Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving wireless frames

Abstract

This application provides a method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving wireless frames. The wireless frame transmission method includes: generating and transmitting a wireless frame, the wireless frame including a first element, and at least one of a second element and a third element; information of a total length of L bytes is carried in a first information field of the first element, and also carried in at least one of a second information field of the second element and a third information field of the third element; wherein, the length of the information carried in the first information field is K bytes; the length of the information carried in the second information field is the number of bytes of the second information portion minus the sum of the number of bytes of the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field; the length of the information carried in the third information field is the total length of L bytes minus the length of the information carried in the first information field; or further minus the length of the information carried in the second information field. This application is applicable to wireless local area network systems that support IEEE 802.11ax next-generation WiFi protocols, such as 802.11be, or EHT and other 802.11 series protocols.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless local area network (WLAN) technology, and in particular to a wireless frame transmission method and apparatus, and a wireless frame reception method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of wireless technology, during communication between devices, one device can send a wireless frame containing elements to another device. These elements can be used to carry the device's information. The maximum length of the information carried by an element is fixed and is configured by the length field in the element.

[0003] However, when the length of the information to be transmitted is large, there may be a situation where the length of the information carried by the element exceeds the maximum length value configured for the element. This can easily lead to the failure of wireless frame transmission because the element cannot carry the information of the device (single-link device or multi-link device), thus affecting communication efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a wireless frame transmission method and apparatus, and a wireless frame reception method and apparatus.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a method for transmitting wireless frames, comprising:

[0006] Generate a wireless frame, the wireless frame including a first element, and the wireless frame further including at least one of a second element and a third element;

[0007] The first element includes a first length field and a first information portion following the first length field; the first information portion includes a first indicator field and a first sub-element, the first sub-element including a first sub-indicator field and a first information field;

[0008] The second element includes a second length field and a second information portion following the second length field; the second information portion includes a second indicator field and a second sub-element, the second sub-element including a second sub-indicator field and a second information field;

[0009] The third element includes a third length field and a third information portion following the third length field; the third information portion includes a third indicator field and a third sub-element, the third sub-element including a third sub-indicator field and a third information field;

[0010] The information to be sent in segments, with a total length of L bytes, is carried in the first information field, and also in at least one of the second and third information fields;

[0011] The first information field carries information of length K bytes;

[0012] The length of the information carried by the second information field is the number of bytes in the second information portion minus the sum of the number of bytes in the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field, which is X bytes.

[0013] The length of the information carried in the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length K bytes of the information carried in the first information field; or

[0014] The length of the information carried by the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length of the information carried by the first information field K bytes, and then minus the length of the information carried by the second information field;

[0015] Send the wireless frame.

[0016] A second aspect of this application provides a method for receiving wireless frames, comprising:

[0017] Receive a wireless frame, the wireless frame including a first element, and the wireless frame further including at least one of a second element and a third element;

[0018] The first element includes a first length field and a first information portion following the first length field; the first information portion includes a first indicator field and a first sub-element, the first sub-element including a first sub-indicator field and a first information field;

[0019] The second element includes a second length field and a second information portion following the second length field; the second information portion includes a second indicator field and a second sub-element, the second sub-element including a second sub-indicator field and a second information field;

[0020] The third element includes a third length field and a third information portion following the third length field; the third information portion includes a third indicator field and a third sub-element, the third sub-element including a third sub-indicator field and a third information field;

[0021] The information to be sent in segments, with a total length of L bytes, is carried in the first information field, and also in at least one of the second and third information fields;

[0022] The first information field carries information of length K bytes;

[0023] The length of the information carried by the second information field is X bytes, which is the sum of the number of bytes in the second information portion minus the number of bytes in the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field; or, in other words, the length of the information carried by the second information field is X bytes, which is the sum of the number of bytes indicated by the second length field minus the number of bytes in the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field; it should be understood that in one implementation, the value of the second length field is 255, indicating that the number of bytes in the second information portion is 255 bytes.

[0024] The length of the information carried in the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length K bytes of the information carried in the first information field; or

[0025] The length of the information carried by the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length of the information carried by the first information field K bytes, and then minus the length of the information carried by the second information field;

[0026] Information with a total length of L bytes for segmented transmission is obtained from the wireless frame.

[0027] In one implementation of the first or second aspect of this application, the information to be segmented and transmitted is the information / data portion of an information element, with a length of L bytes. These L bytes do not include the length of the element ID field, the length field, or the element ID extension field of the information element. In one implementation, the information element is a multi-link element; in another implementation, the information element is any fragmentable element defined by the 802.11 standard.

[0028] In one implementation of the first or second aspect of this application, the first sub-element is an information element, and the second and third sub-elements are segmentation elements.

[0029] In another implementation of the first or second aspect of this application, the first sub-element includes an element identifier (element ID); the second and third sub-elements include an element ID with a value of 242, indicating that the second and third sub-elements are segmented information elements.

[0030] In another implementation of the first or second aspect of this application, the value of the first length field is 255, indicating that the length of the first information portion is 255 bytes; the length of the first indication field is A1 bytes, the length of the first sub-indication field is A2 bytes, and the length K of the information carried by the first information field is 255-A1-A2 bytes.

[0031] In another implementation of the first or second aspect of this application, the value of the second length field is 255, indicating that the length of the second information portion is 255 bytes; the length of the second indication field is X1 bytes, the length of the first sub-indication field is X2 bytes, and the length of the information carried by the second information field is (255-X1-X2) bytes. Where X1+X2=X;

[0032] In another implementation of the first or second aspect of this application, the number of the second element... in, This indicates rounding down to the nearest integer.

[0033] In one implementation,

[0034] In another implementation of the first or second aspect of this application, the number of the third element... or

[0035] In one implementation,

[0036] or

[0037] In another implementation of the first or second aspect of this application, the length of the information carried by the third information field is LK - (length of the second information portion indicated by the second indicator field - X) × M bytes. In one implementation, LK - (255 - X) × M bytes.

[0038] In another implementation of the first or second aspect of this application, the first element, the second element, and the third element are multiple BSSID elements, where X = 5.

[0039] In one implementation, the length of the second indicator field is X1 bytes, where X1 has a value of 3, and the length of the second sub-indicator field is X2 bytes, where X2 has a value of 2.

[0040] In another implementation of the first or second aspect of this application, the first element, the second element, and the third element are neighbor report elements, and X = 15.

[0041] A third aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one processor coupled to a memory; the memory is used to store a program or instructions; the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instructions to enable the device to implement the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or to enable the device to implement the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0042] A fourth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the processor executes the method as described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0043] The fifth aspect of this application provides a computer program product (or computer program) that stores one or more computers. When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the processor executes the method as described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0044] A sixth aspect of this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the functions involved in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect; or for supporting a communication device in implementing the functions involved in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the chip system may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Optionally, the chip system may also include interface circuitry that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor.

[0046] A seventh aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes the communication device of the third aspect and the communication device of the fourth aspect described above.

[0047] The technical effects of any of the implementation methods in aspects three through seven can be found in the technical effects of the different implementation methods in aspects one through two above, and will not be repeated here.

[0048] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the wireless frames transmitted during WLAN communication include a first element, a second element, and / or a third element to carry segmented information. This segmented information can be site information for multi-link devices. Compared to wireless frame transmission failures caused by the inability to carry excessively long information in a single element, this method of carrying information through multiple elements in the wireless frame avoids transmission failures and improves communication efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0049] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of multi-link association in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a wireless frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 4 Another schematic diagram of a wireless frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of segmented transmission provided in 802.11ai;

[0054] Figure 6 Another schematic diagram of segmented transmission provided in 802.11ai;

[0055] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a segmented transmission method;

[0056] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a wireless frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating the wireless frame transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the format of segmented elements provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 11 A schematic diagram illustrating the transmission of wireless frames using Multiple BSSID elements as provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0060] Figure 12 A schematic diagram illustrating the transmission of wireless frames using Multiple BSSID elements as provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0061] Figure 13A schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 14 Another schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0063] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The embodiments described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0064] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0065] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0066] Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first" and "second" are not necessarily different. Meanwhile, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being used as an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or implementation described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or implementations. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete manner for ease of understanding.

