment, different AP IDs can be assigned to the same AP on different frequency bands. With per-AP assignment, different APs have different AP IDs. AP IDs can be pre-negotiated to avoid duplication with other APs or associated sites.

[0018] The user information field may also carry coordination transmission parameter information for coordinated transmission of the shared AP. This coordination transmission parameter information may include at least one of the following: the transmit power of the target AP (also known as the shared AP), the beamforming target, the target STA ID of the target AP (the shared AP), the interference level, the STA response block acknowledgment information of the target AP (the shared AP), and the resource unit (RU) allocation of the target AP (the shared AP). The interference level indicates the strength of the interference signal caused by the shared AP. The beamforming target in the user information field indicates the object to which the shared AP performs beamforming. The STA response block acknowledgment information of the target AP may indicate the parameters used by the STA to respond to block acknowledgments. The coordinated transmission parameter information may also carry packet-related parameter information, which may include at least one of the following: Physical Layer (PHY) mode, Guard Interval (GI) in the PPDU to be transmitted by the sharing AP and / or the PPDU to be transmitted by the sharing AP and / or the PPDU to be transmitted by the sharing AP and / or the PPDU to be transmitted by the sharing AP and / or the PPDU to be transmitted by the sharing AP and / or the PPDU to be transmitted by the sharing AP and / or the PPDU to be transmitted by the sharing AP. In some embodiments, the coordinated transmission parameter information does not carry packet-related parameter information, which is contained in at least one special user information field. By including the coordinated transmission parameter information in the user information field of the coordinated control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+), the first AP (sharing AP) can ensure that the second AP is aware of the transmission parameters and can properly coordinate their transmissions.

[0019] In some embodiments, the coordination control frame does not contain a special user information field. The coordination transmission parameter information in the user information field may carry information about the shared AP. The shared AP information may include at least one of the following: shared AP ID (e.g., the shared AP AID in the shared AP's AID field, or the pre-negotiated unique ID of the shared AP in a non-AID field), coordination mode information, transmit power information for the shared AP, beamforming target of the shared AP, PHY mode, and time information for the shared TX OP (e.g., the start and end times of the shared TX OP).

[0020] In some embodiments, for user information fields in a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+), it allows the use of the same AID in multiple different user information fields. The AID can occupy 12 bits. The remaining 28 bits in the user information field can carry coordination transmission parameter information. If the remaining 28 bits are insufficient to carry the coordination transmission parameter information of a second AP, multiple concatenated user information fields with the same AID can be used to carry the coordination transmission parameter information.

[0021] Furthermore, coordination control frames (e.g., MU-RTS+) can be sent to different receivers. They can be sent to one or more APs, or simultaneously to an AP and one or more stations (STAs). Therefore, a coordination control frame can include at least one user information field for a station sharing the AP. For stations associated with the sharing AP itself, their AID can be included in the same coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) in the user information field corresponding to that station, where the format of the user information field corresponding to the station can follow the usage defined in the 802.11 specification.

[0022] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) of the M-AP coordination system 100. The coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) may include a MAC header, a common information field, a special user information field, and a user information field. The common information field may include information used to identify the presence of a special user information field. For example, common information bit 55 may be set to 0 to indicate the presence of a special user information field. Figure 3B shows a schematic diagram of the special user information field and the user information field.

[0023] The Special User Information field includes an AID field and a common field for the shared APs. In this embodiment, the AID field in the Special User Information field has a special AID used to identify the Special User Information field. The special AID can be AID-2005. During the negotiation phase, each AP joining a coordination pair or group is assigned a unique AP AID. For example, the AP AID of the first AP (the sharing AP) can be set to 4000, while the AP AIDs of the shared APs (the second AP 11) (i.e., AP1 AID, AP2 AID) are assigned 4001, 4002, etc. An AP can be assigned different AP IDs in different coordination pairs or groups. AID-2005 can be considered as a special AID used to identify the Special User Information field. AID-2005 is used in the Special User Information field in the coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) to indicate that subsequent information is common and can be processed by all shared APs.

