Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and apparatus. The method can be applied to support an IEEE protocol, such as an 802.11be / Wi-Fi 7 / Wi-Fi 8 protocol, an IEEE 802.11 integrated mmWave protocol, an IEEE 802.11bf / sensing protocol, a UWB protocol, or the SparkLink protocol. The method comprises: sending an SCS request frame, the SCS request frame comprising an SCS identifier, a first TID, and a first UP, the SCS identifier being configured for identifying a first SCS traffic flow, the first TID being a TID to which the first SCS traffic flow is requested to be mapped, the first UP being a UP to which the first TID is requested to be mapped, and a value of the first TID being different from a value of the first UP; and receiving an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame. The present application reduces the time required for a receiving end to parse SCS traffic flow data packets.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411803640.6, filed on December 6, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to communication methods and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of mobile internet and the widespread adoption of smart terminals, data traffic is growing rapidly. Wireless local area network (WLAN) technology, with its advantages of high speed and low cost, has become one of the mainstream mobile broadband access technologies. WLAN technology primarily adopts the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series standards. Due to users' increasing demands for communication service quality, the IEEE 802.11be standard was developed. It can meet users' needs in terms of high throughput, low jitter, and low latency. The IEEE 802.11be standard is also known as the Extremely High Throughput (EHT) standard and the Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) 7 standard. The IEEE 802.11bn standard is the next-generation standard of the IEEE 802.11be standard.

[0004] The IEEE 802.11be and IEEE 802.11bn standards support the Stream Classification Service (SCS) mechanism. Specifically, a station (STA) can negotiate the Quality of Service (QoS) parameters of an SCS flow with its associated access point (AP). SCS flows are low-latency traffic flows. Furthermore, the STA can transmit SCS flows with QoS requirements to its associated AP. Current SCS flow transmission schemes suffer from the problem of long processing times at the receiving end. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application discloses a communication method and apparatus that can reduce the time required for the receiving end to parse received data packets.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to a Station (STA). This method is implemented by the STA or components on the STA side (e.g., chips, processing systems, or functional modules within the STA). The following description uses an STA implementation as an example. The method includes: the STA sending an SCS request frame, the SCS request frame containing an SCS identifier, a first traffic identifier (TID), and a first user priority (UP). The SCS identifier is used to identify a first SCS flow, the first TID is the TID to which the first SCS flow is requested to be mapped, and the first UP is the UP to which the first TID is requested to be mapped. The values ​​of the first TID and the first UP are different. The method also includes receiving an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame.

[0007] In this embodiment, the STA sends an SCS request frame, which includes a first TID and a first UP. Since the values ​​of the first TID and the first UP are different, it is possible to map multiple SCS streams, including the first SCS stream, to different TIDs and the same high-priority AC. Compared to mapping multiple SCS streams to the same AC using the same TID, this reduces the head-of-queue blocking problem caused by different SCS streams using the same TID, thereby reducing the time for the receiver to parse the received data packets.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the STA receiving a media access control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU) of a first SCS stream, wherein the MPDU of the first SCS stream contains a second TID; mapping the second TID to a second UP as the UP corresponding to the MPDU of the first SCS stream; thereby reducing the head-of-line blocking problem caused by different SCS streams using the same TID.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the STA mapping the MAC service data unit (MSDU) to a second TID; and the second UP, based on the mapping of the second TID, sending the MPDU obtained based on the MSDU; thereby reducing the head-of-line blocking problem caused by different SCS flows using the same TID.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the STA sending a Quality of Service (QoS) service capability update frame, the QoS service capability update frame containing QoS service capability elements, the QoS service capability elements being used to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to use it; thereby reducing the head-of-line blocking problem caused by other services using the second TID.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the STA sending an association request frame containing a QoS service capability element, the QoS service capability element indicating that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to use it; receiving an association response frame in response to the association request frame, the association response frame containing a third DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID, the low and high DSCP values ​​in the third DSCP range field being 255; thereby reducing the head-of-line blocking problem caused by other services using the second TID. Optionally, the STA determines, based on the association response frame, that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to use it.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the STA receiving a beacon frame containing QoS service capability elements, which are used to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to use it; thereby reducing head-of-line congestion problems caused by other services using the second TID. Optionally, the STA determines, based on the beacon frame, that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to use it.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the QoS service capability element includes multiple flag bits, each flag bit corresponding to a TID. When the flag bit takes the first value, it is used to indicate that the TID corresponding to the flag bit is not allowed to be used by services other than the first SCS flow. When the flag bit takes the second value, it is used to indicate that the TID corresponding to the flag bit is allowed to be used by services other than the first SCS flow. Thus, it can be indicated that the second TID is not allowed to be used by services other than the first SCS flow.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a QoS mapping configuration frame, which contains a fourth differentiated service code point (DSCP) range field corresponding to the second TID, wherein the low and high DSCP values ​​in the fourth DSCP range field are both 255. Optionally, the STA determines, based on the QoS mapping configuration frame, that the second TID is not permitted for use by services other than the first SCS flow; thereby reducing head-of-line blocking issues caused by other services using the second TID. Optionally, the STA determines, based on an associated response frame, that the second TID is not permitted for use by services other than the first SCS flow.

[0015] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide another communication method applied to an Access Point (AP). This method is implemented by the AP or components on the AP side (e.g., chips, processing systems, or functional modules within the AP). The following description uses an AP implementation as an example. The method includes: the AP receiving an SCS request frame, which contains an SCS identifier, a first TID, and a first UP. The SCS identifier identifies a first SCS stream, the first TID is the TID to which the first SCS stream is requested to be mapped, and the first UP is the UP to which the first TID is requested to be mapped. The values ​​of the first TID and the first UP are different. The AP then sends an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame.

[0016] In this embodiment, the AP receives an SCS request frame, which includes a first TID and a first UP. Since the values ​​of the first TID and the first UP are different, it is possible to map multiple SCS flows, including the first SCS flow, to different TIDs and the same high-priority AC. Compared to mapping multiple SCS flows to the same AC using the same TID, this reduces the head-of-queue blocking problem caused by different SCS flows using the same TID, thereby reducing the time for the receiver to parse the received data packets.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the AP receiving the MPDU of the first SCS stream, the MPDU of the first SCS stream containing a second TID; mapping the second TID to a second UP as the UP corresponding to the MPDU of the first SCS stream; thereby reducing the head-of-line blocking problem caused by different SCS streams using the same TID.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the AP mapping the MSDU to a second TID; and the second UP based on the second TID mapping sends an MPDU obtained based on the MSDU; thereby reducing the head-of-line blocking problem caused by different SCS flows using the same TID.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the AP receiving a QoS service capability update frame, the QoS service capability update frame containing QoS service capability elements, the QoS service capability elements being used to indicate that the second TID is not allowed to be used by services other than the first SCS flow; thereby reducing the occurrence of the receiver being unable to correctly determine the UP of the second TID mapping when other services use the second TID.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the AP receiving an association request frame containing a QoS service capability element, the QoS service capability element being used to indicate that the second TID is not allowed to be used by services other than the first SCS flow; sending an association response frame in response to the association request frame, the association response frame containing a third DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID, the low DSCP value and the high DSCP value in the third DSCP range field being 255; thereby reducing the occurrence of the receiver being unable to correctly determine the UP of the second TID mapping when other services use the second TID.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the AP sending a beacon frame containing a QoS service capability element, the QoS service capability element being used to indicate that the second TID is not allowed to be used by services other than the first SCS flow; thereby reducing the occurrence of the receiver being unable to correctly determine the UP of the second TID mapping when other services use the second TID.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the QoS service capability element contains multiple flag bits, each flag bit corresponding to a TID. When the flag bit takes the first value, it is used to indicate that the TID corresponding to the flag bit is not allowed to be used by services other than the first SCS flow. When the flag bit takes the second value, it is used to indicate that the TID corresponding to the flag bit is allowed to be used by services other than the first SCS flow.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the AP sending a QoS mapping configuration frame, which contains a fourth DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID, and the low and high DSCP values ​​in the fourth DSCP range field are 255; thereby reducing the occurrence of the receiver being unable to correctly determine the UP of the second TID mapping when other services use the second TID.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the value of the first TID is less than the value of the first UP, thereby allowing mapping via the first TID to an UP with a value greater than the first TID. For example, the value of the first TID is any one of 0-3. The value of the first UP is any one of 4-7, thereby allowing mapping of the first TID to a higher-priority UP, and consequently mapping of the first SCS stream to the AC mapped to the higher-priority UP.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the SCS request frame further includes a first effective time value, which is used to indicate the effective time of the SCS request frame, or in other words, the first effective time value is used to indicate the effective time of the mapping from the first SCS stream to the first TID and the mapping from the first TID to the first UP; thereby avoiding the mapping from the first SCS stream to the first TID and the mapping from the first TID to the first UP from taking effect immediately, which would cause immediate flushing of the transmit buffer and the receive reordering buffer, and can reduce the possibility of packet loss.

[0026] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the SCS response frame includes an SCS identifier, a second TID, and a second UP, wherein the second TID is the TID mapped to the first SCS stream, and the second UP is the UP mapped to the second TID, and the values ​​of the second TID and the second UP are different; thereby enabling the mapping of the first SCS stream to the second UP through the second TID.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the second TID is the same as the first TID, and the second UP is the same as the first UP; or, the second TID is different from the first TID, or the second UP is different from the first UP.

[0028] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the SCS response frame further includes a second effective time value, which indicates the effective time of the SCS response frame, or in other words, the second effective time value indicates the effective time of the mapping from the first SCS stream to the second TID and the mapping from the second TID to the second UP; thereby avoiding the immediate effective time of the mapping from the first SCS stream to the first TID and the mapping from the first TID to the first UP, which would cause immediate flushing of the transmit buffer and receive reordering buffer, and can reduce the possibility of packet loss.

[0029] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the SCS request frame further includes a first DSCP range field corresponding to the first TID, wherein the low DSCP value and the high DSCP value in the first DSCP range field are 255; thereby reducing the occurrence of the receiver being unable to correctly determine the UP of the second TID mapping when other services use the second TID.

[0030] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the SCS response frame also includes a second DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID, wherein the low DSCP value and the high DSCP value in the second DSCP range field are 255; thereby reducing the occurrence of the receiver being unable to correctly determine the UP of the second TID mapping when other services use the second TID.

[0031] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the second TID is a TID that is not allowed to be used by SCS flows other than the first SCS flow; thereby reducing the occurrence of the receiver being unable to correctly determine the UP of the second TID mapping when other services use the second TID.

[0032] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the SCS request frame further includes in-order delivery indication information, which is used to indicate the in-order delivery of the first SCS stream.

[0033] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide another communication method applied to an access point (AP). This method is implemented by the AP or components on the AP side (e.g., chips, processing systems, or functional modules within the AP). The following description uses an AP implementation as an example. The method includes: the AP sending an actively provided SCS response frame. This actively provided SCS response frame contains an SCS identifier, a third TID, and a third UP. The SCS identifier is used to identify a second SCS stream, the third TID is the TID mapped to the second SCS stream, and the third UP is the UP mapped to the third TID. The values ​​of the third TID and the third UP are different.

[0034] In this embodiment, the AP sends an actively provided SCS response frame. Since the values ​​of the third TID and the third UP are different, it is possible to map multiple SCS streams, including the second SCS stream, to different TIDs and the same high-priority AC. Compared to mapping multiple SCS streams to the same AC using the same TID, this reduces the head-of-queue blocking problem caused by different SCS streams using the same TID, thereby reducing the time for the receiver to parse the received data packets.

[0035] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide another communication method applied to a STA. This method is implemented by the STA or components on the STA side (e.g., chips, processing systems, or functional modules within the STA). The following description uses an STA implementation as an example. The method includes: the STA receiving an actively provided SCS response frame, which contains an SCS identifier, a third TID, and a third UP. The SCS identifier is used to identify a second SCS stream, the third TID is the TID mapped to the second SCS stream, and the third UP is the UP mapped to the third TID. The values ​​of the third TID and the third UP are different. Based on the actively provided SCS response frame, the method determines that the second SCS stream is mapped to the third TID and that the third TID is mapped to the third UP.