[0067] To facilitate understanding of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the system architecture of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below. It is understood that the system architecture described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0068] The technical solution provided in this application can be applied to WLAN scenarios, such as IEEE 802.11 system standards, such as 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, or their next generation, such as 802.11be or even later.

[0069] Although the embodiments of this application are primarily illustrated using the deployment of WLAN networks, particularly those employing the IEEE 802.11 system standard, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the various aspects of this application can be extended to other networks employing various standards or protocols, such as BLUETOOTH, high-performance radio LAN (HIPERLAN) (a wireless standard similar to the IEEE 802.11 standard, primarily used in Europe), and wide area networks (WANs), personal area networks (PANs), or other networks now known or to be developed in the future. Therefore, regardless of the coverage area and wireless access protocol used, the various aspects provided in this application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0070] The embodiments of this application can also be applied to wireless local area network systems such as Internet of Things (IoT) networks or Vehicle-to-X (V2X) networks. Of course, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other possible communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) systems, 5th Generation (5G) systems, and future 6th Generation (6G) systems, etc.

[0071] The communication systems described above that are applicable to this application are merely illustrative examples, and the communication systems applicable to this application are not limited to these. They will be uniformly described here and will not be repeated below.

[0072] The wireless frame transmission method and apparatus, as well as the wireless frame reception method and apparatus provided in this application, can be applied to a wireless communication system, which can be a wireless local area network (WLAN) or a cellular network. The method can be implemented by a communication device in the wireless communication system or a chip or processor within that device. This communication device can be a wireless communication device that supports parallel transmission across multiple links, for example, a multi-link device (MLD) or a multi-band device. Compared to devices that only support single-link transmission, multi-link devices have higher transmission efficiency and higher throughput.

[0073] Please see Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0074] like Figure 1As shown, the communication system mainly includes at least one multi-link access point device (APdevice) and at least one multi-link non-AP STA device (STA device) (referred to as multi-link STA device). The multi-link access point device and the multi-link STA device can be collectively referred to as multi-link devices. The multi-link devices will be described below.

[0075] Generally, a multi-link device includes one or more affiliated stations (denoted as affiliated STAs). An affiliated STA is a logical station that can operate on a single link. The affiliated station can be an access point (AP) or a non-access point station (non-AP STA). For ease of description, this application refers to a multi-link device whose affiliated station is an AP as a multi-link AP device or AP multi-link device, and a multi-link non-AP STA device as a multi-link STA device or STA multi-link device. For ease of description, "a multi-link device includes affiliated STAs" is also briefly described in this embodiment as "a multi-link device includes STAs".

[0076] It is worth noting that a multi-link device includes multiple logical stations, each operating on a single link, but multiple logical stations are allowed to operate on the same link. The link identifier mentioned below represents a single station operating on a single link; that is, if there is more than one station on a link, more than one link identifier is required to represent them. The link mentioned below may also sometimes refer to a station operating on that link.

[0077] Multi-link AP devices and multi-link STA devices can use link identifiers to identify a link or a station on a link during data transmission. Before communication, the multi-link AP devices and multi-link STA devices can negotiate or communicate the correspondence between the link identifier and a link or a station on a link. Therefore, during data transmission, it is not necessary to transmit a large amount of signaling information to indicate the link or the station on the link; carrying the link identifier is sufficient, reducing signaling overhead and improving transmission efficiency.

[0078] In one example, when a multi-link AP device establishes a BSS, the management frame it sends, such as a beacon frame, carries an element containing multiple link identification information fields. Each link identification information field suggests a mapping between a link identifier and a station operating on that link. Each link identification information field includes a link identifier, as well as one or more of the following: medium access control (MAC) address, operation set, and channel number. The MAC address, operation set, and channel number can indicate a link. In another example, during the multi-link association establishment process, the multi-link AP device and the multi-link site device negotiate multiple link identification information fields. In subsequent communications, the multi-link AP device or the multi-link site device will use the link identifier to represent a station within the multi-link device. The link identifier can also represent one or more attributes of that station, including its MAC address, operating operation set, and channel number. The MAC address can also be replaced with the association identifier of the multi-link AP device after association.

[0079] If multiple stations are operating on a single link, then the link identifier (a numerical ID) represents not only the operation set and channel number of the link, but also the identifier of the station operating on that link, such as the station's MAC address or AID.

[0080] Multilink devices can implement wireless communication by following the 802.11 series of protocols. For example, they can follow extremely high throughput (EHT) stations or 802.11be-based or compatible stations to communicate with other devices. Of course, other devices can be multilink devices or not.

[0081] The non-AP MLD involved in this application can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal. For example, it can be a user terminal, user equipment, access device, subscriber station, subscriber unit, mobile station, user agent, or user equipment that supports Wi-Fi communication. The user terminal can include various handheld devices, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, as well as various forms of user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), terminal, terminal equipment, portable communication devices, handheld devices, portable computing devices, entertainment devices, gaming devices or systems, GPS devices, or any other suitable device configured for network communication via wireless media. Furthermore, the non-AP MLD can support the 802.11be standard or the next-generation WLAN standard of 802.11be. The non-AP MLD can also support multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0082] The AP MLD involved in this application can be a device deployed in a wireless communication network to provide wireless communication functions for its associated non-APs. It is mainly deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. The AP MLD acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, its main function being to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, the AP MLD can be a base station, router, gateway, repeater, communication server, switch, or bridge, etc., with a Wi-Fi chip. The base station can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, repeater stations, etc. Furthermore, the AP MLD can support the 802.11be standard or the next-generation WLAN standard of 802.11be. The AP MLD can also support WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0083] As described above, multi-link access point devices and multi-link site devices can communicate through various radio frames, such as association request frames, reassociation request frames, association response frames, reassociation response frames, and probe response frames. Different radio frames can carry multi-link elements (MLEs) to transmit site information of the multi-link devices. The MLE can also be called a multi-link information unit.

[0084] The following description, using the association process of multi-link devices as an example, illustrates the specific implementation of the association request frame used in the association process. Figure 2 As shown, during the multi-link establishment (or multi-link association) process, one site in the multi-link site device can send an association request frame to one access point in the multi-link access point device. This association request frame carries an MLE (Multi-Link Entity Frame) to carry information about the current site in the multi-link site device and information about other sites in the multi-link device. Similarly, the association response frame sent by the access point to the site can also carry an MLE to carry information about the current access point in the multi-link access point device and information about other access points in the multi-link device.

[0085] like Figure 3 The diagram shown illustrates the frame structure of an MLE. The MLE includes an Element ID field (for example, its value can be...). Figure 3 The diagram shows the following fields: 255), Length field, Element IDExtension field, Multi-Link Control field, Common Info field, and Link Info field. The Common Info field carries information shared by multiple stations within the multi-link device, as well as information about the multi-link device itself. The Link Info field carries information about stations on each link within the multi-link device. The Multi-Link Control field carries the type of the multi-link element and indicates which fields in the Common Info field are present and which are absent.

[0086] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, the Link Info field may also include one or more Per-STA Profile fields. Figure 3 Taking a Per-STA Profile with x (x greater than 1) fields as an example. Each Per-STA Profile field can further include a Subelement ID field (for example, its value can be...). Figure 3The fields shown are 0), Length, and Data.