[0024] The Special User Information field can have a format as shown in Figure 3B. It includes 12 bits for a special AID (e.g., AID-2005) and 28 bits for carrying public information about the shared APs. These 28 bits can be divided into smaller fields to carry specific information, such as the number of shared APs, the ID of the sharing AP, or other relevant parameters. For example, in Figure 3B, the TRIG mode field, containing three bits (bits 12 to 14), can be used to indicate the coordinated transmission mode implemented during TX OP triggered by a coordination control frame, such as CSR, CBF, TDMA transmission, or NPCA. The MAP No RSP field, containing one bit (bit 15), indicates whether there is a response to a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+). The TRIGGER USER NUM field, containing three bits (bits 16 to 18) or two bits (bits 16 to 17), indicates the number of shared APs that triggered the response. In addition, the AID field of the shared AP, containing 12 bits (bits 19 to 30 or bits 18 to 29), is used to indicate the AP AID of the shared AP (e.g., the first AP 10). Eight bits (bits 31 to 38) or nine bits (bits 30 to 38) can be used to represent the reserved field RSV. The More Info field, containing one bit (bit 39), is used to indicate additional information. The “ALMAC” field can be used to indicate the pre-negotiated AP unique ID, used to notify other APs of the source AP (the shared AP, e.g., the first AP 10). In this embodiment, if the coordination control frame carries the AID field of the shared AP, the coordination control frame may not carry the “ALMAC” field; if the coordination control frame carries the “ALMAC” field, the coordination control frame may not carry the AID field of the shared AP.

[0025] In some embodiments, when the second AP 11 identifies a specific AID (e.g., AID-2005), the second AP 11 identifies a specific user information field. The second AP 11 can then verify the AP AID of the first AP 10 against the coordinated AP list. If the first AP's AP AID is in the coordinated AP list, this may mean that the first AP is from an established coordinated pair or group of the second AP, and the first AP passes verification.

[0026] The user information fields include the shared AP AID field and several coordinated transmission fields. The shared AP AID field indicates the AP AID of the shared AP. Several coordinated transmission fields may include the maximum TX power field, interference level field, RU allocation field, reserved field, and More info field. The maximum TX power field indicates the maximum transmit power of the shared AP. The RU allocation field indicates the RU (Resource Unit) allocation used for the shared AP. The More info field can indicate whether the user information field and subsequent user information fields have the same AP AID. For example, if the More info field is set to 1, it means that the user information field and subsequent user information fields have the same AP AID.

[0027] In another implementation, the AP ID of the shared AP is the BSS ID of the BSS of the shared AP, and the user information field includes an AID field indicating a special AID and a BSS ID field following the AID field, which indicates the BSS ID of the shared AP's BSS. In another implementation, the AP ID of the shared AP is the MAC address of the shared AP, and the user information field includes an AID field indicating a special AID and a MAC field following the AID field, which indicates the MAC address of the shared AP.

[0028] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the signal sequence in the first mode of the M-AP coordination system 100. The X-axis represents the timeline. First, the first AP 10 sends a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) to the second AP 11 and station STA101. Then, the second AP 11 and station STA101 send a response signal RSP to the first AP 10 in response to the coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+), where RSP can be CTS (Clear To Send). Upon receiving the response signal RSP, the first AP 10 sends an M-AP trigger frame MAP TRIG for time synchronization to the second AP 11. Specifically, the trigger frame is used to trigger the second AP 11 to perform a synchronization transmission, such that the start and end times of the second AP 11 sending PPDUs are synchronized with the start and end times of the first AP 10 sending PPDUs. Then, the first AP 10 and the second AP 11 synchronously send PPDUs to their stations (STA101 and STA111) during the TX OP. Finally, stations STA101 and STA111 can generate a block acknowledgment signal BA in response to the PPDU.

[0029] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the signal sequence in a second mode of the M-AP coordination system 100. The X-axis represents the timeline. In this implementation, a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) acts as a type of M-AP trigger frame MAP TRIG for time synchronization and control of at least one shared AP. First, the first AP 10 sends a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) as a type of M-AP trigger frame MAP TRIG to the second AP 11 and station STA101. Then, the second AP 11 and station STA101 send a response signal RSP to the first AP 10 in response to the coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+). Upon receiving the response signal RSP, the first AP 10 and the second AP 11 synchronously send PPDUs to their respective stations (STA101 and STA111) during the TX OP. Stations STA101 and STA111 can then generate a block acknowledgment signal BA in response to the PPDU.