[0036] In this embodiment, the STA determines the mapping of the second SCS stream to the third TID and the mapping of the third TID to the third UP based on the actively provided SCS response frame. Since the values ​​of the third TID and the third UP are different, it can support mapping multiple SCS streams, including the second SCS stream, to different TIDs and the same high-priority AC. Compared to mapping multiple SCS streams to the same AC using the same TID, it can reduce the head-of-line blocking problem caused by different SCS streams using the same TID, thereby reducing the time for the receiver to parse the received data packets.

[0037] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the proactively provided SCS response frame also includes a third effective time value, which is used to indicate the effective time of the proactively provided SCS response frame; thereby avoiding the immediate effective mapping of the second SCS stream to the third TID and the mapping of the third TID to the third UP, which would cause immediate flushing of the transmit buffer and receive reordering buffer, and can reduce the possibility of packet loss.

[0038] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the proactively provided SCS response frame also includes in-order delivery indication information, which is used to indicate the in-order delivery of the second SCS stream.

[0039] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that has the function of implementing the behavior described in the first aspect of the method embodiment. The communication device can be a communication equipment, a component of a communication equipment (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment. For example, the communication device is a STA. The function of the communication device can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software, the hardware or software including one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module, wherein: the processing module is used to generate an SCS request frame, the SCS request frame containing an SCS identifier, a first TID, and a first UP, the SCS identifier being used to identify a first SCS stream, the first TID being the TID to which the first SCS stream is requested to be mapped, and the first UP being the UP to which the first TID is requested to be mapped, the value of the first TID being different from the value of the first UP; the transceiver module is used to send the SCS request frame and receive an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive the MPDU of the first SCS stream, wherein the MPDU of the first SCS stream contains a second TID; the processing module is further configured to map the second TID to a second UP as the UP corresponding to the MPDU of the first SCS stream.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to map the MSDU to the second TID; the transceiver module is further configured to send the MPDU obtained based on the MSDU based on the second UP mapped by the second TID.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send a QoS service capability update frame, which contains QoS service capability elements. The QoS service capability elements are used to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to be used.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send an association request frame containing a QoS service capability element, which indicates that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to use it; and receive an association response frame in response to the association request frame, which contains a third DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID, wherein the low DSCP value and the high DSCP value in the third DSCP range field are 255.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is also configured to receive a beacon frame containing a QoS service capability element, which is used to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to be used.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is also used to receive a QoS mapping configuration frame, which contains a fourth DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID, and the low DSCP value and high DSCP value in the fourth DSCP range field are 255.

[0046] For possible implementations of the communication device in the fifth aspect, please refer to the various possible implementations in the first aspect.

[0047] For the technical effects of the various possible implementations of the fifth aspect, please refer to the introduction of the technical effects of the various possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0048] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that has the function of implementing the behavior described in the second aspect of the method embodiments. The communication device may be a communication equipment, a component of a communication equipment (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment. For example, the communication device is an access point (AP). The function of the communication device can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software, the hardware or software including one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module, wherein: the transceiver module is used to receive an SCS request frame, the SCS request frame containing an SCS identifier, a first TID, and a first UP, the SCS identifier being used to identify a first SCS stream, the first TID being the TID to which the first SCS stream is requested to be mapped, and the first UP being the UP to which the first TID is requested to be mapped, the values ​​of the first TID and the first UP being different; the processing module is used to generate an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame; the transceiver module is also used to send the SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive the MPDU of the first SCS stream, wherein the MPDU of the first SCS stream contains a second TID; the processing module is further configured to map the second TID to a second UP as the UP corresponding to the MPDU of the first SCS stream.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to map the MSDU to the second TID; the transceiver module is further configured to send the MPDU obtained based on the MSDU based on the second UP mapped by the second TID.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a QoS service capability update frame, which contains a QoS service capability element. The QoS service capability element is used to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to be used.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive an association request frame, which contains a QoS service capability element, the QoS service capability element being used to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to use it; and send an association response frame in response to the association request frame, the association response frame containing a third DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID, the low DSCP value and the high DSCP value in the third DSCP range field being 255.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is also used to send a beacon frame containing a QoS service capability element, which is used to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to be used.

[0054] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is also used to send a QoS mapping configuration frame, which contains a fourth DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID, and the low DSCP value and high DSCP value in the fourth DSCP range field are 255.

[0055] For possible implementations of the communication device in the sixth aspect, please refer to the various possible implementations in the second aspect.

[0056] For the technical effects of the various possible implementations of the sixth aspect, please refer to the introduction of the technical effects of the various possible implementations of the second aspect.

[0057] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that has the function of implementing the behavior described in the third aspect method embodiment. The communication device may be a communication equipment, a component of a communication equipment (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment. For example, the communication device is an access point (AP). The function of the communication device can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software, the hardware or software including one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module, wherein: the processing module is used to generate an actively provided SCS response frame, the actively provided SCS response frame containing an SCS identifier, a third TID, and a third UP, the SCS identifier being used to identify a second SCS stream, the third TID being a TID mapped to the second SCS stream, and the third UP being a UP mapped to the third TID, the values ​​of the third TID and the third UP being different; the transceiver module is used to send the actively provided SCS response frame.

[0058] For possible implementations of the communication device in the seventh aspect, please refer to the various possible implementations in the third aspect.

[0059] For the technical effects of the various possible implementations of the seventh aspect, please refer to the introduction of the technical effects of the various possible implementations of the third aspect.

[0060] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that has the function of implementing the behavior described in the fourth aspect of the method embodiments. The communication device may be a communication equipment, a component of a communication equipment (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment. For example, the communication device is a STA. The function of the communication device can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software, the hardware or software including one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module, wherein: the transceiver module is used to receive an actively provided SCS response frame, the actively provided SCS response frame containing an SCS identifier, a third TID, and a third UP, the SCS identifier being used to identify a second SCS stream, the third TID being a TID mapped to the second SCS stream, and the third UP being a UP mapped to the third TID, the values ​​of the third TID and the third UP being different; the processing module is used to determine, based on the actively provided SCS response frame, that the second SCS stream is mapped to the third TID and the third TID is mapped to the third UP.

[0061] For possible implementations of the communication device in the eighth aspect, please refer to the various possible implementations in the fourth aspect.

[0062] For the technical effects of the various possible implementations of the eighth aspect, please refer to the introduction of the technical effects of the various possible implementations of the fourth aspect.

[0063] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide another communication device, the communication device including a processor coupled to a memory for storing computer programs or instructions, the processor for executing the computer programs or instructions in the memory, causing the communication device to perform the methods of any one of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0064] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory that stores computer programs or instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the first to fourth aspects above. For example, the communication device may be a chip, the processor may be a processing unit within the chip, and the memory may be a random access memory or cache within the chip.

[0065] In this embodiment of the application, during the execution of the above method, the process of sending information (or signals) can be understood as a process of outputting information based on a computer program or instruction of the processor. When outputting information, the processor outputs the information to the transceiver so that the transceiver can transmit it. After being output by the processor, the information may undergo further processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, when the processor receives input information, the transceiver receives the information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the information, the information may undergo further processing before being input into the processor.

[0066] Unless otherwise specified, or unless it contradicts its actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, the sending and / or receiving operations involved by the processor can generally be understood as processor-based computer program or instruction output.

[0067] In implementation, the processor described above can be a processor specifically designed to execute these methods, or it can be a processor that executes computer programs or instructions stored in memory to execute these methods, such as a general-purpose processor. For example, the processor can also be used to execute programs stored in memory, which, when executed, cause the communication device to perform the methods as shown in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0068] In one possible implementation, the memory is located outside the aforementioned communication device. In another possible implementation, the memory is located inside the aforementioned communication device.

[0069] In one possible implementation, the processor and memory may be integrated into a single device; that is, the processor and memory may be integrated together.

[0070] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver for receiving or transmitting signals, etc.

[0071] In a tenth aspect, this application provides another communication device, which includes a processing circuit and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being used to acquire data or output data; the processing circuit being used to perform the method as described in any one of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0072] Eleventhly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to perform the methods described in any of the first to fourth aspects above. The computer may be a communication device, such as an access point or station.

[0073] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a computer program product that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in any one of the first to fourth aspects above. The computer may be a communication device, such as an access point or station.

[0074] In a thirteenth aspect, this application provides a chip system including a communication interface and a processor; the communication interface is used for signal transmission and reception of the chip system; the processor is used for calling and running a computer program from a memory, causing a communication device equipped with the chip system to perform the method of any one of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0075] In a fourteenth aspect, this application provides a communication system, which includes the communication device of the fifth aspect and the communication device of the sixth aspect.

[0076] In a fifteenth aspect, this application provides a communication system, which includes the communication apparatus of the seventh aspect and the communication apparatus of the eighth aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0077] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of an SCS request frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of a frame format of the SCS descriptor provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of another frame format of the SCS descriptor provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0082] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of an internal access category priority element provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a frame format of QoS feature elements provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a frame format for the control information field provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a frame format of the stream specification element provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of an SCS response frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0087] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of a QoS mapping element provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0088] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of a QoS service capability update frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0089] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of a QoS service capability element provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0090] Figure 13 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0091] Figure 14 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0092] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of the device 10 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0093] Figure 16 is a schematic block diagram of another device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0094] Figure 17 is a schematic block diagram of another device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0095] The terms "first," "second," and various numerical designations (e.g., "#1," "#2," etc.) used in the specification, claims, and figures of this application are only used to distinguish different objects and not to describe a specific order. It is understood that the various numerical designations involved in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers below does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0096] The term "embodiment" as used herein means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a mutually exclusive, independent, or alternative embodiment. Those skilled in the art will explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments. Some steps in the embodiments described herein can serve as an independent embodiment. In this application, the naming of messages (frames) is only used to distinguish different messages (frames) and should not be construed as limiting. That is, the name of any message or frame in this application can be replaced with other names, and this application does not impose any limitations.

[0097] The terminology used in the following embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” “the,” and “this” are intended to include the plural expressions as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the listed items. For example, “A and / or B” can mean: the presence of only A, the presence of only B, and the presence of both A and B, where A and B can be singular or plural. The term “multiple” as used in this application refers to two or more. In the textual description of this application, the character “ / ” generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an “or” relationship.

[0098] It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" means that there is a correspondence between A and B, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining (or generating) B based on (or on) A does not mean that B is determined (or generated) solely based on (or on) A; B can also be determined (or generated) based on (or on) A and / or other information.

[0099] It should be understood that in this application, the indication includes direct indication (also known as explicit indication) and implicit indication. Direct indication information A refers to information A being included; implicit indication information A refers to information A being indicated through the correspondence between information A and information B, and through direct indication information B. The correspondence between information A and information B can be predefined, pre-stored, pre-burned, or pre-configured.

[0100] It should be understood that in this application, information C is used to determine information D, including both situations where information D is determined solely based on information C and situations where it is determined based on information C and other information. Furthermore, information C can also be used to determine information D indirectly, for example, where information D is determined based on information E, and information E is determined based on information C.

[0101] In this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0102] In this application, the names of the messages (or information) in the following processes are merely examples. As communication technology evolves, the names of the messages (or information, etc.) in the following processes may change, but regardless of how their names change, as long as their meaning is the same as the function or meaning of the messages (or information, etc.) in this application, they all fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0103] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, "network element A sends information A to network element B" can be understood as network element B being the destination of information A or an intermediate network element in the transmission path between the destination and network element B, which may include sending information directly or indirectly to network element B. "Network element B receives information A from network element A" can be understood as network element A being the source of information A or an intermediate network element in the transmission path between the source and network element A, which may include receiving information directly or indirectly from network element A. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way and will not be elaborated further here.