[0087] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, the Data field may also include a STA Control field, a STA Info field, and a STA Profile field.

[0088] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, the STA Profile field includes multiple fields. Figure 3 Taking a field with m fields (x greater than 1) as an example; the STA Profile field also includes multiple elements. Figure 3 The example used is a case where the number of elements is n (n is greater than 1). In addition, the STA Profile field also includes, if present, any non-inheritance elements.

[0089] However, as Figure 3 As shown, the length of content that an MLE can carry is limited, and the specific length is indicated by the Length field in the MLE. Specifically, the Length field indicates the number of bytes following the Length field in the MLE. For example, the Length field in the MLE is 8 bits long, which can indicate a length from 0 to 255 bytes. However, the length of information that the MLE needs to carry may exceed 255 bytes, making it impossible to use only one MLE to carry information from multiple links.

[0090] Furthermore, the information of stations on each link in a multi-link device is carried in the Per-STAProfile subelement of the Link Info, and each Per-STA Profile also has a length limit. For example, the Length field in the Per-STA Profile is 8 bits long, which means that the Data part can only carry a maximum of 255 bytes. However, the information of stations on each link may be longer than 255 bytes, making it impossible to use only one Per-STA Profile to carry the information of stations on each link.

[0091] Before describing the embodiments of this application, the relevant technologies involved in the basic serviceset (BSS) scenario in a WLAN communication system will be introduced.

[0092] like Figure 4As shown, the radio frame structure includes two adjacent Multiple Basic Service Set Identifier (MBSID) elements. In each MBSID element, the Element ID field (for example, its value can be...) Figure 3 The elements shown in Figure 71) include the Length field, the Max BSSID Indicator field, and the Nontransmitted BSSID Profile subelement (or Nontransmitted BSSID Profile field), and the number of Nontransmitted BSSID Profile fields is 0 or more. Figure 4 The example given is a nontransmitted BSSIDProfile subelement with the number of subelements i (i is greater than 1).

[0093] Furthermore, such as Figure 4 As shown, the i-th Nontransmitted BSSID Profile subelement (BSSi) includes a Subelement ID field (e.g., the value can be 0), a Length field, and a Data field.

[0094] Furthermore, such as Figure 4 As shown, the Data field includes a Nontransmitted BSSID Capability element, a Service Set Identifier (SSID) element, a Multiple BSSID-Index element, and one or more Element and Non-inheritance elements (if present). Figure 4 In the example shown, the i-th Nontransmitted BSSID Profile subelement in the first Multiple BSSID element includes the first to the L-th (L > 1) elements, and the i-th Nontransmitted BSSID Profile subelement in the second Multiple BSSID element includes the L+1-th to the Y-th (Y > L) elements.

[0095] Specifically, the Multiple BSSID element is used to carry information about multiple virtual APs within a multi-link device to which one AP belongs, and its Length field is 8 bits, indicating a maximum capacity of 255 bytes. However, the length of information for multiple virtual APs may exceed 255 bytes, therefore multiple Multiple BSSID elements are needed to carry the information for multiple virtual APs. Figure 4 As shown, the first multiple BSSID element carries information about the first part of the first BSS to the i-th BSS; the second multiple BSSID element carries information about the remaining part of the i-th BSS and information about the (i+1)-th BSS. The contents of the two multiple BSSID elements can be concatenated to obtain information about the first to the (i+1)-th BSS, and the information of each BSS begins with a Nontransmitted BSSID Capability element.

[0096] However, in Figure 4 In the example shown, since the information of BSS i is distributed in two multiple BSSID elements, the station needs to read the first information unit of the Data part of the Nontransmitted BSSID Profile subelement in the second multiple BSSID element, and determine whether this is information from a new BSS or the remaining information from the previous BSS based on whether the first information unit is a Nontransmitted BSSID Capability element.

[0097] However, for Figure 3 In the frame structure of the MLE shown, the first field of the Per-STA Profile subelement is the STA Control field, not an information unit. The content carried by the STA Control field is variable, unlike a fixed information unit where the content of its first byte (element ID) is fixed. Therefore, it is impossible to determine whether this is information from a new AP or the remainder of information from a previous AP by reading the first byte of the Data portion of the Per-STA Profile in the second MLE.

[0098] In other words, the current implementation method of carrying the information of the same AP through multiple BSSID elements in Multiple BSSID elements is not applicable to the process of carrying the site information of the same link through multiple MLEs in MLE.

[0099] Similar to the Multiple BSSID element, there is also the problem that a single element cannot carry all the information. Therefore, in the current WLAN wireless frame transmission process, there is an urgent need for a solution to solve the problem that a single element cannot carry the information of a single-link device or multiple-link devices, which leads to the failure of wireless frame transmission.

[0100] The existing 802.11ai standard provides a mechanism for information segmentation, such as... Figure 5 As shown:

[0101] If the length of the Data portion is L bytes, then the L bytes can be divided into M+N portions. If the information element does not contain an Element ID Extension field, then:

[0102]

[0103]

[0104] The first part is carried within an information element (the value of the Element ID indicates that it is an information element), and the remaining parts are carried within one or more fragment elements. A fragment element is a type of information element with an element ID value of 242, indicating that it is a fragment element. This element ID is represented as a fragment identifier (FID). Furthermore, the length of the information elements corresponding to the M parts is 255 bytes, and the length m of the information elements corresponding to the N parts (if they exist) is less than 255 bytes.

[0105] If the information element contains an Element ID Extension field, such as Figure 6 As shown, then:

[0106]

[0107]

[0108] However, the information segmentation mechanism mentioned in the 802.11ai standard does not apply to cases where the data portion of an element further includes indicator fields and sub-elements. This is because in such scenarios, information can only be carried in the data portion of the element's sub-elements, and indicator fields cannot be used to carry information. Therefore, the formulas provided in 802.11ai are not applicable and cannot solve the problem of information segmentation transmission in this case.

[0109] Let's take a specific element as an example: as mentioned above Figure 3 The Multiple Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) element shown is used to carry information about APs that belong to the same Multiple Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) set as this AP.

[0110] The Multiple BSSID element includes a MaxBSSID Indicator field and one or more Nontransmitted BSSID Profile sub-elements. Each Nontransmitted BSSID Profile sub-element carries information about APs belonging to the same Multiple BSSID Set as this AP. Within the Nontransmitted BSSID Profile sub-element, the first three information elements are the Nontransmitted BSSID capability element, the SSID element, and the Multiple BSSID-Index element; subsequent elements may include several other elements.

[0111] Among the other elements, some may be quite long, exceeding 255 bytes. If the information segmentation mechanism provided by 802.11ai is used to segment them, a mismatch will occur between the length (indicated by the Length field) and the actual length.

[0112] like Figure 7As shown, assuming element i's length exceeds 255 bytes and needs to be segmented, according to the segmentation mechanism provided in 802.11ai, the length of the Length field in the information element corresponding to the first segment should be set to 254 bytes. However, due to the maximum length limit of the Multiple BSSID element, the actual length of the Data portion carried in the information element corresponding to the first segment is less than 254 bytes, which is inconsistent with the length indicated by the Length field. When a traditional station parses the Multiple BSSID element, upon reading the information element corresponding to the first segment of element i, it finds that the Element ID or Element ID Extension corresponds to an information element it does not support. Therefore, it skips the information element according to the indication of the Length field. However, the length indicated by the Length field is greater than the actual length of the Data field, causing the transmission station to skip the wrong position according to the indication of the Length field, ultimately leading to a parsing error.