[0030] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the signal sequence in the third mode of the M-AP coordination system 100. The X-axis is the timeline. In this embodiment, the coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) is of type MAP TRIG, used for time synchronization and control of at least one shared AP. First, the first AP 10 sends a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) of type MAP TRIG to the second AP 11 and station STA 101. The coordination control frame is used to synchronize the start and end times of the PPDU sent by the second AP with the start and end times of the PPDU sent by the first AP. In this embodiment, the second AP 11 does not send a response signal RSP based on the MAP No RSP field. Then, the first AP 10 and the second AP 11 synchronously send PPDUs to their respective stations (STA 101 and STA 111) during the TX OP. In this embodiment, the second AP 11 can send the PPDU immediately after the Short Interframe Space (SIFS) time following the end of the coordination control frame. Stations STA101 and STA111 can generate a block acknowledgment signal (BA) in response to a PPDU packet.

[0031] In the above embodiments, a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) can be used to bring the content of a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) into MU-RTS+ for coordinated spatial reuse (CSR) or coordinated beamforming (CBF). In this case, the coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) can be MU-RTS.

[0032] Upon receiving a Coordination Control Frame (e.g., MU-RTS+), the second AP 11 can parse the common information fields to identify the presence of special user information fields. It then checks the AID field of the user information to determine if a special AID exists (e.g., AID 2005 used for M-AP). If the special AID exists, the second AP 11 parses the special user information fields associated with the special AID (e.g., AID 2005) to obtain the AP ID of the first AP 10 (e.g., ALMAC or AP AID) and determines that the first AP 10's AP ID is in the Coordination AP list. After the acknowledgment frame is for CoSR and the second AP 11 has found its own AP ID in the user information fields, the second AP 11 can use the common information and Coordination Transmission Parameters provided by the first AP 10 to adjust the second AP 11's transmit power and PPDU duration during parallel transmission.

[0033] Figure 7 is a flowchart of the M-AP coordination method performed by the shared AP. The M-AP coordination method includes steps S701 to S704. Any hardware or technical modifications are within the scope of this embodiment. Steps S701 to S704 are specifically shown below.

[0034] Step S701: The second AP 11 receives a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+), wherein the coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) is sent from the first AP 10, and wherein the coordination control frame includes at least one user information field for at least one shared AP, each user information field including the AP ID of the shared AP and coordination transmission parameter information of the shared AP; wherein the at least one shared AP can be a single shared AP. Alternatively, the at least one shared AP can be multiple shared APs.

[0035] Step S702: If the AP ID of the second AP 11 is in a user information field, then the second AP 11 is identified as a shared AP;

[0036] Step S703: Send a packet during the transmission opportunity (TX OP) shared by the first AP 10 based on the coordination transmission parameter information in the user information field containing the AP ID of the second AP 11.

[0037] The user information field can carry parameter information for transmitting subsequent PPDUs for the sharing AP and the shared AP, such as PHY mode, GI, number of LTF symbols, LTF type, shared TX OP time information (start time and end time), transmit power, beamforming target, target AP's target STA ID, interference level, tolerable interference level, target AP's STA response block acknowledgment information, target AP's ID, and RU allocation.

[0038] In some embodiments, the coordinated transmission parameter information may include at least one of the following: transmit power information for the shared AP, beamforming target information for the shared AP, target STA ID of the shared AP, interference signal level caused by the shared AP, STA response block acknowledgment information of the target AP, resource unit allocation for the shared AP, AP ID of the shared AP, tolerable interference signal level of the shared AP, coordination mode information for indicating the coordinated transmission mode during TX OP, information for indicating whether there is a response to the coordination control frame, information for indicating the number of shared APs, beamforming target information for the shared AP, PPDU duration information, PHY mode, and transmit power information for the shared AP.

[0039] In some implementations, the coordination control frame further includes at least one special user information field, each of the at least one special user information field including a special AID and public information for the shared AP, and the packet is sent based on coordination transmission parameter information and public information.

[0040] In some embodiments, the public information includes at least one of the following: coordination mode information indicating the coordination transmission mode during TX OP, information indicating whether there is a response to the coordination control frame, information indicating the number of shared APs, the AP ID of the first AP, the interference signal level that the shared AP can tolerate, PPDU duration information, PHY mode, and transmit power information of the shared AP.