[0104] In the diagrams relating to the message (frame) structure in this application, some examples of the lengths of fields in the message are given. For example, in the frame format shown in the figures, the numbers below each field indicate the length of that field. It should be understood that the field lengths shown in the diagrams of this application are merely examples, and in actual applications, the length of any field may vary. The positions of the fields in the diagrams relating to the message (frame) structure in this application are not limited.

[0105] The diagrams in this application's embodiments involve message structures, and some provide examples of field names within the message. It should be understood that the field names shown in the diagrams of this application's embodiments are merely examples; in actual applications, the name of any field may change.

[0106] In the diagrams of message structures involved in the embodiments of this application, some indicate that a field with a length of 0 or variable is an optional field, meaning that the field's length is 0 when it is not included in the message. A variable length indicates that the field's length is uncertain. In actual design, the specific length of the field can be indicated by other information, or the sender and receiver can negotiate the field's length in advance, or the field's length is predefined, or the receiver can determine the field's length based on other auxiliary information when receiving a message carrying that field, and then parse the message. This application does not impose any limitations on the method for determining the specific length of variable-length fields. The length of variable-length fields involved in the message will not be repeated below.

[0107] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the figures.

[0108] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) scenarios. For example, they support IEEE 802.11 related standards, such as 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), 802.11bn (or Wi-Fi 8, also known as ultra-high reliability (UHR)), the next generation of 802.11bn, or standards supporting ambient power (AMP), and also include 802.11ad and 802.11ay standards. The 802.11n standard is also known as a high throughput (HT) standard, and the 802.11ac standard is also known as a very high throughput (VHT) standard. The 802.11ax standard is also known as the high-efficiency (HE) standard. The 802.11be standard is also known as the extremely high throughput (EHT) standard. The 802.11ad standard can also be called the directional multi-gigabit (DMG) standard. The 802.11ay standard can also be called the enhanced directional multi-gigabit (EDMG) standard.

[0109] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to wireless personal area network (WLAN) systems based on ultra-wideband (UWB), such as those supporting the 802.15 series standards. They can also be applied to sensing systems, such as those supporting the 802.11bf series standards, WLAN systems supporting Wi-Fi artificial intelligence (AI), and WLAN systems supporting millimeter-wave (mmWave). The 802.11bf standard includes two main categories: low-frequency (e.g., sub7GHz) and high-frequency (e.g., 60GHz) standards. The sub7GHz implementation mainly relies on standards such as 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and next-generation standards. The 60GHz implementation mainly relies on standards such as 802.11ad, 802.11ay, integrated mmWave standards, and next-generation standards.

[0110] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can also be applied to various communication systems, including: WLAN communication systems, Wi-Fi systems, Starfleet short-range communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X, where X can represent anything), device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), world wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) systems or new radio (NR) systems, 6th generation (6G) systems, and new communication systems that will emerge in future communication developments.

[0111] The communication systems described above that are applicable to this application are merely illustrative examples, and the application is not limited to these. This description is consistent with the previous one and will not be repeated below. Furthermore, the term "system" can be used interchangeably with "network".

[0112] This application supports IEEE standards, such as IEEE 802.11be / Wi-Fi 7 / EHT, IEEE 802.11bn / UHR / Wi-Fi 8, IEEE Integrated mmWave / IMMW, IEEE 802.15 / UWB, or IEEE 802.11bf / sensing; this application may also support Spark Link / NearLink standards.

[0113] WLAN systems can provide high-speed, low-latency transmission. As WLAN application scenarios continue to evolve, WLAN systems will be applied to more scenarios or industries, such as the Internet of Things industry, the Internet of Vehicles industry, the banking industry, enterprise offices, stadiums and exhibition halls, concert halls, hotel rooms, dormitories, hospital wards, classrooms, shopping malls, squares, streets, production workshops and warehouses, etc. Of course, devices that support WLAN communication or sensing (such as access points or sites) can be sensor nodes in smart cities (such as smart water meters, smart electricity meters, and smart air monitoring nodes), smart devices in smart homes (such as smart cameras, projectors, displays, televisions, speakers, refrigerators, and washing machines), nodes in the Internet of Things (IoT), entertainment terminals (such as wearable devices for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), smart devices in smart offices (such as printers, projectors, loudspeakers, and speakers), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) devices, infrastructure in daily life scenarios (such as vending machines, self-service navigation kiosks in supermarkets, self-service checkout machines, and self-service ordering machines), and equipment in large sports and music venues.

[0114] This application primarily uses the deployment of a WLAN network, particularly one employing the IEEE 802.11 system standard, as an example for illustration. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the various aspects of this application can be extended to other networks employing various standards, such as high-performance radio local area networks (HIPERLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), wireless personal area networks (WPANs), or other networks now known or developed in the future. Therefore, regardless of the coverage area and wireless access standard used, the various aspects provided in this application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0115] In one possible implementation, the method provided in this application embodiment can be implemented by a communication device in a communication system. For example, the communication device can be an access point (AP) or a station (STA).

[0116] Sites can be categorized into non-access point stations (non-AP STAs) and access point stations. For ease of description, this document refers to access point stations as access points (APs) and non-access point stations as stations (STAs), non-AP stations, or non-AP STAs. Unless otherwise specified, STA in the following text refers to a non-AP STA. An AP that is in the same basic service set (BSS) as a STA is called the STA's associated AP, and the STA is called the AP's associated STA. Communication between STAs is permitted, known as point-to-point (P2P) communication. In the following text, unless otherwise specified, a station refers to a STA.

[0117] An Access Point (AP) is a node used by terminals (e.g., mobile phones) to access wired (or wireless) networks. For example, APs are mainly deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, APs can also be deployed outdoors. An AP acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, its main function being to connect clients from various wireless networks together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. An AP is a device with wireless communication capabilities, supporting communication using the WLAN standard and having the ability to communicate with other devices (such as STAs or other APs) in the WLAN network. Of course, an AP can also have the ability to communicate with other devices.

[0118] An access point (AP) can be a complete device, or it can be a chip or processing system installed within a complete device. Devices with these chips or processing systems installed (e.g., APs) can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application under the control of the chip or processing system. The AP in the embodiments of this application is a device that provides services to a stand-alone unit (STA), and for example, it can support one or more standards in the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11bf, and 802.11bn.

[0119] Specifically, the AP can be a terminal or network device with a Wi-Fi chip. This network device can be a server, router, switch, bridge, computer, mobile phone, relay station, vehicle-mounted equipment, wearable device, network device in a 5G network, network device in a 6G network, or network device in a public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., and this application embodiment is not limited to these. Of course, the AP can also be the chip and processing system within these various forms of network devices, thereby implementing the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application. The AP can be a device that supports the Wi-Fi standard.

[0120] A Standalone Target (STA) is a device with wireless communication capabilities that supports communication using the WLAN standard and has the ability to communicate with other STAs or Access Points (APs) in a WLAN network. For example, an STA is any communication device that allows a user to communicate with an AP and thus with the WLAN. An STA can be a complete device, or it can be a chip or processing system installed within a complete device. Devices with these chips or processing systems installed (e.g., STAs) can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application under the control of the chip or processing system. An STA can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal, and can also be referred to as a user, user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device.

[0121] STA can include tag devices / smart tag devices, mobile phones, mobile stations (MS), tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities (such as laptops), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, subscriber units, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, wireless data cards, personal digital assistant (PDA) computers, tablet computers, laptop computers, machine type communication (MTC) terminals, etc. The STA can include various handheld devices, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, terminal devices in 5G networks, terminal devices in 6G networks, or terminal devices in PLMNs, etc., and this application embodiment is not limited to these. The STA can be a device that supports WLAN standards. For example, the STA can support one or more standards in the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, and 802.11bf.

[0122] The aforementioned AP can be a multi-link device (MLD). STA can be an MLD. MLD is a device that supports (has) multi-link simultaneous transmission. In other words, an MLD has the ability to establish multiple links simultaneously. In this application embodiment, a device that simultaneously supports multiple links and supports the IEEE 802.11 standard is referred to as an MLD. In the IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) standard, an MLD can use multiple links simultaneously. An MLD can be an access point MLD (AP MLD) or a non-AP MLD. It should be noted that the names of the multi-link devices mentioned above are merely examples and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. For example, an AP MLD can also be called a multi-link AP. A non-AP MLD can also be called a STA MLD. With the development of communication technology, AP MLD or non-AP MLD may have other names, which will not be listed here.

[0123] A Media Access Detector (MLD) can include multiple affiliated sites. Each affiliated site has its own Media Access Control (MAC) address. Each affiliated site's MAC address can be referred to as a low-level MAC address. The MLD has an upper-level MAC address. In an AP MLD, the affiliated sites are called APs (Access Points). In a non-AP MLD, the affiliated sites are called STAs (Standard Stations). The operating frequency band of the MLD can be, for example, all or part of 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, and the high-frequency 60 GHz band. For instance, different APs in an AP MLD may operate on different frequency bands, and different STAs in a non-AP MLD may operate on different frequency bands.

[0124] AP MLD and non-AP MLD can establish multi-link connections through signaling interaction on any link. In one possible implementation, during multi-link establishment, the non-AP MLD and AP MLD can establish an association through an association process. For example, the association process may include: the non-AP MLD sending an association request frame on link 1, carrying STA-side information for link 1 and STA-side information for link 2. For instance, the association request frame may carry a multi-link element field, which carries information about the non-AP MLD and the stations within it. The AP MLD then sends an association response frame on link 1, carrying AP-side information for link 1 and AP-side information for link 2, thereby enabling STA1 and STA2 of the non-AP MLD to establish (or complete) associations with AP1 and AP2 of the AP MLD, respectively.

[0125] The aforementioned AP or STA may include a transmitter, a receiver, a memory, a processor, etc., wherein the transmitter and receiver are used for transmitting and receiving packet structures, respectively, the memory is used to store signaling information and pre-agreed preset values, etc., and the processor is used to parse signaling information and process related data, etc.

[0126] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication system may include one or more APs and one or more STAs. The number of APs and STAs shown in Figure 1 is merely an example; in a specific implementation, the number of APs or STAs may be more or less, and this embodiment of the application does not limit this. Figure 1 shows two access points, such as AP1 and AP2, and three stations, such as STA1, STA2, and STA3. As an example, the method provided in this embodiment of the application can be applied to data communication, sensing, or power transmission between an AP and one or more STAs. For example, the communication, sensing, or power transmission between AP1 and STA1 as shown in Figure 1. Another example is the communication, sensing, or power transmission between AP1 and STA1 / STA2 as shown in Figure 1. As yet another example, the method provided in this embodiment of the application can be applied to communication between APs, such as the communication, sensing, or power transmission between AP1 and AP2 as shown in Figure 1. As yet another example, the method provided in this embodiment of the application can be applied to communication, sensing, or power transmission between STAs, such as the communication, sensing, or power transmission between STA2 and STA3 as shown in Figure 1.

[0127] For example, this application can also be used in multi-link scenarios, that is, the AP in the embodiments of this application can be an AP MLD, and the STA can be a non-AP MLD. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided by an embodiment of this application. The communication system may include one or more AP MLDs and one or more non-AP MLDs. Optionally, the communication system may also include one or more APs and one or more STAs. The number of AP MLDs and non-AP MLDs shown in Figure 2 are only examples. In specific implementations, the number of AP MLDs or non-AP MLDs may be more or less, and this application embodiment does not limit this. As shown in Figure 2, the AP MLD includes n affiliated stations, namely AP 1, AP 2, ..., AP n; the non-AP MLD also includes n affiliated stations, namely STA 1, STA 2, ..., STA n. n is a positive integer. Communication between MLDs can be multi-link communication or single-link communication. Links 1 to n in Figure 2 constitute a multi-link. In other words, the AP MLD and the non-AP MLD can communicate in parallel using at least two of the links 1, 2, ..., n. In this application, an AP in an AP MLD can establish an association with a STA in a non-AP MLD. For example, STA 1 in a non-AP MLD can be associated with AP 1 in an AP MLD, STA 2 in a non-AP MLD can be associated with AP 2 in an AP MLD, and STA n in a non-AP MLD can be associated with AP n in an AP MLD, and so on. The method provided in this application can be applied to data communication, sensing, or power transmission between an AP MLD and a non-AP MLD.