[0113] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a wireless frame transmission method and apparatus, and a wireless frame reception method and apparatus, for carrying information exceeding the maximum length that a single element can carry through at least two elements in a wireless frame. Furthermore, when carrying information using at least two elements, the overhead of some indicator fields in the elements is also considered before carrying the information, thereby enabling the carrying of information by single-link or multi-link site devices, avoiding wireless frame transmission failures and incorrect parsing at the receiving end, and improving communication efficiency.

[0114] In other words, this application provides a mechanism for segmenting and transmitting information in the sub-elements of a certain element, so as to realize the carrying of information by single-link or multi-link site devices, avoid wireless frame transmission failure and incorrect parsing at the receiving end, and improve communication efficiency.

[0115] Example 1

[0116] This application provides a wireless frame structure as follows: Figure 8 As shown:

[0117] In this embodiment, the information to be sent in segments is transmitted across multiple elements. Each segment is the information / data field of an information element, with a length of L bytes, excluding the elementID field, Length field, and Element ID Extension field of the information element itself. Each element carries information for one segment.

[0118] In one implementation, the information element is a multi-link element; in another implementation, the information element is any of the fragmentable elements defined by the 802.11 standard.

[0119] In this context, elements carry information portions, such as element 22 carrying information 23, which is then transmitted within the information portion (information 21) of another element, element 2. To distinguish between these two types of elements, in this application, the other element carried within the information portion of one element is referred to as a child element. This scenario is termed a nested architecture with at least two levels of elements, for example... Figure 8 The information portion of element 21, specifically element 22, is referred to as element2. Element 22 and element 22 represent two levels of nested elements. It should be understood that this application describes how to implement segmented information transmission within an architecture with at least two levels of nested elements; neither the element nor its sub-elements are used to qualify the element's name.

[0120] It should be understood that the length of the information portion that an element can carry is indicated by its length field. As mentioned earlier, the length field in an element is currently set to 255, indicating that the length of the information portion is equal to 255 bytes.

[0121] In the at least two-level nested element architecture provided in this application, each element carries a length field. If all of these are set to 255 bytes as in the prior art, this will inevitably cause errors. Therefore, in this application, the value of the length field corresponding to the top-level element is set to 255, and the value of the length field corresponding to the child elements nested within this element is less than 255 bytes, or in other words, the length of the information field that the element can carry is less than 255 bytes; specifically, the length of the indicator field included in the element needs to be subtracted from 255.

[0122] For example Figure 8In the example, element 2 has a length 21 value of 255. The sub-element element 22 within the information 21 of element 2 has a length 23 value of 255 minus the number of bytes of the subelement ID (1), minus the number of bytes of length 22 (1), and then minus the number of bytes of the element ID included in element 22 (1). That is, the length 23 value should be 255 - 3 = 252, meaning the length of information that information 23 can carry is 252. If element 22 also includes an extension ID, the number of bytes of the extension ID should also be subtracted, i.e., 255 - 4 = 251, so the length of information that information 23 can carry is 251.

[0123] It should be understood that the first element carrying the first information portion of the segmented transmission may also carry other sub-elements. Therefore, the length of the first information portion that the sub-elements used to transmit segmented information can carry needs to be reduced by the number of bytes occupied by the other sub-elements.

[0124] It should also be understood that the length of the segmentation information carried in the information field of the child elements included in the last element used to carry segmentation information, plus the length of the indicator field in that element, is less than or equal to the length of 255 bytes indicated by the length field of that element.

[0125] By implementing Embodiment 1 of this application, information that could not be fully carried by a single element can be carried by multiple elements. Furthermore, the length of the information carried is fully accounted for after removing some inherent indication overhead in a single element, so that the information can be correctly segmented and carried without parsing errors at the receiving end.

[0126] Example 2

[0127] The embodiments of this application will be further explained below in conjunction with the wireless frame transmission and reception process.

[0128] See Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a wireless frame transmission method provided in this application. An embodiment of this method includes:

[0129] Step S101: The transmitting device generates a wireless frame, the wireless frame including a first element, and the wireless frame further including at least one of a second element and a third element;

[0130] The first element includes a first length field and a first information portion following the first length field; the first information portion includes a first indicator field and a first sub-element, the first sub-element including a first sub-indicator field and a first information field;

[0131] The second element includes a second length field and a second information portion following the second length field; the second information portion includes a second indicator field and a second sub-element, the second sub-element including a second sub-indicator field and a second information field;

[0132] The third element includes a third length field and a third information portion following the third length field; the third information portion includes a third indicator field and a third sub-element, the third sub-element including a third sub-indicator field and a third information field;

[0133] The information to be sent in segments, with a total length of L bytes, is carried in the first information field, and also in at least one of the second and third information fields;

[0134] The first information field carries information of length K bytes;

[0135] The length of the information carried by the second information field is the number of bytes in the second information portion minus the sum of the number of bytes in the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field, which is X bytes.

[0136] It should be understood that the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field here are essentially the sum of all possible indicator fields after the length field included in the second element, and the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field can be summarized as indicator fields; in another implementation, only one of the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field may exist.

[0137] The length of the information carried in the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length K bytes of the information carried in the first information field; or

[0138] The length of the information carried by the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length of the information carried by the first information field K bytes, and then minus the length of the information carried by the second information field;

[0139] Step S102: The transmitting device transmits the wireless frame.

[0140] Step S103: The receiving device obtains information with a total length of L bytes for segmented transmission based on the wireless frame.

[0141] Combination Figure 8The wireless frame shown includes a first element (element 1), and the wireless frame also includes at least one of a second element (element 2) and a third element (element 3);

[0142] The first element (element1) includes a first length field (length11) and a first information portion (information11) following the first length field (length11). Of course, before the first length field, it also includes an element identifier field (element ID 11). The first information portion (information11) includes a first indicator field (e.g., including subelement ID12 and length 12) and a first sub-element (element12). The first sub-element (element12) includes a first sub-indicator field (e.g., element ID13 and length 13) and a first information field (information13).

[0143] It should be understood that the first indication field and the first sub-indication field here are examples, and the first indication field and the first sub-indication field can also be generalized to all indication fields included in the first information part; in actual scenarios, the first element may only include the first indication field, or only include the first sub-indication field; of course, the first element may also include other fields, or even other elements not used to transmit the information of this segment, all of which are regarded as the first indication field and / or the first sub-indication field;

[0144] Similarly, if a second element exists, the second element (element 2) includes a second length field (length21) and a second information portion (information21) following the second length field (length21). Of course, before the first length field, it also includes an element identifier field (element ID 21). The second information portion (information 21) includes a second indicator field (e.g., including subelement ID22 and length 22) and a second sub-element (element 22). The second sub-element (element 22) includes a second sub-indicator field (e.g., element ID23 and length 23) and a second information field (information 23).

[0145] It should be understood that the second indication field and the second sub-indication field mentioned here are examples, and the second indication field and the second sub-indication field can also be generalized to all indication fields included in the second information section; in actual scenarios, the second element may only include the second indication field, or only include the second sub-indication field; of course, the second element may also include other fields, or even other elements not used to transmit the information of this segment, all of which are regarded as the second indication field and / or the second sub-indication field.

[0146] Similarly, if a third element exists, the third element (element 3) includes a third length field (length31) and a third information portion (information31) following the third length field (length 31). Of course, before the third length field, it also includes an element identifier field (element ID 31). The third information portion (information 31) includes a third indicator field (e.g., including subelement ID32 and length 32) and a third sub-element (element 32). The third sub-element (element 32) includes a third sub-indicator field (e.g., element ID33 and length 33) and a third information field (information 33).