[0041] In some embodiments, the coordinated transmission parameter information or public information includes packet-related parameter information of the shared AP, wherein the packet-related parameter information includes the PHY mode, the GI of the PPDU to be transmitted by the shared AP, the number of LTF symbols, and the LTF type.

[0042] Detailed information on steps S701 to S703 has been described above. Therefore, it is omitted here. In the M-AP coordination system 100, the first AP 10 can share its TX OP with the shared AP to achieve coordinated transmission and improve network efficiency. Furthermore, since a coordination control frame (e.g., MU-RTS+) is introduced to carry coordination transmission parameter information, it can avoid generating additional M-AP trigger frames in the frame exchange sequence (FES), thereby reducing design complexity and improving compatibility.

[0043] Figure 8 is a flowchart of the M-AP coordination method performed by the shared AP. The M-AP coordination method includes steps S801 to S802. Steps S801 to S802 are detailed below.

[0044] Step S801: The first AP generates a coordination control frame, wherein the coordination control frame is sent by the AP, and the coordination control frame includes at least one user information field for at least one shared AP, wherein each user information field includes the AP ID of the shared AP and coordination transmission parameter information;

[0045] Step S802: Send a coordination control frame to the shared AP.

[0046] In some embodiments, the shared AP may perform the following method. The method includes: a processor of a second access point (AP) receiving a coordination control frame, wherein the coordination control frame is sent from a first AP, wherein the coordination control frame includes at least one user information field corresponding to the second AP, and each of the at least one user information field includes coordination transmission parameter information corresponding to the second AP; and the processor sending a packet based on the coordination transmission parameter information in the user information field corresponding to the second AP during a transmission opportunity (TX OP) shared by the first AP.

[0047] The coordination control frame further includes at least one special user information field, each of which includes a special AID and common information for the first AP and the second AP. The special AID is used to indicate the presence of common information for the first AP and the second AP. The packet is sent based at least on the coordination transmission parameter information in the user information field corresponding to the second AP and the common information in the special user information field.

[0048] The public information includes packet-related parameter information, which includes at least one of the following: Entity Layer (PHY) mode, Guard Interval (GI), Long Training Field (LTF) symbol number, LTF type, PPDU duration information, TX OP time information, and the number of shared APs.

[0049] In summary, this embodiment discloses a multi-access point (M-AP) coordination method, related wireless communication equipment (e.g., AP), and an M-AP coordination system. The M-AP coordination system offers several advantages over conventional systems. By utilizing coordination control frames with enhanced information fields (e.g., MU-RTS+), the system enables efficient communication and cooperation between access points, facilitating the application of technologies such as Coordinated Spatial Reuse (CSR), Coordinated Beamforming (CBF), and Coordinated TDMA. By leveraging existing M-AP trigger frame mechanisms and enhancing them with rich information fields (e.g., special AID, coordination transmission parameter information, AP AID of the shared AP, and AP AID of the AP being shared), the system eliminates the need for additional M-AP trigger frames, simplifying design and ensuring compatibility with existing network characteristics.

[0050] Those skilled in the art will readily observe that many modifications and changes can be made to the apparatus and methods while retaining the teachings of the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing disclosure should be understood as being limited only by the limits and scope of the appended claims. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims of the present invention shall be covered by the present invention.

[0051] 100:M-AP Coordination System 10: First AP 11: Second AP 10a, 11a: Transceiver 10b, 11b: Processor 10c, 11c: Memory S701, S702, S703, S704, S801, S802: Steps

Claims

1. A multi-access point (M-AP) coordination method, comprising: The processor of the second access point (AP) receives a coordination control frame, which is sent by the first AP. The coordination control frame includes at least one user information field corresponding to the second AP, and each of the at least one user information field includes coordination transmission parameter information corresponding to the second AP. The coordination control frame also includes at least one special user information field, each of the at least one special user information field including a special AID and common information for the first AP and the second AP. The special AID is used to indicate the presence of the common information for the first AP and the second AP. The processor sends packets during a shared transmission opportunity (TX OP) of the first AP based on the coordination transmission parameter information in the user information field corresponding to the second AP and the common information in the special user information field.