[0128] The above content briefly introduces the communication system of the embodiments of this application. The following is a brief introduction to the relevant content, terms or nouns involved in this application.

[0129] 1) Traffic Identifier (TID): This is an identifier used in the Wi-Fi standard to identify the type of service. In other words, the TID identifies or corresponds to different service types. In this article, ID is short for identifier. For example, a TID is 4 bits long and ranges from 0 to 15. The length of the TID can represent or indicate the length of the TID field. In some possible implementations, the TID is limited to a value range of 0-7. The main reason is that extending the TID value range to 0-15 would require each STA to maintain 16 TID queues, increasing the complexity for the STA and the on-chip memory requirements. For example, in an enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) scenario, the TID can be mapped to user priority (UP) 0-7. In some existing schemes, there is a one-to-one correspondence between TID and user priority, and TID and user priority can be used interchangeably. For example, the user priorities corresponding to TID0-TID7 can be 0-7 respectively. Alternatively, user priority 0 corresponds to TID0, user priority 1 corresponds to TID1, user priority 2 corresponds to TID2, user priority 3 corresponds to TID3, user priority 4 corresponds to TID4, user priority 5 corresponds to TID5, user priority 6 corresponds to TID6, and user priority 7 corresponds to TID7. In this paper, TID0 represents a TID with a value of 0, TID1 represents a TID with a value of 1, and so on, with TID7 representing a TID with a value of 7. In this paper, user priority 1 represents a user priority with a value of 1, user priority 2 represents a user priority with a value of 2, user priority 3 represents a user priority with a value of 3, and so on, with user priority 7 representing a user priority with a value of 7. User priority 1 and UP1 have the same meaning, user priority 2 and UP2 have the same meaning, and so on. For each TID in TID 0-TID7, multiple service flows can be mapped to one TID.

[0130] 2) Access Category (AC): The Wi-Fi standard defines four access categories: background (AC_BK), best effort (AC_BE), video (AC_VI), and voice (AC_VO). Each AC has different EDCA parameters (such as contention window, arbitration frame interval, and transmission opportunity length limit) for channel access.

[0131] 3) User Priority (UP): Used to indicate the priority of a service. In other words, UP indicates the priority of a service flow. For example, UP is 3 bits long, with a value range of 0-7. The length of UP can be the length of the UP field representing or indicating UP. For example, the mapping relationship from UP to AC is shown in Table 1 below. Current standards stipulate that under the EDCA access policy, TID (0-7) and UP values ​​are the same, meaning that the user priorities corresponding to TID0-TID7 can be 0-7 respectively.

[0132] Table 1

[0133] 4) Stream Classification Service (SCS) Mechanism: STAs can use the SCS mechanism to report one or more low-latency service flows to the AP. Low-latency service flows are referred to as low-latency service flows. In this application, low-latency service flows are also called SCS flows. STAs can send an SCS request frame to their associated AP to report a low-latency service flow and indicate the quality of service (QoS) parameters for that flow. Upon receiving the SCS request frame, the AP replies with an SCS response frame. This SCS response frame can be used to inform the STA whether the AP accepts the low-latency service flow reported by the STA. Optionally, the AP can optimize its scheduling based on the QoS characteristic parameters reported by the STA to reduce the packet latency of the service flow. The SCS mechanism introduces two key QoS parameters characterizing the transmission performance of low-latency services: the delay bound and the medium access control (MAC) service data unit (MSDU) delivery ratio. The latency cap indicates the maximum allowed latency for low-latency packets, or in other words, the maximum allowed latency for low-latency traffic flows. For example, the unit of the latency cap is microseconds. The MSDU delivery rate indicates the required delivery rate of MSDUs under a given latency cap requirement.

[0134] The frame structures of the SCS request frame and the SCS response frame are described below. Referring to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of the frame format of an SCS request frame provided in an embodiment of this application, the SCS request frame includes: a category field, a robust action field, a dialog token field, and an SCS descriptor list. The meaning of each field in the SCS request frame is as follows:

[0135] 1. The category field indicates the category to which the action frame belongs;

[0136] 2. The Robust Action field indicates which frame in this category the frame belongs to;

[0137] 3. The dialogue token field is used to match the corresponding SCS request frame and SCS response frame;

[0138] 4. The SCS descriptor list field includes one or more SCS descriptor elements, each of which indicates relevant information about an SCS stream.

[0139] As an example, Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of a frame format of the SCS descriptor provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4A, the SCS descriptor includes: an element identifier (ID) field, a length field, an SCS identifier (SCS ID, SCSID) field, a request type field, and a flow specification element (TSPEC element). Optionally, the SCS descriptor element may also include one or more of the following: an intra-access category priority element, a traffic classification (TCLAS, or also known as communication classification or service classification) element, a TCLAS processing element, and optional subelements.

[0140] As an example, Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of another frame format of the SCS descriptor provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4B, the SCS descriptor includes: an element ID field, a length field, an SCS identifier (SCSID) field, a request type field, and a QoS characteristic element. Optionally, the SCS descriptor element may also include one or more of the following: an intra-access category priority element, a flow classification element (TCLAS element), a flow classification processing element (TCLAS processing element), and optional subelements, etc.

[0141] For example, the meanings of each field or element in the SCS descriptor are described as follows:

[0142] The element identifier field is used to identify the SCS descriptor element.

[0143] The length field is used to indicate the length of this SCS descriptor element.

[0144] The SCSID field is used to indicate the identifier assigned to this SCS stream. In other words, the SCSID field is used to identify the SCS stream. For example, the SCSID is 1 byte long.

[0145] The Request Type field is used to indicate the type requested by the SCS request frame. The values ​​and indications of the Request Type are shown in Table 2.

[0146] Table 2

[0147] The specific format of the internal access category priority element is shown in Figure 5. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of an internal access category priority element provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the internal access category priority element includes an element ID field, a length field, and an intra-access priority field. The element ID field is used to identify the internal access category priority element. The length field in the internal access category priority element is used to indicate the length of the internal access category priority element. For example, the length of the internal access priority field is 1 byte, and the least significant bit to the most significant bit of the 8 bits in the 1 byte are bit0 to bit7 respectively. The internal access priority field includes a 3-bit (bit0 to bit2) user priority subfield, a 1-bit (bit3) alternate queue subfield, a 1-bit (bit4) drop eligibility subfield, and a reserved field, for example, the reserved field includes bits5 to bit7. The user priority subfield is used to indicate the user's priority. The alternate queue subfield is used to indicate whether a new alternate queue is created for this SCS flow. The Discard Qualification subfield is used to indicate whether packets in the SCS stream can be dropped when there are not enough resources.

[0148] The flow classification element indicates how to identify the SCS flow. This element carries the criteria for determining the SCS flow. An SCS descriptor can carry one or more flow classification elements.

[0149] The stream classification processing element is used to indicate how to process multiple stream classification elements when they exist.

[0150] Flow specification elements or QoS feature elements are used to indicate the TID mapped to the corresponding SCS flow and the corresponding QoS parameters. Two important QoS parameters in the QoS feature elements are: latency cap and MSDU delivery rate. The flow specification element includes a latency cap field, which indicates the latency limit. If the SCS descriptor carries QoS feature elements, the corresponding SCS flow can be called an SCS stream with parameterized QoS. If the SCS descriptor does not carry QoS feature elements, the corresponding SCS flow can be called an SCS stream without parameterized QoS.

[0151] As an example, Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a frame format for QoS feature elements provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the QoS feature elements include: element ID field, length field, element ID extension field, control information field, minimum service interval field, maximum service interval field, minimum data rate field, delay bound field, maximum MSDU size field, service start time field, mean data rate field, burst size field, MSDU lifetime field, MSDU delivery ratio field, MSDU count exponent field, and medium time field. In this application, the length of any element, field, and subfield in the frame structure is not limited.

[0152] For example, the meanings of each field in the QoS feature element are described as follows:

[0153] The element identifier field and the extended element identifier field are used to identify this QoS feature element.

[0154] The length field is used to indicate the length of this QoS feature element.

[0155] Figure 7 shows a format for the control information field. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a frame format for the control information field provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the control information field includes: a direction field, a traffic identifier (TID) field, a user priority field, a presence bitmap of additional parameters field, a link identifier (link ID), and a reserved field. Referring to Figure 7, the length of the control information field is 4 bytes, and the bits in the control information field are B0-B31 from the least significant bit to the most significant bit. Among them, the direction field is used to indicate the transmission direction of the SCS stream. Optionally, one indication method is: 00 indicates uplink; 10 indicates downlink; 01 indicates P2P (Peer-to-peer) direct link; 11 is a reserved value. The TID field is used to identify the service type, and its value is 0 to 7, with 8-15 being reserved values. The user priority field has a value of 0 to 7, where 0-7 represent user priorities from low to high, and can be set to the same value as the TID field. In the following text, TID refers to the TID indicated by the TID field, and UP refers to the UP indicated by the UP field. The correspondence between user priority values ​​and AC and service type is shown in Table 1 above.

[0156] The minimum service interval field is used to indicate the minimum interval between two consecutive service periods.

[0157] The maximum service interval field is used to indicate the maximum interval between two consecutive service periods.

[0158] The minimum data rate field is used to indicate the minimum data rate required by the described service flow.

[0159] The latency limit field is used to indicate the maximum allowed latency for the data packets of the described service flow.

[0160] The Maximum MSDU Length field is used to indicate the maximum MSDU length of the data packets described in the service flow.

[0161] The Service Start Time field is used to indicate the start time of the first service period of the described business flow.

[0162] The average data rate field is used to indicate the average data rate required by the described business flow.

[0163] The burst size field is used to indicate the maximum peak traffic volume that the described traffic flow may experience.

[0164] The MSDU lifecycle field is used to indicate the lifecycle of the data packets in the described service flow.

[0165] The MSDU submission rate field indicates the required MSDU submission rate under a given latency limit.

[0166] The MSDU Quantity Index field indicates the number of reference MSDUs used to calculate the MSDU submission rate.

[0167] The Media Time field is used to indicate the media time requested by the described service flow.

[0168] As an example, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a frame format of the flow specification elements provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, the flow specification elements include: element ID field, length field, traffic stream (TS) information field, normal MSDU size field, maximum MSDU size field, minimum service interval field, maximum service interval field, inactivity interval field, suspension interval field, service start time field, minimum data rate field, mean data rate field, peak data rate field, burst size field, delay bound field, minimum physical layer rate field, surplus bandwidth allowance field, medium time field, and directional multi-gigabit (DMG) attributes field. PHY is short for Physical Layer.

[0169] For example, the meanings of the fields in the flow specification element are described as follows:

[0170] The element identifier field is used to identify flow canonical elements.

[0171] The length field is used to indicate the number of bytes occupied by the stream specification element.

[0172] The TS info field indicates information related to the corresponding communication flow. A communication flow can be replaced with a service flow or an SCS flow. Optionally, the communication flow information field includes one or more of the following: traffic type, TS identifier (TSID), direction, access policy, aggregation, automatic power save delivery (APSD), user priority, TS Info ack policy, schedule, and reserved. The traffic type field indicates whether the communication flow is periodic. For example, if the communication flow is periodic, the traffic type field is set to 1; otherwise, it is set to 0. The communication flow identifier field indicates the identifier of the communication flow. The direction field indicates the direction of the communication flow. For example, 00 indicates uplink; 10 indicates downlink; 01 indicates a direct link; and 11 indicates bidirectional uplink and downlink. The access policy field indicates the access policy for the communication flow. For example, 00 is a reserved value; 10 represents EDCA; 01 represents controlled channel access; and 11 represents hybrid channel access. The aggregation field indicates whether aggregation scheduling is enabled. The automatic power-saving delivery field indicates whether automatic power-saving delivery is enabled for this communication flow. The user priority field indicates the user priority corresponding to this communication flow. The communication flow information acknowledgment policy field indicates the acknowledgment policy used for this communication flow. For example, 00 indicates normal acknowledgment; 10 indicates no acknowledgment required; 01 is a reserved value; and 11 indicates block acknowledgment. The scheduling field indicates the specific scheduling method.