[0147] It should be understood that the third indicator field and the third sub-indicator field here are examples, and the third indicator field and the third sub-indicator field can also be generalized to all indicator fields included in the third information section; in actual scenarios, the third element may only include the third indicator field, or only include the third sub-indicator field; of course, the third element may also include other fields, or even other elements not used to transmit information in this segment, all of which are regarded as the third indicator field and / or the third sub-indicator field.

[0148] The information to be sent in segments, with a total length of L bytes, is carried in the first information field (information13), and also in at least one of the second information field (information 23) and the third information field (information 33);

[0149] In one implementation, the first sub-element is an information element, and the second and third sub-elements are segmentation elements.

[0150] Specifically, the first sub-element includes an element identifier, element ID, which is the ID of the information element to be segmented; the second and third sub-elements include element IDs, which have a value of 242, indicating that the second and third sub-elements are segmented information elements. In this case, the segment element ID can also be called fragment ID (FID).

[0151] The first length field has a value of 255, indicating that the length of the first information portion is 255 bytes; the length of the first indication field is A1 bytes, for example... Figure 8 In the first indicator field, there are subelement ID12 and length 12, each occupying one byte, so A1 is 2 bytes; the length of the first sub-indicator field is A2 bytes, for example... Figure 8 In the example, the first sub-indicator field includes element ID13 and length 13, each occupying one byte. Therefore, A2 is 2 bytes, and the length K of the information carried by the first information field is 255 - A1 - A2 = 255 - 2 - 2 = 251 bytes. It should be understood that this first indicator field is only an example; in implementations, different elements may have other possibilities, for example, in... Figure 8 In element1, after length 11 and between information11, there are other indicator fields occupying A3 bytes. Therefore, the length K of the information carried by the first information field information13 is 255-A1-A2-A3. Similarly, after subelement ID12 and length 12 carried by information11 of element1, and before element12, there may be an element carrying other information elements. This element has a different function from element12 and is not used to carry segmented information. Assuming it occupies A4 bytes, the length K of the information carried by the first information field information13 is 255-A1-A2-A3-A4. Furthermore, after element ID13 and length 13 carried by element12, and before information13, there is an Element ID Extension field. The Element ID Extension field occupies A5 bytes. Therefore, the length K of the information carried by the first information field information13 is 255-A1-A2-A3-A4-A5.

[0152] The value of the second length field is 255, indicating that the length of the second information part is 255 bytes; the length of the second indication field is X1 bytes, the length of the first sub-indication field is X2 bytes, and the length of the information carried by the second information field is (255-X1-X2) bytes.

[0153] For example Figure 8 In the second indicator field, subelement ID22 and length 22 each occupy one byte, so X1 is 2 bytes; the length of the second sub-indicator field is X2 bytes, for example... Figure 8 In the example, the second sub-indicator field includes element ID23 and length 23, each occupying one byte, so X2 is 2 bytes. The length of the information carried by the second information field is 255 - X1 - X2 = 255 - 2 - 2 = 251 bytes. It should be understood that the first indicator field here is only an example; in implementations, different elements may have other possibilities, for example, in... Figure 8 In element2, after length 21 and between information21, there are other indicator fields occupying X3 bytes. Therefore, the length K of the information carried by the second information field information23 is 255-X1-X2-X3. Of course, as the second element for transmitting segmented information, after subelement ID22 and length 22 carried by information21 of element 2, before element22, there are no elements carrying other information elements.

[0154] The information to be sent in segments will also be carried in the second element, where the number of elements in the second element is M, and the value of M is as follows:

[0155] in, This indicates rounding down to the nearest integer.

[0156] In one implementation, the length of the second information portion indicated by the second indicator field is 255 bytes, then the number of second elements...

[0157] It should be understood that when M is 1, it means there is only one second element.

[0158] Wherein, the number of the third element

[0159] or

[0160] In one implementation, if the length of the second information portion indicated by the second indicator field is 255 bytes, then the number of third elements...

[0161] or

[0162] It should be understood that when N is 0, it means that there is no third element.

[0163] It should also be understood that the value of M can be 0 and the value of N can be 1, indicating that apart from the first element, there is only one other element used to transmit segmented information, and the length of the information portion carried in this other element is less than 255-X.

[0164] When a third element exists, the length of the information carried by the third information field is LK - (length of the second information portion indicated by the second indicator field - X) × M bytes.

[0165] In one implementation, if the length of the second information portion indicated by the second indicator field is 255 bytes, then the length of the information carried by the third information field is LK-(255-X)×M bytes.

[0166] In specific implementation, the wireless frame receiving device identifies the element ID of the first sub-element of the first element, the element ID of the second sub-element of the second element, and / or the element ID of the third sub-element of the third element based on the first element, the second element, and / or the third element in the wireless frame. It discovers that the element IDs of the second and third sub-elements are 242 (indicating a fragment element), and that the element ID of the first sub-element is a normal information element ID. This allows it to determine that the first information field of the first element, the second information field of the second element, and / or the third information field of the third element carry segmented information of the same information element, enabling them to be concatenated to obtain a complete L-byte information. It should be understood that the first element, the second element, and / or the third element are adjacent elements.

[0167] Identify the element IDs to determine which of the first, second, and / or third information fields in the first, second, and / or third elements carry segmented information of the same information element, allowing them to be concatenated to obtain the complete L-byte information. It should be understood that the first, second, and third elements are adjacent elements.

[0168] By implementing Embodiment 2 of this application, information that could not be fully carried by a single element can be carried by multiple elements. Furthermore, the length of the information carried is fully accounted for after removing some inherent indication overhead in a single element, so that the information can be correctly segmented and carried without parsing errors at the receiving end.

[0169] Example 3

[0170] The following describes the specific implementation method of segment information transmission when the segmented information is carried in the Nontransmitted BSSID Profile sub-element of the Multiple BSSID element, that is, when the first element, the second element, and the third element are Multiple BSSID elements in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0171] Assuming the length of the information to be segmented and transmitted is L bytes, the L bytes can be divided into a first information part, a second information part, and / or a third information part, and carried in multiple Multiple BSSID elements for segmented transmission.

[0172] One implementation is as follows: the first information portion is carried within an information element (or, in other words, within an information element whose element identifier is the same as the element identifier of the information element), and the remaining second and / or third information portions are carried within one or more fragment elements. The format of a fragment element is as follows: Figure 10 As shown:

[0173] The length of the first part of the information is the maximum length of the information element that the first Multiple BSSID element carrying the information element can carry. In this case, the Length field of the first Multiple BSSID element carrying the information element has a value of 255. In other words, the length of the first part of the information is the maximum length of the information portion that can be carried, excluding the indication information included in the Multiple BSSID element, when the Length field (the first Length field, i.e., the field used to characterize the length of the Multiple BSSID element) in the first part of the information element carrying the information element has a value of 255. Assume the length of the first part of the information is K bytes.

[0174] The second information portion is carried in M ​​Multiple BSSID elements. This indicates that the result of (LK) / (255-X) is rounded down.

[0175] If M > 0, the length of each information part in the M parts is (255 - X) bytes, and each is carried by a Multiple BSSID element. The length of each information part is 255 minus X bytes because, in carrying the M second elements, each second element, in addition to carrying the information part, also needs to carry some fixed overhead. The length of this fixed overhead is determined by the element type of the second element. The fixed overhead may include:

[0176] MaxBSSIDIndicator, 1 byte;

[0177] The subelement ID field in the Nontransmitted BSSID Profile subelement is 1 byte.

[0178] The Length field in the Nontransmitted BSSID Profile sub-element is 1 byte.

[0179] The Element ID field, 1 byte, of the Fragment element in the Multiple BSSID element that carries the information portion for each of the M portions;

[0180] The Length field, 1 byte, is used for each of the M parts that carry the information element in the Fragment element.