2. The method according to request item 1, wherein, The coordination control frame further includes a Media Access Control (MAC) header, and the method further includes: obtaining the AP ID of the first AP, wherein the AP ID of the first AP is the transmitter address (TA) in the MAC header; and identifying the first AP as a shared AP based on the AP ID of the first AP.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Obtain the AP ID of the first AP. The AP ID of the first AP is either the AID in the AID field of the special user information field, or the ID in a non-AID field of the special user information field. And based on the AP ID of the first AP, identify the first AP as a shared AP.

4. The method according to request item 1, wherein, The AP ID of the second AP is the AID in the AID field of the user information field.

5. The method according to request item 1, wherein, The AP ID of the second AP is the BSS ID of the basic service set (BSS) of the second AP.

6. The method according to request item 1, wherein, The at least one user information field includes multiple user information fields, each user information field including the AP ID of the second AP and the coordination transmission parameter information of the second AP.

7. The method according to claim 1 further includes: The processor sends a response to the first AP in response to the coordination control frame received by the second AP; The processor receives an M-AP trigger frame from the first AP, wherein the M-AP trigger frame is used to trigger the start and end times of the second AP sending the packet to be synchronized with the start and end times of the first AP sending the first packet.

8. The method according to request item 1, wherein, The coordination control frame is used to trigger the synchronization of the start and end times of the second AP sending packets with the start and end times of the first AP sending the first packet.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The coordinated transmission parameter information includes at least one of the following: the transmit power information of the second AP, the beamforming target information of the second AP, the target STA ID of the second AP, the interference signal level caused by the shared AP, the STA response block acknowledgment information of the second AP, the tolerable interference signal level of the shared AP, the resource unit allocation of the second AP, the AP ID of the shared AP, the coordination mode information indicating the coordinated transmission mode during TX OP, the information indicating whether there is a response to the coordination control frame, the information indicating the number of shared APs, the beamforming target information of the shared AP, the PPDU duration information, the PHY mode, and the transmit power information of the shared AP.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The coordination control frame also includes: the transmit power information of the second AP.

11. The method according to request item 1, wherein, The coordinated transmission parameter information includes at least the target STA ID of the second AP.

12. The method according to request item 1, wherein, The public information includes packet-related parameter information, which includes at least one of the following: Entity Layer (PHY) mode, Guard Interval (GI), Long Training Field (LTF) symbol number, LTF type, PPDU duration information, TX OP time information, and the number of shared APs.

13. A multi-access point (M-AP) coordination method, comprising: The processor of the first access point (AP) generates a coordination control frame, wherein the coordination control frame includes: at least one user information field corresponding to the second AP, and each of the at least one user information field includes coordination transmission parameter information corresponding to the second AP; wherein the coordination control frame further includes: at least one special user information field, and each of the at least one special user information field includes a special AID and common information for the first AP and the second AP, wherein the special AID is configured to indicate the presence of common information for the first AP and the second AP; and the processor sends the coordination control frame to the second AP.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The coordination control frame includes the AP ID of the first AP, which is the transmitter address (TA) in the Media Access Control (MAC) header of the coordination control frame.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The at least one user information field includes multiple user information fields, and each of the multiple user information fields includes the AP ID of the second AP and the coordination transmission parameter information of the second AP.

16. The method according to claim 13 further includes: The processor receives the second AP's response to the coordination control frame; The processor sends an M-AP trigger frame to the second AP, wherein the M-AP trigger frame is used to trigger the start time and end time of the second AP sending the packet to be synchronized with the start time and end time of the first AP sending the first packet.

17. The method according to request item 13, wherein the coordination control frame is used to trigger the start and end times of the second AP sending the packet to be synchronized with the start and end times of the first AP sending the first packet.

18. A wireless communication device, comprising: A transceiver configured to perform a send or receive operation; The transceiver is configured to perform the following operations: receiving a coordination control frame via the transceiver, wherein the coordination control frame is sent by a first AP, wherein the coordination control frame includes at least one user information field corresponding to the wireless communication device, and each of the at least one user information field includes coordination transmission parameter information corresponding to the wireless communication device; the coordination control frame further includes: at least one special user information field, each of the at least one special user information field including: a special AID and common information for the first AP and the wireless communication device, wherein the special AID is used to indicate the presence of the common information for the first AP and the wireless communication device; and transmitting packets via the transceiver during a shared transmission opportunity (TX OP) of the first AP based on the coordination transmission parameter information in the user information field corresponding to the wireless communication device and the common information in the special user information field.

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