[0173] The Normal MSDU Size field is used to indicate the normal MSDU size corresponding to this communication stream.

[0174] The maximum MSDU length field is used to specify the maximum MSDU length corresponding to this communication flow.

[0175] The minimum service interval field is used to specify the minimum interval between any two service periods of this communication flow.

[0176] The maximum service interval field is used to specify the maximum interval between any two service periods of this communication flow.

[0177] The Inactivity Interval field is used to indicate the minimum interval during which no data packets arrive in this communication stream.

[0178] The suspend interval field is used to specify the minimum interval at which this communication stream is suspended.

[0179] The Service Start Time field is used to specify when the service starts.

[0180] The minimum data rate field is used to specify the minimum data rate corresponding to the location of the MAC layer service access point.

[0181] The average data rate field is used to measure the average data rate at the MAC layer service access point location.

[0182] The peak data rate field is used to specify the peak data rate at the MAC layer service access point location.

[0183] The burst size field is used to specify the maximum burst size for this communication stream.

[0184] The delay limit field is used to specify the maximum allowed delay for this communication stream.

[0185] The minimum physical layer rate field is used to specify the minimum physical layer rate required for this communication flow.

[0186] The Remaining Bandwidth field is used to determine how much additional bandwidth to allocate to this communication stream.

[0187] The Media Time field is used to specify the channel access time allowed for this communication stream.

[0188] The Directed Multi-Gigabit Feature field is used for the relevant features of STA of DMG type.

[0189] Referring to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of the frame format of an SCS response frame provided in an embodiment of this application, the SCS response frame includes: a category field, a robust action field, a dialog token field, a count field, an SCS status list field, and an SCS descriptor list field. The indicative function of the fields, bytes, or elements in the SCS response frame is similar to that of the SCS request frame shown in Figure 3. For example, the meanings of each field in the SCS response frame are described as follows:

[0190] The category field is used to indicate the category to which the action frame belongs.

[0191] The Robust Action field is used to indicate which frame in this category.

[0192] The dialog token field in the SCS response frame is consistent with the dialog token field in the responding SCS request frame.

[0193] The quantity field is used to indicate the number of SCS status groups in the SCS status list.

[0194] The SCS status list field includes one or more SCS status groups. Each SCS status group includes an SCS identifier (SCSID) and a status code. The SCSID is used to identify the SCS flow. In other words, the SCSID is the identifier of the SCS flow. The status code is used to indicate whether the SCS flow corresponding to the requested SCSID is accepted. For example, if the status code indicates that an SCS flow is accepted, the field in the QoS feature element indicates the parameter information that the SCS flow should use. That is, the AP agrees to the STA's request, and the STA must operate according to the parameter information carried in the SCS response frame. If the status code indicates rejection with suggested changes, the field in the QoS feature element indicates the parameter information suggested by the AP. The STA can re-initiate the SCS request based on the parameter information suggested by the AP. Figure 9 is only an example of the SCS status list field including one SCS status group, and this application does not limit it.

[0195] The SCS descriptor list contains one or more SCS descriptors.

[0196] 5) QoS Map Element: The QoS map element can be carried in an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, a QoS map configure frame, an SCS request frame, or an SCS response frame. As an example, refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of the frame format of a QoS map element provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10, the QoS map element includes: an element ID field, a length field, a DSCP exception list field, the DSCP range corresponding to user priority 0 (UP 0 DSCP range), the DSCP range corresponding to user priority 1 (UP 1 DSCP range), ..., the DSCP range corresponding to user priority 7 (UP 7 DSCP range).

[0197] For example, the meanings of the fields in the QoS mapping element are described as follows:

[0198] The element identifier field is used to identify QoS mapping elements.

[0199] The length field is used to indicate the length of the QoS mapping element.

[0200] The DSCP exception list contains one or more DSCP exception fields. Each DSCP exception contains the following subfields: DSCP value and user priority. The DSCP value ranges from 0 to 63 or 0 to 255. The user priority field ranges from 0 to 7.

[0201] Each user priority level has a corresponding DSCP range field, and the DSCP ranges for any two user priorities do not overlap. For example, the DSCP range field for a user priority level includes the following subfields: DSCP low value and DSCP high value. The DSCP high value must be greater than or less than the DSCP low value. When both the DSCP low value and the DSCP high value are 255, it indicates that the user priority level is not used.

[0202] 6) QoS map configure frame: The frame format of the QoS map configure frame is shown in Table 3 below.

[0203] Table 3

[0204] For example, the meanings of the fields in the QoS mapping configuration frame are described as follows:

[0205] The category field is used to indicate the category to which the action frame belongs.

[0206] The QoS action field is used to indicate which action the frame belongs to.

[0207] The QoS mapping elements can be found in the description in section 5) above.

[0208] The priority element within the access category in the QoS mapping configuration frame is the same as the priority element within the access category in the SCS descriptor mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0209] 7) Reassociation Request Frame and Reassociation Response Frame: Table 4 shows the frame format of the reassociation request frame. The reassociation request frame does not include the current AP address field, unlike the reassociation request frame. Table 5 shows the frame format of the reassociation response frame.

[0210] Table 4 Frame format of reassociation request frames

[0211] Table 5 Frame format of reassociative response frames

[0212] The meanings of each field in the reassociation request frame and the reassociation response frame can be found in the standard definitions, and will not be repeated here.

[0213] 8) QoS Traffic Capability Update Frame: The QoS traffic capability update frame is used by the STA to inform the AP of updates to its QoS traffic capabilities. As an example, Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of a QoS traffic capability update frame provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 11, the QoS traffic capability update frame includes: a category field, a wireless network management (WNM) field, and a QoS traffic capability flags field.

[0214] For example, the meanings of each field in the QoS service capability update frame are described as follows:

[0215] The category field is used to indicate the frame category.

[0216] The WNM action field is used to indicate which specific wireless network management action frame.

[0217] As an example, the QoS service capability flag field has a length of one field, and one possible definition of the QoS service capability flag field is shown in Table 6 below. In Table 6, bits 0-3 and bits 7 are reserved bits, and bits 4-6 are unreserved bits. Each unreserved bit in the QoS service capability flag field corresponds to a service priority. For example, when a bit is set to 1, it indicates that a service of the corresponding priority exists; when the bit is set to 0, it indicates that a service of that priority does not exist.

[0218] Table 6

[0219] 9) QoS Traffic Capability Element: As an example, Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the frame format of a QoS traffic capability element provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the QoS traffic capability element includes: an element ID field, a length field, and a QoS traffic capability bitmask / flags field. The element ID field is used to identify the QoS traffic capability element. The length field is used to indicate the length of the QoS traffic capability element. Optionally, the QoS traffic capability element also includes an AC STA count list field. The AC STA count list field is used to indicate the number of STAs associated with the corresponding AC service. A possible format for the QoS traffic capability bitmask / flags field is shown in Table 7 below.

[0220] Table 7

[0221] In the QoS service capability mask / flag field, bits 0 and 1 are used by the AP to indicate whether the corresponding AC station number appears in the AC STA number list field. In the QoS service capability mask / flag field, bits 4-6 are used by the STA to indicate whether a service of the corresponding priority exists. For example, when a bit is set to 1, it indicates that a service of the corresponding priority exists; when the bit is set to 0, it indicates that a service of that priority does not exist. QoS service capability elements can be carried in the (re)association request frame or in the beacon frame.

[0222] 10) In-order delivery: An example of in-order delivery is that the receiving end delivers MAC service data units (MSDUs) with the same TID to the logical link control (LLC) layer in ascending order of sequence number (SN), thereby avoiding out-of-order and missed transmission of MSDUs.

[0223] The preceding text introduced the relevant content, terms, or nouns involved in the embodiments of this application. The following text introduces the technical background involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0224] In existing schemes, when the sending end transmits a certain SCS stream (hereinafter referred to as SCS stream #1), it first maps the SCS stream to a TID, and then transmits data based on the TID. In this scheme, multiple SCS streams with different QoS characteristic elements are allowed to be mapped to the same TID. If the sending end maps multiple SCS streams, including SCS stream #1, to the same TID, when the sending end transmits these multiple SCS streams based on the TID, the SNs of the MSDUs of these multiple SCS streams are generated by the same sequence number generator. The SNs of the MSDUs of each of these multiple SCS streams are usually not consecutive. For example, if the multiple SCS streams include SCS stream #1, SCS stream #2, and SCS stream #3, SCS stream #1 includes MSDUs with SNs of 1, 2, and 5, SCS stream #2 includes MSDUs with SNs of 3 and 6, and SCS stream #3 includes MSDUs with SNs of 4 and 7. The receiver's sequential delivery of MSDUs from multiple SCS streams to the LLC layer can cause head-of-line (HOL) blocking. HOL blocking means that packets not successfully received earlier (e.g., MSDUs) can block the delivery of successfully received packets to higher layers, even if they do not belong to the same service stream. This results in a longer time for the receiver to parse the received data packets. For example, the receiver cannot deliver the successfully received MSDU (SN 4) to the higher layer before delivering the MSDU with SN 3. Therefore, existing SCS stream solutions suffer from the problem of long parsing times for SCS stream data packets at the receiver. Thus, it is necessary to investigate how to reduce the time spent parsing SCS stream data packets at the receiver.

[0225] This application provides a technical solution to reduce the time required for the receiving end to parse data packets of an SCS stream. The inventive idea of ​​this solution is to map one or more TIDs to UPs with values ​​greater than the TID, or in other words, to map one or more TIDs to UPs with values ​​greater than the TID, for example, mapping TID2 to UP6 and TID3 to UP7. This compresses (reduces) the number of TIDs mapped to low-priority UPs and increases the number of TIDs mapped to high-priority UPs. Another description of the above inventive idea is as follows: compressing (reducing) the number of TIDs mapped to low-priority UPs and increasing the number of TIDs mapped to high-priority UPs allows the SCS stream to be mapped to higher-priority UPs through more TIDs. In the technical solution provided in this application, the value of the TID is allowed to be different from the value of the UP to which the TID is mapped. An example of the technical solution provided in this application is as follows: the sending end can use the SCS mechanism to map a certain SCS stream to TID2 and then to UP6.

[0226] The technical solution provided in this application, which can reduce the time for the receiving end to parse SCS stream data packets, is described below with reference to the figures.

[0227] Figure 13 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 13, the method includes:

[0228] 1301. The STA sends an SCS request frame, and the AP receives the corresponding SCS request frame.

[0229] The STA can be a non-AP MLD. The AP can be an AP MLD. In this application, the operations performed by the STA can be implemented by the STA or components within the STA; the following description uses the STA implementation as an example. The operations performed by the AP can be implemented by the AP or components within the AP; the following description uses the AP implementation as an example.

[0230] The SCS request frame contains an SCS identifier (SCSID), a first TID, and a first UP. For example, an SCS request frame is used to request the establishment of a first SCS flow. The SCS identifier identifies the first SCS flow. In other words, the SCS identifier is the identifier of the first SCS flow. The first TID is the TID to which the first SCS flow is requested to be mapped. In other words, the first TID is the TID to which the STA requests the mapping of the first SCS flow. Alternatively, the first TID is the TID to which the STA wishes (expects) to map the first SCS flow. The first UP is the UP to which the first TID is requested to be mapped. In other words, the first UP is the UP to which the STA requests (expects) the mapping of the first TID. Referring to Figure 3, the SCS request frame includes an SCS descriptor. One possible frame format for this SCS descriptor is shown in Figure 4B above. Optionally, the SCS descriptor contains QoS feature elements and an SCS identifier. The SCS identifier identifies the first SCS flow. The QoS feature elements contain the first TID and the first UP. One possible frame format for QoS feature elements is shown in Figure 6 above. As an example, the QoS feature elements include a control information field, where the TID in the control information field is the first TID, and the UP in the control information field is the first UP. The meaning of each element and field in the SCS request frame can be found in the standard definition, and will not be repeated here.