[0181] Therefore, the value of X is the sum of the number of bytes of all the indicator fields except the information part, which is 5 bytes.

[0182] The length of each of the M parts of the information element carried in the Fragment element is 255 - X = 255 - 5 = 250 bytes. Therefore, the value of the Length field of the Fragment element used to carry each of the M parts of the information part is 250 bytes.

[0183] The fixed overhead described above is merely an example. In implementation, the fixed overhead may also include fields that must be carried in the second element. For example, the Multiple BSSID element must carry a 1-byte MaxBSSIDIndicator field.

[0184] Furthermore, the third information portion is carried in N Multiple BSSID elements.

[0185]

[0186] or

[0187]

[0188] If N=1, then the N parts are the last part after the Information part of the information element is segmented, and its length is LK-250*M.

[0189] Specifically, such as Figure 11 As shown, the information to be transmitted in segments consists of L bytes divided into multiple segments. The first segment is K bytes long. When the length of the Multiple BSSID element carrying the first segment is 255, the remaining K bytes, after deducting the bytes already included in the indicator field or other elements of the Multiple BSSID element, are used to carry the first part of the segmented information. The last segment has a length of m bytes, where m < 250. Excluding the first and last segments, the information portion of the middle segments carries the information field of M elements, each with a length of 250 bytes. These M elements are respectively carried within the M Multiple BSSID elements.

[0190] It should be understood that the information to be transmitted in segments can also be called the data to be transmitted in segments, and the aforementioned information field carrying segmentation information can also be called the data field.

[0191] In specific implementation, the receiving end identifies the element ID of the first sub-element of the first Multiple BSSID element, the element ID of the second sub-element of the second Multiple BSSID element, and / or the element ID of the third sub-element of the third Multiple BSSID element based on the first Multiple BSSID element, the second Multiple BSSID element, and / or the third Multiple BSSID element in the radio frame. It finds that the element IDs of the second and third sub-elements are 242 (indicating they are Fragment elements), and the element ID of the first sub-element is a normal information element ID. This allows it to determine that the first information field of the first Multiple BSSID element, the second information field of the second Multiple BSSID element, and / or the third information field of the third Multiple BSSID element carry segmented information of the same information element, enabling them to be concatenated to obtain the complete L-byte information. It should be understood that the first Multiple BSSID element, the second Multiple BSSID element, and / or the third Multiple BSSID element are adjacent elements.

[0192] By implementing Embodiment 3 of this application, information that could not be fully carried by a single Multiple BSSID element can be carried by multiple Multiple BSSID elements. Furthermore, the length of the information carried is fully accounted for after removing some inherent indication overhead in the Multiple BSSID element, so that the information can be correctly segmented and carried without parsing errors at the receiving end.

[0193] Example 4

[0194] The specific implementations of the first, second, and / or third elements can be Neighbor Reportelement, such as... Figure 12 As shown:

[0195] The implementation of segmenting the information to be transmitted in the Neighbor Report element is similar to that described above in the Multiple BSSID element, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the Neighbor Report element must carry the following indicator fields: element ID, length, Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), BSSID information, Operating Class, Channel Number, and PHY Type, totaling 15 bytes. Therefore, the length of the information portion carried in the optional subelements field of the Neighbor Report element is 255-X, where X = 15. Thus, the length of the Length field of each Fragment element in the M second Neighbor Report elements is 255-X = 255-15 = 240 bytes. Of course, the length of the information portion carried by the first Neighbor Report element is K = 255-A bytes, where A is greater than or equal to X.

[0196] Of course, the information portion carried by the last Neighbor Report element is LK-250*M bytes in length.

[0197] In specific implementation, the receiving end identifies the element ID of the first sub-element of the first Neighbor Report element, the element ID of the second sub-element of the second Neighbor Report element, and / or the element ID of the third sub-element of the third Neighbor Report element based on the first Neighbor Report element, the second Neighbor Report element, and / or the third Neighbor Report element in the radio frame. It finds that the element IDs of the second and third sub-elements are 242 (indicating a fragment element), and the element ID of the first sub-element is a normal information element ID. This allows it to determine that the first information field of the first Neighbor Report element, the second information field of the second Neighbor Report element, and / or the third information field of the third Multiple BSSID element carry segmented information of the same information element, enabling them to be concatenated to obtain the complete L-byte information. It should be understood that the first Neighbor Report element, the second Neighbor Report element, and / or the third Neighbor Report element are adjacent elements.

[0198] By implementing Embodiment 4 of this application, multiple Neighbor Report elements can carry information that would not be fully carried by a single Neighbor Report element. Furthermore, the length of the information carried is designed to account for the inherent overhead of some Neighbor Report elements, ensuring that the information can be correctly segmented and carried without parsing errors at the receiving end.

[0199] The above describes this application from a methodological perspective; the following will further introduce this application from the perspective of apparatus.

[0200] Please see Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application, wherein the communication device 1000 includes a processing unit 1001 and a transceiver unit 1002.

[0201] Specifically, the communication device 1000 can be a wireless frame transmitting device, used to implement the wireless frame transmitting method in any of the foregoing embodiments. Correspondingly, the processing unit 1001 and the transceiver unit 1002 perform the following operations:

[0202] Processing unit 1001 generates a wireless frame, the wireless frame including a first element, and the wireless frame also including at least one of a second element and a third element;

[0203] The first element includes a first length field and a first information portion following the first length field; the first information portion includes a first indicator field and a first sub-element, the first sub-element including a first sub-indicator field and a first information field;

[0204] The second element includes a second length field and a second information portion following the second length field; the second information portion includes a second indicator field and a second sub-element, the second sub-element including a second sub-indicator field and a second information field;

[0205] The third element includes a third length field and a third information portion following the third length field; the third information portion includes a third indicator field and a third sub-element, the third sub-element including a third sub-indicator field and a third information field;

[0206] The information to be sent in segments, with a total length of L bytes, is carried in the first information field, and also in at least one of the second and third information fields;

[0207] The first information field carries information of length K bytes;

[0208] The length of the information carried by the second information field is the number of bytes in the second information portion minus the sum of the number of bytes in the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field, which is X bytes.

[0209] It should be understood that the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field here are essentially the sum of all possible indicator fields after the length field included in the second element, and the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field can be summarized as indicator fields; in another implementation, only one of the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field may exist.

[0210] The length of the information carried in the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length K bytes of the information carried in the first information field; or

[0211] The length of the information carried by the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length of the information carried by the first information field K bytes, and then minus the length of the information carried by the second information field;

[0212] The transceiver unit 1002 transmits the wireless frame.

[0213] In another implementation, the communication device 1000 can specifically be a wireless frame receiving device, used to implement the wireless frame transmission method in any of the foregoing embodiments. Accordingly, the processing unit 1001 and the transceiver unit 1002 perform the following operations:

[0214] The transceiver unit 1002 is used to receive the aforementioned wireless frames;

[0215] The processing unit 1001 is also configured to obtain information with a total length of L bytes for segmented transmission based on the wireless frame.

[0216] In a specific implementation, the processing unit 1001 identifies the element ID in the first element, second element and / or third element of the wireless frame to determine which first information field, second information field and / or third information field in the first element, second element and / or third element carries segment information of the same information element, so as to concatenate them to obtain complete L-byte information.

[0217] Combination Figure 8 The wireless frame shown includes a first element (element 1), and the wireless frame also includes at least one of a second element (element 2) and a third element (element 3);

[0218] The first element (element1) includes a first length field (length11) and a first information portion (information11) following the first length field (length11). Of course, before the first length field, it also includes an element identifier field (element ID 11). The first information portion (information11) includes a first indicator field (e.g., including subelement ID12 and length 12) and a first sub-element (element12). The first sub-element (element12) includes a first sub-indicator field (e.g., element ID13 and length 13) and a first information field (information13).

[0219] It should be understood that the first indication field and the first sub-indication field here are examples, and the first indication field and the first sub-indication field can also be generalized to all indication fields included in the first information part; in actual scenarios, the first element may only include the first indication field, or only include the first sub-indication field; of course, the first element may also include other fields, or even other elements not used to transmit the information of this segment, all of which are regarded as the first indication field and / or the first sub-indication field;

[0220] Similarly, if a second element exists, the second element (element 2) includes a second length field (length21) and a second information portion (information21) following the second length field (length21). Of course, before the first length field, it also includes an element identifier field (element ID 21). The second information portion (information 21) includes a second indicator field (e.g., including subelement ID22 and length 22) and a second sub-element (element 22). The second sub-element (element 22) includes a second sub-indicator field (e.g., element ID23 and length 23) and a second information field (information 23).

[0221] It should be understood that the second indication field and the second sub-indication field mentioned here are examples, and the second indication field and the second sub-indication field can also be generalized to all indication fields included in the second information section; in actual scenarios, the second element may only include the second indication field, or only include the second sub-indication field; of course, the second element may also include other fields, or even other elements not used to transmit the information of this segment, all of which are regarded as the second indication field and / or the second sub-indication field.

[0222] Similarly, if a third element exists, the third element (element 3) includes a third length field (length31) and a third information portion (information31) following the third length field (length 31). Of course, before the third length field, it also includes an element identifier field (element ID 31). The third information portion (information 31) includes a third indicator field (e.g., including subelement ID32 and length 32) and a third sub-element (element 32). The third sub-element (element 32) includes a third sub-indicator field (e.g., element ID33 and length 33) and a third information field (information 33).

[0223] It should be understood that the third indicator field and the third sub-indicator field here are examples, and the third indicator field and the third sub-indicator field can also be generalized to all indicator fields included in the third information section; in actual scenarios, the third element may only include the third indicator field, or only include the third sub-indicator field; of course, the third element may also include other fields, or even other elements not used to transmit information in this segment, all of which are regarded as the third indicator field and / or the third sub-indicator field.

[0224] The information to be sent in segments, with a total length of L bytes, is carried in the first information field (information13), and also in at least one of the second information field (information 23) and the third information field (information 33);

[0225] In one implementation, the first sub-element is an information element, and the second and third sub-elements are segmentation elements.

[0226] Specifically, the first sub-element includes an element identifier, element ID, which is the ID of the information element to be segmented; the second and third sub-elements include element IDs, which have a value of 242, indicating that the second and third sub-elements are segmented information elements. In this case, the segment element ID can also be called fragment ID (FID).

[0227] The first length field has a value of 255, indicating that the length of the first information portion is 255 bytes; the length of the first indication field is A1 bytes, for example... Figure 8 In the first indicator field, there are subelement ID12 and length 12, each occupying one byte, so A1 is 2 bytes; the length of the first sub-indicator field is A2 bytes, for example... Figure 8 In the example, the first sub-indicator field includes element ID13 and length 13, each occupying one byte. Therefore, A2 is 2 bytes, and the length K of the information carried by the first information field is 255 - A1 - A2 = 255 - 2 - 2 = 251 bytes. It should be understood that this first indicator field is only an example; in implementations, different elements may have other possibilities, for example, in... Figure 8In element1, after length 11 and between information11, there are other indicator fields occupying A3 bytes. Therefore, the length K of the information carried by the first information field information13 is 255-A1-A2-A3. Similarly, after subelement ID12 and length 12 carried by information11 of element1, and before element12, there may be an element carrying other information elements. This element has a different function from element12 and is not used to carry segmented information. Assuming it occupies A4 bytes, the length K of the information carried by the first information field information13 is 255-A1-A2-A3-A4. Furthermore, after element ID13 and length 13 carried by element12, and before information13, there is an Element ID Extension field. The Element ID Extension field occupies A5 bytes. Therefore, the length K of the information carried by the first information field information13 is 255-A1-A2-A3-A4-A5.

[0228] The value of the second length field is 255, indicating that the length of the second information part is 255 bytes; the length of the second indication field is X1 bytes, the length of the first sub-indication field is X2 bytes, and the length of the information carried by the second information field is (255-X1-X2) bytes.

[0229] For example Figure 8 In the second indicator field, subelement ID22 and length 22 each occupy one byte, so X1 is 2 bytes; the length of the first sub-indicator field is X2 bytes, for example... Figure 8 In the example, the second sub-indicator field includes element ID23 and length 23, each occupying one byte, so X2 is 2 bytes. The length of the information carried by the second information field is 255 - X1 - X2 = 255 - 2 - 2 = 251 bytes. It should be understood that the first indicator field here is only an example; in implementations, different elements may have other possibilities, for example, in... Figure 8In element 2, after length 21 and between information 21, there are other indicator fields occupying X3 bytes. Therefore, the length of the information carried by the second information field information 23 is K = 255 - X1 - X2 - X3. Of course, as the second element for transmitting segmented information, after subelement ID 22 and length 22 carried by information 21 of element 2, before element 22, there are no elements carrying other information elements. For example, after element ID 23 and length 23 carried by element 22, before information 23, there may also be an Element ID Extension field, which occupies X4 bytes. Then, the length of the information carried by the first information field information 23 is K = 255 - X1 - X2 - X3 - X4.

[0230] The information to be sent in segments will also be carried in the second element, where the number of elements in the second element is M, and the value of M is as follows:

[0231] in, This indicates rounding down to the nearest integer.

[0232] In one implementation, the length of the second information portion indicated by the second indicator field is 255 bytes, then the number of second elements...

[0233] It should be understood that when M is 1, it means there is only one second element.

[0234] Wherein, the number of the third element

[0235] or

[0236] In one implementation, if the length of the second information portion indicated by the second indicator field is 255 bytes, then the number of third elements...

[0237] or

[0238] It should be understood that when N is 0, it means that there is no third element.

[0239] It should also be understood that the value of M can be 0 and the value of N can be 1, indicating that apart from the first element, there is only one other element used to transmit segmented information, and the length of the information portion carried in this other element is less than 255-X.

[0240] When a third element exists, the length of the information carried by the third information field is LK - (length of the second information portion indicated by the second indicator field - X) × M bytes.

[0241] In one implementation, if the length of the second information portion indicated by the second indicator field is 255 bytes, then the length of the information carried by the third information field is LK-(255-X)×M bytes.

[0242] In a practical implementation, the first, second, and third elements mentioned above can be Multiple BSSIDelement or Neighbor Report element.

[0243] By implementing the embodiments of this application, information that could not be fully carried by a single element can be carried by multiple elements, and the length of the information carried is fully accounted for after removing some inherent indication overhead in a single element, so that the information can be correctly segmented and carried, and the receiving end will not encounter parsing errors.

[0244] It should be noted that the communication device 1000 can also be used to perform the aforementioned... Figures 1 to 12 Other embodiments are described in the foregoing embodiments, and corresponding beneficial effects are achieved. For details, please refer to the description in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0245] See Figure 14 , Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 1100 provided in the embodiment of this application. The communication device 1100 includes a processor 1101 and a transceiver 1102.

[0246] The communication device 1100 can be a wireless frame transmitting device or a wireless frame receiving device, or a chip therein.

[0247] Figure 14 Only the main components of the communication device 1100 are shown. In addition to the processor 1101 and transceiver 1102, the communication device may further include a memory 1103 and input / output devices (not shown).