[0231] The value of the first TID is different from the value of the first UP. Optionally, the value of the first TID is less than the value of the first UP, thus allowing mapping from the first TID to an UP with a value greater than that of the first TID. For example, the value of the first TID is any one of 0-3. The value of the first UP is any one of 4-7, thus allowing mapping from the first TID to a higher-priority UP, and consequently mapping the first SCS stream to the AC mapped to the higher-priority UP. For instance, if the value of the first TID is 2 (i.e., the first TID is TID2) and the value of the first UP is 6 (i.e., the first UP is UP6), then TID2 is mapped to UP6.

[0232] Optionally, the SCS request frame may also include a first effective time value. The first effective time value represents an absolute time or a time interval. It is used to indicate the effective time of the SCS request frame. For example, the first effective time value represents the start time of the SCS request frame's effectiveness. Alternatively, the first effective time value may represent a first time interval, which is the time interval between the start time of the SCS request frame's effectiveness and either the start or end time of the SCS request frame. Or, the first effective time value may indicate the effective time of the mapping from the first SCS stream to the first TID and the mapping from the first TID to the first UP. For example, the first effective time value represents the start time of the mapping from the first SCS stream to the first TID and the mapping from the first TID to the first UP. Alternatively, the first effective time value may represent a second time interval, which is the time interval between the start time of the mapping from the first SCS stream to the first TID and the mapping from the first TID to the first UP, and the start or end time of the SCS request frame. Optionally, the SCS request frame may include a QoS feature element, which may contain the first effective time value. For example, referring to Figure 6, the QoS feature element includes a control information field, which contains a first effective time value. For instance, some or all of the bits in B29-B31 of the control information field may be the first effective time value. Optionally, the first effective time value may be included in the SCS descriptor. For example, the first effective time value may be an optional sub-element in the SCS descriptor.

[0233] Optionally, the SCS request frame may also include in-order delivery indication information, which indicates that the first SCS flow should be delivered in order. As an example, the SCS request frame may include a QoS feature element, which includes a control information field containing the in-order delivery indication information. For instance, one bit in the control information field may be the in-order delivery indication information; when this bit is 1, it indicates that the first SCS flow should be delivered in order; when this bit is 0, it indicates that the first SCS flow does not need to be delivered in order. Optionally, the STA may also send an SCS request frame #1, which requests a change to the TID and / or UP of the mapping for SCS flow #1. The QoS feature element in this SCS request frame #1 includes a control information field, where one or more bits indicate that SCS flow #1 does not need to be delivered in order.

[0234] The AC mapped to the first UP is the first AC. In other words, the first UP is mapped to the first AC. For example, the first AC is a video service or a voice service. Optionally, before sending the SCS request frame, the STA performs the following operations: the STA determines to map the first SCS stream to the first AC; after determining that one or more service streams currently being transmitted are mapped to the first AC via TIDf and / or TIDh, the STA determines to map the first SCS stream to the aforementioned first TID and generates the aforementioned SCS request frame; this can reduce the occurrence of head-of-line blocking problems. f is a positive integer. For example, f is 6. h is a positive integer. For example, h is 7. The first TID is neither TIDh nor TIDf.

[0235] 1302. The AP sends an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame, and the STA receives the SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame.

[0236] The SCS response frame is used to inform the STA whether the AP accepts the STA's request to establish the first SCS stream.

[0237] In some possible embodiments, the SCS response frame is used to inform the STA that the AP accepts the STA's request to establish a first SCS flow. Alternatively, the SCS response frame is used to instruct the AP to accept the STA's request to establish a first SCS flow. Two possible designs for the SCS response frame are described below.

[0238] In one possible design, the SCS response frame includes an SCS identifier, a first TID, and a first UP. As an example, the SCS response frame includes a first SCS state group, a first TID, and a first UP. The first SCS state group includes an SCS identifier and a status code. The SCS identifier is used to identify the first SCS flow. The status code is used to indicate that the first SCS flow is accepted. Optionally, the SCS response frame includes QoS feature elements, which include the first TID and the first UP. A possible frame format for the SCS response frame is shown in Figure 9 above. Referring to Figure 9, the SCS response frame includes an SCS state list field and an SCS descriptor list. The SCS descriptor list contains one or more SCS descriptors. The SCS state list field includes one or more SCS state groups. Each SCS state group includes an SCS identifier and a status code. The SCS identifier in each SCS state group is used to identify an SCS flow, and the status code in the SCS state group is used to indicate whether the SCS flow is accepted. The first SCS state group is any one of the SCS state groups in the SCS state list field. An SCS descriptor in the SCS descriptor list contains the aforementioned SCS identifier and QoS feature elements, including a first TID and a first UP.

[0239] In another possible design, the SCS response frame includes an SCS identifier but omits the first TID and first UP; this saves bit overhead. As an example, the SCS response frame includes a first SCS state group. This first SCS state group includes an SCS identifier and a status code. The SCS identifier identifies the first SCS flow. The status code indicates that the first SCS flow is accepted. Optionally, the SCS response frame does not include QoS feature elements. Optionally, the SCS response frame does not include a list of SCS descriptors.

[0240] In some possible embodiments, the SCS response frame is used to inform the STA that the AP rejects the STA's request to establish a first SCS flow. Alternatively, the SCS response frame is used to instruct the AP to reject the STA's request to establish a first SCS flow. The SCS response frame contains an SCS identifier, a second TID, and a second UP. The second TID is the TID mapped to the first SCS flow. The second UP is the UP mapped to the second TID. The value of the second TID is different from the value of the second UP. Optionally, the value of the second TID is less than the value of the second UP. For example, the value of the second TID is any one of 0-3. The value of the second UP is any one of 4-7, thereby mapping the second TID to a higher-priority UP, and thus mapping the first SCS flow to the AC mapped to the higher-priority UP. For example, the value of the second TID is 3, i.e., the second TID is TID3, and the value of the second UP is 5, i.e., the second UP is UP5, and TID3 is mapped to UP5. The second TID is different from the first TID. Or, the second UP is different from the first UP. For example, the second TID is the same as the first TID, but the second UP is different from the first UP. For example, the second TID is different from the first TID, but the second UP is the same as the first UP. Another example: the second TID is different from the first TID, and the second UP is different from the first UP.

[0241] As an example, the SCS response frame includes a second SCS state group, a second TID, and a second UP. The second SCS state group includes an SCS identifier and a status code. The SCS identifier identifies the first SCS flow. The status code indicates that the first SCS flow is rejected and suggests relevant parameters, i.e., the parameters recommended by the AP for the first SCS flow. The relevant parameters recommended by the AP for the first SCS flow include the second TID and the second UP. Optionally, the SCS response frame includes QoS feature elements, which include the second TID and the second UP. For example, the QoS feature elements are used to indicate the relevant parameters recommended by the AP for the first SCS flow. One possible frame format for the SCS response frame is shown in Figure 9 above. Referring to Figure 9, the SCS response frame includes an SCS state list field and an SCS descriptor list. The SCS descriptor list contains one or more SCS descriptors. The SCS state list field includes one or more SCS state groups. Each SCS state group includes an SCS identifier and a status code. The SCS identifier in each SCS state group identifies an SCS flow, and the status code in that SCS state group indicates whether the SCS flow is accepted. The second SCS state group is any SCS state group in the SCS state list field. An SCS descriptor in the SCS descriptor list contains the aforementioned SCS identifier and QoS feature elements, including a second TID and a second UP. Optionally, the STA can re-initiate an SCS request based on the second TID and the second UP, for example, by retransmitting an SCS request frame, to map the first SCS flow to the second TID and the second TID to the second UP.

[0242] Optionally, the SCS response frame may also include a second effective time value. The second effective time value represents an absolute time or a time interval. It is used to indicate the effective time of the SCS response frame. For example, the second effective time value represents the start time of the SCS response frame's effectiveness. Alternatively, the second effective time value may represent a third time interval, which is the time interval between the start time of the SCS response frame's effectiveness and either the start or end time of the SCS response frame. Or, the second effective time value may indicate the effective time of the mapping from the first SCS stream to the second TID and the mapping from the second TID to the second UP. For example, the second effective time value represents the start time of the mapping from the first SCS stream to the second TID and the mapping from the second TID to the second UP. Alternatively, the second effective time value may represent a fourth time interval, which is the time interval between the start time of the mapping from the first SCS stream to the second TID and the mapping from the second TID to the second UP, and either the start or end time of the SCS response frame. Optionally, the SCS response frame may include a QoS feature element, which may contain the second effective time value. For example, referring to Figure 6, the QoS feature element includes a control information field, which contains a second effective time value. For instance, some or all bits in bits B29-B31 of the control information field may be the second effective time value. Optionally, the second effective time value may be included in the SCS descriptor. For example, the second effective time value may be an optional sub-element in the SCS descriptor.

[0243] Optionally, the SCS response frame may also include in-order delivery indication information, which indicates that the first SCS flow should be delivered in order. As an example, the SCS response frame may include QoS feature elements, which include a control information field containing the in-order delivery indication information. For instance, one bit in the control information field may be the in-order delivery indication information; when this bit is 1, it indicates that the first SCS flow should be delivered in order; when this bit is 0, it indicates that the first SCS flow does not need to be delivered in order. Optionally, the AP may also send an SCS response frame #1, which requests a change to the TID and / or UP corresponding to SCS flow #1. The QoS feature elements in this SCS response frame #1 include a control information field, where one or more bits indicate that SCS flow #1 does not need to be delivered in order.

[0244] An example of the aforementioned SCS response frame is as follows: The SCS response frame contains an SCS identifier and a QoS feature element, which includes a second TID and a second UP. The second UP is the UP mapped to the second TID. That is, the second TID is defined by the relevant QoS feature element, i.e., the second TID is defined (configured) to be mapped to an UP with a value greater than that of the second TID. Optionally, when the Priority parameter value in the MSDU is between 0 and 7 and is defined by a relevant QoS feature element, the STA or AP sends the MSDU according to the UP in the relevant QoS feature element. The Priority parameter value in the MSDU being between 0 and 7 and being defined by a relevant QoS feature element can mean that the Priority parameter value is any one of 0 to 7, and the TID with the value of the Priority parameter value is defined by a relevant QoS feature element. As an example, the second TID mentioned above is TID2, and the second UP mentioned above is UP6. After the AP sends an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame, it can also perform the following operation: when the Priority parameter value in the MSDU is 2, send the MSDU as the UP to which the MSDU is mapped. As another example, the second TID mentioned above is TID2, and the second UP mentioned above is UP6. After the STA receives an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame, it can also perform the following operation: when the Priority parameter value in the MSDU is 2, send the MSDU as the UP to which the MSDU is mapped. Optionally, when the Priority parameter value in the MSDU is 0-7 and is not defined by the relevant QoS feature element, the Priority parameter value is interpreted as the UP of the MSDU. As an example, if a TID in the first TID set is not defined by a related QoS feature element, and the Priority parameter value in the MSDU is x, then that Priority parameter value is used as the UP of the MSDU; where x is the value of any TID in the first TID set. For example, the first TID set includes TID0, TID1, and TID4-TID7.

[0245] In this embodiment, the STA sends an SCS request frame, which includes a first TID and a first UP. The first TID is mapped to the first UP. Since the values ​​of the first TID and the first UP are different, it supports mapping multiple SCS flows, including the first SCS flow, to different TIDs and the same high-priority AC. Compared to mapping multiple SCS flows to the same AC using the same TID, this reduces the head-of-queue blocking problem caused by different SCS flows using the same TID, thereby reducing the time for the receiver to parse the received data packets.