[0248] The processor 1101 is primarily used to process communication protocols and data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data within those programs. The memory 1103 is primarily used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1102 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry and an antenna. The RF circuitry is primarily used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is primarily used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are primarily used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0249] The processor 1101, transceiver 1102, and memory 1103 can be connected via a communication bus.

[0250] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1101 can read the software program in the memory 1103, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1101 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1101. The processor 1101 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0251] In any of the above implementations, the processor 1201 may include a communication interface for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, this communication interface may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0252] In any of the above implementations, the processor 1201 may store instructions, which may be computer programs. These computer programs, running on the processor 1201, cause the communication device 1200 to execute the methods described in any of the above embodiments. The computer program may be embedded in the processor 1201; in this case, the processor 1201 may be implemented in hardware.

[0253] In one implementation, the communication device 1200 may include circuitry capable of transmitting, receiving, or communicating in any of the foregoing embodiments. The processor and communication interface described in this application can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and communication interface can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), n-metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), p-type metal oxide semiconductors (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0254] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0255] The communication device can be a standalone device or part of a larger device. For example, the communication device can be:

[0256] (1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0257] (2) A collection of one or more ICs, optionally including a storage component for storing data and instructions;

[0258] (3) ASIC, such as modem;

[0259] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0260] (5) Receivers, smart terminals, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.;

[0261] (6) Others, etc.

[0262] Furthermore, processor 1101 can be used for, for example, but not limited to, baseband-related processing, and transceiver 1102 can be used for, for example, but not limited to, radio frequency transceiver. The aforementioned devices can be disposed on separate chips, or at least partially or entirely on the same chip. For example, the processor can be further divided into analog baseband processors and digital baseband processors. The analog baseband processor can be integrated with the transceiver on the same chip, while the digital baseband processor can be disposed on a separate chip. With the continuous development of integrated circuit technology, more and more devices can be integrated on the same chip. For example, a digital baseband processor can be integrated with multiple application processors (e.g., but not limited to graphics processors, multimedia processors, etc.) on the same chip. Such a chip can be called a system-on-chip (SoC). Whether the various devices are disposed independently on different chips or integrated on one or more chips often depends on the specific needs of the product implementation. This embodiment of the invention does not limit the specific implementation form of the aforementioned devices.

[0263] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer program code. When the processor executes the computer program code, the electronic device performs the method in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0264] This application also provides a computer program product that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0265] This application also provides a communication device, which can exist in the form of a chip. The device includes a processor and an interface circuit. The processor is used to communicate with other devices through a receiving circuit, so that the device can execute the method in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0266] This application also provides a WLAN communication system, including a wireless frame transmitting device and a wireless frame receiving device, which can perform the methods in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0267] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in this application can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a core network interface device. Of course, the processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the core network interface device.

[0268] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in one or more of the examples above, the functions described in this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer-readable storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transmission of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0269] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, disclosure, and appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0270] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of this application. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made on the basis of the technical solution of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting wireless frames, characterized in that, include: Generate a wireless frame, the wireless frame including a first element, and the wireless frame further including at least one of a second element and a third element; The first element includes a first length field and a first information portion following the first length field; the first information portion includes a first indicator field and a first sub-element, the first sub-element including a first sub-indicator field and a first information field; The second element includes a second length field and a second information portion following the second length field; the second information portion includes a second indicator field and a second sub-element, the second sub-element including a second sub-indicator field and a second information field; The third element includes a third length field and a third information portion following the third length field; the third information portion includes a third indicator field and a third sub-element, the third sub-element including a third sub-indicator field and a third information field; The information to be sent in segments, with a total length of L bytes, is carried in the first information field, and also in at least one of the second and third information fields; The first information field carries information of length K bytes; The length of the information carried by the second information field is the number of bytes in the second information portion minus the sum of the number of bytes in the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field, which is X bytes. The length of the information carried in the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length of the information carried in the first information field; or The length of the information carried by the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length of the information carried by the first information field, and then minus the length of the information carried by the second information field; Send the wireless frame.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first sub-element is an information element, and the second and third sub-elements are segmentation elements.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first sub-element includes an element identifier (element ID); the second and third sub-elements include an element ID with a value of 242, indicating that the second and third sub-elements are segmented information elements.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first length field has a value of 255, indicating that the length of the first information part is 255 bytes; the length of the first indication field is A1 bytes, the length of the first sub-indication field is A2 bytes, and the length K of the information carried by the first information field is 255-A1-A2 bytes.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The value of the second length field is 255, indicating that the length of the second information part is 255 bytes; the length of the second indication field is X1 bytes, the length of the first sub-indication field is X2 bytes, X = X1 + X2, and the length of the information carried by the second information field is (255 - X) bytes.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The number of the second element in, This indicates rounding down to the nearest integer.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The number of the third element or 8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The length of the information carried by the third information field is LK - (length of the second information portion indicated by the second indicator field - X) × M bytes.

9. The method according to claim 1, 2, or 8, characterized in that, The first element, the second element, and the third element are all multiple BSSID elements, and X = 5.

10. A method for receiving wireless frames, characterized in that, include: Receive a wireless frame, the wireless frame including a first element, and the wireless frame further including at least one of a second element and a third element; The first element includes a first length field and a first information portion following the first length field; the first information portion includes a first indicator field and a first sub-element, the first sub-element including a first sub-indicator field and a first information field; The second element includes a second length field and a second information portion following the second length field; the second information portion includes a second indicator field and a second sub-element, the second sub-element including a second sub-indicator field and a second information field; The third element includes a third length field and a third information portion following the third length field; the third information portion includes a third indicator field and a third sub-element, the third sub-element including a third sub-indicator field and a third information field; The information to be sent in segments, with a total length of L bytes, is carried in the first information field, and also in at least one of the second and third information fields; The first information field carries information of length K bytes; The length of the information carried by the second information field is X bytes, which is the total number of bytes in the second information portion minus the sum of the number of bytes in the second indicator field and the second sub-indicator field. The length of the information carried in the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length of the information carried in the first information field; or The length of the information carried by the third information field is the total length L bytes minus the length of the information carried by the first information field, and then minus the length of the information carried by the second information field; Information with a total length of L bytes for segmented transmission is obtained from the wireless frame.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first sub-element is an information element, and the second and third sub-elements are segmentation elements.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The first sub-element includes an element identifier (element ID); the second and third sub-elements include an element ID with a value of 242, indicating that the second and third sub-elements are segmented information elements.

13. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The first length field has a value of 255, indicating that the length of the first information part is 255 bytes; the length of the first indication field is A1 bytes, the length of the first sub-indication field is A2 bytes, and the length K of the information carried by the first information field is 255-A1-A2 bytes.

14. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The value of the second length field is 255, indicating that the length of the second information part is 255 bytes; the length of the second indication field is X1 bytes, the length of the first sub-indication field is X2 bytes, X = X1 + X2, and the length of the information carried by the second information field is (255 - X) bytes.

15. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The number of the second element in, This indicates rounding down to the nearest integer.

16. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The number of the third element or 17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The length of the information carried by the third information field is LK - (length of the second information portion indicated by the second indicator field - X) × M bytes.

18. The method according to claim 10, 11, or 17, characterized in that, The first element, the second element, and the third element are all multiple BSSID elements, where X = 5.

19. A wireless frame transmitting device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit, wherein the apparatus is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

20. A wireless frame receiving device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit, wherein the apparatus is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes at least one processor coupled to memory; The memory is used to store programs or instructions; The at least one processor is used to execute the program or instructions to cause the apparatus to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

22. A computer program product containing program instructions, characterized in that, When the program instructions are executed on a computer, the computer causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores program instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18 to be performed.

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