[0246] Optionally, after the AP sends an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame, the STA and AP also perform the following operations: the AP sends a MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) of the first SCS stream, and the STA receives the MPDU accordingly. The MPDU of the first SCS stream contains a second TID; the STA maps the second TID to the second UP, which is used as the UP corresponding to the MPDU of the first SCS stream; this can reduce the time for the receiver to parse the received MPDU of the first SCS stream.

[0247] Optionally, after the STA receives the SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame, the STA and AP also perform the following operations: the STA sends the MPDU of the first SCS stream, and the AP receives the MPDU accordingly. The MPDU of the first SCS stream contains a second TID. The AP maps the second TID to the second UP as the UP corresponding to the MPDU of the first SCS stream. This can reduce the time for the receiver to parse the received MPDU of the first SCS stream.

[0248] Optionally, after the AP sends an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame, the STA and AP also perform the following operations: the AP sends an MPDU, and the STA receives the MPDU, in which the TID contained is not assigned to any SCS flow; the STA uses the UP value of the TID as the UP corresponding to the MPDU. For example, if TID2 and TID3 are assigned to SCS flows, and the TID value in the MPDU received by the STA is any one of 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, or 7, taking the TID value of 1 as an example, the STA uses UP1 as the UP corresponding to the MPDU.

[0249] Optionally, after the STA receives the SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame, the STA and AP also perform the following operations: the STA sends an MPDU, and the AP receives the MPDU, in which the TID contained is not assigned to any SCS flow; the AP uses the UP value of the TID as the UP corresponding to the MPDU. For example, if TID2 and TID3 are assigned to SCS flows, and the TID value in the MPDU received by the AP is any one of 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, or 7, taking the TID value of 1 as an example, the AP uses UP1 as the UP corresponding to the MPDU.

[0250] Optionally, after the STA receives the SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame, the STA further performs the following operations: the STA maps the MSDU to the second TID; and sends the MSDU based on the second UP mapped to the second TID. Mapping the MSDU to the second TID includes: the STA determining that the AC to which the MSDU is to be mapped is the AC mapped by the second UP; determining that the TID mapped to the second UP includes the second TID and that the second TID is not currently used by the STA to transmit SCS streams; and mapping the MSDU to the second TID.

[0251] Optionally, after the AP sends an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame, the AP also performs the following operations: the AP maps the MSDU to a second TID; and sends the MSDU based on the second UP mapped to the second TID. Mapping the MSDU to the second TID includes: the AP determining that the AC to which the MSDU is to be mapped is the AC mapped by the second UP; determining that the TID mapped to the second UP includes the second TID and that the second TID is not currently used by the AP to transmit SCS streams; and mapping the MSDU to the second TID.

[0252] In one possible design, the STA can also instruct the first TID or the second TID not to allow services outside the first SCS flow to use it. Alternatively, the AP can also instruct the second TID not to allow services outside the first SCS flow to use it. The following describes possible implementations of the STA instructing the first TID or the second TID not to allow services outside the first SCS flow, and possible implementations of the AP instructing the second TID not to allow services outside the first SCS flow to use it.

[0253] Implementation Method #1: The SCS request frame also includes a QoS mapping element. This QoS mapping element is used to indicate the mapping rules from DSCP (e.g., 0-63) to TID (0-7) or UP (0-7). In this case, TID and UP are the same by default. One possible frame format for the QoS mapping element is shown in Figure 10 above. Referring to Figure 10, the QoS mapping element includes: the DSCP range corresponding to user priority 0 (UP 0 DSCP range), the DSCP range corresponding to user priority 1 (UP 1 DSCP range), ..., the DSCP range corresponding to user priority 7 (UP 7 DSCP range). The QoS mapping element includes a first TID and a first DSCP range field. The low and high DSCP values ​​in the first DSCP range field corresponding to the first TID are 255, so as to map DSCP (e.g., 0-63) to the remaining TIDs (0-7) other than the first TID, and reserve the first TID for use by this SCS flow.

[0254] Implementation Method #2: The SCS response frame also includes a QoS mapping element. This QoS mapping element indicates the mapping rules from DSCP (e.g., 0-63) to TID (0-7) or UP (0-7). In this case, TID and UP are the same by default. The QoS mapping element includes a second TID and a second DSCP range field. The low and high DSCP values ​​in the second DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID are 255, so as to map DSCP (e.g., 0-63) to the remaining TIDs (0-7) other than the second TID, and reserve the second TID for use by this SCS flow.

[0255] Implementation Method #3: After receiving the SCS response frame, the STA sends a QoS service capability update frame, and the AP receives the QoS service capability update frame accordingly. The QoS service capability update frame contains QoS service capability elements. One possible frame format of the QoS service capability update frame is shown in Figure 11 above. The QoS service capability elements are used to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to use it. Optionally, the QoS service capability elements contain multiple flag bits. Each flag bit corresponds to a TID. Or, each flag bit corresponds to a UP, and the value of each UP is the same as the value of the TID corresponding to that UP. The TID corresponding to the flag bit is the TID corresponding to the UP corresponding to that flag bit. One of these multiple flag bits corresponds to the second TID. When the flag bit is set to the first value, it is used to indicate that the TID corresponding to that flag bit does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to use it. When the flag bit is set to the second value, it is used to indicate that the TID corresponding to that flag bit allows services other than the first SCS flow to use it. The flag bit corresponding to the second TID is set to the first value. For example, a flag bit is one bit, the first value is 0, and the second value is 1. For example, a flag bit is one bit, with a first value of 1 and a second value of 0. As an example, referring to Figure 11, the QoS service capability element includes a QoS service capability flag field, which consists of 8 bits, each bit being a flag bit, with bits 0-7 corresponding to TID0-TID7 respectively.

[0256] Implementation #4: After receiving the SCS response frame, the STA sends an association request frame, and the AP receives the association request frame accordingly. The AP sends an association response frame based on the association request frame, and the STA receives the association response frame in response to the association request frame. Table 5 shows the frame format of the re-association response frame. For example, compared to the re-association request frame, the association request frame does not contain the current AP address. The association request frame contains a QoS service capability element. The QoS service capability element is used to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to be used. The implementation method of using the QoS service capability element to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to be used can be referred to the relevant description in Implementation #3, and will not be repeated here. The association response frame contains a third DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID. The third DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID is the DSCP range field corresponding to UP whose value is the same as the second TID. Alternatively, the third DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID can be the DSCP range field corresponding to UP#3, where the value of UP#3 is the same as the value of the second TID. For example, the value of the second TID is 3, and the third DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID is the DSCP range field corresponding to UP3. The low and high DSCP values ​​in the third DSCP range field are 255. Optionally, the association response frame includes a QoS mapping element. This QoS mapping element includes the third DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID. The AP can send an association response frame based on this association request frame by determining, based on the association request frame, that the second TID is not allowed to be used by services other than the first SCS flow, and then setting the low and high DSCP values ​​in the third DSCP range field included in the QoS mapping element to 255.

[0257] Implementation #5: After the AP sends the SCS response frame, it sends a beacon frame, which the STA receives. The beacon frame contains QoS service capability elements. These QoS service capability elements are used to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to be used. The implementation details for using QoS service capability elements to indicate that the second TID does not allow services other than the first SCS flow to be used can be found in the relevant description in Implementation #3, and will not be repeated here.

[0258] Implementation Method #6: After the AP sends the SCS response frame, it sends a QoS mapping configuration frame, which the STA receives. The QoS mapping configuration frame contains a fourth DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID. This fourth DSCP range field is the DSCP range field corresponding to the value of UP (uppercase) of the second TID. Alternatively, the fourth DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID can be the DSCP range field corresponding to UP#4, where the value of UP#4 is the same as the value of the second TID. For example, if the value of the second TID is 3, the fourth DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID is the DSCP range field corresponding to UP3. The low and high DSCP values ​​in the fourth DSCP range field are both 255. Optionally, the QoS mapping configuration frame contains a QoS mapping element. This QoS mapping element contains the fourth DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID. A possible frame format for the QoS mapping configuration frame is shown in Table 3 above.

[0259] Implementation Method #7: After receiving the SCS response frame, the STA defaults to setting the second TID as a TID that SCS flows other than the first SCS flow are not allowed to use. After the AP sends the SCS response frame, it defaults to setting the second TID as a TID that SCS flows other than the first SCS flow are not allowed to use. In other words, once a TID is assigned to a specific SCS flow, other services cannot be mapped to the corresponding TID by default according to the DSCP and UP mapping relationship.

[0260] Figure 14 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 14, the method includes:

[0261] 1401. The AP sends an actively provided SCS response frame, and the STA receives the actively provided SCS response frame accordingly.

[0262] An unsolicited SCS response frame is an SCS response frame actively sent by the AP. An unsolicited SCS response frame is used to request a change in the TID and / or UP corresponding to the second SCS stream. The frame format of an unsolicited SCS response frame can be found in the standard definition and will not be repeated here. The second SCS stream can be an SCS stream currently being transmitted between the AP and STA. The second SCS stream can be the first SCS stream mentioned above, or it can be something other than the first SCS stream mentioned above.

[0263] The proactively provided SCS response frame contains an SCS identifier, a third TID, and a third UP. The SCS identifier identifies the second SCS flow. In other words, the SCS identifier is the identifier of the second SCS flow. The third TID is the TID mapped to the second SCS flow. The third UP is the UP mapped to the third TID. As an example, the proactively provided SCS response frame contains a list of SCS descriptors. One SCS descriptor in the list contains an SCS identifier and QoS feature elements that identify the second SCS flow, including the third TID and the third UP.

[0264] The value of the third TID is different from the value of the third UP. Optionally, the value of the third TID is less than the value of the third UP. For example, the value of the third TID is any one of 0-3. The value of the third UP is any one of 4-7, thus the third TID can be mapped to the higher-priority UP, and the second SCS stream can be mapped to the AC mapped to the higher-priority UP. For example, the value of the third TID is 3, that is, the third TID is TID3, and the value of the third UP is 5, that is, the third UP is UP5, and TID3 is mapped to UP5. The third TID is different from the TID to which the second SCS stream is mapped before the AP sends the actively provided SCS response frame. Or, the third UP is different from the UP to which the second SCS stream is mapped before the AP sends the actively provided SCS response frame. For example, before the AP sends the actively provided SCS response frame, the second SCS stream is mapped to TID5, TID5 is mapped to UP5; the third TID is TID3, and the third UP is UP5. For example, before the AP sends the actively provided SCS response frame, the second SCS stream is mapped to TID5, and TID5 is mapped to UP5; the third TID is TID3, and the third UP is UP6. As another example, before the AP sends the actively provided SCS response frame, the second SCS stream is mapped to TID3, and TID3 is mapped to UP3; the third TID is TID3, and the third UP is UP5. Yet another example, before the AP sends the actively provided SCS response frame, the second SCS stream is mapped to TID2, and TID5 is mapped to UP5; the third TID is either TID2 or TID2, and the third UP is UP6.

[0265] Optionally, the proactively provided SCS response frame may also include a third effective time value. The third effective time value represents an absolute time or a time interval. It is used to indicate the effective time of the proactively provided SCS response frame. For example, the third effective time value indicates the start time of the proactively provided SCS response frame's effectiveness. Alternatively, the third effective time value may represent a fifth time interval, which is the time interval between the start time of the proactively provided SCS response frame's effectiveness and either the start or end time of that proactively provided SCS response frame. Or, the third effective time value may indicate the effective time of the mapping from the second SCS stream to the third TID and the mapping from the third TID to the third UP. For example, the third effective time value indicates the start time of the mapping from the second SCS stream to the third TID and the mapping from the third TID to the third UP. Alternatively, the third effective time value may represent a sixth time interval, which is the time interval between the start time of the mapping from the second SCS stream to the third TID and the mapping from the third TID to the third UP and the start or end time of that proactively provided SCS response frame. Optionally, the proactively provided SCS response frame includes a QoS feature element, which contains a third effective time value. For example, referring to Figure 6, the QoS feature element includes a control information field, which contains the third effective time value; for instance, some or all bits in bits B29-B31 of the control information field may be the third effective time value. Optionally, the third effective time value can be included in the SCS descriptor. For example, the third effective time value can be an optional sub-element in the SCS descriptor.

[0266] Optionally, the proactively provided SCS response frame may also include in-order delivery indication information, which is used to indicate that the second SCS flow should be delivered in order. As an example, the proactively provided SCS response frame may include QoS feature elements, which include a control information field containing the in-order delivery indication information. For example, one bit in the control information field may be the in-order delivery indication information; when this bit is 1, it indicates that the second SCS flow should be delivered in order; when this bit is 0, it indicates that the second SCS flow does not need to be delivered in order. Optionally, the AP may also send a proactively provided SCS response frame #1, which is used to request a change in the TID and / or UP corresponding to SCS flow #2, indicating that SCS flow #2 does not need to be delivered in order. The QoS feature elements in this proactively provided SCS response frame #1 include a control information field, in which one or more bits are used to indicate that SCS flow #2 does not need to be delivered in order.

[0267] Optionally, after receiving the proactively provided SCS response frame, the STA further performs the following operations: Based on the proactively provided SCS response frame, the STA determines the mapping of the second SCS stream to the third TID and the mapping of the third TID to the third UP. If the SCS response frame also contains a third effective time value, the STA further determines the start time for the effective mapping of the second SCS stream to the third TID and the mapping of the third TID to the third UP, based on the proactively provided SCS response frame. For example, after this start time, the STA and / or AP maps the second SCS stream to the third TID and the third TID to the third UP.

[0268] Optionally, after the AP sends the actively provided SCS response frame, the STA and AP also perform the following operations: the AP sends the MPDU of the second SCS stream, and the STA receives the MPDU accordingly. The MPDU of the second SCS stream contains a third TID. The STA maps the third TID to the third UP as the UP corresponding to the MPDU of the second SCS stream. This can reduce the time for the receiver to parse the received MPDU of the second SCS stream.

[0269] Optionally, after the STA receives the actively provided SCS response frame, the STA and AP also perform the following operations: the STA sends the MPDU of the second SCS stream, and the AP receives the MPDU accordingly. The MPDU of the second SCS stream contains a third TID; the AP maps the third TID to the third UP as the UP corresponding to the MPDU of the second SCS stream; thereby reducing the time for the receiver to parse the received MPDU of the second SCS stream.

[0270] Optionally, after the AP sends the actively provided SCS response frame, the AP also performs the following operations: the AP maps the MSDU to a third TID; based on the third UP mapped by the third TID, the AP sends an MPDU obtained based on the MSDU. Mapping the MSDU to the third TID includes: the AP determining that the AC to which the MSDU is to be mapped is the AC mapped by the third UP; determining that the TID mapped to the third UP includes the third TID and that the third TID is not currently used by the AP to transmit SCS streams; and mapping the MSDU to the third TID.

[0271] Optionally, after the STA receives the actively provided SCS response frame, the STA also performs the following operations: the STA maps the MSDU to the third TID; based on the third UP mapped by the third TID, the STA sends the MPDU obtained based on the MSDU. The STA maps the MSDU to the third TID, including: the STA determining that the AC to which the MSDU is to be mapped is the AC mapped by the third UP; determining that the TID mapped to the third UP includes the third TID and that the third TID is not currently used by the STA to transmit SCS streams; and mapping the MSDU to the third TID.

[0272] In this embodiment, the AP sends an actively provided SCS response frame, which includes an SCS identifier, a third TID, and a third UP. The third TID is mapped to the third UP. Since the values ​​of the third TID and the third UP are different, it is possible to map multiple SCS flows, including the second SCS flow, to different TIDs and the same high-priority AC. Compared to mapping multiple SCS flows to the same AC using the same TID, this reduces the head-of-line blocking problem caused by different SCS flows using the same TID, thereby reducing the time for the receiver to parse the received data packets.

[0273] It should be understood that the sequence number of each process in the above embodiments does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0274] It should also be understood that, in the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0275] It should also be understood that in some embodiments, the examples are mainly based on devices in existing network architectures, and it should be understood that the specific form of the device is not limited in the embodiments of this application. For example, any device that can achieve the same function in the future is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0276] It is understood that, in various method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by devices (such as the first communication device, the second communication device, etc.) can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used in the devices.

[0277] It is also understood that some optional features in the various embodiments of this application may not depend on other features in some scenarios, or may be combined with other features in some scenarios, without limitation.

[0278] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0279] The communication device provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 15 to 17. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, for content not described in detail, please refer to the method embodiments above. For the sake of brevity, some content will not be repeated.

[0280] This application embodiment can divide the transmitting or receiving device into functional modules according to the method example. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following description uses the division of functional modules according to each function as an example.

[0281] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of the apparatus 10 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0282] In one design, the device 10 may be the STA in the above method embodiments, or a component of the STA (such as a chip).

[0283] In this design, the device 10 includes a processing module 12 and a transceiver module 11, wherein:

[0284] Processing module 12 is used to generate an SCS request frame. The SCS request frame contains an SCS identifier, a first TID, and a first UP. The SCS identifier is used to identify the first SCS stream. The first TID is the TID to which the first SCS stream is requested to be mapped. The first UP is the UP to which the first TID is requested to be mapped. The values ​​of the first TID and the first UP are different.

[0285] The transceiver module 11 is used to send an SCS request frame and receive an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame.

[0286] For detailed information on this design, please refer to the methods described above; it will not be repeated here.

[0287] In another design, the device 10 can be the AP in the above method embodiments, or a component of the AP (such as a chip). In this design, the device 10 includes a processing module 12 and a transceiver module 11, wherein:

[0288] Transceiver module 11 is used to receive SCS request frames. The SCS request frame contains an SCS identifier, a first TID, and a first UP. The SCS identifier is used to identify the first SCS stream. The first TID is the TID to which the first SCS stream is requested to be mapped. The first UP is the UP to which the first TID is requested to be mapped. The values ​​of the first TID and the first UP are different.

[0289] Processing module 12 is used to generate an SCS response frame in response to an SCS request frame.

[0290] The transceiver module is also used to send SCS response frames.

[0291] For detailed information on this design, please refer to the methods described above; it will not be repeated here.

[0292] In another design, the device 10 can be the AP in the above method embodiments, or a component of the AP (such as a chip). In this design, the device 10 includes a processing module 12 and a transceiver module 11, wherein:

[0293] Processing module 12 is used to acquire an actively provided SCS response frame, which is used to request a change in the TID and / or UP corresponding to the second SCS stream. The actively provided SCS response frame contains an SCS identifier, a third TID, and a third UP. The SCS identifier is used to identify the second SCS stream, the third TID is the TID mapped to the second SCS stream, and the third UP is the UP mapped to the third TID.

[0294] The transceiver module 11 is used to send the actively provided SCS response frame.

[0295] For detailed information on this design, please refer to the methods described above; it will not be repeated here.

[0296] In another design, the device 10 may be the STA as described in the above method embodiments, or a component of the STA (such as a chip). In this design, the device 10 includes a processing module 12 and a transceiver module 11, wherein:

[0297] Transceiver module 11 is configured to receive an actively provided SCS response frame, which requests a change to the TID and / or UP corresponding to the second SCS stream. The actively provided SCS response frame includes an SCS identifier, a third TID, and a third UP. The SCS identifier identifies the second SCS stream, the third TID is the TID mapped to the second SCS stream, and the third UP is the UP mapped to the third TID.

[0298] Processing module 12 is used to determine the TID of the second SCS stream mapping and the UP of the third TID mapping based on the actively provided SCS response frame.

[0299] For detailed information on this design, please refer to the methods described above; it will not be repeated here.

[0300] It should be understood that the device 10 here is embodied in the form of a functional module, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of both. For example, the transceiver module can be implemented by a transceiver, and the processing module can be implemented by a processor, as shown in Figure 16. Alternatively, the transceiver module can also be a transceiver circuit, and the processing module can be a processing circuit, as shown in Figure 17.

[0301] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods of the above embodiments.

[0302] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes instructions or a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the methods in the above embodiments to be executed.

[0303] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0304] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of apparatus or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0305] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. Computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs). For example, the aforementioned available media include, but are not limited to, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks, and other media capable of storing program code.

[0306] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: include: Send a Stream Classification Service (SCS) request frame. The SCS request frame contains an SCS identifier, a first service identifier (TID), and a first user priority (UP). The SCS identifier is used to identify the first SCS stream. The first TID is the TID to which the first SCS stream is requested to be mapped. The first UP is the UP to which the first TID is requested to be mapped. The value of the first TID and the value of the first UP are different. Receive an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The value of the first TID is less than the value of the first UP.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The SCS request frame also includes a first effective time value, which is used for the effective time of the SCS request frame.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The SCS response frame contains the SCS identifier, a second TID, and a second UP. The second TID is the TID mapped to the first SCS stream, and the second UP is the UP mapped to the second TID. The values ​​of the second TID and the second UP are different.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The second TID is the same as the first TID, and the second UP is the same as the first UP; or, The second TID is different from the first TID, or the second UP is different from the first UP.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The SCS response frame also includes a second effective time value, which indicates the effective time of the SCS response frame, or the second effective time value indicates the effective time of the mapping of the first SCS stream to the second TID and the mapping of the second TID to the second UP.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The SCS request frame also includes a first differential service coding point (DSCP) range field corresponding to the first TID, wherein the low DSCP value and the high DSCP value in the first DSCP range field are 255.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that, The SCS response frame also includes a second DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID, wherein the low DSCP value and the high DSCP value in the second DSCP range field are 255.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The SCS request frame also includes in-order delivery indication information, which is used to indicate that the first SCS stream is delivered in order.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The SCS response frame includes the SCS identifier and QoS feature elements. The QoS feature elements include a second TID and a second UP. The value of the second TID is 0-7, and the second UP is the UP mapped to the second TID. The method further includes: According to the second UP in the QoS feature element, send the MAC service data unit (MSDU).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The value of the second TID is less than the value of the second UP.

12. A communication method characterized by comprising: include: Receive a Stream Classification Service (SCS) request frame. The SCS request frame contains an SCS identifier, a first service identifier (TID), and a first user priority (UP). The SCS identifier is used to identify a first SCS stream. The first TID is the TID to which the first SCS stream is requested to be mapped. The first UP is the UP to which the first TID is requested to be mapped. The value of the first TID and the value of the first UP are different. Send an SCS response frame in response to the SCS request frame.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The value of the first TID is less than the value of the first UP.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The SCS request frame also includes a first effective time value, which is used for the effective time of the SCS request frame.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that, The SCS response frame contains the SCS identifier, a second TID, and a second UP. The second TID is the TID mapped to the first SCS stream, and the second UP is the UP mapped to the second TID. The values ​​of the second TID and the second UP are different.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The second TID is the same as the first TID, and the second UP is the same as the first UP; or, The second TID is different from the first TID, or the second UP is different from the first UP.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The SCS response frame also includes a second effective time value, which indicates the effective time of the SCS response frame, or the second effective time value indicates the effective time of the mapping of the first SCS stream to the second TID and the mapping of the second TID to the second UP.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that, The SCS request frame also includes a first differential service coding point (DSCP) range field corresponding to the first TID, wherein the low DSCP value and the high DSCP value in the first DSCP range field are 255.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that, The SCS response frame also includes a second DSCP range field corresponding to the second TID, wherein the low DSCP value and the high DSCP value in the second DSCP range field are 255.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, characterized in that, The SCS request frame also includes in-order delivery indication information, which is used to indicate that the first SCS stream is delivered in order.

21. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that, The SCS response frame contains the SCS identifier and QoS feature elements. The QoS feature elements contain a second TID and a second UP. The value of the second TID is 0-7, and the second UP is the UP mapped to the second TID.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The value of the second TID is less than the value of the second UP.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-11, or it includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 12-22.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory for storing computer programs or instructions, the processor for executing the computer programs or instructions in the memory, causing the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11; or causing the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 22.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 22.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 22.

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